My 1967 Chevy K20 Build Thread

[Chaparralman1974]

Good morning everyone!

My name is Clayton Sikes from Peoria, Arizona, and I recently acquired a 1967 Chevy K20. I have been wanting one for several years now, and when this one popped up on the Facebook marketplace, I went to go check it out. According to the owner, it had spent its entire life in Seligman AZ, and up until recently, it served as a water hauler on a ranch.

For the most part, the truck is complete. It is an original K20 with the Custom options including chrome trim and badging. The truck doesn’t run, but looks to be mostly all there. It is an original 4 speed, with a 327 and the original Rockwell T-221 transfercase. The motor has been replaced at some point, but it is still the 327 that is optioned on the SPID.

My plan is to do a restoration on this truck. I am looking to keep it original and stock for the most part but, I will be swapping out the front axle for something newer with disc brakes, and will be adding power steering, but the end result is that I want to keep the truck original.

I plan to use this thread to document my progress on the build. I started working on it a few weeks ago and have been keeping a journal of my progress, but I also want to document what I am doing here on the forum. I have been a lurker on this forum for some time now and have found a wealth of information, so hopefully I can pay it forward by documenting my progress.

Cheers!
Clay

[Chaparralman1974]

Here is a picture of the SPID in the glove box listing how the truck was optioned.

[Chaparralman1974]

12/21/2022

A big day!! The truck is home! It was so exciting to see it coming down the road! It took a little while for it to get the here as the tow truck had a flat and had to get a tire on the replaced. He did say that as he loaded the truck onto the flatbed, the front driver’s wheel was locking up. That doesn’t look good….but I am too excited to care about it right now. Jerry was a master at moving that tow truck as well! He was able to drop the truck right into the back yard. I did have to solicit my son and my neighbor to assist in moving it up against the fence. We would jack up the bumper with my hilift jack and then push it off so that we could crab it over to the fence. Not the neatest way of doing it, but it worked.

[Chaparralman1974]

12/25/2022
Today while I was frying my Christmas turkey, I decided to see what was going on with the front left wheel. The drums were totally seized up. It was very difficult to get the drum off, and the locking hubs were seized as well. The grease that had been in the hub turned into glue. I was able to finally get the drum off and now I can at least move the truck around. I got my kids to help me push the truck back a few feet so that the turkey frier would not burn it down. LOL

[Getter-Done]

Nice looking truck

I will follow along.

Here a flip for the SPID

[best view]

That’s a special truck congratulations on saving it

[Chaparralman1974]

12/26/2022
Another big day for the truck! I solicited my kids to help me to get the truck into the garage. We drug it out with the RZR and then were able to push it into the single bay of the garage. I had ordered some wheel dollies so that I can move it around in the garage and jacked it up and put the dollies on. I am very excited to see it in the garage. I spent the next several hours rearranging the garage so that I can begin the disassembly. I finally got a chance to really look at the body, and I cannot believe how straight this thing is!

[too much stuff]

Looks good, keep the pics coming.

[Chaparralman1974]

12/28/2022
I decided to pick up a little bolt together trailer from Harbor Freight to use as a bed dolly. This will come in handy as my side yard is gravel and moving anything around out there can be a bit of a challenge. I had to modify the tongue in order to make it long enough to hold the bed, and I added a pneumatic 10” caster to the front to make moving it around and turning it easier as well. I also added two 4x4’s to the rails to have a place to set the bed on.

[Chaparralman1974]

12/31/2022
Today I was able to clean and remove the bed. I was able to lift off the bed using an engine hoist and a 6' section of 4x6 lumber. My little trailer idea worked perfectly! I was also able to use my trailer dolly to move the entire setup to the side yard. The bed will now become a storage space for all of the body components that I take off the truck. The bed bolts were removed very easily which was a big surprise. I also removed the bumper (that was a homemade concoction that had welded components as well. All of the bolts came off easy. Additionally, removal of the front clip started. It was found that the core support is probably beyond salvage. The hood was easy as the hood hinges are totally shot. I began taking off the inner and outer fenders as well. For the most part, all of this is coming apart very easy. The more that I look at the truck, I really think that it may have had a camper in it at some point. There are odd tool boxes cut into the bed, an umbilical connection on the side of the cab, and the bed floor is in amazing condition indicating that something was in the bed for a good chunk of time. Additionally, there are holes in the side of the bed that look like they may have been used as camper tie downs. It also appears that the truck may have had saddle tanks at some point as there is some sort of change over valve under the passenger seat.

