1969 Chevy CST/10 comes home [Long-term project "OrangeCrush"]

[texanidiot25]

Why I love owning an older GM vehicle: Everything fits everything.

What does an Olds 442 W30 and our C10s have in common?

Steering wheel shaft spline:



Just gotta find something to replace the horn button, for a Chevy logo.

[texanidiot25]

Free is a price I can afford: New set of 17s for the CST10.. need some spacers though on the rear.






Still hunting for a gas tank...

[70cst]

Hey texanidiot25...your truck has come a long way. It is lookin sweet!!!

[texanidiot25]

Thanks, but not coming fast enough!

If I can change jobs to one that's near my home (trying sunday) I can sell my '90 Firebird and get this beast on the road!

[70cst]

Originally Posted by texanidiot25

Thanks, but not coming fast enough!

If I can change jobs to one that's near my home (trying sunday) I can sell my '90 Firebird and get this beast on the road!

I bought the Green Machine in 2000 and hopefully by Christmas if will have its transformation complete. Some never will ever realize their dream of finishing their project. You young man are doing well.

[Palf70Step]

Thinks are looking good Tex. I sure know about things tajing too long also. Mine has been in some sort of assembly (we'll be positive that I am going in the right direction ) since November of 2002.

[texanidiot25]

Originally Posted by 70cst

I bought the Green Machine in 2000 and hopefully by Christmas if will have its transformation complete. Some never will ever realize their dream of finishing their project. You young man are doing well.

Originally Posted by Palf70Step

Thinks are looking good Tex. I sure know about things tajing too long also. Mine has been in some sort of assembly (we'll be positive that I am going in the right direction ) since November of 2002.

Thanks guys! I'll hopefully have it road going by christmas... Cash off the family buying parts

The hunt for the gas tank has been hard though. Hurricane messed up the thing I had going with KBS, and craigslist is pullin' tricks again.

[texanidiot25]

Going to pick up a gas tank today!!!

May have a drivable truck soon... (as if I haven't said that one before)

[67-72crazy]

nice truck

[texanidiot25]

The gas-tank is good, working out the bad gas and will hopefully be able to pressure wash it this weekend.

The truck may roll soon.

[MEANlowGREEN]

Just found this thread, I read most of the posts. It looks like a great project. Sounds like you have a great dad too. Keep up the good work and keep us updated

[texanidiot25]

Originally Posted by MEANlowGREEN

Just found this thread, I read most of the posts. It looks like a great project. Sounds like you have a great dad too. Keep up the good work and keep us updated

THanks man! Definatly has been good working on cars again with him after he sold his highschool cars off around 2000 when I was 9-ish.

I say good bye to my 1990 Pontiac Firebird, and hello to $2000 and a month of bustin' to get it done before the end of x-mas break. At least, that's my apparent pipe dream.

Once we get some confirmation about 73-87 brakes, were hittin' up junk yards tomorrow and getting the front susp. done. Power steering pump and braket were buying sunday from a guy off craigslist (god bless Craig). I'll have new springs from the guy I bought my gas tank, 2in drop coils all round. And I'll just buy new drop shocks from summit. That takes care of the biggest projects. Then it's those asinine odd-and-ends to take care of.

[texanidiot25]

The up to date plans:
-Next weekend I'm hittin my favorite yard for a 73-87 C10 front suspension, and grabbing the 6-lug rotors off CPP.

-Fuel sending unit today, picking one up in a bit and bringing home the gas tank I bought a while back. By the end of the day the CST10 should be running on it's own gas again. The original tank was rusted to hell so after that one day, we didn't start it up using that tank again. (done actually, just need to tune the carb as right now it idles like crap)

-Seats/seatbelts. I can use the stock bench seat, but it's torn up. That, and my dad won't let me use this beast until it has shoulder belts. So, I'm thinkin' of buying the set of > 2007 GM truck seats I saw at Charlies for 200. Their 2 buckets with the center armrest/seat, and has built in belts. That's two birds with one 200 dollar stone right there.

