Big Block C10 Project

Sigogglin

Sigogglin

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Picked this up on a whim yesterday for $1500 from a buddy that wanted it off his farm. It's a 1970 C10, but at some point in it's life before he got it, someone swapped in a 454. It was originally a stick truck, but it's got a TH350 in it now.

Overall the truck isn't too bad, it's got some cool patina. Definitely been repainted and while I'm digging the orange it may not stay, but that's for down the road. Primary directive now is to get it running, then driving, then patch up the rust. Long term, If I like it and decide to keep it, I'll probably sell my lil Frontier and use that to fund a 6.0 swap.

I've thought about tracking down an SM465 to make it a stick again which would definitely be cool, but I'd also just like to be able to toss my wife the keys and her not stress about it too. Plus I've always found towing to be easier with an automatic.

Anyhow, on to the pics:

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So if anyone's got parts laying around, defininitely let me know. I'll need all the spinny bits on the front of the motor, headers, and some other miscellaneous stuff. I'm definitely approaching this from a budget minded perspective. We'll get it running, then get it right.

I've never owned a full size truck before (or hell, anything domestic, or anything with a big block...lots of first here) so a lot of this will be a learning experience.
 
Yeah, that's the vibe I'm going for. I'll probably lower it a bit but not slam it, I still want it to be usable as a truck. The brakes are definitely a top priority. It's hilarious that this thing has manual drums all the way around, but at least they work at the moment, at least well enough to haul it down to a stop when I rolled it off the trailer. Luckily I have a ton of brake line and a super legit flare tool, so making new lines shouldn't be a problem.

I might go for something a bit sliccer than the rallies, but that's really not a bad look and they're super available and cheap.
 
Other than brakes I wouldn't change anything about that.
Add just enough muffler so you can hear yourself think, then patch up any rust holes that let rain water splash inside the cab and begin cruising. She's perfect just the way she looks.

Use the money you've saved to add some proper tie downs to your trailer.
 
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GoWolfpack said:
Other than brakes I wouldn't change anything about that.
Add just enough muffler so you can hear yourself think, then patch up any rust holes that let rain water splash inside the cab and begin cruising. She's perfect just the way she looks.

Use the money you've saved to add some proper tie down to your trailer.
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Yeah, the trailer was on loan from a friend. I'm gonna offer to fit it with some tie down points as a thanks for letting me use it.
 
Some modern updates - brakes , suspension and tighten up the steering is what my priority would be. I had that exact truck in the mid 90s only with a 350.
Personally I would keep the 454 unless it had some major issues but that’s me
 
NKD said:
WOW.
That is friggin RAD.


@MichaelHK
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It's not the biggest, the meanest, or the fastest LS swap out there, but I built it to enjoy on the twisty roads out here in WNC, and it excels at that. T56, giant brakes, Ford 8.8 with an LSD, nice fat tires, coilovers, etc. It's a ton of fun and does exactly what I want it to do.
 
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Sigogglin said:
It's not the biggest, the meanest, or the fastest LS swap out there, but I built it to enjoy on the twisty roads out here in WNC, and it excels at that. T56, giant brakes, Frod 8.8 with an LSD, nice fat tires, coilovers, etc. It's a ton of fun and does exactly what I want it to do.
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That looks like an analog blast! I bet it's a beast on a back road!

Really cool. It's the kind of car II think anybody can appreciate because it is built, and no other like it. It doesn't have to win any races. It's already won by existing.
 
For what you have in it I’d have a hard time ignoring the profit potential from a quick flip.
 
Ordered up a set of blem headers for less than $200, those should be here this weekend. I’ll get plugs and wires at the parts store as it’s basically the same cost as online.

All I need now is a starter and a carb to make it run.

Oh, and some oil.
 
GoWolfpack said:
Other than brakes I wouldn't change anything about that.
Add just enough muffler so you can hear yourself think, then patch up any rust holes that let rain water splash inside the cab and begin cruising. She's perfect just the way she looks.
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I agree.

Pogue said:
For what you have in it I’d have a hard time ignoring the profit potential from a quick flip.
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I also agree. Prime market for that body style.

All that said, IIRC, those trucks will lay rocker without a body drop. :cool:

Also..
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Sigogglin said:
I've thought about tracking down an SM465
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That is a cool truck!
If you haven’t driven one with the SM465, see if you can find someone who will let you try it out. I like it as a tow rig transmission, but not as a fun/driver.
If you can find a 5-speed to swap instead (NV4500?), that might be nicer?
 
