Raider L
Full Access Member
- Joined
- Sep 1, 2020
- Posts
- 1,892
- Reaction score
- 998
- Location
- Shreveport, LA
- First Name
- William
- Truck Year
- 1974
- Truck Model
- C10
- Engine Size
- 355
SirRobyn0,
No, I'm not here to take and give nothing back. It's due to my overall lack of computer knowledge that keeps me from being able to put stuff on this site. I just don't have any idea how to do anything. I don't even know how to make a CD are you kiddin'.
To begin with I'm 71 years old, disabled and have had this truck since 1981. It used to be my old work truck and is in that group of year Chevy pickups that rusted out real bad over the rear wheels on the bed sides. It was a one owner who was some old man from Mena, Ark. I bought the truck from a gas station parked out front. I got a job as a aircraft welder and it was at this gas station near the airport one day. I paid sixteen hundred for it back in 1981. It wasn't until 1992 when i got disabled when I was working at a large manufacturing plant here in Shreveport that built some of the largest weldment for refinery towers. I was doing submerged arc welding there. I'm a certified pressure vessel welder, and aircraft welder. I'm qualified and certified in stick in all positions including mig in all positions, and tig in all positions. I'm experienced in welding most steels including stainless up to 347DL which is what is used to make aircraft exhaust systems. While at the airlines I was doing welding on 22 aircraft by myself for a large regional commuter airline but for only seven years and took all I had learned while trained as a aircraft mechanic and put that experience into my truck. In '92 when I got a settlement when I became disabled at this big plant I had all this money. I knew that it was going to be all the money I would ever have because I could never work again, and always wanted some kind of hot rod. Now I wish I had spent the money differently and built a real hot rod and just repaired the truck and put a crate motor in it and use the truck to tow the hot rod around. As it ended up I used what I had and restored the truck frame off doing most of the work by myself when I could except for the engine and paint and bodywork. A couple of guys I had met when I was working at the plant were street racers and they knew people who knew how to do the other stuff I couldn't do or didn't know how to do.
The engine as we found out was a Z28 engine from the factory, the block, the crank was a nodular crank, and had "B" rods in it. They had stuck a couple of 882 EPA heads on it with a 2bbl. carb. It had 4 bolt mains which was the first thing we noticed because Chevy stopped putting four bolt mains in light duty pickups in '72 so we were already ahead of the game with what we found in the motor. My racer friend found me a pair of heads out of a 1970, 350 300 horse Z28 to compliment the rest of the Z28 engine I already had. Now I've got a '70's Z28 engine in the truck. I read that those heads had the best flow of any cast iron heads at the time they were made. They were made so you could do all the mods you wanted to do to them. No water jacket problems or anything. They were thick where they needed to be. We opened them up to 2.02", 1.60" valves with a three angle valve grind, put in the hardened exhaust seats three angle on them, silicone bronze guides, but I decided to keep the press in studs from the factory instead of machining them with screw in's. I gasket matched the intake myself and that's when I discovered that we forgot to check whether or not those old heads were square on the intake and exhaust ports. So just to save time since the difference wasn't that much, I had the intake angle milled so I could use a standard intake gasket. And that decision was made because I did not ever plan on racing this truck. It's got a stock trans. and a Richmond 3.50:1 rear gear. The truck is blue with a tan interior. I replaced all the factory gauges with Autometer gauges including fuel pressure so if the fuel pump goes out I'll know what is going on. See, I love airplanes since I was a kid with models hanging from my rooms ceiling and used all I learned working for the airlines and wanted the truck to look look a airplane inside. I even have a small Autometer tach in the engine compartment. Including a vacuum gauge, oil pressure gauge on the engine itself. I can do carb adjustments and ignition tuneups on the side of the road. I have a vacuum gauge in the cab as well along with a Autometer shift light, and a MSD timing control on a bracket I made off the dash. You can control the point when the coil fires from inside the cab with a dial that has 7 1/2 degrees retard and 7 1/2 degrees of advance. It's cool. People always used to ask what that was when I used to show the truck. It was in a bunch of car and truck shows back in the late '90's and never won a trophy less than second place, People didn't usually put all that kind of money into a old long bed. I ordered a set of Nascar wheels for it when one day I was over at a local dirt track shop looking for some bits and pieces for the truck. It's got a whole MSD ignition system on the engine but just the 6A not the 6AL with the rev limiter. I didn't plan on ever bumping up against the rev limit so I opted for the 6A instead.
