!965 Chevy C-10 Take 2: Project Tanya
 

So after some heavily disheartening discoveries on my other project, I decided a completely new truck would be suit my intentions for my first classic truck. So I searched craigslist and other sources and eventually found, and brought home, Tanya. Tanya is a 1965 Chevy C-10, longbed, small window, 230 ci 6, and granny 4-speed. She is in running and driving condition, and fairly minimal rust in the places that can't be easily replaced. Plans for her include a general freshening up of her overall condition, upgrading to disc brakes and possibly power steering. I may eventually build a V-8 for her (either the Olds 350, or Chevy 327 I have sitting in my shop), but for now the old 6'er still runs good so I'm just gonna freshen her up a bit and enjoy driving her around. The main focus for this build is to keep her on the road as much as possible, and do my upgrades as I can along the way. We've been really getting hammered with weather the last couple weeks, so I haven't had much of a chance to do anything with her, or even really get many good pictures yet. But here is what I've got from the day I brought her home.

At the Summit Racing parking lot in Reno Nv.
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Backing into the driveway.....rear main seal leaks....
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And the interior
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And this is how she is sitting now, picture was taken about 30 minutes ago. Unfortunately this weather is supposed to continue for at least the next week. I'm itching to get some work done, but with the shop full and burried behind a 4 foot snow berm, I gotta wait for slightly warmer weather. Sad to see her like this though......
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Re: !965 Chevy C-10 Take 2: Project Tanya
 

The interior looks like it should shine right up with a little work. Nice. Hopefully the weather gets a little better for ya. I definitely know what it is like to wait for good weather.

Re: !965 Chevy C-10 Take 2: Project Tanya
 

Thanks bud. Unfortunately the interior is a tad more rusty than the picture shows. The good thing though is that it is mostly surface rust and should clean up with some light sanding. The one good thing about the bad weather is it gives me a little time to get a pile of parts together for when the weather clears. :)

Re: !965 Chevy C-10 Take 2: Project Tanya
 

Rollin' with the punches!!! Nice score fryer, hopefully you can use some stuff off the other truck to get this one going the way you want.

Re: !965 Chevy C-10 Take 2: Project Tanya
 

Thanks protrash. Actually the only panel on the bed of the old truck that is straight is the only one that is damaged on this new one. I'm thinkin' that I may just pull the old bed, cut out that good panel, and scrap the rest. I'd like to use the other cab for a 4x4 project, so it won't go to waste either way. Talking to my wife, she is ok with keeping both trucks so I'm all good to go.

Re: !965 Chevy C-10 Take 2: Project Tanya
 

We got a little break today in our storm, so I went out after work and took some fresh pics. Also pulled the old cargo hooks that a previous owner had installed on the bed, and took her for a short cruise around town.
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Re: !965 Chevy C-10 Take 2: Project Tanya
 

Engine and interior.

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and one of my favorite little things about this truck; it was originally the exact color I want to paint it! :D

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Re: !965 Chevy C-10 Take 2: Project Tanya
 

Re: !965 Chevy C-10 Take 2: Project Tanya
 

Thanks Alan. I'm just trying to decide which steps I want to take with it this spring, and what I want to save for a winter time project. Kind of a new approach to a project for me.

Got by the DMV yesterday and got the registration all finished up. New title is on they way, and she is all registered and all mine. To celebrate I "installed" a website sicker.....I know, I'm a bit of a dork sometimes.....but that's a gearhead for ya.

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Re: !965 Chevy C-10 Take 2: Project Tanya
 

Well, we finally got some good weather last weekend. Even though I had stacks of other projects to get done, I still managed to spend some good time behind the wheel of the old gal. Didn't do a whole lot of work on her, but I did pull the old large mirrors off and put on some small peeps. The big mirrors just aren't my style, these are perfect.
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Now I just need to find a good deal on the right kind of welder so I can get all these holes sealed up.

Re: !965 Chevy C-10 Take 2: Project Tanya
 

looking very good brother . motavates me to get on mine .