NV4500 would be tits. Before this fell into my lap my plan was to stuff a crusty 4.8/4wd NC4500 in my Frontier since it's a decent transmission and a LH drop off the case. The 2wd transmissions are way easier to find than 4wd ones it seems. Yeah, I've never driven an SM465, it would probably suck for how I plan to use the truck. I'll probably just roll the TH350 for awhile.

That said, I ordered some blem headers today for like $160 shipped, that's a bargain. I need to track down a starter and some random carb to throw on here since there is no carb currently. Idk what the Weber 32/36 equivalent for this would be...a Holley 750?

I also did check the block codes tonight, it is indeed a 454, specifically a '76 truck motor. I'll yank the valve covers tomorrow and check numbers on the heads, but I expect they're just factory heads for that block.

Had time after work to drag out the pressure washer. Don't look too close, but it definitely looks better than it did.



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Sigogglin said:
Idk what the Weber 32/36 equivalent for this would be...a Holley 750?
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What does the intake manifold look like (do you have a pic without the air cleaner sitting on it)? Is it for a square bore or spread-bore carb?
If spreadbore, you could get started with a quadrajet, which is what it came with from GM. And then there are lots of options for Holleys. If it’s pretty much a stock motor, the specific carb you choose isn’t that critical for now to get it running. Folks might have one for cheap - just need to make sure it fits the manifold.
 
Good lookin Chebby. Looks even better with real bed on it!
 
It has an aluminum intake on it and what appears to be aftermarket cap and coil so that is a good start.
It may have the peanut (small) port heads on it. I can't remember what year they started using them. No matter though,if the compression is still factory it is low so cam small for torque.
See if the quadrajet on it runs(assuming that is what is on it).
The quadrajet off my reman 454 ran so good it is on the motor we threw together in my 82 c10. Otherwise a 750 vacuum secondary is hard to beat.
 
I've got a Qudrajet I took off my '77 Long Bed. Not exactly sure on the fitment from SBC to BBC, but if you decide to go that route, lemme know.

Since you did some time in tha 'whee as well, I'm sure we can work something out.
 
This should be interesting.

I was half asleep when I read the title of this thread, and when my eyes saw "big block C10" my brain thought "big block of C4". That would have been interesting, too.
 
The manifold is an old Edelbrock Streetmaster 2-0, so carb fitment shouldn't be a problem. There's a bunch of carbs on Marketplace in the $100 range for 600-750cfm Holleys and Edelbrocks, so I think I'll just pick one and roll. The manifold has holes for both spreadbore and Holley 4150 patterns.

I found a new Wilson 3510 starter on Ebay last night, that's supposed to be the large field starter instead of a smaller SBC starter. I know a lot of people put the mini starters on, but an awful lot of people reported issues with them chewing up ring gears (well, at least the cheap ebay/amazon units had those reviews, and I'm not spending $300 on a mini starter from Jegs or Summit right now).

So yeah, I'll slap the headers on when they show up, pull the intake and vacuum out the twigs and mouse poop, bolt on a starter and carb, and see if this thing runs probably next weekend once everything shows up.
 
Sigogglin said:
The manifold is an old Edelbrock Streetmaster 2-0, so carb fitment shouldn't be a problem. There's a bunch of carbs on Marketplace in the $100 range for 600-750cfm Holleys and Edelbrocks, so I think I'll just pick one and roll. The manifold has holes for both spreadbore and Holley 4150 patterns.

I found a new Wilson 3510 starter on Ebay last night, that's supposed to be the large field starter instead of a smaller SBC starter. I know a lot of people put the mini starters on, but an awful lot of people reported issues with them chewing up ring gears (well, at least the cheap ebay/amazon units had those reviews, and I'm not spending $300 on a mini starter from Jegs or Summit right now).

So yeah, I'll slap the headers on when they show up, pull the intake and vacuum out the twigs and mouse poop, bolt on a starter and carb, and see if this thing runs probably next weekend once everything shows up.
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I bet it will run better off a Q-Jet than anything.
You ought to just give me that POS!!
 
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Big blocks...rat motors. Oval port / Square port heads. Rottenchester cards, that's basically all I had. 454 LS6, LS7, ZL1, L88..good ole days

Man if you caught me about 1 month to 1.5 month ago. Gave a friend of mine oval port intake (Edelborck) square port, Holley 780, Rochester carbs. Weber plates for the 780, power valves, jets. Etc. Have to look when other half goes back to.MD, there's more in the garage

-Snoopz
 
IIRC the streetmaster was a small runner single plane designed for towing. Not great for performance. An Edelbrock performer would be an improvement.
My brain is as rusty as my truck so double check what I say.
 
