Project: 72 Cheyenne K20 Restore

[ssuth9]

Hi All, newb here, to theses boards anyway..

I've been looking for a project for a while, So I purchased a 72 Cheyenne K20 a few weeks back and I've started tearing in to it this past weekend. I have visions of it moving along fairly quick and smooth, but after viewing many other projects on these forums I can see that I'm probably living a pipe dream..

But I've started anyway and I'll post new pics as I go..

Here are a few pics of day 1.

[cmabolt]

Hey ssuth9 welcome! What do you plan for the truck?? Original restore, restomod
or other?

Chris

[mud.man.rj]

Can't go wrong building a K20.

[ssuth9]

Originally Posted by cmabolt

Hey ssuth9 welcome! What do you plan for the truck?? Original restore, restomod
or other?

Chris

Hi CMABolt (Chris), Not 100% sure yet, I think I'm leaning toward semi-modified if there is such a thing.. I what it to Appear original as far as Paint, Chrome, Dash, etc.. But I also want to move the tank under the bed and add a Fuel Door. I also want to put dump it up to a 383, maybe swap out the Diff's. I'll need help from the pro's here to help me figure out what I have and what I should go with.. 4” Lift.. What else??

Steve

[ssuth9]

Originally Posted by mud.man.rj

Can't go wrong building a K20.

Thanks Mud.Man..

Steve

[mud.man.rj]

Nothing wrong with the diffs depending on tire size, a 35" all day no problem with 400hp, as for the lift a 4" should be plenty being a 3/4 ton is already a bit taller than a 1/2 ton, but again tire size and of course personal choice. Engine is nice weight wise to stick with a small block, cubic "s matter of course and a 383 is lind of best of both worlds, being able to rev well and cubic inchs for more torque, some will say Ls of course but cost a lot more to finish. Simple but effective is nice for repair and cost. My last 1 ton had a 454 with 530hp and 40" tires, fun for a bit but over kill which means less street driving.

[Bladeboy1998]

I'm in! Can't wait to see this come together!

[ssuth9]

Originally Posted by mud.man.rj

Nothing wrong with the diffs depending on tire size, a 35" all day no problem with 400hp, as for the lift a 4" should be plenty being a 3/4 ton is already a bit taller than a 1/2 ton, but again tire size and of course personal choice. Engine is nice weight wise to stick with a small block, cubic "s matter of course and a 383 is lind of best of both worlds, being able to rev well and cubic inchs for more torque, some will say Ls of course but cost a lot more to finish. Simple but effective is nice for repair and cost. My last 1 ton had a 454 with 530hp and 40" tires, fun for a bit but over kill which means less street driving.

I was thinking 33 x 12.5 or wider maybe.. I like the short stout look..
I know that the 3/4 tons do sit a little higher, so i was poking around in the forums for pic's. here are a few samples in the forums of the look I want.

[Bladeboy1998]

Let me see if I can share my photobucket album I have tons of 67-72 pics

[Bladeboy1998]

Let's see
http://s1369.photobucket.com/user/Bl...chevy%20trucks
might be some in there that you like. For some reason they are all doubled, not sure why though

[ssuth9]

Can someone help ID my Diff's and give input good/bad etc.

[ssuth9]

Originally Posted by Bladeboy1998

Let's see
http://s1369.photobucket.com/user/Bl...chevy%20trucks
might be some in there that you like. For some reason they are all doubled, not sure why though

Hi Bladeboy, thanks.. I have been cruising the forums looking for trucks, and looking for Lift and Tire Size combos to get an Idea of what 33's on a 4" lift would look like. and then there's the 1/2 ton vs 3/4 ton height to think about.

