Ken's 1966 C10 Short Fleetside build

[Bomp]

Sounds like great build in the making.

[Kenfuzed]

It was a tough weekend trying to get the engine in.

First I got the engine/trans wedged on top of the radiator support half way into the truck, so had to wait around for someone to help me free it. The lift height was maxed out and there was no room underneath the front end so letting the air out of the tires was not an option. With some finese the engine was freed but then soon realized that the HF lift did not have enough reach to get the engine all the way back into the engine bay. Arrrgh!

Friendly advice for anyone swapping an engine in these trucks, the Harbor Freight lift not only will not lift high enough but will also get stuck under the cross member (if truck is lowered) because the legs sit too high on the casters. It also lacks the reach needed unless you remove the front end.

A neighbor came to my rescue with a much larger lift. The legs sit lower so it can slide under the lowered truck. I got the engine down into the engine bay and spent far too long wrestling with it to line up with the perches. As I was doing this I kept thinking that the space in front of the engine seemed huge! I started looking around the engine and it was at this point that I realized the engine placement was so far back that there was no clearance to get the distributor cap back on (HEI). Arrrgh x2!

Luckily I had not finished bolting in the engine. The perches obviously need to move forward to make room, but the forward holes in the cross member do not align with these stock perches.

I decided instead of messing with these I'm going to pick up a set of the tubular style perches and mounts tomorrow that will move the engine forward and allow for the slide bolt attachment similar to Chevelles. These are suppose to line up with the existing holes in the front cross member (I hope). Unfortunately this also means I need to get a longer drive shaft. Ugh, yet another expense and delay.

The other advantage of moving the engine forward will be reducing that huge space between the engine and radiator.

The saga continues.

[Turtleman]

Sounds like yours seems to go the way mine do.. but with Patience it all works out.... step back,, take a deep breath (or 3) look at the girly pictures hung up on the wall,, then try again.. they seem to fit after that.. LOL

[1963c-10]

Which HF lift do you have? I have a HF collapseable 1 ton and pulled my 230and trans out of the 63 with no clearance issues. Front end fully intact and with 235/75r15 tires.

[Kenfuzed]

Originally Posted by 1963c-10

Which HF lift do you have? I have a HF collapseable 1 ton and pulled my 230and trans out of the 63 with no clearance issues. Front end fully intact and with 235/75r15 tires.

Strange, I have the 1 ton folding lift also. The steel casters make the legs sit so high off the ground that they would not slide under the front A-arms without jacking up the front end 2-3 inches. Then again my truck has 3" lowering springs. I had to set the lift arm length at 1/4 ton just to reach in far enough, and even at that the jack handle was rubbing the front grill. The SB350 when lifted back into the engine bay would not reach within 12 inches of the motor mount perches. Perhaps HF has made changes to that lift, which is quite common.

[Kenfuzed]

I got the new mounts and trimmed the frame back for them to fit. These mounts are really well made but they won't reach the existing holes on a 63-66 without cutting back the top edge of the frame. It was real easy with a reciprocating saw and 14 tpi blade.

Before:


After:






The rear transmission cross member they make (POL) is going to take some work though. None of the holes line up and I'm not about to remove the cab just to get at the top of the frame to drill holes there. I may try to enlarge the holes in the brace to get them to line up.

The engine is at least in and now onto wiring, all the accessories, and radiator. I dropped off the drive shaft to have it re-tubed since it needs to be 3.5" longer. Maybe it will be running this weekend.

Still trying to figure out the throttle linkage which is too short to reach the Edelbrock 1406 lever.

[Kenfuzed]

This question came up on another thread regarding using the forward position mounting holes for these tubular perches. Here are some images to better illustrate this.

[Kenfuzed]

Here are some pics of the new engine installed, or at least mounted. I still need to set up the wiring, throttle, radiator, transmission cooling, and install the re-tubed drive shaft.

Also pictured is the added space behind the distributor by moving to the forward mounting position.

[Kenfuzed]

Not much progress this week. Got the re-tubed drive shaft back but haven't had time to install.

To-do list before I can take the truck to the muffler shop.

1. Drill holes for new trans x-member.
2. Trans cooler.
3. Install a switch and relay for the electric fuel pump.
4. Install the new brackets for the alternator and PS pump.
5. Replace PS hoses.
6. Install starter.
7. Install manifolds.**
8. Make some radiator saddle brackets and install new radiator.
9. New hoses.
10. RECHECK EVERYTHING
11. Fire her up!

** I made some temp downtubes for the manifolds for the trip to the muffler shop. Hopefully this will prevent the paint on the side of the block from being blasted off for the short trip. The manifolds are 2-1/2" outlet vette style so should have some good flow without going the header route. See attached.

