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'64 Bagged n Patina'd 327 5 Spd. Build

8K views 10 replies 5 participants last post by  MasterBrian 
#1 ·
First post here at c10trucks.com, happy to share a build and future builds here with you guys, love the knowledge that can be found here on these forums. This one is a 1964 Shortbed Fleetside 327 5 spd swap from I'm guessing a mid 70's truck, will be posting pics to confirm the years. It's a South Carolina truck that has been sitting under a tree for the past 10 years. Had it shipped 1000 miles north to Boston

Build Plan:

Air Ride
White Patina
Custom Interior (gauges, switch panel, seats, console, lights)
Keep the 327 & 5 Speed
Disc Brakes
Power Steering
Wheel & Tire Upgrade



Questions:
How to tell year of motor/tranny?
Mod options?
What would you do with the first 500 bucks?
Air ride options?
Brake options?
Wheel/tire options?
Cam/exhaust options?
 

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#2 ·
Welcome to the forum glad to have you here....sign0016
Get the casting numbers from the drivers back of block to id the block..you also may want to get the casting numbers from the heads, which will be under the valve covers...
I`d start putting the money toward brakes and suspension first..
 
#4 · (Edited)
fahne19 Thanks Guys!

Decided late last night with a pen and notepad that I want to do this build in 3 stages, the first being a simple build with a $100 budget which I'll be getting into this weekend and should take 3 days. Stage 2 I devoted $1000 and Stage 3 $2,500. The entire build I would like to be done in 30 days. Instead of getting in over my head on my first custom build, chunking it into sections makes sense to me so I can see progress quicker. This will be my daily driver/shop/marketing travel truck for shows and cruises, I have 2 motorcycles I plan to haul with this as well to get the "Drive a Classic" & "Old School's Cool" names out there, either wrap or paint custom shop decals when finished.

Stage 1:
-Figure out casting numbers & years
-Oil Change
-Plugs & Wires (already done)
-Fill Coolant (done)
-Compression check (125 on cylinders 1 & 2 so far check others)
-Tranny & rear end fluid
-Adjust brakes (they're dragging)
-Check suspension for worn parts
-Rust repair
-Paint current wheels
-Black paint undercarriage
-Sound deadener interior
-Remove old wiring
-Weld/Bondo/JB weld work
-Check bolt pattern for wheels


Stage 2:
-New seat or buckets...?
-Custom center console
-Gauges
-Switch Panel
-Wheels & Tires (second hand) street look
-Drop Kit?
-Rewire Truck

Stage 3:
-Air Ride Kit
-Header Back Exhaust
-Cam Upgrade
-Carb/Intake
-Disc Brake Upgrade
-Power Steering Upgrade
-Bed Liner Mat or Wood Rails
-Clear Coat Patina

At the end of Stage 1 I'd like the truck to be mechanically sound, structurally sound and ready to drive

At the end of Stage 2 the truck will have a clean comfortable custom interior along with bigger wheels n tires

At the end of Stage 3 the truck will be completely custom, bagged, clear coated and modded to go fast

Please comment and contribute to this post, I need ideas and know-how from those that have been here before beer
 
#5 ·
Looking at your schedule looks good, something you may want to consider on disc brake, wheel, power steering, any `73 to `87 C`10 or suburban two wheel drive front crossmember is virtually a bolt in, you have to elongate two of the holes, grab everything from the donor truck master, booster, prop valve, and everything connected to the crossmember, power steering, pump, and idler link. note when doing a crossmember swap engine will have to be out as the engine mounts bolt to crossmember.
2nd senario, in either case you`ll need to decide on 5 or 6 lug wheels now..drop kits can be bought complete with disc brakes if desired, you order as a kit, complete with booster, master, prop valve, calipers, rotors, everything you need, there are two styles of brake kits, standard as GM used from `73 to `87 which move your front wheel center line (track) out 3/4 of an inch, the newer style modular moves the wheel centerline line out 1/8 of an inch, no problem with either unit other than the earlier style you can`t run very wide tires with a drop spindle without tire/fender issues. Now with either kit you use `73 to `87 upper and lower ball joints with your A-arms. Have a look at CPP on line catalogue , link to your right on this page...
 
#6 · (Edited)
@406Rich great info to be noted thank you! I have some decisions I guess. What is the most popular route to go as far as 5 or 6 lug? If I wanted to do an air ride kit would I still get drop spindles and springs or keep the stock stuff?

Update on Stage 1:

Got the truck off the ground and took pics of the engine tranny and rear end in hopes you guys could identify them so I know what are the correct fluids. I changed the oil with Shell Rotella 15w-40 Diesel Oil today and got looking at the brakes. The system is getting no pressure, tried bleeding the rear brakes but no fluid, fluid is coming out of front brakes (thru bleeder). Note: Pedal is going all the way to the floor. Seems like the wheel cylinders are sticking or the drum brakes aren't strong enough to bring the shoes back in as the drums are sticking as well. What should I do? Fix the drums or go for broke and order all the essentials for bigger disc brakes with a master and power booster? I have some brake lines that are on their way out as well, do you guys usually just replace with steel lines that I could find at a local parts store or run something different? My main goal is to get the system working so I can atleast test drive it and see what else it will need for drivability.

Looking at the overall design of this truck it seems better built than my 65 F100 with the independent front suspension and rear coil/trailing arm. Will this setup be okay as is for street driving? Would sway bars front and rear be worth the coin? Is power steering really worth it? If I go air ride, do I change other components?

As far as the body work goes, I purchased my first DA sander, cut off tool, body saw, and right angle grinder, with the right tools the job goes a lot smoother. Body is coming along. Seat and carpet are out, as is all exterior trim. So it's essentially metal work and mechanical work left for Stage 1 then I will get into rewiring the entire truck in Stage 2. Metal work tomorrow, then lots of sanding to create a patina look while sanding the whole truck to a 220 grit finish. Interior will be next on the list, What sort of sound deadener is worth using? I have tried some before but was not impressed, I'd like to keep the exhaust out of the cab as much as possible (headers and straight 2.5" or 3" duals to come) Will be ordering new parts soon for Stage 2 so any suggestions welcome

Can anyone tell what year this engine is by looking at it? I had trouble finding an engine code on the block. So still clueless on what I would call the tranny and rear end as well... rear dif cover has 12 bolts holding it on...
 

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#7 · (Edited)
Here are some photos of the tranny (5 spd) and engine. I found the tranny code (GM 8672305). Is the ignition and carb decent for this? It says a Rochester 2 Jet and Mallory Electric Ignition. What would you guys do? I'd like to freshen everything up, make it as fast, light and bare as possible. I think I have a good start with the drivetrain but just want some confirmation and known weak spots in these trucks, as this is my first
 

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#10 ·
Mallory ignition good, carb..standard GM issue Rochester 2 barrel great for general running, not a performance carb, the total combo is a great package as is, if the engine is a 327 be gentle with take off's as the 5 speed is only rated at 250 foot lbs of torque, repeated hard launches will destroy the trans.....anim_63anim_63. One other piece here, go to the forums, at the lower threads on air ride suspensions is four Ride Tech videos of an install on a '65 c10 that will answer a lot of questions for you
 
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