Re: !965 Chevy C-10 Take 2: Project Tanya
 

Thanks bro.

As soon as I can get a clear weekend I want to pull the engine out and get her all sealed back up. The rear main leaks pretty bad, leaves about a 6 inch circle of oil every time I shut her off. I also have a 4/5 drop kit ready to go on, and all the parts I need for a front end facelift, and a full tune up of the engine. Just waiting on some good weather now.

Re: !965 Chevy C-10 Take 2: Project Tanya
 

tick tock tick tock , what is these face lift parts you speak of . i have my gagre cleaned up going to take the front ( dog house ) or clip off tommarow , and bed is all ready to come off . weld spatter in the early moring hour hehe .

Re: !965 Chevy C-10 Take 2: Project Tanya
 

I am still waiting for a clear weekend to do the facelift, it keeps either raining, or just being cold and cloudy. I have a nice grill to sand and paint, a better chrome bumper, and a headlight conversion kit. Also I am working on getting some other projects finished up in the shop so I can get room to put the truck in there to do the engine work and suspension work I have lined up. I've been busy working on stuff, just not specifically on Tanya much yet. It is coming soon though.
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Re: !965 Chevy C-10 Take 2: Project Tanya
 

Nice.
I love the looks of these old trucks.
Maybe I'll get mine on the road some day.

Re: !965 Chevy C-10 Take 2: Project Tanya
 

That's part of the reason I haven"t got much done on her yet, I am having way too much fun driving her. She's pretty much become my daily driver, even though I have a perfectly good S-10 Blazer for that. The itch is starting (and our town's "big" cruise and show 'n shine is coming up at the end of June), so it won't be long now.

I managed to score a very nice used Miller welder for a killer price. Got a cart, gas cylinder, gauges, and a whole bunch of extras with it. All I had to do was scrounge up a helmet, and off I went. I've been practicing on some old exhaust tubing scraps and thin sheet metal scraps, trying to get a hang of getting a good weld on thin metal. I'm starting to get the hang of it, so I may just go for it on the never ending supply of screw holes on my truck. What the hell do people need to screw into a truck so bad? Sheesh!

Re: !965 Chevy C-10 Take 2: Project Tanya
 

I totally feel you there.
I got holes everywhere and anywhere...
Also...
Got a new manual gear box for my 66. got one of those brand X P/S adapters sent to me, what a POS!
Now my frame is riddled with holes and the braket was useless. The steering gear box was completely out of line with the column.
A giant waste of time. Nothing EZ about it and the holes on the bracket don't line up with the box either......:devil:
:cuss: to the little red adapter that was sent to me...

Re: !965 Chevy C-10 Take 2: Project Tanya
 

Hmmmm that's the second time in a week that I've heard of issues with that power steering adapter.

Re: !965 Chevy C-10 Take 2: Project Tanya
 

Am I misunderstanding something? You said you got a new "manual" steering box and a power steering adapter that didn't work? something doesn't make sense to me. Were you trying to put the manual box with the power adapter or what?

Re: !965 Chevy C-10 Take 2: Project Tanya
 

I tried to install a P/S box using the worlds biggest POS adaptor and I found AFTER drilling holes per instructions that it not only did the bolt pattern of the adaptor not line up with the P/S box bolt holes, the holes were off on the adaptor. It also installed "nose up"..... the rag joint was 1 1/2" higher than the steering column...:cuss:
I bought the unused EZ adaptor from a buddy for half what he paid for it thinking I got a good deal. He was nice enought to give me my money back.:blah:
I told my good friend Jim J to get Cap-fabs unit and he told me he ordered it already and gave me his EZ adaptor.
I went out and found an original style 66 reman-manual steering box and I am using that until I find a LWB leaf frame, 69-72 and I will just deal with the conversion to mount my 66 cab rather than carve up this frame any more.:banghead:
I made a mess of the frame trying to get this all to work.:thud:

Re: !965 Chevy C-10 Take 2: Project Tanya
 

Well, here is a little update: Last weekend a good buddy (Susanville-Slam here on the forums) and I got together and finally got my dropped springs installed on my truck. I still have a few issues with the drop to get ironed out, but parts are ordered and should be here in time to smooth things out for next weekend. For now I am stoked.

