Hi all, I have a torana thread which was very stagnant as nothing really has happened to the car since I bought it due to other commitments and projects. I've recently moved to Jamaica and decided that one of things I would be doing was buying and then completing a build on an old squarebody(73-87) Chevy c10. One of the conditions on me moving here with my Jamaican girlfriend(met her in oz where she was for a few years but she had to go home) was that I could buy and build a c10 as I've always wanted a big American pick up. Before I moved I got in touch with the Jamaican classic car club about importing one from the US as you need approval from them to bring one over. They rejected it, after some more convo with the club I found out that while they're hard to come by if you don't know where to look or anyone who has one they are here, for sale and even better can be had at cheaper than you get them in the US before you even factor in shipping and import cost(Jamaican import duties and taxes on cars work out forums 50% of the cars value.).
Once I got here every Jamaican that I had talked to told me that it'll be almost impossibly just to find one let alone one in driveable condition or that can easily be brought up to driveable condition. An email to the classic car club a couple of days ago saying I couldn't find one and if I couldn't could they look at my application to import one again got me a quick response with a name an number so the next day I went and looked at the car and decided to by it. The guy told me what he bought it for and that he was going to use the driveline and chassis to put his 57 pick up body on(had a good collection of classic cars) but had since found another chassis without a body and interior etc. I decided to that I was happy to give him what he paid for it, though I was happy with the price and know how much it sucks to lose money on a project but not being cheap with a guy who is clearly comes from a rich family and is very successful himself and well connected was a bonus as in Jamaica it's pretty much the only way to get a job. I was supposed to give him the cash yesterday but because I'm using a foreign card I can't draw out from the bank so have to use an ATM which is a frOcking hassle and will take me a couple of days to be able to get the money out. Called him and told him what had happen and it looks like not being cheap with him has already paid off because he said no worries and not to rush because he wanted some time to fix a few things on the car before I pick it up so hopefully I can drive it home.
p4p's squarebody c10 daily driver/project
Started by
_p4p1_
, Aug 09 2016 02:49 PM
11 replies to this topic
#2
_p4p1_
_p4p1_
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Posted 09 August 2016 - 02:55 PM
It's a 350sbc model with factory air, power steering and power brakes. So a great find for the price and not having to get an aircon kit is awesome as driving here without a/c would be shit.
And a picture I found on the net which I'm using as inspiration
The plan is to use it as my daily driver while rebuilding a modifying stuff, there's no real contested plans yet other than airbags and modern wheels. I'm not sure exactly where to start so any help on this is greatly appreciated.
#3
purrlx
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Posted 09 August 2016 - 03:21 PM
Nice starting point there, possibilities are endless
#4
_p4p1_
_p4p1_
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Posted 10 August 2016 - 03:48 PM
Nice starting point there, possibilities are endless
Thanks, definitely endless possibilities because the price and availability of the parts is awesome. Really all you need is a chassis.
#6
_jakeslxss_
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Posted 12 August 2016 - 10:07 AM
nice project youve got there.. id love a swb c10 as a daily.
#7
_p4p1_
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Posted 15 August 2016 - 01:23 PM
After a lot of thinking and trying to weigh pros and cons and price I've come up with some sort of plan that makes sense for the performance and budget. Having spent a lot of the day going through the net seeing best prices etc I've decided that I'll b doing a 5.3L Vortec LS conversion with 4l60e tranny. I'll do a 13" brake upgrade with 2" drop spindles and a ride tech airbag suspension that if I shop around for different parts I can get a much better deal on. I'm hoping to get all the parts for Under $10k US the best part though is because of how expensive Jamaicans import laws are (about 43%) I'll take a trip up to Florida with the gf and load the suitcases with as much as we can viably get over there. Every Jamaican thaf can afford it goes to America to bring stuff over tax free and when I came through customs here they don't x-Ray bags so I should be good.
#8
Shiney005
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Posted 15 August 2016 - 11:11 PM
The grill and front bumper for this one came from a mob in the States called LMC Truck. (Long motor Corp) They seemed to have plenty of gear at reasonable prices at the time.
post-26163-0-67148700-1402444445.jpg 190.07K
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#9
_p4p1_
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Posted 16 August 2016 - 09:18 AM
yeah LMC have a huge selection and a good price. I'll certainly be getting some stuff off them, though I it get the majority of my stuff from brothers trucks.The grill and front bumper for this one came from a mob in the States called LMC Truck. (Long motor Corp) They seemed to have plenty of gear at reasonable prices at the time.
post-26163-0-67148700-1402444445.jpg
#10
_LS1 Hatch_
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Posted 16 August 2016 - 11:20 AM
Classic Industries does all the truck stuff too... I get a lot from them to ship over.. (along with Camaro, etc bits of course)
#11
_p4p1_
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Posted 30 August 2016 - 09:59 AM
Classic Industries does all the truck stuff too... I get a lot from them to ship over.. (along with Camaro, etc bits of course)
Didn't realise you were in Cali, if it's ok I might ask you for some advice on where to get some used engine parts etc as after some more research I've decided to go with the lq4 6.0 rather than the 5.3 and then use some (used if I can find them) l92 heads, ls3 intake and a cam.
So after some pretty general advice, I have stuff all mechanical skills but I really am very keen to learn. Could an amateur like me with the help of manuals etc do the whole car excluding panel and paint himself?
#12
_Bomber Watson_
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Posted 30 August 2016 - 10:48 AM
Could do the whole car incl panel and paint yourself.
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