'61-63 Chev C10

Hey i'm Kevin, been creeping here for a while haven't said much

As the ***le suggests i'm working on getting a '61-63 chev C10. By working on I mean as soon as I get back home I have to head over to a friends farm with a 30 of Canadian, truck and trailer.

It's a reg-cab long box small window, 2WD, inline 6
Sitting in a field dunno for how long, keys there, everything in dec shape no crazy rust spots that I seen, two minor dents in the rear quarter panels, but it was a farm truck so that's to be expected lol
Interior will need to be gutted and re-done, mice and fly's pretty much own it haha.

Anyways my questions:
-Does anyone know the differences/were there any real difference between '61, '62 and '63 chev C10's?
-Does anyone know of any potential problems or issues that may come up when doing up a truck like this?

 

know what problems or issues.............if it looks to good to be true , hold onto something.

lol

just watch out for cowls and floors, my buddy by me has 2 of them and thats the only problem that hes having

 

I think 60-63 are pretty much the same, 64-66 is when they had some updates to suspension and stuff.

Check out this for more info:

http://www.stovebolt.com/techtips/buyers_guide_60_66.htm

 

awesome thanks.
makes me wana cruise more pasture haha we were actually out there looking for a motorhome they had on their land.

do you have picture's of your buddy's somewhere I could check out?

 

The drip rail seal is famous for failing; water seeps past and leaks down the windshield posts and can fill 'em full. Look closely at the hinge piller as well as the floor at the base of the hinge piller for rust. These are the worst spots.

Minor differences in grilles and headlights, but otherwise '60 through'63 are the same. '64-66 changed from a wrap around W/S to slanted posts

 

Thanks guys
and by the way I have finished my first year of WElding Engineering Tech, am challenging my First year welding, and just finished liquid penetrand and mag particle lvl I&II courses, so if you have questions about welding or NDT I might be able to help you lol

be back in a while though.

 

The big problem with this style truck is rust (floor board & rain gutters) the easy way to tell the difrence is 60-61 had a "bull Nose" hood it was big and bulky with two big vents in the front. 61-63 look the same w/wraparound windshields but 63 was the first year with coil spring IFS. 60-62 had torshen bar. hope this helps

 

if it was ordered as a farm truck chances are its got some real lo gearing and a top cruising speed would be 60mph or less

 

'60-'62 trucks had torsion-bar front suspensions. They ride GREAT, but are expensive to rebuild. No sway bars available for them yet either.
Clutch is hydraulic: it uses a two-chamber master cylinder on the fire wall that has one chamber for the brakes, the other for the clutch. There is a kit available to convert to dual reservoir brakes (I did on mine) and keep the hydraulic clutch. It's a bit spendy though.
Engine mounts are also unique: A single saddle under the harmonic balancer up front, ears off each side of the bellhousing. Trans hangs in space. No aftermarket crossmembers are available for a traditional trans mount. Not a big deal though.

If the truck has the rare, optional Dana 44, you can get new Posi units and a huge selection of gears. If it's the drop-out center, you're stuck with it. No posi available, and I THINK there are no new gears available.

The back of the frame is different from the later trucks, too. Same type of suspension, but the angles of the trailing arm mounts are different than the '63-up trucks. Not a big deal, but you should be aware of it.

You have to hunt, but drop spindles and disc brake kits are available.

Floor and patches are readily available. Patch panels and new front fenders are available. Radiators changed to cross-flow in '63.

Windshields are expensive.

I love the wrap-around windshield and torsion bar suspension on my '62. If I had it to do over again, I'd seriously think about a '63, because the ch***is is so much cheaper to rebuild...but the ride wouldn't be as good.

-Brad

 

You can pretty much mix and match all the parts from '60-'63, including hoods, and swapping out the torsion bar suspension if you prefer easy/cheap to rebuild/lower coil setup.

 

thanks everyone who reply'd this actually has helped me i'll get an exact year and numbers this weekend when i'm out there.

And ***uming all goes well I may as well put up some pic's and make a build thread here lol

 

The turn signal switch in the steering column is a common problem. Aftermarket ones are easy to find...

 

Remember, this will require photos. I've driven a lot of those and along with the expensive windshields that dogleg for the wrap around windshield can be a real kneecap killer if you are tall. I didn't have a problem with it but one buddy sold his because he banged his knee so many times.

 

They don't call them "Knee-knocker cabs" for nothing!
I've hit my head on the slanted B-pillar more than getting knee-capped though.

-Brad

 

haha at 5'8 180 I think i'll be fine in the cab
Pic's should be up sunday maby saturday if I ditch other plans