"Crewcab Jake" the 84 to 74 conversion

[83GMCK2500]

Oh, another build to follow with great features and fine attention to detail! I'm excited.

Preliminary questions that I don't think have been asked or already answered:

Keeping it 8-lug? Interior/exterior color(s), single tone, two-tone, deluxe two-tone? (You mentioned an early pattern to the seats, I love the green houndstooth they used to use.) Have any of your trucks had a wrapped dash? Are you a fan of that look? The possibilities with stitching are intriguing. With your use of Mike Losh's tubs on Elwood, would you consider a set of his buddy buckets for Jake? Possible Vortec 454 you say, backed by a 4L80E? I haven't researched the newer stuff, would it be possible to use one of the newer 6-speed autos?

[N2TRUX]

Originally Posted by 83GMCK2500

Oh, another build to follow with great features and fine attention to detail! I'm excited.

Preliminary questions that I don't think have been asked or already answered:

Keeping it 8-lug? Interior/exterior color(s), single tone, two-tone, deluxe two-tone? (You mentioned an early pattern to the seats, I love the green houndstooth they used to use.) Have any of your trucks had a wrapped dash? Are you a fan of that look? The possibilities with stitching are intriguing. With your use of Mike Losh's tubs on Elwood, would you consider a set of his buddy buckets for Jake? Possible Vortec 454 you say, backed by a 4L80E? I haven't researched the newer stuff, would it be possible to use one of the newer 6-speed autos?

Lets see if I can break these down.

Suspension- I have given it lots of thought and the 14 bolt C20 suspension limits what aftermarket products I can use. I plan to go with a 89-91 10 bolt with 3.73 gears. Its not as HD as the 14 bolt but it will do everything I need it to and gives me an unlimited selection in wheel styles.

I will be working with RideTech again. Its possible we may update the early style 4 link, and E3 system. I will probably run 1/4" valves rather than the Big Red 3/8" I have used in the past.

Interior- I plan to run a stock styled interior. I am working with Mike Losh to design a seat bracket so his Buddy Bucket will fit a 73-87 floor. I havent decided what insert material I will use yet, but I plan for a retro style two tone to emulate the 1974 era. No, I'm not a big fan of wrapped or stitched dashes. I have an NOS pad that I will dye to match.

Motor- I am still looking at the 8.1 with a 4l80 or 4l60. I love the 6.2s as well, but they are expensive right now. I have even considered a 7.4 Vortec as an option. The deciding factor will be what I find as a fair priced donor.

Color- I'm not a big fan of color changes unless you take a truck apart completely. In those case "most" of the truck will be apart, but not "all" of it. Consequently, I will stick with the factory red thats on it now. It will have a secondary color, but it will not be white like it is now.

Bed- I am looking at adding a wood floor. If I do, it will probably be stained to match the body color. The possibility of a tilt floor panel has been considered as well.

I have a gazillion other ideas but we will see if time and money allow those to happen.

[83GMCK2500]

Originally Posted by N2TRUX

Lets see if I can break these down.

Suspension- I have given it lots of thought and the 14 bolt C20 suspension limits what aftermarket products I can use. I plan to go with a 89-91 10 bolt with 3.73 gears. Its not as HD as the 14 bolt but it will do everything I need it to and gives me an unlimited selection in wheel styles.

I will be working with RideTech again. Its possible we may update the early style 4 link, and E3 system. I will probably run 1/4" valves rather than the Big Red 3/8" I have used in the past.

Interior- I plan to run a stock styled interior. I am working with Mike Losh to design a seat bracket so his Buddy Bucket will fit a 73-87 floor. I havent decided what insert material I will use yet, but I plan for a retro style two tone to emulate the 1974 era. No, I'm not a big fan of wrapped or stitched dashes. I have an NOS pad that I will dye to match.

Motor- I am still looking at the 8.1 with a 4l80 or 4l60. I love the 6.2s as well, but they are expensive right now. I have even considered a 7.4 Vortec as an option. The deciding factor will be what I find as a fair priced donor.

Color- I'm not a big fan of color changes unless you take a truck apart completely. In those case "most" of the truck will be apart, but not "all" of it. Consequently, I will stick with the factory red thats on it now. It will have a secondary color, but it will not be white like it is now.

Bed- I am looking at adding a wood floor. If I do, it will probably be stained to match the body color. The possibility of a tilt floor panel has been considered as well.

I have a gazillion other ideas but we will see if time and money allow those to happen.

What is it about the C20 suspension that limits your suspension goals/plans? It seems like the market for 8-lug stuff has steadily been increasing (following lots of lowered C30 builds), granted that market still isn't where the 5-lug one is, but it is growing. I ask because a crew-short square is still a somewhat uncommon build, let alone an 8-lug one built to the extent you do.

I was just taking a stab when I asked about the buddy buckets! That is GREAT that you are working with Mike on adapting them to Jake. I'm excited to see what the interior turns out like.

The bed sounds classy, particularly the flooring stained to match body color. Would it serve any purpose for you to consider adding LED cargo lighting similar to the recently available factory option?

[N2TRUX]

Originally Posted by 83GMCK2500

What is it about the C20 suspension that limits your suspension goals/plans? It seems like the market for 8-lug stuff has steadily been increasing (following lots of lowered C30 builds), granted that market still isn't where the 5-lug one is, but it is growing. I ask because a crew-short square is still a somewhat uncommon build, let alone an 8-lug one built to the extent you do.

The stock suspension is way to firm, especially the rear with now load. I dont know yet if I will run air, coil over, or a hybrid of both. Either way, the stock springs will go away. With that part gone, an updated C10 suspension will do everything I want it to do and be much lighter. When your talking about unsprung weight, lighter leads to a better ride and handling. The trade off is brakes. The C20 brakes are plenty adequate, and they can be upgraded slightly. Instead, I'll opt to spend a fortune on big brakes that will do the same as the C20s. Once again, the difference in weight is significant.
Beyond that, its wheel selection. Yes, I know the option for 8 lug styles has increased considerably. Unfortuanly, what available is not he look i'm after.

I was just taking a stab when I asked about the buddy buckets! That is GREAT that you are working with Mike on adapting them to Jake. I'm excited to see what the interior turns out like.

He has recently teamed up with Sculpt Garage to offer sculpted foam. There are some new more affordable offerings in factory style foams as well. That final decision is still to be determined.

The bed sounds classy, particularly the flooring stained to match body color. Would it serve any purpose for you to consider adding LED cargo lighting similar to the recently available factory option?

I use LED lighting at work, so I am a big fan of its capability. I will absolutely use it through out the entire build.