73-87chevytrucks.com
73-87 Chevy _ GMC Trucks => Members Rides => Topic started by: TimberwolfFXDL on April 27, 2012, 08:45:52 am
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Gonna start a thread here to track my progress.
A little back story first:
I'm 40 now, but when I was in high school (late 80s) I bought a 1977 Chevy Stepside that fire engine red. It had a 400sbc in it, and I thought it was the fastest thing on the planet. I spent all my graduation money making it even faster. I loved that truck. My dad has a similar truck, but his was brown, lowered, had a tonneau, etc. At some point we struck a deal and traded vehicles. Eventually both were sold or traded off, but I always had a soft spot for the step side trucks. Probably going back to the 1956 Ford F100 stepside my dad bought in 1981.
Anyway, fast forward a couple dozen years. I'm a dyed int he wool horsetrader now. In the last 25 years I've gone through enough vehicles to come close to being in the triple digit range. My last trade brought me to this 1984 C10 step from Florida. I live in Michigan, so most trucks of this vintage need a healthy dose of rust repair by now. But not this one. Equipped by a straight 6, power NOTHING, and a swapped-in SM465, it was a low buck truck and nearly rust free. Someone had swapped in some bucket seats from a random Ford vehicle too.
(http://i727.photobucket.com/albums/ww272/timberwolfz28/1984%20Chevy%20Stepside/2012-03-25_18-14-23_512.jpg)
I drove it back and forth to work a couple times, but got real tired of the thousand pound clutch :lol: I'm used to driving a 2008 Jeep Wrangler with a 6 speed and hydraulic clutch, so the old chebby was a chore! Add in the lack of power brakes and steering, and I decided to start sourcing parts. I stopped by the local boneyard and got lucky (for a change). They had just bought a 1987 Silverado with an excellent interior, and power everything but windows. For $300 I walked away with the steering box, power brake booster and master, brake pedal assembly, dash cover, door panels, kick panels, brushed silver gauge bezel, and gear shift indicator (the OD version).
I also found a couple deals on craigslist, so what I like to call "project creep" began to set in! Picked up a 2wd 700r4 transmission with converter for $100. Nabbed a full set front and back) of 2006 trailblazer seats (with integrated seatbelts) for $50 from a 25,000 mile non smoker vehicle. Found a megashifter for $75. Happened across a guy parting out a 1990 blazer and bought everything between the fan blade and front bumper for $200.
Went through the classic parts catalog and ordered up all new weather stripping and window felts, along with door sills and a few other bits and pieces.
Right now the cab is completely stripped out. I have to make a panel to patch where they cut out for the shifter, finish adapting the seats, patch a small hole in one of the kick panels and clean up/repair the weather strip flange along the rockers. Then it will get paint, lizard skin and insulation, full stereo wiring, new carpet, custom console, and assembled with the seats and other interior bits previously mentioned.
The body has all new mounts, so it should be simple to pull the bed. The frame is still black (no rust) so I am going to just clean it up, install some lowering bits on the suspension, and maybe do a fuel cell. While the bed is off, I am going to take it apart and have it soda blasted. I'll cap the ends of the bed rails too. When it goes back together I will probably forgo the wood and instead install diamond plate steel and use a spray in bedliner. This isn't intended to be a show only truck after all....it will be a nice looking daily driver that still gets used to carry stuff now and then :)
I had originally planned on reusing the straight 6 (the truck has 86,000 original miles on it) after a reseal and repaint, but I happened upon a mid 80s chevy RV with a 55,000 mile 350 in it and a turbo 400 trans on the cheap (partial trade). I think I may pull the motor, and part out the rest of the RV to make the purchase price back. I hadn't planned on using a gen1 small block, as I much prefer a gen 3 (LS) motor, but this is an easy swap while I collect parts to eventually end where I want it to be.
when it's all said and done, the step will end up in a satin black, lowered a bit as I mentioned, and hopefully be a fun, safe driver for myself and my 16 year old son. I have been shooting a few pictures here and there, and will upload them as I go along. You guys might find the whole seat adaptation thing interesting, so stay tuned ;)
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I wanted to show something some of you may not know about... I stumbled across this stuff a few years ago when I got into firearm restoration, and was surprised how well it worked. Tried it on some of the truck parts, and am getting similar results. It's from Harbor Freight. Runs about $22 a gallon, but is reusable, and non toxic.
