1970 K20 Z62 Full Restoration

[IronCanine]

Originally Posted by jerry moss

sorry I mentioned that part about the mirror, it just made more work for you that only some idiot like me would even notice. looks awesome so far.

Don't be. We are fully invested. It was a miss. There a lot of things to try and get right and it's not suprising that that happened. There was concern when we realized it, about welding to a closed space with sound deadener in there. No doubt your comment prompted a lot more discussion about should we and how should we. In the end, nothing caught on fire and it's a mistake we don't have to live with. Those boys working on that cab are good.

This board offers inspiration in many forms. And I appreciate it all.

[1970cstblazer]

Originally Posted by IronCanine

I would love to see pics of the oil fill tube. I was not aware that a valve cover oil fill tube was available in 70. I know a lot of us add the 71-72 oil fill tube to pre 71 trucks for the convenience. I did it on our 70 Blazer.

Here is the low mile 1970 K20 with 307 from BAT. This tube is 1970 only, as 1971-72 tubes have the rubber cap.

[IronCanine]

Originally Posted by 1970cstblazer

Here is the low mile 1970 K20 with 307 from BAT. This tube is 1970 only, as 1971-72 tubes have the rubber cap.

If you zoom and enhance the BAT K20, it looks like the 71-72 tube and has the "OIL" labeled rubber cap (to me).

I don't doubt you. Super intrigued actually. Lot of little mysteries (still) to me with these 70s. So much one year only stuff.

[1970cstblazer]

Right you are. Might be a late change. My March built Blazer has the steel cap, and the base of the tube is twist on.

[1970cstblazer]

After a thorough search, I have found the part number for the 1970 only K series with power brake booster oil filler tube. Per a June 1971 parts catalog, it is GM 3929746, and the part is stamped with this part number.

http://www.gmpartswiki.com/getpage?pageid=220375







https://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/...d.php?t=798420

Also used on big block medium duty trucks 1969-70 with 366 and air brakes.

[IronCanine]

You have taught me something. Thanks! Bringing receipts! Nothing better than pics and part numbers. Love this group. Something else to chase.

[chewychevy67]

The fun is in the chase. Your right though. This board has so much education in it if you know where to look. I spend more time on here researching most evenings than working on my build.

[IronCanine]

Originally Posted by chewychevy67

The fun is in the chase. Your right though. This board has so much education in it if you know where to look. I spend more time on here researching most evenings than working on my build.

100%. I kinda thought I knew what I didn't know...cuz I'm actively chasing that! More that I don't know I don't know it turns out. I've already said it a couple of different ways in this thread. However good this truck turns out...it will be because of the help and generosity of information from the folks on this board.

[IronCanine]

Ok. Back at it. So the engine got run in on the dyno which was (thankfully) uneventful. They did a couple of pulls on and she made 288/385. Which is more than the factory rating. But you need not worry about those gaudy numbers. I'll get her back under control with stock exhaust manifolds and a sweet factory single exhaust. Wouldn't want this horse to throw me.

She went from the machine shop straight to Eric's for paint prep.

We got the clutch and pressure plate on. The entire rotating assembly was balanced prior to assembly including these pieces. Then the bell housing because it appears to me that the bell housing was on and "over sprayed" when the engine got painted. Clean up of this engine/drivetrain indicated as much. And Joe's low mileage K20 bellhousing has similar paint coverage

Also had to scrounge up a vac line clip since this engine came from a K10 and had TCS (which had to be deleted on this K20).

[IronCanine]

Hi temp primer and paint...

I should mention that Mike Cofield helped me find my date code correct water pump. Then he thankfully sussed it out when the "Dutchman" mistakenly sent my rebuilt water pump to him...that's a longer story than can't be well told in one sentence. Needless to say Mike saved the day twice.

Thanks Mike!

[IronCanine]

Final paint this week and brought her home today. I threw a few quick pieces on just for fun. Unfortunately I've got a meeting out of town this weekend or I'd be fully dressing her out.

[IronCanine]

Again, we will not bat 1.000 on bolt heads and OE hardware in this build, but a lot of effort has been made to use the bolts that came on it or would have come on it.

Honestly it was cool to see that Joe's 71 and this 70 engine had the exact same hardware arrangement on the water pump. Two "C"s on the right and an R/S/C on the left. Confirmed to me I had what came on it.