Pulled into the shop ready for some disassembly, not a whole lot of spare room behind the 79 and the other 65 pickup.

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Jacked up and pulled apart, just the front though. One step at a time.

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Here is the new 2.5 inch dropped front springs compared to the original front springs.

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Re: !965 Chevy C-10 Take 2: Project Tanya
 

Of course 2.5 inches is never enough, so we cut. Susanville Slam at the cut-off wheel.

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There we go, one coil out. Took some restraint to not cut two but we stopped it. :)

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Comparing cut coil to original.

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Front end down.

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And rear end up.....

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Re: !965 Chevy C-10 Take 2: Project Tanya
 

Rear spring comparison, aww ain't they cute?

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AAAAAAAAANNNNNNNNNNNNNNNDDDDDDDDDDDDDD....................

SHE'S DOWN! Not bad for about 3.5 hours work.

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Back at home.

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Re: !965 Chevy C-10 Take 2: Project Tanya
 

that looks good! once you get the shocks on it, it will ride better, nice job!! i love lowered trucks! it told me alot longer to do all my suspension, but then again i cleaned, painted, and replaced everything with new stuff, lol!! atleast your truck runs, lol!!

Re: !965 Chevy C-10 Take 2: Project Tanya
 

Man, love the look with your new springs. Care to share the brand, drop, etc.? That's almost the exact look I want on mine :)

Re: !965 Chevy C-10 Take 2: Project Tanya
 

I honestly don't remember the brand off the top of my head, I believe it is something like McGaughty's.......can't remember for sure now. I got them from Summit though. 5 inch drop springs in the rear, and 2.5 inch drop springs up front with one full coil cut out of each. In the rear the previous owner had installed some air shocks, so I inflated them to help keep the rear from riding on the bumpstops (only lifted about 1/2 inch). The fronts rode on the bumpstops, but still rode decent considering.

Last night I went in and cut out the old bump stops, and installed my new Energy Suspension 1 inch universal stops. Along with my new Belltech shocks, she rides better than she did before I dropped her. She might be sitting another 1/2 inch lower up front, but it is hard to tell. I will post pics as soon as I can get to a computer to upload.
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Re: !965 Chevy C-10 Take 2: Project Tanya
 

looks very good brother , i think i will have the 64 drivable agin this weekend .

Re: !965 Chevy C-10 Take 2: Project Tanya
 

Thanks bro. You should cruise over to the 'ville this weekend. There is the Main St. Cruise (car show) going on Saturday 3-6 pm, and my Car Club is going to be there. I'll have Tanya out there with me, and we are pushing hard to get my wife's '63 Cadillac on the road for the show as well.

Re: !965 Chevy C-10 Take 2: Project Tanya
 

Well, got a few minor things done over the passed week or so. Most of my time has been spent on my wife's new car a 1963 Cadillac Series 62 4-door. After sitting in an old guy's back yard for 20+ years it only took very minor work to get her running and driving again, and man does she ever drive. We spent a good portion of the weekend just cruising, and my wife is completely beside herself (she has been wanting an early 60's Caddy since I met her 12 years ago). I managed to get my old worn out antenna replaced (can be seen in the picture below), put a new seat cover on since the old one was rotting apart beneath me, and just today I got my "Custom" trim panels installed. Even though they weren't original to my truck I still love how they look, plus they were just laying around. This is the only pick I have at the moment to put up, but will have a few more soon.

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Re: !965 Chevy C-10 Take 2: Project Tanya
 

The truck is looking great! There's not a more satisfying feeling in the world than to do a modification and each time, the truck gets better and better.

If it's running good, don't tear it apart yet!

