Hi everyone, Heres the deal, Im considering buying an '83 C10 that (4 speed) "just needs a clutch". I have spoke with the guy a few times now because Im trying to figure out what Im really getting myself into. Your help would be appreciated. Anyways, the guy said he bought the truck from a family fiend that had past. He has never driven the truck but knows it does drive b/c the guys kids were driving it around the feilds... He received the truck and decided it needed a new clutch... He put in a used but fairly new clutch fron a '89 Chevy 1 ton 4x4 (5 speed), and now the truck does not move... maybe it wasnt the right clutch or the guy is blowing smoke up my @zz and it needs more than a clutch. I asked him several questions but he insists all it needs is a new clutch cuz that one obviously isnt working and thats all he has done to is... Ive been researching the different trans in the 83's and even called the parts store to cross ref the 89 clutch to the 83... Found out that there are 3 variations of the 83 clutch, 11" a 12" and a different type, lever style(?)... The 89 clutch is a 12" clutch that can be swapped with the 83 12"... I guess my question would be, if the guy put in a 12" when he needed the 11" would the trans be able to be assembled (different spline?)? What am I getting myself into here? Ive never done trans work before although I am capable (mechanical engineer), I just dont want to buy this truck and find out I need more than a clutch... Please Help! Here it is... what do you think is a fare price? He said it has minimal rust and mint interior... was a sothern truck that has not seen a hand full of winters in the northeast... http://rochester.craigslist.org/cto/2014279606.html
Tough Call That truck looks nice and the parts , clutch , tranny , flywheel , pedal linkages etc. , etc. are all available as a lot of these trucks are still in daily use and so plenty in junkyards all across Anmerica . If it's just a bum clutch , jacking up one rear wheel will allow it to be shifted out of whatever gear it's in . I'd check that before paying over $1,000 for it . Rust is an issue . Keep us posted ,this looks like a nice rig , worth the effort . Rochester , like NY ? I used to live on Wellington Av. off Bulls Head Square back in the 1960's .
Nate, the truck is located in Rochester NY, I live in Oswego NY, went to college at RIT. I have lived in Chili and Gates... The guy says it has nearly no rust, was a sothern truck, I asked him if the pedal felt right and he said there is some pressure but it doesnt feel right... So, your telling me to try shifting through the gears, I might have to jack one of the rear tires off the ground and roll the wheel to get the gears to mesh? Does anyone have an idea if the spline sizes for the 89 chevy clutch and the 83's?
Tranny Testing Right ~ the idea being , when you unload the driveline torque , it'll shift easily if the tranny is O.K. regardless of how bad the clutch is . This truck , if a stick shift , has the Muncie SM465 tranny and IIRC there are three different input spline possibilities so he may have simply jambed the wrong disc in there plus or minus if he matched the diameter , bent the throwout fork, etc. , etc. .. Being so old , expect to find odd ball things like this and adjust the price accordingly ~ if it was simple , he'd fix it first . Also , remember the Philly is South of Rochester but just as rusty.... I rarely pay over scrap value for anything and I'm usually glad of that once I get it home and begin sorting it out . Doing clutch work on these is dead bang simple, the 4X4 transfer case just means you'll get a workout removing & re installing it ~ watch out as they're heavy and can hurt you badly when they fall .
Assuming the body is solid and only shows some minor surface rust underneath and the interior is in good condition, what would be a reasonable price for this truck? Taking into consideration it needs a clutch at minimum? Does $2500 seem unreasonable? The engine was either a rebuild or crate and "has 20,000 miles on it"...
Sounds Good To Me ! And I'm a Piker , er I mean : Conservative Yankee Farmer (yeah , that's it ) DO take some time to shrug into some coveralls & scrooch underneath it with a flashlight & take your time looking it over .
You bet I will! Right now Im sharing my G/F's car, I have been riding my ol' Yamaha since March and need to get 4 wheels again! Im ok with doing some work but I just dont like suprizes! At least if I can get it for a fair price I wont be so hot if I learn it needs more than a clutch.... Going to look at it today, will let you know what I find! He did say the tranny was not Al. but it was iron so I done think it has a Muncie... :
Muncie SM465 Only the really late ones had the aluminum covers , Suburbans I *think* . I can post links to parts places if it needs help , the overhaul kit of bearings & synchro rings is cheap , like under $200 (+ shipping) , I'm thinking of dipping into mine ' just because ' . Let us know how it turns out , don't panic if there's rust holes under the footwell from gravel grinding the paint off and allowing ir to rust through ~ that's a simple fix . look for frame rust / damage or cowl rust through etc. ~ GM didn't phosphorus dip these like they did older trucks so pin holes along pinchwelds and 90° corners in the hood & fenders are common but not a big thing .
