Ultimate work truck/ 70 K10 diesel

[woodwright]

get in touch with Heath Diesel if you have any questions. They live and breath these motors. They've got a land speed truck with a 6.5 and have set a bunch of records.

[jbclassix]

I read and re-read their tech articles

[woodwright]

FINALLY, I have some progress to report. I got my new springs, and got both sets hung.


Got my steering box clean, painted and drop pitman arm on.


Got my front end painted and put back together.


My new front springs are a little stiffer than my old ones, so I put my 6.5 and tranny in place to see where they squatted to.


I gained an inch and a half. I hope they settle some.

When I was putting my dana 44 back together, I couldn't remember what order the outer pinion bearing and shims went.


I found a blowup of a dana 44 online, and put the shims in first, then the bearing, slinger, and then the seal. Is that correct?

[jbclassix]

I spy cross-over steering! and yes, I believe you are correct on the order but I will have to double check in the morning!

[plummen]

so thats what progress looks like,show off!
hopefully the pieces for my frame that were supposed to be made 2 weeks ago will be made this week so i can get back to work,atleast i started glass beading my cab!

[woodwright]

I've always hated the stock chevy steering. I still need to build my steering arm, but I've got all the pieces.

Plummen, what parts did you have made?

[plummen]

im supposed to pick up my frame pieces today/tomorrow,once te frame is done i can get my other springs/axles under there and start figuring out my suspension /steering.
my ace in the hole is my dad was a blacksmith/boiler maker/spring maker for railroad for 30 plus years.
back in the 70s/80s he used to build springs/lift blocks/u-bolts/steering arms for many 4x4 trucks with 44s under them.
he grafted a steering box from a concrete truck under a brand new mid 70s f250 4x4 that kept blowing out stock steering boxes because the tires were too much for it,made it all look like it belonged there!
its only steel is his phylosophy on life!
ill let you know when i get that far

[6thcav]

hey i am thinking of doing a 6.5 diesel swap in my 68 K10 what did you use for an engine harness, fuse box, computer, dase harness, gauge wiring, and heater wiring. i also want a 5spd what did you use tranny and t case wise and how did you adapt them

[woodwright]

Originally Posted by 6thcav

hey i am thinking of doing a 6.5 diesel swap in my 68 K10 what did you use for an engine harness, fuse box, computer, dase harness, gauge wiring, and heater wiring. i also want a 5spd what did you use tranny and t case wise and how did you adapt them

My 6.5 is a '93, so there is no computer. There's really not much to the non-computerized versions, and I'm gonna put a new wiring harness in my truck. When I pulled the motor i dissected the engine harness to figure out what wires went where.

I got a smoking deal on a 2wd NV3500. Not the strongest tranny, But it was cheap. If you can, get a NV4500. I also went with a mid 70's Dodge divorced 205 T-case. With the divorced T-case I can change out the tranny later pretty easy, and 2wd tranny's are generally cheaper. I'm hoping to get back working on it soon, I've been trying to make my blazer a driver.

[birdistheword]

Subscribed. This truck is gonna turn out sweet. Amazing fab work too.

[fryer1979]

Like the fab work, and like the diesel swap. Subscribed, cool build!

[woodwright]

Thanks guys, I'm almost done with my blazer, so I'm hoping to get back to my truck soon.
Posted via Mobile Device

[DBear]

Clint, what's up Bro? Haven't talked to you in a while. Hope your doing well. I will try to give you a call this weekend.

[Chevymaniac]

Awesome fab work on your truck. Any updates to report? Also could you tell me what grade, size, and length of bolts you used to bolt 4x4 parts to the 2wd frame. I'am doing the same thing to my 72 swb 2wd truck. I got 2 70 3/4ton 4wd's trucks for parts. How did you figure where to mount rear leafs to frame. My truck has trailing arm suspension. Is there a reference point to start with? Thanks for any help you can provide.

[woodwright]

Maniac, With the bed still on, I measured from the center line of the rear axle to the rear cab mounts. Make sure your front and rear cab mounts are equal and square. I'm not sure what the stock dimension is, I think I moved it back an inch or so to center it in the wheel well. Start on post 28. I used grade 8 zinc coated hardware. 9/16" for the spring mounts and shackles, and mostly 3/8" bolts for brackets. If you're gonna wheel or work your truck hard you could use 7/16" bolts.


I finally got my truck back in the garage. I've got to get back in build mode. I'm not sure what to do first. Any body got any suggestions?

[mosesburb]

Originally Posted by woodwright

I finally got my truck back in the garage. I've got to get back in build mode. I'm not sure what to do first. Any body got any suggestions?

Something small and easy, then move on to something a bit more involved once you are back in the swing of things.

[Chevymaniac]

Originally Posted by woodwright

Maniac, With the bed still on, I measured from the center line of the rear axle to the rear cab mounts. Make sure your front and rear cab mounts are equal and square. I'm not sure what the stock dimension is, I think I moved it back an inch or so to center it in the wheel well. Start on post 28. I used grade 8 zinc coated hardware. 9/16" for the spring mounts and shackles, and mostly 3/8" bolts for brackets. If you're gonna wheel or work your truck hard you could use 7/16" bolts.


I finally got my truck back in the garage. I've got to get back in build mode. I'm not sure what to do first. Any body got any suggestions?

Thanks for the advice.

[woodwright]

Have a few slow weeks finally, so I'm able to get some things done. I built a tower for my TC shifter.


Then I built linkage out of 2 heim joints, and some1/2"OD tube.

I still need to finish my shifter handle, and get my jack shaft built. Then I think I'm gonna work on my rear axle. I need to swap in my 3.73 posi carrier, and get it cleaned up and painted.

[Dieselwrencher]

Nice work on the shifter set up. That's sweet!

[jbclassix]

that's cool!

[jbclassix]

are you gonna run your exhaust under the crossmember?

[woodwright]

Originally Posted by jbclassix

are you gonna run your exhaust under the crossmember?

Its gotta snake under the tranny and down the drivers side. The square cutout is for the driveline.

[Chevy1TonFun]

I like your shifter attachment.

[woodwright]

Small update, I've got the cab off and tipped over on its back so I can prep and paint the bottom. Had to do some small patches on 3 of the support braces. I've been using a paint stripping disk on my grinder and my cheap siphon sand blaster. Tomorrow I'm gonna go look at renting a small pressure pot blaster to finish it up. I'll try to post some pics tomorrow.

[woodwright]

Built the steering arm for my crossover steering. Welded the threaded ends into a piece of 1 1/4" DOM.

Everything fits and looks good and I've got lots of adjustability.