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73-87 Chevy _ GMC Trucks => Members Rides => Topic started by: 81_Chevy on September 18, 2012, 09:01:01 PM

Title: 1981 K20 "Custom Deluxe"
Post by: 81_Chevy on September 18, 2012, 09:01:01 PM
Well im new to the forums and thought i would post my ride here! This is my 81 K20 custom deluxe, my dad has owned it since 83 and we have recently fixed it up into running condition. it has a Goodwrench 350, has a 4" Rough Country lift kit, with 35" tires and 17" rims. soon to be added is a 9,000lb wench (reason bumper is pushed out) with a center brush guard with fog lights, a headache rack on the back to re-mount my dual CB antennas to and place four off road lights across the top. we have currently put a new deck in the dash with two 12 inch subwoofers and rear Scosche brand speakers in the cab corners. we took the old grill out since it was really beat up and put one in from an 86 suburban from a junkyard. painted to match the rest of the truck. we also took all the door panels and interior trim out of the burb and put it in the truck. (door panels, gauge Bessel, dash trim, etc. our next project is to fabricate an overhear console to house my new CB along with some light switches and some storage spaces. we are also putting two Scosche brand speakers on each side of it two replace the half blown out speakers in the dash. eventually going to put sound deadening material in the entire truck. all in all she runs great, looks good, hauls  on the road and in the mud, and sounds like a beast.  this truck is truly a "custom deluxe" :)

http://imageshack.us/f/59/thebeastj.jpg/
Title: Re: 1981 K20 "Custom Deluxe"
Post by: bd on September 19, 2012, 03:32:31 PM
Nice, clean truck!  Keep us updated with pics as you progress.
Title: Re: 1981 K20 "Custom Deluxe"
Post by: 81_Chevy on September 28, 2012, 02:51:20 PM
started the build on my headache rack lastnight after school, should be done by sunday, pics soon
Title: Re: 1981 K20 "Custom Deluxe"
Post by: 81_Chevy on October 02, 2012, 05:39:23 PM
finally got around to taking pictures today after school,
(http://i.imgur.com/vMh8r.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/KIoxo.jpg)
headache rack after being welded together, welds ground, and body filler in place and sanded.
(http://i.imgur.com/pJbR7.jpg)
lights wiped down with GON and clear coated
(http://i.imgur.com/e8IGK.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/LD3q8.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/SFsmT.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/3Wvk8.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/vi8W1.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/pmly3.jpg)
Title: Re: 1981 K20 "Custom Deluxe"
Post by: bd on October 02, 2012, 07:17:07 PM
That came out really nice!
Title: Re: 1981 K20 "Custom Deluxe"
Post by: 81_Chevy on October 02, 2012, 07:42:50 PM
Thanks! i think it did to! the lights are all wired up but not hooked up. i think im gunna build the overhead console this week in my free time that way i can finially hook them up. i also might start fabbing the front wench bumper, with school now and it getting colder :/ i wish i hadnt procrastinated on getting my Eagle Project done for Scouts. it took up my whole summer lol
Title: Re: 1981 K20 "Custom Deluxe"
Post by: 81_Chevy on October 08, 2012, 08:29:30 PM
just finished putting a tach in tonight, mounted it in the lower left gauge spot. looks good, i will put some pics up after school tomorrow of that and the rest of my interior. ill also try to find some pics from a year ago when we started the build and explain a little more about what happened to the truck to make it in non running condition. i think im gunna take the jeep to school tomorrow and let my dad start fabbing the front bumber for the wench ;D
Title: Re: 1981 K20 "Custom Deluxe"
Post by: werewolfx13 on October 10, 2012, 04:11:46 PM
Truck looks good, I like that headache rack. Are the lights slightly below the roof line or is that from the angle of the pics?
Title: Re: 1981 K20 "Custom Deluxe"
Post by: 81_Chevy on October 10, 2012, 09:47:45 PM
Thanks! i think they are pretty close to the height of the roof line if not a little bit below.

late night last night and got a few pics of the tach install. ill have better ones tomorrow. right now i gotta finish a 4 page paper for history class :/ lol
(http://i.imgur.com/Xa9oc.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/h8RvZ.jpg)
got my neon for about 35$ at Advanced.
sorry bout the wiring mess hanging down havent got it tucked up yet.