Check it out... these are the speaker brackets as removed:
(http://i727.photobucket.com/albums/ww272/timberwolfz28/1984%20Chevy%20Stepside/2012-03-29_20-51-35_750.jpg)
Here they are soaking (over night):
(http://i727.photobucket.com/albums/ww272/timberwolfz28/1984%20Chevy%20Stepside/2012-03-29_20-54-16_109.jpg)
And here's how they looked in the morning. I did nothing but wipe them off with a paper towel to dry them:
(http://i727.photobucket.com/albums/ww272/timberwolfz28/1984%20Chevy%20Stepside/2012-03-30_20-09-48_860.jpg)
Gotta love that stuff!
Here's the mess I started with on the trailblazer seats. This is the passenger seat. The driver's seat was powered, and has twice as much junk under there!
(http://i727.photobucket.com/albums/ww272/timberwolfz28/1984%20Chevy%20Stepside/2012-04-01_20-08-10_16.jpg)
I took everything off and made a cardboard template of the seat bottom area. Then I measured that template and transferred it into a cad file, and printed it out full scale. I took the paper pattern home and double checked the size and hole locations. It all looked good so I brought it back to work and sent it out to the CNC plasma bed (I forgot to mention, I'm an engineer at a steel fabrication shop) to be cut out of some 12ga steel. The studs on the bottom of the seat were located about an inch and a half higher than the rear, so I cut some lengths of DOM tubing, and welded nuts in both ends. This allowed me to screw the spacers onto the existing studs, then bolt the plates to the spacers, leveling everything out. I now have a nice flat area for mounting anything I need under the seat for support. I'll post pics tonight, but in the mean time here's the seat plate (captured image from the CAD file):
(http://i727.photobucket.com/albums/ww272/timberwolfz28/1984%20Chevy%20Stepside/seatplate.jpg)
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That is a great looking truck you have to start your project with. I like the idea of the diamond plate in the bed.
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Great start to a project, will be keeping a eye on this build.
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That is a great find for that truck great shape, looking forward to seeing the build.
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Tackling this today... worst part of the body on the whole truck. dang leaky vent windows and there's water coming through the firewall when it rains for some reason... ran gutter thing I guess? I dunno... there's a puddle on the floor after a day of rain though :(
(http://i727.photobucket.com/albums/ww272/timberwolfz28/1984%20Chevy%20Stepside/2012-04-29_13-37-44_39.jpg)
Body mounts were replaced at some point, can you tell?
(http://i727.photobucket.com/albums/ww272/timberwolfz28/1984%20Chevy%20Stepside/2012-04-29_13-37-37_312.jpg)
(http://i727.photobucket.com/albums/ww272/timberwolfz28/1984%20Chevy%20Stepside/2012-04-29_13-37-16_985.jpg)
(http://i727.photobucket.com/albums/ww272/timberwolfz28/1984%20Chevy%20Stepside/2012-04-29_13-37-11_204.jpg)
prior owners floor mods for the sm465... Gotta find some sheet metal for this...
(http://i727.photobucket.com/albums/ww272/timberwolfz28/1984%20Chevy%20Stepside/2012-04-29_13-37-51_683.jpg)
First cuts for modding the floor to accept the new seats:
(http://i727.photobucket.com/albums/ww272/timberwolfz28/1984%20Chevy%20Stepside/2012-04-29_13-38-07_461.jpg)
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The rain on the floorboard, I would check the cowl area and see if it is rusted out, most common place to have water on the floor of the cab.
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Passenger side in progress. Rust cleaned up good. Cut out the bad section, and repurposed the old bench seat frame to fashion some repairs. I'll get it welded it up sometime this week.
