73-87chevytrucks.com

73-87 Chevy _ GMC Trucks => Members Rides => Topic started by: Keyblazer on January 06, 2011, 01:42:32 PM

Title: 1973 K10 DD/Wilderness Camper
Post by: Keyblazer on January 06, 2011, 01:42:32 PM
Great Forum!
Here is my "Old Faithfull" 1973 K10 that I bought cheap, not running.
(http://i135.photobucket.com/albums/q143/sjkeysj/Chevy/C10Ben1e.jpg)
(http://i135.photobucket.com/albums/q143/sjkeysj/Chevy/Blazer2006.jpg)
(http://i135.photobucket.com/albums/q143/sjkeysj/Chevy/Blazer2016.jpg)

And its updated look!
(http://i135.photobucket.com/albums/q143/sjkeysj/Chevy/C10with35sE.jpg)
(http://i135.photobucket.com/albums/q143/sjkeysj/Chevy/Callen1e.jpg)
(http://i135.photobucket.com/albums/q143/sjkeysj/Chevy/IMG_3026.jpg)
Title: Re: 1973 K10 DD/Wilderness Camper
Post by: Grim 82 on January 06, 2011, 02:24:12 PM
Absolutely awesome.Welcome from ND. More info!
Title: Re: 1973 K10 DD/Wilderness Camper
Post by: Keyblazer on January 06, 2011, 03:01:14 PM
Thanks!
Ummm,
350 SBc and a TH350, with a NP205.
4" lift with 35" Goodyear Silent Armor's on 15" MT wheels.

Replaced the hood and front fenders due to damage and a little rust in the hood. The rest of the truck is very solid.
I hated the Mustard color, so I did a light prep and painted it with Rustoleum Black gloss... with a roller.. using the famous "$50 Paint job" method.
I did begin to buff it out to a gloss finish then realized I was getting silly, so rerolled it back to a semigloss. I just wanted it to look good from 20', and be able to fix trail rash simply.
Progress pics, hood and fenders replaced:
(http://i135.photobucket.com/albums/q143/sjkeysj/Chevy/C10Ben8e-1.jpg)
(http://i135.photobucket.com/albums/q143/sjkeysj/Chevy/Ebay2007053.jpg)

First coats:
(http://i135.photobucket.com/albums/q143/sjkeysj/Chevy/Black1E-2.jpg)
(http://i135.photobucket.com/albums/q143/sjkeysj/Chevy/BlackE-1.jpg)
(http://i135.photobucket.com/albums/q143/sjkeysj/Chevy/Picture085.jpg)
(http://i135.photobucket.com/albums/q143/sjkeysj/Chevy/Picture081.jpg)

Sanded between coats..
(http://i135.photobucket.com/albums/q143/sjkeysj/Chevy/Picture078.jpg)
(http://i135.photobucket.com/albums/q143/sjkeysj/Chevy/Picture082.jpg)

Buffed out..
This how good you can get!
(http://i135.photobucket.com/albums/q143/sjkeysj/Chevy/Picture013.jpg)
(http://i135.photobucket.com/albums/q143/sjkeysj/Chevy/RollerE-1.jpg)

Bed was done with Hurculiner, and its great!
(http://i135.photobucket.com/albums/q143/sjkeysj/Chevy/IMG_3157.jpg)
(http://i135.photobucket.com/albums/q143/sjkeysj/Chevy/IMG_3160.jpg)


Interior is revamped with Black Leather heated bucket seats, and black carpet and roofliner. Still finishing it in fact.
Title: Re: 1973 K10 DD/Wilderness Camper
Post by: beastie_3 on January 06, 2011, 03:09:24 PM
Its turning out great! Where in Cali are you?
Title: Re: 1973 K10 DD/Wilderness Camper
Post by: Keyblazer on January 06, 2011, 03:37:38 PM
I am in South Orange County...
When I drive this around, the locals get the heck outta the way! ;D

The Camper shell, is a Callen... very strong, and built on a steel frame.
I have been to Death Valley and driven most everywhere, and camped way out there.
The truck has a custom made second gas tank, mounted drivers side, so I can carry about 35 gallons.