I'm disabled and I knew I would never have any money to be buying engines and blown engine parts. So I had to build an engine that would last as close to forever as could be built. I know it won't last forever but anything that needed replacing I knew how to do that. I changed cams on my own, I changed all the valve springs on my own, and I can do all that sort of stuff, but I don't have any of those friends anymore they all moved on with their lives and I have no one to help me do anything anymore. I'm certainly not complaining just it is what it is. I'm sure I don't know anything that would help anyone because I never did do car stuff like all you guys have done, my life was different from you all's. But it wasn't like I was oblivious to automotive stuff due to when I was in high school I did have a couple of friends who drag raced and watching them and asking questions learned things about the craft. You don't find yourself scrubbing around under cars when you get the image in your mind hearing the word "geek" the guy with black rimmed glasses with white tape on the corner holding an arm on. That guy.
I doubt seriously I would know anything that could help anyone that ya'll would know ten things better. I've got a hot rod truck that's about it. I've never done this before and never knew anyone in my life that did this kind of thing before, and don't know anyone anymore who does do this sort of stuff anymore.
If I did have anything to give I wouldn't be asking for help I'd be fixing the thing myself, I wouldn't need any help I'd be helping somebody else. So if anyone needs jhelp in how to weld some nickle alloy other than that i don't know enough to help anyone. Like everybody knows how to solder two wires together. Anyone can take a part off and put another part back on. That's about the limit of my experience. I have many years of industrial mechanics and use that to do everything I know how to do. I did have a company I formed based on designs I made for custom power steering and alternator brackets for small and big blocks that for years my products were advertised in "Chevy High Performance" and "Super Chevy" magazines back in the late '90's, there's that to. I've got some left over would ya'll like one? I was able to do this because I have a lot of design experience that I discovered I could do when I worked for the airlines. I could design anything like that sort of thing. But those days are gone. Now I just want to get the truck restored so when I go my family can drive it for whatever they need a truck for.
No, I'm not here to take and give nothing back. It's due to my overall lack of computer knowledge that keeps me from being able to put stuff on this site. I just don't have any idea how to do anything. I don't even know how to make a CD are you kiddin'.
To begin with I'm 71 years old, disabled and have had this truck since 1981. It used to be my old work truck and is in that group of year Chevy pickups that rusted out real bad over the rear wheels on the bed sides. It was a one owner who was some old man from Mena, Ark. I bought the truck from a gas station parked out front. I got a job as a aircraft welder and it was at this gas station near the airport one day. I paid sixteen hundred for it back in 1981. It wasn't until 1992 when i got disabled when I was working at a large manufacturing plant here in Shreveport that built some of the largest weldment for refinery towers. I was doing submerged arc welding there. I'm a certified pressure vessel welder, and aircraft welder. I'm qualified and certified in stick in all positions including mig in all positions, and tig in all positions. I'm experienced in welding most steels including stainless up to 347DL which is what is used to make aircraft exhaust systems. While at the airlines I was doing welding on 22 aircraft by myself for a large regional commuter airline but for only seven years and took all I had learned while trained as a aircraft mechanic and put that experience into my truck. In '92 when I got a settlement when I became disabled at this big plant I had all this money. I knew that it was going to be all the money I would ever have because I could never work again, and always wanted some kind of hot rod. Now I wish I had spent the money differently and built a real hot rod and just repaired the truck and put a crate motor in it and use the truck to tow the hot rod around. As it ended up I used what I had and restored the truck frame off doing most of the work by myself when I could except for the engine and paint and bodywork. A couple of guys I had met when I was working at the plant were street racers and they knew people who knew how to do the other stuff I couldn't do or didn't know how to do.