[cmabolt]

Well, as far as you axles, it depends on what you want to do. If you don't have plans to do serious wheeling or change axle ratios then what you have is fine. If you want the truck to be used for wheeling and heavy duty type work then you might look at swapping the front axel to a dana 60 and the rear to a corporate 14 bolt. Your front differential is a dana 44. Very good and reliable. Your rear diff is an HO52 made by eaton. If you want to make changes to the front you will be able to find anything you want to rebuild, change gears etc. The HO52 is no longer made/supported so parts are still available, but hard to find and changing gears is gonna be difficult unless you go with a ration that was made for those axles. Typically your gears will be 4:10 on the K20, but there is a tag attached to one of the bolts on the rear
diff which, if not removed, will have what the ratio is. I kept the dana 44 and found a dana 60 out of a 71 K20 GMC and it was a direct swap with no modifications whatsoever. This allowed me to have a rear axle that could be easily upgraded. i changed the gear ration to 3:73

As for lift and tires I went with a 2.5 inch lift and 285/70/17 tires. These tires replaced 33x12.5x16.5 tires. They are a little narrower then what you want, but I love the stance as compared to the 4" lift many go with.

Good luck and have fun. These truck are a tone of fun to work on.
The 383 is a good idea and will save you a ton of time/money and modifications as compared to doing an LS swap. I started with the same goals as you for my rebuild and it blossomed into something very different.


Chris

[ssuth9]

Originally Posted by cmabolt

Well, as far as you axles, it depends on what you want to do. If you don't have plans to do serious wheeling or change axle ratios then what you have is fine. If you want the truck to be used for wheeling and heavy duty type work then you might look at swapping the front axel to a dana 60 and the rear to a corporate 14 bolt. Your front differential is a dana 44. Very good and reliable. Your rear diff is an HO52 made by eaton. If you want to make changes to the front you will be able to find anything you want to rebuild, change gears etc. The HO52 is no longer made/supported so parts are still available, but hard to find and changing gears is gonna be difficult unless you go with a ration that was made for those axles. Typically your gears will be 4:10 on the K20, but there is a tag attached to one of the bolts on the rear
diff which, if not removed, will have what the ratio is. I kept the dana 44 and found a dana 60 out of a 71 K20 GMC and it was a direct swap with no modifications whatsoever. This allowed me to have a rear axle that could be easily upgraded. i changed the gear ration to 3:73

As for lift and tires I went with a 2.5 inch lift and 185/70/17 tires. These tires replaced 33x12.5x16.5 tires. They are a little narrower then what you want, but I love the stance as compared to the 4" lift many go with.

Good luck and have fun. These truck are a tone of fun to work on.
The 383 is a good idea and will save you a ton of time/money and modifications as compared to doing an LS swap. I started with the same goals as you for my rebuild and it blossomed into something very different.


Chris

Hi Chris, thanks for the info.. I don't plan on any real hardcore wheel'in, maybe just an occasional stroll in the mud with my kids..

I do have a 71 C20 that's going to be my donor, I did bend down this morning before work to see its Rear , and it looks different. Would it work? It did have a stabilizer bar on the top that went from center to the frame on the driver’s side.. (I'll attach a pic when I get home)

PS.. I dig the color you chose.

Steve

[ryanroo]

I am always ready to watch another K20 build!

a lot of the modifications in a resto-mod depend on your goals for the truck. the axles set you have is very competent. i will always try to swap a 14 bolt from a 73+ truck. the parts availability is much much better, the brakes are better, and with the right scrounging you can find one that only needs a shock bracket re-location and some degree shims to bolt in. the front axle could be left as is. as Chris said, you can match any ratio needed with a D44. there is every imaginable option. the odds are in favor that it has 4.10s.

the front dana 60 is an option, but it sounds like you will be happy with the 44 given your planned use. if you bumble into a d60 though...

i would stick with 4.10 gears for bigger tires. to make it a more friendly driver i would swap an overdrive transmission in it. the 4.10s and overdrive complement nicely.

so long as it is a longbed and a k20, i'm sure the outcome will be sweet no matter the build sheet.

Originally Posted by cmabolt

I started with the same goals as you for my rebuild and it blossomed into something very different.


Chris

You too?!