also mounted the winch today after school. all hooked up. the bumper doesnt look good for right now but in about another week me and my father are gunna make a new one. ill have pics of the winch tomorrow after school.
Title: Re: 1981 K20 "Custom Deluxe"
Post by: 81_Chevy on October 10, 2012, 10:15:38 PM
Finally found those old pics. this truck has been my dads since 1983. he has used it as his daily driver ever since then. it has about 313,000 miles on it. 3rd engine. first two lost compression. for about the last 6 years it has been our plow truck on out farm and about 4 years ago one of the trasnmission cooler lines broke while plowing after a heavy snowfall and shot fluid all over the engine burning all of the electrical. since then we have been continually working on it. trans has been rebuilt. litteraly every thing has been changed to new (seals, new parts, brake lines, wires, etc) there really isnt a whole lotta stuff to replace left. carb has been rebuilt after sitting for a while, all that good stuff. me and my dad are the ones that mainly work on the truck, i have my friends come over here and then to help me. lift kit was put in, bigger tires. headache rack. off road lights. new stereo system with two 12' subs and i think 6x9 scosche speakers in the cab corners. new headliner made from scratch. trim put in from a junkyard truck, painted to match the interior. new gauge bezel from a 6.2 diesel burb at the local junkyard. since its my first vehicle, i love it.
(http://i.imgur.com/KoTBE.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/x3yDD.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/ixcCt.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/o6vr1.jpg)

and now: (http://i.imgur.com/uXUps.jpg)
Title: Re: 1981 K20 "Custom Deluxe"
Post by: 81_Chevy on October 12, 2012, 04:18:25 PM
got pics of the winch and better pics of the tach. also took pics of my interior we got from a burb in a junk yard. also tooks pics of the cb, new radio, subs and corner speakers.

Tach:
(http://i.imgur.com/Z6wHd.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/atUJf.jpg)

Interior:
(http://i.imgur.com/OyufO.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/eiQrJ.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/ujpi6.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/BzdPy.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/A0Jxh.jpg)

Electronics:
(http://i.imgur.com/1jSZV.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/uHix7.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/H3L6p.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/cJRBT.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/swf8Z.jpg)

Winch:
(http://i.imgur.com/bC8MR.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/X2zLn.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/zZ9Y1.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/zGECU.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/xrC68.jpg)
Title: Re: 1981 K20 "Custom Deluxe"
Post by: 81_Chevy on October 15, 2012, 07:46:29 PM
made a new bumper that suits the look of my truck. welded right to the frame. going to add diamond plate covers to the outer angled sides of the bumper. added D rings also. going to add a center brush guard eventually.

(http://i.imgur.com/HGHrb.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/paTUa.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/QMRh2.jpg)
Title: Re: 1981 K20 "Custom Deluxe"
Post by: bd on October 15, 2012, 08:35:35 PM
Looks like it means business!!!  Comin' along really well!!  The diamond plate should add a nice touch....
Title: Re: 1981 K20 "Custom Deluxe"
Post by: 81_Chevy on October 17, 2012, 04:52:41 PM
Diamond plate add done,
(http://i.imgur.com/hMrnV.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/Ic2ZM.jpg)
next to start on is interior overhead console similar to this one but without the blue lights/console down the center,
(http://i.imgur.com/8EnWn.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/cIkYz.jpg)
then is off to the back bumper. then next spring take everything off for body work :/
Title: Re: 1981 K20 "Custom Deluxe"
Post by: 81_Chevy on November 15, 2012, 01:44:40 PM
picking up my truck today after school from getting the windows tinted. also tinted the taillights and turn signals. started work on overhead console. pics up soon.
Title: Re: 1981 K20 "Custom Deluxe"
Post by: 81_Chevy on November 19, 2012, 08:50:43 PM
tail lights and turn signals with two coats of VHT Night Shades.
(http://i.imgur.com/Gtn6H.jpg)
wet sanded with 1000 grit with 4 coats of clear :3
(http://i.imgur.com/LhE4n.jpg)

all together with the windows tinted. went 20% on the windows. pic taken at my friends house.
(http://i.imgur.com/UEqXZ.jpg)