I was happy with getting out into the wilderness with this rig, but a new GF and the 2 dogs means things changed..
The K10 just does DD duties now... hauling stuff and junkyard runs!
This is my latest project, and what we will be taking to the outback when i have sorted some issues out, refitted the interior bathroom and kitchen.
(http://i135.photobucket.com/albums/q143/sjkeysj/RV/DSC07111.jpg)

I also have a 1987 Suburban R20 with a 454. Great truck and does whatever I ask of it... here it is in Death Valley a few years back..
(http://i135.photobucket.com/albums/q143/sjkeysj/Chevy/TeaKettleSub03e.jpg)

And lastly, my 1973 Blazer...
(http://i135.photobucket.com/albums/q143/sjkeysj/Chevy/Blazer001E.jpg)
Title: Re: 1973 K10 DD/Wilderness Camper
Post by: bake74 on January 06, 2011, 04:33:22 PM
     Looks like you got a whole fleet of them, welcome from up here is Sacramento, Ca.
Title: Re: 1973 K10 DD/Wilderness Camper
Post by: Jim Rockford on January 06, 2011, 06:00:38 PM
Dude nice pickup at first, but the wheels are horrendous. I don't understand what people see in ugly wheels nowadays.
Title: Re: 1973 K10 DD/Wilderness Camper
Post by: slammed79 on January 06, 2011, 06:09:24 PM
Dude nice pickup at first, but the wheels are horrendous. I don't understand what people see in ugly wheels nowadays.


X2. I can't stand the wheels. The rest of it is awesome though. Gotta love pre-smog Chevy's. The Burb isn't too bad either.
Title: Re: 1973 K10 DD/Wilderness Camper
Post by: Keyblazer on January 07, 2011, 11:09:55 AM
Thanks for the kind words!
They were not my first choice of wheels, but I got a deal on them.
I was gonna put some rock rings on to give them a tougher stance, but money is tight.
I have a set of tube bumpers in my garage and a winch for it, but no time to mod the bumper to suit...
One day!
Its been a totally budget driven build, but fun just the same!
Title: Re: 1973 K10 DD/Wilderness Camper
Post by: beastie_3 on January 07, 2011, 12:04:01 PM
Dude nice pickup at first, but the wheels are horrendous. I don't understand what people see in ugly wheels nowadays.

Easy.
Title: Re: 1973 K10 DD/Wilderness Camper
Post by: Grim 82 on January 07, 2011, 12:32:12 PM
This is my latest project, and what we will be taking to the outback when i have sorted some issues out, refitted the interior bathroom and kitchen.
(http://i135.photobucket.com/albums/q143/sjkeysj/RV/DSC07111.jpg)
As in the Australian outback? That camper looks awesome. Is it 6wd?
Title: Re: 1973 K10 DD/Wilderness Camper
Post by: Keyblazer on January 07, 2011, 04:29:37 PM
It is/was a 1977 Dodge Tradesman 1 ton Van.
Couple more pics for fun...

(http://i135.photobucket.com/albums/q143/sjkeysj/RV/DSC07110.jpg)

(http://i135.photobucket.com/albums/q143/sjkeysj/RV/DSC07119.jpg)

In the 80's it had a Pathfinder 4x4 Conversion. So it has a Chrysler 360, TF 727, and a NP203 feeding a custom Dana44 upfront and the stock Dana70 outback.
Then it was bought by a Disabled Engineer, who had th extra length and axle from a similar van added by a Fabrication company in Riverside, CA.
The rearmost axle is a Dana70, but not driven.. so I guess that would make it a 4x6. I am trying to figure out how to do it, but its lower on the list than the refit of the interior. I want it driven, and have looked at many options, but all have drawbacks. I will change it to a NP205 Tcase, and I am working on having one with twin rear outputs to drive both axles.
It has the rooftop A/C and a 5000w genset in the rear, water tank and propane tank.
The masterplan would be to get a diesel drivetrain swapped in..
Anyone really interested will find the whole story here, as I dont want to distract..
http://expeditionportal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=39401
Title: Re: 1973 K10 DD/Wilderness Camper
Post by: Canadian 4X4 on January 07, 2011, 04:36:54 PM
Welcome, Sweet Rigs!
Title: Re: 1973 K10 DD/Wilderness Camper
Post by: ccz145a on January 07, 2011, 06:52:31 PM
Nice set! That paint turned out good.
Title: Re: 1973 K10 DD/Wilderness Camper
Post by: thirsty on January 07, 2011, 10:12:56 PM
Great job on the rustoleum paint job. Would have never known it wasn't regular paint.
Title: Re: 1973 K10 DD/Wilderness Camper
Post by: nucknoel89 on January 07, 2011, 10:51:15 PM
Dude nice pickup at first, but the wheels are horrendous. I don't understand what people see in ugly wheels nowadays.
I don't see what people see in stock wheels.  I think the new wheels look great!
Title: Re: 1973 K10 DD/Wilderness Camper
Post by: Jim Rockford on January 08, 2011, 04:07:39 PM
No accounting for taste I guess.
Title: Re: 1973 K10 DD/Wilderness Camper
Post by: VileZambonie on January 08, 2011, 05:09:54 PM
Dude nice pickup at first, but the wheels are horrendous. I don't understand what people see in ugly wheels nowadays.

