hi guys!

[shiftless]

Hey yall, just signed up. I really like 73-87 Chevy trucks. My first one was an 84 model SWB Silverado which I drove as a teenager. It was a nice truck to begin with but I managed to wreck it a few times and tear it up.   So now I'm 25 and just over a year ago I bought this one:

http://www.cadillacpower.com/pics_upload/truck-6.jpg

..which is a pretty nice 87 long bed model as you can see. A few months ago I swapped a stock Cadillac 500 motor in it to replace the crappy 305. Awesome swap. Talk about a frog-to-prince transformation. Now it will haul a heavy load (and haul) up hills, mountains, etc like nobody's business. The first race a week after I built it was against a '95 model 454 truck (stock) and I won. I also ran against a Mazda 6 with a good driver and outran him too. Its hard to go slower than 45 in the dang thing cause if you just barely crack the throttle it wants to get up and go. Stomp on it from a dead stop or slow roll, the frame twists up, and itll burn that one tire off forever til you let up. The best part is, NOBODY looks at this truck and expects it to be fast. Looks and sounds like just any other old grandpa truck. It has 2 1/2" duals with Magnaflows and its nice and quiet. Cops don't look twice, or even once at it. Then when you floor it it goes like heck and people are like WTH?! Best swap I ever did!

Unfortunately, the truck is from up north and rust is slowly eating it. It's not too bad off right now, but I know it will only get worse. I hate rust buckets so I am looking for another truck to replace this one. My buddy's uncle has a Cheyenne that has been sitting forever and is for sale. I haven't even seen it yet but my friend has described it to me and it sounds like the perfect one. From the description I have narrowed it down to a 77-81 model. It's step side, red, 305 and TH-350, runs and drives great. Paint is nice and interior is not bad. And best of all, no rust! So it looks like I will be picking that one up and swapping all the goodies over to it. I will post some pics when I get some.

Anyway, as I said it's somewhere between a 77-81 model. I know that the front end was redesigned in 81, but according to the articles on this site, approx 300 lbs was shed in the redesign. I'm curious as to where this weight came from? It really does not matter to me, to be honest, if its the early style truck. I'd kinda like to have the early one, even if it's heavier. My long bed is pretty hefty but it doesnt matter with all that torque. I like long beds but it will be nice having a bit more traction with a short bed, less frame twist, and less trouble maneuvering the thing in parking lots.

By the way, what's the cargo area like in the stepside beds? I'm guessing that the inner fender-to-fender measurement is the same as a styleside. Long beds are nice cause you can fit a stack of plywood or 2x4s in it and shut the tailgate, but it doesn't really bother me having a shorter bed, just as long as the width is the same. Honestly, I am more of a fleetside guy but I think the step side will grow on me. Just out of curiosity, is there any weight difference between the two?

Thanks guys!

[choptop]

Wow, you have alot on your mind. Take it easy on the energy drinks. Welcome from West Texas. Not sure which question to try to answer, (Im still confused from reading that) but can say we are glad to have you.

[shiftless]

Ok, that's kind of a weird response. I gave a brief but detailed description of the truck I owned before, the one I currently own, then the one I'm looking at buying, along with a few comments and observations. I then asked two questions, 1) where did this 300 lbs supposedly come from when the trucks were redesigned in 1981, and 2) what's the cargo area like in the stepside beds?  Not that hard chief! No energy drinks or caffeine here. Forgive me for just being excited about Chevy trucks! 

[choptop]

 

 but according to the articles on this site, approx 300 lbs was shed in the redesign. I'm curious as to where this weight came from? It really does not matter to me, to be honest, if its the early style truck. I'd kinda like to have the early one, even if it's heavier. 

Thats better, maybe too early in the morning to understand. Theres no cheif here either. You rambled on about many things and I didnt quite get the question. You answered the weight one with " It doesnt matter to me" so it slipped my brain. Most of the weight Im sure came from lighter sheet metaland the hood was alot lighter as well. The width between the wheel wells of a stepside is comparable to the fleetside as you staed. I dont have an exact measuement, but a sheet of ply wood fits in there the same.
  With the caddy engine, going from the longbed to the sepside is going to be an adrenaline rush. Its not as much the weight issue, just something feels different about a short wheel base truck.  Glad to have you and you arent the only one excited about chevy trucks. It wasnt meant to be rude, more of a joke. Sorry if you took it the other way. Gotta loosen up a little.
  Show pics when you can. I had a 73 lwb with a 500 caddy, but it didnt run like you described. You definatly had it setup right, or mine was way off.( probably the latter) Anyway, would like to see.

[69byrd]

Welcome from Tennessee. Sounds like you got a fun truck to drive. BTW stepside are fun to drive also, they get alot of looks(at least around here) Keep us posted with pics when you get it.

[zieg85]

Welcome from NW Indiana

[shiftless]

Hi Choptop, thanks for the info. I did not mean to be rude either though it may have came off that way. I bet you're right about the truck being more of a handful with a shorter wheelbase. About my engine, it is a '76 model 500 that I re-ringed, fully ported the heads (but kept stock valves), lapped valves, and installed an Edelbrock intake manifold. I am using the stock Quadrajet (stock jetting, probably could use rejetting) and a stock HEI dist bumped up to 12* initial timing. The advance curve on these distributors sucks from the factory so I'm sure it could use some work. Stock cam for now, which is terrible, but I did install a Cloyes timing set. Truly a low buck build and it does run really well. The intake manifold alone is worth 25-30 HP on these engines, and I'm sure the port work is worth an equal amount, so that may explain why mine runs so well and yours didn't. I am currently overseas right now so I can't take any pics, but I might have some on my computer I could upload.

[Captkaos]

Welcome to the site.  I edited out the obscene/vulgar words since you are new but Don't use them in any written form on the forum please.

Weight reduction came in 1981 when the frame was lightened, glass got thinner, and the frontend pieces had more open area with more structure.  Cabs are essentially the same, but the floors became galvanized in 1982/1983 and Dashes were thinner.   None of the sheetmetal that I am aware of or have seen are any thinner on the later verses the earlier.

Long bed vs short.  Long beds will launch MUCH better than a shortbed due to leverage.  A short bed is lighter but not that much lighter, about 150lbs on comparable vehicles.

The interior dimensions of a short fleet vs a short step are different, a 4 x 6 sheet will fit in both though.

[shiftless]

I have been informed by reliable sources (i.e. people who actually race these trucks professionally) that long beds are a poor choice for drag racing due to excessive frame twist. Just FYI.

[69byrd]

Man I am not trying to start anything here but this is a good site and good people so you could atleast try and follow their rules.  I can have one of the worst mouths you ever heard but I dont have to curse all of the time. There is a time and place for everything and this isnt one of them. So please have respect for the people here and the guest that come here.

[Captkaos]

Thanks 69byrd.  He just got 7 days to think about it.