The Backyard Build - My '75 K10

[T_Rip75]

Hi, I'm Trip, I've been reading and learning from the good people on here and decided I'd use the vast knowledge that is available to try and breath a little life into a new acquired 1975 Chevy K10. I plan to do a little engine work and clean up, refresh the interior and body, and whatever mechanical work needs to be done. I'm a married father of two with a third on the way so needless to say I am working on a budget. I hope to get input and tips from anybody who is willing to share them and maybe I can help somebody else along the way too.

So this is the starting line:

[lowrodderchev]

Nice truck keeping the wood grain?

[T_Rip75]

I haven't decided on the wood grain yet. I'm going to go black on the interior so I'm thinking about just going black and chrome or aluminum. I have been having a hard time finding a dash molding that doesn't have A/C cut outs.

[T_Rip75]

So I've started a little work on the interior. I've removed most of the trim panels and I am going to try to dye/paint them myself. I did refinish one of the door panels and installed it just to get a feeling for it. So far I like it.

On a side note, does anyone know how to rotate the pictures?

[lowrodderchev]

Are those 77 door panels? My 75 blazer has the taller skinny arm rest. I painted black with the SEM interior paint was easy money

[T_Rip75]

Originally Posted by lowrodderchev

Are those 77 door panels? My 75 blazer has the taller skinny arm rest. I painted black with the SEM interior paint was easy money

Yeah I'm pretty sure they are. Somebody changed the door panels somewhere along the way.

[77K10Silverado]

Originally Posted by T_Rip75

Yeah I'm pretty sure they are. Somebody changed the door panels somewhere along the way.

Those panels are newer like mid 80's.

Cool truck, love the K10s when kept original!

[T_Rip75]

Originally Posted by 77K10Silverado

Those panels are newer like mid 80's.

Cool truck, love the K10s when kept original!

Thanks man. After very exhaustive research (about 3 minutes in the LMC catalog) it looks like they are the '81-'87 door panels.

[T_Rip75]

So when I got the truck the alternator was shot, the battery was dead, the right rear leaf spring was busted, and you can see the general physical condition of the interior and body.

To date I have replaced the alternator and battery so I can at least start and move the truck around my driveway and even used it to move some cut down brush which gave me a huge sense of satisfaction. Nothing like using a truck like a truck right? The previous owner did buy a set of junkyard springs to replace the busted one and even did me the courtesy of cutting the bed bolts and spring bolts to make sure I ordered all new hardware. Here's the bad news, upon cleaning the replacement springs I notice that there is a broken leaf. Have any of you guys priced out a set of replacement leaf springs? Most of the places I found them cost more than I paid for the truck. I did find a website called truckspring.com that had the springs at half the cost of anybody else I came across. When they came in I was pretty impressed with the quality and I am super happy with the purchase. As you see in the pictures above I have also started to strip the interior and and soon as I get some more progress shots I'll get them posted.

[rusty76]

Cool truck and I'll be watching for sure. Hopefully you can get some springs for it soon.

[T_Rip75]

Originally Posted by rusty76

Cool truck and I'll be watching for sure. Hopefully you can get some springs for it soon.

Thanks Rusty.

And BOOM!

I got springs (even though the picture is upside down. Seriously does anybody know how to fix this?)

[T_Rip75]

So I've decided to try my hand at repairing my old headliner. The old vinyl headliner hung down in my face making me look like a sheep dog so I pulled it and all the trim panels out. I'm planning to refinish the trim panels soon but I wasn't too sure what to do about the headliner. A full replacement is a little more than I could bring myself to spend, especially since the headliner pad/cushion/thingy is still in surprisingly good shape. That being the case I decided to make my wife and daughters go with me to the local fabric store and I found some headliner material and adhesive. Then I spent the afternoon cutting and trimming the material then I glued it to the old pad/cushion/thingy and did some more cutting and trimming. While I know it's not period or OE correct and I can see a few places the glue didn't stick as well as I would have liked but overall for a first attempt and for no more than it cost me, I'm pretty happy with the results.

[77K10Silverado]

Stock lift on the springs? I did my rears this year too. Gave it a nice boost without the sag due to age. Pics in my build page!

[T_Rip75]

Originally Posted by 77K10Silverado

Stock lift on the springs? I did my rears this year too. Gave it a nice boost without the sag due to age. Pics in my build page!

Yeah, stock height replacements. I'm assuming you replaced all the hardware for your springs? If so where did you get the hardware (u-bolts and shackle bolts)?

[T_Rip75]

So I've been doing a little cleaning and prep work to get ready to spray the interior trim panels. Just had to replace my well pump due to a lightning strike so the truck budget is pretty low right now.

[T_Rip75]

Oh, I almost forgot, I did get these little jokers in the mail Monday. Got'em for $30 on e-bay and I'm pretty stoked at the shape they're in.

[lowrodderchev]

That's pretty cheap for them they look clean

[77K10Silverado]

Yeah the caps look good.

[T_Rip75]

Originally Posted by lowrodderchev

That's pretty cheap for them they look clean

Originally Posted by 77K10Silverado

Yeah the caps look good.

Yeah, they are actually better than I expected. They do have a ding or two and some scratches but for $30 I couldn't pass them up.