1968 C10 Step Side, LS Swap + 91mm Turbo
1968 Chevrolet C10 Short Step Side
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After 4 ½ years, it is time to move on to the next project. I bought this as a stock truck, and have replaced & upgraded EVERY component. Special thanks to DBRODS and DBTBSS for all the help and hard work on this build. Gets props wherever it goes.
No joke, this is a seriously quick truck. It was purpose built to go hard, but it handles good and rides great too. Runs mid to low 10’s as is. Swap in forged shortblock, run 9’s. I didn’t build it for the track, but it runs well there.
The details:
Body
Stock, just as we found it with patina. Baby Blue with white bumpers. Miles said 8x,xxx, but who cares. None of that truck is left anyway. I have never even washed it. Yes, there are dents & scratches, but that is the point. Yes, there is surface rust, but no rot. No rust through. Solid floors, doors, rockers, cab, drip rails, firewall. Not a bucket at all. The only body modifications are converting the side windows and vents to one-piece glass and new door seals. All glass is good. Doors open & close as they should, locks & windows work fine. Vents under dash open & close and work well. New exterior mirrors finished with patina to match. Custom dirty, oily rag in the gas cap completes the look. Headlights, turn signals, horn, wipers, etc all work.
Interior
Stock, except for Summit racing seats (black) and a center seat/console with cupholders and cubby from a 2010 Tahoe, also black. Stock black rubber floormat, and the rear of the cab (where the fuel tank used to be) is lined with black boom mat. 6 point chromoly roll cage (black) that is tucked away and hidden. If you have seen the videos at the track, even the track official couldn’t see it. Black 5 point harnesses with cam locks. Center console seat uses stock Tahoe seatbelt. New glove box insert. Factory dash is modified for all Autometer gauges. 5” speedo (yes it works) and tach, 2 5/8” fuel, trans temp, oil pressure, and water temp. 2 1/8” fuel pressure gauge. All in stock locations. Factory radio delete panel was modified to fit Aeroforce Scan Guage and Autometer Pro wideband sensor. Raptor digital LED adjustable shiftlight in left corner of windshield. No AC or heater. Factory heater control panel modified to house boost controller. Under dash holds factory f-body PCM and Ligenfelter 2-step controller.
Chassis
Stock frame, stock style front end. New tie rods (inner & outer), idler and pitman arms. New manual steering box. All professionally aligned. Drives straight, no pulling. Front coils were ditched for a custom adjustable coilover setup (this is a one-off setup). New front disc brake conversion, with 2 ½” drop spindles. New Wheel Vintiques 15” X 7” ralley wheels, and yes I took brand new wheels and scuffed them up to rust to match the truck. New 235/65/15 tires. New brake lines throughout. New Corvette dual disc master cylinder. All manual, but stops really well. Rear was gutted for a fully adjustable 4-link with adjustable coilovers. Rear anti-roll drag bar. Boxed frame. Ford 9” rear with Detroit Locker and 3.64 gears, narrowed to fit 14” wheels without cutting stock frame or trimming fenders. Running NEW (yes, like less than 150 miles with no burnouts NEW) M&H 390/45/15 drag radials on 15” X 12” Wheel Vintiques ralley wheels, patina’d to match. 16 gallon fuel cell under bed in rear. Just installed new wood bed with wheel tubs. Wood is stained grey for a “weathered” look. Tubs just went in, and are unfinished. Truck scaled at 3,850 with fuel tank of gas. Front weight distribution is WITHIN ONE POUND left to right side. With me in it, the rear is within 0.8% side to side. That is only 32lbs from being perfect. If you are skinnier than me (more than likely) it would probably be just right. Or take a turn of preload out and done. Last trip to the track revealed a loose connection on the rollbar, which is why the rear stepped out on launch. Fixed.
Transmission
TH400 with reverse manual valve body and transbrake. Neal Chance convertor. Fully custom built unit with everything it could possibly have. Hurst Pro rachet shifter with transbrake button. Trans and flexplate shields. Aluminum driveshaft from Mark Williams. 1350 u-joints front and rear. Huge trans cooler, and trans temps have NEVER been over 150*. This is the same trans build that put DBTBSS ‘s Trailblazer in the 9.0’s.
Now for what really matters, the setup…
Induction: GT-91mm Garrett turbo. Precision 66mm wastegate. Tial 46mm Blow Off Valve. Custom front mount intercooler and cold piping. Fully custom, stainless steel process piping stepped headers. 2 ½” merged to a T-6 flange. TBSS 90mm intake with cable throttle body. All ported.
Fuel: Magnafuel Pro-Tuner 750 pump with dual -10AN feeds. Aeromotive filter and boost referenced pressure regulator. Injector Dynamics ID2000 injectors (yes, real-deal $1,300 + injectors). Running E-85 fuel.
Engine: 2004 5.3 stock, with gapped rings. New double roller timing chain, new Melling oil pump. Converted to LS2 front cover and running the LS9 camshaft (spec’s similar to GT2-3). New LS7 lifters and hardened pushrods. ARP rod bolts.
Heads: 317 fully ported and polished with Patriot Dual Extreme springs. All refreshed and new springs. Decked heads just to clean up, and have 70cc chambers. LS9 Head gaskets, ARP headstuds.
I will find an underhood picture to post up.
OK, there it is. I am sure there is stuff left out, but that hits the high points. Truck does not have a 6.0 in it anymore, so don’t ask. Yes, I blew it up. Did it have anything to do with this setup now, no. It went a best of 10.3 @ 141, spinning. I broke loose out of the hole, let off, and got back in it. If you have seen the LS1Truck raceday video, you can see the run where it blows flames and gets sideways. That was the run. Do the math. Run the online calculators. It can take the power, and with some tweaking (that was only the second trip to the track) it will dead hook out of the hole (on Drag Radials too!).
Currently it is running 16-17 psi for low boost setting. Testing it with some locals, on low boost it is dead even with a 600rwhp C6. That car weighs almost 1,000 lbs less than this! 20 psi put about 3-4 car lengths to 140 mph. That is a conservative tune. Best estimate is about 700 rwhp on low boost.
Here is the video from last track outing, when it went 141 mph.
2012 Truck Shootout - C10 Turbo Farmtruck - YouTube
Ask anyone who knows me, I don’t brag or boast, I don’t inflate numbers or make up stuff. This truck is killer, period.
$24,500 USD negotiable. I have options that I might entertain, such as selling with no motor or fuel system, which I would knock off the cost. Turbo kit is specifically built for this truck, so it has to go with it.
Thanks,
S.C.