[Chaparralman1974]

1/1/2023
Resume disassembly of front clip. I was able to remove fenders, inner fenders, and trim in front on windshield. All bolts removed (where possible) were reinstalled back into the component so they would not get lost. Also began disassembly of motor components. It was discovered that the original engine block is cracked and unusable. This was a setback, but not necessarily unexpected. The block appears to be more or less split on both sides. I discovered this after trying to hook up the starter and crank the engine. It is totally locked up. The block has a 4” crack on the drivers side, and what appears to be a 6” crack on the passenger side. In any event, I called Jerry (they guy I bought it from) to see if he had another motor laying around that he would sell me. He said that he had a used 350 that he pulled from another truck about 6 months ago. Additionally, he told me that he was still trying to source some steel wheels for me. I resumed the disassembly of the motor, as at this point it just has to come out. I was able to remove all the remaining components of the front clip, the heater box, and all the engine accessories. The distributor is totally frozen into the block and the carburetor is seized up as well, but the good news is that the starter works…I even had it tested at O’reilly Auto Parts.

[Chaparralman1974]

1/2/2023
Begin disassembly / cleaning of cab. Removal of seat and all butchered wires and add-ons that are not factory. There is surprisingly little rust on this truck! The rockers are not that bad and there is not very much rust on the floor. I also found that at some point a previous owner laid down some kind of asphalt on the floor that may have actually preserved things. It does look like some holes were “repaired” via a ton of bondo. All of that will need to go. The wiring on the entire truck is a total disaster. It looks like every inch has been hacked apart, so a replacement harness is definitely in the future. I also discovered that some previous owner took a torch to the transmission hump cover. Apparently they had no idea as to how to remove the hump and cut it into two pieces. This will require repair. I proceeded to pull out the seat to continue the clean up, and the original build sheet was discovered in pieces under the seat! I had to dig through about 2” of mouse droppings, but wow! What a find! From what I can see, it definitely aligns with how the truck is optioned. This will definitely be something for the scrapbook. At this point, I have the front clip off, the engine mostly disassembled, and the cab is ready to pull. All that remains is the speedometer cable, the steering shaft, the emergency brake, and the cab bolts. Lastly, I was able to fabricate a cab dolly out of scrap steel that I had. This thing is stout! I am finally using up some of the extra steel and hardware that I have laying around. This should make the project a little easier to organize in the garage.

[Chaparralman1974]

Here is the cab cart / dolly that I fabri-cobbled to hold the cab while it is off the frame.

[Chaparralman1974]

1/4/2023
I got a call from Jerry saying that the wheels were ready to pick up and that he had dug out a motor for me. I went up to meet with him and the wheels are in excellent condition! They are Ford Accurides, but are a very good representation of a steel wheel and I think they will work nicely. Moreover, he found me a spare! They all match and I am very happy with them. He showed me the motor that he pulled and said that they pulled it from a 1965 Chevy truck 5 months ago and that it had been a runner. He gave me a great deal on it for $150. Worse case is that it is a core, but I can’t go wrong for $150. It is a 3970010 block, so 68-79 350. The stamp pad on the block is V0512CDB. We can narrow it down based on the casting number of 3970010 which is a 350 casting and the 350 did not start until '67. Given that, the casting date of E 4 2 says May 4 and I would assume 1972. It could be 1982, but I think it is 1972. I think the C in the VIN number is passenger car (maybe Impala or Caprice). There appears to be an EGR mechanism on it, and GM started using the EGR in model year 1973, which would probably correspond with the date. If it is a May 1972 motor, it could have been for a '73 model year. Of course, that may not be the intake the motor started with either, so hard to tell. My guess is 1972 350 out of a passenger car. The intake is definitely a Quadrajet intake. The engine was painted corporate blue, but it is obvious that the heads were originally Chevy orange. I am not sure yet if I will be just doing a refresh on this motor or if I will do a full rebuild or even an exchange. I would really prefer to have a 327 for the sake of originality, but realistically, the Chevy 350 is the volkswagen of motors with millions of them out there. It really is a better motor, but I am not overly thrilled with going this route. Maybe a big block will be in the future…I just don’t know. At any rate, the 350 will be more than enough motor to get the truck rolling.

[Chaparralman1974]

1/7/2023
I decided to swap both axles with disc brake setups. I found a set of later model axles in Joshua Tree CA with all new parts to do a disc conversion front and rear. We were heading to San Diego tomorrow anyway to see my son off on deployment......we are just taking a "slight" detour to Joshua Tree CA, on the way to San Diego. These axles are out of a later model squarebody truck and include a set of “Big Hubs” (Spicer Hubloc) locking hubs for the front. This is the same type of setup that was on my first truck (1973 K20) so it is period correct and adds a bit of nostalgia for me. The axles came with all of the steering linkage and the front should be a direct bolt in. The rear came with the spring plates as well. I am not yet sure if I will swap in the rear. On one hand, it would be nicer to have a 4.10 gear ratio as compared to the 4.57 that is in it now, but it would also take away from the originality of the truck. In any case, I purchased both axles. I can always sell it if I don’t need it.

