1983 Custom 10

Ok, I have this pickup I'm trying to fix.

First off, where can I find parts? Is there any reliable online retailer?

Second, does anyone know where I can find like a plastic flooring thing for it (kind of like floor mats, but it's form fitted to the pickup). The pickup has that right now, but it's torn in some spots. Will I just have to get some material and cut it to fit?

Also, how much would car painting be? I could use some touching up in spots. Would I be able to do it myself?

Lastly, does anyone know what the milage on this thing is? I'm guessing somewhere around 11-15 =/

It's got a 305 in it, by the way. It might have a 350 in it soon, though.

www.lmctruck.com (http://www.lmctruck.com) is one of the better sites to go through for classic truck parts, including new body panels, trim pieces, emblems, flooring/carpets, etc. There are probably a hundred or so more through eBay, too. Some with new and some that are parting out...check their reputations first before buying.

By chance I just stopped at the local Earl Scheib and they quoted me between $350 for a quickie-no-frills basic shoot with one of their standard colors and $1500 for a good job done with UV protection, topcoats, and warranty. Too rich for my blood and was equal to the value of my own truck!

But if you can find the orignal color paint, small areas should be easy to fix since that year didn't have any clearcoat. Just a matter of sanding down to bare metal, detack, prime, sand, paint, buff, & polish. Fixing rust holes and dents is more challenging since you have to learn to use Bondo and alot more sanding involved. The right tools make this alot easier.

Finally, couldn't find info for your '83, but an '85 C10 with the 5.0L and 4-speed automatic was around 13-14 mpg city, 17-18 mpg highway...not bad.

Good luck & have fun with that truck!

Hey, thanks a lot!

Well, it's been repainted, so I can just ask that guy what color he used. It doesn't have any rust holes and only a few very small dents, but it does have some rust. I can just sand that out, though.

18 highway is WAY better than I expected. If I get a bed cover for when I don't need it, I might be able to pull off 20MPG highway! I'm guessing that an 85 would get the same mileage, at least. I'm sure it has the same 305 as an 83.

So I won't need to do anything like UV protection? I can just paint it myself and be good to go? Actually, if I can get a normal color done for $350, that might be worth it. The guy before me didn't sand off the old color, so the new color is bound to come off sooner than it should.

EDIT: So, do you think a mat like this would go around the stick shift and 4WD shift? It says it's made to fit, but it doesn't specify if it's for automatic or manual transmission. It does say it's for 2WD though: http://www.lmctruck.com/features/cc/CCC22.htm

If the rusty areas are small, like from paint chips, I've found that a 3M product called a sanding pen is wonderful for getting the rust out of a chip hole without having to sand the entire area around it so I can just use a touch-up brush to fill in the area with primer & color coat. It's shaped like a pen (duh) but the tip is a bundle of coarse glass fibers that can scour the rust and paint away, while giving you a slightly feathered edge in the chip to help the transition when it is filled with fresh paint. Also, if the truck was painted recently, within the last year or so, ask the last owner if he has any of the paint leftover. He just might, saving you the hassle & money of trying to match it.

If you plan on repainting the whole truck you might consider a UV protective clearcoat, but most vehicles of that era did not have it, not until the late '80s. The factory just sprayed the color coat on thicker expecting it to slowly oxidize away over time. Paint shops today will give you a non-clearcoat job, but the warranty is typically slim to none. For small paint repairs to bare metal, you should be fine with a primer and color coat.

As far as the original paint color underneath, as long as the guy prepped it right by cleaning and scuffing the paint surface before he painted over it, you shouldn't have any problems with delamination.

Finally, the floor mat you linked says it is for a column shifter, but I see no reason you couldn't cut a hole to fit it over a floor-mounted 4wd shifter. I just clicked on the part number and this is what it says:

Added 1 of Part # 38-2836 RUBBER FLOOR MAT-COLUMN SHIFT $79.95 Each
**Covers front floor area only, does not extend under seat. This FLOOR MAT fits C10 20 81-87 W/COLUMN SHIFT. For K10 20 81-87 W/COLUMN SHIFT ORDER #38-2835.

It appears there is a separate part # for the 4wd (K10) version.

Finally, check to see if there is any sound-deadening material on the underside...trust me, it makes a difference.

Hope this helps!

Hmm, now I'm confused. I can't see the pickup right now, but I could have sworn it was a C10 Custom. I know it has 4WD though. Does C10 mean 2WD? EDIT: Hmm, I feel really silly right now. I guess I have a K10 Custom, haha.

I know there's some insulation under it now. I know this because some of it is coming up through the tears in the old mat.

Thanks for all the help, I really appreciate it!

Chevy used the C- prefix for 2wd trucks and K- for 4wd. Think they did this up until about 1998. The "10" designates it as a 1/2-ton truck..."20" is 3/4-ton, and "30" is 1-ton.

If I recall correctly, the truck's badging on the side usually says "Custom 10" or similar with a little sun emblem but won't include the C- or K- prefix. So it is likely you have a K10 if it is 4wd. No biggie, just more fun, and more maintenance.

I meant insulation/matting with the new floor cover. It didn't say anything in the description, so sometimes it's cheap because all you get is the rubber part...the insulation could be sold separately. Otherwise, you'll waste time trying to peel the old stuff off the old flooring, which will probably not stay intact. Buyer beware!

BYW, your mileage with the 4wd will be lower... 13 city & 16 highway.

Yeah, the badging threw me off.

I found a mat that looks pretty good, but it says it's a "Molded Industrial Polyviynl". It looks good, and apparently is form fitted.

Here, I'll just show you: http://www.lmctruck.com/icatalog/cc/t.aspx?Page=108

See, there's the 2WD with floor shift and all 4WD option, which is what I want, but it makes me wonder how it fits the 4WD, because the 2WD wouldn't have that shifter, so if you had a 2WD would it just have a blank spot in the flooring?

EDIT: I called and it appears that I have to cut out the spots for the floor shifter and 4WD, which makes me wonder why they even offer a column shift option, since it's exactly the same.

Also, that pad says it has 36 oz jute padding, is that good?

You can call them to ask, but my guess is that it has no holes and you would cut a hole in the mat to fit the 4wd shifter through (and the manual shifter if you had one). I think they do that because the mat is molded slightly different than the column shift...an extra bump here or there. And it only has padding under the passenger side. The next page has the insulation and heat shield stuff.

Hope you like black because that's the color it comes in. But you can buy paint to match at the auto parts store that bonds to the plastic...there's some in the LMC catalog too.