Looking at buying an 83 K10 with broken driveline

[Moonsaber]

The transfer case pumps fluid out the rear drive out put shaft so with out the rear drive shaft hooked up it will pump all your transfer case ATF fluid onto the ground in very short order. You could put the yoke in but the fluid pressure will push the yoke out and again will pump all your transfer case ATF on to the ground in very short order.

Load it on a trailer or have it towed.

I suspected that was the case, and hoped it wasn't. These things aren't the old M151A2 MUTTs I used to work on.

*IF* (Big If) I buy this thing, I will either rent a trailer or tow it. Thanks for that clue in, I needed it.

$500 is probably max value for that thing. As I can almost guarantee you that the entire drive line will need overhauling at the very least if not replaced.

Yeah, my gut is telling me the same thing... parts truck or hard rebuild. But IF I can get it at the right price, I might pick it up.

Thank you @MadOgre!

 

[MadOgre]

Correction lol If it is an old np205 or 203 with a fixed yoke then you could limp it home with the front drive shaft I am just assuming it has an np208 as per the body era

 

[MadOgre]

The other thing I noticed is that it has either a GM goodwrench 350 or target master 350 and they are 250hp engines. so it might be a good rebuild candidate depending on whats wrong with it, but I still wouldn't pay more than $500. If you can trade your toy for it then even better!

 

[Moonsaber]

The other thing I noticed is that it has either a GM goodwrench 350 or target master 350 and they are 250hp engines. so it might be a good rebuild candidate depending on whats wrong with it, but I still wouldn't pay more than $500. If you can trade your toy for it then even better!

Now THAT is some good news.

I will check on that yoke and see if it is hard mounted or held in by the seal. Also.. internet on phones allows me to on the spot examine the difference between transfer cases to ID it.

Still a big IF about buying it, the owner seems to think it is worth $2500.

 

[MadOgre]

Well you will be able to pull the slip yoke style out of the tail housing by hand. The fixed yoke has a nut holding the yoke to the tail housing out put shaft.

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The one on the left is a slip yoke the one on the right is a fixed yoke

 

[Moonsaber]

Well you will be able to pull the slip yoke style out of the tail housing by hand. The fixed yoke has a nut holding the yoke to the tail housing out put shaft.

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The one on the left is a slip yoke the one on the right is a fixed yoke

And I can also look at that picture...

Wow, thanks!

 

[MadOgre]

no prob

 

[PrairieDrifter]

Don't just tie up that rear drive shaft just remove it, as soon as wheels start turning the driveshaft will start whipping around and break more ****!!

 

[Moonsaber]

Don't just tie up that rear drive shaft just remove it, as soon as wheels start turning the driveshaft will start whipping around and break more ****!!

@The reaper - Yeah, that is VERY good advice. Probably want that off even if I put it on a trailer, just for that short distance onto the back.

 

[PrairieDrifter]

@The reaper - Yeah, that is VERY good advice. Probably want that off even if I put it on a trailer, just for that short distance onto the back.

Yep, the moment you think you have it tied up good it moves and undoes the strap then you have a problem, maybe even a driveshaft through the bottom of the box! haha and its only four bolts and takes five minutes!

 

[Don5]

Pull the rear driveshaft first. If you are trailering it, regardless of transfer case type, lock hubs and pull it on trailer.

Open the doors and lift them up in the back. Grab them on the bottom. You are checking for frame and body flex. If it moves a lot, it has been mudded quite a bit. It will probably squeak too. If it is tight and the cab rocks slightly then it has been in the mud occasionally. BTW-Price offer will depend on the results of this test. I bet it has been in the mud but not buried. There is no mud line in the floor of the cab under the seat. I would check the transfer case/ transmission crossmember for any mud laying on top of it too. Look inside the radiator shroud for mud. Most people miss these spots because they are at the car wash and are in a hurry.

 

[HotRodPC]

It's a shortbed, and it's a 4x4, so it has some value if you're wanting a 4x4. I notice the dash pad is 80 or earlier slope, not the flat 81 up dash pad. He mentions it has an NP205 Transfer Case. OEM should have been an NP208. So someone has done some swapping, OR it might be a VIN swapped older truck with a new front clip. Also, 350 was not a common motor in 83. Not saying it can't be, but 305 was most common, so you might check for that ******** too. Tires are of no value. Been rode hard and put away wet, literally. I woudn't call it a parts truck at best, I'd call a parts truck at worst. Worst case scenario you have parts. He's smoking a pole if he thinks he can part that out and get $2500. I notice the door panels are missing to. It needs alot of work to be a daily driver type truck. I'd probably gut the interior and make a Truggy out of it. I'd say he's getting a good offer with a Yugo SKS and if he needs the deal sweetened, 100 rounds of ammo not 500 rounds. I also see the rifle rack in the rear window, so you're right. He's intrigued by things that go bang and he just might do it. So long as the frame isn't bent or rusted out pretty bad, you've got something to start with. If you get there and it's not as bad as it seems, and another 100 rounds makes it a deal closer then give him the Yugo and 200 rounds.

If I'm seeing the rear dirveshaft right, it appear the slip for the driveshaft is at the rear end. That tells me, there is a good chance it's a NP205 and probably the bolt on yoke type too. That is the more desireable NP205 transfer case vs the NP205 with the long tailshaft so the yoke slips in and out of the Tcase. If the Tcase is the NP205 with fixed yoke and in good shape, those are usually $400-$500 when found. The transfer case is probably the most valueable part of the whole truck and that's just being honest, and that's if it's the NP205 Fixed yoke. He doesn't stay which transmission it is. But if it's a cast iron Tcase, make sure it is an NP205 and not an NP203 full time case that you can find all over the place for $50, $75 or $100. Usually the only people wanting an NP203 now days, is Rock Crawlers making doublers out of them and there are plenty of them around to make doublers.

 

[MadOgre]

The only sure fire way to tell the difference between the 2 is by the idler arm cover witch has 3 bolts on it. It is the little round BLACK cover in the middle on the back of the case.

If it does not have that 3bolt round cover than it is not an NP205

First pic is of an NP205 with the BLACK 3 bolt round cover

BTW this is the exact transfer case that HR is referring to that is worth $4-500 with a fixed yoke

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The cover does not need to be black though lol.

This is an NP203 which as you can see does not have the 3 bolt round cover but instead has a little square fill plug

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These 2 transfer cases look the same on the outside but are totally different on the inside! The NP205 is an all steel gear transfer case where as the NP203 is actually a full time chain drive transfer case

 

[Christian Nelson]

The body alone is worth $1000!! Man, that is so much cleaner than anyhting available around me.. I can get an engine, etc for practically nothing around me, the bodies are all shot though. Running good 350? They are everywhere.. 4x4 driveline? Again, everywhere, not many 2wd trucks up here.. A ody with only surface rust? HA!! Yeah right..

 

[Moonsaber]

The body alone is worth $1000!! Man, that is so much cleaner than anyhting available around me.. I can get an engine, etc for practically nothing around me, the bodies are all shot though. Running good 350? They are everywhere.. 4x4 driveline? Again, everywhere, not many 2wd trucks up here.. A ody with only surface rust? HA!! Yeah right..

@Christian Nelson - Nah man, I can get a clean body for down here in Alabama all day long. Engines and drive chain are the big deal here. Bodies are nothing. I drive a 1987 R10 from Georgia and I don't even have surface rust underneath the bed.