70 K10 Budget Build

[livingj]

I got hold of an ok barn-painted 70, but grew tired of elbowing my kids in the face while reefing on the steering wheel to get around town. It has a 350 SBC circa 1986, an original 4 speed & NP205, 3:27 gears.

I scored an 81 K20 with a 6" lift for dirt cheap because it had various things I want on my truck, like a 6" lift, HEI, power steering, power brakes, front disc, fan clutch, and also the tires on the 8 lug were barely used. They're 33" on a 16.5 inch wheel, which means I'm going to use the 3/4 ton axles. And the lift is a rear block, but beggars can't be choosers. I don't know if they're a 3:73 or 4:11, and the tags are gone. Anyone know an easy way to tell?

Also, the motor is getting cleaned up with a gasket set, some vortec heads, and a new cam. I picked up a set of heads out of a local pick n pull for $60 & they're with a local guy right now, getting re-faced. They'll be a nice improvement for a grand total of $160. Oh, and a rear-mount gas tank. Probably some other stuff too, but we'll see. I'm kind of in a hurry to get this done because this is my only truck, and my friend was kind enough to let me use his shop. Unfortunately I have a job I'm required to attend in order to fund this little project.

[livingj]

A few pictures of where these shenanigans are leading...

The engine compartment will need some help, and the transmission and transfer case were covered in 45 years worth of grease and mud. Not bad overall. Got it all cleaned up, should have taken it to the fire department and had them do it.

[Kennuck]

Sounds like a cool build. Welcome to the forum. Your pics are not showing up. We need pics :-)

[livingj]

The transmission & transfer are out and mostly clean. I may as well break them apart & make sure nothing leaks before it goes back in. I only need one new u-joint! The exhaust that's on there, I had to put in when I first bought the truck almost 2 years ago. It has a few leaks on the top welds that will be easy to take care of now.

Next, I'll clean up & paint the frame with KBS, tear into the motor while that dries. Pretty excited about the KBS, that stuff is awesome.

[livingj]

Originally Posted by Kennuck

Sounds like a cool build. Welcome to the forum. Your pics are not showing up. We need pics :-)

That's wierd, I can see them on my computer. Maybe it takes a while.

[livingj]

Between kids and everything else going on, I haven't been at the shop much lately, and I certainly haven't been on the computer.

I took the fuel and brake lines off the frame, and removed the front axle and leaf springs. The front crossmember was twisted really bad, and welded to the frame in three spots (Not the right spots); the rivet holes were torn apart. I had to cut the welds, drive out the remaining rivet, and pull it out. I am going to get a new one from a junk yard. I also had to drive the other three rivets out of the frame.

The passenger side front-front leaf spring mount had three rivets that were pretty worn out, and it was hanging loosely. I cut the heads off the rivets and drove them out. I took out the rear axle and leaf springs, and carted the exhaust away. One of the center bolts on the leaf spring was bent, and was very difficult to remove. I ended up just working it back and forth while injecting wd-40 until I could drive it out.

I am finally down to a completely bare frame and I almost have it cleaned up and ready for paint. If I get lucky and am granted permission to leave the house today, I'll get it painted.

The engine - (Sorry, no pictures) My brother in law has it in his garage, along with the transmission and transfer case. He's helping me on that end to help save some time, and so it runs after it's put together. The junkyard heads I got had taken some water and needed a little work, cost me $100 and one valve. Not bad. One head is completely assembled now, with Z-28 valve springs. I went with more spring to take the new cam, which is a comp cam .465 - .480 4x4 cam. It should match nicely with the Vortec heads and create good low and mid-range torque.

I also acquired a hide-a-ball gooseneck hitch because I agreed to put a flatbed on a truck for a guy, so that will be going on my 70. This will remain a working truck when I'm finished working on it...

[livingj]

I pulled an all-nighter and painted the frame with KBS gloss black last night. I love how easy this stuff is to use, and how nice it looks when you're done. I'll have some cutting, bolting & touch-up to do later in the rear, but I couldn't help myself. This was done by paintbrush. I'll put the second coat on tonight (Provided I can keep my eyes open) and take some close-ups. I wish the shop had better lighting, maybe someday!

[68Gold/white]

Good work! Keep it up!!!

[livingj]

Originally Posted by 68Gold/white

Good work! Keep it up!!!

Thanks, I'll keep plugging away every chance I get!

[livingj]

I got the second coat started but I wasn't able to finish because something else came up. Here's a close-up of what the KBS looks like on second coat. This is after cleaning up the frame with a wire wheel and de-greasing it. Very minimal prep, and looks way better than rust-oleum spray paint.