Jim - tone it down. You don't have to like his choice in wheels but please be respectful of others. This goes for everyone here.
Title: Re: 1973 K10 DD/Wilderness Camper
Post by: Keyblazer on January 08, 2011, 07:46:55 PM
Thanks for the support Mod, but the reality is IF I was worried about what people thought about my choice of wheels or even the truck, I guess I would not even own it! :o
Truth is, I got a deal on them... And I kinda like them now...
I still have the wheels it arrived on, with 33's and they are "OK", but I like the shock factor!
See, as you may guess, I like being different... not the "Look at me... I'm different to YOU" kinda deal, more like the I like this, so whats the next step!

Oh, I forgot to mention the exhaust..
The original disintegrated on the first drive..
I stopped by at my local place and the hooked up the headers to twin magnaflow's and a slash cut pipe exiting fwd of the wheels..
Sounds great, with a nice burble, and the stereo pop-pop off the gas is FUN!
(http://i135.photobucket.com/albums/q143/sjkeysj/Chevy/DSC00040.jpg)


You guys want a giggle... I am English... so people have in their mind "REDNECK" when they see the truck... only to be greeted by my "Queens English Accent".
Had a few jaw drops on that one!
Title: Re: 1973 K10 DD/Wilderness Camper
Post by: Jim Rockford on January 09, 2011, 08:45:47 AM
Why do people get lazy and not run the pipes out behind the rear wheels?   
Title: Re: 1973 K10 DD/Wilderness Camper
Post by: txchainsawgogi on January 09, 2011, 10:50:52 AM
yeah I'm all about dyi paint...in very interested in this roller method you speak of!
Title: Re: 1973 K10 DD/Wilderness Camper
Post by: slammed79 on January 09, 2011, 01:48:10 PM
Its not a laziness thing, I personally like the look of the in front of the rear wheel exhaust dump.

 Plus shorter pipes = louder rig!
Title: Re: 1973 K10 DD/Wilderness Camper
Post by: beastie_3 on January 09, 2011, 02:07:28 PM
Jim, can you lay off the negative comments?
Title: Re: 1973 K10 DD/Wilderness Camper
Post by: Keyblazer on January 09, 2011, 02:50:30 PM
Why do people get lazy and not run the pipes out behind the rear wheels?   

Lazy?
No.
I wanted the pipes to exit forward of the rear wheels for many reasons.
1/ So as not to interfere with my plans for the rear underfloor area... spare tires, water, or a propane tank etc.
2/ Save unwanted pipework and with it cost, and the possibility of damaging it offroad. I have a plan for a rock rail that protects the tips and pipework.
3/ Looks great with the chrome slashcut tips I added later.
4/ Sounds better!

Laziness had no part in my choices.
Title: Re: 1973 K10 DD/Wilderness Camper
Post by: Keyblazer on January 09, 2011, 03:01:47 PM
yeah I'm all about dyi paint...in very interested in this roller method you speak of!

Its not the best in the world, but for thoise of us not willing to spend money on something that I am sure will get trashed, it works great!
I did a 180 mile offroad trip, and the truck was filthy, scraped, and desert pinstripped from rocker to windows..
Did I care?
No, not a bit. Next time I had an hour to spare I wiped it down with Mineral spirits, mixed a 50/50 Mineral spirit/rustoleum batch and rerollered the both sides! Last year I noticed that the hood was looking dull(I never waxed it), so I rollered that again too!
Glad I didnt spend $2k on a paint job!
My guess it I have maybe $100 or so in materials.... and have enough paint to do a whole truck again still.
I hear people are using the HvLp gun from HF for the same method, which i hear works fine, but I dont want to deal with the overspray... So  I will keep rollering!
Title: Re: 1973 K10 DD/Wilderness Camper
Post by: txchainsawgogi on January 09, 2011, 04:33:48 PM
no leftover roller marks or orange peel effect? How'd you manage that?
Title: Re: 1973 K10 DD/Wilderness Camper
Post by: fitz on January 09, 2011, 06:48:48 PM
I forget if we covered this in another thread but if you google 69 Charger roll on paint job you will stay up night after night reading about a guy who painted his Charger with a roller. Got real decent results for a $100 paint job.
Title: Re: 1973 K10 DD/Wilderness Camper
Post by: Layne on January 09, 2011, 11:30:17 PM
I like my 45's in front of the rear tires, more like a NASCAR look. My tips are angled at the top, and not flush with the bed, I like that a lot. I'm a fan of your exhaust!  ;D
Title: Re: 1973 K10 DD/Wilderness Camper
Post by: jaredts on January 10, 2011, 06:04:34 AM
Queen's english, huh?  I bet that is a shocker!  Wouldn't have known by your posts.  I'm also lovin' the roll on paint.  A show quality paint job is cool but a 10 foot paint job with very little investment is cool too.  For the record I kinda liked your old rims better too but the new ones are a unique look.  If you get into another project on it I'd love to see more pics.  Best of luck with it.
Title: Re: 1973 K10 DD/Wilderness Camper
Post by: Keyblazer on January 21, 2011, 01:16:03 PM
Yes, it has caused a few slack jawed moments, while they mentally try to fit what the see and what they hear together...
The Ladies are fun....
Recently single, I took one very sweet lady on a FIRST dinner date in it.....
I did warn her tho...
I called her before I picked her up and asked..
 "Hey, did you ever dream about being Cinderella?"
Yes, she responded....
I rang her dorrbell, and scrolled my arm toward the K10, and said...
"Cinderella, your Pumpkin awaits you!"
We had a fun evening, but that was that.....
Whatever is my take!
If I was a millionaire, I would do the same to sort the girls from the gold diggers!
Title: Re: 1973 K10 DD/Wilderness Camper
Post by: Keyblazer on January 26, 2021, 12:23:14 PM
I had to take a break from the build, but im back.

