Re: 72 K30 Build
 

Thanks Dieselwrencher! Pretty impressed with all you have done in your builds. Getting close to the measuring things up stage but so far looks like it's a go. Goal is to repair the old RV cab regardless and of course I luv body work practice! :lol:

Re: 72 K30 Build
 

Swamprat I did a quick frame width measurement at the back of both cabs and they are both 34". Both trucks are cab & chassis style trucks so maybe that's why they are same width even though they are different generations? Going to look at it much harder once I get the rest of the K3500 cab removed.

Re: 72 K30 Build
 

Time for a thread update. Got the front clip removed and the motor, trans & transfer case pulled out.

Re: 72 K30 Build
 

Brett, I can measure some trucks as I have a 2wd 69 and a 2wd 76 frame, and a 84 K20 frame if you'd like it for future endeavors. Also, that yellow 54 on the begining of this page looks pretty sweet. Nice work on the tear down.

Re: 72 K30 Build
 

Thank you Dieselwrencher and I’ll keep that in mind. The yellow 54 belongs to one of the guys at The Garage Inc. pretty sweet project that looks cool with those fancy wheels!!

Once the rest of the K3500 cab is removed we can use the spare 69 cab and the 72 front clip to start mock up. This and starting repairs on the 72 cab pass thru should keep me plenty busy this winter.

Below are some GM frame dimensions to digest. First drawing is from the 67-72 AIM, a 2wd cab & chassis 133" frame. Next two are the newer 4wd cab & chassis crew cab 164.5" frame & cab. Last is a newer regular cab to get the front cab mount measurement.

Frame widths are almost identical (.06 difference) nice…

71blksuper4x4, Trevor nailed this earlier in this thread http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...23&postcount=6

Re: 72 K30 Build
 

Some more progress, we sold the 350 complete engine and a couple of runs to the scrapper to help recoup some of the $1400 we gave for the K3500. When all is done I think we'll only be in around $700 for the complete rolling chassis w/steering, hydro-boost, trans, transfer case & drive lines. SWEET! :thumbs:

Found a B&M Holeshot 20416 Converter. http://www.jegs.com/i/B-M/130/20416/...oductId=748034 What is the general consensus on a 2000 stall converter for a towing beast? I would think a small amount of stall is OK as it would help it get into the lower part of power band.

Re: 72 K30 Build
 

Look at you go! $700 is a great deal for what you're going to be left with! I'm still trying to decide if I want to do a Hydroboost on mine.

Re: 72 K30 Build
 

Thanks Mike not really 100% sure I'm going to use the hydro-boost either but I'm keeping it just in case. I think they work really well as long as it doesn't leak.

Re: 72 K30 Build
 

I’m thinking this truck really earned its keep! All the time spent going off road & down dirt roads took its toll. Core support was welded back together and braced all over the place. Battery tray pulled away from the fender. Big custom front bumper/grill guard was trying to tear its self-off the front frame horns. Both doors had been welded up several times from where the mirrors fell off or were torn off. Sure we’ll find a lot more war wounds as we go this is just the front!! :lol:

Re: 72 K30 Build
 

Well the cab demo is finally done, even had some smoke & fire when we broke out the plasma cutter! :devil:

Re: 72 K30 Build
 

And a couple more pics. I did sell all the take off do dads I wasn't going to use to a buddy that owns a car lot. Not much $$ but outta here.

Re: 72 K30 Build
 

So a few more things I noticed during demo. Looks like the truck had something happen to the trans. tunnel. Kind of ripped it up on the right side and popped the RF body mount free (high centered maybe?). It was the only mount that had been opened up to put a nut on the backside. Also looks like they may have put a floor shifter in it at some time? Don’t know both the manual trans. & transfer case linkage openings look factory from the underside.

Re: 72 K30 Build
 

The chassis shows a little luv also. It's got a busted u-bolt on the right rear and both lower rear shock mounts look like somebody gobbed on the welds. Thought we had gotten away without the frame being broke but found this one hiding by the fuel tank switching solenoid on the right rail. Pretty sure it’s fixable as this is very, very close to where it is going to be spliced anyway. So time will tell what is still hiding under the mud and yucka! :lol: Hopefully going start some initial mockup pretty soon! Would be nice to start building instead of blowing stuff apart..

Re: 72 K30 Build
 

Here's what's been happening..

Re: 72 K30 Build
 

Here is a few more mockup pics.

Re: 72 K30 Build
 

subscribed!! cool build, I'm gonna do a similar build but i'm starting with a 71 K20 frame and using a 80 dana 60 dually front end and a 77 cab and chassis 14 bolt rear and a 72 gmc c30 cab. haven't made up my mind if I'm gonna use the cab and chassis rear end or a dana 70 HD wide and make it a dually "pickup" Coop

Re: 72 K30 Build
 

Looks good! wIsh i had your shop too!

Re: 72 K30 Build
 

Hey Coop thanks, I really really like the "dually pickup" idea! That would make a very cool truck in my book.

