So I have had my 72 Cheyenne Long Bed for 2 years now, and I love it. By far my favorite body style, this truck is an all original southern truck that had 46,000 miles on it. Factory Air Cab, Power Disc brakes, posi-traction, still has original working AM radio, and a 13 year old Optima Yellow Top that still starts the truck on cold mornings. It is a time capsule, and I wanted to keep it that way.
When I first got the truck, it had obviously sat quite a bit, so I got the original quadrajet rebuilt locally. Added an HEI distributor, new plugs and wires, and the truck has driven me around fairly reliably for the past 2 years, minus a few parking lot clogged fuel filter changes caused by the rusty cab mounted gas tank. I added some ebay special 7" LED headlights which were an amazing upgrade, painted the wheels and got some cooper cobras, and here it sits.
The truck is just unpleasant enough to drive due to the smell, lack of overdrive, lack of power, and the typical downsides of a calibrated fuel squirter (carb), I find myself not wanting to drive it much farther than the local hardware store. But in order for it to leep filling a spot in my garage, it needs to be able to do all the tasks I need a truck to do. Tow a car long distances (2022 Challenge here I come!), get better than 7 mpg, and be easy enough that my soon to be wife can "daily drive" it (she works from home).
You may have seen my thread on the LS swap conversion van or perhaps the LS swap 1953 Chevy 3100.... I think you can tell where this is going.
I found this 2009 LY6 and 6l90e combo on facebook probably a year ago and convinced myself it was perfect for the truck. Non DOD, but VVT 6.0L truck motor, and the awesome heavy duty 6 speed trans, full wiring harness, ecu, all of it for $2k. I thought it was a steal so I jumped on it. After many, many months of research and contemplation, I did not want to do the required trans tunnel cutting on my virgin C10 in order to make this massive transmission fit. I listed it on facebook a few weeks ago with this exact picture, and it sold in less than 24 hours for $3k. Sweet, $1k added back in to C10 budget.
After a bit more of facebook browsing, I stumbled across a 2004 Escalade with a 5.3 LM7 and a 2wd 4l60e. Odd combo for that gen escalades, but I'll take it. I was able to drive to this guys house, start the truck up, inspect it while running, put it into gear, etc. Gave him a $100 deposit and came back the next weekend to pickup the drivetrain! So much more pleasant than pulling it yourself from a JY, and I got to know the condition of the engine. He also gave me fuse box, air box, coolant reservoir, radiator, driveshaft, ecu, harness, etc etc, all for $1800. Another decent deal I'd say. Unfortunately the truck did not like the weight and neither did the tires.
Updates to follow!
