Re: C10CJ: A Pro-touring '71 Stepside on a No Limit Pro-C10 Chassis
 

Give'em Hell!
Just because they have a warranty doesn't mean we expect you to baby them..lol

Re: C10CJ: A Pro-touring '71 Stepside on a No Limit Pro-C10 Chassis
 

Yes Sir!!

Re: C10CJ: A Pro-touring '71 Stepside on a No Limit Pro-C10 Chassis
 

wow! kinda jealous of your budget ;) looks like itll out perform most new stuff

Re: C10CJ: A Pro-touring '71 Stepside on a No Limit Pro-C10 Chassis
 

Hey Chris

Where are you planning to mount your battery and running your cables (chassis rail and location on the rail?.

Re: C10CJ: A Pro-touring '71 Stepside on a No Limit Pro-C10 Chassis
 

Hehe ... it's been a long time coming! Most guys start on a build then work as budget allows, taking many years to finish. I started on the budget and waited on the build and trying to do this thing in under 2 years.


Oh man, this is one of my "open item" yet to really define. I will probably get the truck running with the battery sitting in the stock location. However, I really desire to get it somewhere in the back on the passenger side. With a stepside bed, the common spot just behind the cab is out, and things are really tight back there otherwise. It's going to be a "decide as I go" once I get the bed on and start on the floor structure. I'm eyeballing right on top of the passenger rail between the bed mounts. The battery would most likely need to lay on its sie but that's not a problem for Optima batteries (which is what I run). The biggest question is how much space I wind up with once I get the floor installed. When I mocked up the raised floor on the factory frame I had about 10.5" to the bottom of the wood, so once I get a subfloor in it's probably like 9.5" (The No Limit chassis isn't any different height wise, in fact I may gain a little more front to back room as they don't kick up the rail as early as the factory chassis). The trick is what I decide to do with the cross members. That's where I may make a custom cross member with an integrated battery box. Who knows...

I've also toyed around with putting it in the cab behind the seat if there is enough room (I plan to mock this up in the coming weeks). No matter where I put the battery, I'll have a large junction over on the driver front side where I'll tie the alternator in and then also the relays for the fans and the power for the fuse box. So I'll at least have a monster cable running over there. I'll then obviously have a monster cable running from the battery to the starter. That's still all up for debate at the moment and one of the reasons I haven't patched the 2 feed through holes in the floor from the old gas tank. I'll still ground everything to the chassis.

Cable routing I'll just use some well insulated cable (pricey stuff) and some of the standard insulated cable hangers you get at the big box stores (that stuff works well). The battery cable would most likely run along the passenger rail with one of the fuel lines. Sounds crazy, but look at a newer car and where they run the battery lines and not much different, other than some of those battery cables are scary huge. So stay tuned on that one!

Re: C10CJ: A Pro-touring '71 Stepside on a No Limit Pro-C10 Chassis
 

Got the fuel filter plumbed up last night, but not mounted. Bent the existing 3/8" fuel lines and cut up the front section a little to fit the filter in. I left the double flare union so I have a short length of line I can remove in order to get the filter out without having to loosen the whole fuel system up. My trouble now is I need a compact drill to get into the chassis between the rail and center bridge to drill and tap the holes for the filter mount, but all I have are giant old school 18v DeWalt drills! They are almost as long as that area is wide! Doh!

And I may wind up needing to make a heat shield since this filter is so big and I'm guessing will be about 1-1.5" from the exhaust pipe. TBD on that, but some thin 26 ga steel will do wonders to keep the heat at bay.

Here is a before and after shot showing the whole area I modified. For reference the before shot is linked in from post #104.
http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/a...6&d=1493318476
Attachment 1650917

A little closer up on the front section. After cutting the front, I made 4 bends to get the tube to hit the filter. I used -6 hardline fittings (with a 37 deg flare, not the compression ones) to hook up to the filter.
Attachment 1650918

A little closer on the back. I only put 2 bends in the tube otherwise didn't do anything else. Just flipped on the one clamp you see there. The other side of the union (filter side) is just the portion of the forward section I cut off, not mod's here. I got lucky that it lined up so I left it all alone.
Attachment 1650919

Re: C10CJ: A Pro-touring '71 Stepside on a No Limit Pro-C10 Chassis
 

Nice job Chris. I sure like your attention to detail.

