Cuttin' Tha Mustard. Square Body Style

LizardKing

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So, about a year and a half ago my wife’s Grandfather passed away and left behind a few vehicles. One of which was his “work truck,” a ’77 C10 Silverado Square Body. When his estate was being dispersed, I expressed interest in restoring the truck, but my BIL ended up with it. He is in his 3rd year of residency at Penn U Hospital, and hasn’t been able to do anything to it and thus it has just sat deteriorating. Long story short, the truck needed to be moved from where it was being kept and I got a nice Christmas present from the family!

The truck needs a lot of work and will probably be a long project, but I am really looking forward to it. I come from a family of Hot Rodders but just never had the time or money or a place to work on a project ( actually I still don’t, but it didn’t cost me anything and I’ve made time when I would usually be engaged in one of my “other” hobbies). Dad was a Hot Rodder in the prime of the Muscle Car period but had to give it up when he had to start feedin’ a youngen’ (yours truly). My biggest pleasure of this project is to be able to work on it with him.

It’s obviously not the best platform for a Hot Rod. It’s a long bend, mustard yellar' with a EPA’ed ’77 350 small block, and needs a lot of body work….and interior work… like I said it will be a long project but I have some cool ideas. Ultimate goals would be a Gene Fulton big block under the hood, ridding on air bags, classic Torq Thrust wheels with big rubber on the back and a decent paint job. Not too picky about the interior, just something clean.

We haven’t had a lot of time to work on it, mainly one day a week for 4 or 5 hours.. I really want to get it on the road and be able to have a reliable driver so thus far we have only done a few basic repairs. There was an oil leak coming from the right side valve cover, dripping down on the exhaust manifold making it drive a little smoky so that was one of the first things we worked on. We changed the valve cover gasket, spark plugs, and new air cleaner, a few hoses, tidied up some wiring and a wipe down with some degreaser.

Oddly enough the truck had and aftermarket cruise control system on it as well as a secondary gas tank. We yanked the cruise control stuff out early on and dropped the spare gas tank last weekend.

I’ll try to update the thread as we make progress. I still have a lot to learn about restoration, but am excited for the transformation.

Here it is as it sat for over a year in the vines.
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After a bath

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Before and after of the motor
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The spare fuel tank
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I really need to make room in my garage so I will be having a yard sale and listing some stuff on here. I don't usually sell anything from my collection but the AutoFair is next weekend and I need some parts! I have alot of vintage tools, militaria, ammo boxes and cans, just general man stuff. I call it a collection, the wifey calls it my pile of stuff in the garage...
 
It's old enough that you can do whatever you want with the engine now that it's over 35 years old, and don't have to worry about certain aspects of inspections that inhibit seriously hot rodding anything in the major NC counties (like mine :mad:).
 
Here's a little inspiration. I bought a '79 C10 almost 20 years ago. It was in a lot better shape than yours, but was the same color (which I called "post-it note yellow"). I took it straight from the dealer to the paint shop, and said I wanted it the brightest yellow they had (wasn't going to worry about dash, door jambs, etc). I believe '93 Ford Probe was the donor color. Picked it up and drove it straight to the tire/wheel shop for some Tailgunners and yellow letter Eagles. Other than that, nothing much more than Flowmasters (already had dual) and window tint. Definitely an attention getter.

Drove it four years, then sold it for almost the same amount I bought it for.


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Very solid looking body. Shouldn't take much to really make it look nice.
 
That'll make a fine hotrod, Lizard. I had a '77 3/4 ton that would beat your teeth out going down the road. I loved that I could stand beside the engine to work on it.


Here's a little inspiration. I bough a '79 C10 years ago. ...


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Good looking truck, BW. I've never seen one that the bed didn't lean to starboard.
 
Here's a little inspiration. I bough a '79 C10 years ago. It was in a lot better shape than yours, but was the same color (which I called "post-it note yellow"). I took it straight from the dealer to the paint shop, and said I wanted it the brightest yellow they had (wasn't going to worry about dash, door jambs, etc). I believe '93 Ford Probe was the donor color. Picked it up and drove it straight to the tire/wheel shop for some Tailgunners and yellow letter Eagles. Other than that, nothing much more than Flowmasters (already had dual) and window tint. Definitely an attention getter.

Drove it four years, then sold it for almost the same amount I bought it for.


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Sweet lookin ride! I may have to get out the buffer now! Do you by chance remeber if it had headers and what model they were? I'm tryin to do some research and price shop before I go to the auto fair but really need to know what headers will work without a lot of mods.
 
Sweet lookin ride! I may have to get out the buffer now! Do you by chance remeber if it had headers and what model they were? I'm tryin to do some research and price shop before I go to the auto fair but really need to know what headers will work without a lot of mods.
I think it was a stock setup, but not 100% sure. I bought it when I was 23 and had no idea was getting into. I put a 14"x6" K&N on top.

I do know one of the bolts was rusted out at the collector pipe, so it had a nice little rattle...sounded like it had a nice cam in it. Had to pop the hood multiple times to show people it was just old. Made me really want to put a set of wheelie bars and a fake parachute bag on the tailgate. :D

Although the most popular question was what I used to paint the letters on the tires.
 
