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Did an hour and 15 minute ride locally of rolling hills. I went down south on Washington Street, made a right onto Funace Dock Road and from there a series of lefts.

I guess if you make the right amount of lefts you end up heading north, and I found myself surprisingly at the intersection of Route 35 and Route 202 outside of Peekskill.

I used my 63 inch gear, and to make it up the hills some attack was needed to have momentum on my side as an assist. The cresting was a grind, and mucho huffing and puffing on my part. Remember I’m anemic…

So a good ride for an old man with anemia.

Cal
 
Somehow I beat the rain, also avoided the sun.

Did you know that tanning promotes testosterone production?

Right now I feel great. It is after dinner, but I still feel hungry. LOL

Time for guitar.

Been looking at the Ride Tech Coil Over suspension kits, Wilwood brakes (13.06” front, 12.88 rear) and a Currie 9 inch Ford axel with a track-lock rear.

Don’t tell “Maggie” but 2 years from now after my Cancer treatment ends, guess what I will start building.

I’m cool with waiting on any engine or tranny transplant for later.

Those rolling hills are tough… I stayed seated and pumped my upper body for added torque. I feel it in my chest and shoulders.

Cal
 
Today my chest and shoulders are a bit stiff. Today is a sunny day to exploit…

The thing I’m learning is that coil overs are better suited for high horsepower and there is adjustability. Not in favor for me are air bags.

Kinda crazy that I can more easily afford building a new/old truck over buying a new one. In my research I discovered Detroit Steel Wheel which makes an OEM look alike rim that looks the part and can even use my dog dish hub caps, but the cool thing I can go with lower profile tires and tune the truck to handle like a car.

The white painted steel OEM rims are only 6 1/2 inches wide and are 15 inches in diameter, the coil over suspension is built for rims that are at least 17 inches in diameter.

The profile of a tire is like a spring in itself, then you have the spring and shock absorber in the suspension. Low profile tires minimize the spring that comes from the tire, and the spring rate of the suspension becomes more important. Coil over shock springs have a certain envelope of adjustability and tuning.

I expect the 1966 C-10 with the longer 127 inch wheelbase will emulate more a limo ride when compared with a short-bed truck, less choppy over the expansion cracks, and overall a smoother ride. “Maggie” has strong feelings and hated my 84 Jeep Scrambler. With solid axels, leaf springs, and a short wheelbase the Scrambler had a choppy harsh ride.

My goal here with this project is to basically transform a truck to be more like a car in height and handling. I know from owning a Checker Limo built on a GM X-frame that the luxury and comfort is very possible. The Checker was not so low to the ground, and a skinny bitch like me could still shimmy under the Limo without it being on a lift or jack stands.

The tire size was 15 inch by 235. This is pretty close to the tire size and height of the OEM tires, so in picking out tires I kinda want to maintain the diameter, but lower the profile some to at least 17 inch wheels for big disc brakes. Some cush from the tires is cool.

So I take ownership that I miss my 1980 Checker Limo. It was a mucho cool art car and kinda rare. Not that it was a hand built Ferrari, but only about 200 were ever made. Instead of 9 passenger capability though I’ll have just two bucket seats or maybe a bench seat.

A very cool daydream. Stage one is keep the inline six and build out the rest of the truck for an eventual engine and tranny transplant.

Cal
 
I visited AJ today to nerd out with a Motörhead. AJ built a 1955 Chevy step side pickup, and owns 2 1/2 Porsches plus mucho parts, plus a 1940 truck.

Know that his dad is a licensed drag racer with a car.

I inquired about 356 Porsches, what makes for the cult following, and what is the hype. Pretty much kinda hand built, light in weight at around 1800 pounds, and powered with about 90 HP. The round lines add a softness.

Some of my logic got validated lowering trucks or slamming them is more show than go, and lowering trucks and going low profile tires in an exaggerated manner is well overdone.

