I need to get my truck in road trip shape.

[Ziegelsteinfaust]

Is this a stock C10 sliding rear window?

https://i.imgur.com/Y22LZdD.jpeg

https://i.imgur.com/DIzHviP.jpeg

Does this lock or latch work for this model?

https://www.amazon.com/Dorman-76985-.../dp/B000COCXHC

Opinions on the MIP floor mat vs carpet? Or even regular vinyl.

https://www.lmctruck.com/catalogsear...=mip+floor+mat

I am a little over 2 weeks away from my vacation to go fishing for a week with my son. Then my Durangos flexplate cracks, and I am 2-3 weeks minimum from it going in the shop. So I have to get my truck in some road trip shape as I will be covering some 800 miles total.

So I need a couple of life changing mods before I drive my 1983 C10, 475~ hp, 4.88 geared, and sparten interiored truck. It has to be liveable for a 5 hour drive. My boy, and I already swapped the plastic racing seats for some buckets I picked up. I have a radio I am going to try to fit into the truck. Then on my 4 day weekend coming up. I will redo the bed flooring.

[kipps]

I've got a 1987 with a sliding rear window that looks exactly like that, with the bare aluminum frame. I'm not really sure if it even latches. It stays shut on its own, though. I'm also not sure if that aluminum sliding window is stock, or was a popular aftermarket option back in the day. Either way, it will fit your truck.

I'll be ditching that window at some point in favor of a single solid window. One pane is broken, and I want the better visibility of a solid window.

I have no experience on the vinyl, MIP(I've seen it advertised, but what is it?), and carpet conundrum. I've been told that carpet might actually be better for the metal floor, since it allows the metal to dry out if it gets wet. In contrast, vinyl traps water against the metal, and causes more rust. If you go with vinyl or MIP, definitely paint the floor good, and ideally, use a coating like lizard skin on the floor under the vinyl.

[Dead Parrot]

Plastic racing seats, 475hp, + 4.88 gears would seem to equal a truck designed for a track. What kind of mufflers does it have? Big difference in hearing damage between a 1/4 mile run while wearing a helmet and a 5 hour drive with the thing wound up to 3000+ rpms and no ear protection. If the exhaust is as loud as the rest of the description leads one to believe, a radio may be a bit optimistic. Might consider some ear plugs or such for quick noise reduction.

If you have one, a stereo boom box between the seats would be a simple solution to traveling music. Bonus points if it can be paired with a smartphone loaded up with tunes or streaming music.

Since this is temporary, a couple layers of carpet as high up on the inside firewall as you can get it and back to the back of the cab floor. Carpet with the built-on padding is a plus. Put sleeping bags, pillows and other soft stuff behind the seats and up the back wall.

[SuperC10Tex]

Found that this metal latch works better than the plastic one.

https://www.amazon.com/C-R-LAURENCE-...6838420&sr=8-1

[Ziegelsteinfaust]

Originally Posted by kipps

I've got a 1987 with a sliding rear window that looks exactly like that, with the bare aluminum frame. I'm not really sure if it even latches. It stays shut on its own, though. I'm also not sure if that aluminum sliding window is stock, or was a popular aftermarket option back in the day. Either way, it will fit your truck.

I'll be ditching that window at some point in favor of a single solid window. One pane is broken, and I want the better visibility of a solid window.

I have no experience on the vinyl, MIP(I've seen it advertised, but what is it?), and carpet conundrum. I've been told that carpet might actually be better for the metal floor, since it allows the metal to dry out if it gets wet. In contrast, vinyl traps water against the metal, and causes more rust. If you go with vinyl or MIP, definitely paint the floor good, and ideally, use a coating like lizard skin on the floor under the vinyl.

That's what the window looked like to me, but it's been years since I have seen one.

I am leaning carpet since it does not hold moisture, but I love the ease of vinyl floors to clean.

[Ziegelsteinfaust]

Originally Posted by SuperC10Tex

Found that this metal latch works better than the plastic one.

https://www.amazon.com/C-R-LAURENCE-...6838420&sr=8-1

Thanks. It's on order.

[Ziegelsteinfaust]

Originally Posted by Dead Parrot

Plastic racing seats, 475hp, + 4.88 gears would seem to equal a truck designed for a track. What kind of mufflers does it have? Big difference in hearing damage between a 1/4 mile run while wearing a helmet and a 5 hour drive with the thing wound up to 3000+ rpms and no ear protection. If the exhaust is as loud as the rest of the description leads one to believe, a radio may be a bit optimistic. Might consider some ear plugs or such for quick noise reduction.

If you have one, a stereo boom box between the seats would be a simple solution to traveling music. Bonus points if it can be paired with a smartphone loaded up with tunes or streaming music.

Since this is temporary, a couple layers of carpet as high up on the inside firewall as you can get it and back to the back of the cab floor. Carpet with the built-on padding is a plus. Put sleeping bags, pillows and other soft stuff behind the seats and up the back wall.

The plastic seats were put in because I wanted suspension seats, and they have the same foot print. My bench seat has collapsed springs which bug me on longer drives. So they were never going to be permanent. I can not use suspension seats since they don't sit low enough, and would require major floor surgery for me to be comfortable.

The engines noise is not actually bad at 3000rpm when cruising. The wind noise buffeting your ear hurts alot more. I wear ear plugs on longer drives since I usually have the windows down.

I have a jobsite boom box I will bring if I don't get a radio installed. Which is likely at this point. Because I have other thing I need to fix so stuff doesn't fall out of the truck.

The mufflers are 14" Magnaflows maybe be upgraded when the engine I am building is installed this fall. That way I just dial it in once hopefully. The engine was built because when my 383 thrust bearings were wiped out by the trans failure. It was the cheapest engine I could build with the parts I had. In the shortest period of time. I scored a Stock B-body LT1 short block, soon to be ported stock aluminum heads, and a Corvette cam from my searches. Which will have LS 411pcm for controls. Should slide in at 400hp/400tq, and be perfect for daily driving, but more importantly it will be capable of AC at that point.