SWAPPING 84 c10 body onto 84 k10 FRAME

Disclaimer: Links on this page pointing to Amazon, eBay and other sites may include affiliate code. If you click them and make a purchase, we may earn a small commission.

hayes1998

Junior Member
Joined
Jul 4, 2024
Posts
7
Reaction score
1
Location
North Ga
First Name
garrett
Truck Year
1984
Truck Model
k0
Engine Size
5.3 ls
I’m buying a donor vehicle to swap the body onto my k10 frame … 84 c10 to 84 k10. my question is how will the hump in the cab be and what can I do to modify this without placing a body lift on the truck and everything else should bolt up I’m pretty sure. Could I also use the 2wd crossmembers somehow??
 

Rickf

Full Access Member
Joined
Jul 29, 2017
Posts
572
Reaction score
715
Location
Grafton NH
First Name
Rick
Truck Year
1974, 1954 & a 1937
Truck Model
K20
Engine Size
350
If your truck has a top load shifter you may have clearance issues. I've done that swap but with a column shift automatic. No problem with the transfer case shifter.
 

hayes1998

Junior Member
Joined
Jul 4, 2024
Posts
7
Reaction score
1
Location
North Ga
First Name
garrett
Truck Year
1984
Truck Model
k0
Engine Size
5.3 ls
If your truck has a top load shifter you may have clearance issues. I've done that swap but with a column shift automatic. No problem with the transfer case shifter.
K10 of course has the tcase shifter in the floor donor is an automatic on the column, do the 2wd body’s have the same size hump as the 4wd?
 

Rickf

Full Access Member
Joined
Jul 29, 2017
Posts
572
Reaction score
715
Location
Grafton NH
First Name
Rick
Truck Year
1974, 1954 & a 1937
Truck Model
K20
Engine Size
350
Not the same, 2wd's hump is shorter.
 

scrap--metal

Full Access Member
Joined
Sep 15, 2021
Posts
693
Reaction score
1,319
Location
MN
First Name
Calvin
Truck Year
'85, '81
Truck Model
K10, K20
Engine Size
305, 350
There will be clearance between the 4wd transmission and the 2wd floor, but your 4wd shifter needs the 4wd hump to be in the correct position with the right throw/geometry. Save the hump from your 4wd truck and bolt or weld it to the floor of your 2wd cab to make it work.
 

Rickf

Full Access Member
Joined
Jul 29, 2017
Posts
572
Reaction score
715
Location
Grafton NH
First Name
Rick
Truck Year
1974, 1954 & a 1937
Truck Model
K20
Engine Size
350
There will be clearance between the 4wd transmission and the 2wd floor, but your 4wd shifter needs the 4wd hump to be in the correct position with the right throw/geometry.
I respectfully disagree. I've done the swap and had no clearance issues with either the automatic transmission or NP205 transfer case. There are no geometry or linkage problems. The truck is at a friends house and pictures can be provided if needed.
 

GTX63

Full Access Member
Joined
Nov 27, 2022
Posts
945
Reaction score
3,848
Location
Tennessee
First Name
Ty
Truck Year
1985
Truck Model
K10
Engine Size
350
One of our trucks waiting for restoration was originally an 80 K10 currently with an 80C10 cab. The previous owner did a good job. He did have to cut the transmission tunnel and patch in the K10 hump. Not a big deal.
 

hayes1998

Junior Member
Joined
Jul 4, 2024
Posts
7
Reaction score
1
Location
North Ga
First Name
garrett
Truck Year
1984
Truck Model
k0
Engine Size
5.3 ls
I respectfully disagree. I've done the swap and had no clearance issues with either the automatic transmission or NP205 transfer case. There are no geometry or linkage problems. The truck is at a friends house and pictures can be provided if needed.
Could you post some to this thread whenever you get a chance please sir
 

CheemsK1500

Full Access Member
Joined
Jun 3, 2022
Posts
832
Reaction score
1,471
Location
Texas
First Name
Paul
Truck Year
1984
Truck Model
K1500
Engine Size
305
73-80 trucks have removable/swappable transmission humps, 81+ squares do not. If you resort to cutting and welding to change humps, measure carefully and try to get as close to factory height as possible. If you do this wrong, the factory carpet will never fit right again.

If the donor vehicle can still be registered, you could also consider basing your build off its cab or parts of its cab that are still usable in the event it’s rotten or wrecked. This will prevent you from having a K10 titled as a C10, not that it really matters in the grand scheme of things. Some may raise an eyebrow at the title if you tried to sell it later, even though there is nothing inherently illegal about it. At the end of the day, it’s an old mass produced truck. Major drivetrain swaps are arguably the norm rather than exception at this point. Have fun with your build regardless what the final registration says. That’s what matters in the end.
 
Last edited:

vr1967

Full Access Member
Joined
Apr 16, 2023
Posts
236
Reaction score
817
Location
Mississippi
First Name
Virgil
Truck Year
1984
Truck Model
k1500
Engine Size
6.2L turbo
73-80 trucks have removable/swappable transmission humps, 81+ squares do not. If you resort to cutting and welding to change humps, measure carefully and try to get as close to factory height as possible. If you do this wrong, the factory carpet will never fit right again.
81-83 4wds (not sure on manual trans 2wd) also had a bolt in hump, but the floor was shaped different than the 73-80,
84-up 4wd pickups had a one piece floor. I parted out an 89 Blazer a while back that had the bolt in style hump, but was spot welded to the floor from the factory.

Here is the hump from my old 82 4sp 4wd that i cut the hole offset, and swapped around when I did the NV4500 swap on the truck.

You must be registered for see images attach
 

CheemsK1500

Full Access Member
Joined
Jun 3, 2022
Posts
832
Reaction score
1,471
Location
Texas
First Name
Paul
Truck Year
1984
Truck Model
K1500
Engine Size
305
81-83 4wds (not sure on manual trans 2wd) also had a bolt in hump, but the floor was shaped different than the 73-80,
84-up 4wd pickups had a one piece floor. I parted out an 89 Blazer a while back that had the bolt in style hump, but was spot welded to the floor from the factory.

Here is the hump from my old 82 4sp 4wd that i cut the hole offset, and swapped around when I did the NV4500 swap on the truck.

You must be registered for see images attach
This is excellent info. Would you mind if I include this post in the parts interchange thread?
 

Bessie

Junior Member
Joined
Dec 8, 2023
Posts
20
Reaction score
25
Location
Ct.
First Name
Rick
Truck Year
1984
Truck Model
2500
Engine Size
5.7
Just did one. The auto C10 will have a low hump. The K10 will have a high hump. TotalyHucked confirmed my suspicions of having to swap the hump. Actually not hard. Ck out totally Hucked'S post he's
the Hump Guru. Plenty of his and my pics on a thread -"Low Hump to High Hump Conversion". Ck it out
 

Forum statistics

Threads
44,346
Posts
954,871
Members
36,582
Latest member
Paco
Top