-Powersteering, buying the pump and brackets tomorrow, and possibly the A/c brakets too.

-Interior, got a plan for that Olds 442 steering wheel I got. Seats will be changed. Door panels have to be done. The gauge cluster will be finished up w/the Cadillac clock once we get some more wiring done. Any added on stuff (EX: Radio, amp) will be ran on a custom harness to keep it out of the stock harness. Replace the bad bits of trim.

-Wheels, totally unsure. But sticking with the steel wheels at the moment

-Suspension: Getting 2 inch drop springs all around for $20 off the guy who I bought the tank from, shocks will be around 40 a piece.


As it's sitting right now:









2 weeks and 2 grand!

[MEANlowGREEN]

Looks like you have a good plan I used '04 Silverado buckets for the same reason. I like the fact that the seat belt is built right into them. Just make sure to fasten them to the floor better than normal because if the bolts rip out of the floor then you and the seat would come through the windshield still hooked together! I welded thick 2 inch diameter fender washers to the bottom side of the floor to run the bolts through. That way it spreads the load out over a wider area making it harder for the bolts to pull through. Also be sure to use grade 8 bolts just to be on the safe side. Have fun building. You'll be driving her in no time!

[texanidiot25]

Originally Posted by MEANlowGREEN

Looks like you have a good plan I used '04 Silverado buckets for the same reason. I like the fact that the seat belt is built right into them. Just make sure to fasten them to the floor better than normal because if the bolts rip out of the floor then you and the seat would come through the windshield still hooked together!

It will be grade 8 bolts and thick steel plates holding that seat down. But, ejection seats were apart of the original plan. Just friends wouldn't ride with me after I told them that.

The ingenius way to clean out a semi-rusty gas tank:

1st, we used garden rocks from walmart and tossed in a few handfuls in the tank, we used a teeter-totter motion (My dad and I holding the tank at each end, one going up, one going down). This was like a rock tumbler, knocking off TONS of the rust.

Step 2, take out the rocks, nothing really fancy... Putting fingers inside the sending unit hole and catchign rocks as they roll past.

Step 3, while vacuuming took a good bit of the powdered rust out, it couldn't get it all. Thus, our ghetto... HIGHTECH FILTRATION DEVICE:




Fuel fitting form the sending unit, to rubber line, through a jeep filter, through the screw-on filter, down to the electric fuel pump that was on the truck when I bought it,and back into the gas tank. Run it for a few minutes, shake the truck (easy when your shocks don't stop the sway), and let it filter out the shacken up rust. After 15 minutes, the gas was coming out of our little rig clear as pump-fresh gas.



Started it up on it's own tank in nearly a year. Just gotta have time to let it warm up and get the idle set and she'll run like a beast again.

[nuke1]

your right that is one ghetto device there, but what ever works, and at least she is running now

[texanidiot25]

Loads of updateage

But, good day no less, brand new seats out of a wrecked 08 Silverado, just gotta clean them up and fix one of the seats:

They look different shades of grey because the driver's side was wet from the carpet cleaner. But sweet setup no less, and for $150, cheapest set of seats priced so far!

Then went to go pick up the springs:


His project truck, and why I'm getting springs. Laid out on air bags, just started his project. So anyways, talking to his dad since he had left earlier, pull out my wallet to pay the man for the springs and shocks, and he asks,

"What's that for?"
"The springs and shocks," I say.
"He told me to just give them to you"

I was excited, called up the guy and he says "Yes, merry chistmas!"

So that's 250~ bucks saved!


Got home and ripped out the stock springs:


Toss in the lowered springs, not noting their exact drop, but realizing the moment the wheels hit the ground, the grins on my dad and I's face was large. It's too low to run, considering the axle tubes only have an inch until the bump stop, and maybe 3-4 inches until it hits the frame. So in the end we'll run 3inch drop springs instead of the 5 inch springs (later found the parts number) so that the truck can still haul and drive, but check out my ass!