I had a 1975 454 in a chevy pickup for years and years. When I decided to upgrade it a bit, I went with the Weiand Street warrior intake because it matched the peanut port heads. A Used Holley vac secondary 750 and I added a tunable vac secondary cap/springs to eliminate the bog at full throttle and used a 1 inch open carb spacer to allow for more plenum space. Cheap Summitt headers and an exhaust system from I believe, Speedway motors in 2.5 inch with an H Pipe. Started with cheap e bay 2 chamber mufflers but found them to be a bit to loud and finally used the 3 chambers. The truck had just about 250K on the odo and it was original, compression was a bit low but didn't burn oil. I did work on the HEI dist a bit with using different springs and weights and finally got 34 degrees total timing with 8 degrees of initial. The truck would spin all the way thru 2nd gear if I wanted it to and still got 10 MPG. Before you do anything, make sure the motor spins over and then do a compression check. Check for evenness of compression pressure from cylinder to cylinder, max compression pressure isn't quite as important in this stage of the game. 150 or so will be just fine in these old motors. I ditched the skinny air filter and added a 4 inch Edlebrock to help with WOT and still had room under the hood. IMG_20200815_160451549_HDR.jpgIMG_20200815_160521529_HDR.jpg
 
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So I’ve been messing with the truck in an attempt to get it ready to start. My current hang up is that the motor is bolted in using SBC mounting pedestals and rubber mounts. This doesn’t leave clearance for the driver’s side header (or cast manifold that I found under the leaves in the bed)

So my current plan is to just sit the oil pan on some 2x4s to make it run, since the Chevy big block brackets and the correct rubber mounts will be almost $400.

I’ll likely wind up fabricobbling something to fit.
 
Heres my 69 lb in its current condition. Dont have much info on mounting up the bb but like anything its a process and a headache sometimes to make things work. I am still running the ol tried and true 350 with a holley, not sure which route ill take when it lets go since there is so many different options now.

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Well looks like
HDscrambler said:
Heres my 69 lb in its current condition. Dont have much info on mounting up the bb but like anything its a process and a headache sometimes to make things work. I am still running the ol tried and true 350 with a holley, not sure which route ill take when it lets go since there is so many different options now.

View attachment 733246

View attachment 733247

View attachment 733248
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Nice. My truck is turning out to be a bigger project than anticipated. The radiator support is almost totally rusted out on the bottom and the whole front clip of the truck is just kinda floating in space. Good stuff.
 
Sigogglin said:
Well looks like

Nice. My truck is turning out to be a bigger project than anticipated. The radiator support is almost totally rusted out on the bottom and the whole front clip of the truck is just kinda floating in space. Good stuff.
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I can be there by lunch with a trailer to save you the hassle
 
If it was mine.
Get it running. If the 454 and Auto trans work good, I would keep them. I'm just gonna use the truck for truck stuff anyway. Get it in good driving condition, put some discs, at least on the front. Make sure suspension, shocks, springs, front end is all tight and in good shape. I'd put a small lift kit on, just enough for a couple inches of extra ground clearance, some beefier tires so I can beat it around in the woods., fix up the inside, make it comfy to drive, put some good tunes in there. Patch up the body and give it a half ass paint job.
I'd use it like I use the truck I have now, haul the boat to the ramp, knock around the woods hunting ans stuff, hauling stuff.
 
Sigogglin said:
So I’ve been messing with the truck in an attempt to get it ready to start. My current hang up is that the motor is bolted in using SBC mounting pedestals and rubber mounts. This doesn’t leave clearance for the driver’s side header (or cast manifold that I found under the leaves in the bed)

So my current plan is to just sit the oil pan on some 2x4s to make it run, since the Chevy big block brackets and the correct rubber mounts will be almost $400.

I’ll likely wind up fabricobbling something to fit.
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Just an idea ?? Considering that you already have all the small block motor mounts and attachments, ever consider just putting a small block in there instead? Im telling you , big block or 454 parts of any kind are expensive. The Hp figures of your 454 are pretty sad due to the cylinder heads, the 350 back then produced as much or more. The small bock also weighed a lot less consumes less fuel and is LOT cheaper to buy parts for. I'm telling you , the first thing you need to do is a compression check. Put a starter on it hook up a battery and then you can make an informed decision on how to proceed.
 
Lager said:
Just an idea ?? Considering that you already have all the small block motor mounts and attachments, ever consider just putting a small block in there instead?
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That turbo 350 would live longer for sure 🤣
 
If the 454 comes out, a 6.0 is going in. I’m not gonna sink any more money into this boat anchor than I absolutely have to.
 
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