1973 K20 Build Thread

[TheWhiteElephant]

Just another beautiful Texas morning...

[TheWhiteElephant]

Next up I'm going to get this puppy running to conclude the first stage of this buildup. Stay tuned.

[nbpro]

looking good

[THE "10" SILVERADO]

I've got the same rust problem at the base of my rad support...I think it also might be a little eaten away from an old battery that leaked....plus it ate through the battery tray.......keep up the good work cause its looking great so far
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[Redneck72]

Like watching this rebuild.... driveway rebuild..lol. got to love it.

[spudz]

I like it. Truck looks cool! keep up the good work!

[TheWhiteElephant]

Thanks so much, guys. After putting everything back together, filling it up with 5 gallons of gas, and trying to start it, it wouldn't. Everything is new--plugs, cap, rotor, points, coil, fuel pump, I rebuilt the QJet, new PS pump, belts, hoses, etc. In all the times I've installed points, I've never actually adjusted them. I took this for granted, and spent 2 1/2 afternoons trying to figure things out when the answer was right under my nose. I had to adjust the points. I did so, and BINGO!

The truck purrs like a kitten (with 2.5 inch ram's horn manifolds). The choke works really nice. I topped everything off with a Summit 14" chrome air cleaner and 5" element. I spent $45 on this unit and have to say I'm disappointed. The quality really sucks. Light gauge steel and the base had a small flat spot (from shipping I'm guessing). Hopefully it doesn't rust out too soon.

I still have to tie up a few loose ends--temp sender, battery cables, etc. However, I'm super excited that I got it running, especially after 3 months of working on this thing a little at a time.

[TheWhiteElephant]

I was so fired up from starting it last night that I drove it back and forth in the driveway a few feet several times haha! Then I washed it and even Armor-Alled the severely dry rotted tires.

[TheWhiteElephant]

Today I started work on the taillamp harness. One of the previous owners put in a 2nd fuel tank and did a number on the taillamp harness. Some people love to splice harnesses like there's no tomorrow. Here are a few pics of the harness. You can catch a glimpse of my shiny dry-rotted tires, too. My daughter loves to help me.

[bharrison1]

Nice work!!!!Its great to have a helper like that!!!!

[1985-GMC]

Very nice! I like everything you've done so far, keep up the great work!

[spudz]

heck yeah I bet it was nice to hear it run again! I BET IT WAS LOUD!! with the open manifolds. tell me, what kind of rear bumper is that. There is a truck running around town with a work bed and that same bumper.

[TheWhiteElephant]

Thanks, guys. Yeah, super fired-up to hear it running, especially after the 2 days of head-scratching and thinking I no longer had "it" since I hadn't wrenched on a vehicle since my 5 year old son was born.

Originally Posted by spudz

...tell me, what kind of rear bumper is that. There is a truck running around town with a work bed and that same bumper.

As far as I can tell, the bumper is just a custom-fabbed unit, but it was put together really well. Its pretty ugly, but I really like it. It's definitely been on there a long time.

[1985-GMC]

That looks like a dealer bumper, here's one kinda like it: http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...d.php?t=406921

[Maxxd07]

Originally Posted by spudz

tell me, what kind of rear bumper is that. There is a truck running around town with a work bed and that same bumper.

A few different companys made them. Luverne was a big one back in the day. My old man worked at a chevy dealership in the late 60s and early 70s, and they put alot of them on. They were reffered to as a "drop" bumper since you could unhook the tailgate arms and drop the tailgate strait down. Alot of guys up here had livestock racks in thier pickups and would let you drop the tailgate, back up to a loading chute, load your livestock, and shut the gate and the tailgate. Every 67-72 around here has one or did have one since taking the tailgate off was a PITA.

Sorry for the sidetrack, I am loving the build.

[spudz]

Originally Posted by Maxxd07

A few different companys made them. Luverne was a big one back in the day. My old man worked at a chevy dealership in the late 60s and early 70s, and they put alot of them on. They were reffered to as a "drop" bumper since you could unhook the tailgate arms and drop the tailgate strait down. Alot of guys up here had livestock racks in thier pickups and would let you drop the tailgate, back up to a loading chute, load your livestock, and shut the gate and the tailgate.

Sorry for the sidetrack, I am loving the build.

Dont get me wrong, I wouldnt want that bumper on a slammed SWB but a LWB 4x4 or even 2x4 stock height. I kind of like it... Only the second one Ive seen.

[Maxxd07]

Come up here and there are lots of them around, I have 3, one on my 68, and both my 70s.

[kikkegek]

I believe I am quoting myself: "very nice!" hahaha....

[Jonboy]

Looks great. Glad to see you have a helper, too.

On the bumper, since the rear bumper was an option, a lot of dealerships had bumpers with their name on them to install. Used to see it a lot more up north (I am from Kansas), but I would bet it was similar around here, too.

[Nodak mack]

reading this gives me some hope to get my ole heavy chevy back running better and going soon instead of using it for a daily driver.

[lsp1369]

Wow. I just read through all 4 pages of this post. Great job on the truck. it looks awesome. i was doing the same thing to my 73 super 10 until i took it for the first test drive and lost a connecting rod into the block. so i now get to find another motor and do a full rebuild. (luckily my fiance is very understanding) thanks for all the pics. great job man.

[TheWhiteElephant]

Thanks so much, guys. I figured out my taillamp issues so I'll be posting pics and updates soon. Next will be the exhaust and complete brake system. I'll hopefully work in a 4 inch lift and new tires if the budget/my wife allows. hehe...

[TheWhiteElephant]

Okay, so after somewhat of a break, I had some tail lamp issues to address. I got those all cleared up and will post pics sometime soon. For now I will post pics of what the ol' girl looks like now. I removed the rear bumper (for now). I love the hubcaps so I put those on (for now). Here she is in all her (semi) rusty glory...

[TheWhiteElephant]

Here's more. Last pic shows the wood bed floor that was redone by the previous owner after he broke a couple of the boards. You can also see the rear bumper.

[86ktwenty]

Nice, looking to acheive bout the same goal with my one-ton, daily driver/tow rig, and turn either the 3/4 ton or the blazer, or some combination of the two into a dedicated mud truck. Keep up the good work.