Re: C10CJ: A Pro-touring '71 Stepside on a No Limit Pro-C10 Chassis
 

Thanks man!

And I went and picked up an air drill to finish off the mounting. So that's all done now ...

Attachment 1651200

Just showing why I left in the union to remove a small section of tube, let's me slide the filter out of the housing.
Attachment 1651201

Re: C10CJ: A Pro-touring '71 Stepside on a No Limit Pro-C10 Chassis
 

Hey all - Driveline Angles - Interested in a simple and cheap way to measure the angles and then calculate u-joint angles? Then checkout a video I made on this very topic over on the C10CJ YouTube channel.

Re: C10CJ: A Pro-touring '71 Stepside on a No Limit Pro-C10 Chassis
 

Thanks for the great informative video.

Questions:
What size driveshaft is that?

Completely unrelated questions.

How do u like the Quincy compressor? Been eyeing one like that for several years.

Is it possible to get a pic of both sides of one frame rail where the rear brake line fitting pierces through the chassis?

Thanks

Re: C10CJ: A Pro-touring '71 Stepside on a No Limit Pro-C10 Chassis
 

Thanks for the feedback on the video! I enjoy making those and am finally getting some great use out of my GoPro I bought many years back.

On the driveshaft, it's a 3.5" diameter 6061 driveshaft.

I love the Quincy compressor. The one I have is pricey, but it is Made in the USA (of which I try to buy many things made in the US despite them costing more). It's their 60 gallon 2 stage compressor. It flows about 15 cfm @ 90 psi and has no problem with the air tools I use (drill, die grinder, cut off, mini reciprocating saw, HVLP spray gun).

And no problem on the picture requests ... I'm happy to accommodate any reasonable request ;)

For what it's worth, they look like these things from Speedway Motors:
http://www.speedwaymotors.com/Stainl...nch,36844.html

Wheel side - just a -3 AN fitting on this side
Attachment 1652842

Inside frame rail side - looks like a 1/8" NPT on the bulkhead, then a 90 deg with a 3/16" inverted flare
Attachment 1652843

Re: C10CJ: A Pro-touring '71 Stepside on a No Limit Pro-C10 Chassis
 

Thanks for the pics. Very nice.

Re: C10CJ: A Pro-touring '71 Stepside on a No Limit Pro-C10 Chassis
 

Great to see another step side! I'm in the middle of the same process you are doing. Couple of questions if you don't mind... I as well would like to run wider wheels and tires in the back and see you cut the bed side what is your plan in filling that in? I thought about cutting down a factory fleet side inner fender for mine. Also did you go with the higher rear rails that required the bed floor raised? never seen this done on a step side so just wondering how it looks and if i really need the truck that low. Very nice thread you have already helped me a ton!

Thanks,
Jordan
67 C-10 step side

Re: C10CJ: A Pro-touring '71 Stepside on a No Limit Pro-C10 Chassis
 

Hey Jordan ... Thanks on the feedback!

Right now all I have planned on the rear is a mini-tub. I have a design in mind, but I don't have the tools to make it, so I may be running a temporary tub until I can get some time with a friend who has a pullmax and the skills. The temporary tubs will probably be the same dimensions as my design, but not have the shape, they'd just be a simple "square" tub very similar to the ones found on the truck "The Preacher" (check it out here). I don't plan to tub much, probably about 3" just so I can clear a slightly wider tire than I have now and stay within the "outside" piece of bed wood and not get into the bed strip. I do plan to blind bolt the mini tub (like the primary fender) versus weld it to the bedside and that's not just because I might be changing it, but because the bedsides already have enough trouble staying straight and I don't need to put a bunch of heat in them by welding on a tub. Plus it will give a sharp corner right at the bedside since that interface is highly visible.

And yes, I've got the raised rear rails, so my bedfloor will be raised by at least 4". The bedfloor is the last thing on my mind right now so I haven't decided on how much I'll raise it. With a stepside floor, it is very easy to raise.

