Re: Pain and suffering
 

Little late to the party, just catching up in this thread...
The wheels look awesome!!!! Gotta hunt a set for my K30.

Re: The Hillbilly Deluxe dually build
 

Thank you for the kind words. I'm pretty quirky when I do stuff, being particular about stuff that most folks don't even think about. Lately, it's made me start to rethink selling my trucks like I have always done. I've undervalued my work in the past and sold good trucks to folks who don't appreciate the work and expense I took with the project. Now, I'm keeping my stuff more and kind of settling in to collecting my "last" trucks.


I'm excited about the K2500 project too. Probably more excited than I was about this one. I do think there will be a bit of delay before it though. I need to do some work on my tractor and stock trailer. I might make threads about those projects in the Alternate builds section on here. I have to haul my animals to be bred by April so I can have calfs in January. I just committed to buying a beat up stock trailer which needs maintenance and my tractor badly needs repair so I can mow my field and improve the grass quality.

I did lay off of this truck for a lot of that time. I just figured winter was a good time to try and finish this one up. Winter is almost over and so is the project. That 4wd is calling my name !

Man, I sure suffered for those wheels. I always wanted a dually with Alcoas and I paid the price to get it, but I'd sure not be too excited about doing it again.

Re: The Hillbilly Deluxe dually build
 

I did get the truck registered yesterday. It's mostly legal now. Then last night Valerie helped me set the toe in. Tomorrow when I get off work, its time to go get hay. I haven't even driven it 100 feet since I did all the work either. I hope nothing pops up and bites me on the maiden voyage. You might see this hillbilly rolling a round bale of hay down the road from town if it does. If I don't get hay soon, the donkey is gonna burn the barn down.

Re: The Hillbilly Deluxe dually build
 

I have 100% trust in your mechanics abilities

Re: The Hillbilly Deluxe dually build
 

http://i276.photobucket.com/albums/k...a2b7769691.jpg

Impressions after the first drive....

1) the swap from 4.56 to 4.10 was just what the truck needed. Its so much better to drive now.
2) I've got a hanging idle. It acts like the IAC is working slow. If you give it time, it will drop back down.

The results of the work and expense are pretty dramatic though.

Re: The Hillbilly Deluxe dually build
 

Very nice!

Re: The Hillbilly Deluxe dually build
 

Truck art right there.

Re: The Hillbilly Deluxe dually build
 

Awsome!

Re: The Hillbilly Deluxe dually build
 

Looks good.

Re: The Hillbilly Deluxe dually build
 

Oh yeaaaaaaaah! Good to hear that the gear swap was an improvement, sounds a lot more driveable.

Re: The Hillbilly Deluxe dually build
 

I bet the donkey is even happier....

Re: The Hillbilly Deluxe dually build
 

I used to make those bails out in Eastern Montana!!!

Re: The Hillbilly Deluxe dually build
 

The 30 looks really great, always take a second look when I see an older truck on the road. The step side is nice too, I like the single headlight look. How much is yours lowered. May do some lowering to mine after I see how it sits when back together, want just a little clearance above the tires.
Les

Re: The Hillbilly Deluxe dually build
 

Thanks fellas.

Stoney, I was kidding with the lady at the feed store awhile back. I told her that the donkey had sent me a text message while I was at work saying that if I didn't bring donkey food home she was gonna burn down the barn.

The lady looked at me dead serious and said "now how is a donkey going to start a fire?"

She got embarrassed when I asked her, "now how would a donkey send me a text message in the first place".

Les, the stepside is 5 inch dropped in the front and about 6 in the back. Front is spindles and cut springs, rear is a flip kit.

Re: The Hillbilly Deluxe dually build
 

Tex ,that truck looks even better with that roll of hay on it .Would you share a pic of the donkey ,we had one that got mistaken for a deer a couple of months ago and was shot and killed ,we miss that donkey ,he was like a puppy .He met me when I got home from work wanting a carrot and his ears rubbed .

Re: The Hillbilly Deluxe dually build
 

People make fun of me for saying it, but I love my little donkey. I've never owned a kinder, gentler, smarter animal. And, she protected my little calf from coyotes and dogs better than a platoon of US Marines could have. I once saw her try to stomp the neighbors dog to death. When the dog finally got free, it ran through a barbed wire fence at full speed to escape death. There was meat and hair hanging on the barbed wire. For those that don't know, a donkey is a God given guard animal. In any field with small livestock, you will always see at least one donkey. You can put one with a calf or other small animal and the donkey will stand guard next to them day and night without fail, never getting more than a few feet away from them. Nothing will hurt your calfs as long as you have a donkey around. Not a person, a coyote, or a wild pack of dogs. They're born protectors, no training needed.

http://i276.photobucket.com/albums/k...r/db27b762.jpg

Re: The Hillbilly Deluxe dually build
 

Thanks for the pic ,my wife loved it and me too .Our donkey was just as you described ,helped birth calves ,protected herd from coyotes and just plain lovable . We miss our donkey terribly ,thanks again for sharing that.

Re: The Hillbilly Deluxe dually build
 

Looks great. Can you post a sound clip? I'd love to hear that big block wake up through the magnaflow.

Re: The Hillbilly Deluxe dually build
 

In the upper left background...is that Val on a jet pack, UFO, or something else?

Congrats on the maiden voyage, truck looks great!