(http://i.imgur.com/ZRoyn.jpg)
Title: Re: 1981 K20 "Custom Deluxe"
Post by: 81_Chevy on December 17, 2012, 06:06:15 PM
well its been a while since ive posted and alot of things have been done!:)

since ive posted ive completly taken out the entire interior down to metal, i completly redid my sounds sytstem with a new MTX 280 amp and a 2 Farad planet audio capacitor.
 next on the list was to fix the rusting floor boards, i cut them out and welded new panels in and repainted the entire bottom of the cab inside in out in por15. next i installed my light switches in the dash right below the radio, i used some blue and red duckbill switches from radioshack.
i also pulled up the original sound deadner material under the floor mat, now that was nasty.
put everything back in and hooked up some led's to the sub box to flash to the bass  8)
 drove it for a little bit and got sick of my exhaust leak, long story lol http://forum.73-87chevytrucks.com/smforum/index.php/topic,25119.0.html , put some sweet new headers on it, started it up and it sounds like a stock car from the races up the road in jefferson  ;D

but now im done (says my dad) until next spring where we will do a fram off resto (cab on) and repaint the truck the same colors. possibly a new 6.0 4L80E  :D if i can convince my dad lol.

but right now i have to get a new yoke.. i think. cuz when ever its in four wheel it makes this bang bang bang bang bang sound going down the road, cuz my dad said it was bent before the lift kit so i think that is the problem.
ill have some pics up soon!!

-Nic
Title: Re: 1981 K20 "Custom Deluxe"
Post by: bake74 on December 17, 2012, 06:57:24 PM


but now im done (says my dad) until next spring where we will do a fram off resto (cab on) and repaint the truck the same colors. possibly a new 6.0 4L80E  :D if i can convince my dad.

-Nic

     You got a couple of months to show your dad how much you want it, better get busy.   ;D
Title: Re: 1981 K20 "Custom Deluxe"
Post by: 81_Chevy on December 19, 2012, 07:25:01 PM
lol!  ;D
Title: Re: 1981 K20 "Custom Deluxe"
Post by: scotttick on December 19, 2012, 09:00:36 PM
That headache rack is awesome, I like how the light bolts are recessed so you cant see any threads on the bottom. Great job on the winch, its mount and bumper also.
Title: Re: 1981 K20 "Custom Deluxe"
Post by: 81_Chevy on December 20, 2012, 01:59:44 PM
thanks man!  :D
Title: Re: 1981 K20 "Custom Deluxe"
Post by: BigHemi353 on December 20, 2012, 07:28:36 PM
Love that stance, the look, the blacked out windows and lenses. Very nice truck!
Title: Re: 1981 K20 "Custom Deluxe"
Post by: bluecrew on December 21, 2012, 05:51:06 AM
Am I correct in assuming your in SD?  I think I've seen that truck around my area, but your plates say otherwise.
Title: Re: 1981 K20 "Custom Deluxe"
Post by: 81_Chevy on December 21, 2012, 09:11:52 AM
Yes SD, where did you think you saw it?
Title: Re: 1981 K20 "Custom Deluxe"
Post by: bluecrew on December 21, 2012, 09:15:52 PM
Wisconsin.  We have a race track up here in Jefferson too.  Must be a good look on that truck, that others are doing out here too. 

Nice truck, I've always liked those rims on the older square bodies.  Did you hollow out the sections under your headlights?
Title: Re: 1981 K20 "Custom Deluxe"
Post by: 81_Chevy on December 22, 2012, 09:17:40 PM
yeah, back in the day my dad put a silverado bumper on it that didnt have the turn signal lights in it, so he cut out the black plastic and mounted them behind it. then i took them out after i put the newer grill in it.
Title: Re: 1981 K20 "Custom Deluxe"
Post by: 81_Chevy on January 01, 2013, 10:09:46 AM
well my dad woke me up this morning and since i turned 16 back in November and it was just Christmas he decided to give me the truck :D im pretty excited!
Title: Re: 1981 K20 "Custom Deluxe"
Post by: bake74 on January 01, 2013, 10:23:57 AM
well my dad woke me up this morning and since i turned 16 back in November and it was just Christmas he decided to give me the truck :D im pretty excited!

     That is cool.
Title: Re: 1981 K20 "Custom Deluxe"
Post by: firefighter on January 01, 2013, 12:02:16 PM
Congrats !!

