The 1947 - Present Chevrolet & GMC Truck Message Board Network







Register or Log In To remove these advertisements.

Go Back   The 1947 - Present Chevrolet & GMC Truck Message Board Network > 47 - Current classic GM Trucks > The 1973 - 1987 Chevrolet & GMC Squarebody Pickups Message Board > Squarebody Projects and Builds

Web 67-72chevytrucks.com


Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
Old 06-19-2022, 04:13 AM   #1
LT7A
Registered User
 
Join Date: Oct 2015
Location: PNW
Posts: 3,615
Re: 1978 Chevy K20 longbed with nearly 500,000 miles! LS Swap begins!

That's interesting to see. Sorry, I'm no help with it. The bumper looks good!
LT7A is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 06-22-2022, 08:57 AM   #2
Honest Bob
Registered User
 
Honest Bob's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2017
Location: Easton PA
Posts: 219
Re: 1978 Chevy K20 longbed with nearly 500,000 miles! LS Swap begins!

Dont forget to tie up the knock sensor wiring. I failed to secure mine and it rubbed through on some metal (Im guessing the fuel rails) and was shorting out popping the 40amp fuse for the ecu.
Honest Bob is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-30-2022, 11:41 PM   #3
Nick_R_23
Registered User
 
Nick_R_23's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2016
Location: Willow, Alaska
Posts: 881
Re: 1978 Chevy K20 longbed with nearly 500,000 miles! LS Swap begins!

Got into the suspension a bit since it’s been raining the last few weekends. New front springs, went to 8600lb GVWR since the rear was already done long ago.



Out with the old!



In with the new!



Passenger side





All installed!



Nick_R_23 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-31-2022, 12:24 AM   #4
layinrocker65
Registered User
 
layinrocker65's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2005
Location: California
Posts: 521
Re: 1978 Chevy K20 longbed with nearly 500,000 miles! LS Swap begins!

Keep it up. This is one of my favorite builds to follow.
__________________
‘53 GMC COE stock
‘53 Chevy 3100 LSA/TR6060 http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s....php?t=805949‘
'70 Chevy C10 LWB 350/sm465
‘74 Chevy C10 SWB 5.3/4L80e, Vintage Air, Dakota Digital, US Mags
layinrocker65 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-12-2022, 07:55 PM   #5
Nick_R_23
Registered User
 
Nick_R_23's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2016
Location: Willow, Alaska
Posts: 881
Re: 1978 Chevy K20 longbed with nearly 500,000 miles! LS Swap begins!

Finally! Both driveshafts are finished. The rear was rebuilt, the front is nearly all new. It might actually drive!



The front axle needs to be rebuilt before any serious movement happens. It’ll be getting new ball joints, new brakes, new axle seals, and new wheel bearings. I scored this OTC axle socket kit for $50 on FB!



Nick_R_23 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-12-2022, 07:56 PM   #6
OutlawDrifter
Registered User
 
Join Date: Aug 2012
Location: Northeast KS
Posts: 1,783
Re: 1978 Chevy K20 longbed with nearly 500,000 miles! LS Swap begins!

Glad to see some more progress!
__________________
1999 GMC Suburban K2500 SLT, 454/4L80E
1991 Z/28, 6.0L/T56
1949 GMC 250, S10 Frame, 6.0L/4L80E

Instagram @aceshighspeedshop
OutlawDrifter is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-13-2022, 07:18 PM   #7
Nick_R_23
Registered User
 
Nick_R_23's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2016
Location: Willow, Alaska
Posts: 881
Re: 1978 Chevy K20 longbed with nearly 500,000 miles! LS Swap begins!

Driveshafts in!



Nick_R_23 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-28-2022, 01:03 PM   #8
Nick_R_23
Registered User
 
Nick_R_23's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2016
Location: Willow, Alaska
Posts: 881
Re: 1978 Chevy K20 longbed with nearly 500,000 miles! LS Swap begins!

Down to buttoning up a lot of the little things now.

Installed the hood back on, and aligned!



The glove box door was broken off at the hinge, so it’s getting a new one.



New part in!



Utilizing one of the cutouts for the Holley USB cable.





And with the final touch of the original Owner’s Manual, it’s done!



Installed the floor mounted high beam switch.



Ran the wires for the speakers and dome light.



Mounting the new rear speakers in their housings.





Left and right rear speakers installed!



Nick_R_23 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-10-2022, 04:15 PM   #9
Nick_R_23
Registered User
 
Nick_R_23's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2016
Location: Willow, Alaska
Posts: 881
Re: 1978 Chevy K20 longbed with nearly 500,000 miles! LS Swap begins!

Getting even closer here!

New front bumper brackets showed up from LMC. Very good fit and quality!



Picked up some stainless carriage bolts and hardware and mounted the bumper.



The hood is looking pretty ratty with the rusted out front section, but we’re going to make it look slightly better in the meantime before I replace it.



Desecrating some old valve covers.



One side in!



Also ordered a front axle seal install tool. For $31, it wasn’t worth screwing around without it.