The engine as we found out was a Z28 engine from the factory, the block, the crank was a nodular crank, and had "B" rods in it. They had stuck a couple of 882 EPA heads on it with a 2bbl. carb. It had 4 bolt mains which was the first thing we noticed because Chevy stopped putting four bolt mains in light duty pickups in '72 so we were already ahead of the game with what we found in the motor. My racer friend found me a pair of heads out of a 1970, 350 300 horse Z28 to compliment the rest of the Z28 engine I already had. Now I've got a '70's Z28 engine in the truck. I read that those heads had the best flow of any cast iron heads at the time they were made. They were made so you could do all the mods you wanted to do to them. No water jacket problems or anything. They were thick where they needed to be. We opened them up to 2.02", 1.60" valves with a three angle valve grind, put in the hardened exhaust seats three angle on them, silicone bronze guides, but I decided to keep the press in studs from the factory instead of machining them with screw in's. I gasket matched the intake myself and that's when I discovered that we forgot to check whether or not those old heads were square on the intake and exhaust ports. So just to save time since the difference wasn't that much, I had the intake angle milled so I could use a standard intake gasket. And that decision was made because I did not ever plan on racing this truck. It's got a stock trans. and a Richmond 3.50:1 rear gear. The truck is blue with a tan interior. I replaced all the factory gauges with Autometer gauges including fuel pressure so if the fuel pump goes out I'll know what is going on. See, I love airplanes since I was a kid with models hanging from my rooms ceiling and used all I learned working for the airlines and wanted the truck to look look a airplane inside. I even have a small Autometer tach in the engine compartment. Including a vacuum gauge, oil pressure gauge on the engine itself. I can do carb adjustments and ignition tuneups on the side of the road. I have a vacuum gauge in the cab as well along with a Autometer shift light, and a MSD timing control on a bracket I made off the dash. You can control the point when the coil fires from inside the cab with a dial that has 7 1/2 degrees retard and 7 1/2 degrees of advance. It's cool. People always used to ask what that was when I used to show the truck. It was in a bunch of car and truck shows back in the late '90's and never won a trophy less than second place, People didn't usually put all that kind of money into a old long bed. I ordered a set of Nascar wheels for it when one day I was over at a local dirt track shop looking for some bits and pieces for the truck. It's got a whole MSD ignition system on the engine but just the 6A not the 6AL with the rev limiter. I didn't plan on ever bumping up against the rev limit so I opted for the 6A instead.
I'm disabled and I knew I would never have any money to be buying engines and blown engine parts. So I had to build an engine that would last as close to forever as could be built. I know it won't last forever but anything that needed replacing I knew how to do that. I changed cams on my own, I changed all the valve springs on my own, and I can do all that sort of stuff, but I don't have any of those friends anymore they all moved on with their lives and I have no one to help me do anything anymore. I'm certainly not complaining just it is what it is. I'm sure I don't know anything that would help anyone because I never did do car stuff like all you guys have done, my life was different from you all's. But it wasn't like I was oblivious to automotive stuff due to when I was in high school I did have a couple of friends who drag raced and watching them and asking questions learned things about the craft. You don't find yourself scrubbing around under cars when you get the image in your mind hearing the word "geek" the guy with black rimmed glasses with white tape on the corner holding an arm on. That guy.
I doubt seriously I would know anything that could help anyone that ya'll would know ten things better. I've got a hot rod truck that's about it. I've never done this before and never knew anyone in my life that did this kind of thing before, and don't know anyone anymore who does do this sort of stuff anymore.
If I did have anything to give I wouldn't be asking for help I'd be fixing the thing myself, I wouldn't need any help I'd be helping somebody else. So if anyone needs jhelp in how to weld some nickle alloy other than that i don't know enough to help anyone. Like everybody knows how to solder two wires together. Anyone can take a part off and put another part back on. That's about the limit of my experience. I have many years of industrial mechanics and use that to do everything I know how to do. I did have a company I formed based on designs I made for custom power steering and alternator brackets for small and big blocks that for years my products were advertised in "Chevy High Performance" and "Super Chevy" magazines back in the late '90's, there's that to. I've got some left over would ya'll like one? I was able to do this because I have a lot of design experience that I discovered I could do when I worked for the airlines. I could design anything like that sort of thing. But those days are gone. Now I just want to get the truck restored so when I go my family can drive it for whatever they need a truck for.