[Chaparralman1974]

1/13/2023
Today saw the removal of the cab from the chassis. I thought that this was going to be a lot harder than it really was. I had pre-soaked all four of the cab mounting bolts thinking that they were going to be seized up, but I was shocked at how clean and easy that they came out. I pulled the steering column and parking brake as well in order to get the cab off. One thing to note is that the speedometer cable actually screwed into the back of the gauge cluster. I thought that it clipped in based on some online research that I did, but it may be that the 67’s were just different. In any case, I was able to get everything disconnected and the cab lifted off using my engine hoist with a 4x6 beam mounted to the top of it. I did decide to remove the doors as well as I don’t want to bend or tweak them when lifting the cab.
The cart that I made ended up being a tad short and it was a bit of a challenge to get the cab off of the hoist and onto the cart. In the end, I had to place jack stands under the rockers of the cab to support it while I moved the hoist out of the way and then moved the cab cart under in its place. I put a few 4x4’s in between the cab and the cart and it seems to be holding, but they are a bit short for my liking so I will get some longer material in there at some point. I also ran a ratchet strap through the cab and around the cart for added stability.

[Chaparralman1974]

1/14/2023
Cleaning day!!
Today’s main goal was to clean the rolling chassis, new engine, and new front axle. Years of grease, dirt, and neglect were caked onto everything. I started by rolling the chassis out into the driveway and put a large piece of cardboard under it, and went to town scraping the old caked on grease with a putty knife. I ended up moving over to my cheap harbor freight pry bars, and they actually worked better. I was able to scrape off at least 15-20 pounds of caked on grime. After doing some research online, I decided to go up to the local DollarTree and pick up a bunch of cheap oven cleaner. As it turned out, the oven cleaner worked great! I sprayed it on and allowed it to soak for 15-20 minutes and then hit it with the pressure washer. I got at least 90% of all the grime off and anything that remained will be easy work with a wire wheel. More importantly though, now I won’t have all the dirt and crap falling off of the frame and getting all over the garage.
As the frame began to get cleaner, the original frame color came out along with the transfercase and bellhousing! I was shocked to see just how clean this frame really is! There is only surface rust, and I think that all of the bolts should come out nicely.
As for the axle and new engine, they cleaned up nicely as well and will look great after getting refreshed and repainted.

[Chaparralman1974]

More cleaning pictures.

[Chaparralman1974]

Here are some more pictures of the cleaning process.

[Chaparralman1974]

Here are some pictures after pressure washing.

[Chaparralman1974]

Here is the new front axle and motor after pressure washing.

[Chaparralman1974]

Originally Posted by Getter-Done

Nice looking truck

I will follow along.

Here a flip for the SPID

Attachment 2249548

Thanks much! :-)

Clay

[Chaparralman1974]

Originally Posted by best view

That’s a special truck congratulations on saving it

Yeah, I am not interested in doing any kind of a resto-mod. I want to preserve this one as best I can. It will be a driver, but it will never get off roaded or anything like that. I am going to keep it as original as possible.


Clay

[Chaparralman1974]

Originally Posted by too much stuff

Looks good, keep the pics coming.

Thank you much! I will be documenting the entire process. :-)


Clay

[MARKDTN]

Originally Posted by Chaparralman1974

1/4/2023
I got a call from Jerry saying that the wheels were ready to pick up and that he had dug out a motor for me. I went up to meet with him and the wheels are in excellent condition! They are Ford Accurides, but are a very good representation of a steel wheel and I think they will work nicely. Moreover, he found me a spare! They all match and I am very happy with them. He showed me the motor that he pulled and said that they pulled it from a 1965 Chevy truck 5 months ago and that it had been a runner. He gave me a great deal on it for $150. Worse case is that it is a core, but I can’t go wrong for $150. It is a 3970010 block, so 68-79 350. The stamp pad on the block is V0512CDB. We can narrow it down based on the casting number of 3970010 which is a 350 casting and the 350 did not start until '67. Given that, the casting date of E 4 2 says May 4 and I would assume 1972. It could be 1982, but I think it is 1972. I think the C in the VIN number is passenger car (maybe Impala or Caprice). There appears to be an EGR mechanism on it, and GM started using the EGR in model year 1973, which would probably correspond with the date. If it is a May 1972 motor, it could have been for a '73 model year. Of course, that may not be the intake the motor started with either, so hard to tell. My guess is 1972 350 out of a passenger car. The intake is definitely a Quadrajet intake. The engine was painted corporate blue, but it is obvious that the heads were originally Chevy orange. I am not sure yet if I will be just doing a refresh on this motor or if I will do a full rebuild or even an exchange. I would really prefer to have a 327 for the sake of originality, but realistically, the Chevy 350 is the volkswagen of motors with millions of them out there. It really is a better motor, but I am not overly thrilled with going this route. Maybe a big block will be in the future…I just don’t know. At any rate, the 350 will be more than enough motor to get the truck rolling.

CDB in '72 is a Chevelle or Monte Carlo 350 with powerglide.