Nick_R_23 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-17-2022, 12:49 AM   #10
Nick_R_23
Registered User
 
Nick_R_23's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2016
Location: Willow, Alaska
Posts: 881
Re: 1978 Chevy K20 longbed with nearly 500,000 miles! LS Swap begins!

I totally forgot about these heat shields. Cleaned them up and bought some stainless hardware to install them!







Getting very close to being done under the hood!



I picked up a different rear bumper in chrome instead of painted. Also installed stainless hardware on the mounts. Ordered new license plate lights as this takes a different style.



The shop is currently a disaster, but the truck is coming together!

Nick_R_23 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-17-2022, 08:56 AM   #11
OutlawDrifter
Registered User
 
Join Date: Aug 2012
Location: Northeast KS
Posts: 1,783
Re: 1978 Chevy K20 longbed with nearly 500,000 miles! LS Swap begins!

Engine compartment looks very "stockish"...I like it!
__________________
1999 GMC Suburban K2500 SLT, 454/4L80E
1991 Z/28, 6.0L/T56
1949 GMC 250, S10 Frame, 6.0L/4L80E

Instagram @aceshighspeedshop
OutlawDrifter is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-30-2022, 01:26 AM   #12
Nick_R_23
Registered User
 
Nick_R_23's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2016
Location: Willow, Alaska
Posts: 881
Re: 1978 Chevy K20 longbed with nearly 500,000 miles! LS Swap begins!

Thanks!

Back to smaller updates! I bought some replacement license plate lights for the new rear bumper.

Old ones removed



New ones installed!

Nick_R_23 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 02-10-2023, 01:28 AM   #13
Nick_R_23
Registered User
 
Nick_R_23's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2016
Location: Willow, Alaska
Posts: 881
Re: 1978 Chevy K20 longbed with nearly 500,000 miles! LS Swap begins!

I picked up a new wiper motor because the old one quit working.



Turns out the new motor didn’t solve the issue, nor did a new switch. After a day of troubleshooting, it turns out the blue wires were swapped in the new harness!



New wiper motor in and all wires where they are supposed to be!



Installed all new wiper washer lines and filled the tank!



Next up, finally rebuilding the front axle!



Hub and rotor removed



Rotor and bearings are well worn due to improper hub nut adjustments.



The calipers are showing their age also



Drivers side!



Even the spindles are damaged beyond repair from the loose bearings



U-joints are completely shot



Everything all apart!



Time for some new parts! Rotors and bearings



New calipers and pads





Removed the carrier and old axle seals, cleaned the housing.



New axle seals!





Pressing the new seals in! This tool was worth every penny



Carrier reinstalled



New spindles



New hub nut kit



New U-joints installed in the axle shafts



New ball joints installed in the knuckle



New rotor and caliper installed





Hub installed



Ball joints installed in passenger side knuckle



Knuckle installed to axle housing



Axle shaft and new spindle installed



Backing plate, rotor, and caliper installed.



Also installed the new trailer brake controller under the dash.



Nick_R_23 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-22-2023, 10:12 PM   #14
evan
Registered User
 
evan's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2005
Location: SK, Canada
Posts: 488
Re: 1978 Chevy K20 longbed with nearly 500,000 miles! LS Swap begins!

I need that steering box.
__________________
Evan B.
evan is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-23-2023, 07:46 AM   #15
OutlawDrifter
Registered User
 
Join Date: Aug 2012
Location: Northeast KS
Posts: 1,783
Re: 1978 Chevy K20 longbed with nearly 500,000 miles! LS Swap begins!

Glad to see you still plugging away! I just put a new Borgeson box on my Z28. Very good product!
__________________
1999 GMC Suburban K2500 SLT, 454/4L80E
1991 Z/28, 6.0L/T56
1949 GMC 250, S10 Frame, 6.0L/4L80E

Instagram @aceshighspeedshop
OutlawDrifter is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-28-2023, 01:46 PM   #16
Nick_R_23
Registered User
 
Nick_R_23's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2016
Location: Willow, Alaska
Posts: 881
Re: 1978 Chevy K20 longbed with nearly 500,000 miles! LS Swap begins!

I’m glad to hear that, I’m hoping it will be a worthwhile upgrade even on a 3/4 ton truck!


I got the tires mounted on the rims and balanced last night! New wheels are going to really make it stand out! I’m still disappointed that I can’t find 16.5’s anymore, but I’ll save the old wheels to maybe go back on in the future.



Nick_R_23 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-31-2023, 09:07 PM   #17
Nick_R_23
Registered User
 
Nick_R_23's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2016
Location: Willow, Alaska
Posts: 881
Re: 1978 Chevy K20 longbed with nearly 500,000 miles! LS Swap begins!

More parts!

New sway bar bushings!



New steering stabilizer!



New RH rear bed corner since it was rusty to the point of nearly falling off.



Finished deleting the power steering cooler and connected the lines to the new steering box.



Tie rod installed!



Steering stabilizer installed!



Sway bar bushings installed!





Front shocks installed!





Front steering and suspension completed!



Nick_R_23 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-21-2023, 08:01 PM   #18
Nick_R_23
Registered User
 
Nick_R_23's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2016
Location: Willow, Alaska
Posts: 881
Re: 1978 Chevy K20 longbed with nearly 500,000 miles! LS Swap begins!