My dad never gave me a truck. He would have given me a stationwagon, but I refused.   :)
Title: Re: 1981 K20 "Custom Deluxe"
Post by: bd on January 01, 2013, 03:38:50 PM
Congrats!!
Title: Re: 1981 K20 "Custom Deluxe"
Post by: 81_Chevy on February 01, 2013, 12:11:48 PM
there hasnt been much done to it lately, other than just putting gas in it and having a good time!  ;D

we also ordered a new holley 600 aluminum carb for it, got it off ebay for like 150$ me and my dad think it was a pretty good deal.
he says once it warms up in a couple of months we will put and new intake on it with the new carb, its been about -30 to -15 windchill here for the last week or so. it sucks, sometimes my truck will barley start, but it does every time!

ill takes some pics and put them up of the different things i have waiting to go on once it warms up, and ill take pics of the new interior and the sound system. i also took off the tinted taillights and turn signals and went to the local u-pull-it and got some silverado trimmed ones, i wet sanded them with 1000 grit pretty good and put like 6 coats of clear on them, lol they i wet sanded them with about 2500 grit then took some polish to them, oh boy are they shiny. you can see your self in them like a mirror!   :o
Title: Re: 1981 K20 "Custom Deluxe"
Post by: 81_Chevy on February 16, 2013, 04:24:05 PM
havent gotten around to taking more pics of the interior yet, i have been pretty busy with school and work.

after work today i went out to Advanced auto and O'Reillys to see if they had any steering wheel knobs, turns out there against the law to buy/sell in iowa. (i live in SD) so i went across the street to Bomgarrs and went into the farm section and got one!
(http://i.imgur.com/uQufY3m.jpg)

it was only about 7$, i thought it was pretty reasonable. my dad absolutely hates them, he calls them "wrist breakers" lol   ;D

also in the picture if u looked hard enough you can see that my speedometer needle broke off. i just happen to "accidently" top out and it broke off   ::) so i put a spare GPS in my truck to use as a speedometer. turns our that my speedometer was was off + - 5mph... lol not so good.
Title: Re: 1981 K20 "Custom Deluxe"
Post by: 81_Chevy on February 18, 2013, 05:15:46 PM
had a day off from school. tooks pics of the new stuff.

holley 600cfm aluminum carb:
(http://i.imgur.com/KXXhKC3.jpg)

Headers that we had to put on after i warped the old manifolds:
(http://i.imgur.com/tyZTIre.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/CnJl3sL.jpg)

spacers for the ac brackets:
(http://i.imgur.com/H7itfyq.jpg)

my "redneck" cold air induction system  ;D
(http://i.imgur.com/313Waqd.jpg)

old school running borads:
(http://i.imgur.com/jhrkYpY.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/nDQ27CB.jpg)

grap handles:
(http://i.imgur.com/s0lEW6j.jpg)

the new subs system:
(http://i.imgur.com/mpOuvZt.jpg)

a far away view of the truck:
(http://i.imgur.com/kAiwGVn.jpg)

im not gunna be driving it as much anymore, due to a constant 7-8mpg  :-\ :'(

and ill throw in a pic of my jeep too for some eye candy :P :
(http://i.imgur.com/erxGbmn.jpg)
Title: Re: 1981 K20 "Custom Deluxe"
Post by: 81_Chevy on March 19, 2013, 10:46:54 PM
well, i re-torqued my u-bolts after the 1000 mile mark today. man did they need it.

also hard wired my CB instead of using the cig plugin, since i use that for my GPS.

just waiting on weather right now to start body work. the jeep gets its new paint first sine i rolled it, says my dad. but we will see lol  ;D
Title: Re: 1981 K20 "Custom Deluxe"
Post by: 81_Chevy on May 13, 2013, 08:47:21 PM
not much change yet. replaced the vacuum modulator on the trans, tuned my carb and adjusted the timing. still waiting a a decent weather forecast to start all the body work.

current mpg:
last tank was ran on 91 octane, used 17.334 gallons, 126.5ish miles. 7.29mpg  :( :o, timing set at 8*

filled up today with 87 octane.. didnt feel like paying over 4$ a gallon for 91. At $3.649/ gallon it cost me $63.25  >:(

also went to a car show this past weekend on Sat.
(http://i.imgur.com/UmsVRaA.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/CsHoJWS.jpg)

once i get the money here in the next month or so i will be buying 6000k HID headlights. will do a write up of the install.

ill keep ya'll updates as "The Beast" progresses!  8)

-Nic
Title: Re: 1981 K20 "Custom Deluxe"
Post by: frotosride on May 13, 2013, 10:00:30 PM
Like the truck man. I just picked up a set of the same style rims a few days ago but mine are alittle older an they are M/T 15x10.5. I don't think that I'm gong do go 35's but at least 32-33's. I also have a 4" rough Country life sitting in the garage just waiting for the time and now seeing how your looks in the air I got that itch to just go start it tonight but I gotta work in the morning and I' sure it won't go ove rwell if I take the wifey's jeep!
Title: Re: 1981 K20 "Custom Deluxe"
Post by: 81_Chevy on May 14, 2013, 07:06:26 AM
Thanks Froto! ya i like these rims alot, they look good on just about anything! my jeep in an earlier post has 33's.

