1972 GMC Sierra Grande

[Rake72]

I have my dad's '72 in my garage and I'm finally to the point where I can have some work done to it (blew the sb400 in 2002). I'm in talks with some local guys regarding the motor situation, but when I look any farther I kind of get overwhelmed due to my lack of automotive knowledge, so I have a few quick questions for you guys:

My truck has the split rims on it, which I'd like to replace eventually with some nice wheels. My wheels now are 8-bolt, which isn't too big of a deal, but the rear axle extends so far past the back wheel, it will look ridiculous to have some shiny chrome with a big ol' rusty axle in the center. Any suggestions?

Also, this truck is largely rust-free except for the bed, which is in bad shape. In your experiences, is a replacement bed hard to find?

Thanks for the help guys. I hope to learn a lot from this forum.

Rake

[travlinman]

keep calling all the parts and auto shops for prices on rebuilding your motor, 400 are too motors unless u want to just swap it out than look on craigslist for a 350 u can just swap in and get it running and u can save up and rebuild the 400 at a later time.

wheels u can find with all different types of offset so it wont stick out too far. the rearend u can degrease with oven cleaner and spray paint black?

depending on the bed( short or long bed) they can be easy to find, short beds are harder and much more expensive than long beds.

good luck and make sure to take pleanty of pics for us

[Dieselwrencher]

A decent engine from a junk yard shouldn't cost you more than $450 for a runner. If you go to an auto parts store they will probabaly sell you a reman'd engine for around $1800. On the wheels, they make stainless steel caps that go inside the wheel opening to cover the hub and axle so you can't see it.

[Rake72]

Wow this board moves fast!

@ travlinman - I have mentioned rebuilding my 400 to several shops in the area, and the response I get is that it's probably too damaged to repair. The weird thing is, that the same people telling me this then make an offer to buy my 400. Something seems shady, no? I removed my oil pan a few months ago, and noticed that a connecting rod cap is broken in half, so who knows how much damage was done.

@ DieselWrencher - I'll check into the wheel caps, thanks bro.

[Dieselwrencher]

You want to know why something seems shady? It's because 75% of SBC race car guys in the circle track world and a lot of drag racing world rely on 400 blocks for their builds. As long as the block isn't hurt, you can reuse it. The crank in a 400 can be turned down and installed in a 350 making a 377 or a 383 with a .030 over bore, or a 388 with a .060 bore. The only real problem with 400's is that they have steam jackets instead or water jackets. But as long as you have correct heads and build a good cooling system, a 400 is a sweet engine.

[Dieselwrencher]

Here is an example of those center caps. They should be available a lot of places too.
http://purperformance.com/c-104038-p...enter-cap.html

[Rake72]

Originally Posted by Dieselwrencher

You want to know why something seems shady? It's because 75% of SBC race car guys in the circle track world and a lot of drag racing world rely on 400 blocks for their builds. As long as the block isn't hurt, you can reuse it. The crank in a 400 can be turned down and installed in a 350 making a 377 or a 383 with a .030 over bore, or a 388 with a .060 bore. The only real problem with 400's is that they have steam jackets instead or water jackets. But as long as you have correct heads and build a good cooling system, a 400 is a sweet engine.

I see. I knew something was up, thanks for clarifying my good man.