New guy with new project

[shadetree pro]

hey guys,
nice group ya got here .....so, i just came into my first chevy truck a few weeks ago by chance (step-brother's mother/neighbor's boyfreind went to jail and she needed a running car, i traded an 88 honda accord). so i don't know much about it, as i won't except his collect calls to ask...lol. but i was told it had a vortec 350, and i know it has a 350 trans, torker 2 intake on a 650 edelbrock, w/ headers.
truck didn't run when i got it. i did; new starter, battery, trans pan gasket & filter, replaced broken passing gear lever (inside trans), exhaust(no collectors, no cats, 3' of 3" to duel flo's), fuel pressure guage, new ele.fuel pump(in that order), and a bunch of detail crap, this is a true redneck hotrod, and the previous owners seem to have had less cash than common sense, but i see potential. i could go on, but let's get to the pics and questions.

here's some before pics


had to clean up the interior some

??


so, i'm wondering if the centerbolt heads can give an idea as to what kind of heads they are, and/or the kind of block, i can't find any flange or markings at all, like i saw written about in the I.D. this engine thread, it sits too far back in the well to get on top of the back with anything....so, any ideas?

also, the suspention is going out, i've seen alot off talk about lowering with kits, for existing susp. but is there and upgrade in the acual components that will get me the drop i want, since i'm replacing the stuff anyway? money is a bit of an issue, at least for right now. but if i could kill 2 birds.....ya know.

and thanx to everone on the carb adj. thread, that helped me out alot.

[Jonboy]

Welcome! If you can snap a pic of the intake at the head, thet will really help ID them, as to whether they are vortec heads or not.

[68Stepbed]

How many bolts hold the intake on? If there are 2 bolts in each corner and none in the middle(total 8), they will be vortec heads. If there are 12 bolts holding the intake on(2 in each corner and 2 in the middle on each side), they will just be 87 & later heads. Hope this helps.

[84 400]

nice start. they seem like vortechs but with no intake pics and no numbers it is hard to tell. What are your plans for it? body wise? interesting color for the gauge cluster i can't say i would have picked it but its your truck. nice start and good luck. Also who sold the truck the boyfreind threw the boyfreind.........
anyway nice truck man definatly fworth an 88 honda





By the way is that a glass fuel filter? is so you may want to change that. they are notorious for causeing engine fires. i should not talk cause i have one on my 84 but i have recived alot of replies telling me to take it off

[87burb]

whats with the white and blue dash?

i love that body style truck btw, nice score.

[Slonaker]

Originally Posted by 87burb

whats with the white and blue dash?

The center bolt valvecovers started in '87, so you know the heads are '87 or newer.

Slonaker

[shadetree pro]

cool, thanx. it looks like a no go on the vortec, i see 2 middle bolts. here's a few closer looks at the haymay i found under the hood........ok, some of it is my haymay! but check out the rigged power steering pump, i'll be pulling that soon!

i believe what you say about the filters, you can see, how close it is to my headers, i think i'll move it down before the fuel pump, by the frame. any idea why it happens?

and as for the paint, well, i have been brushing up on my rattle can work, and when i got the truck it was ........overdone to the point of rediculus with black and red(all the black and red) so i figured, what the hell, i had the white vynle paint, and blue plastics paint left over from the honda, it looked alot like this:


i had to do the head gaskets on the family buick, maybe i got carried away.....maybe! i'm hoping to sell it soon, thought maybe that would help.......not so sure now, lol.
so here' the intake anyways


the jacked up pump(in both directions!)


and the fuel pump/filter


my getto red rear end(i did not do that!!).........anyone got a quick idea of the gears?


a better veiw



as for what i plan to do, well as you can see, i got alot of work, the outside and int. won't change much till i get a few more things taken care of; new radiator(have a single core w/ a hole in it), new p.s. pump, obviously, better fuel pump, tank, lines, etc., switch steering collumns(i have a good one, came with the truck), remove the left-over a/c componants., and clean up that wiring, new aftermarket dist/coil, maybe msd ingnition, than a better trans(5 spd prob), new shocks, springs, leafs, (bags?), etc. you get it, workin' on a sleeper, ugly, but fast.

so, any ideas on the suspention?
thanx again guys.