when you start your lift if will take you about a FULL saturday and a half, depending on who ya got working. the back is pretty easy to do just make you have alot of jacks, or jack stands available. the front is a little more time consuming. with my kit that i got it came with a raised arm that goes on your axle (at a loss for the name) to compensate for the lift. if you try to put this on there are 3 nuts you take off and then there are "washers" that are inside, there cone shaped and you have to hit them with a chisel and work them out. i couldn't get them out so i just bought a drop steering arm instead, was alot easier.

 another thing ur gunna want is a Torx wrench! that will come in handy alot! just remember to re-torque your u bolts every 1,000 miles.

post up some pics when you start! id love to see ur truck lifted!!

-Nic
Title: Re: 1981 K20 "Custom Deluxe"
Post by: frotosride on May 14, 2013, 05:23:49 PM
" with my kit that i got it came with a raised arm that goes on your axle (at a loss for the name) to compensate for the lift. if you try to put this on there are 3 nuts you take off and then there are "washers" that are inside, there cone shaped and you have to hit them with a chisel and work them out. i couldn't get them out so i just bought a drop steering arm instead, was alot easier." -Nic

That's the steering arm for the knuckle. I broke mine loose but didn't replace any thing when I rebuilt the axles. I put a little mystic on everything when I put it back together so hopefully it will come off easier. Unfortunately I doubt I will have anyone useful to help me so I got 3 sets of jackstands and thanks to my wife a good 3ton floor jack. When I did my axels I did them all by myself and it took me one night to get them back in so I'm not that worried about it. The key is to hang the springs first then jack the axels up to them. The front it a little tricky with the diff off centered but I used two jacks last time and will do the same this time.
Oh and I will definitely post pics
Title: Re: 1981 K20 "Custom Deluxe"
Post by: 81_Chevy on May 14, 2013, 07:16:31 PM
Oh and I will definitely post pics
8)
Title: Re: 1981 K20 "Custom Deluxe"
Post by: 81_Chevy on July 10, 2013, 10:25:49 PM
Hey y'all, sorry I haven't posted lately been super bust with work.. I have started the sandblasting on my truck, mostly the box. Also put in new gas doors on. Now we're just waiting for the patch panels for my wheel wells. Also I put in new headlights in the process of my hid upgrade. I put in the new reflector housings and so far they work pretty good. Got them off fleebay for 27~ bucks! They have better light pattern than my old sealed beams. They also came with a blue city light that lights them up blue with your running lights. But the bulbs that came with them aren't so good. So I'll be getting some 5 or 6000k hids. As far as pics my phone camera is broken so I will try to get some pics up within the next few days.

I also hard lined my drivers tank to the fuel pump, totally bypassing the dual tank system. I gained about 3-5 mpg from that alone.
Title: Re: 1981 K20 "Custom Deluxe"
Post by: frotosride on July 11, 2013, 09:36:59 PM
Good to hear you are still making progress. I wanna do HID as well. I upgraded my headlights a while ago and it was a huge improvement going to a modern bulb but as always I want more. Oh and did you see my thread.."putting air under old blue" I think that's the title. Hopefully I can finish the wheels and get bigger rubber soon
Title: Re: 1981 K20 "Custom Deluxe"
Post by: Irish_Alley on July 12, 2013, 03:44:31 AM
must say love the truck
Title: Re: 1981 K20 "Custom Deluxe"
Post by: 81_Chevy on July 15, 2013, 10:03:53 PM
I'll defiantly check it out froto! The bulbs that came with my new headlights absolutely suck.. I'm hoping that when i put new bulbs in the lighting will be better! And thanks Irish! I'll try and keep my thread alive! I'll upload some more pics once I get back from family vacation in a week!

