1981 C10/5.3L Build Thread
The Best V8 Stories One Small Block at Time
Army - I have a 5 month old and that has limited my garage time quite a bit, so I can only imagine how limited time would be with 5 kids!
408Fairmont - the wheels are 15x8 3" BS in front and 15x10 4" BS in rear. The fronts I need to roll the fender a little more though as they rub on the outside if I hit a big bump. They are cheapo Circle Racing wheels, series 25.
I am waiting for my denny's shaft to get back from getting shortened and need to put in my wilwood combo/prop valve and then I'll be hitting the road.
My Circle D converter should arrive this week.
Also, I have a little snail on the way.......
That way it keeps my interest as well as lets me fix the different bugs. I wouldn't feel comfortable going straight to 650+RWHP without first testing that everything holds up NA first.
I should be on the road soon and will hit the track NA in a month or so. In the mean time I am piling up turbo parts so I'll take it down again in a couple months...
After all that I will still have an ugly *** truck so will need to do body work and paint it at some point. I'm afraid this will never end haha
Some small progress but not a ton...
Threw in my 80lb injectors so I could get it tuned for the injectors before I throw the turbo on. Turns out I can't get it to idle at the right AFR with the 80lbs without dropping the fuel pressure. With the injector values changed my VE tables (outside of idle) are basically right on.
I have been working on my fuel system so will be able to drop the pressure which should hopefully fix my rich idle.
Got some fragola -8 feed and -6 return along with all the fittings, filter, extra walbro 255, Holley dominator FPR, etc.
Been working on building a custom aluminum fuel tank to fit in the back between the frame rails. In the back of the tank I'm going around a bed support and the front going around my sway bar, but it calculates out to 18.75 gallons so should be pretty good.
Been a bit of a pain honestly, I'm using 0.1" thick aluminum sheet so my harbor freight pan brake couldn't handle it. I borrowed my friends much larger harbor freight brake and it couldn't handle it either. So I ended up having to weld supports and extensions and stuff on the brake to make it work, then use two people to make the bends.
Also I'm not very good at welding aluminum so that has been a bit of a struggle too..
Some in progress pictures of the tank...
Weighed the truck at 3768lbs without me in it, so close to 4000 with me in there.