It does seem to be a limit for me as an 18 inch wheel is the smallest I can get from Detroit Steel Wheel. I mentioned being able to recycle the dog-dish hub caps. Figure $380.00 per wheel, then add in the option of a $65.00 semi-gloss white powder coat, and a $25.00 cost for drilling and clips to use my OEM dog-dish hub caps. These costs are just for one wheel, so multiply by 4.

Anyways this preserves the OEM look I want, even though I’m changing from narrow 15 inch rims to wider 18 inch.

If I did what everyone else is doing it would be a 20 inch wheel or even a 22 inch wheel with a narrow sidewall. Perhaps if I was racing or doing auto cross then there would be a practical reason.

For comfort a taller sidewall is my friend, but sticking with the 15 inch rims means a limit of smaller diameter rotors on the brakes. Not a good idea on a vehicle this big and heavy.

Know that those low profile tires and wheels add weight, sprung rotating mass, so acceleration, braking and ride quality all are effected all in a bad way. Expect more brake wear and poorer gas milage.

So the 18 inch is not an exaggerated look, and is more than the 17 inch wheel size that the Tech Ride coil over suspension is designed for. I’ll be adding some firmness to the ride, not a lot, but then the suspension is not only more advanced and better dampened, it also corrects the camber geometry for a more neutral steering for less bump steer.

I want the truck to ride and handle more like a car, so lowering the truck is part of it, then there is wheels and tires. I’ll have some cush (sidewalls), better acceleration, better braking, and higher MPG by going extreme with the low profile wheels and tires.

Still need to exceed 28 inches on the tire diameter. Right now on the truck is 255/60/15 and 215/75/15. Originally OEM on the truck was 215/75/15’s on all four wheels. The wide lower profile 255’s currently are mounted on the front. The C-10 has no power steering, so no way the wide tires belong on the front.

Had a Jeep CJ-7 with manual steering, and 235/75/15’s required upper body strength for parking, but it was something I could live with. Anything wider just has too much friction.

In the past the 255’s on the rear made sense since Chevy’s had a 2 inch rake to the stance front to back. The lower profile tire has a smaller diameter than the 215 fronts so the truck sat closer to level.

I’m 67 and the 1966 C-10 is only 8 years younger than me. Pretty sure the front sagged at least an inch, and the rear about 3-4 inches. With the shorter tires on the front, and the taller tires n the rear the stance is currently level and about 14 inches above the ground to the bottom of the body.

Don’t forget this truck was bought/built for a camper. This would explain how the 2 inch rake got taken out, plus some more.

I figure on the Checker limo the bottom of the rocker panel was about 9 inches. I know that because I could slide under the car without having the car jacked up or climbing a curb. Somehow between the wheels, tires and suspension I have to drop the truck 5 inches from its current stance.

So a lot of daydreaming, researching, and connecting the dots. It was the early 90’s when I installed a Corvette engine in an 84 Jeep Scrambler, but a lot has evolved since then. Pretty much the heavy lifting and engineering has been done.

Still not cheap, but still cheaper than buying a new truck.

The new ZZ6 is basically my old ZZ3 crates motor, but with a lighter valve spring and valve retainer that allows about 200 higher RPM’s. For my usage this really does not matter or count. I’m considering the ZZ6 that is sold turnkey with a carb because it has a flatter torque curve than the EFI engine.

Less complexity, simpler. No need for an electric fuel pump in the gas tank, no need for a return line, no need for a more advanced fuel tank. No computer. Save about $1.5K.

Of course Cancer treatment first… and that’s two years…

Cal
 
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Spent some time on a tire size calculator last night. Another learning curve.

Suspension, wheels and tires added together form the “stance” of the truck. Since my C-10 is a long-bed it will kinda stand out. The rave is short-beds. Lowered long bed Fleetside’s are kinda odd and strange.

The added wheelbase though will be a smoother ride. Kinda like comparing my Jeep CJ7 and my Scrambler. Of course the Scrambler had the better ride quality and was more stable at high speeds. For Autocross though the short bed turns quicker and it is lighter in weight.

I drove cross country 6 times in those Jeeps. Pretty much a lack of comfort and pretty rough.

