Find or Sell Used Cars, Trucks, and SUVs in USA

1981 Chevy C10 Shortbed Scottsdale 5.7l Corvette Tpi Engine And Transmission on 2040-cars

US $8,000.00
Year:1981 Mileage:90000
Location:

Anaheim, California, United States

Anaheim, California, United States

I bought this 1981 Chevy C10 shortbed about 20 years ago. It is the Scottsdale model, which is below the Silverado.   It was a very clean truck with low mileage, about 40k, as I remember.  It had a 305 engine and Turbo 350 transmission.  It ran fine, but lacked power, plus it did not get very good gas mileage, about 14 on the road.  I replaced the engine with a 350 and the transmission with a 700R4, overdrive.  The performance was much better, as was the mpg.

I have never driven the truck very much, other than on trips.  We drove it to Washington to tow back a 55 Tbird I had purchased on e-bay.  Another time to northern CA for a 57 Ford station wagon, that I wound up driving back as U-Haul would not rent me a car trailer for a half ton truck.

A friend of mine had a tow company and about 15 years ago had a wrecked 90 Corvette in his yard.  He sold me the L98 tpi engine and 700r trans out of it.  It had struck a pole backwards, totaling out the rear.  I kept this engine and trans for a couple of years, with the plan of putting it in the truck.  In California, we have a bi-annual smog inspection where we have to get a smog certificate before we can renew our registration every other year for cars newer than 1974.  In the 90’s the legislature passed a law that vehicles over 30 years old would not be required to do the bi-annual smog check.  So, in 2009, after what I thought was the last smog inspection, I changed to engine and transmission to the ones I had taken out of the Corvette using a Painless Wiring kit.  I had to install a high pressure in-line fuel pump and filter and return lines to the tanks.  Unfortunately, CA changed their minds and the law, again required the bi-annual inspection.  The next time my registration came due, I had to go to the California Vehicle Inspection Referee, to show the engine change.  After a couple of trips to the referee, I was given a new smog sticker for the engine change.  This sticker is on the door and shows the car to be smogged as a 1991 Chevy.  I had taken the truck to Turbo City where a custom chip was made for the computer.  I have had the truck smog checked several times since then.

The engine is a stock Corvette 350 c.i. tuned port injection engine with speed density (MAP) sensor.  I freshened it up with new main and rod bearings and timing chain.  I also replaced the stock L98 tpi cam with a roller cam out of a Chevy Ram Jet crate motor.  I did not want to have problems with the computer, nor smog check, and this cam works.  The stock tpi system would run out of air over 4,000 rpm, so I replaced the intake system with Edelbrock siamesed runners and intake manifold.  The plenum was enlarged to match the runners and I bought a 58mm throttle body.

To add a little more power, I installed new roller rockers, 1.6:1 on the intake and 1.5:1 on the exhaust.  I had to buy taller valve covers to clear the roller rockers.  It uses the stock Corvette exhaust manifolds, because of the smog police, but are almost like block hugger headers.  To get the Corvette 700r4 trans to work, I had to find a special tail housing with a transmission mounting boss, as the Corvette uses a large torque tube attaching it to the rear end.

My wife and I take trips to Texas where she looks for antiques.  Each time we went, she would fill whatever car we drove, so I suggested that the next time we went on such a buying trip, we take the truck.  Originally the truck had a canvas tonneau cover that snapped to the sides of the bed, which I still have.  I found a camper shell for the truck.  We have made several trips to Texas, Louisiana, Arizona, New Mexico, Oregon and Washington with the truck.  The most recent was late last year.  These are the only times that any mileage is put on the truck, which now shows about 88k, which is original as far as I know.  I am confident that the mileage was correct when I bought it.  The truck now gets close to 20 mpg on the highway, if you drive conservatively.

The truck has dual side tanks, holding 16 gallons each.  The dash switch for the tanks works and also changes the gauge to the tank being used.  The truck has power steering, with the Corvette pump and remote reservoir.  It has power disc brakes and air conditioning.  The a/c works fine and still uses R12 gas.  It will leak down some over the winter and I have to top it off before my wife will go anywhere in it.  It does not have power windows, nor power door locks.  It has the original 15x8 Rally wheels.  The front tires are a year old, and the rears are over 10, but still have good tread.

It is an original California truck as it has the old style blue with yellow numbered license plates issued to it when new. The truck has been painted twice for me.  The last time was 2 years ago.  I had the white camper painted the same pewter gray as the truck.  There was a small amount of rust in the rear area behind one of the rear tires, and that was all the rust.  I know that it has not been in an accident since I have had it and I never found any signs of accident damage, and I have been all over this truck many times.

I really had no plans to sell the truck as it works great for my needs, but things change.  I am looking to downsize and instead of having a daily driver and a weekend truck, I want to have just one vehicle.  I would not hesitate to drive this truck anywhere in the US.  It has been a great truck for me.  If no one meets my reserve, I will just keep it.

