1964 Palomino Tan build

[Caseyjones]

Hi everybody,

I picked up a 1500 Palomino tan truck a few weeks ago, after "finishing" my 1964 C10. I'm a sucker for old-paint trucks and this one has just the right amount of wear on its second coat of tan.

I'm waiting on a DMV appointment in August and collecting a few parts until then. I'll convert it to a 1/2t truck with the truck arm rear suspension. I'll get the motor running better and then see what I want to do for transmission, I've got an NP440 behind the 292 in my C10, but I'm also interested in the AR5 Colorado 5-speed.

So far it's not a lot to look at, but it's got potential!



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[Funky61]

Welcome Caseyjones!

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Palomino Tan is a color that I've really grown to like. I have the NP440 behind my V6 but have also been looking at the AX15 Aisin too.

Look forward to more photos...

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[Ed Snyder]

Originally Posted by Caseyjones

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Hi everybody,

I picked up a 1500 Palomino tan truck a few weeks ago.
I'll convert it to a 1/2t truck with the truck arm rear suspension.
So far it's not a lot to look at, but it's got potential!

Welcome to the forum, Casey! My '67 is Palomino Tan too, but most people call it pink when they see it because of years of fading in the sun.

I'm curious why you would want to convert your rear suspension to control arms when half ton GMCs had leaf springs, just like your three-quarter ton model. The '60 to '62 GMC half ton models had the control arms and coils, but GMC upgraded to leaves in 1963.

[Caseyjones]

Originally Posted by Ed Snyder

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Welcome to the forum, Casey! My '67 is Palomino Tan too, but most people call it pink when they see it because of years of fading in the sun.

I'm curious why you would want to convert your rear suspension to control arms when half ton GMCs had leaf springs, just like your three-quarter ton model. The '60 to '62 GMC half ton models had the control arms and coils, but GMC upgraded to leaves in 1963.

Hi Ed,
I priced out what it would take to keep the leaf spring setup and convert to half ton, but in the end my desire to switch is mostly due to how much I like the ride quality of my C10. The truck’s heavy hauling days are over

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I did get to spend some time on it the last couple of nights and have been able to reverse and repair some questionable electrical modifications. I’m a couple of switches and a couple of ground wires away from having it back to 100% functional. Then I plan to spend a little more time on the brakes so I can really road test the engine. At that point I should have a good idea of what I’m working with.

[Caseyjones]

it's been a little while but I've been working on it. I spent a bunch of time on the suspension conversion - disc conversion with CPP modular C20-to-C10 conversion spindles in the front, and the conversion to trailing arms in the rear. I had to replace the steering column due to a stripped out steering shaft so I also converted to a collapsible column. I put a c-notch in the rear and installed a 7" single diaphragm booster with a 1" bore master cylinder, and I drilled a new pushrod hole 1" lower on the pedal. Brake feel is really good on this truck.


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I put tires on 15x6 front and 15x8 rear steel wheels, and the stance is pretty much right where i want it.


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I put a Holley on the engine and had to replace the radiator, I went with a Champion aluminum unit since it was 1/3 the cost of re-coring the original. The new radiator fit pretty well, just needed to make us some new rubber cushions for it. I've been able to drive it a little bit and the motor is strong, no leaks and no bad noises, but the clutch and transmission are hammered.

Next will be a short wheelbase conversion. I've got an AX15 transmission and Novak adapter ready to go. I did an NP440 in my C10 and I love it, hoping this AX15 is even nicer. And cutting the truck down makes it much easier to use in the city (and fit into my garage). Should have it chopped down in the next month or so, then I plan to do a little body work and drive it...


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[Caseyjones]

Made quite a bit of progress in the last 5 months -
Snagged a rear end out of a 1965 C10 while on vacation in Montana...hauled it back in our rental minivan.


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Gathered up the rest of the rear suspension parts and started stripping down the back of the truck:


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Put it back together with c-notches, 5" lower springs and 2" blocks. Relocated the upper rear shock mounts too.


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Front suspension got some mystery lowering springs (maybe listed as 1.5" but definitely dropped more than that), CPP modular C20-to-C10 conversion spindles, new ball joints and tie rod ends, and a collapsible steering shaft:


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Going to disc brakes meant a master cylinder change. I used a 1" bore master cylinder and ended up adding a 7" single diaphragm booster, along with drilling a new pushrod hole in the pedal 1" closer to the floor. I like the feel on this setup, it's not over-boosted like my other truck. I was able to use 55-57 booster brackets and bolt directly to the firewall. Installed all new brake lines on the front, replaced a bad line going to the rear, too.


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I had some stock 15x6" steel wheels, and bought a pair of 15x8" for the rear. I'm really happy with the stance.


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Early on I could tell the carburetor was worn out, and the radiator revealed some significant leaks after I put a new radiator cap on it and built a bit of pressure. So it got a new Holley carb and a new Champion radiator. Really happy with both.


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I've also managed to get the damaged bed side straight enough for my purposes and finish off the high-hump conversion that was started long ago when the transmission was changed from a 3-speed to a 4-speed:


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After all of this I was able to drive the truck safely and find out what else it needed. It was pretty obvious that the clutch and transmission are both hammered. But otherwise there were no bad noises or leaks from the engine, the suspension and steering are working pretty well and the electrical system is fully functional.

My plan has been to convert the truck to short wheelbase. Since I'll need a new driveshaft anyway I'm also going to install an AX15 transmission. I found great deals on a used Novak adapter and a transmission from a Jeep Comanche. I finally found a good part number for the slip yoke too. I plan to start the conversion after the holidays.


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I can't wait to get the next phase done so I can really start putting some miles on it and get a good feel for this engine. More to come!

[Funky61]

Great work and look forward to more progress photos on the transmission swap.

[Prowbar]

Nice work. What can you tell me about the collapsible steering shaft? Seems like a nice thing to have in case of an accident.

[Caseyjones]

Thanks-sorry about the double post…it took a few days for the first one to pop up.

The collapsible shaft was needed because the rag joint end of my replacement steering column had already been cut. I bought the shaft and rag joint through CPP and I bought a DD u-joint. I cut the shaft and used an angle grinder and a file to shape the steering shaft to fit the u-joint using this method:

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I thought I had the right rag joint when I ordered the shaft but it didn’t end up matching so I used the steering box end of my old rag joint on the collapsible shaft.

[Caseyjones]

I posted this over in the transmissions section too...hoping to get some input or leverage some experience on a predicament I've run into with this AX15...

It's my understanding that the GMC bellhousing can't be removed without removing the flywheel. Unfortunately the Novak adapter is designed to be mounted to the bellhousing with the bolt heads inside the bellhousing, requiring that the bellhousing and trans are mounted to the engine as a unit. The front of the AX15 transmission case partially covers the upper trans-to-bellhousing holes on the adapter.
I have considered using a die grinder to clearance the transmission case for socket head cap screws. One notch would get very close to one of the dowel pins that locates the trans to the adapter, but there shouldn't be any potential for breaking through the case.
Before I carve up my transmission I thought I'd check in here to see if I'm thinking about this correctly and if anyone else has solved this another way...