[texanidiot25]

Tossing on the 3 inch front coils tomorrow.

Also I saw a *****en silverado with rockwell axles, and a car on fire!

[texanidiot25]

Last night:

Holy awesome, I drove the truck.

So, it was backed out of the driveway, and turned around in the street, but it's movement. It's also hell. Every try a 3 point turn in a 5000lbs truck with no power steering? Ha... hahah... But it's a rumbling beast no less.

Anyways, backed it into the garage, it's cold, windy, and miserable outside.


Bet you can't find the lower ball joint nut! Love 40 years of grease

Also gotta love 3 foot breaker bars that can break 40 years of grease.


Anyways, 3 inch drop springs vs the stock spring.

The 1st side was easy. All was said and done in 45 minutes. The passenger side. Well... The lower ball joint was so worn out, trying to pry the spindle off it, was damn near impossible. Pulling the spindle up to pry off, pulled the ball joint along with it! It took 3 hours of hammering and mess unitl it finally popped out. But, spings in and down on the jacks:



Sits perfect at front. While the body does sit level, the rear tires are still tucked in more than the fronts. And with the travel issues, eventually I'll throw in 3in drop springs instead of the 5s. But for now, the CST10 is down nice.


Finished up the steering wheel, Olds 442 wheel looks badass, and is a much nicer size than the original wheel. Went a head and ripped off the old cracked dashpad, just got tired of it. And re-installed the guages and finished the Cadillac clock.

[texanidiot25]

Today:
Started it up, and pulled it out today to see it on the ground. Oh how I love that V8 rumble. The Carb doesn't like the cold, but starts well with out a choke.

YouTube - CST10

IT'S A BEAST

[texanidiot25]

Old and busted, probably will be a couch in my room now



New and awesome, they fit perfect, and are nice and comfortable.


Hardest part about this set of seats is each seat and the centerconsol all inter-lock, sharing bolt holes with the console, so after drilling holes, getting all 3 to bolt down in harmony was a bit of a PITA. Reaming out the holes a bit fixed t though.



And see lobster:


See lobster run:

[kcjones]

So, 08 Silverado seats fit in your cab? Do the bolt holes line up with the seat bracket hump in the cab, or did you mount to the depressed area on the floor? I want a similar upgrade, but I don't want to spend a bunch of time and money if I need a custom bracket.

[texanidiot25]

None of the brackets lined up with the stock holes. But, all but 1 bracket on each bucket are flat on the floor. I drilled the holes today, waiting on my dad to bring home some large washers to back the bolts up with. As far as the two brackets that aren't flat on the floor, they are about an inch off the floor, on the corner of the seat, closest to the door hinge (Best I can describe). And for the center console, and interlocking seat brackets, a pair of tiny studs need to be trimmed off the floor for the brackets to sit flat on the floor.

So basically, if you cut the little studs off the floor, and make a 1 inch +/- spacer, your good to go. In my case, I won't be using the bucket's seat belts, just the center seat's. One reason is because the truck we pulled the seats from was totalled (a roll over), so the seat belts were probably shot. Plus, the retracter mounts in the B-pillar of the GMT-900, and doesn't seem to have enough belt if you were to mount the retracter on the floor of our trucks. But for $150 bucks, it's the cheapest set of seats I've found junkyard hunting, and the most comfortable. Lots of side by side support, and having ridden in these seats in another Silverado for long lengths of time, don't hurt my rear either.

If any of this doesn't make sense, I'll grab pictures for you.

[chev-obsession]

texanidiot25- what horn button did you you on your steering wheel?

[texanidiot25]

To be honest, I don't know where it came from, maybe one of the older members can figure it out. Saw it at the houston autorama swap meet. Took some rigging to adapt it to the olds 442 steering wheel though.