(http://i727.photobucket.com/albums/ww272/timberwolfz28/1984%20Chevy%20Stepside/2012-04-29_16-00-14_812.jpg)
(http://i727.photobucket.com/albums/ww272/timberwolfz28/1984%20Chevy%20Stepside/2012-04-29_16-25-07_234.jpg)
(http://i727.photobucket.com/albums/ww272/timberwolfz28/1984%20Chevy%20Stepside/2012-04-29_18-34-04_421.jpg)
(http://i727.photobucket.com/albums/ww272/timberwolfz28/1984%20Chevy%20Stepside/2012-04-29_18-34-17_715.jpg)
Over to the driver's side. I didn't take many pictures of the process. Went over it all with the cup brush and got rid of the scale. Pried out the cracked body caulk and cleaned up the hole shown above. Took a flap wheel to it and knocked it down even further. When I couldn't get any more through conventional methods, I decided to use some of the rust remover I talked about up above. With the angle of the floor and my driveway, there was no way to puddle this nearly water thin liquid on the rust to let it work. Then an idea hit me... See the second picture. I layered paper shop towels on the rusty areas and soaked them with the rust remover. This kept a good amount of it in contact with the floor pan. I'll pull it in the morning and wipe it down with a damp sponge and show you the results.
(http://i727.photobucket.com/albums/ww272/timberwolfz28/1984%20Chevy%20Stepside/2012-04-29_17-15-48_708.jpg)
(http://i727.photobucket.com/albums/ww272/timberwolfz28/1984%20Chevy%20Stepside/2012-04-29_17-38-22_456.jpg)
I decided to attack the seat mounts too. I'd been struggling with how I wanted to go about it, when I looked at the bench seat frame leftovers and got another idea. I laid it into the C shaped cut (see post above) and made some marks. I folded a tab up in the back, then cut the angles to match the floor. They are much thicker than the floor pans themselves, and once welded in place and braced from below, they should anchor the seats nicely.
(http://i727.photobucket.com/albums/ww272/timberwolfz28/1984%20Chevy%20Stepside/2012-04-29_19-01-19_195.jpg)
(http://i727.photobucket.com/albums/ww272/timberwolfz28/1984%20Chevy%20Stepside/2012-04-29_19-01-37_292.jpg)
I thought some of you might be interested in what I was doing with the plates I cut out on the CNC plasma table. I posted the 3d model up above. Remember the bottom of the trailblazer seat I posted above? The power seat (driver's side) was WAY more complex. Here they are now:
(http://i727.photobucket.com/albums/ww272/timberwolfz28/1984%20Chevy%20Stepside/2012-04-29_19-03-44_966.jpg)
(http://i727.photobucket.com/albums/ww272/timberwolfz28/1984%20Chevy%20Stepside/2012-04-29_19-04-00_186.jpg)
(http://i727.photobucket.com/albums/ww272/timberwolfz28/1984%20Chevy%20Stepside/2012-04-29_19-03-35_447.jpg)
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So did you take all the power stuff out of the seats or just cover them up ?
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So did you take all the power stuff out of the seats or just cover them up ?
Took it all out. Pro-tip: those pressure sensors in the passenger seat that turn on or off the airbag? They're not just electronic or filled with air. They are filled with some sort of silicone gel. you shouldn't just cut the hose leading from the seat to the sensor. Ask me how I know :)
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So since it was raining all day here, and I'm stuck at work, I decided to tinker around with an idea I had. I'd like to black the truck out. I used to have a Grand National, and I called it my pirate ship. So I thought about actually taking that theme a little further and including it in the build.
I plan to get rid of the rotted bed wood and replace it with 3/16" tread plate steel. Since I have to order a full sheet (it's cheaper to shear or plasma it to size here at work than it is to order it cut to size), I had a little fun with it. What do you think?
(http://i727.photobucket.com/albums/ww272/timberwolfz28/1984%20Chevy%20Stepside/piratebed2.jpg)
Right now I have it drawn such that it's black treadplate with polished stainless behind it. But I think that I would do it cut the jolly roger twice... once in the tread plate, and again in some smooth sheet. I'd take the smooth sheet pieces, lay them back in place like a puzzle, and tack a couple thin strips to the back of all the pieces to hold them together (but not to the bed). Then I could powder coat them red or white or something, and reinsert them into the bed for final assembly.