[82c10]

jack the truck up and spin the wheel/tire, count how many turns of the driveshaft to one full turn of the wheel, and now you should know what gears you have, he was talking about getting rid of the glass fuel filter altogether, because they are known for breakin' and causin a fire, they just get brittle and break, also you probably want to get rid of the pcv valve, and put a regular one in, those are known to be crappy, and i would atleast put a breather in the one you got a hose with a screw in, you can also get rid of the red with some more spray paint.

[454HO]

Looks like a solid truck to start with.

Originally Posted by shadetree pro

so, any ideas on the suspention?

Basically there are 3 ways to do a static drop on the front. The cheapest way is lowering springs (or you could cut your original springs). Lot's of guys do this, some end up complaining about the ride quality afterwards. And unfortunately, just changing springs does not fix other worn out parts. The mid-priced way to lower is use lowering spindles. But again, changing these will not address any of the other worn out suspension parts, but it does retain the original ride quality. The 3rd most common, and arguably the most expensive, way is lowering control arms. These usually come with all new ball joints and control arm bushings. So you can essentially kill two birds with one stone. Now, if you can find someone that has an unused set of lowering control arms they are willing to part with (hint hint), that might be your best solution.

For the rear, a set of shackles are cheap and get you 2" drop. If that's not enough of a drop, then I would suggest going the axle flip route.

[boxrodz]

Originally Posted by shadetree pro

..., new shocks, springs, leafs, (bags?), etc. you get it, workin' on a sleeper, ugly, but fast.

so, any ideas on the suspention?
thanx again guys.

To expand on what Greg posted, you could sling it down to 4-6. Along with a flip kit in the rear and drop spindles in front, add some bags in front and some blocks out back to fine tune your drop. Here's a older post with some further details:

Originally Posted by boxrodz

You can achieve a 4-6 drop like 84Custom has or you can go a more popular route like some of the guys have mentioned:

In front, if you plan on retaining your 15" wheel, you may want to go with a 2 1/2" drop spindle. This will avoid any clearance problems between the 15" wheel and the LCA like Slonaker mentioned. Going with a drop spindle also maintains the geometry of the front suspension. Then, add 1 1/2" drop coils. Western Chassis offers both items. When ordering drop spindles, you'll need to know whether or not you have heavy duty brakes by measuring the thickness of the brake rotor. Your brake rotors will measure out at either 1" or 1 1/4" where 1 1/4" is the heavy duty brake system.

In the rear, a flip kit which flips the axle from under the leaf spring to above the lift spring pack would give you a ~5" drop. The flip kit includes brackets that also realigns the pinion angle and maintains the proper drive shaft spacing after the drop. Shock extenders may be included to extend the lowered shock length and retain the some shock angle. Installing the flip kit is relatively simple, aside from having to remove snubber mount (rivets). To drop the rear even lower, using drop shackles like Jeff and 74gmc suggests are common. However, installing the drop shackle may involve notching the rear sill bracket of the bed floor for clearance. To avoid this clearance issue, lowering blocks may be used instead to avoid any clearance issues. Lowering block kits come with the lowering block in various drop ranges (1", 2", ...) and longer U-bolts. DJM offers the flip kip, drop shackles and/or lowering block kits. In the end, you will want to maintain, at least 3" clearance between the axle tube and the frame rail. Otherwise, you may need to notch the frame rail and install a C-notch kit. To determine the axle tube -to- frame rail clearance prior to your drop:

• measure the distance between the bottom of the frame rail and the top of the axle tube,

• then measure the distance between the bottom of the axle tube and the top of the leaf spring pack,

• the difference between the two measurements is the clearance you'll end up with less a 1/4" or so for the thickness of the bracket.

As a alternative, in the front, you can go with a 3" drop spindle instead of the 2 1/2" drop spindle if you intend on running larger wheels (> 15"). Dropped LCAs are also available but should not be used in combination with dropped spindles. You could also run bags, plates and cups instead of a drop spring for ride comfort and adjustability. In the rear, lowered leaf springs, drop hangers/shackles are also available for these trucks. BTW, it is also possible to cut the stock coil spring in front to get the drop of a lowered spring and de-arch the rear spring pack to obtain the drop of lowered leaf springs. With a lowered stance, drop shocks for the front and the rear may be needed.