Thanks Rat.. After building stuff outside in a carport and then later in a slightly oversized 1 level 2 car garage (spoiled us). We thought a 20x40 2 story job would be huge. It's not we just stuff more in it, not to mention the off site storage unit. Ha! :lol:

Re: 72 K30 Build
 

I'd be willing to bet that floor damage was from the front driveshaft coming loose at the transfercase and beating the hell out of the floor.

Re: 72 K30 Build
 

You know you are probably right 86454k30 good call. The front driveline has a sticker on it from a driveline shop in Texas.

Re: 72 K30 Build
 

Nice progress. The crack in the frame is nothing a grinder, welder, and a fish plae can't repair. The mock up is looking pretty good so far. That poor square body sure was used hard. :lol:

Re: 72 K30 Build
 

Brett, I think its cool too, it's been done before many different ways. what I want it to build it like GM would have if they would have made one.
kinda like this but tougher looking. Coop

Re: 72 K30 Build
 

Thanks Diesel, yeah the old square body has seen better days but is a peach for my purposes!

Great minds Coop, I only have a couple of pics of trucks with fleetside beds in my 4x4 conversion folder (most are flatbed) and I swear one is the same truck you posted with different wheels. If I built one and I have thought about it, I prefer the narrower rear like the GMC below.

Re: 72 K30 Build
 

Really like the way everything is fitting so far a lot better than we originally thought (we will see if this holds true for the next phase of mockup). Check out the inner fender to frame contour, I like it and hopefully we can keep the body this low on the frame. Me and the miss’s are getting to be old farts so lower is better for us. Going to have to reposition all the mounts as expected.

Re: 72 K30 Build
 

We are also finding where we can remove the extra 31.5” out of the 164.5" wheel base (133” goal) looks very doable. 21ish here and 9.5ish there. :lol:

Re: 72 K30 Build
 

It looks like it will work out pretty nice. I really like the cab chassis DRW set ups with the tires tucked like that. I almost went that route with mine a couple times.

Re: 72 K30 Build
 

That's the big reason for going a 133" wheel base is that we have the option for a longhorn bed. I'll tell you though I love my flatbed for actually using the truck as a truck. My C30 is the first truck we have owned with a flatbed and I really like it a lot more than I thought I would.

Re: 72 K30 Build
 

It's hard to beat a flat bed for work. We're without one right now. :lol:

Re: 72 K30 Build
 

It's time to see if there is any room for a big block? Thought it would be quicker to swap tail housings rather than trannies for this step. Found the K3500 trans was not a virgin it has a 2wd truck output shaft, oh well it worked! :lol:

Re: 72 K30 Build
 

Speaking of flatbeds, did you scrap the bed that came on the square body?

Re: 72 K30 Build
 

Yup, I was going to give it to my nephew but he passed so it went to the scraper weeks ago.

Re: 72 K30 Build
 

So I was a bit worried the big block was going to be a problem because of the 4x4 engine set back. We want to use the RV Cheyenne Super/AC cab once the pass thru is repaired and making a lot of firewall mods would probably make running the factory air difficult. So minimal or no firewall mods is going to be the goal. In and bolted down and it looks great!

Re: 72 K30 Build
 

It is a little tight oil pan to the front crossmember. The right motor mount is loose/broken which may let it settle a little more than it would normally. Right now the oil pan is touching the diff breather hose and its hold down clamp that is attached to the crossmember. I'll reroute that hose a little later and see how it sits. We didn’t move the motor forward so oil pan to diff is not going to be an issue. Next step is going to be getting the cab back on my earlier marks and see what is going to happen with firewall clearance.

Re: 72 K30 Build
 

OK waiting on some turkey, so time to update the build thread with some more progress pics. I really like what I'm seeing, with the cab on my previous marks we have at least 1/2" clearance everywhere.

Re: 72 K30 Build
 

I don't think the cab could go any further forward without really lifting it off the frame. We'll have to check and see if a GM HEI is going to fit?

Re: 72 K30 Build
 

Late to this build but I'm in for the rest!

Re: 72 K30 Build
 

Not sure about the K30, but my K20 didn't have enough room to install the HEI, the engine being in the rear frame mounting holes, so i went with a Mallory Unilite, its the size of the stock distributor.

Re: 72 K30 Build
 

Your right on time Mike just getting started.

I'm thinking this might be the same deal.

Re: 72 K30 Build
 

Subscribing to add ideas for another dream of mine!

Re: 72 K30 Build
 

I thought there was a really good chance we were going to have to cut out the floor of this cab to clear the transmission, again due to 4x4 engine set back. The body is siting roughly 2” off the top of the K3500 frame rails and that is giving us plenty of clearance for this step even with the low floor. :metal: The RV cab we are planning on using is a high hump but I didn’t want to use it for this phase of the mockup because we need to repair the pass thru. It would really be a shame to tweak it trying to lift it by the roof when I have this other cab available. Also another shot of how close the pan is to the front crossmember. I'm kind of wondering if the square body big block pan is shallower than this 72 oil pan?