The 1970 Truck Page

This page is devoted to providing information on my 1970 C/10 Chevrolet pickup truck. I purchased it in late November 2005. In addition to information specific to my truck, you will find equipment, power team, and VIN number information relevant to all models here, and how to adjust the steering gear.

The 1967 to 1972 style series is very popular, and looking at the lines and proportions of this vehicle, it is not hard to understand why. These models have the smooth, modern look that the 1966 and earlier models don't, without the box-like look of the 1973-1987 series. It is interesting to note that this series is also the end of an era in truck design and construction. These were the last models to offer a true, rugged, and simple truck interior which is actually much simpler than the interiors of the 1960-1966 models and the 1973 and later models.

The 1969 and 1970 models, which share the same front grill, are perhaps the best looking models in the series, and perhaps the best expression of what a pickup should look like. The distinct horizontally-divided grill motif used on these two years has influenced many of the newer and current models, which also use this motif.

1970 Chevrolet Model CE10934

The CE10934 is, as you will see from the photos, a Fleetside longbed model with a 127-inch wheelbase and V-8 engine. My truck's dimensions are 207 3/4 inches long by 79 inches wide by 70 inches tall. Unloaded curb weight is 3,737 pounds. These were available in many colors, and mine is medium gold and white.

The engine that currently lives under the hood is a 1977 vintage 305 V8 with well over 185,000 miles. The engine that came with the truck was, to put it nicely, very abused and made a knock. (loose rod). There is some debate about whether it was the original engine or not, as it had a few features not available or commonly found as stock on a 1970 truck, such as a later style integral coil HEI distributor, and a Delco SI series internal regulator alternator mounted on the passenger's side. These are easy upgrades, but it seems unlikely someone doing these modifications in the "jurry-rigged" way they were executed would go through the trouble to mount the alternator on the other side of the engine with the new style bracket. Personally, though, I find no objection to this, because the right side mounting lines up better with the pulleys and uses a shorter belt. For appearance purposes, though, I may convert the distributor to the early style HEI with the separately mounted coil, and put the alternator back on the left side with the long slotted bracket. The carburetor on the 350 was a 2-barrel Rochester model 2GV. When the engine is eventually rebuilt, the carburetor will be upgraded to a more reliable integral thermostat Rochester 2GC, or possibly a Rochester Quadrajet, but no aftermarket models, as I don't like the way they perform.

Above, a side view. Yes, I know it isn't in pristine condition. It is all there and with very minor rust, mainly in the rocker panels under the doors and in the right rear cab corner is a dime-sized hole. During this period, these models were available with a two-tone paint scheme that was always the primary body color and white. This is the less common two-tone scheme, as the more common scheme was white paint between the upper and lower side moldings and white cab, and primary color everywhere else.

Below, front/side view. The aluminum front grill has a dent in the area of the left parking light. The other problem area, around the hood latch, seems more deliberate, as a futile attempt for the grill to clear the release lever. I have tried to straighten it out a bit and solve the problem, but I am going to need another grill. Also note the unoriginal Ford-esque mirrors. In addition to the stock mirrors, there are holes in the doors for at least one set of tripod style mirrors.

Below, a side/rear view. The painted rear step bumper seems to be the most popular type on this model. Although beat up, all the bed and tailgate trim is present and installed, a rare find.

Above, the Spartan interior. Very few parts you see here are not metal. Even the door panels are metal. Note the simple, smooth lines of the dash board, and the symmetrical use of round corner trapezoids for the instrument panel and glove box door. Medium gold, off white, and brown, with black rubber floor covering, are the colors used in the interior. The red 3-spoke steering wheel is not original; it should be brown and have only 2 spokes. It is, however, correct to the '67-'72 series, because it was used on the 1967 and 1968 models. I plan on keeping the wheel, but painting it brown to match the steering column trim.

Below, the instrument panel. All the essential hand-operated controls and gauges are found in this picture; the column mounted shifter for the automatic transmission, turn signal, horn button (which, as you can see is from a 67 or 68 GMC) and steering wheel, turn signal (hi-beam/low beam switch is foot-operated, the way all dimmer switches should be), light switch, and wiper/washer control. You can also see at the bottom left the parking brake release handle, and to the right of the panel, the ignition switch. All the gauges needed for vehicle operation are shown; speedometer and odometer, space for optional tachometer, gas gauge, which includes engine temperature and brake warning lights, and across the bottom of the panel, ammeter, temperature gauge, space for optional clock, and oil pressure gauge. No one should own a vehicle without full gauge instrumentation.