For drag racing though I think the longer wheelbase would have a better hookup and launch. Compare a dragster verses a funny car. The longer wheelbase would have a smoother weight transfer.

Then I was thinking about the 31x10.5 wide BFG All Terrains and how my 3.5 gears in my rear end worked well with a 4.06 first gear on the Jeep with a 350 HP ZZ3 crate motor.

Actually I could start from a standing stop in second gear and go from zero to 85 MPH in just one gear. The Scrambler only weighed 3K pounds and 350 HP and 400 foot pounds of torque made it a muscle-truck.

The 3K weight was actual weight on a truck scale at Brookhaven Labs: top removed, no doors, and a full 23 gallon tank of premium.

The C-10 of course has a listed curb weight of 3.5K to 3.8K, but add the step rear bumper, auxiliary factory helper springs, and highway mirrors (my truck was ordered as a “camper”) and we are talking mighty close to 4K if not more.

I suspect the tubular coil over suspension to be a bit of a diet, but 18 inch rims and a bigger diameter tire than the 215/75R15 (27.7 inch diameter) that were original OEM, that are also going to be wider surely will add weight: sprung and rotating mass.

I kinda learned already that very wide front tires can contribute to bump steer from road irregularities.

The Dyno readout on a ZZ6 350 small block between the EFI and carburetor is kinda moot in my application. The EFI version generates about 15 more HP at 420 HP, but that is due to a higher redline and 200 more RPM.

405 HP on the carb’ed ZZ6 is plenty, and the carb’ed motor has a nicer torque curve that is mighty flat for “grunt.” In my application the carb’ed ZZ6 is the better engine.

My truck will be built out as a cruiser/long-hauler. Ride comfort, durability, simplicity, and a lack of complexity is what I want. Computers require sensors and feedback. The fuel system also is more involved and has added expense.

Call me old school but I think I love the carburetor better. I also take notice is that the first generation C-10’s are rarer than the post 1970 “Square Bodies.” The square bodies are the big huge market, and this is because GM made millions of them.

Point is that a first generation C-10 hold’s a lot of cool factor and will stand out more.

So my first generation C-10 is both underserved, rare and scarce. The most remarkable thing about my truck is it being a survivor. The patina is wonderful, and the only mod is that the fuel tank was relocated to under bed. My truck is a barn find…

Then I compare my truck to a Checker cab, or actually my 1980 Checker Limo. Checkers used the same 250 cubic inch inline-6, but connected it to a turbo 400 automatic tranny. So if I lower the truck and set it up right I think this would be a cool goal, to make a UBER durable and sturdy C-10 that emulates my old 1980 Checker Limo.

My 1980 Checker Limo had a Turbo 400 tranny and a 267 cubic inch, de-stroked small block V-8. Pretty much otherwise a lower powered Chevy 350.

The Checker Limo had a 130 inch wheelbase, but a stock 1966 C-10 Long bed is only 127 inches. From my reading the coil over suspension kit increases the wheelbase slighty to center the front wheels in the wheel wells.

I can live with the I-6 and the three on the tree tranny. Pretty much this would be phase one…

The T-56 Magnum tranny is a 4-speed close ratio tranny rated for 700 horsepower, but with two overdrives. The top overdrive is a 0.63. On a long drive on the highway the C-10 could actually get great milage. A vacuum gauge is your best friend for fuel economy.

This tranny seems ideal for a truck that will weigh in at about 4K. I would likely remove and save the OEM rear step-bumper. Likely close to 100 pounds. The new rear axel though would sport 4.11 gears, so without the new engine and tranny the phase-one C-10 would be an in town non-highway truck.

I guess you can tell I have an engineering background… Call me a nerd, but this is fun… I also think it is mighty cool.

When I go to Barnes and Noble and read the truck magazines there for free, I see how the first generation C-10 actually has less support and less advertising. Demand is lower because there are less first gen. trucks, Also I don’t see long-beds, all the featured trucks are short beds and they are mostly air-bagged and “slammed” to the ground.

I gauge this like “farm” sinks in remodeled kitchens.

