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GMC / Chevy Getting a 1969 Chevy K20 back on the road

Greg

Greg

Make RME Rockcrawling Again!
Admin
Location
Grand Junction, CO
First off, this isn't going to happen for quite some time.... but I wanted to write it down and make a plan. I have other projects in line ahead of this one, it might be a year or more before I even start work on this truck. I hauled this truck home last summer, along with the '70 C10.

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The goal with this build isn't to make it into a offroader, but more of a reliable driver and run around truck. The truck itself has been sitting since 1983 according to the registration. It's a '69 K20 with a 350, SM420, Rockwell T221 t-case, closed knuckle, drum brake D44 up front and the funky Eaton full float rear axle. It does have a wooden slat bed floor, which I love. Right before it was parked, the PO had the 350 rebuilt.... but that really doesn't matter.

Once I popped the hood, the entire engine compartment was packed with sticks, branches & debris... and the fur of the packrat that did all the work.

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I'd like to clean up the interior, there is some rust on the floorboards, rockers and roof of the cab. I haven't really dug into the truck to see how bad it is, but some patch work may be needed to seal the cab at that point. Add some sound deadening material to the cab, new carpet, etc.

Down the road, I'd love to pull the body off and do a complete frame up restoration. Sand blast the frame, box it, clean it all up with new bushings, suspension, shocks, etc. Probably go for a classic look with about 4" lift, 35" BFG's and good looking 17" wheels. At that point, all the body work will get tackled. The body on this thing looks OK, but it has a lot of dents. It's pretty beat up, honestly. The hood is dented and torn across the top. I did pick up a straight & clean original hood last week for $75, so at least I have that.

So that's the plan.... for now.
 
Greg

Greg

Make RME Rockcrawling Again!
Admin
Location
Grand Junction, CO
Dragged this out of storage, spent some time vacuuming it out, then about a good hour pressure washing it, under the hood, in the cab, underneath, etc. It was pretty nasty, lots of mouse poop, nests & shredded papers, seat padding and more. After it mostly dried, I rolled it into the shop and started working on it.

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First thing was tossing a battery in and seeing if it would crank over.... and it did! Then I checked spark.... and there was spark!! Next up... will it run??

 
Greg

Greg

Make RME Rockcrawling Again!
Admin
Location
Grand Junction, CO
I'm thinking I'll just stick with the 350 (if it proves to be healthy), manual trans and Rockwell T221 t-case...?

I may have found a set of GM 1 Ton axles for a steal, a GM 60 and 14 Bolt.... I think I'll put discs on the rear axle, add a power booster and a disc/disc master cylinder.

I also picked up a set of Hummer H2 wheels from @85CUCVKRAWLER , a set of BFG's on the H2's would be a killer combo!
 
Greg

Greg

Make RME Rockcrawling Again!
Admin
Location
Grand Junction, CO
Made some great progress today, swapped a Holley carb on after dumping the Quadrajet in the trash can. The gas tank had a locking gas cap and once removed, it seemed very clean inside... smelled like hell, but that's OK! I put 2 fuel filters in line, one right out of the tank and a 2nd before the fuel pump.... and the standard 3rd filter just before the carb, as a final attempt to keep crud out of the carb.

I replaced the mechanical fuel pump, because I had a brand new one from the C10 that will be running an electric pump. Next, I put 5 gallons of ethanol free 91 octane in the tank, with a splash of Sea Foam to help clean things out.

I was able to get the truck to start and idle, made sure the radiator held water (surprising!), noticed all the gauges were functional, changed the oil and had to swap out the canister filter that bolted on for a more standard spin-on filter, then topped off the power steering reservoir. The brakes are missing the hard lines from the master to the proportioning valve for some reason, so NO BRAKES!

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Then I tested out the clutch and drivetrain... and it all felt pretty good, so it was time for a drive around the property! I added to the previous video, so it's new at 2:40...

 
Greg

Greg

Make RME Rockcrawling Again!
Admin
Location
Grand Junction, CO
I mentioned this before, finally had a chance to look at it over the weekend. I've been offered a rolling chassis, a late 70's Chevy 3500 Dually 4x4, with a GM Dana 60 and 14 Bolt, plus a SM465 and what should be a NP205. The price was too good to pass up.

I'd love to swap most of the the drivetrain into the '69 K20, along with the 6.0 LQ4 that I had machined at Cleggs. The 14 Bolt is a C&C axle, so it's narrow... I'll need a set of SRW hubs. The front dually hubs will need to come off too. Not sure what gear ratio these axles are or if the rear is opened diff or what.

I don't see this truck spending a lot of time on the freeway, so OD probably isn't needed, depending on the axle ratio & final tire size. I do have a 4x4 4L80E sitting around as well. I feel like the 465 fits the truck better, but the auto would make it easier to drive around town. With OD, it would get better mileage... not that it's a big concern.

I'll be parting out & scrapping the rest of the truck, don't think I'd use the hydroboost or much of anything else.

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Greg

Greg

Make RME Rockcrawling Again!
Admin
Location
Grand Junction, CO
I wanted to get rid of the scary split-rim wheels and ancient, dry rotted bias ply tires since it was driving (kinda) now... I picked up a set of H2 wheels from @85CUCVKRAWLER and a set of 285 Falken take-off's from a new Jeep.

Mounted them up by hand and bolted them onto the '69 K20... and I don't know that I like them!!?? They're good looking wheels, but I feel like I'm combining two different era's and the wheels don't fit... am I being too picky?

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kmboren

kmboren

Recovering XJ owner anonymous
Location
Southern Utah
Keep them. They look great. Changing the color would be a good idea if you don't like it. Black or white. I always thought wheels where a huge cosmetic upgrade to any vehicle.
 
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