Classic Truck Performance. August/September 2020, Vol 1, No 2 is published bi-monthly by In The Garage Media. 1350 E. Chapman Ave. #6650, Fullerton, CA 92834-6550.

I pity those of you over the age of 50 (maybe even younger?!) who don’t have any kids to help you navigate modern computer electronics—without my teenage son, I’d be lost when it comes to many things in this virtual world we live in! That said, I will be the first to acknowledge the vast advancements the performance aftermarket has made in recent years with everything from drivetrain components to instrumentation—especially the latter.

Not so long ago, Dakota Digital was known for primarily just what their name implies: blue LED digital gauges. Today, while Dakota still offers their proprietary instrumentation, they’ve made leaps and bounds in technological advancements, to the point where it’s almost as if they took two steps back instead of forward—and that’s a good thing! Why, you ask? Well, one look at their line of HDX (and the newly released RTX) digital-analog factory-retrofit gauges for the Chevy C10 truck series (the entire line!) and you’d think they’d recreated the stock instrument clusters … that is until you turned the ignition on for the first time and really got an in-depth look at what’s actually behind those beautiful analog gauge faces.

“The original drivetrain was a 225ci flathead inline-six, rated at 95 hp, connected to a four-speed ‘spur gear’ manual transmission, driving a Timken banjo-style rear axle with a 4.86:1 gear ratio. This setup was great for use on the farm, but not suited for long trips over the road.

“Known as the ‘Bonus Built’ series of trucks, the F-3 was a bare bones vehicle. It had one vacuum-operated wiper on the driver side only, no heater, and a 13-leaf rear suspension with no shock absorbers. It did, however, have a long bed, which made it extremely useful for hauling.

“In 1986, my stepfather, Ron, became the second owner.

When electronic fuel injection systems first showed up in the automotive aftermarket, they were complicated, bulky affairs. Installations were laborious, requiring high-pressure compliant fuel lines be run both to and from the gas tank, and in some situations a new tank altogether. Additional fuel filters and an external fuel pump were also required. A mounting location for the computer was required and with it an array of sensors and hardware that also needed to be installed. A wiring harness more complicated than the original vehicle’s main harness wasn’t uncommon, leading many to simply forego using this newfangled technology, leaving them stalwarts of the common carburetor.

With 3/16-inch average gaps, the previously crash-damaged hood was fitting in with adjacent panels, except toward the front corners. The driver side was the worst. In that short stretch the hood appeared to sit a bit too high, as it also protruded a bit too far forward—at least by most of our standards today.

It was over 30 years ago—at the NSRA Street Rod Nationals in St. Paul, Minnesota, to be exact—that Bob and Linda Galbraith unveiled the very first Clean Drive Wiper, New Port Engineering’s direct bolt-in replacement for 1939-1948 Chevy passenger car vacuum-drive wiper motors. With their motto, “Drive through it, not around it!”, the company has continually driven forward over the last three decades, expanding their line of direct-replacement Clean Wipe System wiper upgrade kits that cover more than 180 car and truck applications—including the popular Chevy C10!

Never having done a wiper motor installation, let alone an upgrade conversion, I was a bit apprehensive at first when this particular job came up on the to-do list. However, no sooner was the deteriorated, non-functioning OE vacuum motor removed and New Port’s new electronic motor bolted in place, factory linkage hooked up, new switch installed and wired, that my apprehensions were literally wiped away! With no exaggeration, the entire job took less than an hour, and now the C10 has a fully modern wiper system able to keep pace with most severe monsoon rains Mother Nature can throw at it!

ou know the age-old saying, “If you love something, set it free …”? Well, I honestly used to believe it was just a way in which to comfort the brokenhearted, as I’ve set many things free and have yet to see any come back! While for the most part that’s not a bad thing on my behalf, when it comes to a number of cars and trucks I once owned, I sure wish that saying would’ve rang true.

ou know the age-old saying, “If you love something, set it free …”? Well, I honestly used to believe it was just a way in which to comfort the brokenhearted, as I’ve set many things free and have yet to see any come back! While for the most part that’s not a bad thing on my behalf, when it comes to a number of cars and trucks I once owned, I sure wish that saying would’ve rang true.

Big brakes and even bigger wheel and tire combos are arguably among the most popular upgrades in the classic truck market. Filling those massive wheel openings with an appropriately sized roller while upgrading the rather anemic braking system makes a ton of sense, after all. Be it an aesthetic upgrade or a more performance-based option, there’s no arguing the popularity of these modifications. But what happens when a stock spindle and its bearings, designed for a drum brake and a 15-inch steel wheel and tire, are subjected to the rotating mass, inertia, and torque of a 14-inch disc brake and accompanying 20-inch aluminum wheel?

Purveyors of both modern spindle designs as well as big brake offerings, it’s no surprise that Classic Performance Products (CPP) recognized this situation and sought to develop a solution. They’ve had a proven design in their Modular drop spindle for years, but as the brake kits and wheel/tire combos grew larger, they started to turn their attention to developing a more modern spindle and bearing design. Enter the X10 spindle.