By the way, do you still have the trailer mirrors that were on the truck when you got it? Or the bed hooks you pulled off? I'm trying to fill some of the holes that the previous owners drilled into the body. On the driver's door, there had been 3 different mirror set-ups in the lifetime of the truck (original 3-bolt mirror, trailer mirror, and some off-brand car mirror). I have holes everywhere, and many of them in weird places. It's got the original lacquer paint, and I want to keep it as long as I can. If I start welding all the holes closed, I'll have primer spots everywhere.

Re: !965 Chevy C-10 Take 2: Project Tanya
 

Thanks man. Yeah she is running pretty darn good for an almost 50 year old engine. Right now she is my daily driver (no plans to change that either, she is too much fun to drive), so my focus is to keep mods to weekend projects so I can keep her rolling as much as possible. I have an Olds 350 I'm pretty sure I am going to build and put in her, but I won't tear her apart until the new engine is ready to go in. Same with my front crossmember swap, when it is all together and ready to go in with all the parts I will need, then I will do the swap. I love driving this truck and don't want to be long without her.

Yes I do still have the old mirrors actually, although the two arms that hold the mirrors are just a tiny bit different from each other. They both mount similar, but one mirror sits a lot higher up than the other. Other than that they are both in decent shape. If you'd like them, you're welcome to them for just a little cash to cover shipping and such. Shoot me a pm if you're interested. Sounds like you're truck is similar to mine with all those holes, I too have the three bolts for that little post mirror on the drivers side. A little further down the line I plan on putting one of those little post mirrors back on, the clamp on peeps were just a temporary fix for me. I do not still have the bed hooks though, never thought anyone would want them so I tossed 'em. Sorry man. Shoot me a PM about the mirrors though, we'll see what we can work out.

Re: !965 Chevy C-10 Take 2: Project Tanya
 

Ok, so I have a few more pictures off my phone to share, nothing really exciting at all though.

Truck back up in the air for removal of old bumpstops:

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My ugly mug, an my own personal custom ear plugs...... :lol: After running a grinder for a while, I really start getting a nasty headache from the noise. I really did not want to go through that again and couldn't find any kind of ear protection at my shop, so I made my own: torn bits of shop towel rolled and stuffed into glove fingers. They look funny, but they worked great....no headache, and no ears ringing.

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My awesome wife (no she doesn't read this forum :) ) brought me some refreshments. Nothing like an ice cold summer seasonal on a hot afternoon. She got a good laugh from my home made ear plugs too. :)

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My Camera on my phone was really giving me a hard time with the flash and didn't want to take any pictures in the twilight light. This was the only good one I managed to get of things going back together, all of the rest are WAY too dark to see. At least you can see a shiny new Belltech shock.

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Here's my two babies a couple of weeks later. The shorter bump stops have let the front of the pickup settle a bit more, she's looking pretty good.

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As soon as I can get my 1980 crossmember rebuilt and ready to go in, the new drop spindles will get her sitting just about perfect. 2 more inches down in the front should be just right.

Re: !965 Chevy C-10 Take 2: Project Tanya
 

Oh, and just in case anyone is interested, this is what my entire week last week consisted of. Sunday we drove out to this old guy's house in the desert and brought back these two Cadillacs, one is a 1968 and the other is a 1963. My wife got the 63 and another member of my car club got the 68. The old man wanted both cars to go at the same time, and he was picky about who they went to (wanted to make sure they would go to someone who wouldn't destroy them). So once we decided to give them a new home we went to pick them up early Sunday morning. My wife has always wanted an early 60's Cadillac ever since I met her 12 years ago, so this 63 is a dream come true for her. After we got both cars back to town we set to work on getting them resurrected from their 20 year slumbers. We got two fresh batteries, did two oil changes, poured fuel down two carburetors, and BOTH cars fired right up! After a little cleaning, adjusting, checking, and tuning, we were cruising two classic Caddys that evening. The core members kind of split into two groups so we could get these two cars ready for our local annual main st show 'n shine the following weekend (last weekend). Mostly it was a bit more tuning on the old engine, a lot of cleaning, and some work with a buffer and we got them both looking pretty darn good for Saturday. Both cars need a good amount of resto work, but both are quite driveable. My wife and I spent all day last Sunday driving hers all around the country side, with still no more cash involved than the prior weekends parts for initial fire. So here is a couple pictures I took with my cell phone, my wife has tons of pics on her camera, so I may start a thread in the "alternate tinkerings" section sometime. This car sure is beautiful, and my wife could not be happier. Enjoy!

