The ’68 Chevy C-10 truck restoration effort has taken a different direction.
Instead of wheeling into the body shop for final finish paint, the original drive-train required some attention.
The stock in-line 6 cylinder engine really didn’t like to operate at highway speeds.
The gear ratio at the differential is pretty low and the RPMs needed to run on the road were very high. So the six cylinder engine did what it had to do.
It exploded, and left a softball-size hole in the block next to the number 1 piston.
Part one of the solution was to install an overdrive transmission (0.67 4th gear overdrive) to reduce the RPMs at highway speeds. The new transmission is a 4-speed manual lock out automatic, replacing the 3-speed manual shift transmission and clutch
Part two of the solution was to install an engine capable of higher RPM.
My selection was to upgrade the original 150 HP 250 c.i. engine to 425 Hp 383 c.i. small block V8. New drives shaft, carrier bearing, heads, intake, carburetor, distributor, brackets, pulleys, belts, hoses, fan, starter, headers, etc. included.
Electric fans likely to follow …
Rear shock mounts were relocated to improve the mounting angles and increase travel distance for the lowered rear-end shock absorbers.
Next.
The differential will be upgraded to a 12-bolt Posi-Trac unit and 18″ or 20″ wheels with 285 to 295+ width tires to fill up the rear fender wheels.
She Ain’t Purty … Yet …
But She’s gonna be fast
You must be logged in to post a comment.