Drivability of 68 Sub over 71-72

[CheyLadd]

I am looking at a 68 K20 Suburban (manual tranny) and would like to get some feedback from those of you that have or have had a 68 and a 71 or 72 truck or sub. I have had 2 71 K20 subs that I loved. They were very drivable daily and comfortable. I have also had 5 trucks in those years, some auto and some manual. I currently have a 72 K10 shorty super.

My question is, how much different is a 68 Sub going to be. It is 4X4, manual tranny and no power steering. I will swap in front disk easy enough but from searching on the forum, a power steering swap is going to be much tougher. Would it totally wear you out as a daily driver?

Also, is the t-case an NP205 and is the tranny the sm465? Assuming it is stock?

Thanks in advance for any help. The sub is very original with minimal rust and the 327 is running well. I haven't seen it yet but will soon.

[Yukon Jack]

That should have a Dana 44 closed knuckle axle. I'm not sure how easy or if it is possible to switch it over to disc brakes. Would you be changing axles to get the disc brakes or trying to keep the axle but change over to disc spindles. The closed knuckle axle has a pretty poor turning radius so changing the axle would be a plus to improve on that.

The transfer case should be a Rockwell T221 as the NP205 was not used in our trucks until late 1969.

I had manual steering in my 69 K20 and even with 35" tires, it wasn't the end of the world to not have power steering. However, jump over to the 4x4 subforum to get an idea on what it takes to add power steering to a 68 - I can't recall off hand if it is just 1967 that is a little involved or both 1967 and 1968. I did change my truck to power steering and do enjoy it.

The transmission should be the SM465 I believe.

Here is a pic of an SM465/NP205 combo





And a pic of an SM465/Rockwell T221 combo for reference