Sweet lookin ride! I may have to get out the buffer now!
BTW...if you've never tried it, buy a clay bar and give it a shot. You may be surprised.

I bought and '89 Dodge 350 (first year of the Cummins I believe) that was black, or at least supposed to be. Took a clay bar to it and really brought it to life except for the roof, hood and the top of the dually wheelwells (basically the horizontal surfaces that took most of the sun damage).
 
Lmc truck and national parts Depot are going to know your voice on the phone!
You must post plenty of pics!
No doubt. I already have a list for LMC to order. I'm just waiting to see what I can come up with at the Auto Fair next weekend. I have some other car parts and tools I'm gonna try to do a lil horse tradin on.
 
No doubt. I already have a list for LMC to order. I'm just waiting to see what I can come up with at the Auto Fair next weekend. I have some other car parts and tools I'm gonna try to do a lil horse tradin on.
I deal with NPD here in Charlotte alot. Good luck on trading, I've never had any luck at that. Everyone at the Autofair always wants top dollar and a gold nugget. I'll be grazing the fair myself. Don't know what days yet.
 
Very nice! Can't wait to see what you do with it. If you ever get up toward Hickory, there is a place in Claremont called Dave's Truck Parts. He only deals in Chevy truck parts from 1947-1987. Going in his shop is like walking into an LMC Chevy catalog. I have a love/hate relationship with Dave. I love his store, but hate what it does to my wallet.

Dave's Truck Parts
 
Very nice! Can't wait to see what you do with it. If you ever get up toward Hickory, there is a place in Claremont called Dave's Truck Parts. He only deals in Chevy truck parts from 1947-1987. Going in his shop is like walking into an LMC Chevy catalog. I have a love/hate relationship with Dave. I love his store, but hate what it does to my wallet.

Dave's Truck Parts
Great! Thanks for the tip!
 
If you're gonna do this then go ahead and take the body apart and start fixing rust one panel at the time. Clean the frame, replace the springs, all the bushings, reinforce the steering box mounting area while the engine shop has the engine and the transmission shop beefs up the trans. You should have the rear end ready by now too so when the engine and trans are ready you can mount them all. Soon after you can remount the stripped cab, front clip, new oversize radiator and trans cooler...:)
 
You may know this, but those flat hoods were prone to bend in the middle from the pressure of the hood springs resisting the hood being closed. There are, or as least there were, re-enforcement kits available which strengthened the outer edge of the hood.

Also DuPont has/had a paint color called "Chrome Yellow" which was used on firetrucks for awhile when people were freaking out about them not being visible enough at night. BRIGHT yellow!!!
 
If you're gonna do this then go ahead and take the body apart and start fixing rust one panel at the time. Clean the frame, replace the springs, all the bushings, reinforce the steering box mounting area while the engine shop has the engine and the transmission shop beefs up the trans. You should have the rear end ready by now too so when the engine and trans are ready you can mount them all. Soon after you can remount the stripped cab, front clip, new oversize radiator and trans cooler...:)
I love how you think! Jus wish my budget agreed...
 
You may know this, but those flat hoods were prone to bend in the middle from the pressure of the hood springs resisting the hood being closed. There are, or as least there were, re-enforcement kits available which strengthened the outer edge of the hood.

Also DuPont has/had a paint color called "Chrome Yellow" which was used on firetrucks for awhile when people were freaking out about them not being visible enough at night. BRIGHT yellow!!!
  • The hood reinforcement is actually one of the first things my Dad mentioned. Great minds and all that... Honestly the Hot Rod bug bit me and if it won't make it faster it has not been on the priority list.:) Thanks for the info!
 
I haven't had any trouble with my hood buckling as yet. I think the key is to keep the hinges and springs well lubed.
 
Went to the Auto Fair, came home with a few parts and a little more knowledge. Made a good deal on an Edelbrock intake manifold, and found some hinge bolts and bushings to hopefully fix my sagging doors. Talked to a guy from West By God Virginia who specializes in C10's and figured out what I need to fix my broken vent window pivot post thingy? All in all a pretty good day. Got called in to work tomorrow, so it will be at least Thursday before I get started on the intake, but you'll have that...hopefully I'll not have to work any OT this week...2017_040818_4918_372.jpg
All the threads are good and overall really good condition.
 