Re: The Hillbilly Deluxe dually build
 

Looks like a power cord plug!

Re: The Hillbilly Deluxe dually build
 

That is a power cord plug. I have an electric fence charger and electrical outlet mounted up under the rafter there.

Re: The Hillbilly Deluxe dually build
 

Congrats on the First ride! How much loaded clearance did you wind up with with a bale on?

Re: The Hillbilly Deluxe dually build
 

And the donkey sure likes to talk to Kevin when he is working

Re: The Hillbilly Deluxe dually build
 

The donkey will also keep the rattle snake away too. Donkey around no snakes.

Re: The Hillbilly Deluxe dually build
 

Great pic of a truck being used as intended. Function and form. Looks great!

Re: The Hillbilly Deluxe dually build
 

Wow Kevin, awesome build thread, and really nice work. I read half of this while having my morning coffee, and just now finished it. You have inspired me to get going on my stepper again. I bought my 1980 stepside last fall, and got it running, rebuilt the brakes, and dropped it 5/7 shortly after I got it home. Recently, it has been sitting outside, as first my wife's SUV, then my winter beater SUV had major mechanical issues which have impacted my budget, as well as my shop space. I have been sitting around waiting for parts for my other cars, and feeling sorry for myself for not having enough shop space to work on the truck.

Tomorrow morning, I am going to move some stuff around and make a spot for the truck, either in my shop, or the garage (hopefully the shop, as that's where all the tools are), and get going on it again. I have a bunch of small projects on it that I could be doing for little to no money - and I just needed a push to get back on it.

Thanks for the inspiration!

Re: The Hillbilly Deluxe dually build
 

My truck as it sat last weekend.

The snow is gone now...

Re: The Hillbilly Deluxe dually build
 

And did you ever sort out a repair for the dash pad? Mine looks horrible, but I don't like the price of new ones...

Re: The Hillbilly Deluxe dually build
 

Would that acid wash be Muratic acid diluted? or something else? Thanks!

Re: The Hillbilly Deluxe dually build
 

The big rig acid wash has hydrofluoric acid and sulphuric acid in it.
Hydrofluoric acid is some BAD stuff.
Eagle one used to have a mag wheel cleaner with a similar formula that worked great.
I don't know if it is still around today. I used it on my slots back in high school.

Edit: guess it does still have the same ingredients
http://whatsinproducts.com/files/bra...1337132354.pdf
http://m.eagleone.com/mag-wheel-cleaner

Re: The Hillbilly Deluxe dually build
 

Somewhere around 5 inches I'd say. The tires tuck cleanly up under the bed so there's a lot of room to play with. The bale didn't lower the truck but maybe half an inch or so.

There's nothing like the sound of a braying donkey to give that country ambiance.

Come to think of it, I haven't seen a snake near the shop in a few years.

Thank you Joe.

I'm glad to hear you're digging in. Eating an elephant seems impossible until you break it down into small manageable bites. But, you just have to keep taking those bites if you're to ever get it eaten.

Not yet. It still looks like hammered hell. When I get some more money I need to address the hanging idle issue, re-gear the speedometer for the new gear ratio, and do something about the bare metal floors. I've had a brand new rubber floor mat for a year now, I just need to add some insulation and install it. I'll just keep an eye out for better interior parts until I find some solution for the dash pad.

That's what I used, Muriatic Acid (hydrochloric acid). I have a bunch of it around the house, and it's pretty safe so that's exactly what I used. Hydrofloric acid is death in a bottle. I don't care to mess with that stuff at all. Knowing my clumsy ass, if I had some of that around, I'd wind up exposing myself to it somehow.

Re: The Hillbilly Deluxe dually build
 

Thank you, i already got a dose of Muratic acid fumes last time i used it for my seat tracks, will have to go purchase a 3-m respirator with acid vapor canisters, wont use it again till them :).

Did you dilute it? that would make the fumes not so bad.

Did forgot to mention that your work on the truck is top notch work!

Re: The Hillbilly Deluxe dually build
 

I dilute it about 50/50 or so. It's a very commonly used solution in my shop. The mixture is also good for cleaning gas tanks, wire ends, etc.

Re: The Hillbilly Deluxe dually build
 

Thanks again!

Re: The Hillbilly Deluxe dually build
 

Does the red circle highlight a brace between the front A-arm crossmember and the front frame horns? Is this 1-ton only?

Re: The Hillbilly Deluxe dually build
 

Yes. There are two brace rods on one tons. There are actually a number of added braces on these heavy trucks.

Here are pictures taken early in the project when I was replacing the bent swaybar mount.

http://i276.photobucket.com/albums/k...0557F4A1B6.jpg

http://i276.photobucket.com/albums/k...480DB580B3.jpg

Re: The Hillbilly Deluxe dually build
 

Updates?

Re: The Hillbilly Deluxe dually build
 

I consider it finished for now. Three days ago I pulled my next project (4x4 K2500) up to the shop and yanked the engine out of it. I'm up to my ears in engine pieces right now. The dually is good to go until I get a further motivation to go further with it. I'm not too optimistic though. Doing body work and interior on it is pretty low on my list of wants.

Re: The Hillbilly Deluxe dually build
 

:bann:Going to do a build thread? :)

Re: The Hillbilly Deluxe dually build
 

Build thread! Build thread! Build thread!!!