My '77 K-30/V3500 Monster Truck Build

[Engineer]

Here Is the latest update.

Weather was awesome today. Got some quality time on the '77 after church.

In the photo above (in my last post) with all of the plates in it I was able to get the work done on the plate with the smaller holes. I took them to a freind's shop to use his drill press. I don't trust mine to make the quality of hole needed for that part of the fab. I used his drill press to drill the pilot holes to 11/16". After getting them back to my shop I proceeded to tap the holes to 3/4-16. Ugh. My tap is really dull. Time for a new one.

After this was completed I then welded the 2.5" square tube to the bottom of the plates as seen in this view:



Next step was to weld them to the axle. For those who were unsure of how I was going to do this part I took the time to photograph each stage of the build. I'm sure I more than freaked out a few people by saying I was going to use blocks for lift because in the 4x4 world front blocks are a definate no-no, and rear blocks are to be avoided if possible, but I think everyone can agree that this set up is good to go. (the 2x4 that is bolted to the top of the differential is to keep the axle upright. Those 5-tons are VERY top heavy, and if it turns turtle on you it is a real pain to flip it back upright)




Solidly welding it to the axle housing:



And now the important part, boxing it all in:



Still need to finish by boxing the sides in.





Adding the torque rod mounts:





This view is of the Reyco Suspension (OTR truck torque rod part) bushing that will be pressed into the lower end of the torque rod.



This view shows the 3/4" bolts that will clamp the leaf springs to the axle using the 1" thick plate seen in my last previous post:



I am convinced this is a much better set up than using u-bolts to clamp the axle and spring.

The 4x4 mega truck crowd makes it an emphasis toward keeping things up high for ground clearance. I don't plan on mohawking my pumpkins, or anything radical as that, (really not necessary in my case) but I did keep things neatly tucked away just to keep the build clean:



After I box in the sides I want to set the frame on it so I can get an idea of the height.....that, and to drive myself batty because I am not finishing this thing fast enough....... The more I get done the more I want to see it complete.



And as always feel free to opine, comment, or ask questions.......

That is all I have for now. I'll post up more when I get the axle under the frame.

[LTZ C20]

Great progress!

[FearNoMan78k10]

Just a awesome build! What are your plans for the motor?  Power output estimate? Hp tq 

[Engineer]

Well I was able to box in the blocks on the rear axle.



The spring will set on top with the head of the tie bolt in the hole drilled in the center of the block.

Just need to dress it all up with my grinder. It was cold outside today and I didn't want to work on it out in the wind. Plus, since my shop is full of trucks I don't want to throw grinder dust all over them and risk having the steel filings rusting, and ruining the paint.

Just a awesome build! What are your plans for the motor?  Power output estimate? Hp tq 

I'll be using the same 454 that I ran in the truck as a sled puller as seen in the earlier pages of this thread. It is around 500HP+ by my estimation. 547HP/544TQ via the GMPP dyno simulation computer software.



After the truck is all done I may look into building a different engine starting with the 427 4-bolt block that I posted pictures about also earlier in this thread.



My oldest son is really pounding me to give him the 454, but good strong running Big Blocks are starting to get more expensive to build, and the junk dealers are starting to think these 2 piece rear main engines are worth their weight in gold. Mine is a '73 model so it will be one of the better blocks for any hot street build. In any event I doubt I'll ever see the day I'll sell that 454.

[FearNoMan78k10]

That's impressive power figures... I bet your son is trying to get that motor haha.  I would too though if I were him. What has been done to the motor ? Machine work, parts, etc
    Where do you plan on using the truck mostly?

[Engineer]

That's impressive power figures... I bet your son is trying to get that motor haha.  I would too though if I were him. What has been done to the motor ? Machine work, parts, etc
    Where do you plan on using the truck mostly?

The engine has quite a few little tricks in it.

The engine is a '73 C20 truck 454. It came with 353049 heads. The intake is a Holley Strip Dominator, currently with a Holley 750 carb. The cam is a solid lifter Crane cam. It is a conservative street grind. Also has Crane roller rockers.

Pistons are hyperutectic 9.5:1 compression. Stock GM rods with ARP rod bolts.

