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  1. MikeB

    Time for a crate engine. Suggestions?

    I've installed 3 of the base Goodwrench 350 crate engines over the years -- one in my 69 C10, the others in friends' 51 Chevy truck and 55 Chevy car. All had small 4 bbl carbs (450-600 CFM) and headers. By hot rod standards it has crappy heads, low compression, and small cam; however, everyone...
  2. MikeB

    Carpet: pre made kit or ??

    If you get a pre-made molded carpet, make sure it goes under the seat and covers the entire cab floor. Also, I have found on a couple old vehicles that molded carpet rarely conforms perfectly to the transmission hump. Of course the only fix for that is "cut and sewn" carpet, and that may not...
  3. MikeB

    Best $6 I ever spent.

    Beats the heck out of a $300+ dash pad! Mine had one of those cheesy, glue-on plastic covers, and the pad was cracked like crazy from some PO who had cut two square holes for speakers on the front edges of the corners, so it was beyond repair. I'd get a sunshade to keep that new cover looking...
  4. MikeB

    New impact: air vs battery powered?

    About batteries not lasting very long: I think the latest generation of Lithium Ion batteries are 10x better than the old nickel metal hydride. I've been using a Bosch drill and 3/8" impact driver for at least 7-8 years now, and both of the 18-volt batteries seem to work like new. Of course...
  5. MikeB

    Door controlled courtesy light.

    Even if your truck does not have interior lamps, your fuse panel may have a fuse labeled "courtesy", "dome" or something like that. If not, find a fused circuit that has a "constant" 12 volt fused source, such as the horn circuit. Typically, one side of the lamp(s) is wired directly to a 12...
  6. MikeB

    Lowering just the rear of an 84 c10

    I remember those days, when it was popular to jack up cars in the back. And sometimes using longer shackles to compensate for sagging springs. Cheap fixes for kids on a very tight budget!
  7. MikeB

    Heater fan switch not working

    Are you saying it works on LOW but not on MEDIUM or HIGH?
  8. MikeB

    8 MPG?

    Correct! For a 350, compression with 64cc heads and .043" quench height would be anywhere from 10.0:1 with flat tops (with 4 valves reliefs) to 9.4:1 for a Speed Pro hyper-eutectic with 12cc dish to around 9.0:1 - 9.2:1 for a stock type piston. (I don't recall the dish size, so I'm guessing.)...
  9. MikeB

    8 MPG?

    :D:D:D
  10. MikeB

    8 MPG?

    Well said, and funny!
  11. MikeB

    Rear sway bar

    Well, I ended up returning the Addco sway bar. It's designed for the end links to attach to the leaf spring u-bolts using an adapter bracket, and the center section attaches to the frame rails. Very unusual. However, I could not make it fit after 2-3 hours of trying. Thank goodness I...
  12. MikeB

    350 build advice.Heads,Cam .Etc.

    I just read that you want to use the truck to tow. if that's the case, you'll want something not much bigger than a stock cam, and definitely not 214 degrees INTAKE duration, unless your truck has 3.42 or 3.73 gears. 204/214 on a 110 LSA would work OK, and the 214 exhaust lobe might help out a...
  13. MikeB

    New alternator wiring question

    When I re-wired my 82, I used 8 gauge from ALT to a new junction block on the firewall above the starter. From there I ran 8 gauge to BAT terminal on starter, and another 8 gauge wire to the fuse panel. On another note, I suggest using cross-linked polyethylene insulated wired that is SXL or...
  14. MikeB

    Lowering just the rear of an 84 c10

    Well, most "dropped" shackles raise the rear spring eyelet by 3.5" - 4.0", which equals 1.75" - 2.0" at the axle. So, 2" dropped shackle actually means 2" at the axle.
  15. MikeB

    Lowering just the rear of an 84 c10

    If you drop only the rear of the leaf springs, the pinion yoke will be pointed downward a little more, so you might want to consider pinion shims. On my 82 C10 I installed dropped hangers, but not shackles, and had to use 4 degree shims to get the driveline geometry correct. Also, if not...
  16. MikeB

    350 build advice.Heads,Cam .Etc.

    Yes, even a flat top piston (with 4 valve reliefs) in an otherwise stock 350 (76cc combustion chamber, .038" gasket, and 9.025" deck height) will get you only around 8.5:1 according to my calcs. Decking the block to 9.005" with the same flat top pistons gets you 8.8:1, which is fine for a mild...
  17. MikeB

    Hard to refuse freebies

    Sounds like my wife's Acadia! Only problem I had with my two Volvos was a bad coil on the station wagon, but that must have been at around 100K miles. Had a few tuning problems with the Bosch mechanical FI on the Sedan.
  18. MikeB

    Hard to refuse freebies

    Nice ash tray there on the floor! As for Volvos, we had two 1980 models. My wife's 245 station wagon was actually fun to drive with Michelin radials, 4-wheel disc brakes, and 4 speed manual with electric OD. And some of the best seats I've ever had in a car. Liked it so much that I bought a...
  19. MikeB

    wilwood front brake kit

    You could instead buy their stock replacement D52 caliper and pad kit. https://www.wilwood.com/BrakeKits/BrakeKitsProdFront?itemno=140-11290 Be sure to order the proper kit for your rotor thickness, which is either 1.00" or 1.25". I can say from experience, their DP-10 pad compound works...
  20. MikeB

    What is the worst body work you've seen or done?

    That yellow truck isn't bad at all, compared to chicken wire-reinforced cardboard covered with bondo! Wish I could find that photo.
  21. MikeB

    8 MPG?

    It's more commonly known as "quench height". I always shoot for .040"-.045". Lingenfelter said .050" should be the max, and that .035" is getting close to the safe limit. Stock from the factory on a 60s-90s 350 could have been as high as .070" or more :eek:, depending on actual deck height...
  22. MikeB

    8 MPG?

    A vacuum gauge is a good idea. I've had a couple newer cars over the years with an "ECO" lamp on the instrument cluster that would turn on at high vacuum. Either that or some combination of vacuum and throttle position. As for your horsepower estimate, I have to say it's one of the few honest...
  23. MikeB

    Off the Shelf Exhaust Question

    I'd call or e-mail Heartthrob. [email protected] 320-693-0222
  24. MikeB

    Off the Shelf Exhaust Question

    I used a Heartthrob kit on my 82 C10, although I had to modify the head pipes to fit my later model manifolds from a Vortec engine. It's a very nice kit using 2-1/4" aluminized mandrel-bent pipes, which may be the equivalent of "crush-bent" 2-1/2 pipes. As mentioned above, the stock...
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