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

[Advanced Design]

The shine is impressive! Truck is coming along nicely.

[1971_c10]

Originally Posted by knomadd

The firewall looks really good! Heck, it all looks good! Nice work on everything so far.

Thanks Duane!

Originally Posted by gringoloco

Very nice!

Thanks Chris!

Originally Posted by Advanced Design

The shine is impressive! Truck is coming along nicely.

Thanks Doug!

Now the fun begins! Working on a center console (nothing fancy) so I can get the shifter re-mounted and cable run so I can move the truck around since I have no brakes yet and I use the park detent in the trans to keep it from rolling down the driveway when I push it out of the shop. Also working on the brakes in parallel. Thought I had gotten the master cylinder push-rod setup done when I mocked in the new master cylinder, but alas I didn't. doh! So need to get that figured out.

Also need to get some door seals and the seals around the steering column. Anyone use the stuff from GMC Paul on the boards here? I've heard good things so will probably give him a call sometime this week.

Oh it's going to be really busy the next few weeks. Trying to get this thing driving in 3 weeks. Wish me luck!

[smbrouss70]

Looks great!

All of the seals on my Blazer are from GMC Paul's. I found it to be good quality seals, if I remember correctly, most of it was Precision brand.

[slowcpe]

Very nice progress!

[1971_c10]

Originally Posted by smbrouss70

Looks great!

All of the seals on my Blazer are from GMC Paul's. I found it to be good quality seals, if I remember correctly, most of it was Precision brand.

Originally Posted by slowcpe

Very nice progress!

Thanks guys! Man I've been busy. Pushing the boulder from all sides.

I've been working on a ton of stuff ... brakes, steering, interior, odds and ends

Here's a few shots of some of that:

Built a steam line for the LS using these slick fittings from Earl's that adapt the steam line to a -4 AN. Then I just made some -4 lines from some PTFE braided SS I had in the shop. Then tied it in to the heater port on my radiator.


Got the brake lines all made. Lot's of "fun" here. But they are done. Time to bench bleed the master, flush the lines, and bleed the brakes. Oh, and all that ugly stuff on the steering column will be made pretty. I finalized the u-joints fitment today and dimpled/drilled the shafts (yep, I still hate drilling hardened steel) so they are ready for paint and that bracket will soak a few hours in rust remover tomorrow after a date with the wire brush tonight.Then paint all that stuff and put in together "for reals".


And decided last minute, meaning last Monday, to install some Dynamat. Ordered Monday night, arrived Thursday, installed yesterday and today. Also have some Dynaliner to install in select spots on the firewall and floor. Should help quiet the cab down as long trips in this thing before weren't the most enjoyable to say the least.


And a little "SSS" - Side shot Sunday (we'll, the photo was taken on Saturday). Sitting on the springs. The front is a tad low, but I don't have any pre-load in the coils on any corner, but starts to give you an idea of the final stance. The front only gets about 50-100 lb pre-load so the front is pretty close to final.

[halfstep]

Not enough superlatives for your project so I'll just thank you for the example you are providing in patience and attention to detail as well as clarification on build elements that are often glossed over...btw rear rubber looks pretty serious in that last shot!

[builtbyKane]

So much cool in this project. Absolutely love the chassis. I bet the excitement is building as you are killing the to do list.

Looking back at it all would you do another roller chassis again? And from the same company?

[1971_c10]

Originally Posted by halfstep

Not enough superlatives for your project so I'll just thank you for the example you are providing in patience and attention to detail as well as clarification on build elements that are often glossed over...btw rear rubber looks pretty serious in that last shot!

Thank you for the kind words sir!

I didn't notice it when I took the pic, but yeah, that angle really makes the rear meats look meaty.

[1971_c10]

Originally Posted by builtbyKane

So much cool in this project. Absolutely love the chassis. I bet the excitement is building as you are killing the to do list.

Looking back at it all would you do another roller chassis again? And from the same company?

