If you were given a $2K budget???

[the67Beast]

Hey guys! Just for fun; if you were given a $2,000 cash budget, what projects would you complete on your truck?

I'd probably try and do a disc brake conversion on all 4 corners if I could get it all done for that amount of money.

[bigmac73]

for 2K you can redo your differential and upgrade to a Eaton Posi with all new axles and seals, bearings and ring and pinion.

or new brakes or a Dakota digital set up

I wish my project was still at the 2K limit , I am down to new Stroker SBC and a O/D tranny , paint and body and interior big ticket items that is why this 5 year plan has turned in to 10 year +

[neirfin]

excluding taxes and new parts only right?

i would try to squeeze in an auto tranny swap.

[BRL]

I would go with a quadrajet carburetor and an Edelbrock aluminum intake.

Right now I'm running an Edelbrock 600 CFM carb. (squarebore) and Edelbrock intake, but I always loved the sound of the spreadbore secondaries opening up on a quadraget!

...then maybe rent a pressure washer and get some paint for this dang compartment!

Oh yea, gotta toss in ceramic coated headers too!

[weq92f]

.
I had 4000...went round and round and round with what projects to do on the truck... pretty much everything was up to date, gone through, upgraded and rocking except for...
.
o coil over or bagged suspension ( you can easily spend 4k+ here )
o big brakes up front disc in rear ( wilwood front/rear is about 4000 for the big stuff )
.
.
.
So...I did the right thing and did a top end refresh on my BBC instead! Had the iron heads gone through ( 1400 ), upgraded to dual fan electric cooling ( 350 ), installed retrofit roller camshaft/roller lifters/two piece front cover w/adjustable button ( 1100 ), Hedman headers (460 + 100 muffler shop welding ) and misc supplies/gaskets/etc ( 200 ).

Hth,

-klb

[sick472]

+1 on the rear end as mine is a highway gear single track.

Other ideas would be to add cab steps like the ones that fold out when the door is opened, add a receiver hitch, new springs all the way around, & power steering. Maybe I could get all that in at $2K???

[SeanB242]

My next step is motor and tranny. Ain’t no big block getting built for 2K so I’d get the tranny.

[sick472]

+1 on the Quadra-Jet too...can I request more in my budget?

[pjmoreland]

When I first bought my truck, it had been severely neglected. It was missing quite a few parts like sun visors, a rear view mirror, windshield wipers, carpet, TH400 kickdown switch, radio, dome light, elbow rests, rear bumper, torque converter cover, steering column covers, glove box liner, etc. The key didn't work in the door locks. It had several bad oil leaks, the heater core was no good, the heater controls were broken, none of the gauges worked, the tail lights didn't work, the neutral safety switch was failing, the turn signal switch was broken, etc. I spent well over $2000 on these things in the first couple months of ownership just making the truck safe and enjoyable to drive. You should see how long the list of parts I've bought is. It's pretty crazy. I wouldn't even bother with any high-dollar upgrades on a limited budget unless all of the little things are already taken care of. The one upgrade I did do early on though was to install a power brake booster. There's no way I would trust anyone else in my household to drive my truck if it still had manual brakes. Fortunately, it came with power steering. If it hadn't, then that would have been high on the priority list.

[chevy71super]

I’ve been working on my truck for 20+ years and there is always something to do! If I had $2,000 the wife wouldn’t miss I would add hydro boost brakes (4X4 with large tires) and redo the entire exhaust from front to back.

[weq92f]

Originally Posted by chevy71super

I’ve been working on my truck for 20+ years and there is always something to do! If I had $2,000 the wife wouldn’t miss I would add hydro boost brakes (4X4 with large tires) and redo the entire exhaust from front to back.

What would you do with the rest of the money? LOL


-klb

[Greasey Harley]

Rust repair. Rocker panels and such, maybe a fresh set of cab bushings too. $2K should just about cover it.
Did I win? Do I get the money?

[jimijam00]

Swap the TH400 and 3:08s for a 700R4 and 3:55s.

[special-K]

Build another 350... into a 383. Is that what the engine I'd like to build cost? No, but if someone gave me $2,000 I'd come up with the rest, then reseal my TH350 & NP205

['68OrangeSunshine]

I could blow the first grand on bucket seats in my '71 Jimmy, and the second on A/C.

[Sheepdip]

I'd be just like a government contract, start with a contract for $2,000 and there would be a bunch of cost over runs to total in the neighborhood of $30,000

['68OrangeSunshine]

Originally Posted by Sheepdip

I'd be just like a government contract, start with a contract for $2,000 and there would be a bunch of cost over runs to total in the neighborhood of $30,000

Too true.

[palallin]

Redo my longstep bed: nothing fancy, just more solid that the current iteration.

[ChevyRacefan]

Swap to hydra boost brakes .
No Idea if that eat the 2k budget.
But I'd think the mount kit, the unit and lines and pump to run it would eat most if not all of it.
If not. a new carpet. and tune up parts.

[Dieselwrencher]

I'd like to put different turbos on my orange truck so i can actually put a block heater cord on it. That would eat up all that $2k. I think for now, I'll just get the tcase shifter installed and maybe put a grid heater operating system on it. Oh, and replace the blower motor switch and hvac housings that got kicked/broken.

[MAC71Cheyenne]

Run backwards....Edelbrock carb to Q-jet, headers to ram horns, stock height HD springs.

[cj847]

Well, I will let you in on my story. I bought a 71 C10 that was basically a "daily driver" with near new engine, transmission, tires, and paint job. So, let the mods begin right? Wrong.......long story short, I have spent over $4k on the truck making it safe, reliable, and comfortable so far.

So, my vote is save the $2k for repairs and maintenance.......BORING I know.

[dmjlambert]

Patch the headliner and the dash pad holes so I can have no headliner and no dash pad, patch the radio area, and paint the entire inside of the cab. I'm thinking of going with frost white for the metal surfaces of the interior, except selected items in saddle, such as steering column, steering wheel, visors, A/C outlets. Then outfit my truck with an original AM radio and center dash speaker just like from the factory.

[leddzepp]

Go to Vegas and try to quadruple that amount because it won’t get you very far.

[69GMC2004]

I'm not sure that 2K would even get me rolling again....