Below, comfort controls, such as the radio and heater control, are placed in the space between the instrument panel and the glove box. Behind the calendar is the cigarette lighter. A past owner had a CB in this truck, and the microphone holder can be seen next to the radio. You may have noticed in other photos speaker in the cab corners at head level. These were connected to the CB system, and not the radio. The CB unit was mounted to the ceiling on brackets which are still there.

Above, a view of the right/front. I have the missing trim piece that goes on the door, but I have not re-mounted it yet. Although this truck is still in the rough and looks like a work truck, I plan to refurbish it, a little at a time. My primary purpose for this truck is for use in the bridge hunts associated with photographing bridges for Oklahoma Bridges. The higher ground clearance will allow us better access to bridges on roads a car wouldn't be suitable for. With that in mind, it will be more important, for the moment, to concentrate efforts on only those parts that effect is driving dependability. Right now, that seems to be the front suspension, which needs rebuilt, and the rear axle ratio, which, at 3.73, is not suitable for highway cruising. I am planning to install a 4-speed automatic transmission, which should give better economy in addition to better highway cruising. I was initially opposed to the idea, in favor of changing the rear axle ratio, but the engine RPM’s would be better with the 3.73 ratio and an overdrive gear. I will probably use a THM700R4 transmission. This transmission should also work well with the present 305, and with the 350 later when it is rebuilt. The 350 could also be tailored slightly during the rebuild for good low end torque when cruising in the 1800 to 2300 RPM range.

Here are some pictures of my VIN plate with all the optional equipment installed on my truck.

Here are the factory installed options. Please note that some variations may occur from truck to truck in the way the typist abbreviated the options when making this list.

· BX2 B SIDE MLDG-WIDE LWR This referrers to the trim along the bottom of the truck.

· B93 DOOR EDGE GUARDS This referrers to the bright metal edging applied to the back edge of the doors to protect them from scrapes and scuffs.

· H05 REAR AXLE 373 RATIO Since my truck was fitted with both optional 350 cu. In. V8 and an automatic transmission, the ratio would have been 3.07 for these options. The original buyer, however, wanted the 3.73 rear ratio, which was standard with the standard engine and transmission.

· M38 3 SPD AUTO TRANS Referrers to the Turbo Hydra Matic series transmissions. Note it doesn’t specify a THM350 or THM 400, but some speculate that a star (*) indicates a THM400.

· P13 S M WHEEL CARRIER This referrers to the location of the spare tire, which as you can see from the photos, is upright in the bed. The upright position is actually the best way to carry a spare. Most often these are found ahead of the wheel wells, sometimes found relocated aft (so as not to interfere with a toolbox). The stock spare location was under the bed behind the rear axle.

· Z53 AMMETER-OIL GAUGE This also includes the temperature gauge, but it is not always typed on the list. Sometimes it is just written “AMP-OIL-TEMP GAUGES”. Standard was “tell-tale” (idiot) lights. Why? I don’t know.

· 622 SANDLWD VINYL TRIM This is the interior trim colors. Sandlewood seems to be a combination of off-white trim and brown trim, because the rarely seen off-white dash & steering wheel is referred to as “Parchment”.

· B85 BODY SIDE MOLDING This referrers to the upper trim along the sides. I should have noted that this option or option BX2 also includes a bright metal gas cap. With no side trim, the gas cap was the same a the body color.

· G50 H D REAR SPRING This is the heavy duty rear springs, capacity 2000 lbs each, thus bumping the GVWR up from the base 4400 lbs to 5000 lbs.

· LS9 350 CU IN V8 This option includes the emblems on the front fenders that say “8-350”. The 350 V8 is the most recognized Chevrolet engine ever built.

· P01 WHEEL COVERS I ‘m not sure what this means, as the standard equipment is a set of painted hubcaps that do indeed cover the wheel. The hubcaps I have look identical to these, but are chromed. That may be what this option is referring to.

· U63 RADIO-PUSH BUTTON Delco AM and AM-FM radios with push-button tuning were available, but the list doesn’t specify (sometimes it does). At any rate, mine is AM and working.

· Z52 FULL FOAM SEAT This means I have the more comfortable foam-core seat instead of the standard full spring seat. Also nice because I have been in a truck with the spring seat that was worn such that the springs poked at you.

· 584 WHT & MED GOLD & WHT My glorious two-tone paint scheme. Please not that whatever your truck’s body color is, all the metal inside your cab is going to be that color too. And white was the only second color used in the two-tone schemes until 1975.