Please ask any questions you may have, giving me enough time to respond.  Thanks for looking and good luck bidding

Auto Services in California

Your Car Valet ★★★★★

Auto Repair & Service, Automobile Body Repairing & Painting, Window Tinting
Address: 2445 Santa Monica Blvd, Topanga
Phone: (310) 463-1877

Xpert Auto Repair ★★★★★

Auto Repair & Service, Brake Repair
Address: 3120 W Magnolia Blvd, Verdugo-City
Phone: (818) 557-0204

Woodcrest Auto Service ★★★★★

Auto Repair & Service, Towing, Emissions Inspection Stations
Address: 18400 Van Buren Blvd, Redlands
Phone: (951) 398-4190

Witt Lincoln ★★★★★

Auto Repair & Service, New Car Dealers, Used Car Dealers
Address: 588 Camino Del Rio N, Imperial-Beach
Phone: (877) 651-9755

Winton Autotech Inc. ★★★★★

Auto Repair & Service, Automobile Inspection Stations & Services, Auto Oil & Lube
Address: 23990 Hesperian Blvd, Hayward
Phone: (510) 786-6500

Winchester Auto ★★★★★

Auto Repair & Service, Automobile Parts & Supplies, Battery Storage
Address: 3261 S White Rd, Alviso
Phone: (408) 270-2800

Auto blog

GM recalls 3,300 pickups and SUVs for new ignition-switch issue [UPDATE]

Mon, Oct 19 2015

UPDATE: A statement from GM about the recall has been added below. The exact total of vehicles affected is 3,296, including 3,073 of them in the US. General Motors isn't letting an ignition-switch problem grow into a massive scandal again. The automaker is recalling about 3,300 North American trucks and SUVs. They are: the 2014 Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra and the 2015 Chevy Suburban and Chevy Tahoe, as well as 2015 model heavy-duty pickups, the Detroit News reports, citing an Associated Press story. The issue appears to have been caught fairly quickly. In this case, the keys can get stuck in the "start" position and then slip to "accessory" if bumped. This is because the ignition lock gears have an outer diameter that's larger than the specifications allow. When that happens the engine shuts off, and the driver loses assistance to the steering and brakes. The airbags might also be affected. The vehicles get a new ignition-lock housing to fix the problem. According to the Detroit News, an employee who experienced the problem with the switch discovered the issue, and this person then let officials at the automaker know as part of the Speak Up for Safety program. A total of five reports of the fault were discovered. However, there are no cases of injuries or crashes. The claims to the automaker's resolution program eventually tallied that GM's previous ignition switch problem included 124 deaths and 275 injuries. The company also had to recall millions of vehicles and pay significant fines to the US government. GM Statement General Motors is recalling 3,073 full-size trucks from the 2014 and 2015 model years in the U.S. Some of these vehicles may have an ignition lock actuator gear with an outer diameter that exceeds specifications, which may make turning the ignition key difficult. The ignition key could get stuck in the "start" position. This may be more likely at higher interior ambient temperatures. If the vehicle is driven with the key stuck in the "start" position, and the vehicle experiences a significant jarring event or the vehicle's interior temperature cools, the ignition lock cylinder could move out of the "start" position, rotate past the "run" position, and move into the "accessory" position, leading to loss of power steering assist, power brakes and potentially air bag deployment in certain crashes. Dealers will replace the ignition lock housing.

Feds open investigation into Chevy Express, Ford Freestar rust issues

Wed, 28 Dec 2011

'Tis the season... for road salt. And with that, comes rust. And what does rust bring? Well, for Ford and General Motors, a National Highway Traffic Safety Administration investigation. According to The Detroit News, NHTSA is looking into potential recalls issues with Chevrolet Express vans and Ford Freestar minivans.
The feds have received five complaints that rust has caused leaking fuel filler pipes on 2003 Express vans. Separately, seven complaints have been filed over excessive rust in the rear wheel wells of 2004 Ford Freestar and Mercury Monterey minivans. The Freestar and Monterey went out of production in 2007. Neither issue has resulted in any crashes or injuries, according to the report.

Recharge Wrap-up: Chevy Spark EV in Canada, Audi to use Valeo electric supercharger

Mon, Apr 13 2015

The Chevrolet Spark EV will become available to retail customers in Canada. "We're expanding our electric vehicle offerings to our customers by offering the 2016 Spark EV for retail sales in the growing EV markets here in Quebec as well as in Ontario and BC," says Chevrolet's Chris Hay. Chevrolet has not yet released pricing for the Spark EV in Canada. In the US, the Spark EV is available in California, Oregon and Maryland. Read more at Hybrid Cars. Four recreational vehicle companies in Texas have settled with the EPA over illegal import and sale of off-road vehicles. The 4,000-plus Hammerhead brand vehicles in question were imported without the proper certification, a violation of the Clean Air Act. Some vehicles lacked proper emission control equipment or were manufactured by a company not listed on the certificate application. The settlement totals $560,000 in civil penalties for the companies involved. Read more from the EPA. The Iowa Supreme Court has upheld the state's natural gas tax, which was challenged by the ethanol industry. Ethanol producers, which use natural gas to make ethanol, argued the complicated tax was unconstitutional, as it forced certain plants to pay more than their competitors. Taxes vary by location, and some plants have to tap into interstate pipelines at much higher tax rates rather than get it from a local utility. Now, ethanol producers will work to change the law. "My hope is that people understand that, something may be constitutional but that doesn't make it good public policy," says Iowa Renewable Fuels Association Executive Director Monte Shaw. Read more at Manufacturing.Net. Audi will use Valeo's electric superchargers to improve fuel economy and acceleration. Valeo says Audi will launch a vehicle using its electric supercharger next year, with other reports suggesting that car will be the Audi Q7. The company says other unspecified automakers will also use the technology in their vehicles. While the electric supercharger adds to the vehicle's cost and electric energy use, it can improve fuel economy by as much as 20 percent. Read more at Automotive News Europe. Featured Gallery Chevrolet Spark EV View 13 Photos Related Gallery 2016 Audi Q7: Detroit 2015 View 15 Photos News Source: Hybrid Cars, EPA, Manufacturing.Net, Automotive News EuropeImage Credit: Chevrolet Government/Legal Green Audi Chevrolet Alternative Fuels Emissions Ethanol Fuel Efficiency Electric Off-Road Vehicles recharge wrapup