[IronCanine]

The big win of the day was that thanks to Dave (DaHos), I hit big on a WTB in the parts section. He had one of the mysterious 1970 only oil fill tubes. No cap, but turns out there's a ton of them, NOS and pretty reasonably priced on eBay (considering what I've gotten conditioned to of late).

Thanks Dave!

[DeadheadNM]

Swimming upstream against entropy in a brisk and beautiful way. Great progress!

[Ol Blue K20]

I just found this thread, it's looking great so far! I'm definitely watching another of your great builds!!!

[IronCanine]

Originally Posted by DeadheadNM

Swimming upstream against entropy in a brisk and beautiful way. Great progress!

Thanks Pete. Can't wait to get home and get back at it.

Originally Posted by Ol Blue K20

I just found this thread, it's looking great so far! I'm definitely watching another of your great builds!!!

Glad you found it and you're back on board. It's the last one! Gotta try and make it good!

[cst204x4]

Great thread will be a awesome truck

[IronCanine]

Originally Posted by cst204x4

Great thread will be a awesome truck

Thanks! Updates this weekend.

[Chaparralman1974]

I just read through the entire thread. Very impressive!! I am restoring a 1967 K20 myself. It is so nice to see some of the older K20 workhorses being brought back to life. Your attention to detail is superb!! I look forward to following along.

Clay

[IronCanine]

Originally Posted by Chaparralman1974

I just read through the entire thread. Very impressive!! I am restoring a 1967 K20 myself. It is so nice to see some of the older K20 workhorses being brought back to life. Your attention to detail is superb!! I look forward to following along.

Clay

Thanks! And thanks for hopping on board! Some fun stuff happened this week...

[IronCanine]

Eric shot some color!

If you have ever pulled a high hump out of a Fremont truck (probably the same at other plants too) there's a ring of primer on the floor lip where they just sat the hump in there and painted over it...effectively masking that lip. We're only spraying the brown primer where it would show from the factory. Technically this is one of those places since you guys at least will see it.

The plan is to shoot the firewall in single stage so that we can write in the wet paint as they did at Fremont. Eric refuses to shoot the rest of the truck in a single stage metallic. So this floor is basically a practice shot for the firewall (what you see is single stage). After that it's base/clear so it can be buffed without goofing the metallics.

I am very excited about the color. It is a remarkable match to the original paint on the truck in the areas that were UV protected. We checked against the glove box under the 4x4 decal and the firewall under the A/C box.

[68bowtie]

Looks great! Medium blue poly?

[IronCanine]

Again I've tried to utilize as many NOS and date code correct parts that I can. Sometimes that's been easy/gone well...sometimes, well...

Mike Cofield helped me find a date code correct steering gear, which was then rebuilt by Mike (not Cofield) at powersteering.com. While he puts a blank yellow sticker on there, from the factory that decal would have had the broadcast code. Thanks to some sleuthing and member help, the broadcast code for N40 on this truck in 1970 was "PC". This wasn't that hard of a decal to make and I did it at home.

I found an almost date code perfect fan and fan clutch (March 70). They were a pair off a truck. I sent the fan clutch off to kirkconnellcorvettes.com to be rebuilt. I talked to them on the phone, and since the date code is effectively just an ink stamp, they asked what I wanted the date code to be. In a moment of weak vanity, I thought...I've memorialized all the other members of my family in one way or another in numbers on these builds...how about MY birthday! Unfortunately April is D, 1970 is K and a 1 and an I look a lot alike. Doesn't help that the damn thing is made by Eaton. Thank God for a fan shroud.

[IronCanine]

Originally Posted by 68bowtie

Looks great! Medium blue poly?

DARK blue, 508!

[IronCanine]

A good bit of writing on these engines from the factory. My donor had "TBC" (the suffix code) written all over it...and a fair few inspection marks. But since it was a Flint truck, I'm sticking to what was on Joe's Fremont K20. He had his suffix and two digits of his build sequence. As of this writing I don't know my build sequence number. I am not sure if the stamps on the midline of the cabs of these trucks is the build sequence or an inspection stamp. I will go back and add if I can confirm.

I do not know what the "IT" stands for. But it was on my Flint motor and on Joe's truck.

FWIW I used a Markal yellow paint stick and it seems a perfect recreation.

There is a physician that makes the yellow suffix decals for Corvettes and I got him to make me a "TBC" decal. I put in on the front and back of the passenger side valve cover as you see it in this vintage pic from the Flint plant.