Build The Clustertruck Rides Again - Refurbishing a 1975 Chevota

[Augustiron]

"Do you mean you just ground off/drilled out the boss to accept your cable, or did the firewall connection just screw right in?"

I was thinking about that right after I posted and honestly don't remember, if I did have to drill it, it was only a little bit. The throttle cable connector does have the nut on the inside

 

[RWBeringer4x4]

Now for something entirely different. After a few months of back and forth coordination, and asking Georg far too many questions (sometimes twice), I received a skid of goodies from Mr. Tygart out in California, with some nice upgrades thrown in by Valley Hybrids. It arrived just in time to get carted into the garage before we get hammered by a snow storm this weekend…

Using some very not OSHA-approved rigging I unloaded the core to what will be a very nice upgrade for the Clustertruck if I ever find the time to make the swap.

Rob was kind enough to let go of a H41 4-speed (lower first gear than my H42), mated to a split case with the ultra rare drum parking brake adapter.

“But Rick, didn’t you already buy an H41 like 5 years ago?”

Yes, I did, with the intent to mount it to an Orion, but this new H41 also has the 60-series/late 40-series style crossmember mount provisions. This means I’ll be able to ditch the AA transfer case mount, get some creative gearing options, keep my parking brake, and not have to worry whether or not I’ll be the lucky winner who gets an Orion that stays in gear…

For gearing, Georg provided a 3:1 low range transfer case gear set, with a 0.9:1 overdrive high range. This should help compensate for the lower first gear on the road, and bring the Highway RPM’s down a bit, while also giving me a roughly 60:1 final drive option offroad. While it’s not quite 4:1’s with a doubler, this should be a big improvement over the stock 25ish:1 final drive. He also provided a 38mm case shell, machined for bigger gears, to accommodate the later, beefier idler. The “guts” and pieces from Tygart’s 34mm case will get transferred to Georg’s 38mm shell. As always, trying to split the difference between streetability and wheelability. This feels like a great compromise.

Now I just need to clear the rest of the junk out of my garage so I have some room to work, and find enough hours to rebuild all this and get it under the truck… probably another 5 years the way things have been going lately.

Top priority is still resealing the intake (again) and figuring out the throttle cable, but I’m really looking forward to getting this combo built and installed.

 

[shmukster]

Love it!!!! keep us posted!!!!

 

[RWBeringer4x4]

Well, here is to intake gasket No. 4 holding…

Post mortem on Gasket set No. 3 showed obvious coolant leaking across the entirety of the gaskets, especially the passenger side.

I cleaned everything up again, and this time used the blue FelPro gaskets several of you recommended above. I used black RTV on the china walls and a bead around the coolant passages again. Maybe overkill, maybe worse than nothing, not sure, time will tell.

I got her sealed back up, tuned, and had time to drive it for about 10 minutes before loading her up on a trailer for Relic Run 2026.

She’s pulling about 19-20 lbs of vacuum (up from about 17 previously, and gave me a nice smooth idle at 700 rpm - no more miss or signs of obvious fouling in a 10 minute shakedown run.

Bonus picture of an awesome 40th birthday present from a good friend of mine:

 

[RWBeringer4x4]

After the pretty weak shakedown run, I had just enough time to run up to York, PA to borrow a trailer from a fellow Keystone club member. Given than I’d never trailered anything in my life, I truly appreciated the vote of confidence (or lack of common sense)! Nothing like a 900 mile round-trip trial by fire…

Either way, I loaded the Clustertruck up, and dragged it 450 miles south the Uwharrie National Forest in North Carolina for the 2026 Olde North State Cruisers relic run. I rolled into camp at about midnight and set up camp.

As always, I took precious few pictures at the event, but I had a blast wheeling in Uwharrie, meeting the ONSC crew, and even got to meet the legend himself, Georg Esterer. I got way too little sleep, drank way too much beer, and got to drool over 60-some-odd relics.

The truck did well over 2 days offroad - I did encounter some weird drops in idle here and there (it would occasionally decide to idle, badly, at 550 or 600 rpm). It could have been the severely dusty conditions or I might need to tighten the carb down, but it seemed to come and go.

Dragged it home Sunday without issue - it’s back in the driveway absolutely COVERED in red dust, inside and out. A sure sign of a good time.

 

[RWBeringer4x4]

A few more shots from Relic Run, for posterity.

And one shot of this truck - driven by Cruiser Matt’s mechanics all the way from Orlando Florida. They also ran this up “Daniel” one of the hardest trails in the park, snapped a driveshaft, fixed it, and drove it home. Proving that no matter how brave or cool I think I am, I’ll never be as cool as those maniacs.

 

[fireflyr]

Well documented journey. This isn’t a build thread; it’s a coffee table book. That makes into a coffee table.

 

[RWBeringer4x4]

Well documented journey. This isn’t a build thread; it’s a coffee table book. That makes into a coffee table.

More like light toilet reading , but it has been a fun adventure nonetheless and I enjoy documenting it.

One of these days I’ll get back to building it, but right now I’m having too much fun driving it.

 

[cruisermatt]

It was nice chatting with you this weekend
Dude - let’s get a 5.3 into this thing.
No more messing with intake gaskets ever again.

 

[bikersmurf]

Very cool… wish I could have been there. 6000 mile round trip is a bit too far away though.

 

[RWBeringer4x4]

It was nice chatting with you this weekend
Dude - let’s get a 5.3 into this thing.
No more messing with intake gaskets ever again.

Nice meeting you too Matt! Glad to hear everything limped home successfully. I saw that 2UZ-manual adapter kit posted yesterday and I'll admit it got me thinking... even though just the adapter costs more than my whole 350 did...

Once I thoroughly destroy the 350, a 5.3 is probably the next logical step as it would be fairly "drop-in." Back when I put in the 350, I had more time than money, and the 350 was "cheap" and simple, without all the electronics and high pressure fuel delivery retrofitting. Now I have no time, OR money but not going straight to an LS when I had the chance has definitely become a regret.

Very cool… wish I could have been there. 6000 mile round trip is a bit too far away though.

Georg made it out! Has to be pretty close to that mileage for him too... Admittedly, he flew, and showed up in a rental Jeep Wrangler, but it's the thought that counts, right?!

 

[archie73]

More like light toilet reading , but it has been a fun adventure nonetheless and I enjoy documenting it.

One of these days I’ll get back to building it, but right now I’m having too much fun driving it.

If this is the way….

It was nice chatting with you this weekend
Dude - let’s get a 5.3 into this thing.
No more messing with intake gaskets ever again.

…Then has his is the way forward.

I had a healthy (not built, but healthy) 350. It was good, definitely an upgrade to the F- sorry/not sorry. The LS is everything it’s made out to be though. It’s just more.

Your 350 is fine, keep up the good times