72 C10 Longbed Duramax Swap!

TheIronGeek

New member
Nov 16, 2013
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Hey all!

This weekend started the beginnings of a project.
But first! I want to brag!

This truck was bought brand-new in 1972 in Southern Indiana, by a family living in New Salisbury, IN. Unfortunately, the husband of the family died in '74. After that, the truck was parked in a barn, and used very sparingly to haul trash.

My dad bought it in 2002, with 39,6xx miles on it, and parked it in HIS barn. He had always wanted a truck like his "first car."
But, he wanted a shortbed, and he just couldn't bring himself to cut on such a great specimen of a truck. So, it sat in HIS barn for 10 more years.

In 2012 I deployed to Afghanistan, with the Army National Guard, and when I returned home I started looking for a 67-72 truck like MY first truck. After spending 2 weekends checking out craigslist finds, and finding them lacking, or needing much much more work than either of us were interested in doing, Dad offered to sell me "ol' blue" for the same price he bought it. I of course accepted.

I got married in 2013, and used the truck to move, and for trash, and it now has 41,xxx miles on it. A friend of mine owns a junk yard, and told me about wrecked duramax that he had just bought, T-boned, totaled, but the engine is in perfect shape.

So, here we go!!!
 

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TheIronGeek

New member
Nov 16, 2013
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You'll have to excuse the Horrid Quality pictures, my phone is a tad scratched up. However, next weekend when we work, i'm taking my actual camera.

Dude in the ball cap is my dad, holding my nephew.
The guy in the black shirt is one of our best friends that realistically is going to be doing most of the work while i hold the flashlight. That dude is Charlie Daniels of the torque wrench.
 

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TheIronGeek

New member
Nov 16, 2013
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One weekend down!

next weekend the aim is to get the duramax on the frame. I bought these http://www.ebay.com/itm/like/2314549...lpid=82&chn=ps motor mounts, does anyone have any experience with them? I'm planning on buying some tough Polyurethane mounts to pair with them.

I'm also starting to research what i'm going to need to do for wiring this bad boy. I've done some reading around here on the subject, and i have a little experience. I painless'ed my first truck, which is no GREAT feat, but it taught me quite a bit.
 

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Lparrill

And here we go again
Jul 30, 2010
445
9
18
Lander, WY
Project looks awesome. I'm jealous. I have a 74 I'd love to swap a duramax into. For wiring, get ahold of Ben @ BT diesel works. He can make a beautiful wiring harness
 

rfletes79

Active member
Mar 5, 2010
649
164
43
Galt, Ca 95632
I can set you up with a harness and tuning for this. Shoot me a text. 2099869706, and put in the text you got my number from this thread.
 

rfletes79

Active member
Mar 5, 2010
649
164
43
Galt, Ca 95632
And as far as those mounts go, shouldn't be an issue. I made the same ones for my Chevelle 6 yrs ago and are working fine 40k miles later and hundreds of 1/4 mile passes. :)
 

duratothemax

<--- slippery roads
Aug 28, 2006
7,139
10
0
Wyoming
I can build you a custom harness as well...Ive done well over 50 standalone Duramax harnesses, it is my profession and full time job.

I use only Delphi OEM fuse blocks, splices, GT-series sealed connectors, and USA-made TXL automotive wire...

Ben
 

TheIronGeek

New member
Nov 16, 2013
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wow fellas! i hadnt expected this much harness suggestions already! ha!

my CURRENT plan is to study up on it and see if i can figure it out without having to 'hire out' the entire harness. I might try to pick your brains a little bit. Which i recognize is counter intuitive since you're trying to sell me one. :)

first things first! this weekend, getting the engine in the frame, i figure i'll try to worry about the wiring a little more after that.
 

Schwinn68

little gearhead
Jan 9, 2008
632
0
0
Minooka IL
Awesome project! I drove a 69 chevy stepside all thru high school. I've also owned a 71 short wide. I would love to have a long bed 4x4 with a duramax.

Keep it up so I can live thru you for a while!
 

TheIronGeek

New member
Nov 16, 2013
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OK!
so, second weekend in the bag!

first thing,
because the donor truck had been wrecked, the Oil tube had a small crack in it. First we had to braze the little hole.

We put up the duramax mounting plates, and polyurethane motor mounts.

Once we had the mounts on, just to check, we sat the engine in on the v8 towers. Obviously "NoGo." The Aluminum section of the oil pan was sitting on the crossmember.

We moved it around, and raised it. Figured we needed about an 1 and 3/4 inch spacer to get everything clear.

Luckily, my dad had a trailing arm from a peterbuilt that he sold about 20 years ago. It was closer to 1 and 7/8. but it works!

with the spacers, we mounted it into the stock "v8" mounting holes.
 

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TheIronGeek

New member
Nov 16, 2013
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We finally got everything in, but as it sat there, we could tell that A) everything was just.. in a bind.
wtf.gif
and, there was no way we were going to get the bottom of the Towers to reach the stock holes.

With a lot of shoving, grunting and cursing, we both sat and said, why cant we get these holes to line up? My buddy sat and said... why don't we just make the holes bigger? Haha!

So, we slotted all of the Mount Tower holes, so that everything could move around just enough to help everything to line up. We also had to notch the passenger side tower to make room for one of the manifold bolts.

we made a 1.5 inch spacer for the bottom of the towers out of the same trailing arm.

also, i'll have plenty of room between my tie rod and the oil pan, which was really where we were most worried about clearance.

obviously, i'm super stoked about how this is going.

we measured, and it looks like i'm going to need a cowl hood. Or, a body couple inches of body lift.
i think i would rather not get a body lift, because of the trucks i have seen with body lifts, i'm not a huge fan. I'm open to having my mind changed!
 

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TheBac

Why do I keep doing this?
Staff member
Apr 19, 2008
15,611
1,868
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Mid Michigan
Rick, how much did you have to remove from the pan? Do you or Russ have any pics of what you had to do to the oil pan to fit it?
Im curious, as it may benefit my truck.
 

rfletes79

Active member
Mar 5, 2010
649
164
43
Galt, Ca 95632
About 2 inches from the aluminum upper pan. And about 3 inches from from the sump. Don't have any good pics from my phone. But we did build in kick outs to the sump.

Essentially take aluminum portion all the way up to the pick up. Works well.