72 K30 Build

[mjensen]

Looking good Brett! You'll probably have this thing on the road years before me

[7dee2]

Thanks Mike! We are shooting to be done before the end of this year I’m jonesing to drive it.

And some pics of this diff painted and back under the frame. Looks kind of silver with the flash in the pics but it is actually a cast iron gray.

[7dee2]

We dug this stuff out and dropped it off at the machine shop the other day. It’s the start to a 489 stroker motor for this truck, this 454 4bolt block with a set of bare 049 oval port heads I’ve had tucked away. It's currently .020 over and will be fit to a new set of forged .030 over pistons. Heads will be left as cast except for a little larger valve (2.19 & 1.88’s) that are being added.

[7dee2]

All the guts have showed up for our 489 over the last few days. It should make for a pretty torquey setup, cam comes on right off idle and pulls to around 5200. Kept the compression low at about 9.25 to 1, hoping it will run on crappy gas cuz I’m sure it’ll be thirsty!

[First c10]

Merry Christmas too you!!!
Looking good! I like the stage when you have parts coming in!!! Paying part or working to pay for them stage not so much!!!

[7dee2]

Merry Christmas to you and your family as well! Thanks my favorite part also, new parts are just the best!

Shock mounts are welded up and on there to stay moved inboard just a hair from the last set.

[7dee2]

Getting stuff broke down.

[rgunlock]

You'll have a roller before you know it Brett. Looking good!

[7dee2]

We got our 72 C30 RV T400 and the TC back from the transmission shop. We added a Trans Go shift improver kit with a low stall converter. The transfer case didn’t need anything and just ended up being a reseal. Both were run in on their trans dyno so they both should be good to go.

[First c10]

Looking good. For me this was the fun part. This metal work (on the body) is ok but not my cup of tea!
keep it up!!

Merry Christmas!

[7dee2]

We got a set of rims back from powder coat they have a little bit of metallic in the powder called silver sparkle , made this set of old rims we had look pretty good.

[DLTruck1973]

Originally Posted by 7dee2

We got a set of rims back from powder coat they have a little bit of metallic in the powder called silver sparkle , made this set of old rims we had look pretty good.

Hey Bret,

Hope you all had a good Christmas there. Project is looking real good. The rims look real nice. Almost like a factory argent silver.

You will be rolling soon.

Happy New Year,

Thomas

[7dee2]

Originally Posted by rgunlock

You'll have a roller before you know it Brett. Looking good!

Originally Posted by First c10

Looking good. For me this was the fun part. This metal work (on the body) is ok but not my cup of tea!
keep it up!!

Merry Christmas!

Originally Posted by DLTruck1973

Hey Bret,

Hope you all had a good Christmas there. Project is looking real good. The rims look real nice. Almost like a factory argent silver.

You will be rolling soon.

Happy New Year,

Thomas

Thanks everyone appreciate the encouragement and hope you are all having a great holiday season!

Hey Thomas, you have a good eye my friend we have used this powder before because it is so close to argent silver.



A second wave of axle parts has arrived and we just about have everything for reassembly, those carriers are like mechanical porn!

[First c10]

Ho Ho Ho!! Merry Christmas to you!!!

Funny how the older you get the fetish changes!!! lol!
Happy New Year!!!
Scott

[Dieselwrencher]

Very nice parts and the wheels look great! Have a happy new year too!

[7dee2]

Originally Posted by First c10

Ho Ho Ho!! Merry Christmas to you!!!

Funny how the older you get the fetish changes!!! lol!
Happy New Year!!!
Scott

I know it's a sickness!

Originally Posted by Dieselwrencher

Very nice parts and the wheels look great! Have a happy new year too!

Thanks DW!

Hope you both had a great holiday!


Another round of cleaning up the 14 bolt this one should be ready to start reassemble soon. During the teardown we did find some more issues; need to replace all the inner and outer wheel bearings/races in both axles as we found problems with about half of them. Here is the upper kingpin on the RH side looks OK, LH side appears to have backed off a bit, not so good.

[hillbilly_deluxe]

Man just went through the whole build. Looking great!!

[DWilbur]

I have never seen king pin upper bushing up like that. I have tried to replace them couple time and not able to remove the old ones. even with a 600 ft lb wrench ended up twisting the adapter that goes in the bushing.

[JJorgensen52]

Originally Posted by DWilbur

I have never seen king pin upper bushing up like that. I have tried to replace them couple time and not able to remove the old ones. even with a 600 ft lb wrench ended up twisting the adapter that goes in the bushing.

I concur - I replaced mine, but it took every bit of the 1200ft-lbs my impact has to offer to get them loose. Seems odd that it would be up. Also looks kind of canted to me?

[7dee2]

Originally Posted by hillbilly_deluxe

Man just went through the whole build. Looking great!!

Thanks hillbilly_deluxe I appreciate that!

Originally Posted by DWilbur

I have never seen king pin upper bushing up like that. I have tried to replace them couple time and not able to remove the old ones. even with a 600 ft lb wrench ended up twisting the adapter that goes in the bushing.

Guessing I'm just lucky and that 3+3 donor was really beat up!

Originally Posted by JJorgensen52

I concur - I replaced mine, but it took every bit of the 1200ft-lbs my impact has to offer to get them loose. Seems odd that it would be up. Also looks kind of canted to me?

Yep, it's a leaner like the tower of pizza!

Cone came right out with a big pipe wrench it has taken out about 2/3rd’s of the threads, not so good.

After a little internet research I found the most common repair for this problem seems to be:
A. Find another housing
B. Replace the inner C’s
C. Weld a new kingpin cone in place from below, if that fails see options A & B

[JJorgensen52]

Originally Posted by 7dee2

Cone came right out with a big pipe wrench it has taken out about 2/3rd’s of the threads, not so good.

After a little internet research I found the most common repair for this problem seems to be:
A. Find another housing
B. Replace the inner C’s
C. Weld a new kingpin cone in place from below, if that fails see options A & B

I wonder if you could weld a couple beads around the bore and re-tap the hole? Seems just as easy as your option C

[7dee2]

I think your right Jim and called around to some of the axle experts and a recommended machine shop in my area and they were really not much help, except for one place Boyce Equipment in Ogden, UT. Took the housing there for a look and they did agree to install new kingpin kits including the upper cones and weld up this problem side. Going to have to wait a few weeks as the main axle builder is out and backed up from the holidays.

The wait is probably for the best as I’m not 100% that I’m going forward with this housing, crap!

[Dieselwrencher]

That's going to be a pretty stout engine! Yeah, thirsty isn't the word I'd use.

[7dee2]

Originally Posted by rgunlock

That's going to be a beast!

Originally Posted by Dieselwrencher

That's going to be a pretty stout engine! Yeah, thirsty isn't the word I'd use.

Thinking it's going to be a fun truck to drive and gas is going to be cheap forever right?

[ryanroo]

Originally Posted by 7dee2

Thinking it's going to be a fun truck to drive and gas is going to be cheap forever right?

sweet! double sweet! i love big blocks.

people often ask or comment on the consumption of fuel in my given vehicle for the day. it always sucks, but if i add up all the hours of my life spent in the drivers seat of some vehicle i own, i figure it more than worth it to spend that time i cant ever get back driving something sweet. i just put gas in it when it needs it and laugh at all the truck payments i see driving around.