[Modges'66]

I may have missed something, but can't you just get a longer drill-bit to drill the new upper holes for the new trans x-mbr?
As I remember, I drilled the lower holes, then drilled thru them to drill the upper holes...I wasn't about to take my cab off either!...Unless your x-mbr is different.

[pdxhall]

The engine looks great sitting in there. I also had some trouble with my HF lift and I didn't have anything in the way at the time. I had the same problem with the casters being too high to get under the a-arms without jacking up the truck some.
I also used the front mounting holes with the CPP tubular mounts and I didn't have to cut the frame for them to fit. Just remember that even though there looks to be a lot of room, the fit gets pretty tight when you move the engine forward. I have about 4" clearance between the water pump pulley and the radiator. I am using a serpentine bracket system and I don't know if that makes a difference, but I am using low profile 12" fans and that works for me.
What are you planning on using for cooling?

[Kenfuzed]

Originally Posted by Modges'66

I may have missed something, but can't you just get a longer drill-bit to drill the new upper holes for the new trans x-mbr?
As I remember, I drilled the lower holes, then drilled thru them to drill the upper holes...I wasn't about to take my cab off either!...Unless your x-mbr is different.

Great point, I was only thinking of the drilling when using a jobber sized bit. A longer bit would certainly solve this. I had also thought of marking the cross member using the existing frame holes and enlarging the holes in the member.

[Kenfuzed]

Originally Posted by pdxhall

The engine looks great sitting in there. I also had some trouble with my HF lift and I didn't have anything in the way at the time. I had the same problem with the casters being too high to get under the a-arms without jacking up the truck some.
I also used the front mounting holes with the CPP tubular mounts and I didn't have to cut the frame for them to fit. Just remember that even though there looks to be a lot of room, the fit gets pretty tight when you move the engine forward. I have about 4" clearance between the water pump pulley and the radiator. I am using a serpentine bracket system and I don't know if that makes a difference, but I am using low profile 12" fans and that works for me.
What are you planning on using for cooling?

Nice looking engine!

So far my plans for cooling include:

• 3 row aluminum raditator
• Flex fan on a 3" spacer

I need to make some saddle mounts for the new radiator since my old ones are not wide enough (were used with the smaller 6-cylinder radiator).

I don't currently have a shroud so I need to mock something up or search for something at the Pomona swap meet this weekend. I've also considered an electric fan since Southern Cal traffic can require a lot of stop/go traffic at lower RPMs. One thought I had was to run both the mechanical fan and then an electric fan on the front side as a pusher back through the radiator. Having some redundancy in cooling would insure that the engine remains cool in traffic when we have these 90-100 degree days.

[1966chevy]

Nice to see you getting the parts together. Post more pictures. Good luck! I did most of mine myself as well. Check out my posted thread.
My project 1966 C10 Fleetside: http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...d.php?t=552896


1958-1966 Truck Fleetside Tailgate, Ultimate hinge Trunnion (2 Piece Set) made of Stainless Steel and Delrin.
These are replacement hinge trunnion parts to upgrade your chevy fleetside truck.
These are perfect for the truck restorer!

These are Very quite while opening and closing the tailgate.
You have to reused your original Trunnion hinge plate/bracket as seen in the pictures. Just remove the bolt with lock washer, replace with these stainless steel hinge trunnions and bolt back on your truck.

I recommend power coating or chrome your Trunnion hinge plate before installing these back on it. To prevent further rusting.
See my attached link if your interested in purchasing.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/171573524981...84.m1555.l2649

I also offer a cheaper version, Made of all Stainless steel on this listing:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/171573526987...84.m1555.l2649

I also in the works on building 67-72 trunnion hinges.

My project 1966 C10 Fleetside: http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...d.php?t=552896

66 chevy truck Fleetside LS1
67 Camaro Convertible 327

[1966chevy]

Originally Posted by Kenfuzed

I got the new mounts and trimmed the frame back for them to fit. These mounts are really well made but they won't reach the existing holes on a 63-66 without cutting back the top edge of the frame. It was real easy with a reciprocating saw and 14 tpi blade.

Before:


After:







The rear transmission cross member they make (POL) is going to take some work though. None of the holes line up and I'm not about to remove the cab just to get at the top of the frame to drill holes there. I may try to enlarge the holes in the brace to get them to line up.

The engine is at least in and now onto wiring, all the accessories, and radiator. I dropped off the drive shaft to have it re-tubed since it needs to be 3.5" longer. Maybe it will be running this weekend.

Still trying to figure out the throttle linkage which is too short to reach the Edelbrock 1406 lever.

I used the same engine mounts for the LS1 engine swap.

