1971 K10 Stepside - Getting a Roller Roadworthy

[Ol Blue K20]

Great, I'm glad you got it.

[loudchevy]

Round/32 spline/NP205 is a good find. Twin sticks are fun too. The front output looks like a newer seal, maybe it was recently went through when it was converted to twins.
Either way, Nice score!

[pjmoreland]

Originally Posted by loudchevy

Round/32 spline/NP205 is a good find. Twin sticks are fun too. The front output looks like a newer seal, maybe it was recently went through when it was converted to twins.
Either way, Nice score!

I am hopeful about that newer seal. We shall see...

[pjmoreland]

Removed the front and rear bumpers today, along with the PTO winch. The rear bumper was welded directly to the frame, so I started by cutting the "brackets" in half to get the bumper out of the way. There were two sections of rail road track sandwiched between the bumper and the rear crossmember. I then cut the bracket welds most of the way through and then pounded on the bracket with a sledge until the welds cracked. I then ground some of the welds smooth. The others will have to wait until I remove the leaf spring brackets to put them back in their original places.

[pjmoreland]

Front bumper and winch removal photos

I acquired a replacement radiator support since the original one was notched for the winch and it has angle iron welded all over it.

I also acquired a 4WD fan shroud.

[Ol Blue K20]

You're having some good luck finding parts.

[pjmoreland]

Originally Posted by Ol Blue K20

You're having some good luck finding parts.

It is surprising how easy it is to find these parts considering how old they are.

[pjmoreland]

Removed the rear end today, and freed one shackle bracket from the funky lift. Used a cutoff wheel and a Dremel to cut the welds. I still need to clean up the frame and brackets. I've got five brackets left. It's gonna take me a couple more weekends to finish this.

[57taskforce]

Nice work!!! The rear bumper on my K20 was welded to the frame as well. I feel your pain, it can be a real blast dealing with PO shenanigans.

[pjmoreland]

Originally Posted by 57taskforce

Nice work!!! The rear bumper on my K20 was welded to the frame as well. I feel your pain, it can be a real blast dealing with PO shenanigans.

It's a real mess. I'm looking forward to having this stage behind me.

[clay68c10]

Nice work, you took off a lot of weight removing those bumpers.
Cool find with those pieces of track. They make great little anvils.

[pjmoreland]

Originally Posted by clay68c10

Nice work, you took off a lot of weight removing those bumpers.
Cool find with those pieces of track. They make great little anvils.

I will definitely be keeping them for that purpose!

[pjmoreland]

Removed two more leaf spring brackets today. Three more to go. That forward bracket was a real challenge to remove since it is large and had lots of welds all over it.

[pjmoreland]

Finished removing the remnants of the box tubing on the big bracket I removed yesterday. Started working on the last of the four brackets, but it defeated me for now. Ran out of Dremel discs. Ordered some a few days ago, but they won't be here until tomorrow. Didn't feel like spending $18 for another 5 locally.

[Ol Blue K20]

You're getting some work done! Nice job.

[57taskforce]

Man that’s a lot of work. You’re doing great! Who ever did all this would have been time majorly ahead to just buy some lift springs. That was one big cobbled up mess.

[pjmoreland]

It was a fight, but that fourth rear leaf spring bracket is off. I put a couple little gouges in the frame that I'll have to weld up.

[pjmoreland]

Cleaned up the rear frame rails.

[Ol Blue K20]

Nice, it.will beback on springs soon

[pjmoreland]

Repaired the gouges in the leaf spring brackets by filling them with weld and grinding them smooth. Painted and reinstalled the brackets. The PO had put the forward brackets on the wrong sides. Reinstalled the rear end. The truck is back on its rear wheels. It was a long day. I am beat!

[pjmoreland]

A few more photos

[pjmoreland]

Removed the front leaf spring brackets and cleaned up the frame. Welded up a couple of cracks in the front bumper area of the frame. I still need to detach the box tubing "lifts" from the brackets.

[Ol Blue K20]

It's looking good.

[pjmoreland]

Removed the box tubing from the front leaf spring brackets, cleaned them up and painted them.

[pjmoreland]

Reinstalled the front leaf springs in their correct locations and replaced the home-made shackles with stock units. The truck is still sitting pretty high. The next project is to remove the body lift spacers and install new body bushings.