71 K20 Idaho Edition

[landarts]

I was not going to do a build thread on this truck when I bought it because it was going to be a quick fix a few items and let it go. Right before Covid hit I sold a truck the "68 Second Chance" and another K10 Cheyenne and made a few dollars toward my hobby fund. I noticed a bunch of really good deals popping up all over in the Pacific Northwest so I ended up buying five more trucks. A 68 K20 long bed stepside, a 72 K20 Custom Deluxe, 68 K20 truck minus the cab, 69 GMC 1/2 ton and this truck 71 K20 Custom. I was able to buy all these trucks and still have some hobby money left over to get some parts and work on them. Out of all the trucks I bought this 71 was a running and driving truck. After several conversation with the owner which was a graduate student up at the University of Idaho, he stated that a retired mechanic helped him get the mechanicals in order. He went through items that the motor needed and did a tune up, new hoses, alternator, plugs, wires etc., went through all the brakes, replaced all the body suspension rubber and a few other items.

After a few weeks of going back and forth, him sending several pictures since I was stuck in a state mandated lockdown and really did not want to drive six hours and possibly get turned around on the highway like a few people I know did going that direction. We struck a deal on the truck at $4000 and a case of Firestone Walker 805.

A few weeks later when the state wide lockdown was over one of my sons offered to go up and pick up the truck for me. He arrived on the location with the money and a case of Firestone Walker 805, drove it up on the trailer and got back on the road to my house.

The truck is really a great running truck is mechanically sound from what I can tell. The entire front clip is off of a 69 truck, the bed is rough but fixable. The only rust I could find on the entire truck was both front cab supports have some rust through about 1 inch by 3 inches and both cab corners on the backside are really smashed up and have been bent back several times are needing to cut a small section on each one and replace.

I have been driving the truck for the last few months and really enjoying how great it drives, fixing little things and getting it ready for a new paint job while still driving it. Any ways I decided to do a build thread and will be adding stuff to this thread to get everyone caught up to where it is present day. I will be working on this truck until it is done so I can afford to get back to the K10 build "69 from the field" and do a few of the upgrades that I have been wanting to do.