"Crewcab Jake" the 84 to 74 conversion

[N2TRUX]

Originally Posted by rodstored-72

ken,
thanks for the reply, I am at the same "low key" searching stage as well glad you are happy with the work of the conversion. about the "most anemic 454 GM ever made" you have to be talking about the 1990 454ss model motor! I agree that if you have a choice that I would go with the 6.2l injected as well
my 0.02 worth on the tailgate band is the "narrow" one. it just screams "ol' school" classy to me - in a subtle way... . ok.. now the question that is on everyone's mind.........

how do you find these great base trucks to begin your masterpieces with?

I dont want to do just another LS conversion. Its an awesome engine platform but almost impossible to build one that looks unique. The 6.2 is my one weakness. Theres a reason these are somewhat hard to come by and cost the most. Im still looking, so what I end up with will be a roll of the dice.

Finding new builds is not crazy difficult. I reach out to close friends that I know are always searching. Thats how i found this one in my own back yard.

[N2TRUX]

My weekend was spent working on Elwood. I recently blew a water pump gasket a saturated the entire underside of the hood with antifreeze. I will add updates here- Elwood

I did take Jake to the local Trucks and Coffee Sunday morning. I met my painter there and he gave the truck a good look to determine a plan of action. I also picked up a set of 73-80 front bumper brackets for Jake while I was out. That officially made it a business trip.

[aggie91]

I knew you where working in this "new" addition, but just found the thread today. The rendering you posted, is there a full 3/4 view in that same line drawing available from him?

[rustytruck50]

Looks great Ken!!! It's like you were reading my mind with your plans for Jake. Like I said in a message a while back, I've wanted to build a CCSB Squarebody ever since the first one I spied a few years ago. Unsurprisingly, I'm officially following

[N2TRUX]

Originally Posted by aggie91

I knew you where working in this "new" addition, but just found the thread today. The rendering you posted, is there a full 3/4 view in that same line drawing available from him?

Karl as usual I'm thrashing to get Elwood together for the C10 Nationals. Consequently, my posts have been limited. I did get an improved version of the rendering from Josh. This one still has a 75+ style grill. He plans to update it with the 74 grill.

[SCOTI]

What's the suspension plan?

[N2TRUX]

Originally Posted by SCOTI

What's the suspension plan?

Its still open for consideration, but the current plan is to update the Ridetech 4 link that was previously on Elwood. I'm working with them now to determine exactly how it will be configured.

[N2TRUX]

Originally Posted by rodstored-72

ken,
thanks for the reply, I am at the same "low key" searching stage as well glad you are happy with the work of the conversion......how do you find these great base trucks to begin your masterpieces with?

I network with friends. The link to this truck was sent to me by a buddy that knew I was looking. It turned it the truck was just a few miles away.

[N2TRUX]

I spent the week thrashing on Elwood getting ready for the C10 Nationals. This left almost no time to work on Jake. I did manage to source another piece of the puzzle. I had a buddy North of Dallas that had an original 73 hood. It was on a GMC Jimmy that he is building, but hes going with a cowl hood. I swung by on my way home from the show and loaded it up in the back of Elwood. I now have a all the sheetmetal to build a 74 front in with OEM parts.

[rustytruck50]

That's a good sized piece of the puzzle figured out

[N2TRUX]

Originally Posted by rustytruck50

That's a good sized piece of the puzzle figured out

It truly is. This one has a nice ding along the front edge, but its very repairable.

[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?

[Greenlee]

Originally Posted by N2TRUX

I did take Jake to the local Trucks and Coffee Sunday morning. I met my painter there and he gave the truck a good look to determine a plan of action. I also picked up a set of 73-80 front bumper brackets for Jake while I was out. That officially made it a business trip.

What’s this Trucks and Coffee you speak of? I love driving my truck and talking trucks, but I never seem to be in the know.

Jake would be awesome with a 6.2. I have a Yukon Denali with that motor. I sometimes have day dreams of something happing to it and I get to buy it back from the insurance company for the drive train.

[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.

[N2TRUX]

Originally Posted by Greenlee

What’s this Trucks and Coffee you speak of? I love driving my truck and talking trucks, but I never seem to be in the know.

Jake would be awesome with a 6.2. I have a Yukon Denali with that motor. I sometimes have day dreams of something happing to it and I get to buy it back from the insurance company for the drive train.

Trucks and Coffee is done locally by a group of classic truck lovers. Its a great way to spend a Sunday morning.

I too have had a few 6.2's and they are an excellent motor with no mods. Thats why I want one, and so does everyone else. They are 3-4x the cost of a 5.3 or 6.0.

[Greenlee]

Originally Posted by N2TRUX

Trucks and Coffee is done locally by a group of classic truck lovers. Its a great way to spend a Sunday morning.

Yeah. I asked because I don’t live that far from you. I used to live in Cypress, but now I’m on the south side of town. Around here, there’s a group of classic cars that meet at the Home Depot in Kemah on Saturday nights. That’s about all I’m aware of.

[N2TRUX]

Originally Posted by Greenlee

Yeah. I asked because I don’t live that far from you. I used to live in Cypress, but now I’m on the south side of town. Around here, there’s a group of classic cars that meet at the Home Depot in Kemah on Saturday nights. That’s about all I’m aware of.

This is done in Bear Creek Park. Normally on the 1st Sunday of the month. Open to classic trucks up to 1998.

[UKNOWME]

Can’t belive I missed this! Sub’d

[N2TRUX]

Originally Posted by UKNOWME

Can’t belive I missed this! Sub’d

Where you been?

[UKNOWME]

Originally Posted by N2TRUX

Where you been?

Appearantly under a rock. I turned my Facebook back on after almost 5 years so that’s consumed some of my time.

[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?

[Devilman]

Originally Posted by N2TRUX

Trucks and Coffee is done locally by a group of classic truck lovers. Its a great way to spend a Sunday morning.

I too have had a few 6.2's and they are an excellent motor with no mods. Thats why I want one, and so does everyone else. They are 3-4x the cost of a 5.3 or 6.0.

A LBZ or LMM duramax can be had for somewhat decent price and they have plenty of power with a tune.....just sayin thatd be awesome in Jake

[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.

[N2TRUX]

Originally Posted by Devilman

A LBZ or LMM duramax can be had for somewhat decent price and they have plenty of power with a tune.....just sayin thatd be awesome in Jake

I have considered those as well. I have nothing against them, I just dont know them well enough. After a lot of research the 8.1 option is loosing momentum. They are a fantastic platform, but horrible on mileage. I feel that as over priced as the 6.2 is, it would be worth looking harder at based on my experience with them.

The most economical route would be to update the existing 454 with an aftermarket EFI. Adding better heads, cam, and intake would get decent mileage and performance. That would require an OD transmission which pushes the cost closer to a 6.2 conversion price.

My current 454, TH400 combo seems to be in usable condition. The carb needs attention, but in general it seems solid enough to consider a top end build. I need to run a compression check to verify that its still solid. If so, I may keep it with updates for now.

[N2TRUX]

I spent the last couple of weeks working in my yard. We have family coming to stay next month and the yard needed major attention. Consequently my shop time has been limited. Friday and Saturday I busted ass on my yard so Sunday was my truck day. my shop still needs a total clean up day, but I wanted some quality time with Jake. My compromise was to clean and organize the parts I needed for Jake.

I pulled him outside and emptied the bed and back of the cab. This was what I had stored and does not include the hood and two doors not pictured.