Thanks man! Yes, the excitement is killing me and I have just a handful of things left to get to wrap up this phase. For a refresher, the bed floor is a winter project and won't be done initially.

On the chassis, yeah, I'd probably go a roller again. If you've got the budget it's hard to not go that route. Same company, that's a tough one, only because I'm all about trying out different stuff. But if I was to build one to flip, I'd probably just go with the stock chassis beefed up a bit and No Limit wide ride up front and trailing arm kit in the back. I've also thought about taking my old frame and installing Hotchkis stuff on that and then finding a body to finish it off and either give it to my dad or sell it. I'd also love to do a chassis with a Detroit Speed front sub and custom back half. But I don't quite have the shop to be doing frame work the right way (and keeping it straight). That's one of the drivers behind going with an aftermarket frame. I could box in the factory frame and not worry much, but chopping the front off then welding on a new one requires a bit more on the jig side.

[1971_c10]

ok guys ... fast forward 2 weeks and a ton has gotten done, but I'm not going to make the show this weekend. We leave tomorrow and there is still a good week's worth of work. But I'm sticking to no short cuts and getting it done right the first time.

So I'll try and catch you guys up on what's been done with a post blast. Hope the admins don't mind!

Starting with the steering shaft. I got everything dimpled for the u-joints. Dimpling is a critical activity on these u-joints to make sure they don't accidentally come off.

This is the pre-dimple pic of the steering shaft (I forgot to take a post dimple pic before I installed the steering shaft). It was a little nerve racking drilling into a brand new splined column, but you do what you gotta do. I sorta wish they'd put a dimple ring like the OEM, but I understand why they don't.


Dimples in the steering shaft.


The shafts are steel so they got a little paint.


Ok detail here. Since I did a slip shaft, the large DD tube has an open end at the top. So I took a simple grommet and wedged it in there. I also poked a very small breather hole so that as the steering shaft slides, it doesn't pop the grommet out.


Then a slob of grease in the large tube, coat the upper end of the small shaft and assemble. Red Loctite on all the set screws and jam nuts. Don't want anything getting loose.

[1971_c10]

Remember that ugly rusted lower column mount from post 180? A couple hours in Metal Rescue (found it at Home Depot) and came out mostly rust free! A little sanding and ready for paint.


Here's the steering/master cylinder area after all the cleanup. I also got the brakes bled. So for those counting, steering and brakes are done!


Also got a hole for the throttle cable drilled and got the cable housing installed. Yep, I'm still a little old school with a cable throttle.

[1971_c10]

Also got all the trans cooling lines done. Here's the mouse trap of hardlines. I went from the trans to the fluid cooler and then to an air cooler for additional cooling since I've got a high slip converter.


I'm relocating the air cooler from in front of the radiator on the passenger side to behind the radiator support on the driver side. I had to move it due to the addition of the A/C. I'm planning to cut some holes in the radiator support to get some airflow in there, although since I've missed my target this may get "re-thought". This photo is missing one of the lines but it run right next to the one shown here. My current cooler just has tube fittings on it hence the tube fitting on the end here. But I do want to replace that air cooler (a tube/fin style) with a plate cooler eventually.


Another shot of the mouse trap of hard lines.


So in this pic you can see I've got some radiator hoses also installed. I gave up on finding some OEM rubber hoses after spending a couple hours in a few different auto parts stores. Ugh. Under that hose you can barely see a blue block which is a trans temp manifold plumbed in the trans out line.


Here's a shot showing the flex lines in the setup. I wound up just using extra -6 line and so I just needed a -5 to -6 converter as I put -5 tube nut/sleeves on the hard line with 37 deg flares.

