The Hillbilly Deluxe dually build

[Tx Firefighter]

That is a power cord plug. I have an electric fence charger and electrical outlet mounted up under the rafter there.

[Low Elco]

Congrats on the First ride! How much loaded clearance did you wind up with with a bale on?

[Primered_69]

And the donkey sure likes to talk to Kevin when he is working

[Stoney]

The donkey will also keep the rattle snake away too. Donkey around no snakes.

[Average Joe]

Great pic of a truck being used as intended. Function and form. Looks great!

[ChevDog1]

Wow Kevin, awesome build thread, and really nice work. I read half of this while having my morning coffee, and just now finished it. You have inspired me to get going on my stepper again. I bought my 1980 stepside last fall, and got it running, rebuilt the brakes, and dropped it 5/7 shortly after I got it home. Recently, it has been sitting outside, as first my wife's SUV, then my winter beater SUV had major mechanical issues which have impacted my budget, as well as my shop space. I have been sitting around waiting for parts for my other cars, and feeling sorry for myself for not having enough shop space to work on the truck.

Tomorrow morning, I am going to move some stuff around and make a spot for the truck, either in my shop, or the garage (hopefully the shop, as that's where all the tools are), and get going on it again. I have a bunch of small projects on it that I could be doing for little to no money - and I just needed a push to get back on it.

Thanks for the inspiration!

[ChevDog1]

My truck as it sat last weekend.

The snow is gone now...

[ChevDog1]

And did you ever sort out a repair for the dash pad? Mine looks horrible, but I don't like the price of new ones...

[swamp rat]

Originally Posted by Tx Firefighter

I'm optimistic overall. I grabbed some polish and gave it about two minutes of lovin' (that's what she said) and it looks hopeful. That's Texas sky and the back window of the truck reflecting in it. I figure I'll start with that acid wash that they use on big truck wheels then sit in my living room with towels down and polish them one at a time. I doubt I'll sand much. My truck is shabby and I'm not one for high maintenance vehicles.







Thank you. The barn is pretty derelict, but I'm damn grateful to have it. I came from a very poor childhood. We had no phone, no tv, not even gas to run the stove or water heater in our house. I took cold showers and ate cold food until I went off to college. When my grandmother died, no one could get ahold of us to tell us since we had no phone, until someone finally sent word through the secretary at the school to go get me out of class and tell me several days later. I got lucky and won an academic scholarship that allowed me an education and a career. The education was helpful, but I think the memory of being dirt poor served me better. I'm very grateful and appreciative of the things I have in my life now.

Would that acid wash be Muratic acid diluted? or something else? Thanks!

[joe231]

The big rig acid wash has hydrofluoric acid and sulphuric acid in it.
Hydrofluoric acid is some BAD stuff.
Eagle one used to have a mag wheel cleaner with a similar formula that worked great.
I don't know if it is still around today. I used it on my slots back in high school.

Edit: guess it does still have the same ingredients
http://whatsinproducts.com/files/bra...1337132354.pdf
http://m.eagleone.com/mag-wheel-cleaner

[Tx Firefighter]

Originally Posted by Low Elco

Congrats on the First ride! How much loaded clearance did you wind up with with a bale on?

Somewhere around 5 inches I'd say. The tires tuck cleanly up under the bed so there's a lot of room to play with. The bale didn't lower the truck but maybe half an inch or so.

Originally Posted by Primered_69

And the donkey sure likes to talk to Kevin when he is working

There's nothing like the sound of a braying donkey to give that country ambiance.

Originally Posted by Stoney

The donkey will also keep the rattle snake away too. Donkey around no snakes.

Come to think of it, I haven't seen a snake near the shop in a few years.

Originally Posted by Average Joe

Great pic of a truck being used as intended. Function and form. Looks great!

Thank you Joe.

Originally Posted by ChevDog1

Wow Kevin, awesome build thread, and really nice work. I read half of this while having my morning coffee, and just now finished it. You have inspired me to get going on my stepper again. I bought my 1980 stepside last fall, and got it running, rebuilt the brakes, and dropped it 5/7 shortly after I got it home. Recently, it has been sitting outside, as first my wife's SUV, then my winter beater SUV had major mechanical issues which have impacted my budget, as well as my shop space. I have been sitting around waiting for parts for my other cars, and feeling sorry for myself for not having enough shop space to work on the truck.

Tomorrow morning, I am going to move some stuff around and make a spot for the truck, either in my shop, or the garage (hopefully the shop, as that's where all the tools are), and get going on it again. I have a bunch of small projects on it that I could be doing for little to no money - and I just needed a push to get back on it.

Thanks for the inspiration!

I'm glad to hear you're digging in. Eating an elephant seems impossible until you break it down into small manageable bites. But, you just have to keep taking those bites if you're to ever get it eaten.

Originally Posted by ChevDog1

And did you ever sort out a repair for the dash pad? Mine looks horrible, but I don't like the price of new ones...

Not yet. It still looks like hammered hell. When I get some more money I need to address the hanging idle issue, re-gear the speedometer for the new gear ratio, and do something about the bare metal floors. I've had a brand new rubber floor mat for a year now, I just need to add some insulation and install it. I'll just keep an eye out for better interior parts until I find some solution for the dash pad.

Originally Posted by swamp rat

Would that acid wash be Muratic acid diluted? or something else? Thanks!

That's what I used, Muriatic Acid (hydrochloric acid). I have a bunch of it around the house, and it's pretty safe so that's exactly what I used. Hydrofloric acid is death in a bottle. I don't care to mess with that stuff at all. Knowing my clumsy ass, if I had some of that around, I'd wind up exposing myself to it somehow.

[swamp rat]

Originally Posted by Tx Firefighter

That's what I used, Muriatic Acid (hydrochloric acid). I have a bunch of it around the house, and it's pretty safe so that's exactly what I used. Hydrofloric acid is death in a bottle. I don't care to mess with that stuff at all. Knowing my clumsy ass, if I had some of that around, I'd wind up exposing myself to it somehow.

Thank you, i already got a dose of Muratic acid fumes last time i used it for my seat tracks, will have to go purchase a 3-m respirator with acid vapor canisters, wont use it again till them .

Did you dilute it? that would make the fumes not so bad.

Did forgot to mention that your work on the truck is top notch work!

[Tx Firefighter]

I dilute it about 50/50 or so. It's a very commonly used solution in my shop. The mixture is also good for cleaning gas tanks, wire ends, etc.

[swamp rat]

Thanks again!

[badpeanut]

Does the red circle highlight a brace between the front A-arm crossmember and the front frame horns? Is this 1-ton only?

[Tx Firefighter]

Yes. There are two brace rods on one tons. There are actually a number of added braces on these heavy trucks.

Here are pictures taken early in the project when I was replacing the bent swaybar mount.

[jhama78]

Updates?

[Tx Firefighter]

I consider it finished for now. Three days ago I pulled my next project (4x4 K2500) up to the shop and yanked the engine out of it. I'm up to my ears in engine pieces right now. The dually is good to go until I get a further motivation to go further with it. I'm not too optimistic though. Doing body work and interior on it is pretty low on my list of wants.

[Stoney]

Going to do a build thread?

[TheBlueBomber]

Build thread! Build thread! Build thread!!!

[Tx Firefighter]

Build thread on the 4x4 might be slow coming. I'm kind of in a funk about it. I knew the engine had a dead hole when I bought it and would need addressing ASAP.

Here's a couple of teaser pics.







That my friends is a burnt exhaust valve. Textbook example there. The valve seat in the head has a ton of tiny cracks in it too. Head is junk.

The previous owner told me that he towed a 30 foot boat from Florida to Texas with this truck. 70 miles per hour the entire way. 4.10 gears and no overdrive. That's quite a beating for a tired old small block.

I am currently sweeping the shop floor to see if I can round up enough parts to assemble an engine. A crate engine is out for financial reasons. I do have a roller cam vortec short block to work with. Maybe I can find some decent builder TBI heads. I'll see what I can round up. It's looking doable.

[Willowrun]

Looking forward to seeing you piece something together. I dig low buck.

[Low Elco]

Pick and Pull! Do not be disheartened. It'll be cool.

[1963c-10]

Originally Posted by Tx Firefighter

People make fun of me for saying it, but I love my little donkey. I've never owned a kinder, gentler, smarter animal. And, she protected my little calf from coyotes and dogs better than a platoon of US Marines could have. I once saw her try to stomp the neighbors dog to death. When the dog finally got free, it ran through a barbed wire fence at full speed to escape death. There was meat and hair hanging on the barbed wire. For those that don't know, a donkey is a God given guard animal. In any field with small livestock, you will always see at least one donkey. You can put one with a calf or other small animal and the donkey will stand guard next to them day and night without fail, never getting more than a few feet away from them. Nothing will hurt your calfs as long as you have a donkey around. Not a person, a coyote, or a wild pack of dogs. They're born protectors, no training needed.

I agree with the donkeys being protective. We have a mammoth and a mini....both are very protective of the other livestock.

[98Murray]

It took me a few hours but I read through this entire thread and I must say it is incredible! You sir do excellent work and have alot of patience. I really enjoyed viewing this thread and seeing the photos, especially the restored 14 bolt rear end