1971 K10 Stepside - Getting a Roller Roadworthy

[pjmoreland]

I picked up an NV4500 yesterday. Bought it from a guy way out in the desert in eastern Nevada who pulled it from a 1993 2500 WT with a V6 about 6 years ago with the intention of using it in a project that fell through. He said the truck had a little over 100,000 miles on it. He told me this after I had paid him for it. Hopefully that is accurate. It spins smoothly in all the gears. That's all I know at this point. He included a couple of shifters and a couple of original bell housings. My understanding is that the original bell housing won't work because the slave cylinder hangs down on the passenger side and will interfere with the front driveshaft. He also threw in a bunch of old Holley carbs and parts. I don't think I'll be able to use any of them on my SBC since they are 850 CFM models. Traffic on the way back was pretty bad because Running Man just finished up.

This transmission is a 2WD version, so I will be converting it to 4WD by installing a new main shaft and tail housing.

[loudchevy]

Sweet Project, Sub'd to follow along.

Those leaf spring brackets look scary with those square tubes booger welded to the bottom of the frame! ORD makes some really nice stuff. I have their Shackle Flip hangers on the rear of my K5

PO was really rocking out with (2) 6x9's cut into the bottom of the doors.

[pjmoreland]

Originally Posted by loudchevy

Sweet Project, Sub'd to follow along.

Those leaf spring brackets look scary with those square tubes booger welded to the bottom of the frame! ORD makes some really nice stuff. I have their Shackle Flip hangers on the rear of my K5

PO was really rocking out with (2) 6x9's cut into the bottom of the doors.

I really hope those booger welds are as weak as they look when it comes time to grind them off. It's gonna take way more time to remove them than it took to make them.

I will be welding up those gigantic speaker holes, but on the bright side it made it very easy to reach inside the door to help roll up the sticky window.

[57taskforce]

That’s a nice haul. I didn’t realize you could get a V6 with a 4500, I always figured they were all 3500’s, and I also didn’t know you could get a 88-98 2500 with a v6. I learned a few things today.

[pjmoreland]

Originally Posted by 57taskforce

That’s a nice haul. I didn’t realize you could get a V6 with a 4500, I always figured they were all 3500’s, and I also didn’t know you could get a 88-98 2500 with a v6. I learned a few things today.

I wasn't aware of that either. Based on what I can find doing a google search, the NV4500 was offered in the 88-98 W/T model, along with a V6, to increase the tow rating of the truck. Strange combo.

[clay68c10]

Originally Posted by pjmoreland

I wasn't aware of that either. Based on what I can find doing a google search, the NV4500 was offered in the 88-98 W/T model, along with a V6, to increase the tow rating of the truck. Strange combo.

That is interesting. Must have been a slug when loaded up or towing anything with a V6.
I have a 4500 in my 93 and it's going strong at 150k. I did change fluid in it at 100 just because it seemed like a good interval.
It's a good transmission. It has always had a touch of synchro "bite" on the 1-2 upshift if you're being speedy, but that's minor and avoidable.

[pjmoreland]

Originally Posted by clay68c10

That is interesting. Must have been a slug when loaded up or towing anything with a V6.
I have a 4500 in my 93 and it's going strong at 150k. I did change fluid in it at 100 just because it seemed like a good interval.
It's a good transmission. It has always had a touch of synchro "bite" on the 1-2 upshift if you're being speedy, but that's minor and avoidable.

Is your first gear so low that you don't usually use it?

[pjmoreland]

Installed the windshield. Usually i start at the top and work downward so that the corners are easy. This truck is so high off the ground though that it was too difficult to push up on the glass, so I started at the bottom this time. Those corners sure were a battle.

[franken]

Post a clear pic of the barcode tag or tell us what the big letters on it are and we might be able to decode it. The later NV4500s had a more square shifter housing so this one is 95 or older.

I put my glasses on and it looks like the tag has GXB on it and my doc says this:

MODEL YEAR 1994 - 6.34:1 RATIO GEAR SET
4X2 C-TRUCK 15960760 GXB ALL EXCEPT 6.5D

[pjmoreland]

Originally Posted by franken

Post a clear pic of the barcode tag or tell us what the big letters on it are and we might be able to decode it. The later NV4500s had a more square shifter housing so this one is 95 or older.

It says GXB on the label. The guy I bought it from said it was out of a '93.

[franken]

I updated post #34 w/ more info...

[pjmoreland]

Originally Posted by franken

I updated post #34 w/ more info...

Thanks!

[clay68c10]

Originally Posted by pjmoreland

Is your first gear so low that you don't usually use it?

Yes, it's a true granny low. Nice for taking off with a trailer or 4-wheel crawling in LO. Or parking in a crowded lot.
That said, the shifter calls it L, so the 1-2 shift I was referencing would be the 2-3 to those of us that remember the old school 4-speed shift patterns.

[pjmoreland]

Picked up a seat today. It's out of a '72 GMC.

[57taskforce]

Nice find! Looks like a Cheyenne seat to boot.

[pjmoreland]

I'm planning on buying this NP205 transfer case. It's got a round bolt pattern, so it should attach straight to the NV4500 without an adapter. The NV4500 tail housing will need to be notched to clear the shifter. I'll also have to swap out the input with a short 32-spline version. It has had its shifter shaved for a twin-stick setup.

[Ol Blue K20]

Nice find on the 205

[pjmoreland]

Originally Posted by Ol Blue K20

Nice find on the 205

My fingers are crossed that he gives me a chance to buy it from him and doesn't sell it to someone else. He's been out of town for a couple of weeks and gets back home on Monday.

[Ol Blue K20]

Originally Posted by pjmoreland

My fingers are crossed that he gives me a chance to buy it from him and doesn't sell it to someone else. He's been out of town for a couple of weeks and gets back home on Monday.

Good luck, I hope you get it.

[pjmoreland]

Found a nice original grille and front bumper today. Also found a set of rear drum parking brake levers. These are getting hard to find.

[Ol Blue K20]

Nice finds

[pjmoreland]

The rear differential has been without a cover for a while. It's not too rusty in there, but I did notice that someone has monkeyed with the rear end at some point because there are a bunch of thin carrier shims hanging half way out. I sprayed some oil on the gears and threw a cover on to keep the weather out for now.

[pjmoreland]

I picked up this NP205 in Nevada this evening.

[68bowtie]

Nice. Has it been rebuilt at some point?

[pjmoreland]

Originally Posted by 68bowtie

Nice. Has it been rebuilt at some point?

The guy I bought it from wasn't sure. I will be taking it apart to swap the long 32-spline input for a short 32-spline input, so that will give me the opportunity to see what's going on inside