73 K10 needs advice

[bdouble]

Just got this 73 K10 custom deluxe off ebay from my boss as a work bonus. Pretty sweet.

I had it delivered right to our family mechanic of 20 years to go through it & give me a real breakdown of what it needs done to be a reliable daily driver. I haven't really seen it yet aside from a drive by (mechanic is in LA and I'm in San Diego). So far, he's come back with nothing but a few hoses, belts, and spark plugs. Oh, and the A/C compressor.

Since my boss is covering the bill to "bring it up to snuff," I'm hoping you guys have some advice on some quick bolt on items that will kick this thing up a notch.

Currently, its got a 350 with stock Q-jet & Edelbrock SP2-P. From what I've read, that intake is crap. What should I drop in there in its place?

Any recommendations are greatly appreciated! Thanks

 

[bucket]

I think it's perfect as it is

 

[yeol1]

If it was me and some one else was floating the bill I would go ahead and have a intake and new carb and new distributor put on.

 

[MadOgre]

I'm just wondering if your boss is looking for any more employees?

 

[chengny]

Find an OEM intake and bring the power plant back to stock. These trucks are beautiful in original condition.

One thing you might want to put on your "wish list" is new springs (front and rear) and a set of quality shocks.

If the springs are original (41 years old) they are probably pretty played by now. A fresh set of springs might even get the truck to sit up a little bit higher.

And as for the shocks, if you've ever driven a K30 with a 9 leaf spring stack in the back and a 5 stack in the front - you wouldn't even ask. It's a tough ride without good shocks.

Oh yeah, get the seat professionally recovered.

One last thing: depending on it's age, consider asking for a new windshield. The difference between looking through old sandblasted glass and new glass - especially while driving at night or in the rain - is amazing.

 

[MadOgre]

Edelbrock 2101 is a good manifold for the qaudjet.

 

[bdouble]

If it was me and some one else was floating the bill I would go ahead and have a intake and new carb and new distributor put on.

Definitely need the new intake. Saw the recommendation for the edelbrock 2101. Thoughts?

What carb & distributor? (without breaking the bank)

The interior is pretty crappy - the one pic doesn't do it justice. Cracked dash, armrests, no radio. So I got a bit to do there.

 

[bdouble]

One thing you might want to put on your "wish list" is new springs (front and rear) and a set of quality shocks.

If the springs are original (41 years old) they are probably pretty played by now. A fresh set of springs might even get the truck to sit up a little bit higher.

And as for the shocks, if you've ever driven a K30 with a 9 leaf spring stack in the back and a 5 stack in the front - you wouldn't even ask. It's a tough ride without good shocks.

Thinking it might be worth giving it a couple inch lift. Sits lower than my old '09 1500.

Rough Country? Sky jacker? Not trying to go for broke on it yet...just want to be ready to pull the trigger when the time comes. Gotta mentally spend that Christmas bonus a few months in advance haha

 

[MadOgre]

Thinking it might be worth giving it a couple inch lift. Sits lower than my old '09 1500.

Rough Country? Sky jacker? Not trying to go for broke on it yet...just want to be ready to pull the trigger when the time comes. Gotta mentally spend that Christmas bonus a few months in advance haha

A 4 inch lift would be perfect for you.

The 2101 is a really good manifold for qaudjets. It allows for divorced or thermostatic choke set ups and if using electric then you can put a cover on the choke pad.

Always use the crossover restrictor plates in the intake gaskets. The felpro 1256 have them built right into the gasket.

If using a square bore such as Edelbrock or holley carbs, although there is a holley 4x4 spread bore carb available, the EPS 2701 Edelbrock manifold is a good one, but it has no provisions for anything but electric choke.

I think the Qaudjets in top form are the best carb to use, the only thing is that they have a factory design flaw that allows the fuel well plugs to leak fuel out the bottom of the carb and down into your cylinders, when it sits this is very bad as it washes the oil away from the rings and contaminates your oil. This will shorten an engines life considerably. VERY BAD!

It can be fixed along with new throttle shaft bushings installed but it will cost you $ and not too many know how to do it properly.

Every one will tell you to epoxy the fuel well plugs to fix the leaky fuel well plugs but that is only a temporary fix at best. Sometimes it only lasts for a matter of days. This is not a fix for this problem.