-Nic
Title: Re: 1981 K20 "Custom Deluxe"
Post by: 81_Chevy on July 24, 2013, 09:25:59 PM
Time for some eye candy  ;D
Title: Re: 1981 K20 "Custom Deluxe"
Post by: 81_Chevy on July 24, 2013, 09:27:56 PM
More pics!
Title: Re: 1981 K20 "Custom Deluxe"
Post by: 81_Chevy on July 24, 2013, 09:29:16 PM
And my two personal favorites.  8)
Title: Re: 1981 K20 "Custom Deluxe"
Post by: 81_Chevy on July 30, 2013, 09:26:12 PM
Been working in the beast a lot recently... Got it stripped of all the extras like my light rack and everything  :'( :'(

Got it all stripped down and started welding in patch panels.
Title: Re: 1981 K20 "Custom Deluxe"
Post by: 81_Chevy on July 30, 2013, 09:30:28 PM
Got the passenger side patch panel welded in.. Going to start grinding and laying mud tomorrow.

Driver side is pretty much ready for primer, just waiting in the patch panel for above the wheel well. Where all the mud is, is where we had to weld in some new metal since it was pretty rusted out.

On the inside of the pass wheel we sandblasted it and used plasti-dip to seal her all up.

More pics up tomorrow.

-Nic
Title: Re: 1981 K20 "Custom Deluxe"
Post by: 81_Chevy on July 30, 2013, 09:36:18 PM
Here's the plasti-dip and then the patched welded in.

Plans for tomorrow are to finish body work on the drivers side and passenger side and either prep it for primer or start to put primer on it.

-Nic
Title: Re: 1981 K20 "Custom Deluxe"
Post by: 81_Chevy on August 05, 2013, 09:05:41 PM
Body work mostly done on the pass side. Drivers side patch panel should be in wed or thurs.
Title: Re: 1981 K20 "Custom Deluxe"
Post by: twosocks90 on August 09, 2013, 01:28:30 PM
Awesome truck. Keep the posts coming!
Title: Re: 1981 K20 "Custom Deluxe"
Post by: 81_Chevy on August 16, 2013, 07:19:55 PM
got alot done lately, got the drivers side patch panel welded in and layed with mud. body work is about 85-90% complete. just got to do some final sanding and it will be ready for primer! dont have any recent pics, but tomorrow we will be working on it and hopefully primering! so i will get some pics then!

-Nic
Title: Re: 1981 K20 "Custom Deluxe"
Post by: bake74 on August 17, 2013, 07:45:03 AM
     Nice progress, gotta hand it to ya for the amount of time you have to put into it, keep the updates coming.
Title: Re: 1981 K20 "Custom Deluxe"
Post by: 81_Chevy on August 19, 2013, 02:23:01 PM
ill upload some pics today after school!

we had a pit of a set back before we started to prime, i was taking the bumper off and i was using a grinder to cut the bolts off the bumper hitch since were taking it off and they were pretty rusty. the blade got jammed and shot back against the bumper (inside) and the blade shattered and the grinder came out of my hands and fell on my leg just below the knee.. ended up going to the hosptial and had to get 6 stitches. cut my leg open pretty good.

luckily tho we got the truck in primer!  8)
Title: Re: 1981 K20 "Custom Deluxe"
Post by: Irish_Alley on August 21, 2013, 12:03:06 AM
had about the same thing happen to me but luckily i was using a soft wheel. kicked back top my thigh and grabbed my pants (work pants polyester) and it just eat them um and melted some to my thigh where it also eat some flesh not bad just enough to take a layer of skin off. after cleaning the melted crap off my skinned leg i got back to work with melted pants lol
Title: Re: 1981 K20 "Custom Deluxe"
Post by: 81_Chevy on September 18, 2013, 08:22:42 AM
howdy y'all! ive gotten a lot done in the past couple weeks! we got everything wet sanded down two weekends ago and last weekend we got paint on er'. painted the charcoal grey on saturday and painted the white on sunday. ive got lots of pics from different angles, just havent had time to upload them yet. been insanely busy with work and school!

started putting on the mirrors and stuff back on as well. this weekend we are hoping to put the rest of everything back on like the hood, tailgate, cowl, tool box, etc. then we still have to finish making my new back bumper, then paint that, my headache rack, and front bumper the charcoal grey to match the lower half of my truck. pics will be up later tonight!!

-Nic
Title: Re: 1981 K20 "Custom Deluxe"
Post by: 81_Chevy on September 19, 2013, 09:33:03 AM
Didn't get a chance to post pics up last night, i was having some problems with my network. ill try again later today!