Both cars at the gas station a few miles from the old guy's house. Had to stop to check all the tie downs before making the 45 mile drive home. You all should have seen this old man, he was so happy to see his cars going to a new home where they will be getting new life and will be loved for what they are (his words). We definitely made his day almost as much as he made ours.

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Late night cruising that same night after we got the cars fired up. Man those 63 tail lights are sexy as hell! I never thought I would own a car with fins, I love this thing.

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After a week of cleaning, polishing, buffing, tuning, and a fresh set of tires, you would never know this car had been sitting in the desert for 20 years. I don't have any interior shots on my phone, but it is just as remarkable as the exterior. This was right as we were getting loaded up to go to the car show. Tanya is just to the left out of frame, full with cooler and yard chairs. :)

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Re: !965 Chevy C-10 Take 2: Project Tanya
 

Nice Caddy :) And Tanya is coming along nicely too!

Re: !965 Chevy C-10 Take 2: Project Tanya
 

I love Caddys, too. I can't believe how nice that '63 cleaned up. I was not expecting that. If I didn't know it already, and you were to have told me that it sat in the desert for 20 years, I wouldn't have believed you. It cleaned up that nice.

Those cars were built with very high quality back in the day, and that's why it woke up from it's 20 year slumber like it was just a short nap. So, what are your plans for it?

Re: !965 Chevy C-10 Take 2: Project Tanya
 

Thanks guys. Yeah, even I can't believe how well the Caddy cleaned up. The pictures from my phone hide a lot of the paint issues, and the interior has wear in it in most places one would expect. Even still she is in outstanding condition given the circumstances of her slumber, and that Caddy 390 engine purrs like you wouldn't believe. I love old big cars, and have always wanted one though I was never brand specific, just wanted an old cruiser. The car is actually my wife's 100%, and it is all up to her the direction it takes (my clain to ownership is only as far as the guy that builds the car :) ). So far she really wants to keep her mostly stock, with a few classic custom style touches. The whole car is likely to get a pearl white paint (like the newer Lexus or Cadillac pearls whites), with either a candy red or dark candy pinkish red top (either one would have a very heavy metal flake). The wheels will likely stay sock with some detailed and polished caps since neither of us like large diameter wheels, and most of what's available aftermarket doesn't really fit the car or our style. For the time being we are likely going to just cut a coil or two from the factory springs to get her a little lower. The drivetrain is going to stay as close to factory as we can keep it, the 390 runs great and pulls strong, and the transmission shifts solid and smooth. We'll probably just rebuild them as needed. Brakes are factory power drums with a dual master cylinder, and stop the car REALLY fast, so they will probably stay as well. Plus those huge finned drums are just cool. The interior is the must undecided part for now. She really loves the classic Caddy style, so whatever we do will probably closely resemble the stock interior. May be in a newer high quality leather, or a fabric to match the original, but the cream and chocolate colors that are in there will remain. The steering wheel on this thing is incredible, so we're going to have to find someone who can repair the cracks in the wheel and basically restore it, changing it out to something else would be a crime. She wants to add an aftermarket AC system since the car doesn't have AC, and we will add a hidden audio system using a Retro Sound deck to fit the factory dash. She really wants to keep it a comfy cruiser and weekend driver. And who can blame her? This thing is just stunning all by itself! Thanks a lot for the interest guys, when I get enough pictures together to start a new thread in the "alternate tinkerings" section, I'll put a link in my signature for anyone to follow along with us.