[1971_c10]

Got the Vintage air unit installed and all the lines installed. I did deviate from the install in a couple ways. The default install has you slide the heater hose through the firewall and then seal up with RTV, whereas the A/C lines get grommets. So I found some grommets that fit the heater lines perfectly and installed those ... after the hard lines were in, which was a large PIA but the look is so much better. I may eventually give hart_rod a call b/c I really like the manifold he made for his setup, but for now, it's done. I used the Vintage air lines but missed one detail, the vintage air lines assume the compressor fittings are on the top of the compressor while the billet specialties puts the fittings on the bottom. The lines still fit, but the routing is set by the suction line being upside down and since it has a bent fitting on each end, well, you guys know.


Got some Dynaliner installed on top of the Dynamat.




Also fab'd up a bracket for the shifter and ECU. I went round and round on where to put the ECU, so I decided to since i wanted to raise the shifter I'd put the ECU under the shifter. So far so good. I plan to paint the bracket, but not until I get the side of the console made in case I need to weld some tabs on.

[1971_c10]

Some of you may have caught that I kept the holes to mount the OEM parking brake pedal but I didn't keep the hole for the cable. There are some bolts in there now. Hmm.


The pedal is installed. So now you're thinking, is it cable still or did he retro-fit an electric kit?


Here is the cable routing from the rear. I run along the top 4-link bar and then cross over to the frame right near the rod ends. This is because the cable will experience the least amount of movement due to the suspension at this point. I then run over to the driver side where the cables converge to a custom bracket I made.


Here's the bracket. Nothing special, but built to provide the proper spacing and provide "full pull" capability.


Here's the bracket after it's been installed.

[1971_c10]

Last post for this round of updates ...

To summarize:
-Brakes - DONE
-Steering - DONE
-Fuel system -DONE (but a few fittings need to be tightened, waiting until wiring is done)
-Trans line plumbing - DONE
-Radiator hoses - DONE
-Dynamat/Dynaliner - DONE
-A/C - DONE except for duct install, wiring and control panel mounting
-Shifter/ECU bracket - DONE except for paint

What's left?
-Wiring
-fab a custom throttle/TV cable bracket to properly align the cables to the throttle body
-fab a new mount for the trans dipstick (simple z bracket)
-figure out where to mount the air/oil separator for the PCV circuit along with the custom PCV valve I picked up from M.E. Wagner (more on this later)
-finish fab work on corner front bumper mounts
-Trans air cooler install
-install carpet/rest of interior
-install the rest of the body

I am planning to get the truck driving before I work on the bed floor. So the bed floor is not on this list, but on the next list.

Can't leave you without showing you a mess of wires.

Just half of the ECU harness is laid out. Still have a whole connector worth of wiring sitting in a bin.


Updating my relay board. 3 fan replays and the A/C relay. All on auto-resetting circuit breakers. You can also see the giant junction I'm planning to install. The starter will wire to that and then the battery to it as well. That way when I re-locate the battery down the road I just need to run the power wires to this junction point.


More mess in the interior.

[1971_c10]

Oh, and I'm off to Kool Deadwood Nights tomorrow in Deadwood, SD. If any of you guys happen to be there too let me know!

[gringoloco]

Dang, dude. Lotsa work happening here. So close!

[crakarjax]

Looks awesome! Some questions...

- Where did you get your sway bars, and how did you choose the size/rates?
- Is your frame powdercoated? Looks really nice.
- Are those residual valves that I see on the brake lines? Those are only needed if your MC is lower than the calipers afaik -- any reason to include them?

[1971_c10]

Originally Posted by gringoloco

Dang, dude. Lotsa work happening here. So close!

Originally Posted by crakarjax

Looks awesome! Some questions...

- Where did you get your sway bars, and how did you choose the size/rates?
- Is your frame powdercoated? Looks really nice.
- Are those residual valves that I see on the brake lines? Those are only needed if your MC is lower than the calipers afaik -- any reason to include them?

Thanks man.

The sway bars were spec'd out by No Limit with the chassis, but they look like units from Speedway Engineering (not to be confused with Speedway Motors). I can't remember the spline count, you think I'd have written it down. lol I'll grab the specs when I get back. At some point I do plan to back calculate the bar stiffness, but that's a bit down the road when I'm no longer building. I've got an old dated background in suspension design (it's been over 12 years since I did any though) so I just need to dig out a few formulas and take some measurements on the truck. Or find some software for me. I know No Limit uses suspension design software to aid them in their choices, but Rob has also got the years of experience behind his stuff.

