78 k10 build up

[bubbasandman]

hey yall, love the posts. first time post for me. Father in law got sick of this 78 custom deluxe in his drive way so he told me, "come get it and its yours". No complaints from me. So the vin says its a 78 but its got an 81 header panel and headlight set up....any thoughts would be great. The first thing I want to do is swap the axles to something a bit stronger. Its got 10 bolt up front and a 12 in the rear with an open diff. I want to run 35's possibly 37's with lockers. Suggestions on trucks to look for at the local pic and pull to find these beefier axles and gearing.
http://i1229.photobucket.com/albums/...stomdeluxe.jpg
http://i1229.photobucket.com/albums/...man/truck2.jpg
http://i1229.photobucket.com/albums/...man/truck3.jpg
http://i1229.photobucket.com/albums/...man/truck5.jpg
http://i1229.photobucket.com/albums/...man/truck6.jpg

[Toxic Redline]

First off and 2nd SCORE!! Lucky! thats is awesome that you get that for free!!

[Toxic Redline]

And as for the front end someone probably just swapped it out for that newer one nothing to worry bout unless you dont like it, but for free i wouldnt complain

[Chris Guthro]

I cant believe he said just to come get it! it looks mint

[mooseknuckles]

nice freebie!

[russgt]

Watch for 3/4 or 1 ton trucks in the bone yard. In the 3/4s look for a dana 44 for the front and a full floating 14 bolt in the back. These will hold up for light wheeling and everyday driving. If you want to do some serious wheeling, or just want the awe factor, look for a 1 ton with a dana 60 front axle. Preferably a single rear wheel version, but a dually axle can be converted with only a hub swap. There is a difference in rear axles between the 3/4 and 1 tons. Both are 14 bolts, but the 1 tons will have narrower spring perches than what the 3/4s and your 1/2 ton will have. Not the end of the world as they can be cut and moved. A dually 14 bolt will also need a hub swap to srw.

Your truck looks nice, did your father in law redo it?

[Pop's C-10]

nice score..

[bubbasandman]

He had it painted about 4 years ago and it's been parked ever since. It's got a bone stock 350 and th350 that are in desperate need of a face lift but it does start and run no prob. The interior looks like a pack of wolves has lived in it but it all seems rust free. YA! If i find some 1 ton axles and have to move the spring perches, is it fairly difficult? I've had my mig for about 2 weeks now and wielding is fairly new to me. Also, if I do swap the axles, do I order springs for a k10 or k30?
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[bubbasandman]

I decided on 37x12.50R17's. $500 a tire = ouch. Found some goodyear military hummer tires cheap, has anyone ran these? Interested to see how they do in the snow.

[jrcaprai]

I thought those Mtns in the background looked familiar

[bubbasandman]

Next question, truck has a 4bbl 350, I want to do a head to toe rebuild of this motor (crank, pistons, alum. headers, cam, intake, carb, etc.) but I've read that these 350s from the 70s have only 135 hp stock. Should I look for a different year 350 or would I be ok because I'm essentially tearing it down to the block. I'm aiming to hit 330+ hp and maybe even a bit more torque than that. Open to any thoughts/suggestions
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[motornut]

try to get the numbers from the back of the block it will help to make choices on what to do