Here is the specifications for a base model fitted only with standard equipment.

C10 Series Standard Equipment

Bodies: Stepside pickup, model 04; Fleetside pickup, model 34; Chassis and cab only, model 03

Brakes, Service: hydraulic; self-adjusting; dual system. Sizes: front 11" x 2"; rear 11" x 2". Effective area: drum 276 sq. in; lining 167 sq. in.

Cooling: CS10: 1 1/4" radiator core, cross flow type; 446-sq-in area; 13-lb pressure cap

CE10: 1 1/4" radiator core, cross-flow type; 480-sq-in area, 13 lbs pressure cap

Controls & Instruments: Light switch, windshield wiper-washer switch; headlight beam control; speedometer; odometer; fuel gauge. Lights for generator, oil pressure, engine temperature, brake warning, direction signals and high beam indicator. Ignition switch with accessory position

Direction Signals: Class A; two front and two rear. Includes freeway lane-change position on switch & integral hazard warning switch

03 models: Two headlights; two Class A front combination parking/direction signals; two Class A rear combination tail/stop/direction signals, two front side marker combination lights & reflectors, two backup; one license; instrument panel & dome

04 & 34 models: Same as 03 models plus two rear side marker combination lights & reflectors

Mirror, Rearview: Exterior RH & LH 6 1/4" fixed arm and inside 10" vinyl-edged prismatic

Transmission: 3-speed fully synchronized; steering column gearshift; ratios 2.85, 1.68, 1.00, 2.95 (rev)

Wheels: Five 15" x 5 1/2"; attachment, 6 studs on 5 1/2" circle; spare carrier under frame; 4 painted hubcaps

10 Series Power Teams

ENGINE	TRANSMISSION	AXLE RATIOS
ENGINE	TRANSMISSION	STD	OPT
250 Six 292 Six	Chevrolet 3-Speed	3.73	3.07; 4.11
	Chevrolet CH465 4-Speed	3.73	3.07; 4.11
	New Process 435CR 4-Speed	3.73	3.07; 4.11
	Powerglide	3.73	4.11
	Turbo Hydra-matic	3.73	3.07; 4.11
307 V8	Chevrolet 3-Speed	3.73	3.07; 4.11
	Chevrolet CH465 4-Speed	3.07	3.73; 4.11
	New Process 435CR 4-Speed	3.73	3.07; 4.11
	Powerglide	3.73	4.11
	Turbo Hydra-matic	3.07	3.73; 4.11
350 V8	Chevrolet 3-Speed H.D.	3.07	3.73; 4.11
	Chevrolet CH465 4-Speed	3.07	3.73; 4.11
	New Process 435CR 4-Speed	3.07	3.73; 4.11
	Powerglide	3.07	3.73; 4.11
	Turbo Hydra-matic	3.07	3.73; 4.11
400 V8	Chevrolet 3-Speed H.D.	3.07	-
	Chevrolet CH465 4-Speed	3.54*	-
	New Process 435CR 4-Speed	3.54*	-
	Turbo Hydra-matic	3.07	-

1970 Chevrolet Truck Vehicle Identification Number (VIN)

A combination Gross Vehicle Weight (GVW) and serial number plate is used on 1970 Chevrolet trucks. It is attached to the upper left-hand door pillar on most cab models. The number consists of alpha and numeric characters designating the chassis, engine, series (GVW range), model, model year, assembly plant, and assembly sequence number.

First Digit: Identifies the Chassis
Chassis	Code
Conventional Cab	C
4-Wheel Drive	K
Second Digit: Identifies the engine
Engine	Code
8-cylinder	E
6-cylinder	S
Third Digit: Identifies the GVW range
GVW Range	Code
3900-5800 lbs	1
5200-7500 lbs	2
6600-14,000 lbs	3
Fourth and Fifth Digits: Identify the cab-to-axle dimension
Cab-to-axle dimension	Code
30-35"	05
54-59"	09
60-65"	10
84-89"	14
Sixth and Seventh Digit: Identifies the body
Body	Code
Chassis-cowl	02
Chassis-cab	03
Stepside pickup	04
Panel	05
Suburban (rear doors)	06
Utility	14
Suburban (tail & liftgate)	16
Fleetside pickup	34
Eigth Digit: Identifies the model year (1970)
Ninth Digit: Identifies the assembly plant
Assembly Plant	Code
Lakewood/Atlanta, GA	A
Baltimore, MD	B
Flint, MI	F
Fremont, OH	Z
Janesville, WI	J
Pontiac, MI	P
St. Louis, MO	S
Tarrytown, NY	T
Oshawa, Ontario, CAN	1
Last Six Digits: Represent the basic production number

New...