Kinda off the wall, but it could be fairly subtle and unique...
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I like it, so that will be in the bed floor correct ?
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I like it, so that will be in the bed floor correct ?
exactly. takes the place of the wood.
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Maybe you can put a pirate ship as a mural for the back window.
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Nothing new to show... it's been crap weather this week in Michigan so I haven't had a chance to weld in the new sheetmetal.
However, I did find a deal on a 2004 5.3 LM7, complete for my future swap. WOOHOO!
(http://images.craigslist.org/5I95Kc5Jd3K73m93J8c3q430dcaaf810b173f.jpg)
Time to start keeping an eye out for a takeout Z06 cam, springs, and intake manifold :) I'll also likely sell the 700r4 now, along with the new lockup kit and just go for the 4l60e instead
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What head castings are on that LM7?
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What head castings are on that LM7?
I probably wont know for a while. It's a 2003 with 90k miles from a silverado. I pick it up tomorrow. Not sure when I will pop the valve covers
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You should be able to see it from the outside, on the corner of either head. It's only really important if they are 706's. If so, check out the link below, and look closely, you may be replacing the heads on it. I have two LM7's (an '03 and an '05), fully dressed, I got off CL for $150. Both were junked because of the castech's.
http://ww2.justanswer.com/uploads/Bluegorilla/2008-12-05_142924_Coolant_loss_5.3.pdf
Mine are not cracked, however, to be safe, I am finding some different LM7 heads.
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Nice find on the engine, hopefully you got it cheap which would make it even sweeter.
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(http://i727.photobucket.com/albums/ww272/timberwolfz28/1984%20Chevy%20Stepside/2012-04-29_16-00-14_812.jpg)
(http://i727.photobucket.com/albums/ww272/timberwolfz28/1984%20Chevy%20Stepside/2012-04-29_16-25-07_234.jpg)
(http://i727.photobucket.com/albums/ww272/timberwolfz28/1984%20Chevy%20Stepside/2012-04-29_18-34-04_421.jpg)
(http://i727.photobucket.com/albums/ww272/timberwolfz28/1984%20Chevy%20Stepside/2012-04-29_18-34-17_715.jpg)
Started getting the passenger side floor put together last night:
(http://i727.photobucket.com/albums/ww272/timberwolfz28/1984%20Chevy%20Stepside/2012-05-02_20-33-39_475.jpg)
Also, note the flash rust from the water infiltration? Kinda thinking it might be the hood hinge seal
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You should be able to see it from the outside, on the corner of either head. It's only really important if they are 706's. If so, check out the link below, and look closely, you may be replacing the heads on it. I have two LM7's (an '03 and an '05), fully dressed, I got off CL for $150. Both were junked because of the castech's.
http://ww2.justanswer.com/uploads/Bluegorilla/2008-12-05_142924_Coolant_loss_5.3.pdf
Mine are not cracked, however, to be safe, I am finding some different LM7 heads.
thanks for the tip. I am working on finding out the info today before I make the 90 mile trip (each way) to pick it up tonight.
Are there other casting numbers? I'm trying to find more info through google, and while I see an 852 head, I also wee where those were only on the 4.8. Is that correct? If not, can someone point me to the correct info regarding the casting numbers to look for or avoid on 2001-2006 lm7 engines?
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You should be able to see it from the outside, on the corner of either head. It's only really important if they are 706's. If so, check out the link below, and look closely, you may be replacing the heads on it. I have two LM7's (an '03 and an '05), fully dressed, I got off CL for $150. Both were junked because of the castech's.
http://ww2.justanswer.com/uploads/Bluegorilla/2008-12-05_142924_Coolant_loss_5.3.pdf
Mine are not cracked, however, to be safe, I am finding some different LM7 heads.
thanks for the tip. I am working on finding out the info today before I make the 90 mile trip (each way) to pick it up tonight.