-Nic
Title: Re: 1981 K20 "Custom Deluxe"
Post by: 81_Chevy on October 15, 2013, 08:08:11 PM
Been owing some updates to my thread, so here they are!! The truck has been in paint for about three weeks now, it cured up really good. Here's the pics of when we were taping it off to paint the charcoal grey.
Title: Re: 1981 K20 "Custom Deluxe"
Post by: 81_Chevy on October 15, 2013, 08:13:19 PM
Here's the pics of the rock guard and charcoal grey.
Title: Re: 1981 K20 "Custom Deluxe"
Post by: 81_Chevy on October 15, 2013, 08:15:23 PM
Another charcoal grey pic, and then the prep for painting the white. All the painting was done in our driveway, outside.
Title: Re: 1981 K20 "Custom Deluxe"
Post by: 81_Chevy on October 15, 2013, 08:18:01 PM
Before and after shot of the new rear bumper made for hauling. Still have yet to add a trailer wiring plug.
Title: Re: 1981 K20 "Custom Deluxe"
Post by: 81_Chevy on October 15, 2013, 08:21:18 PM
And here she is, finally done. After 3 years in the works she's finally done. On a side note, which is pretty funny, when we were ready to paint we pulled out my dad's old paint guns and they were locked up so we pulled out our 14$ harbor freight paint guns and used that to paint, self etching primer, primer, charcoal grey, and the white, and the paint job came out almost near perfect.
Title: Re: 1981 K20 "Custom Deluxe"
Post by: Irish_Alley on October 15, 2013, 11:07:00 PM
looking good, cant wait to see it done.
Title: Re: 1981 K20 "Custom Deluxe"
Post by: 81_Chevy on October 16, 2013, 08:08:22 PM
Check the previous page(4) in case you missed some of my other updates when i uploaded pics. The Beast is pretty much done until spring, then we are going to wet sand it and install some new under the hood items and dress up!

-Nic
Title: Re: 1981 K20 "Custom Deluxe"
Post by: 81_Chevy on November 10, 2013, 09:45:14 AM
Got some preventative maintenance done on the beast yesterday, replaced the thermostat and flushed the cooling system. Should there be any bubbles coming out of the radiator? Not big ones, but small ones.

Also today I'm changing the oil and changing the rear end oil and am going to inspect the gears while I'm at it, what are some things I should look for?

-Nic
Title: Re: 1981 K20 "Custom Deluxe"
Post by: 81_Chevy on December 06, 2013, 08:54:28 AM
well i had an interesting little ordeal this morning...

went out side to start my truck up to warm it up in the morning like normal, came out and had no heat.. did think anything of it because the temp gauge was still cold.

so i went down the road and on the way to the school looked down at my temp gauge and it was in the red, but still had no heat. so i pulled into a neighbors driveway and sat for a min. the second i popped the hood the radiator cap flew off and coolant went everywhere.

so now 1. i have no vehicle to drive, and 2. ive got a vehicle sitting in a neighbors driveway with no coolant in the radiator, and it being un drivable. oh and the radiator cap is lost, it flew somewhere.

im guessing i was low on coolant since the thermostat didnt open. how bad could this get? could my engine freeze up? or my radiator?  it was -12 out when i left this morning.. 

on the pleasant side i have the sweet smell or coolant on my clothes.. :-X im lucky i didn't get burned, and the coolant was only luke warm temp.
Title: Re: 1981 K20 "Custom Deluxe"
Post by: Captkaos on December 06, 2013, 11:00:13 AM
How hot did it get?  Was it low on coolant?  It defintiely sounds low if the temp gauge was cold until you started driving.
I would get a new cap and put coolant back in it to get it home and then do a pressure test on it to check for leaks.
If it didn't run hot for a long time you potentially should be ok.  Did you have good coolant in it prior?  Being that cold could cause an issue unless there is coolant in the system somewhere.  You just don't want water in there to freeze.
Title: Re: 1981 K20 "Custom Deluxe"
Post by: 81_Chevy on December 06, 2013, 11:15:33 AM
it was only that hot for probably a minute or two. the needle was in the dead center of the red zone on the gauge heading towards the edge. my best guess was that it was low on coolant, also my overflow bottle had been leaking coolant on the ground prior to this and then it stopped last week but i didn't think anything of it.

as far as good coolant im not sure. i just did a flush less then a month ago, but what came out this morning was brownish. but there was about a gallon of pure coolant in the system prior to this event.
Title: Re: 1981 K20 "Custom Deluxe"
Post by: Captkaos on December 06, 2013, 12:00:37 PM
I would top it off and pressure test it.  If it wasn't pegged for more 30 minutes you are probably fine.
Title: Re: 1981 K20 "Custom Deluxe"
Post by: 81_Chevy on December 06, 2013, 12:30:40 PM
alright thanks capt.

also, will have the coolant on my fresh paint do anything to it?
Title: Re: 1981 K20 "Custom Deluxe"
Post by: Jmac02 on December 07, 2013, 09:13:39 PM
Hey I like what you did with the diamond plate. I think I just got an idea for mine. Thanks.
Title: Re: 1981 K20 "Custom Deluxe"
Post by: Engineer on December 08, 2013, 08:33:09 AM
Getting coolant on your paint will keep it from rusting. Hehe.