I swapped out the intake manifold and shed 25 pounds, give or take. Went pretty smooth overall. Ended up putting in a new distributor as well.
Only issue now is the vaccum fitting that goes in the back of the manifold and receives the trans vaccum line and sends one to the carb. We were trying to set the timing and noticed an inconsistent idle speed, so we started looking for a vaccum leak.
Since the locations vary a bit from each manifold, I had to convince the hard line coming from the trans to the top of the fitting... and cracked the fitting. So now I have a vaccum leak. Still trying to decide on either re bending the hard line or adding a piece of flex hose or a different configured fitting. I'm still learning how all this works, so there may be some trial and error...
Some before and after pics
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I haven't updated this post in a while, but I've done a little piddlin' here and there. I came home from work one night and the wifey says, "I think your truck is leaking." I'm thinking, and you just now noticed??? So, I crawl down and look, and yeah, it's a bit bigger puddle then the usual oil drip.
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It's transmission fluid but appears to be coming from the u joint...
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Long story short, there is a weep hole?, in the yoke that comes out of the tranny and the conclusion is that is where the fluid is coming from. ( Wierd part is the truck sat in the same place in the driveway for about 4 months and the leak only started when I parked in 3 feet farther back in the driveway.) We determined our fix at this time was to plug the weep hole with JB weld, and install a new u joint and trans seal. I didn't have a u joint press so we had to get creative with a c clamp...
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At the auto fair a few months back, I was talking to a guy about getting my doors to shut easier and he suggested new door hinge pins with new bushings. So for ten bucks I picked up a couple and installed them. While it's not perfect, it's ALOT better than it was. Not a difficult project once I took the door off, but there was some gruntin' and adult language trying to drive the stock pins out with the door on...
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2017_061219_0448_268.jpg 2017_061219_0428_257.jpg While we were under the front end last week we noticed the sway bar bushings were worn, and well one was just not there... So anywho, not an expensive fix and something to do while I wait for the rest of my exhaust. While I had the bar out I cleaned the rust off with the wire wheel and some elbow grease and painted it with some Chevy Orange I had left from my valve covers. Took it for a test drive and it really surprised me how much of a difference it made.
 
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Waitin' on the rest of my exhaust to be delivered I did a little paintin'... Rattle can driveway custom:)
Using the paint I had in the cabinet I started with the radiator support. It came out too glossy but better than it was before so...2017_062622_1833_598.jpg
Lookin' for a little less glossy, I found a can of high temp grill paint and did my inner fender wells. 2017_062622_1851_052.jpg
 
Very nice project. I have found for the rattle can jobs use engine enamel, it is a lot less picky about getting all the grease off. Best of luck with her, and keep the pictures coming.
 
So I took a few steps forward and a few steps back. But, as my wife hates to hear me say, you'll have that...
Long story short I got my headers, exhaust pipes and mufflers installed but when I took it out for a shake down run well, I shook it down alright. Reckon I mave have had it turning more Rpms than it had in a while and the clutch for the fan spun off and launched itself into the radiator and now need a new radiator and fan system.... Honestly the radiator was on the list to be replaced but I was hoping to get at least a little seat time in it before I had to. Anywho, here are some pics

Headers installed
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The crossover looks a little more caddy wompass than it really is but between the header on that side being lower than the other, the not so perfectly bent pipes and my not so much exhaust installing experience it kinda ended up that way. It's all clamped up for now. When I take it to the shop to get welded up I'm hoping they can straighten it out a little.
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The mangled fan blade and pierced radiator. And oh yeah, it made a helluvah racket when it slung off. I was really hoping it was something that kicked up off the road, but when the smoke started rollin, well....20170716_170347(0).jpg
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Awesome! Love the old square body's. My mom had a 1969 C10 sitting and rusting for years. Had a blown motor. One day she said she wanted it gone. I told her I had a friend that would give her $1000 for it but it would be a few weeks before he could come and get it. She said no I want it gone today. Ok.... Called another friend and asked him if was interested. He said no but he would give her $100 for ( he was joking). She said ok if you come today. He was there 30min later! Lol not a bad truck but the bed was toast inside. I still can't believe she sold it for $100.

Here she is being loaded up....

 
Awesome! Love the old square body's. My mom had a 1969 C10 sitting and rusting for years. Had a blown motor. One day she said she wanted it gone. I told her I had a friend that would give her $1000 for it but it would be a few weeks before he could come and get it. She said no I want it gone today. Ok.... Called another friend and asked him if was interested. He said no but he would give her $100 for ( he was joking). She said ok if you come today. He was there 30min later! Lol not a bad truck but the bed was toast inside. I still can't believe she sold it for $100.

Here she is being loaded up....

Wow! Alot of times it just comes down to good timing. That would be a very cool project. I love the colors.
 
So, I just remembered I haven't updated this thread lately, although I haven't made a lot of progress due to my work schedule. Anywho, the fan and radi were rurrint and had to be replaced so I decided to just pull the clutch fan and install an electric. I still need to tiddy up some wiring and fine tune the t-stat on the fan but overall the install went pretty smooth.20170819_125448.jpg 20170827_092213.jpg 20170827_134957.jpg 20170827_164123.jpg
 
It's going to look good on you! Are the brake lines in good shape and have you purged the brake fluid?
 
The brakes are definitely a 'lil spongy. All the lines appear to be in good shape and I found a reciept from where the front drivers side line to the caliper had been replaced 3 years back. Honesty, it's probably not been driven 15 miles since I've had it, just around the block a few times here and there when I get something put back together to test function. I don't have it insured yet and was waiting til it was definitely road worthy, so I can't stray too far from the house... Brakes and suspension are next on the list though. If I'm good, Santa may bring me a set of spindles and shackles to change the stance, and while it's tore apart the rest will be evaluated and addressed as needed.
 
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