So on the ride height, I wanted the rear tire to just barely tuck, and to keep the shock in it's sweet spot. That meant I needed a raised rear rail. If you don't want to tuck the wheel, then you could get away with the standard rail set. But you'll be a couple inches higher in the rear then were I was when I mocked up the ride height (post 31). I mainly wanted to level the truck out, with a very slight rake versus the large rake I previously had.

Re: C10CJ: A Pro-touring '71 Stepside on a No Limit Pro-C10 Chassis
 

One more thing off the cab to-do list ... got the rear notch for driveshaft clearance 99% done. Still a little more sanding to do, but glad this part is done.

A little background on the notch ... not all the No Limit chassis need to notch the cab. But if you go with the raised rear rails, you're going to need to do a little notching. You don't want your driveshaft to hit anything under any circumstance, so you need to make sure you clear the rear of the cab at full bump for the rear axle. What I did it run the axle all the way up until it just about touched the frame rails. I then had some body bushings sitting on the rear cab mounts. I put a 48" level across the body mounts, and then once the driveshaft pushed the level up and I was at full bump, I rocked the level to one side and measured the gap on the other. That gap divided by 2 is roughly how much the driveshaft will go up into the rear of the cab. So in my current case I needed about 1/4" of a notch. But I went ahead and planned ahead since I do desire to toy around with shockwaves in the future. Just not in the budget now. Plus, I could wind up with a larger driveshaft if I change the trans (I'd go with a carbon driveshaft next time which is a 3.75" dia vs my current 3.5") so I wanted to have a little room. I notched the back of the cab by ~1.25" and the cross piece at the cab mounts by about 1".

First, I did the layout. KOZ = Keep Out Zone
Attachment 1654376

Then hacked up a painted surface. Always nervous doing that.
Attachment 1654377

Then on to the cross brace. This is a redundant brace to the stamping in the floor so I don't feel too bad taking some material out. I cut out just the sides, then one cut in the middle on the bottom.
Attachment 1654378

I then "folded" the bottom pieces up and welded in place. You can also see the hammer marks from where I rolled the edge of the cut, which is why there are 2 cut lines on the layout. I purposely cut a smaller notch and then rolled the edge by hand hammering. Hence part of the remaining cleanup work to smooth the hammer marks and a little body work.
Attachment 1654379

A little welder selfie crammed under my cab which is on my dolly. It's a chore getting in there as the opening is only ~11" tall. Oh, and since I was in a somewhat confined spot, I do have a respirator on under the hood. It's a 3M 7000 series mask that the exhaust vents down so it doesn't fog up lenses.
Attachment 1654380

Re: C10CJ: A Pro-touring '71 Stepside on a No Limit Pro-C10 Chassis
 

Great work on the notch! So, you didn't get into the floor at all, just the rear wall and support?

Re: C10CJ: A Pro-touring '71 Stepside on a No Limit Pro-C10 Chassis
 

Thanks Chris!

So not needing to gut the floor is another advantage of No Limit. The way Rob designed the chassis he set it up so the engine mounts very similar to the stock height on the standard rail front. On some other aftermarket setups, they raise the engine up to 1.5" higher, which means the trans tailshaft needs to go up the same amount. Then those setups are designed to lay frame so the driveshaft winds up going up towards the rear axle. The No Limit frames aren't really designed to lay frame, so that's the other part of the equation. So yeah, I didn't need to cut into the floor at all. Rob tries to minimize the amount of body fab a guy needs to do in order to get the truck up and going again. In reality, I only needed to notch the cab and inner fenders and raise the bed floor since I have the raised rear rail. All the other fab work I did is because I changed a bunch of stuff.

Re: C10CJ: A Pro-touring '71 Stepside on a No Limit Pro-C10 Chassis
 

Killer attention to detail with the notch on the back of the cab, makes it look factory with how you spliced it. Great stuff

Re: C10CJ: A Pro-touring '71 Stepside on a No Limit Pro-C10 Chassis
 

Your build is coming along beautifully. I feel you about being a bit OCD with the details. Its always the little details that catch my eye when i look at a hot rod. Im really diggin your level of detail.Thank you for sharing your build with us. It is truely inspiring.