Thanks on the frame! And yes, the frame is powder coated. The color is Black Magic from Tiger Drylac.

Yep, 2lb residual valves inline. You are right, only "required" when the MC is below the calipers (or drums), but I'm told they firm up pedal response in regular systems, so I'm giving them a try. If I don't like them, they are easily removed. I can already tell even w/o driving they do make the pedal firmer and the pads are held closer to the rotor on full pedal retract. The proof is on the driving though. I've never driven a car with them, so I've got that feeling in my head. I'll see how different it acts hopefully soon.

[Ramjet51]

[QUOTE=1971_c10;8023075]Got the Vintage air unit installed and all the lines installed. I did deviate from the install in a couple ways. The default install has you slide the heater hose through the firewall and then seal up with RTV, whereas the A/C lines get grommets. So I found some grommets that fit the heater lines perfectly and installed those ... after the hard lines were in, which was a large PIA but the look is so much better. I may eventually give hart_rod a call b/c I really like the manifold he made for his setup, but for now, it's done. I used the Vintage air lines but missed one detail, the vintage air lines assume the compressor fittings are on the top of the compressor while the billet specialties puts the fittings on the bottom. The lines still fit, but the routing is set by the suction line being upside down and since it has a bent fitting on each end, well, you guys know.
Attachment 1683666

Chris,
I've also purchased the Vintage air package, welded in the plate, but then being associated with rods much more have decided to go with the bulkhead fittings instead, now that I made that decision, I'll have to fabricate my own aluminum plate to cover the holes.....sigh....anyway, doing this I think I can eliminate some of the angle issues since I can pick and choose fittings, straight, 90....etc...I'll post pictures later

[88Stanger]

one of the best builds i have seen!!! great job!!

[crakarjax]

Originally Posted by Ramjet51

Chris,
I've also purchased the Vintage air package, welded in the plate, but then being associated with rods much more have decided to go with the bulkhead fittings instead, now that I made that decision, I'll have to fabricate my own aluminum plate to cover the holes.....sigh....anyway, doing this I think I can eliminate some of the angle issues since I can pick and choose fittings, straight, 90....etc...I'll post pictures later

I'm hoping to use bulkheads as well -- I'm very interested to see how your install goes. Still deciding on vintage air vs restomodair.com -- their kits are made for bulkheads and look super nice but are pretty pricey.

[1971_c10]

Here are some links to hart_rod's vintage air bulkhead he created.

Un-installed post showing the details

The finished product

And a linked pic of his final product:

[1971_c10]

Originally Posted by 88Stanger

one of the best builds i have seen!!! great job!!

Thanks man! I really appreciate the kind words!

[1971_c10]

Sunday night updates ...

To start off, I got my shifter combo bracket painted and installed (yeah, I changed my plans from above slightly). It's quite a good feeling to take a sketch on a white board and turn it in to a real product that works the way you want. Ok, I do that in my normal job too, but I don't get to do the fabricating there, whereas here I do!

The bracket with the white board sketches in the background


Close up of the funky thing I came up with for the ECU mounting just to show you guys it's not just a hole. The ECU has a vibration grommet installed so instead of swapping those out, I went ahead and used them. The ECU just slides right in (well, it's not quite that easy).


The finished assembly ready to install


Got some holes drilled in the tunnel. A 7/8" hole for the shifter cable and a 1 7/8" hole for the ECU engine harness (holy crap that's a big hole!). The grommet for the ECU wiring is filling the giant hole. Why such a big hole? Well, the largest ECU connector wants a 1 5/8" hole to fit through, and the grommet was a 1 7/8" so it all worked out.


The finished product. Install order matters and the carpet is included in that order. So it ain't coming out easy if someone tries.