I recently installed an eddy 1806 carb to be done with the leaky fuel wells on my quadjet and im not super impressed with it. Im guessing with the absolute correct jets and rods it may work better. I am running it straight out of the box. Also I am using the divided runner wall base gasket and im thinking an open one would work better.

 

[Skweegle89]

That may be the sexiest thing on four wheels I have seen in a long time. I would leave the suspension alone if it was me. If the springs are original, just replace the factory springs with new ones and you will gain a little height back. I love that color too.

 

[bdouble]

The 2101 is a really good manifold for qaudjets. It allows for divorced or thermostatic choke set ups and if using electric then you can put a cover on the choke pad.

Always use the crossover restrictor plates in the intake gaskets. The felpro 1256 have them built right into the gasket.

Took your advice and ordered the 2101 and felpro 1256.

Gonna pick it up from the shop on Saturday. Then comes the radio annnnnd basically all the interior aside from the gauges.

 

[crazy4offroad]

Leave it stock height. You go lifting it and it will take all the fun out of driving it. Shortbeds get bad road manners compared to longbeds when lifted. I definitely concur new stock springs and high quality shocks will go a long way to making it a nice feeling ride. Holley Truck Avenger is a nice carb but very expensive. Whatever you get make sure it has vacuum secondaries, mechanical secondaries just wash the cylinders with excess fuel and results in more necessary oil changes/shorter bearing life. It looks like it has some good parts, Dana 44 front axle, NP205, I'm wondering if the RPO sheet is still in the glovebox so we can find out if it has any traction adders. And it has air conditioning! Lucky ****** lol. If anyone knows anything about these trucks and looks at that one for long you will need an alarm system for it!! Good score!

 

[bdouble]

If anyone knows anything about these trucks and looks at that one for long you will need an alarm system for it!! Good score!

Thanks man. I'll take a look at the RPO when I get it back from the shop this weekend (if the RPO sheet is still there).

Regarding the alarm...you definitely got me thinking. What's the best bet on this? The fact that it doesn't even have a hood release & anyone could walk up and pop the hood kinda sketched me out.

 

[rich weyand]

I went to a Tuff Country EZ-Ride suspension with +2 in the front and +3 in the back. +2 in the front gives you some positive arch in the springs, which greatly improves the ride. The extra inch in the back evened up the fender gap above the tires front/rear, and gave the body just a touch of rake, which looks pretty good. I got the whole setup direct from Tuff Country rather than a dealer because it was mix-and-match parts to get the +2/+3, rather than a full kit of one lift size. They set me up with a whole kit, and they usually have sales going on. Total parts cost was about $1200.

For radio, you can get a modern AM/FM/USB radio that uses the same cutout holes in the dash so you don't have to cut it up. For speakers, I went with the Highliner headliner with 4" Kicker speakers, then mounted a subwoofer on the back wall of the cab.

New dash pad, new seat cover plus some professional foam work, new carpet are all easy fixes.

Headers with some rumbly mufflers would be cool. Hooker 2453 fits the K trucks.

 

[MadOgre]

I went to a Tuff Country EZ-Ride suspension with +2 in the front and +3 in the back. +2 in the front gives you some positive arch in the springs, which greatly improves the ride. The extra inch in the back evened up the fender gap above the tires front/rear, and gave the body just a touch of rake, which looks pretty good. I got the whole setup direct from Tuff Country rather than a dealer because it was mix-and-match parts to get the +2/+3, rather than a full kit of one lift size. They set me up with a whole kit, and they usually have sales going on. Total parts cost was about $1200.

For radio, you can get a modern AM/FM/USB radio that uses the same cutout holes in the dash so you don't have to cut it up. For speakers, I went with the Highliner headliner with 4" Kicker speakers, then mounted a subwoofer on the back wall of the cab.

New dash pad, new seat cover plus some professional foam work, new carpet are all easy fixes.

Headers with some rumbly mufflers would be cool. Hooker 2453 fits the K trucks.

Holy Crapp! $1200! You better get a life time warranty for that price! And a free gold watch!

That is a nice set up the +2+3. You should give us a few nice pics including a good side shot, to look at.