12-15-16-07: Cold weather is really taking its toll; time for a cam and intake swap. That's right, out with the old, tired, cruddy crap, and in with bright shinny, new parts:

Last picture with the carb and intake still in place. Carb was a 2GC that I rigged about a month ago as a manual choke (see on down).

The new carb: An Edelbrock AFB. You'll note the manual choke lever is missing in this picture. I had used it on the old Rochester 2-barrel for the last month or so. It got put back on when everything was done.

It is done! The air cleaner actually came off of a 1968 c/10 truck with a Q-jet and 327 engine. It was rusty and had insect nests in it, so I cleaned it up and painted it.

11-17-07: New Dash! I decided to cut out the old, hacked-up dash panel and install one I got form the truck forum. It came out of a '69, and after some cleaning and paint, it looks quite presentable. Here are some after shots:

The holes in the dash you see below are for a little plastic legend that says "ACC-OFF-RUN-START".

A few days after taking these pictures, I converted to factory-style manual choke. The wiper washer knob you see above became the choke knob.

8-11-07: Power Steering Time!!!! I bit the bullet and decided to upgrade to power steering. The power steering gear box is a remanufactured unit, not a used one. I got it at O'reiley's Auto Parts. I did go and buy a $10 salvage yard box for the core.

Last look at the old gear box. Scroll down to 4-5-06 to see when this one was installed.

Sorry, no in-betweens, but this is the end result. I replaced all the tie-rod ends and idler and used a new rag joint and pitman arm.

The power steering pump is used. To use this pump, I had to get a new water pump, and get the alternator and exhaust manifold brackets from a 1975 truck without a/c.

2-19-07: Weather was finally nice, so I got those pesky parking brakes installed. Here's some pictures:

Above two pictures are "before". Previous owner apparently didn't understand how parking brakes worked; cable was broken and frozen on pass. side, and the spreader bar was missing on driver's side, as well as another frozen cable.

.... then use a screwdriver and (below) break off the little spring fingers that hold the cable to the backing plate.....

Above, the new brake bar with the spring correctly installed. I got this part, as well as the rear cables at NAPA, however, the parts guy will say it is listed only for 73-87 1/2 tons. The 67-72 1/2 ton drum brake parts are all the same, so don't worry. The original 1970 bar is shown above for comparison.

Next, you've got to replace the front cable. The only difference between the 67-68 and the 69-72 cables is the 69-72 cable is longer. Start by backing off the equalizer nut. If your cables weren't froze up, I'd recommend starting here; however, if they are rusted solid as mine were, it makes no difference. The nuts have 1/2 inch flats, and the other parts has flats for a wrench like you see below:

Back the check nut off first, it will cut through the grime, and clean it off, then remove the adjuster nut. The old nuts will fit the threads on the new front cable if you choose to reuse them.

....located in the fender well securing the cable. The 69-72 cable will have an additional clip. Remove this clip and....

Unclip the cable where it passes through the frame here. The cable is clipped to the frame just like the rear cable were held to the brake backing plates; you'll have to break off the little spring fingers with a screwdriver from the inside side of the frame.

Above, this picture of the new cable attached to the hand lever assembly will clarify removing the upper end of the cable from the cab. The foot lever attachment is similar. Simply cut the old cable near the shackle where it attaches to the lever, loosen the clamp bolt and any other clamps, and pull it through the hole in the firewall into the engine compartment,

The shackle that attaches to the lever is too big to go through the hole in the firewall, so when installing the new cable (below) start by threading this end through the firewall hole....

...into the engine compartment and, routing it along the path of the original cable, down into the hole in the frame until....

Above, the after views. Note the new springs. The bottom picture compares the 67-68 steering column cover with the later 69-72 type. Since my cab is a 67, I decided to use the 67-68 hand lever, the holes in my firewall are already set up for this. Mounting the hand lever was easy, as was adjusting the brakes.

To adjust the 67-68 parking brake: Note, the service brakes must be properly adjusted before attempting to adjust the parking brake. First, apply the hand brake lever 4 clicks from full off, then adjust the adjusting nut until a moderate drag is felt when spinning the rear wheels. Release and check that the brake is fully relaesed; if not readjust. Tighten the check nut against the adjuster nut,

To adjust the 69-72 parking brake: Same as the 67-68 procedure except apply the foot brake 1 click from full off.

Also note in these pictures you can see my new dual exhaust system, which is much better than the ratty old single set-up I had before.

2-12-07: Waiting for some parts to arrive, so I decided to repaint my gauge needles

That's right!! New shoes all the way around, new hoses, rebuilt all four wheel cylinders, and new adjuster nuts in front, and the old front adjuster nuts installed on the rear. I've decided that's how I'm going to handle the adjusters at each brake job. Here are some pictures (sorry, I only took pictures of the front);

It is simply amazing how well properly adjusted manual drum brakes stop, After about 2-3 hundred miles the shoes were properly bedded in, and stopping was quite impressive. because of the self-energizing property, I have almost completely forgotten they are not power assist.

That's right, the single greatest handling improvement that can be made on one of these trucks was realized this weekend with a sway bar!!!

Above, the sway bar. The bar actually came off a 1979 Chevy 1/2 ton. All front sway bars for 1/2 tons are the same from 63-87!!!! And an easy way to upgrade and get better handling on corners and curves is to get a sway bar from a 3/4 or 1-ton truck. The only difference is the diameter of the bar. The heavy duty sway bars for 1/2 tons are the same as the 3/4 and 1 ton bars. Since my truck never had a sway bar, I got all the mounting brackets off the salvage yard truck. Cost was $25. I used new grade 8 3/8" bolts from Lowe's, and new bushings from NAPA.

On the highway, the truck is much more stable and handles curves in the road at speed. Especially at highway speeds before bumps in the road made the truck feel unstable and shaky. The sway bar adds a lot of stability, whether on a straight road or a curve; and banked curves are handled much better too, with less tendency to drift.

8-15-06: The truck is once again a uniform color: primer grey. Inside of bed and tailgate still gold, however.

7-17-06: First pictures of the truck after being roadworthy again. I have created..... A Frankentruck!!!! What is is now: A 1970 truck with a 1967 small back window cab. This unusual combination will take my intended plans into different direction. Here is a picture of the "Monster" with its old head in the bed:

Since the cab and front clip was off for about a month, I was able to do a very easy total front end rebuild

6-4-06: Rather unfortunate accident yesterday has left me truck less, at least for a while, until I get things fixed. here's a picture:

The first picture here is of the "new" steering gear. Looks nice, and feels pretty tight. I got it from 108 Auto Salvage, and it is used.

A view of the old steering gear still mounted in place. It is well coated in gunk.

Above are a couple of view of the suspension. This truck uses the conventional long-arm-short-arm double wishbone control arms.

Sorry, no in-between views, this just shows the steering gear after it was installed. Before reconnecting the pitman arm to the relay rod, I followed the shop manual's instructions for adjusting the pitman arm sector gear lash. This has to be done with the steering linkages disconnected form the gear, and with the gear centered. To center, count the turns from lock to lock, and then turn the wheel back half this from the lock. After centering, simply loosen the locknut on top of the gear with a 5/8" wrench, and tighten until all the lash is taken out of the gear. To check for this, hold the worm shaft with one hand to keep it from turning, and with the other hand move the end of the pitman arm. Adjust until you can't feel any play when you try to move the arm. Then, you must check that it hasn't been over tightened by turning the steering wheel. The steering wheel should turn free and easily throughout its travel. (the manual will tell you to use a torque wrench to measure the effort required to turn the wheel, but you should be able to do it by "feel" without). If you feel a slight resistance or tight spot, then back off the lash adjuster slightly and recheck. Remember, you have to have the gear centered before adjusting or checking the lash.

The steering is now very tight, with much less play (of course, anything less than what it had is an improvement). With the old gear, you had over 1/4 turn of free movement of the steering wheel before it would turn the wheels, now it is maybe 1/16 of a turn or so. This gear would probably be a lot tighter if I was to replace the pitman shaft bushing, but the play is so slight and the steering is sufficiently tight now.

Above, the old steering gear. This gear is so worn, I doubt it could be used as a core in buying a rebuilt gear. The only thing still tight in this gear is the worm shaft end play. There is considerable lash in the pitman arm, and the pitman shaft bushing is very worn. This gear has seen a lot of use.

After the gear was installed and tested, I took the truck out on its mission: Bridge Hunting. Here are some photos:

Above and below, the truck is poised on a bridge that is 100 years old this year (2006).

2-20-06: Only had the truck on the road for a few months and a wheel bearing went out. Had to remove the front left spindle to fix it.

Links

· The Stovebolt Page has lots of useful info and photo galleries, as well as a focus on all Chevy & GMC trucks from 1918 to 1972.