I bought it... ... couldnt refuse it, it looked too damn good not to buy it. It is a NY truck but parts of it are 'southern'. The guy did a nice job with new paint and a LOT of new OEM parts. Rockers and cab corners have been replaced and interior is nice. Got some small stuff to do like bolt the rear bumper on and tighten the seat bolts down. The engine is a GM crate engine, needs some tuning or probably just a can of carb cleaner. On cold starts it runs very rich, I dont think the choke was kicking off either... You can shift the trans through all the gear fine with the engine off. Start it up, put it in gear and let the clutch out and nothing... you can hear something turning in the trans but it doesnt sound connected... no idea. Clutch pedal seems to only have half travel it should have... Got it in the garage and will start work soon.
4 x 4 ! Sounds like you got a deal ! . Keep us posted and don't forget , theere's prolly loads of little not quite right things you'll have to look out for and fix as you go along .
Well... I crawled around and figured out what trans and transfer case I have... found out I have a Muncie SM465 and a NP208 T-case. From what I gather there are two different input shaft sizes... I'll have to take it out to figure out what one I have... Any idea if there is a way to tell what gears I have in the front and rear ends without pulling the covers?
Easiest way to check gears is to jack up one of the rear tires, block another (so it doesn't roll), then put the transfer case in neutral. Make a mark on the driveshaft and a mark on the tire. Spin the tire one to two times while counting how many times the driveshaft spins. Spinning the tire more than once is mainly for accuracy, so if you do this, divide the number of times the drive shaft rotated by the number of times you rotated the tire. If the truck has a locker in the rear, you will have to raise both rear tires.
WOW I JUST HAD AN IDEA! MAYBE THE TRANSFER CASE IS ALREADY IN NETURAL! Maybe that's why nothing happens when you put it in gear and let the clutch out. The guy never put the t-case shifter back on so maybe its in neutral! How simple would that be! I'll be checking that tomorrow! He put new carpet in and never cut the hole for the shifter there's no way to tell what gear its in. I have high hopes that's the problem. When I went to look at the truck he put in reverse and it ground a little trying to go in so it makes me believe the engine is turning the trans but not the drive shafts... the next logical component is the t-case! Thanks for your tip about checking the rear ratios, you might have just saved me from pulling the trans!
...Came home today and got under the truck and moved the shifted input shaft all the way clockwise on the transfer case (2hi I think)... got in it and started it, put it in gear and let the clutch out.... .... .... it moves! No clutch needed, just had to put the transfer case in gear! Im so excited! Went to stop and had no breaks lol...
. I think so too! I need some guidance in removing the emission stuff from the engine. Most of its unhooked already but just hanging there. I guess I really need to know what to keep. From what I can tell, the choke is vac operated and has been staying closed after it warms up. When I went to look at it it started up easily and idled perfect, maybe a little high but it wasnt smoking or acting anything like it is now...It smokes real bad and is running very rich. Im concerned its going to wash the oil from the cylinder walls and score them if I let it run for too long... any ideas tips? The card is nothing special probably just a standard quadrajet... Any tips? Should I consider installing a manual choke? Thanks...
Tuning I , personally don't mind emissions equipments as it's easy to tweak or disable and you never know when some short d*ck inspector might decide to ruin your day for not having it . The AutoChoke , once adjusted properly , is a gift ~ it allows instant cold starting and thence fast idle during warm up but drops off as soon as you kick the throttle . EGR is bunk and should be disabled , easiest way is to plug the vacuum hose . Air injection is a very bad thing at it creates combustion in the exhaust ports and thereby warps the exhaust valves . remove it and use brass plugs in the holes . I'm told those pipes and anti - backfire valves etc. all have $ value . Don't run it with the chock sticking on ~ have a look at the choke pull , it's prolly leaking , they're cheap too . just give it the ' suck test ' , you'll be testing pretty much everything vacuum on this old rig for leaks so get a 3' piece of new hose and keep one end clean as it'll be in your mouth a lot .
Obtw : The intake air warm up hose and Thermactor is all vacuum operated and it's good stuff ~ more power , faster warm up , longer engine life etc. so don't remove it and repair it if the hose is gone missing and the vacuum is disconnected . Many of these pollution controlled rigs have thermal valves to prevent vacuum advance until the engine warms up , disable or by pass this too .
Update... Im working on multiple things at once so overall progress seems slow at the moment. Im replacing the rear break lines from the rear splitter out to the cylinders, new break hardware, cylinders, shoes and E-break cables all the way back... I added 5 gals to the fuel tank that says it was half full, dumped in a can of Seafoam too. Changed the oil and ran into a delima with the filter. The A=hole previous owner had the damn filter on so tight that I had to use a huge set of channel locks to get it off, took a half a turn b4 I could turn it by hand. After the new oil and gas I started the truck up and bumped the choke off by hand and just let it idle for about half an hour. Since a lot of the vac lines were just laying around not connected to anything, I started pulling them off. Finially the choke was staying off but on high idle, it wouldnt kick down to slow idle. Not sure if its a vac related or what... Anyways, I was showing the truck to my neighbor and he told me about a guy he's good friends with that I should go see. He said that he would have all the necessary vac lines routed and BS removed in 30 mins. I did buy a manual conversion for the automatic choke but I'd rather keep it automatic if it will work right.
