sobitthen
Junior Member
- Joined
- Nov 19, 2014
- Posts
- 6
- Reaction score
- 0
- Location
- Superior-WI
- First Name
- Craig
- Truck Year
- 1986
- Truck Model
- K20
- Engine Size
- 350
Was in a rush to buy a plow truck end of fall due to township refusing to plow me out after over 30 years...
Picked up a nightmare of a truck, a 77 K20 with an 86 shell on top. It didn't have any brakes on testdrive so couldn't really try it out, Western plow went up down, left to right and motor sounded tight so bit the bullet and had it delivered.
Decided to go through everything that was neglected, ended up installing new SS headers and 2.5" exhaust with Thrush welded turbos, new rear wheel bearings, wheel cylinders and brakes, dude had packed rear bearings by hand with grease and inside of one drum, no clue there, mess to clean up.
Installed high flow water pump and noticed balancer was about to let go, installed new balancer and thought some chrome would be nice to add to the SS headers, so bought Holley valve covers, a 120A chromed alternator off eBay.
Then bought reservoir for power steering and a pulley in chrome, a new pump, and some aluminum alternator-PS brackets. Added a new HD clutched fan to replace the bent one, have a performer intake to complete the look, not installed yet.
All new steering linkages and sway bar bushing kit, oil change with a 2 QT Wix oil filter, then decided to change the trany fluid and filter and add a trany cooler, there was the problem, the intermediate sprag was laying in the bottom of the pan when I pulled it off...
So I ended up rebuilding the transmission, my first, put in an Alto complete kit, new Boss Hog converter, race sprag, spring kit, Transgo kit, and that trany cooler. The springs I added to the governor worked great but governor would rattle if I got on her, was 1st to 10, the drive at 25, replaced with new governor, now in drive my 20, don't like, but the whimpy springs needed to change it via governor make it rattle so may try using the adjustable vacuum modulator or removing the Transgo spring the kit had me install on that plunger.
Ok trany set, shifts good, had decent 10 ply tires that had weather checks on sidewalls, so new set of 265/75-16s.
Take her out to the woods, put in 4 wheel, no 4 wheel, heard a pop and some clicks going up a hill, my bud thinks lock-outs, pulled side off where noise, the Spicer on the Dana 44 front was rusty and gritty so bought a set of Warn HD lock-outs, put in 4 wheel, nothing but clicking sounds...
Pulled front cover, spider gears sheared, so that turned into all 4 new ball joints, repacking fronts, new calipers and brake pads, and of course new spider gears.
She was loading up a bit so rebuilt the Carter Quadrajet that was on her, purrs now, bought new distributor with clear cap off eBay for cheap, still in box.
Added some gauges and a stereo, bought a yellow flashing light, changed a few fittings and hoses on plow that were questionable, and ready to watch the gas gauge plummet ...
I hope it ends all the mechanical adventures as snow is on the ground and single digits when swapping those gears...
Not afraid to toss a wrench when needed, but this truck took an extra $2000 I wasn't expecting already...
Look forward to any help required and since 30+ years with a wrench, any help I can offer...
Pontiacs were my forte...Owned many a GTO in the day, if this truck had a stick, it would have inherited my RAIII 400 that sits patiently on the stand...
Picked up a nightmare of a truck, a 77 K20 with an 86 shell on top. It didn't have any brakes on testdrive so couldn't really try it out, Western plow went up down, left to right and motor sounded tight so bit the bullet and had it delivered.
Decided to go through everything that was neglected, ended up installing new SS headers and 2.5" exhaust with Thrush welded turbos, new rear wheel bearings, wheel cylinders and brakes, dude had packed rear bearings by hand with grease and inside of one drum, no clue there, mess to clean up.
Installed high flow water pump and noticed balancer was about to let go, installed new balancer and thought some chrome would be nice to add to the SS headers, so bought Holley valve covers, a 120A chromed alternator off eBay.
Then bought reservoir for power steering and a pulley in chrome, a new pump, and some aluminum alternator-PS brackets. Added a new HD clutched fan to replace the bent one, have a performer intake to complete the look, not installed yet.
All new steering linkages and sway bar bushing kit, oil change with a 2 QT Wix oil filter, then decided to change the trany fluid and filter and add a trany cooler, there was the problem, the intermediate sprag was laying in the bottom of the pan when I pulled it off...
So I ended up rebuilding the transmission, my first, put in an Alto complete kit, new Boss Hog converter, race sprag, spring kit, Transgo kit, and that trany cooler. The springs I added to the governor worked great but governor would rattle if I got on her, was 1st to 10, the drive at 25, replaced with new governor, now in drive my 20, don't like, but the whimpy springs needed to change it via governor make it rattle so may try using the adjustable vacuum modulator or removing the Transgo spring the kit had me install on that plunger.
Ok trany set, shifts good, had decent 10 ply tires that had weather checks on sidewalls, so new set of 265/75-16s.
Take her out to the woods, put in 4 wheel, no 4 wheel, heard a pop and some clicks going up a hill, my bud thinks lock-outs, pulled side off where noise, the Spicer on the Dana 44 front was rusty and gritty so bought a set of Warn HD lock-outs, put in 4 wheel, nothing but clicking sounds...
Pulled front cover, spider gears sheared, so that turned into all 4 new ball joints, repacking fronts, new calipers and brake pads, and of course new spider gears.
She was loading up a bit so rebuilt the Carter Quadrajet that was on her, purrs now, bought new distributor with clear cap off eBay for cheap, still in box.
Added some gauges and a stereo, bought a yellow flashing light, changed a few fittings and hoses on plow that were questionable, and ready to watch the gas gauge plummet ...
I hope it ends all the mechanical adventures as snow is on the ground and single digits when swapping those gears...
Not afraid to toss a wrench when needed, but this truck took an extra $2000 I wasn't expecting already...
Look forward to any help required and since 30+ years with a wrench, any help I can offer...
Pontiacs were my forte...Owned many a GTO in the day, if this truck had a stick, it would have inherited my RAIII 400 that sits patiently on the stand...