Project: Blank Slate
 

As some know, back in January ’09 I acquired a 1969 Chevrolet CST-10 SWB truck. Since purchasing this truck, I have had to pinch myself each time I walk into the garage to make sure I’m not dreaming. :D

Click here for the official introduction of this truck… Time for a Name Change.

Since I was able to start with such a plain-Jane truck, I came up with the name Blank Slate. Thanks to a quick turnaround by Scorp I was able to have this posted for some inspiration. :D


Attachment 479640


Initially, the truck started its life being built at a St Louis Plant, sold new in Chamois, MO, and since that time it has spent its life within the state. I am truly amazed how rust free this truck is as it has lived its entire life in the rust belt; but I'm not complaining. Thanks to two buddies I was able to locate this truck and bring it home, thanks Keith and Mike!

Luckily I was able to talk my wife into letting me bring another truck home, with the stipulation I would sell my ’72 C/10. After several months I was able to sell the truck and then the official start to the ’69 could begin.

The truck originally came with a 250 I6 backed by a 2 spd. Powerglide transmission. Over the first couple of months my wife and I took the truck out on several trips and the MPG ranged from 12-21. The motor will be staying in the truck, but I'm considering a few minor upgrades to it as well as the transmission. The truck’s exterior was repainted once in the ‘80s, but still holds a strong color, so I will be able to save money on the body and paint work. The PO replaced the stock steel rims with a set of rally wheels, and unfortunately his son hacked the radio portion of the truck. Outside of these minor changes, the truck is bone stock!


Attachment 479643


For the concept behind this build, I wanted to have a truck that would fulfill my love for the body lines and history of this model. In my mind, I am doing what Chevrolet should have done. I wanted a truck that would retain the original appearance (paint, interior, engine…), but with a tasteful custom flare to it. And unless my plans change in the future, any modifications that will be done will be easily reversed. (Unless if a few other members can persuade me to take the build a little farther…. you know who you are!) After talking with several board members, we were been able to pull together a good plan for the build, and can’t wait to get started.

Here's the basic plan:

Interior Mods:
- Install a new radio (radio area was already cut)
- Radio Mod (stay tuned for more info…)
- Upgrade the speakers currently in the truck (no hacking)

Engine/Tranny Mods:
- Retain the Inline 250
- Rebuild the 250
- Determine the best transmission
- Rebuild the 2 spd. Powerglide
- Upgrade to a 200R4

Exterior Mods:
- Wheels/Tires (still TBD)
- Add T-3 Headlights

Suspension/Chassis Upgrades:
- Lower the truck
- Upgrade the brakes
- Install Sway Bar

Needless to say, I should have started this thread about 4 months ago, but since I didn’t we need to play a little catch up.

Stay tuned... (Updates to come this weekend w/ pictures)

Re: Project: Blank Slate
 

anxiously awaiting the "build", my friend!!!!

Re: Project: Blank Slate
 

This should be pretty good how low are you going

Re: Project: Blank Slate
 

Keep posted, I should have some specs up this weekend. As I said, I need to catch up, so I will not only have specs, I will also have pics.... :thumbs:

Re: Project: Blank Slate
 

During a nice weekend back in February/March I decided to pull the truck out of the garage and see how truly clean this truck was. My main concerns were with the rockers and cab corners. As you can tell from the pictures below, it truly was cleaner than we could have asked. :D

We pulled the seat, and the carpet, and started cleaning up the floor of the truck. The paint was in excellent condition, it just had 40 years of grime to clean up. The cardboard gas tank cover was still in great shape so that was wiped down and thrown back in. The rockers (inner/outer), cab corners, and every other inch of the cab is nothing but original sheetmetal.

As you can tell the PO installed an aftermarket radio in the dash, and a set of speakers, with amp, under the seat. For right now this will suffice, but this will change. I need to pull the seat and carpet again, but I'm waiting until I finish up with a few other projects before I begin work on the interior.

Attachment 479654

Attachment 479655

Attachment 479656

Attachment 479657

Attachment 479662

Re: Project: Blank Slate
 

It's like the Eva Logoria of MO Trucks!!

Re: Project: Blank Slate
 

One late night in April, I got a bur and just had to take a trip to the past... When I purchased the truck I received the original AM radio, 4 original steel wheels and 4 original dog dish hubcaps. For a while I had seen these pieces sitting in the corner of the garage and I couldn't take it any longer. I backed the truck out and threw on my spare tire and then attached the cap. Aside from a little air in the tire, I didn't think it looked to bad. :D

Attachment 479679

Attachment 479680

Attachment 479681

Re: Project: Blank Slate
 

Okay, back to the progress...

Since I haven't owned a tape for over 15 years, the old tape deck had to go. I finally located a headunit that would blend in with the color options and still provide the functionality I wanted. So I ended up purchasing the Kenwood KDC-MP442U.

During the installation, I ran into a few issues, but after breaking out the test light it was a breeze. Here's the connections anyone will need when hooking up an aftermarket radio, with being able to use the accessory switch on the ignition.

Before you begin installing any electrical device, disconnect your battery!!!

The following fusebox photo has been around the board a time or two, and I have lost track of who exactly labeled it. So thanks to that member!

Attachment 479682

Yellow Wire (Constant Power Feed) - I tied the constant power wire into the secondary lead coming from the cigarette lighter. My cigarette lighter terminal had a splitter with an empty terminal. Since power from the battery is constantly on, I used this to power the memory functions of the radio.

Red Wire (Ignition Wire) - I tied this wire into the terminal marked radio. Initially I though I had an issue with radio terminal, but it turned out to be merely a bad fuse. By using this terminal you will be able to turn the radio off with the key, and be able to turn the ignition over to accessory function to power the radio.

Black Wire (Ground Wire) - This wire was tied into the chassis for a grounding point.

Orange/White Wire (Illumination Wire) - This is not a required connection. If you don't mind having your headunit at full light display, then the unit will illuminate once power has been applied to the unit. However, if you would like to be able to control the dimming of your headunit when you turn on your headlights, you will need to connect this wire. I connected the illumination wire to the terminal marked "Cluster Feed."

Blue/White Wire (Power Control Wire) - This is not a required connection. If you will be running an external amp, you must make this connection. In the event you don't make this connection, when you switch your headunit over to the CD/Ipod/USB mode, your unit will automtically shutoff your amp. By connecting the blue/white wire the amp will automatically remain on when you swap to a function other than the tuner.

As far as audio connections, I used the pre-amp outputs to provide sound from the unit. In the future I will be making changes to this configuration and will update this thread to document those connections.

Now for some pics from the install... the old unit was actually longer than the new one, so when it was installed it wouldn't "seat" into the space correctly.

Attachment 479684

Attachment 479685

For some reason, I didn't get a comparison shot of the two units side by side, but it was about 1" shorter, if not an 1.5", than the old unit.

Attachment 479686

Re: Project: Blank Slate
 

Once the unit was wired up correctly, and we ensured it powered up correctly, we installed the unit in the dash. There is a slight angle to the unit itself in terms of how it sits in the dash, but overall it is a lot more un-noticeable than it was before. The unit works great, charges my Ipod, and even has a remote.

Even though the unit is installed, the upgrade for the radio area, and the quality of sound, is far from over. More modifications will be made and updated after I collect a few more pieces. (Sorry for the quality of pics)

Attachment 479693

Attachment 479694

Re: Project: Blank Slate
 

subscribing,...
Keep the pictures coming!

Re: Project: Blank Slate
 

It's about time Nate. :lol:

Can't wait to see it in Sept.

Re: Project: Blank Slate
 

Looks good - that is a rare find for sure. Nice subtle mods.

Re: Project: Blank Slate
 

subscribed Nate....Looking forward to seeing you mod this beautiful bone stocker!!!

Re: Project: Blank Slate
 

That has got to be one of the nicest trucks on this board. I love the overall look with the subtle mods but mostly stock appearance. Cant wait to see it dropped with some wheels. 20s maybe???

Re: Project: Blank Slate
 

looking forward to this one!

Re: Project: Blank Slate
 

That is one beautiful truck cant wait to see more pics :chevy:

Re: Project: Blank Slate
 

keep going....this is a great truck

Re: Project: Blank Slate
 

That is an amazing truck (especially for being in Missouri it's entire life). I'm looking forward to this build!

Re: Project: Blank Slate
 

I'll follow along as well...very nice starting point!!!

Re: Project: Blank Slate
 

Good luck with the build. Hope you get it exactly ike you want it, you deserve it. I will be watching this one....no pressure though!

Re: Project: Blank Slate
 

What,... no pictures?

Re: Project: Blank Slate
 

nice progress..... Great choice on the radio

Re: Project: Blank Slate
 

x2!

Re: Project: Blank Slate
 

Okay guys... apparently a certain member out there has been receiving some pm's concerning the truck, and its current state. A few of the die hards out there might not like where this build has gone, but I think they'll reconsider once they see a few of the pics we have instore. I mean, I'm just building the truck Chevrolet was supposed too.... :D

After talking with several members, and eventually making a trip to lolife99's, I was able to finally narrow down my selection. From builds such as n2billet's Lucy to HuggerCST's '70 SWB CST Build.... the choices were endless.

First things first..... this truck would not be in its current state had it not been for one of the best members on the site. I owe him a ton, or my truck would still be on the jack stands had it not been for his help, expertise, and tools.

Thank you lolife99!!!!
You guy's need to show him some mad props, this guy went above and beyond with helping me on my truck. lolife99, let me know when you need your yard mowed.... :lol:

Now... down to the the decision. In my mind (and at the current moment), I wanted to lower the truck with bolt on pieces only, and/or with minimal body modifications necessary, all while retaining the 6-lug setup. Bags had crossed my mind, but with everything else I wanted to do (and stay married) I decided to lower the truck with a static drop. And, what better place to do a one stop shop than Early Classic Enterprises (ECE). So after making several calls to Stan/Mark, and with some strong persuasion from my wife, I finally placed my order. In less than a week, the following parts arrived at my door (and yes, I'm missing one box in the pic below):

4.5/6 Drop Kit - including 2.5" Drop Spindles, 2" Drop Front Coil Springs, 6" Rear Drop Coil Springs, 4 KYB Shock Absorbers, Super Track Bar Kit, and a Shock Mount Relocator Kit

6-lug Disc Brake Upgrade - Master Cylinder, Proportioning Valve, Brake Lines, Brake Hoses, Calipers, Pads, Rotors, Bearings, Seals, Dust Shields, Dust Caps, Castle Nuts, Slotted Washers, Banjo Bolts, and other misc. pieces

Attachment 480801

Re: Project: Blank Slate
 

What other inspiration do you need than new shinny parts, so it was time to do some clean up. With a day off from work, I pulled the truck out of the garage and grabbed the pressure washer and got to work.

If you are looking for a cleaning product that will not harm the paint (unless left on for years), rubber, or anything else, grab yourself a bottle of Simple Green. This stuff is awesome and really cuts through the gunk and junk.

I was still amazed with the small amount of grime under this truck, especially when compared to my old '72.

Attachment 480817

Attachment 480821

Attachment 480822

Attachment 480831

For some reason I didn't grab any after shots, but you will see plenty of the underside of this truck in a few more posts. :D

Re: Project: Blank Slate
 

While under my truck cleaning, I ran across something that completely blew me away. I dropped the sparetire carrier and was amazed how nice the original spare tire was. After some cleaning on the wheel tire, it ended up looking like this:

Attachment 480832

Attachment 480833

Attachment 480834

After picking up an original Phillip's 66 metal tire display from Ebay, this will be going on display in the garage. I tried rolling it into the livingroom, but my wife reminded me of my limits. :lol:

Re: Project: Blank Slate
 

One thing that was stressed to me, and something I wanted to pass onto those that read this build thread is....

Measure, Measure, Measure!!!

For instance, say you order a lowering kit, and you didn't take any measurements. What if the truck doesn't look low enough according to the pieces you installed, what next? Also, this becomes very important when you go to ensuring your rearend is centered for the truck.

Here are the measurements we started with:

Driver's Side Front: 33 1/2"
Driver's Side Rear: 33"
Passenger Sde Front: 33 1/4"
Passenger Side Rear: 32 7/8"

And the last pictures taken of the trucks initial view:

Attachment 480840

Attachment 480841

Attachment 480842

Attachment 480845

As for now, I'm going to leave you hanging; more on the install to come. :D

Re: Project: Blank Slate
 

aww come on show us more hurry up and start installing those parts!!!

Re: Project: Blank Slate
 

The best part of owning Vintage steel is you get too make it your own, If they all were stock it would look like a used car dealersip lot out there... I say drop it,raise it, lower it,cut it up and make a clown car out of it, but make it yours, and be proud of it. That's what I love about old cars...and the people with the balls to drive them. I am sure that it will be nice. I look forward to seeing it soon in person. Keep up the good work. OHHH More pics please?

Re: Project: Blank Slate
 

this is an amazing platform to start with. must have been still wrapped in plastic all these years.

Re: Project: Blank Slate
 

That truck is beyond clean........did you know that you can get 6 lug Vintec's ;)

Re: Project: Blank Slate
 

Looking good Nate.....props to lolife for his help!!!....If no pics are posted soon, I'll have to do the untinkable....don't make me do it...LOL

Re: Project: Blank Slate
 

Thanks for the Props.
I'm just glad I got to help Nate work on this sweet truck of his.

Re: Project: Blank Slate
 

Nate great posts, great info. I am also looking forward to seeing which route this truck takes....Good Luck
I will be tearing into mine next week

Re: Project: Blank Slate
 

Nate, stop slacking and post some pictures...... looking great!

Re: Project: Blank Slate
 

Okay guys, back to the build!

A few weeks ago I received some reinforcement from lolife99 that I needed to get this done asap, as we have a truck show to attend this fall, and this had better be ready to go. :D

I had a few things I need to remove from the truck before we could start working on the lowering kit installation so I rolled the truck out of the garage and started to remove the spare tire carrier.

Attachment 480929

Attachment 480930

Attachment 480931

Attachment 480932

Re: Project: Blank Slate
 

With that out of the way it was time to turn over to the two bar (receiver). I don't think this thing will be towing to much now.... :D

I will say that whichever owner added the tow bar and trailer wiring harness definitely did it right. There wasn't any hack job here as they used a plug in harness to complete the install.

Attachment 480933

Attachment 480934

Attachment 480935

Attachment 480936

Ahhhh..... look at the clean rear end!!!! :D

Attachment 480937

Re: Project: Blank Slate
 

As mentioned previously....

It's important to have the beginning measurements before you begin working on your truck so you have something to refer back too.

Now with everything cleared out of the way on the rear of the truck, it was time to start installing the 6" drop kit from ECE. Just a few shots of the rear of the truck prior to the transformation:

Attachment 480938

Attachment 480939

Side note, I'm actually glad the PO marked the tires Rear L, Rear R.... :lol:

Everything that had to go:
Rear Springs
Rear Shock
Upper Shock Mounts (grind factory rivets out)
Lower Shock Mounts
Stock Panhard Bar (incl. trailing arm mount and differential bolt)
Rear Bump Stops

So we started by getting the truck supported by jack stands in front of the rear wheels, and proceeded to remove the rear wheels. With the truck now on jack stands we broke out the sawsall and went to work on the exhaust; followed by the rear shocks.

Attachment 480946

Attachment 480947

Re: Project: Blank Slate
 

Come on Nate, Al is anxiously waiting to see the lowering kit installed....Just to think I will be doing this next wednesday...:lol:

Re: Project: Blank Slate
 

At this time we supported the rear-end with the jack and proceeded to remove the removed the stock panhard bar, mount and differential bolt. Once the panhard bar was removed we supported the rear-end with jack stands as after we remove the springs it would only be attached to the trailing arms. Next we removed the rear springs so lolife99 could make his way up to the upper shock mounts to remove the factory rivets. Let me tell you, I learned from lolife99 one of the easiest ways to remove factory rivets (if you don't have air tools).

Items needed:
4 1/2" Grinder
Cutting Wheel
Grinding Wheel
Punch
Hammer (a BFH :D)

The process:
Step 1: Take your grinder with a cutting wheel and "X" the rivet itself, and try to get the majority of the excess cut away
Step 2: Take your grinder with a grinding wheel and grind the remaining portion of the rivet down flush with the frame. (At this point you will begin to see the stud part of the rivet in the frame)
Step 3: Once you can visually see the rivet stud, grab your punch and hammer. Place the punch in the center of the stud, and proceed with hammering the opposite end of the punch. After a few good whacks, the rivet will pop out and you can move onto the next one.

Attachment 481061

Once you get good at this, it will only take a minute or two to remove a rivet.

Now for a lot of what the following pictures don’t show. After the rear-end was free from the truck (aside from the trailing arms), we needed to break the U-bolts free. Out of everything on this truck, this was one the roughest patches we ran into during the entire install. After banging, prying, and a little elbow grease, we were able to break the trailing arms/rear-end/U-bolts free.

Once we had everything blaster apart, we could begin installing the pieces. We started by putting the lower shock relocator brackets in place, along with the new Super-Trac bar mount on the passenger side trailing arm. With this now in placed we grabbed the U-bolts that were supplied to us by ECE. Now, as see ten mentioned in one of his posts, out of all the parts ECE supplied us with this was only 1 of 2 we ran into issues with. Regardless of the U-bolts being different lengths (hardly noticeable), one U-bolt was narrower than the other. Now for most guys’ this is not a big deal, for me… it is. See I didn’t have a vise to stick the U-bolt in and pry on, so it was off to a shop down the road that would end up paying off in the long run. (Thank you for great neighbors!) Not only were we able to pry the U-bolt wide enough to reinstall, but I also had to borrow an 1 1/16” (IIRC) deep well socket used to tighten down the U-bolts. One other thing to mention at this point are the recommendations of torquing the U-bolts to 215 ft. lbs. Use an impact and you should be good to go… :D (The cheapest torque wrench I found that went from 25-250 ft. lbs was $119 at Sear’s.)

After we got the U-bolts mounted up, we installed the new upper shock relocator brackets, and then installed the springs. After getting the springs mounted up, we moved onto the new KYB gas shocks. Now at this point, it’s time to refer back to the measurements I took a week prior to the install and begin to install the Super Trac bar. After referring to the past measurements, and using a ratchet strap to get the rear-end centered, we cranked everything down and she was about ready to set her back down on the tires.

Attachment 481062

Attachment 481063

Attachment 481064

Nothing like seeing a nice pile of parts sitting in the garage, but generally when there’s old parts in a pile, something had to of taken their place.... but what????? :D

Attachment 481065