Are there other casting numbers? I'm trying to find more info through google, and while I see an 852 head, I also wee where those were only on the 4.8. Is that correct? If not, can someone point me to the correct info regarding the casting numbers to look for or avoid on 2001-2006 lm7 engines?
Here is some good info - http://ls1tech.com/forums/generation-iii-internal-engine/102712-common-question-head-casting-numbers-details.html
The only difference from the 4.8 and 5.3 is the stroke. Same bore, 83mm stroke for the 4.8 and 92mm for the 5.3, both share 96mm bore. Maybe slight cam differences, same intake, manifolds, etc...
I will post more info when I get some more time, running like crazy getting ready for a weekend of riding.
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I was checking out that thread yesterday, that's where I got the 852 info. But according to this site, there's an 862 as well?
http://www.chevythunder.com/LS1%20components.htm#Gen%20III%20Cylinder%20Head%20ID%20Numbers
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Progress...
(http://i727.photobucket.com/albums/ww272/timberwolfz28/1984%20Chevy%20Stepside/2012-05-05_19-20-08_312.jpg)
(http://i727.photobucket.com/albums/ww272/timberwolfz28/1984%20Chevy%20Stepside/2012-05-05_19-20-37_525.jpg)
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I like the way the seats look so far, are they going to be adjustable, or fixed ?
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I ended up making them fixed. I'm only 5'7" and I drive with the seat all the way back. I figure, if anyone taller than me drives the truck, it's sure not going back any further, and there's not many people shorter than me that would drive it, so it made sense to leave them fixed.
Besides, the seats are pretty thick... setting them on adjuster rails would have put the steering wheel pretty close to my legs
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deal fell through on the LM7. I was trading the guy a 44 Magnum, and he didn't want to take the time to go get a purchase permit, so I told him thanks anyway.
Search is back on for a heart transplant donor.
In the meantime, I have got to track down this water leak. The insulation around the heater box inside the truck is wet, and there are random drip lines coming from it. Guess it's time to get out a hose or something and see what I can find. After a day of rain, there's a good half pint of standing water on the passenger side floor pan.
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LQ4 :)
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Remember this big gaper?
(http://i727.photobucket.com/albums/ww272/timberwolfz28/1984%20Chevy%20Stepside/2012-04-29_13-37-51_683.jpg)
Here it is now. Haven't cleaned the flux off yet, my apologies. You can also see I patched the driver's side kick panel and the hole above the body mount right below the brake pedal. While I was at it, I welded up all the holes that the previous owner left behind.
(http://i727.photobucket.com/albums/ww272/timberwolfz28/1984%20Chevy%20Stepside/2012-05-13_18-39-01_742.jpg)
Don't think I posted a picture of the finished seat mount pockets. You can also see the two welds above and to the left and right. Those are the old seat track holes. I screwed a bolt in part way, tack welded it, then cut it off with the angle grinder. Then I finished filling the holes. I still need to grind them flush, but it was a long day already.
(http://i727.photobucket.com/albums/ww272/timberwolfz28/1984%20Chevy%20Stepside/2012-05-13_18-39-48_133.jpg)
Finally almost done with the interior patching. I have a couple small sections of weather strip ridge to replace, fix my leak, then it's time for lizard skin on the floor, and paint everywhere else :)
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looking good.
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got inspired to do a little work today, despite the heat...
(http://i727.photobucket.com/albums/ww272/timberwolfz28/1984%20Chevy%20Stepside/100_0002.jpg)
(http://i727.photobucket.com/albums/ww272/timberwolfz28/1984%20Chevy%20Stepside/100_0003.jpg)
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Lol a little work? Wow. Nice job. Looking forward to see the end result!
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It coming together and coming apart at the same time! :o
Keep up the good work.
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Found a motor for it. 2002 350 crate motor with 40k miles that will get mildly modded and transplanted into my the truck. I'll sell off everything else of value (TBI setup, wheels, tires, transmission, transfer case, front and rear axles) and take the rest to the local scrap metal place.
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Anyone know where I can find some front rotors drilled for 6 lug? or would it be easier just to have mine welded and redrilled?