Back to Tanya: Once the sun starts heading down tonight, I am heading out to the shop for some prep work on the replacement grill I have for her. I really hope to have her in primer at least tonight. I'll take some more pics as I go.

Re: !965 Chevy C-10 Take 2: Project Tanya
 

well, here's a write up of an update for anyone following along. I haven't had a whole lot of extra time to get hands on with Tanya for a while, and don't have many pictures to post (and no access to the pics I have from my computer here at work). The last few weeks have been dedicated to strengthening my newly founded car club, getting Tanya and Evil Ways (my Camaro) to local shows and club gtgs (along with my wife's Caddy), and tackling some major home and house projects (new flooring going in and a complete landscaping makeover for the back yard). We'll just say time has been scarce for wrenching in the shop. But Tanya has beeen serving as a daily driver with little to no complaining, and she is still a delight to drive.

I have been collecting quite a pile of parts for a few big jobs to come up soon however, so big that I am running out of places to keep them that don't require moving boxes around to get vehicles in and out of my shop. I need to get under Tanya and find out what gear ratio she has in the rear, i am suspecting to find at least 4.11s if not 4.53s or higher the way she winds out. My other 65 has a rear ratio of 3.73 so i have been gathering parts to swap the rear ends out. Another project is new wheels and tires, well....the tires are new, but I think the wheels are 20 years old if not older. I'll save the details for a surprise, but I will say that based on the collective style I have seen here there probably won't be many fans. But that's ok, she is MY truck after all. :lol: I have also been working on getting together parts for a conversion to a disc brake front end. My conversion is based on the 73-87 front swap, with a mixture of new and old parts. Along with that conversion Tanya will go another 2" lower with lowered spindles and spacers and a c-notch in the rear (along with new shocks to replace the air shocks and match the fronts). Also I am trying to get things together to finally put some color on her, I really don't like primer gray, especially with the original color poking through everywhere. Oh, and I still have a pile of parts hanging around to pull and re-seal the engine, as well as give it a good and thurough tune up.

So hopefully, when the cold weather comes around I can finally have all of this accomplished. It's quite a bit to bite off, but bit by bit I want to get it all nailed down over the next couple months. I have tonight and tomorrow night off, so I will try to take and post some pics of what has been going on. And as you can read, I have a lot to keep me busy so I can keep posting more new pics.

:smoke:

Re: !965 Chevy C-10 Take 2: Project Tanya
 

question what parts do you need to do the rearend swap?? i would just unbolt it and slide it out then slide in the other rearend! i've been reading your threads, not a lot of people comment on my build thread , i have like 10 comments other then the ones from myself! so somethings it's like talking to yourself! i like the people that do the work them selfs and are on a basic budget , i guess thats because thats what i am!! don't get me wrong if i had all the money for my truck, my truck would be done already! this heat is slowwing me down thats my reason, about the caddy love it! i would leave it stock too, polish them caps with new tires! what about the interior? are you leaving it stock or thinking about new interior with caddy emblems sewwed into the seats!!

Re: !965 Chevy C-10 Take 2: Project Tanya
 

Is it a trailing arm rear or leafs????
THIS would determine what you can do and use. The trailing arm setup needs that bar on top so a late model rear housing won't work on them very easy..
I talk to myself all the time on my build but I attribute that to me just being boreing.... :lol:

Re: !965 Chevy C-10 Take 2: Project Tanya
 

For parts needed I basically mean just parts to replace the consumables. If I am going to the effort of pulling apart a differential to move it around, might as well replace axle bearings and seals, any brake parts that may look worn enough, replace the fluid, and even clean and paint the one going in. That's just how I am, hard for me to put something together and not replace things like that, then have to do it again when they need to be replaced a few months down the road. That's why it is taking me a while to gather stuff for the front end swap too. New Calipers, new rotors, bearings, seals, bushings, steering linkages, booster, master cylinder, and a good cleaning and repainting while I am at it. Might as well do it right the first time.