NP205 was resealed and rebuilt.
Trying to clarify my direction.

Had a lot of probs with the carb... both the QJ and an Edelbrock .
Just got a deal on a near complete 350 TBI setup.
Wonder what people think about that conversion?
Power/reliability etc?
Should I use the original cast iron TBI intake, or an Edelbrock performer I have already with an adapter...
Opinions?
Title: Re: 1973 K10 DD/Wilderness Camper
Post by: VileZambonie on January 26, 2021, 04:24:49 PM
I have used TBI adapters on performance manifolds but always used an optimized tune. If you go that route, get a chip made. The GM TBI was pretty stout and reliable. With the tune you can delete EGR and knock retard.
Title: Re: 1973 K10 DD/Wilderness Camper
Post by: carmen77 on January 26, 2021, 07:25:45 PM
I love your 73 Blazer!

I think your paint job came out amazing.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Title: Re: 1973 K10 DD/Wilderness Camper
Post by: Keyblazer on January 26, 2021, 08:01:19 PM
Thanks.
Well, I picked up the TBI Setup today for a Hundy.
Feel good about that.
Got the intake, Throttle body, ECU, and a bunch of wiring attached.
Distributor, two coils, Fuel pump relay, and a lots of other parts.
First surprise was the intake is Aluminum.
I’ve only dealt with BBC TBIs before and their intakes are cast iron unless you spend $500 onnthe Edelbrock.
Gotta figure out how to post pics directly rather than via that POS Photobucket.
Title: Re: 1973 K10 DD/Wilderness Camper
Post by: mrghostwalker on January 30, 2021, 06:36:48 PM
Great looking truck! How about some pictures of the inside?

Great Forum!
Here is my "Old Faithfull" 1973 K10 that I bought cheap, not running.
(http://i135.photobucket.com/albums/q143/sjkeysj/Chevy/C10Ben1e.jpg)
(http://i135.photobucket.com/albums/q143/sjkeysj/Chevy/Blazer2006.jpg)
(http://i135.photobucket.com/albums/q143/sjkeysj/Chevy/Blazer2016.jpg)

And its updated look!
(http://i135.photobucket.com/albums/q143/sjkeysj/Chevy/C10with35sE.jpg)
(http://i135.photobucket.com/albums/q143/sjkeysj/Chevy/Callen1e.jpg)
(http://i135.photobucket.com/albums/q143/sjkeysj/Chevy/IMG_3026.jpg)
Title: Re: 1973 K10 DD/Wilderness Camper
Post by: Keyblazer on January 31, 2021, 09:42:24 AM
Thanks!
I will be doing interior pics soon.
Currently there is an aftermarket grey dash pad, and two black leather bucket seats. I sold off the bench seat years ago but now kinda wish I hadn’t.
I do like the space between the seats for my dogs to sit tho, but just lost one on Friday to a brain tumor. Kinda knocked me on my ass this week. Will grieve and rescue another in time.
Need to redo the roof liner too as it’s sagging.

Things I did do this week...
I spotted an OEM GM NOS camper wiring harness for a 73-74 pickup.
Snapped that up and will take a closer look at it today when it arrives. I figure it’s a good way to get 12v to the shell area, but don’t understand fully what it does.
Title: Re: 1973 K10 DD/Wilderness Camper
Post by: Keyblazer on January 31, 2021, 12:10:41 PM
I have scanned the Documents that came with is camper harness...
Might be helpful to peeps, and also maybe someone understands what it is about...