Cal
 
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A red screen today in the markets, after a mild red screen yesterday. The losses though today are bigger than yesterday, gold is back up over $3.4K, and oil is north of $67.XX.

So some negative momentum.

The PPI (Producer Price Index) will be reported later today. Of course higher “input” costs will hurt earnings and raise prices. Tariffs are starting to bleed into the economy… This will continue to add up, no surprise.

The Media U-shaped air conditioner we just bought is being recalled. Evidently water can pool and a mold hazard can grow. A kit is being sent for the DIY repair. Oh-well…

I love this AC. Silent like a mini-split, and in fact it is kinda built and engineered like a mini-split.

Think I will get in the saddle before it gets too warm.

Cal
 
Yesterday morning was perfect for riding. I rode the Rotrax fixed gear path racer in to work. 11.3 miles and the total time from door to door was 42 minutes. Since I don't have a computer on this bike, I don't know what my wheels rolling time is, but taking into account the delay at stop lights, I probably cut a few minutes off that time. Getting home was a bit quicker last night as I was also keeping up with a friend who was riding a cyclocross bike and had the advantage of a freewheel on the downhills.
Today I got outside and immediately felt the heat and humidity, so I took my time. At the beginning of this job, I was riding the Miyata and it was taking me 57 minutes. My legs were screaming the first week, then sore the second, and gradually got stronger. My car failed inspection due to a control arm ball joint or bushing on April 25 and I have been riding every day that it hasn't been pouring rain or otherwise with heavy rain in the forecast. Over this past 6 weeks, I've turned the commute from a ~55 minute ride on a geared touring bike, to a 40 minute ride on a fixed gear. A couple weeks ago, I started doubling up on protein and I noticed a jump in strength within 3 days.
So now I'm getting to a time-limited threshold where the things holding me back are automobile and foot traffic. Yesterday I found I was comfortable back in my medium -high cadence and that is one more reason I am faster on the fixed gear. It's good discipline for me because I can't stop pedaling and I hate mashing, so instead of a slow slog, when I'm feeling good, I keep the cadence up and can push an 18mph average on the Rotrax.
I'll be building up my Puch Mistral SLX this summer which will be basically a copy of my Concorde racing bike (both were top end racing bikes in their eras) but the Puch will also be used for commuting. Eventually I would like to start the morning with a ride out to Valley Forge then up to work. That would be a 37 mile commute to work and by the end of the day, that would equal about 49 miles.

Phil
 
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Keep it up Phil.

Protein is the fountain of youth as you age. I learned this when I raced with younger guys in my 30’s. I was older and these were guys in their prime.

Pretty much I got the crap beat out of me, and I developed a high threshold of pain.

I’m just the opposite of you. I’m great at mashing. High cadence is hard for me. Everyone is different.

“Maggie” hates when I wear muscle shirts. She thinks they are trashy, but the thing is I have that pronounced vein in the left shoulder that only muscular guys that have low body fat have. It is kinda like showing cleavage if you are a woman. Kinda sexy…

Anyways, If I only had your lungs and VO2 max…

Cal
 
Almost screwed up. Every day is kinda like a Saturday.

I have to get fitted up and prepped for my radiation therapy today.

Oh-well.

BTW the fast strength buildup that Phil reports is no lie. Protein really-really makes a difference. Those long chains of amino acids are the basic resource to build tissue.

Cal
 
I fully hydrate in the morning and I was directed to drink 20 fluid ounces of water 15 minutes before my 11:30 AM appointment. At 11:30 I needed to pee badly. They measure my full bladder at around 350 ml, then I’m allowed to kinda half empty myself. I kinda know in about 10-15 minutes I’ll have a full bladder again.

So I’m a fast reloader. About another half hour is needed to do a CT scan, remeasure my full bladder, and tattoo me.

I’m with a full bladder and laying down is fraught because I can tell I’m going to leak and weep. Seems like this is standard procedure.

I always thought that I had a small bladder, and that would explain a lot of my annoying behavior and hyperactivity, but I’m kinda told I’m average, or in other words “extra-medium.” One nurse tells me they had a remarkable guy who had a bladder capacity of 1000 ml, and another guy who was skinny like me who had an 800 ml bladder.

