So, last month, I waxed philosophically about my excitement of having my project C10 up and running and how much fun I was having ripping around in it, using it to haul stuff for various projects ‘round the house and shop, and causing general mischief around town. But, like I’ve mentioned before, car guys just can’t seem to leave things alone, and now I’m thinking about the future and what upgrades I’d like to make to the truck in the coming months.
I’ve talked about some of my plans in the past, which included swapping the stock 307 with a late-model LS engine, and the more I think about that venture, the more I think about shortening the bed and wheelbase at the same time. To me, if I’m going to do it at all, that’s the time to do it since installing an LS motor and different transmission would almost certainly call for a modification in the stock driveshaft, it seems silly to do it for the motor swap, then come back and have to do it again when the wheelbase is shortened. I like to do everything at once, likely because while it seems like less work in the long run, it almost always turns one simple task into a number of rather convoluted projects, and well, I guess I’m a glutton for punishment.
I really liked the idea of leaving the longbed well enough alone as it’s incredibly useful but I also always said that I would at least drive it for a while before making up my mind whether or not to shorten it. Well, with a few thousand miles clocked on the odometer, I think my mind is slowly becoming made up. It has been useful when I needed to pick up oversized lumber or haul the occasional large item, but those tasks are few and far between when compared to what I encounter on my usual daily driving ritual. And having negotiated a handful of U-turns, whoops, make those three-point, maybe even four-point turns thanks to the long wheelbase, I’m starting to think the shorter wheelbase would make my relationship with my truck a little more cordial.
And so, I’m torn. I like the ability to haul all kinds of stuff in the back of my truck and I also like the fact that it’s a bit of an ugly duckling, nay an underdog, but I also really like the idea of being able to whip my truck around parking lots and through the city like any other car. The suspension upgrades we’ve made in the past couple of months really make the truck handle like a sports car, but a really long sports car!
It’s been a hard decision as I didn’t want to let my hardcore long bed fans down, but I’m really thinking it’s time to start a choppin’ and drop that LS motor in while I’m at it. In the end, I’m a hot rodder at heart and I can’t drive a stock long wheelbase truck, can I?! I guess only time will tell, but I know my neighbor will appreciate the augmented turning radius that will come with the short bed conversion as I’ve about murdered the grass at the corner of our driveway due to the rather handicapped turning radius of the long bed. CCT