On a drop of 4/6 (or 5/7), check the backspacing of the wheels you plan on running to avoid any rubbing on the fender wells. Also, expect some LCA damage unless you drive cautiously on rough roads, over speed bumps, entrances, ...

Belltech, DJM and Western Chassis all make lowering components for these trucks. You can visit truckshop.com, stylinconcepts.com, sporttruckdirect.com, performancesuspension.com, macssprings.com to name a few to order the items you need.

Good luck on your build-up (er, down).

Looks like you got your work cut out for you.
Good wrenching...

[lilpup69chevy]

on my 77 swb i had a friend custom make me some drop shackles i did have to notch the bed for it and i took out a rear leaf spring didn't use it to haul anything except butt and that it did

[shadetree pro]

also you probably want to get rid of the pcv valve, and put a regular one in, those are known to be crappy

funny you just said that, i was messin with it today, and it came apart in my hands !! what crap ! so...... i got it to catch oil ( i got a bit of extra blo back), should i just get an elbow pcv, or get the edelbrock brand cap?

and i would atleast put a breather in the one you got a hose with a screw in,

i was told the pcv vacuum and my blo back were a delicate balance, and i should make sure it's a closed circut, i was told to go with twin pcvs or a plug, and twin pcvs don't work so.......? i am looking for something, but this is kinda new ground 4 me.

he was talking about getting rid of the glass fuel filter altogether, because they are known for breakin' and causin a fire, they just get brittle and break,

that sux, i just got that, i gotta keep it for a little while, but i do want to get the holley pump/ filter/ regulator combo when i can afford it. a guy was gettin rid of the pump, filter, twin regulators, and NOS lines to the tank for $180 on my local CL, but i can't do it now !!

so, for the susp., i'm thinkin drop shocks and cut springs in front (2" only, if i can hit it) and flip kit with drop shocks on rear (for just 3" if i can hit it). do they make adj. shocks for these trucks?

thanx for all the help guys!

[82c10]

Originally Posted by shadetree pro

funny you just said that, i was messin with it today, and it came apart in my hands !! what crap ! so...... i got it to catch oil ( i got a bit of extra blo back), should i just get an elbow pcv, or get the edelbrock brand cap?



i was told the pcv vacuum and my blo back were a delicate balance, and i should make sure it's a closed circut, i was told to go with twin pcvs or a plug, and twin pcvs don't work so.......? i am looking for something, but this is kinda new ground 4 me.



that sux, i just got that, i gotta keep it for a little while, but i do want to get the holley pump/ filter/ regulator combo when i can afford it. a guy was gettin rid of the pump, filter, twin regulators, and NOS lines to the tank for $180 on my local CL, but i can't do it now !!

so, for the susp., i'm thinkin drop shocks and cut springs in front (2" only, if i can hit it) and flip kit with drop shocks on rear (for just 3" if i can hit it). do they make adj. shocks for these trucks?

thanx for all the help guys!

just get a regular elbow type one , and this part number 555-50197 from www.jegs.com is a breather for you to use where you have the one capped off, it will be better for u to use it instead of the capped off line,oh, and the flip kits are for 5 and 6 inch drops, you can't get them for 3" drops

[shadetree pro]

de-arch the rear spring pack to obtain the drop of lowered leaf springs

sorry, i was thinkin this, don't know why i said flip!?! i'm not sure what de-arch is, but it sounds self-explanitory as far as what it will do. i think this will get me less room to play than a flip.

[N2TRUX]

Welcome to the forum shadetree pro. It looks like you got a solid truck out of the deal. To bad it's been rigged so much. It looks like your headed in the right direction though. Keep us posted on your progress...

[MylilBowTie]

Rear gears are probably 2.73s or 3.08s those are really common. Best way to find out is pull the cover and clean it out. Look on the ring gear it will have something like 41 16 that would be 2.56 gear ratio or 41 15 = 2.73. I would pull the axles and put new axle seals in. New gear oil and diff cover gasket. You will also be able to see how hard the truck has be beat on looking at the condition of things while its cleaned out.