VCCA Home Forums TECHNICAL - 1945 AND NEWER 1961-1964 Newbie hoping for some help on 61 Chevy C10

Hey all!!

I am working on getting my original 61 Chevy C10 in a great state. Its all original and still drives great, but I was never taught basics of mechanical engineering or anything with trucks so I am sadly starting from the ground up. I know my truck needs the oil changed pretty bad and I'm sure I can find the bolt under the truck pretty easy, but once I drain the oil how much would you typically put back in?? I am afraid of overfilling the oil or not putting enough in.

This also has an oil bath and I am having a really hard time finding a possible way to clean that or get a new one as its not like your standard oil filter.

Last and final question when I start my truck it has very strong exhaust fumes that lingers pretty bad. Even driving my clothes seem to get soaked in exhaust fumes. Something thought maybe the carburetor was tuned to rich. I recently had the carb replaced and gas tank cleaned out so not sure where to start.

Thanks everyone!
Nathan

Nathan,
Welcome to Chevy Chat.
Your Chevy Pickup is a fairly simple and straight forward vehicle for a beginner mechanic. You should get an owners manual. Reprints are available for a reasonable price from many of the vendors of restoration parts. Jim Carter truck parts (Missouri) and The Filling Station (Oregon) have nice catalogs with tons of stuff for your truck. There are others that cater to Chevys of your vintage. You should also get a shop manual. It contains a lot of useful information.
I have been moving lately and I think I found a shop manual for your truck. It is yours for the price of postage, if you want it. I believe it is a 1960 manual and a supplement to cover the changes for 1961. I believe I have them both. They are not in perfect condition so you will not be afraid to get a few greasy fingerprints on the pages.
As for the oil capacity of your truck, it is probably 5 quarts. If it has the add-on filter, 6 quarts would be appropriate. A good multi weight 10W-30 would probably be suitable.
My direct email is below or you can call me at 573 864 6539

Mike

Hey Mike thanks for the helpful suggestions ill shoot over an email. Appreciate it!