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Why are you wanting 6 lug? The rear is 5 lug, are you going to change it also..
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Why are you wanting 6 lug? The rear is 5 lug, are you going to change it also..
the chassis I bought is a 4wd and has a real nice set of wheels I'd like to use. I can swap the rear axles (both trucks have 10 bolt rear), so I'd just need to figure out the front
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The aftermarket supplies 6 lug discs, check with http://www.gmcpauls.com/Brakes&Steering.htm
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Been a while (again) since I've updated. Not a lot has changed, other than I was able to secure a good sized workshop.
I did get the firewall cleaned ("aircraft remover" works WONDERS on that tar and goo, and a wire cup brush on an angle grinder finished it up nicely), and the whole front fame and suspension powerwashed and sprayed with a rust converter primer. Working on the power steering conversion, but I can't seem to separate the old pitman arm from the tie rod, despite my best efforts with a fork and hammer.
Still deciding on a motor. I have a 2001 roller block than is fresh from the machine shop (.030 over), and I picked up a 454 with 58k miles from a motorhome. Has 781 heads, so that's a plus, but the compression on these mid 70s motors is abysmally low, and getting it back up to a decent range for power making is going to either require a new set of pistons or shaving the heck out of the heads. Neither option is something I am looking forward to... the 350 needs pistons as well, and some heads (sold my good vortec heads due to a low-cash moment) etc
as far as the transmission, I still have the 700r4, but a th400 came with the 454. Both have their pros and cons... so there's another decision :lol:
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(http://i727.photobucket.com/albums/ww272/timberwolfz28/1984%20Chevy%20Stepside/2012-10-01_12-36-15_437.jpg)
(http://i727.photobucket.com/albums/ww272/timberwolfz28/1984%20Chevy%20Stepside/2012-10-01_12-36-22_316.jpg)
(http://i727.photobucket.com/albums/ww272/timberwolfz28/1984%20Chevy%20Stepside/2012-10-01_12-36-00_148.jpg)
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It looks like this now:
(http://i727.photobucket.com/albums/ww272/timberwolfz28/1984%20Chevy%20Stepside/006.jpg) (http://s727.photobucket.com/user/timberwolfz28/media/1984%20Chevy%20Stepside/006.jpg.html)
(http://i727.photobucket.com/albums/ww272/timberwolfz28/1984%20Chevy%20Stepside/007.jpg) (http://s727.photobucket.com/user/timberwolfz28/media/1984%20Chevy%20Stepside/007.jpg.html)
(http://i727.photobucket.com/albums/ww272/timberwolfz28/1984%20Chevy%20Stepside/009.jpg) (http://s727.photobucket.com/user/timberwolfz28/media/1984%20Chevy%20Stepside/009.jpg.html)
(http://i727.photobucket.com/albums/ww272/timberwolfz28/1984%20Chevy%20Stepside/001.jpg) (http://s727.photobucket.com/user/timberwolfz28/media/1984%20Chevy%20Stepside/001.jpg.html)
(http://i727.photobucket.com/albums/ww272/timberwolfz28/1984%20Chevy%20Stepside/006-1.jpg) (http://s727.photobucket.com/user/timberwolfz28/media/1984%20Chevy%20Stepside/006-1.jpg.html)
(http://i727.photobucket.com/albums/ww272/timberwolfz28/1984%20Chevy%20Stepside/007-1.jpg) (http://s727.photobucket.com/user/timberwolfz28/media/1984%20Chevy%20Stepside/007-1.jpg.html)
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is that a big block i spy? 8)
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is that a big block i spy? 8)
indeed. from a straight 6 and saginaw to a 454 and th400 :)
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Like the build. I have always liked the stepsides every since I was a kid and first saw that movie called "tremors".
I bet that your right foot is liking those new extra cylinders but gas tank not so much..
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You guys in different states are so lucky! I wish I could make my motor look like that but cali sucks. I have miles of vacuum lines under my hood! Its ugly as heck! Nice truck though 8)
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That is sweet, exactly the way I want mine to look big block and all.. 8)
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Is that the stock throttle cable?