Re: C10CJ: A Pro-touring '71 Stepside on a No Limit Pro-C10 Chassis
 

Thanks Dylan! I really appreciate the feedback - keeps me motivated.

Re: C10CJ: A Pro-touring '71 Stepside on a No Limit Pro-C10 Chassis
 

Thanks man! Oh my OCD was in full swing last week with wiring ...

The existing "universal" wiring harness. My OCD did not like where the trunks were for various wires and sensors.
Attachment 1654866

So I blew the harness apart. Not to fear, those 80+ wires don't scare me!
Attachment 1654867

Ah, much better. Ready for a customized routing and integration. :D
Attachment 1654868

Re: C10CJ: A Pro-touring '71 Stepside on a No Limit Pro-C10 Chassis
 

Wow, doesn't feel like 2 weeks since I posted any updates. Time flies ...

Been working on a bunch of odds and ends.

Did some brake rotor safety wire work. In my line of work we like to follow the "belt and suspenders" philosophy. So I did the same here. Safety wire is "not required" as the bolts are torqued and loaded with loctite. But, loctite and heat don't get along and rotors get hot. So safety wire is a simple precaution to ensure that the rotors do not come off the hats.

This is one of the rear rotors. It was a small PIA since the drum for the parking/emergency brake makes it so the bolt heads for the rotor are in a channel.
Attachment 1658998

The front rotors went much faster.
Attachment 1658999

I also started on some other plumbing after finishing up the fuel lines. I swapped out the flow control valve in my power steering pump for a unit setup for Ford racks, then installed the power steering lines. Also started on the trans cooler lines. I mocked in the A/C lines from the dryer and found that where I had my 2nd trans cooler (air cooler) was going to clash with the A/C lines, so that needs to move. I'm also contemplating a larger cooler as on hot days with a 3200 rpm stall the trans temps get a little warm, even with the fluid running through the cooler in the radiator and then through an air cooler with an insane 8" Spal fan.

But, all that work was distracting me from getting the cab done. So the chassis got moved into my "attached detached single garage" so I could focus on the cab. And yes that is a SBC in the far back corner.
Attachment 1659000

Re: C10CJ: A Pro-touring '71 Stepside on a No Limit Pro-C10 Chassis
 

Since the only part of the truck in my shop was the cab, I got to work. I needed to do something with a large hole I had cut when I was young and dumb and didn't have the proper tools. I had swapped in the 700R4 with my SBC. With the SBC in the 6 cylinder mounts, the added depth of the bellhousing on the 700R4 was hitting the pinch weld between the firewall and floor. Instead of trying to notch the pinch weld I cut out a chunk of the floor. It was hideous. I used a hole saw and a hack saw and never trimmed out the hole. So the hole was rough. I then riveted on some aluminum. That worked but I wanted to repair that area. I had tossed around going to a high hump, but I actually like the low hump and will keep it until some future mod requires it to go.

Here's what the hole looked like after I trimmed it up a bit. I did some more trimming after this shot for fit on the patch panels, but the hole size didn't really change. And for the purists, the doors and radio were already cut when I got the truck. The holes are ugly, and I'll probably clean those up some when I get to the interior.
Attachment 1659006

I then went about the patch in 2 steps. First I patched the floor. It's tacked in place here. Then I went about the firewall section. The flat plate is where I started.
Attachment 1659007

Then me and the hand hammers went to town. No english wheel, no shrinker, no pullmax. All hand hammered.
Attachment 1659008

Section 2 welded in place. I had already started sanding the welds down, but still have some work left to do.
Attachment 1659009

Shot from under the cab. Again, started sanding down the welds (full penetration confirmed!) and I'll use a little filler to smooth things out.
Attachment 1659010

I also patched up the remaining holes I planned to fill, making the cab fab work I had planned DONE! On to bodywork!

I've been since working on some bodywork on the back of the cab. Then I'll move to body work on the front.

