How to make a daily driver?

From your pictures, it looks like the truck is shown with some kind of mud terrain tire, and then BFG All Terrains. For a DD, I'd definitely stick with the BFG All Terrains, or even a highway tire for a cushier ride and less noise. The heavier the tire, the more the shocks have to work to control up-down movement. Also, if the truck has a bone-jarring ride, you might want to check the cab mount bushings.

In addition to what was just mentioned on tires, you should run load range C tires. That will help with ride quality and help keep your mpg closer to normal. If you plan on towing trailers or hauling stuff on a regular basis then obviously get the right tire for the job but if its just on occasion standard load tires will do. I personally liked the Cooper Discoverer AT3. They rode smooth and quiet, wore well, and handled the snow I needed while still giving a slightly aggressive tread pattern.

What everyone said. Check fluids often. Keep belts tight. Replace hoses and belts every 5 years.

rpcraft said:

That may be true. I've been tooling mine up to work with a 14 bolt rear with a 5.3 LS swap. I'm somewhat close to getting it running but I have a wiring mess to sort out in the cab before I can hook a battery up to it (otherwise I might have a fire). At the same time I have a house that is being built so right now I'm holding off on the truck to fund some garage equipment when I move in. I'm on the fence of whether to keep the 4.10 rear gears or swap it to a 3.73 setup. All I am planning is about a 4 inch lift and 33 inch tires and the jury seems to be split for the 4.10/3.73 setup for optimum performance and economy. I figure I'll run the 4.10's and see how it does since the 14 bolt is super easy to gear swap and if I am happy with the 4.10's then it's just that much less I have to worry about spending later, and after that point I just need to swap the front drive gears to match up (and leave the front drive shaft disconnected until I do so there is no accidental screw ups).

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I ran 33's for a long while on a 4 inch lift, with a 14ff and a 700r4 of course. That TBI 350 hated the 3.73's pretty much all the time. 4.10's would have worked better, or ideally, 4.56's.

I drove a 1968 K10 for my daily driver for about 2-1/2 years starting about 2000. I had gotten tired of having a truck payment and figured I could buy another old truck every year and still be money ahead. I pulled my 8.5x18 enclosed trailer with that truck on regular basis, usually around 5-6 thousand pounds with all my tools in it. It had a 350/TH350, I don't remember what transfer case it had. It had no lift and 31" tires, not sure on axle ratio.

The engine/trans/tansfer case were all 70's vintage and the only problems I ever had with that truck were front u-joints and a broken front leaf spring. I regularly drove the truck on 2 hour trips (each way) to see family. I drove it down to Indiana when I picked up my trailer, about 5 hours each way. I never had any issues that left me stranded or where I felt it was too unreliable to drive every day.

The truck in my profile is a 79 GMC C3500, completely stock except for the carburetor. I flew to Oregon, bought the truck and drove it 2800 miles to get it back home. It had a couple little issues that were easily remedied. I look forward to driving the truck down to Florida in the spring if the body work is done.

I guess my point is these trucks are very reliable for the most part, it just depends on how you use or abuse it. I would imagine your truck would have broken if the original owner would have done much severe off roading when it was new. I find that some guys expect too much out of things sometimes.

+1 on Cooper tires. I run ATP series and they are good on the road and not bad offroad.
I keep a spare ignition module and inline fuel pump just in case. Otherwise daily driver and offroad once in a while.

I kinda like the Hankook ATMs I put them on the wife’s AWD Edge and it’s unstoppable in the snow. Plus it looks a bit odd because they are a semi aggressive truck tire on a CUV lol

Speaking of Hankook, the Dynapro MT is a very good all purpose truck tire. Slightly less aggressive than most mud terrain types, but no louder on the highway than an AT type.

bucket said:

Speaking of Hankook, the Dynapro MT is a very good all purpose truck tire. Slightly less aggressive than most mud terrain types, but no louder on the highway than an AT type.

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We went to those Hankook tires on our work trucks because the General crap that came on them sucked. They weren’t Grabbing **** lol

My son is also 19 and daily drives a 76 K-10

He swapped in a 5.3 from a 2002 and a NV-3500 five speed from a 2007
And Vintage Air AC

New dash pad cover and FatMat and carpet and seat cover
And has been daily driving it

Also kept breaking 12 bolt axles with normal street driving and swapped in a 14 bolt

If you keep driving a vehicle like a teenage boy , you will always have broken parts
Doesn’t matter what brand or what age vehicle it is

And yes , I was a teenager once and I broke lots of car parts

My brother was the abuse king
He ripped the transmission out of every vehicle he ever owned
He even managed to strip the teeth from first and reverse from a three speed in a 61 Chevy pickup with the straight six

roundhouse said:

My son is also 19 and daily drives a 76 K-10

He swapped in a 5.3 from a 2002 and a NV-3500 five speed from a 2007
And Vintage Air AC

New dash pad cover and FatMat and carpet and seat cover
And has been daily driving it

Also kept breaking 12 bolt axles with normal street driving and swapped in a 14 bolt

If you keep driving a vehicle like a teenage boy , you will always have broken parts
Doesn’t matter what brand or what age vehicle it is

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nice looking step side

Looks like he even found some bumper guards for it too. They really give the front end a good look.

Frankenchevy said:

nice looking step side

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Thanks
He wanted a Stepside 4 speed and we found that one at a horse rescue ranch in Arizona (we are in Georgia )for $1500

It drove onto the trailer , but barely

If I had know how easy it was to swap beds we would have bought a fleet side and if I had know we were gonna swap the granny four speed for a 3500 I might have even bought an automatic

Automatic fleet sides are everywhere
Four speed Stepside is hard to find

He started wanting a car when he was 15 and we told him if he became fluent in a foreign language we’d pay $4500 for a car

He wavered back and forth between a 68-69 chevelle and a squarebody Stepside ,

We spent $1500 for the truck and $800 for the transport and he drove it for a while then added TBI and then the five speed and then the LS
Along with a 4” lift and 35s and an axle swap

The slot mags were made for drum brakes , it’s the only set of 15” 8 lug slot mags I’ve ever seen , found locally on CL .
Had to grind some off of the brake calipers to get em to fit

CSFJ said:

Looks like he even found some bumper guards for it too. They really give the front end a good look.

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Took several months of eBay and CL and looking on sites like this to find em

That’s one of those nice looking oxidized paint combos. I’m liking how the fender is painted from that angle.

You have anymore pictures from different angles from the back?