[hopped up]

Great work man! Let me know if you need a hand. Since you're moving the engine forward you're gonna need a longer driveshaft or a longer tranny

[rushautomotive]

I am in the middle of a small back window short fleetside too. I also have a short step side running truck as well. This fleetside is a budget build from all the extra parts we have.

[The Rocknrod]

Hi Ken, Thanks for the help on the other thread. I have 235/75R-15's and had trouble with the HF lift as well, but I got it in there - finally - Working alone.
I used to live in San Diego and sometimes visited the Pomona swap meet. Sure miss that So-Cal scene. Nothing like it on earth.
I have a large HEI distributor but I'm not going to use it I think, probably buy a small one on ebay. I was mostly worried about using finned aluminum valve covers and the clearance there at the firewall on the passenger side of the heads.
Anyway thanks for the help.

[Kenfuzed]

Hi everyone! Well its been a while (over a year) since I've updated my build... mostly due to not actually working on the truck for that long. Around the time I stopped the updates my business was really starting to take off so the build was sidelined while I concentrated on the growing business.

Work didn't completely halt over that time. There were a few days scattered over that period where I completed the following:

1. Rewired everything in the engine compartment.
2. Made repairs to wiring in the cab for the turn signals and brake lights.
3. Replaced the trans cooler lines.
4. Ran a new fuel line.
5. Installed new plug wires (Corvette long style) to route them down and under the manifolds instead of over the valve covers.

I finally got to the point where I attempting to start it... no go. Long story short, the builder had the distributor installed backwards and the balancer has 5 different timing marks, none of which were remotely close to being correct.

Fast forward to last weekend and I finally committed to resume the project.

First on the agenda was to install a set of Hedman headers I scored. The vette style ram horns with 2-1/2 outlets looked great but because I moved the engine forward just over 3" the clearance above the cross member was looking really tight for where the muffler shop would need to make the bend. This was bothering me so I opted for some headers that could sweep back.
I decided to try a set of 69648 Elite headers from Hedman. These are the version of mid size headers with ceramic coating, heavier gauge tubing, and thicker flanges. This particular header is made for installing a SB 350 in a mid-80's Jeep but they fit nicely in our trucks. If my engine were still in the rear mount position these would fit perfect but with my set up I only had to grind a tiny bit off the frame rails. Not a big deal and well worth the effort as these headers line up exactly where I want them. I also love how they have ample space behind the tubes for regular size spark plugs and wires unlike some other headers.


After the former failed attempts of getting the engine started, I decided to start fresh by finding TDC using the tried and true finger over #1 plug hole. This is how I discovered the incorrect timing marks and also that the distributor was installed with #1 approx 180 degrees from where it was marked on the cap in the traditional 5 o'clock position. Moved the wires to where the new #1 position was on the cap and turned the crank to get a guesstimate of 18* BTDC. Turned the key and the engine fired right up! Pointed my timing light and none of the marks made by the builder are even close, so for now I've timed it by ear.

In the morning I'll be driving it down the street to the muffler shop to have all the pipes installed. The trip is only 5 blocks but the truck currently has no pipes so I'm sure to upset a few neighbors with my header-only trip.

For now here are some pictures of the completed engine and header install.

[Palf70Step]

Those headers look good.

[Kenfuzed]

Showed up at the muffler shop bright and early, sort of like a kid on Christmas morning. Scared my dogs and a few neighbors this morning as I drove out with headers only but was nice to finally drive it again! Nothing fell off or went up in flames on the drive so I must have done a few things right.

[Kenfuzed]

Sometimes what seems like a simple project turns out to be anything but. I decided to scrape out the old flooring this weekend and install some floor insulation to quiet my noisy ride. Under the old rubber mats was what looked like tar paper that had baked into the floor. What a #@&% to remove. What I thought would be a few hour project took all weekend.

Installed some Keep Kool insulation that I picked up at a previous trip to the Pomona swap meet. Keep Kool seems like a good product but after a few hours of using spray adhesive I can see why products like Dynamat that are self adhesive are more popular. At least this was only $60 for the 5x10 roll. I'll probably use dynamat or something similar for the inside of the doors since I can't imagine trying to stick this stuff inside using spray glue.

Stripping out the old tar:


Keep Kool installed:

[Kenfuzed]

I finally found a reputable painter and my truck will be going there next week. I'm having them do all of the minor body work before laying down the new color.

Stay tuned!

[Kenfuzed]

My truck went off to the body shop today. Sad knowing I won't be seeing her outside my door for a little while.

[Turtleman]

My truck went off to the body shop today. Sad knowing I won't be seeing her outside my door for a little while.

Fear Not Kenfused... time will fly by so fast you wont even know its 2019.. and your going to be happy to see it when its done