Re: C10CJ: A Pro-touring '71 Stepside on a No Limit Pro-C10 Chassis
 

When in doubt make it yourself!! Haha great work my friend

Re: C10CJ: A Pro-touring '71 Stepside on a No Limit Pro-C10 Chassis
 

I just ran across your build and you are doing it right !!

Rob should take some lessons from my builder on shipping chasses, mine used a lot less wood, and they rolled it out on my driveway !

Re: C10CJ: A Pro-touring '71 Stepside on a No Limit Pro-C10 Chassis
 

You know it! and Thanks man! :metal:

Re: C10CJ: A Pro-touring '71 Stepside on a No Limit Pro-C10 Chassis
 

Thanks solidaxel!

Haha! Nice looking setup! Rob is willing to use the wooden wheels like that if you pick it up yourself. But mine came UPS and it actually shipped on it's side to save on cost! Otherwise NC to CO would have been a ton more than it already was ...

Re: C10CJ: A Pro-touring '71 Stepside on a No Limit Pro-C10 Chassis
 

As mentioned a few posts above, been working on bodywork. My old autobody repair teacher always said "it's 95% prep and 5% paint". So here's a couple progress shots. Currently on round 4 of the filler. This one may be the last then a layer of glaze to fill any pin holes and other minor defects. Did I mention bodywork is one of my least favorite things to do on a car? Mainly because of the mess it makes.

Starting Point
Attachment 1660764

A couple rounds in
Attachment 1660765

Round 4 so far. A little sanding to do then see if this is the last round.
Attachment 1660766

Re: C10CJ: A Pro-touring '71 Stepside on a No Limit Pro-C10 Chassis
 

What a pain, but worth it in the end

Re: C10CJ: A Pro-touring '71 Stepside on a No Limit Pro-C10 Chassis
 

Well Chicago to So Arizona was by the mile and not weight and size!!

Re: C10CJ: A Pro-touring '71 Stepside on a No Limit Pro-C10 Chassis
 

Yes sir! You know it!

That might be a cheaper deal provided you only pay mileage one way otherwise that could get pricey at $0.35/mi. :lol: ;)

Re: C10CJ: A Pro-touring '71 Stepside on a No Limit Pro-C10 Chassis
 

That trans hump patch turned out amazing! Actually kind of jealous LOL

Re: C10CJ: A Pro-touring '71 Stepside on a No Limit Pro-C10 Chassis
 

Amazing build

Re: C10CJ: A Pro-touring '71 Stepside on a No Limit Pro-C10 Chassis
 

Thanks guys!

I've been a bit disconnected lately. I spent 4 days cleaning up my shop from an unfortunate mess made by some help. It bordered on disaster. I have a clean area and the help forgot to make sure the dust shield was closed, so my clean area was full of debris. That's where I mix filler and paint. Grrr. So looking to build a bit better dust shield this weekend.

I've been doing bits of bodywork as well. I may try to get some primer sprayed this weekend, but the temps here in CO took a plunge and I prefer to paint with the metal at least 70-75 F. So right now the cab is sitting around 76 F but the lows are in the low 50s and it was 46 this morning. Fortunately my shop is insulated so the temps don't drop too much. I do have a heater, but it's a kerosene heater so it's put away and I won't use it when I'm painting since the crap from the heater increases your chances for fish eyes or other defects. Hopefully some more pics soon.

Re: C10CJ: A Pro-touring '71 Stepside on a No Limit Pro-C10 Chassis
 

So it begins ... the path to painting that is.

I finally got to a point to lay down some paint. Started with the bottom of the cab. I went simple flat black from a spray can. Sounds cheap, but it's this VHT Epoxy Primer/Paint that seems to work pretty well so far. I'll see how it holds up under there as the bottom of the cab takes a beating. So this will be a good test for the paint. I just didn't feel like dropping some $500 on lizard skin at the moment knowing I'll probably repaint the truck in a few year.

