The C5/10

[bbalch404]

Hey Everyone,
Ok, so I have been working on this project for a while and am just now getting to writing it up. This is my first build so the progress has been slow due to the learning curve and life in general.

This project started out as a simple pro touring build, comprised of an LS swap and bolt on parts, but it has evolved into a lot more than that.... With the help of some very talented friends who are also bad influences, we are building an autocross/pro touring focused truck on a full custom chassis utilizing C5 Corvette suspension (Hence the name of the truck, The C5/10). I know we aren't the first to build a truck to do car things, but I think we have some pretty unique ideas that will make for a very competitive piece when we are done. The goal of this project has always been to build a pro touring truck, the magnitude of how far we are taking it has changed drastically. So let's get into it.

Let's start with the vision...This is the end goal:





And here is where we started...

I picked up this beautiful piece of vintage American engineering, a 1972 C10 short bed, in September of 2016.



The motivation behind building a truck to do all of this instead of the typical Camaro, corvette, etc was because I was told “you can’t race a truck.” So being stubborn as I am, I decided to set out to prove them wrong. I have always wanted to build a 67-72 C10 but I have no experience restoring vehicles or building hot rods. I am a mechanical engineer by trade, I worked in the motorsports industry, and grew up wrenching on various things. But I have never restored a vehicle from the ground up.

Long story short, I bought a basket case and way overpaid for it. I had no idea what to look for when I went looked at it. I was excited about finally finding a short bed 67-72 C10 that I could afford which made me overlook a lot of red flags. It was just a rolling chassis, no motor or trans. One of the previous owners (not the guy I bought it from) was very skilled at hiding rot/bondo/etc. But hey, you have to learn lessons somehow, right. Well, I got taken to school on this one. The more parts I took off, the more rust I found.





















The entire bed went to the scrap yard, minus the front panel. I began trying to repair the floors, rockers, cab corners but soon learned that this cab was far beyond my skill set. A guy I know, that was providing guidance on rebuilding the cab, had an extra cab that was in much better shape than the one I was trying to save. He gave me a decent deal on it so it was a no-brainer. Having to start over wasn’t all negative though, I learned A LOT on the first cab.

So before I got a new cab I came across a deal on an engine I couldn't pass on. I picked up a 5.3L LM7 from a friend's dad. I had it delivered to my work to utilize the loading dock and fork lift. I brought it home, got it cleaned up and ready to be torn down for the head/cam work that it will be receiving.










I had also started fixing the rust on the stock frame..... before we decided to build a full frame. But since we won't be using the stock frame, that was sold.

Once I finally got the new cab I began tearing into that. I will save that for the next post...