Getting close to the last of the needed parts! Pretty much down to rear brakes and shocks at this point!



New rear drums!



New rear shoes!



New rear hose and hardware kits!



New wheel bearings and wheel cylinders!



New axle gaskets!



Drums painted!

Nick_R_23 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-21-2023, 09:35 PM   #19
OutlawDrifter
Registered User
 
Join Date: Aug 2012
Location: Northeast KS
Posts: 1,783
Re: 1978 Chevy K20 longbed with nearly 500,000 miles! LS Swap begins!

Looks good! Always nice to go back with new parts.
__________________
1999 GMC Suburban K2500 SLT, 454/4L80E
1991 Z/28, 6.0L/T56
1949 GMC 250, S10 Frame, 6.0L/4L80E

Instagram @aceshighspeedshop
OutlawDrifter is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-30-2023, 03:01 AM   #20
Nick_R_23
Registered User
 
Nick_R_23's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2016
Location: Willow, Alaska
Posts: 881
Re: 1978 Chevy K20 longbed with nearly 500,000 miles! LS Swap begins!

Getting down to the little things now!

Ran the vent lines for the fuel tanks and rear axle.



Ran the harness for the new license plate lights.



Adapter for the 7 pin trailer connector.





Made an interior harness for the trailer brake controller that tied into the brake light switch.



Made a circuit breaker block for the power feeds for the 7 pin and brake controller.



Driver front brake line was pretty rusty looking at the fitting, so I made a replacement.



Perfect fit!




Last edited by Nick_R_23; 04-30-2023 at 03:08 AM.
Nick_R_23 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-30-2023, 08:03 PM   #21
Nick_R_23
Registered User
 
Nick_R_23's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2016
Location: Willow, Alaska
Posts: 881
Re: 1978 Chevy K20 longbed with nearly 500,000 miles! LS Swap begins!

Started on the rear brakes today. Didn’t make it that far, mostly because I could’ve sworn up and down that I had 13” brakes, but turns out that I actually had 11” rears. Instead of returning all the parts and going with 11”, I’m going to locate the 13” backing plates and end up with a better set of brakes!

The original ones were destroyed…







Both wheel hubs stripped. Probably going to take these into town with me and have them hot tanked since they’re pretty nasty.



Nick_R_23 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-30-2023, 08:33 PM   #22
OutlawDrifter
Registered User
 
Join Date: Aug 2012
Location: Northeast KS
Posts: 1,783
Re: 1978 Chevy K20 longbed with nearly 500,000 miles! LS Swap begins!

That's the 11in "oil bath" RPO code, haha
__________________
1999 GMC Suburban K2500 SLT, 454/4L80E
1991 Z/28, 6.0L/T56
1949 GMC 250, S10 Frame, 6.0L/4L80E

Instagram @aceshighspeedshop
OutlawDrifter is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-07-2023, 01:10 PM   #23
Nick_R_23
Registered User
 
Nick_R_23's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2016
Location: Willow, Alaska
Posts: 881
Re: 1978 Chevy K20 longbed with nearly 500,000 miles! LS Swap begins!

Yeah no kidding.

I’m not sure if I mentioned this earlier, but for some reason I’ve had an interference issue with the hydroboost and master cylinder. I’ve had everything apart several times and can’t find any issues, so since I’m into the brakes now, I decided to just make a shim to gain the proper clearance back.

Sheet of aluminum measuring .058”. I used an SBC thermostat housing gasket as a template and just moved the holes out a little bit for the booster bolt pattern.



Perfect fit! With the shim in place, I can measure .007” clearance now between the pin and piston.



Still not sure why there was a clearance issue, but this turned out to be a nice solution!

Nick_R_23 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-08-2023, 08:44 AM   #24
93M6Formula
Registered User
 
Join Date: Nov 2014
Location: Norfolk,NE
Posts: 136
Re: 1978 Chevy K20 longbed with nearly 500,000 miles! LS Swap begins!

Interesting, so was it applying slight pressure to the MC without that shim?
__________________
1982 Sierra Classic K15 RC/LB 6.2L Diesel 700R4
1988 GTA Trans AM 305 TPI 700R4
1993 Formula Firebird LT1 T56
1995 GMC K2500 ECLB 6.5L 4L80E
1996 GMC K3500 CCLB LB7 6L90
93M6Formula is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-08-2023, 09:55 AM   #25
Nick_R_23
Registered User
 
Nick_R_23's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2016
Location: Willow, Alaska
Posts: 881
Re: 1978 Chevy K20 longbed with nearly 500,000 miles! LS Swap begins!

Yeah, noticeable enough that I could slide the master cylinder onto the booster studs and seat it by hand and have nearly a washers’ width of gap between the two flanges once the pin touched the piston. I could feel it pushing the piston in if I pushed the master cylinder the final bit manually.
Nick_R_23 is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply

Bookmarks


Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off

Forum Jump


All times are GMT -4. The time now is 03:25 AM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.11
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions Inc.
Copyright 1997-2022 67-72chevytrucks.com