New Guy Needing Help

[T97]

Hey guys I need you help identifying my Front Cross member and 10 bolt. I bought this truck a little over a year ago and have been steady accumulating parts for it but now I'm getting ready to start working on the frame. I plan on bagging the truck so its not really that big of a deal to me that neither are original id just like to know what exactly it is I'm working with here.
I'm pretty sure the front end is from a 73-87 but id like your opinion on it. As far as the rear end i have no idea what its from but I'm guessing its from a 73-87 as well.
Thanks in advance
Thomas

[aerotruk63]

Must be a whiteout where you are? Lol

[T97]

Not really Sure whats going on here cant upload the pics..

[T97]

Alright hopefully this works.

[LostMy65]

Looks like 73-87 to me also.

[LostMy65]

Newer 73+ power steering box also.

[LostMy65]

Poor weld job on the axle tube. You will need to address that.

[T97]

I will most likely end up swapping that rear end out but if i do end up keeping it i plan on servicing the rear end and rewelding all of their booger welds. Everything the PO did to this truck really needs to be redone. This truck was really negected its scary to think they drove this truck the way it sits but i plan on changing that and making it something worth having again.

I got the truck for cheap so im not really complaining it needs alot of work but ive amassed just about everything for it except the steering column and wiring harness. I bought a crate vortec 350 and new 700r4 to put behind it but i want to bag the frame before i do anything else.

Thanks for the advices guys.

[Captainfab]

I can't see the lower control arms, but the upper control arms are '63-'72 components. The engine mount brackets are '73-'87 C10 parts. The '73-'87 C20/30 brackets fit the early frames better. Little to no spacer needed on top of the frame. The steering box is '68-'87. The '68-'79 will have SAE style fittings. The '80-'87 will have Metric with an o-ring.

[T97]

In your eyes what do you think the best front end would be for my situation? I play on bodying the truck but not sire if i should take it back to the original 64 front end components. We have 3 fairly large salvage yards here so i have access to all body styles for parts. That being said if its a hassle to find the correct stuff i may end up buying a porterbuilt front drop memeber but if i can save some money using oem chevy parts id rather go that route.

[LostMy65]

I wouldn't go back to the older parts with the front, those are good and reasonable upgrades.
What do you know about the 10-bolt?
Gearing? Posi?

[T97]

I know nothing about the rear end i checked today for the casting numbers but i couldnt find them i will check again tomorrow. I was trying to find information online about it but i couldnt find another picture of one with that style diff cover. I'll jack it up tomorrow and try to get a roundabout on the ratio.

[LostMy65]

If you decide to go with a truck 12-bolt, read in these forums a little. I think you want to go with a 65 or newer 12-bolt.

[T97]

Im not looking to make any sort of power out of this truck i just want to build a nice cruiser i csn drive to shows reliably. But i will definitely read into the 12 bolts. This is my first chevrolet im really working on i mostly work on mazda and mitsubishi mini trucks but im sure they cant be that much different than these. So any advice is greatly appreciated.

[LostMy65]

Originally Posted by T97

Im not looking to make any sort of power out of this truck i just want to build a nice cruiser i csn drive to shows reliably. But i will definitely read into the 12 bolts. This is my first chevrolet im really working on i mostly work on mazda and mitsubishi mini trucks but im sure they cant be that much different than these. So any advice is greatly appreciated.

Spend some time browsing the FAQs.
That's where I found this:

Originally Posted by Captainfab

Your C10 has the Eaton HO32 differential that was used from second series '55 thru '62 in the 1/2 tons. Those do look basically the same as the Eaton HO52/72 used in the C20's up thru '72.

If it is just the center section that is bad in your differential, you could try and find another good 3rd member and just change it, That would be the easiest and cheapest to get you back on the road. Alhtough you'll likely still be stuck with 3.90 gears, which aren't very highway friendly.

The next step would be a '63-'64 12 bolt. Those will have the same panhard bar mount, but the trailing arm mounts are a little closer together. It is possible that threr is enough movement ion your trailing arms, to get them to bolt up. Otherwise, the trailing arm mounts will need to be cut off and welded back on at the correct distance and pinion angle.

Then there is the '65 to early '70 12 bolts. The same situation with the trailing arm mounts. But these differentials use a shorter panhard bar. They can be used, but the panhard bar will need a slight bend in one end to be able to bolt it up to the frame bracket.

Originally Posted by Captainfab

The '65 to early '70 12 bolts are exactly the same, as in a direct swap. The '63-'64 12 bolt will bolt up except they are setup for the long panhard bar. The long panhard bar can work with a slight bend in the frame end.

If you are just talking about the internal parts, all truck 12 bolt parts from '63-'82 will interchange. The one thing that is different is in the '63 and '64 12 bolts, they used 17 spline axles and spider gears. '64 and up used 30 spline.

The auto trans trucks could have 3.73's, 3.42's or 3.07's. Some of the later models came with 2.73's.

[T97]

Are you suggesting swaping to a 12 bolt due to the availability of parts and gesr ratios or do they just generally hold up better than the 10 bokts without much upgrading? I plan on going to the salvage yards tomorrow so il definitely be on the look out.

[Captainfab]

Going back to drum brakes makes no sense at all. Personally I would swap the front suspension for a '73-'87 suspension, but not everyone wants to go to that much work, not that it is a lot of work IMO. Since you already have disc brakes, you might just see what the condition of it all is and go from there. It's hard to say what was used considering how the differential swap looks. That 10 bolt should be just fine for what you are wanting. You just need to determine the basic year of it and what gearing it has. Just pull the cover and have a look. There is no voodoo involved in pulling a differential cover and having a look. More than likely the oil needs changed anyway since a differential is one of the most neglected parts of a vehicle. It'll only cost you a cover gasket and a couple qts of 75W90 gear oil.

Originally Posted by T97

In your eyes what do you think the best front end would be for my situation? I play on bodying the truck but not sire if i should take it back to the original 64 front end components. We have 3 fairly large salvage yards here so i have access to all body styles for parts. That being said if its a hassle to find the correct stuff i may end up buying a porterbuilt front drop memeber but if i can save some money using oem chevy parts id rather go that route.