J/K. No the coolant won't hurt your paint at all.

Did you test your coolant before winter? It sort of sounds to me like it was trying to freeze. Just slushy enough to not flow, but not frozen solid enough to break anything. If the coolant was slushy the water pump will still turn not indicating a problem. However if the coolant can't flow the melted coolant in the engine will flash into steam creating the immense pressure that blew the cap off.

In extreme cases I have seen the coolant freeze solid enough to prevent the water pump from turning. And at that point you are usually replacing the block, heads, radiator, and heater core........

A 50/50 mix should test to -40° F.
Title: Re: 1981 K20 "Custom Deluxe"
Post by: 81_Chevy on December 08, 2013, 05:44:32 PM
didnt test it. but topped it off and it runs good now.. for now.

i think the problem was my leaky over flow bottle and that let the rad get low on coolant. so i will just have to keep and eye on it for now until i get a new one!

along with the mess i broke my hazard switch off inside the column. so i spent all day today outside in the cold replacing that, man that is a royal PITA to replace. when i was putting the steering wheel back on im pretty sure i got it back on all the way, should i be able to push on it and have it go into the column a little? like i can feel the column pushing in a little.


 
Hey I like what you did with the diamond plate. I think I just got an idea for mine. Thanks.

no problem! i think it added a nice touch to mine! be sure to post up pics when u do!
Title: Re: 1981 K20 "Custom Deluxe"
Post by: 81_Chevy on May 18, 2014, 10:53:31 PM
Well, the Beast made it through the winter!

Big ish plans ahead for the summer. New 600CFM aluminum holley carb, performer intake.

Just ordered my HIDS as well, went with 6000K. I will definatly post pics of the install process. The HID kit also comes with a relay harness, so thats always nice to take that extra load off the dash headlight switch.

Also bought a rear ELECTRIC 3 window slider from a buddy, so that will be cool to put in.

-Nic
Title: Re: 1981 K20 "Custom Deluxe"
Post by: bake74 on May 19, 2014, 07:07:54 PM
Also bought a rear ELECTRIC 3 window slider from a buddy, so that will be cool to put in.
-Nic

      I would be interested in seeing the install photo's for the rear sliding window.
Title: Re: 1981 K20 "Custom Deluxe"
Post by: 81_Chevy on May 20, 2014, 10:00:03 PM
Also bought a rear ELECTRIC 3 window slider from a buddy, so that will be cool to put in.
-Nic

      I would be interested in seeing the install photo's for the rear sliding window.

I will definitely make sure to take some bake!  :D
Title: Re: 1981 K20 "Custom Deluxe"
Post by: chevyfan454 on May 23, 2014, 12:57:00 AM
hi my name is mike and I would like to know where ya got that overhead console, I love that idea, I have and 86 k10 with a plow and it would be a great aspect for my business.
Title: Re: 1981 K20 "Custom Deluxe"
Post by: 81_Chevy on June 29, 2014, 08:06:18 PM
Hids have been in for a while now, they work great  8)

Overhead console done and put in. Still waiting on the engine work.

Picked up a couple of bucket seats out of a 94 chevy extended cab, i plan on making a frame for them to sit on.
Title: Re: 1981 K20 "Custom Deluxe"
Post by: 81_Chevy on June 30, 2014, 09:48:21 PM
Testing the bucket seats for the right angle. I think so far they look good. Opinions?
Title: Re: 1981 K20 "Custom Deluxe"
Post by: bake74 on July 03, 2014, 09:14:16 AM
     Is there going to be enough room for your legs under the steering wheel ?  Looks close.
Title: Re: 1981 K20 "Custom Deluxe"
Post by: 81_Chevy on July 04, 2014, 07:55:53 PM
Got them done and bolted in. They turned out nice, and it feels great to finally have a cup holder!

Bake, I actually cut the brackets so it's the same amount of room as the original bench seat, I was thinking the same thing too but after bolting them in they fit nicely