Earlier in the morning I was fully hydrated. I had over 48 ounces of liquids before the 20 ounces before my appointment. Do I dare say holding my bladder back from expelling or volcanoing was a challenge.

Just prior to the CT they made a mold of my legs to restrict movement. I was surprised they didn’t mold my butt to hold me in position.

I asked why limit fiber, and it is because on some people it generates gas. Moral of that story is no farting allowed. I eat lots of fiber, and for me gas is not a problem.

In a week or week and a half I’ll get scheduled for radiation treatment, eight weeks worth. The fatigue level will increase incrementally I was told.

I think diet and exercise is moderating the fatigue.

I removed the lite weight lock on grips on the steel IBIS and the light weight set of pedals. I exchanged these performance items with pedals and grips off the Yo Eddy. The Yo Eddy shed a quarter pound in weight, but the steel IBIS gained a quarter pound.

The Yo Eddy lost a quarter pound and is now 22 1/4 pounds, and the steel IBIS gained a quarter pound to weigh in at 22 3/4’er pounds. The Yo Eddy is a 1x11 and has a front suspension and is remarkably light. The steel IBIS is a bit of a porker with heavy wheels.

The Schwable Billy Bonkers tires on the steel IBIS are not heavy, but I feel the weight is coming from the wheels.

Cal
 
I had the grandson while “Maggie” got Physical therapy for her inflamed hip. Then I had to get blood drawn for lab tests.

While in the oncology department I did my weigh-in on a calibrated fancy digital scale. Still 157.6 pounds, still over my 155 pound threshold to be technically a skinny bitch. Good thing is that I’m not gaining weight, but I see the side effect of bloating.

Cal
 
Back in the day when I bought and installed a Currie Enterprise’s cut down Ford nine-inch rear in my 84 Jeep Scambler I don’t think Wilwood brakes was not around. We are talking decades ago in the late 1980’s. I used rotors from a Lincoln Continental.

Kinda awesome having 4-wheel disc brakes, and when you had to the Jeep squat like a Beamer with ABS. No power assist either, but the brakes had a great feel. The effect was like when a jet touches down on the tarmac and then thrust reversers are applied.

The brakes had an aerospace quality to them. No ABS required, no power assist either, the manual brakes had a great feel that I love. Easy to modulate.

Back then I kinda stuck with the OEM gear ratio in the rear axel: 3.50. Jeep OEM was 3.54. This ended up being really great gearing paired with a NV4500 tranny that had a 6.32 “granny gear and was really a three speed with an overdrive.

The Jeep was so light in weight and the engine so powerful that a three speed was ideal, and actually didn’t need a 4 speed. Any time you stood on the gas it was just a moment before you had to shift or slow down. Point is that you really could not stand on the gas too long.

I stated that the T-56 six speed tranny is really just a close ratio 4-speed with two overdrives. I went to the Currie web-site and used a calculator to make a table of how fast a speed at 5600 RPM (redline of a ZZ6 crate motor with carb) for the first four gears: 51.92 mph first gear; 77.58 mph second gear; 106.23 mph third gear; and 138.1 in fourth gear.

Not bad numbers…

Then I plugged in 1800 RPM for the two over-drives: 0.80 overdrive 55.48 mph; and 0.63 overdrive 70.46 mph.

A ZZ6 crate motor kinda has a flat torque curve, and there is enough torque where the engine has plenty of pull even using 1800 RPM. Seems ideal gearing, and know that 55 mph and even 70 mph are kinda suggestions because cruising is generally at least plus 5, or 10 or even 15 mph above the speed limit or generally the speed of traffic on an open road or interstate.

So I did the math to determine ideal gearing. If I was a drag racer I surely would go 4:11’s in the rear, and perhaps 3.70 for street racing. I’m setting this up as a long distance cruiser… 3.50 works perfectly for me.

So after digging in, about $20K for the chassis, and that is new coil over shock suspension, 13 and 12 inch Wilwood disc brakes, and about $2k in wheels alone without tires, and nearly $5K for a Currie Ford 9-inch rear axel.