[ssuth9]

Originally Posted by ryanroo

I am always ready to watch another K20 build!

a lot of the modifications in a resto-mod depend on your goals for the truck. the axles set you have is very competent. i will always try to swap a 14 bolt from a 73+ truck. the parts availability is much much better, the brakes are better, and with the right scrounging you can find one that only needs a shock bracket re-location and some degree shims to bolt in. the front axle could be left as is. as Chris said, you can match any ratio needed with a D44. there is every imaginable option. the odds are in favor that it has 4.10s.

the front dana 60 is an option, but it sounds like you will be happy with the 44 given your planned use. if you bumble into a d60 though...

i would stick with 4.10 gears for bigger tires. to make it a more friendly driver i would swap an overdrive transmission in it. the 4.10s and overdrive complement nicely.

so long as it is a longbed and a k20, i'm sure the outcome will be sweet no matter the build sheet.



You too?!

Hi ryanroo, thanks for the input.. As I mentioned to (cmabolt) i have attached a pic of the Diff in my 71 C20 Donnor.. Can anyone help ID?

I'm doing the rebuild at a friends house in his shop about 20 miles from my house.. So I'll pretty much just get to work on it on Saturdays..

I'm itching for the weekend..

Steve

[JIMs70GMC]

Looks like a dana 60 to me.

[ryanroo]

dana 60 for sure. its a coil spring rear end though, and wont be a direct bolt in for your 4x4 chassis.

[cmabolt]

Yup.... Dana 60. Unfortunately, since your C20 has a different suspension setup then the 4x4's you will probably want to either stick with your Ho52 or go a different route. You can always sell this axle to help buy another. I think my dana 60 out of the junk yard was $100.

Good luck
Chris

[DeadheadNM]

Welcome to the board and good luck with your build!

I had similar ideas when I was at the beginning of my build. I was going to relocate the gas tank but decided it wasn't worth the hassle/expense of doing so. What is your goal in moving the tank?

Similarly, I was going to swap my Eaton HO52 rear axle for a 14 bolt or D60. I kept the HO52 for which I was able to locate all the parts I needed. I'm really glad I kept the HO52 - it's a great axle. You should be able to scrape together whatever parts you might need for the Eaton. The Dana 44 up front should serve you well.

Did the truck come with the original motor?

[ssuth9]

Originally Posted by DeadheadNM

Welcome to the board and good luck with your build!

I had similar ideas when I was at the beginning of my build. I was going to relocate the gas tank but decided it wasn't worth the hassle/expense of doing so. What is your goal in moving the tank?

Similarly, I was going to swap my Eaton HO52 rear axle for a 14 bolt or D60. I kept the HO52 for which I was able to locate all the parts I needed. I'm really glad I kept the HO52 - it's a great axle. You should be able to scrape together whatever parts you might need for the Eaton. The Dana 44 up front should serve you well.

Did the truck come with the original motor?

Thanks for the input Deadhead.

As far as the original motor I don't have it. But the guy I bought the truck from does. He used it in a build he is doing.

Saturday is almost here. then I can break it down to just the frame, and start the rebuild of the everything that takes/uses oil..

Steve

[ssuth9]

Thanks everyone for the input. I'll need to look more in the rear diff thing. It would most likely be easier/cheaper to pick up a D60 then to fit the one from my 71 C20..

I will post more pic as they come.

Thanks again for all the help so far.

Steve

[cmabolt]

I thought this link might be helpful. This is what I have behind the fuel door.
http://www.1aauto.com/ford-fuel-tank...=498395&y=1989

Looks like 89 ford F250 gas door. Link above is the fuel filler neck and hose with internal vent line.

Chris

[ssuth9]

Originally Posted by cmabolt

I thought this link might be helpful. This is what I have behind the fuel door.
http://www.1aauto.com/ford-fuel-tank...=498395&y=1989

Looks like 89 ford F250 gas door. Link above is the fuel filler neck and hose with internal vent line.

Chris

Nice.. Thanks Chris.

[ssuth9]

Well I didn't get as much done yesterday as I wanted.. The heat was getting to me, I took a break between 11-3..

I got back at it around 4'ish, a few pic's below. I'll pull the the rear diff next weekend, and then it's time to tear in to things.

What's everyone opinion, Paint or Powder Coat anything Black?