Project "Locomotion" - 1982 Chevrolet C10 Silverado Diesel - Part 2

Welcome back for Part 2 of my truck project. We'll start from the dismantling, then from the bottom, the chassis, of the truck and finish with the interior and details.

DISMANTLING
First thing I'll want to do with this project is tear the truck down completely to the bare frame. I'll want to try to get everything apart in large chunks first, then break those parts down further, starting with the bed.

The bed of the truck is probably the easiest part to take off. Six long bolts and the fuel necks, unplug or remove any wiring for the tail lights and it will lift right off. I'll need to invite some friends over though or get one of those bed lift fixtures for my engine hoist so I can do it myself. During this process, I'll be taking the rear bumper off as well

Then I will move to the front of the truck, removing the front bumper and brackets. Hopefully, without much hassle I can pull the dog house off in one piece, but with this diesel, there are a lot more things attached to the inner fenders as compared to a gas V8 or inline 6.



Next will be the cab. As far as I could tell, all of my mounts are still in great shape and not rusted out, so pulling the bolts will not be an issue. I'll need to be careful and mark what was still connected as far as the engine goes, because there are tubes and wires not connected now and I don't want to get them confused in the reassembly.

Now that the body is off of the frame, I can get to the drive train and everything attached to the frame. But before I pull any of this, I think I'll pressure wash everything to get rid of any grease and dirt. The fuel tanks will be the next to go. Just a couple straps and disconnect the lines and they will be off. Then I'll pull the engine and transmission as a unit. Next, I want to get the chassis on some jack stands, positioned where they wont need to be moved to get any parts off. Then off with the rear assembly; axle and springs. The front suspension will be tricky now since there is no weight on the chassis to help compress the springs when I pull the control arms off, and I don't really trust some spring compressors.

After I get all the lines, wires and brackets removed, I plan to media blast the frame to get the last bits of rust and dirt off. And even though I can pretty much get all new hardware, I've learned from past projects to keep everything until I'm done building the truck. Because there just might be a part or some hardware that can't be replaced. I will also bag and tag everything as well as take pictures of where everything is mounted and orientation. I will be doing this throughout the entire project.

Now that everything would be off of the chassis, I will start the sub-disassembly process and cleaning usable parts as I go along and try not to be tempted to move to another area when in the middle of another.
 
CHASSIS & SUSPENSION

After I get the chassis cleaned and prepped I plan to box the frame as much as possible, as well as filling any holes I don't need. I will also be smoothing the frame out the best I can. Following the smoothing and cleaning, I want to powdercoat the frame with either black, or one of the colors on the body. I'm not sure yet on that.

There will be some frame mods to be done, but not much. Since I plan on using the Porterbuilt Dropmember on the front, it's pretty much all bolt in, so no mods here. I may need to enlarge the spring pockets for my air bags, and notch for rack and pinion steering, but that's about it. On the rear, I plan to use either a KP Components assembly, or if it's available, the Porterbuilt rear assembly. The suspension will obviously be air ride and with the chosen components, I'll be able to lay on the rockers and maybe door bottoms with a little more work.

I would like to swap the entire brake system with stainless lines, a dual aluminum body master cylinder system and Baer or Wilwood big brakes clamping on drilled and slotted rotors all around. It's a little overkill maybe, but I'd rather stop sooner than later.

DRIVETRAIN
The engine will remain as the 6.2 diesel, but rebuilt and beefed up a little to add a turbo and at least double the stock HP. I'm not looking to win any races, but I want it to get out of it's own way. I also want to dress the engine up a little, so I plan to either plate or polish all of the brackets and covers, and possibly make my own aluminum parts where I can. The block and heads will also get painted the body color. The exhaust will be all stainless and custom made since not one person makes turbo headers for the 6.2. All of the injectors will get replaced with better units and I would like to get the IP cranked up to support the 350-400HP range I'm looking for.

The transmission will be swapped to a 5 speed T-5, if possible, and a heavy duty clutch by Centerforce. I'll also either just clean the original driveshaft if I can still use it, or I'll get a custom aluminum one from Deny's Driveshaft.

The rear axle will get 3.73 gears, powdercoated and I'll either keep what I have, or go to a 12 bolt GM or Ford 9 inch with Moser axles and posi.

EXTERIOR & BODY
The exterior will be getting a lot of work. Not much needs replaced, but I want to shave everything to clean it up. On the bed I'll install a Cali combo to get rid of the tailgate and rear bumper, shave the tail lights and install a custom LED brake/turn/backup combo in a cross design, or something railroad inspired. I will also make the license plate hide into the top of the Cali combo, either by electric or air actuated. Then I plan to raise the bed to allow room for the air ride components and install a custom wood floor by Bruce Horkey. And last, I will shave both fuel doors, unless I find two new bedsides without filler doors.

On the cab I will be removing the trim around the back side that is typical of the Silverado and Scottsdale models and shaving the drip rails over the doors. The doors will get shaved handles and lock and I'm planning to do suicide doors. And while the cab is off of the frame I will work on smoothing out the firewall and rear cab panel.

The dog house will be getting the emblems shaved, a cowl hood will replace the stocker and the marker lights will get shaved, although I might get some Bowtie LED lights from Hagan. The stock grille will be replaced by a billet phantom grille covering the headlights and I'll shave the trim around the grille opening. I will also put on the smooth front roll pan and eliminate the front bumper.

Well, this is it for now. I'll be back with a part 3 covering the interior, wheels and tires and the finishing details.

So, until the next post, keep the rubber side down, and get to wrenchin'!

John