Here's a before shot. Wasn't cleaned to bare metal, but good enough to paint.
Attachment 1668021

The final product after 2 generous coats.
Attachment 1668022

Re: C10CJ: A Pro-touring '71 Stepside on a No Limit Pro-C10 Chassis
 

And then it was on to the firewall. After nit picking with the glaze, I said screw it, just shoot it and let the primer tell me where to fix. So I did. Primed the firewall tonight. Also primed the area for the driveshaft notch and a cab corner that needed some serious rework from a previous owner botch job I was supposed to fix some 18 years ago and never did, until now (long story).

Before shot of the firewall
Attachment 1668023

After shot of the firewall. Yep. My plan worked. I know where to focus on with some more glaze during the blocking phase. Then probably another round of primer.
Attachment 1668024

The two spots on the back of the cab before
Attachment 1668025

and after
Attachment 1668026

Oh ... and that's roofing felt on the floor. It's like $16 per roll at Home Depot. I used 2 rolls and covered my entire floor where I was painting (essentially a 2 car garage in size). I even wetted the felt down to help catch the overspray. It seemed to work pretty well. I rolled half of it and my floor underneath looked untouched from the nasty catalyzed high build surfacer/primer. Not sure where I got this tip but figure I'd pass it along.

Re: C10CJ: A Pro-touring '71 Stepside on a No Limit Pro-C10 Chassis
 

Hey guys, after chatting with one of the other board members tonight (via that old school telephone thingy) and discussing raised bed floors on step sides, I realized I had some shots simulating a raised floor I did from way back when, so I figure I'd post them to give some insight what a raised floor might look like.

Here is the floor at the stock level. I hadn't taken all the floor bolts out yet so the strips are still there.
Attachment 1669399

Here is the floor raised about 6". It was a simple raise. I just set some 2x4s on the angle strips and then took the 2 "loose" cross members and used those to support the floor. Also note, that since I pulled the edge pieces from the floor, I put a small section of 3/4" wood I had in both front corners where the edge board would normally provide support between the angle strip and the cross member that ties in with the steps. This small piece of wood (or something similar) with need to go there even when the floor is permanently raised to provide proper support for the front cross member that mounts the bed to the frame. Sorry for the not so quite same camera angle and yes, I should have placed the bed strips in there in hind sight.
Attachment 1669400

Re: C10CJ: A Pro-touring '71 Stepside on a No Limit Pro-C10 Chassis
 

Made some more progress on the paintwork in the last couple days.

I got through the 1st round of blocking and glazing. So here you guys can see all my "dirty" work.
Attachment 1669401

Here's the firewall after getting shot with 2 more coats of primer.
Attachment 1669402

A little selfie on safety. I am not a professional painter, but I take personal safety seriously. I work for an OSHA VPP approved company, so I try to continue that thought into my amateur work. For paint work, I've got a 3M 7502 mask (exhaust vents down, perfect for under the welding hood) with swappable filters shown here with organic volatile filters with a P100 pre-filter, some safety glasses, a $10 body suit (with elastic cuffs - it matters!) from Home Depot and nitrile gloves. I can't say enough about protecting yourself from these nasty chemicals. I wear the respirator and nitrile gloves when mixing paints as well. And when not painting, I have just a P100 filter on the mask (since the organics are life limited based on time exposed to air) which serves as a dust filter and mild vapor filter (i.e. body fillers, welding fumes, etc.). Oh and the nitrile gloves protect the fresh metal/paint from my finger tip oils, so the gloves work both ways.
Attachment 1669403

In case you are wondering about if I will be testing color match, the answer is yes. I chose one of the front inner fenders as the test subject.
Attachment 1669404

Here it's been wet sanded and will sit for at least 24 hours before I apply any color. I'm not a body shop looking to make a buck so I can afford the extra time to be sure everything is dry. Plus I don't have a heated paint booth to help dry things out.
Attachment 1669405

Re: C10CJ: A Pro-touring '71 Stepside on a No Limit Pro-C10 Chassis
 

Nice work. Wish I'd been as careful with painting/welding when I was younger as I am now...

Re: C10CJ: A Pro-touring '71 Stepside on a No Limit Pro-C10 Chassis
 

Thanks man! I'm not so young myself, I just look young ;) I've had plenty of young and dumb learning to go off. :metal::metal: