1968 c10 'Kickin' Wing'

[BT68c10]

Hey guys, new here and have just started putting together a 68 c10 a few months back. I am building it to be a fun truck to drive in the twistys and maybe the occasional autocross. I am using a No Limit Engineering chassis pack along with some frame mods and a 5.3/4l60e to make it handle and drive a little better than the clanky farm truck it used to be. I had already started a thread over on another forum but felt that it might fit here a little better. Im going to copy/paste from the other thread I have going to get this up to date so some of the wording may not make sense. I will keep both threads up to date.




Hey guys, been lurking around this site for a while and finally get to start a build thread of my own. I have always liked the 67-72 body style truck and wanted to build one, but between college, getting married, and buying a house; the time or funds haven't been available.
Well, when I finally graduated I guess I thought I had to have a new (to me) car. So I bought an 05 C6. It was a fun car but I quickly found out that I was going to get bored with it. I like to tinker more than I like to drive and Corvette upgrades are not cheap. So not long after buying it I took a trip with the family to the Fall Rod Run in Pigeon Forge TN and saw a few C10's and decided that it was time to let the 'vette go and buy a C10 to build.
Here is the C6 leaving with its new owner:


While I had the car for sale I was on the hunt for a 67-68 SWB, me and my dad looked at quite a few and ran across a 68 SWB just a few miles from my house. It had some issues, but it was all there and the rusty areas were repairable. I negotiated with the guy and we worked out a pretty good deal. They delivered the truck to me about an hour after the guy picked up the Corvette :metal: Here it is in all its glory!





Plans are lose right now but I do have a general idea of where I am heading with it. It will be a frame off build with a pro-touring feel. It won't be a full blown tube chassis autocross machine or anything like that. I am just wanting something that has a little better street manners that is fun to drive. I will be using the stock suspension configuration with some mods from the 'Make it Handle' thread and parts from No-Limits, Porterbuilt, and Hotchkis. It will also have a 5.3/4l60e with minor mods. I haven't made any decisions on paint or anything else on the exterior or interior, but I do have some ideas rolling around in my head. I have been doing a little research on wheel fitment and plan to come up with something that is a little different/non-traditional.
Anyways, there will be more updates soon. I have already started tearing the truck down and have a few parts on the way.

[BT68c10]

Before I got the truck I found a 5.3 longblock and ended up trading a .22 rifle for it. It was really dirty but for the money I figured I would give it a shot, and I had a long weekend and needed something to work on. Here it is when i got it



And after a scrub down with simple green and a scotchbrite



Took the heads off and painted the block



Got the heads put back on, installed a LS6 cam and springs, and cleaned up some truck accessories my dad had.



I am close to having everything I need minus an alternator, throttle body, and a few odd and end bolts. I had to make a small modification to the ac compressor bracket to work with the motor mounts I am using. I am going to try to get the engine set back in the engine bay as far as possible.

[BT68c10]

Got a little bit of work done this week despite the cooler weather. Earlier this week my brother-in-law came over and helped me get the truck in my (very small) garage and get the clip and engine removed.







The trans leaked almost all of its fluid out once the driveshaft came out. Also, you cant really tell in pictures, but there is so much grease/dirt/mud caked around the spindle area that you cant even see the ball joints



Also got the bed removed with the help of my wife



And here is how she sits now




This week I plan to pressure wash all the gunk of the frame that I can and get the truck back in the garage. Then hopefully get the engine and trans put together and test fitted to check for clearance before i remove the cab and get the frame and suspension sand blasted. I am planning to get the engine as far back as possible using POL tubular mounts in the 6 cyl location with adjustable motor mount plates. I also want to check header clearance while its in there. My goal is to not have to do any clearancing or hole drilling in the frame after I paint it to avoid rust stains around holes and crossmembers

[BT68c10]

Haven't got much done since this past weekend. The time changed here and its dark by the time I get home after work, but I did manage to get the 40 years of build up blasted off of the frame and move the truck back into the garage.

This picture is horrible but wanted to post it to show what a little oven cleaner and a pressure washer will do. I sprayed it down with the cleaner and waited an hour or so and then hit it with a pressure washer. It didn't get everything but its good enough until it gets sand blasted.



I do plan to make some more progress this weekend. I hope to get the cab off of the frame and start removing crossmembers that I don't need or plan on replacing. I am picking up some steel plate and tubing tomorrow to box the frame and add some bracing

[BT68c10]

Progressing slowly, I have just been trying to dedicate a couple hours an afternoon and atleast a half day on weekend days to work on the truck. Don't want to get burnt out to quickly and want to keep the wife happy (even though she wasn't happy about losing her garage parking spot due to truck parts ). Got the cab removed and all the small parts like brake lines, e-brake cables, and gas lines off and labeled in baggies. Most of this stuff wont be used again, but I am trying to go slow and label it all really well just in case.






I am planning to get the rear end and front crossmember out this week. I was hoping to get it sand blasted before the weekend where me and my Dad could get started on the boxing and bracing of the frame, but it looks like it will be next week. I called the closest sandblasting place and they quoted $325 just to blast the bare frame! I thought that was insane and called around and found another place that would do it for $125 but they can't get to it until next week. I can wait a few days to save a couple hundred bucks.

[BT68c10]

Made a little progress this past weekend, managed to get the frame blasted and moved over to my parents house to start doing some of the frame work. I don't have the equipment or know-how to do this at my house so it will be there for a couple weeks.

In its temporary home getting checked for square:


Got some of the crossmembers cut out and got a rough layout of where the new tubing will be going. Nothing set in stone yet but this is close to what will be going back in:




Porterbuilt front relocators



Unfortunately, thats all I got done. Saturday went to waste because a buddy had a free UA vs MSU ticket that I wasnt going to turn down. So most of this was done on Sunday. I plan to hit it hard the next couple weeks because I dont want to keep it in my parents garage long. I have some off days coming up around Thanksgiving and hope to get most of it knocked out.

Roll Tide
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[BT68c10]

Well after adding up the cost of the upgrades I had planned for the original suspension I decided it would be best to spend a little extra for the No Limit chassis pack. By the time I added up brakes, spindles, springs, sway bars, AGR steering box, suspension rebuild kit, etc. it just made more since to spend more and know that I was getting a proven setup. Not to mention the benefits of rack and pinion, coilovers, and additional ground clearance that comes along with this kit. I did already purchase some parts with intentions on doing a few upgrades to the factory suspension, so those will be returned or sold. Here are some pics of the No Limit setup to those that are unfamiliar.





The only upgrades I added to the kit were the wilwood d52 calipers. I am scheduled to pick up the weekend of the 5th. I have got to start making some progress once I get the parts in or I am never going to get this thing finished While I am waiting I am going to get the rear end cleaned up and ready for the 4 link brackets, and whatever else I can do to not waste time.

[BT68c10]

Well I finally have some updates. This Saturday I was able to make it up to TN to pick my suspension up from Rob at No Limit. While I was there I went ahead and bought some doors, rockers, cab corners, and a few other small parts from Dewayne at Nsane Hotrodz. I highly recommend these guys if you need any replacement panels or suspension components. They met us on a day they are usually closed and Dewayne showed us around the shop and let us look at some of the projects they have going. He also showed us areas where they have had fitment trouble in the past with replacement panels and what they usually do to fix the issue. It was about a 3.5 hour trip, but it was definitly worth it to see the parts before you buy. Not to mention the money I saved in shipping.

Here is a pic of the truck packed with goodies

[BT68c10]

Went straight to my parents where I am working on the frame and me and my dad got to work. Saturday afternoon we got the wide ride crossmember fit to the frame and bolted up. It was a tight fit, we had to use a ratchet strap from frame rail to frame rail to close up the frame enough for it to slide over the outside of the frame rails. Then some of the bolt holes in the frame needed to be opened up a little to match up to the wide ride holes. All in all, it was pretty much a bolt on ordeal.

[BT68c10]

Sunday we got started on the fat bar and notch. The fat bar was pretty straight forward, just a measure twice weld once type thing. This was the first time either of us had done anything like this so we took it slow. There was quite a bit of welding and drilling but it wasnt too bad. In the pictures the upper coilover mounts arent bolted and the lower mounts are only tacked. I am waiting on my rear brakes to show up where I can check for clearance on the lower coilover mount. I am a little bit worried about getting a low enough ride height in the rear so I havent drilled for the upper mount yet. I was told I could get 7-8 inches of drop with this kit but with the upper mount positioned where it should be I am doubtful based on the frame to axle clearance. They are the experts though and have been doing this longer than I have been alive so i will probably just bolt it up where it should be and if it isnt low enough I can make a new upper mount that locates the coilover a little higher up.

The notch gave us a little trouble because, initially I had planned to just do a spring/block drop so I ordered a basic bolt in notch. Well the fat bar moves the axle back ~1" so the bolt in notch needed to be moved back accordingly. Well when you do that the notch no longer matches the contour of the frame. With a little cutting, heat, and a hammer we managed to make it fit pretty nice. And since the holes no longer match up we just went ahead and welded it in smooth.

With all that said here are a few pics of the fatbar install:




Here you can see where we marked the axle center line and then layed out where the notch should be. The three holes shown are the old bumpstop rivets, so you can see how the axle is moved back a bit to center the wheel.



Cut for the notch



Here is a picture of the notch we started with



Here it is after quite a bit of cutting and a few good licks from a hammer, I think with a little finish grinding it will look pretty good with some paint covering it. I wish I had a picture of how bad it fit to begin with.



And here is the finished product








People with experience, what do you think about the approx drop height by looking at the pics above? I know its probably going to be hard to tell anything about the stance until its at full weight considering these coilovers have a much softer spring rate than most drop springs and will compress much more with the bed/gas tank/etc. is added. I just dont want to get finished with the truck and be unhappy with the ride height after spending so much money on it.

[BT68c10]

Got a little bit done this weekend, got the backside of the notch boxed and got a few braces added in that area. Hoping to knock the frame out by the end of the year and get it back over to my place where I can work on it more often.

Making the template


Cut the plate


Tacked it in


Welded up, still needs a little cleanup grinding



Got the bracing layed out, notice that there isn't any issues with axles clearance even with it bottomed out on the notch. I wont be needing this kind of clearance with the coilovers I have now. But I wanted to make sure it wasnt an issue down the road if I change something up. Also we dont have a tubing notcher, all done with a saw and a grinder so be gentle.



Getting it welded in. Just a little background info, this is my first big welding project. I have always been able to stick two pieces of metal together, but I have never really done anything where appearance or strength really mattered. So this a learning experience for me. My dad is one of those guys that has a broad skill set and can dang near do anything if he has the right tools (sometimes without the right tool haha) so its always been easier to let him do it when it needed to be pretty. But I wanted this to be the project where I was the one doing the majority of the work with a little instruction. I want to be able to say I did it when its finished.

[BT68c10]

Got a bit done this weekend. Got the cab stripped out and dropped off at the sand blaster. Also got a few more tubes added into the frame. Getting pretty close to finished with the bracing. I didnt plan to get the engine and trans in the frame until I got it back home but i am going to have to load it up and bring it over to test fit it. Its just impossible to do the braces near the trans crossmember without having the engine in to build around. I also need to check the driveshaft clearance on the arched crossmember and rear x-brace. I think its going to be fine but want to check for a little peace of mind. Heres are a few pics..

[BT68c10]

Been a while since I have posted an update. Got quite a bit done over the holidays and things are finally starting to shape up. Got the cab back from sandblasting.


Took it to my grandparents house where I could use the forklift to lift it and sprayed it bottom and all with epoxy primer to keep the surface rust off until I can get around to the metal work.


Boyd Welding efi gas tank showed up.

[BT68c10]

Got the engine in and the front suspension all mocked up. Everything fit pretty well, the oil pan clears but is really tight on the crossmember. So when I get the engine back out I will clearance it a little bit. Will also make a little extra room for the AC compressor fitting and the pass side exhaust flange. I am using the TBSS manifolds I picked up locally and they fit really nice.





Driver side fits great with plenty of room for steering shaft even with heat shields still on


Passenger side fits good too. I am going to massage the frame a little just to make it easier to work on the exhaust, but it wouldnt be neccesary if you didnt want to.

[BT68c10]

Also got the majority of the frame finished up. Had to go back and move some stuff around and make some modifications once the motor and trans were mounted. I realized we were going to run into driveshaft clearance issues on some of the bracing. Only have a few more tubes to add in and then finish up the welding. Its getting stiff







I was hesitant to have my trans mount welded in solid because I may want to change something around down the road, but if i used a standard bolt in crossmember I wouldn't have had anywhere to tie in any frame braces in that area. So I ordered up a couple pipe clamps that are used alot for rock crawlers and made the center section of the mount removable where I could add some braces to the trans mount.


Here is what they look like


All I need to get done to have a roller is getting my rear axles drilled and finish a few tubes and weld everything up. Ready to get a body on it and see how it looks.

[BT68c10]

So the weather here has been pretty terrible so not much progress. I did get started on the engine harness and got most of it pinned out but ran into a snag as the harness I started with is an 06 harness and it doesnt have the typical C2, C152, C100 connectors. Mine is missing the blue c152, but has another plug in that location (this unknown plug had a small control module plugged in it when I got the harness?). I need to do some more research on this as lt1swap.com doesnt mention this difference anywhere that I can find. This is my first LS harness so I am being extra cautious in what I remove. If anyone has any info on the difference in an 06 vs say an 04 dbw harness let me know. I was hoping to save a few bucks and learn something along the way by doing my own harness but if I cant figure this out I may just order one to save the headache.





I also got the welding finished up and the boyd tank installed. My uncle is machining my axles to 5x4.75 and should be done this week so hopefully by the weekend I can get it back to my house where I can work on it a little bit daily. Then I can finally get some steady progress :metal:

[BT68c10]

Alright guys been a while since I have posted an update and I have got a little done. I got the rolling chassis moved over to my place and have gotten it stripped down, painted, and have started putting it back together for hopefully the last time. Here are a few pics.

Here it is rolling for the first time on very small, dirty wheels. Loaded up and headed home finally..


Got it home and stripped down to get ready for primer and paint. As I had mentioned earlier this was my first big welding project so I wasn't very happy with the way the weldslooked. As bad as I didn't want to, I took a few days to smooth all the welds. Hanging and ready for some epoxy primer..


Primed..

[BT68c10]

Once I had it in primer I could see how everything looked in one color. I took some glazing putty and fixed small areas where I had been careless with a grinder and other smalls spots.


Now that all that was finished it was time for paint. Nothing fancy, just regular industrial paint from the Lowes. I didn't powdercoat because to my knowledge you cant do it over fillers and I need to start saving a few bucks when I can. I wasnt happy with any of the finishes available so I mixed my own. I ended up using about 80% semi-gloss 20% satin thinned with 15% acetone to spray. Here is a good shot showing the final finish

[BT68c10]

Got it sprayed..




A couple of the tubing joints

[BT68c10]

Wanted to give it a couple of days to cure really well, I painted the rear end with the frame so I assembled it while everything was curing.

Got freshly machined axles back in..


Wilwood D154 rear kit installed


Fresh gasket and ARP cover bolts