Then the turnkey ZZ6 wit T-56 tranny with clutch, bell housing etc… just over $21K.

Know that I bought the 1966 C-10 for $9500 cash.

So add this all up it is just over $50K, but I would kinda have a dream truck.

Plenty of “you suck factor” because all the body needs is a power washing and a clear coat to show off the faded forest green OEM paint, and a new wooden bed.

The body is a “survivor” and even though 59 years old is no rat rod. The outside appearance is of an unrestored original old truck. How cool is that?

So the idea here is a new/old truck in a kinda best of both worlds. Also likely about half the price of a new Ford F-150 with some options.

Cal
 
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I reviewed a 2022 edition of a C-10 Buyer’s Guide I had saved.

Not my taste or style at all. Slammed trucks parked on the ground with “bagged” suspensions. Not really performance oriented and a bit of “penis extension” factor, or a showing off of wealth.

Air rides go lower than coil over suspensions, and the ride quality is kinda soft and spongy.

Pretty much if you are racing or doing Autocross you want coils over shocks like a Formula One race car.

BTW my 1980 Checker Limo had leaf springs on the rear like my Jeeps. That long wheelbase and the around 4K weight with 235 wide Michelins was a mighty smooth ride.

35 years in the car aftermarket also means big advances in the engineering. The heavy lifting has been done for me. Kinda like race quality for Joe consumer.

Not so cheap, but mucho good.

Cal
 
I kinda remember the ride in the Mercedes Limo from the Hotel that formally was a palace for a Duke in Madrid. Not sure if it was a Mercedes or a Maybeck. Anyways I remember the driver doing something like 80 kilometers an hour or about 50 mph and not slowing down for a speed bump.

The effect was, what speed bump.

Mucho crazy.

So pretty much “Maggie” and I were treated like we were Jay-Z and Beyoncé. That too was kinda crazy.

Cal
 
Having the grandson was great yesterday. What a good boy. I sense I’m a role model for him, he is “tool-man” and seems to have outgrown the fascination with guitars. He also says “Me,” when I show him something like my truck.

Phase-one of my C-10 buildout is about 20K. Ouch, a lot of work, and I can see the great potential. The experiences of having done a performance V-8 transplant before, the many upgrades, and driving experience with a 130 inch long wheelbase Checker Limo gives me great insights.

The 3.50 rear axel gearing seems ideal, and the gearing is tall enough that it will help prevent doing unintentional burnouts, yet I could chirp the tires when I shift.

The T-56 tranny though comes with a hydraulic clutch though, so the engagement of power will be smoother and not as violent as the mechanical system I had on the Jeep.

I kinda see trucks that kinda display crazy engineering, but are just displays of wealth, and are all show and no go. Slamming a truck and air-bags is not for me.

Also I’m looking at the old and proven technology. In my case a carb on a ZZ6 engine has the better power band for torque, although it has a lower redline (5600 RPM verses 5800 RPM) and develops 15 les horsepower. 405 HP is plenty…

The lack of EFI also simplifies things and saves money. The fuel supply gets lots more complicated with fuel injection, and there is also a lack of a computer and sensors. The idea here is to keep everything simple.

I loved the feel of manual brakes.

The 31x10.5 tires I had on the Jeep had a wide enough footprint for great traction, but the limit on the front tire width is a 235. On an 18 inch rim the width would be 8.9 inches width using a 225/60R18, allowing me to keep manual steering.

On the rear axel 275/50R18 on a wider rim would provide a 10.8 wide footprint for traction. This tire would have a lower profile and less cushion, but in a pickup truck most of the weight is in the front.

My 1980 Jeep CJ7 had 235’s and used manual steering, so I know the extra road feel and the upper body strength needed to say park. Turning a stationary vehicle with no power steering utilizes a larger diameter steering wheel for leverage. This also kinda slows down the steering a bit. The trick here is just to have the tires rolling and the friction is vastly reduced.

Point is I could live with manual steering. As they say, “Less is more…”

Cal
 
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