Speedy's 1978 C10 Squarebody Drag Truck

I’m a fan of vintage iron. Learned to weld on my ‘70 Mustang. Met Some of the HotRod and Car Craft staff including Frieburger when they used to host cruise nights at the El Segundo offices. I’ve been looking for a new project to get into so I’ll live vicariously through you until I’m able to make room in the shop.

Excellent wheel choice BTW.

 

This is bringing back the cars and trucks of my youth and when gas was 25.9 cents per gallon. I had a 66 Caprice coupe before trading it for a 69 Olds 442. I think the main reason for moving to the 69 442 was to get disc brakes. My 454 experience came later with big trucks. Though I knew a family that had a 454 in a 1970 Caprice Estate Wagon with every possible option that could be ordered.

A familiar-looking fishtail from a posi-trac burnout.

Noting the Impala taillights in the video car.

https://youtu.be/l1fQt5maG_0

 

Is it time for more... yeah it's time for more. The downside here is you're almost caught up to the present now so things might slow down... or they might not. I've only had this truck in my possession since July so all things considered it has been moving along decently. Anyway, we left off with an engine physically set into a truck... and that's about it. So we need some things and the most pressing would be a transmission so I can have the engine supported properly rather than the 2x4 chunk of wood that's currently keeping it off the firewall.

So without further ado, here is a TH400 I found through a buddy at the exhaust shop. I got to ride in the truck that it was being used in and it felt good enough for me to pay his outrageous asking price of $250. It has been rebuilt at some point, even has a sticker to prove it. Anyway it felt snappy and had a TransGo modified valvebody. I'll probably sell the valvebody since it and the separator plate were so nicely modified. Also came with a newer more appropriate 1800rpm stall torque converter.


I'm not sure really why I decided to even check the thing out before buying because I knew I'd be completely tearing it down to nothing to build back with Alto Red clutches, Kolene Steels, a manual valve body, billet input shaft and hardened drum, and most likely Torrington bearings instead of bushings. I'll also be modifying the direct drum for more immediate and stronger engagement/disengagement.

So we start our teardown by removing things we won't ever need again. First the governor...




Next the vacuum modulator...




Okay, so far the leaking bits of fluid look promising, anyone notice my super vintage trans pan (Hydra-Matic a Division of GMC), makes ya wonder how old the trans is or if that is just a random deep pan the trans shop used as a replacement. Lets lose that pan and really check it out.




New VB deletes the governor so these tubes won't be replaced either as all they are for is providing fluid to the governor assembly.


New VB only uses 1 or 2 check balls I believe but I figured I'd take a pic of where these go just in case since I don't have the fancy book that lists check ball locations of every iteration of TH400.


Let's get the pump out too and see if we are dealing with teflon sealing rings or the older solid metal ones (which don't like to handle the line pressure of the manual valve body assemblies). Kinda bummed that this pump is a 7 bolt model rather than the 8 bolt model. I might still drill out and tap the extra case boss for the 8th bolt so I can switch to an SFI UltraBell housing one day.


You can see the unused boss in the case for the 8th bolt. Everything is looking great in there.


This is the state I left everything torn down to for the day since I smashed my hand up removing the pump from the case. Tore it open pretty good on the shift linkage when the pump broke loose.
If you don't have a table with a drain bung built in are you even allowed to work on an auto trans? Seriously though, this little modification to the morgue table really makes it more convenient.

 

I remember GM started selling off or collapsing the different divisions around 1979 when they sold Frigidaire to White Consolidated Industries. The Hydramatic division sold transmissions to other automakers often in the early days of automatics. I guess it was a stand-alone profit center.

 

Square body trucks

Awesome build can't wait to it completed !! . Are you going to tub the rear ?? , it would look awesome with a 33x16.50 /15 drag radials and pizza cutters up front
With the Turbo 400 are you going reverse manual valve body with a Transbrake??

 

Right now I have plans to tub, well more accurately It'll just be a big wheel tube from side to side since the bed is mostly for show and will have a lightweight tonneau over it. I'm not sure if I will run 33"dia though. I'm using 17" wheels so I haven't done a whole lot of research into what's available for a 17" wheel.

I went reverse manual valve body but sans trans brake since I got a manual body with minor pressure modulation capability since I want to street drive it still so I could hopefully complete a race week style event. Instead I have a hydraulic hand brake to stage against instead.

I did however pickup this little beauty...

 

In the spring I'm 99% sure that will be up for sale, I'll let you know if he decides to part ways.

 

I've got the same Hurst Quarter stick !!

 

As for that Quarter Stick shifter the only problem I've had is the lever you use to squeeze to allow it to move thru the gears . The mounting screw will loosen constantly , remove that screw and use blue loctite and it will stay tight

 

I'll do that next time I'm up at the shop, otherwise I might forget

 

Which Race week / Drag week are you wanting to run ???

Midwest drags

Rocky mtn race week 1.0

Rocky mtn race week 2.0

Hot Rod drag week

Tom Bailey's Sick week

 

I'd like to participate in Rocky Mtn race week, midwest race week, and Florida race week if possible.

 

how dare you not tag me

 

Who are you?

 

Well I've got good news and bad news...



The good news is the TH400 pump stator only has superficial damage and the hardening is still fine and it hasn't spun.


The bad news is the pump input bushing is TRASHED


The prevailing good news though is that all the bushings come in my rebuild kit

So I took a small break from all that and did something else. Had to remove some useless Iron so we could remove an almost useless PowerGlide from behind it.

 

That TH400 looks like it was abused !!

 

I think since the clutches I've inspected so far (no pics, hands covered in oil) are great and all the drums and shafts have been fine... really at some point the worst thing that happened to it was a torque converter grenaded and beat up the pump input and stator.

 

Grenading a torque converter will definitely destroy the pump

 

No progress as of yet, waiting on Transparts Warehouse to get me my ALTO clutches and the whole seal kit for the TH400

Been working on my Tacoma instead since it has been neglected too