L88 Corvette oil pump, sump, and pan with windage tray.

The big thing is the heads. I cut the seats for 2.19/1.88 valves and ported the pockets to smooth the airflow over the valve. Combustion chambers were polished to get rid of any sharp edges and the grainy finish from the casting. Lastly the ports were gasket matched to the intake.

Turn it 7,000RPM without any fear.



The truck will probably only be used for car shows, parades, birthday parties, and the like. No mud, jumping, car crushing, or racing. If I get the itch to do that I'll build a different truck.

[87V20Kansan]

I love this build. Definitely a fun one to watch. Thanks for sharing it with us Engineer.

[FearNoMan78k10]

That's impressive power figures... I bet your son is trying to get that motor haha.  I would too though if I were him. What has been done to the motor ? Machine work, parts, etc
    Where do you plan on using the truck mostly?

The engine has quite a few little tricks in it.

The engine is a '73 C20 truck 454. It came with 353049 heads. The intake is a Holley Strip Dominator, currently with a Holley 750 carb. The cam is a solid lifter Crane cam. It is a conservative street grind. Also has Crane roller rockers.

Pistons are hyperutectic 9.5:1 compression. Stock GM rods with ARP rod bolts.

L88 Corvette oil pump, sump, and pan with windage tray.

The big thing is the heads. I cut the seats for 2.19/1.88 valves and ported the pockets to smooth the airflow over the valve. Combustion chambers were polished to get rid of any sharp edges and the grainy finish from the casting. Lastly the ports were gasket matched to the intake.

Turn it 7,000RPM without any fear.



The truck will probably only be used for car shows, parades, birthday parties, and the like. No mud, jumping, car crushing, or racing. If I get the itch to do that I'll build a different truck.

Sounds like you went to town on that motor too... I bet it will run like a champ and have a mean grunt to it :-)  whew I don't know if I will do that on my motor even though it's built too... 7000rpm is high up there...  So the truck will strictly be used for those events? You aren't tempted to bury it in mud ? :-)  those tires you have are gigantic to say the least.... What did you have to do to fab up the corvette pump and sump?  Your 454 is the same year as mine lol :-)  crazy awesome build engineer... Hats are off

[Engineer]

No mud. No way.

The truck earned its mud stripes 25 years ago. I started truck pulling to get away from the headache of washing after a night of mudding.



Several of the parts in my engine came out of the GMPP catalog.

The Corvette 454 oil pan with trap door baffle, and windage tray is available from GM under part number 14091356. About $125.00 +or-.

The Corvette 454 oil pump with sump is available from GM under part number 3969870. Around $100.00.

[roundhouse]

How are you going to transport this rig to events?


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[Engineer]

Transporting it won't be easy.

Because of its size I'll have to remove the tires. If you scroll back through this thread you'll see my gooseneck trailer. It is a tandem axle 20x8 square back. The trailer will haul the truck with ease but I don't have sufficient room to take along the tires.

The tires are 5-1/2 feet tall, and a little more than 3-1/2 feet wide. Pairing them up side x side will require an additional 10' of trailer floor to haul it all.

Then there is the weight. I estimate that the truck will weigh in around 12,000# but no more. Not using planetaries, and subbing the puller truck transfer case over using the 5-ton military unit should keep me on the lighter side of what the old schoolers weighed. My trailer is about 4,200# right now. Lengthening 10' will probably push it up to 6,000#. Right now I have 2 6,000# Dexter axles. An additional 6,000# axle would be required minimum to carry all of the weight.

I recently looked at a gooseneck trailer that met these specs and was a low boy to boot. However the owner was asking $10,000.00 for it which is a little out of my budget. Ideally this is the best option if it weren't so costly.

One other option is leaving my gooseneck trailer as is and buying a small bumper hitch type trailer to tow behind the gooseneck to carry the tires. Many states don't allow this double tow configuration so that would be a temporary fix at best. I'm hoping to go to the Jamboree in Indy and that means driving through IL where double towing is a no-no.

I also have to consider that these tires are about 1,000# a piece so loading them onto a trailer that is waist high like the one I currently have will be a hefty burden without some type of crane.

I still have plenty of time to think about the final product. If I were still driving a OTR truck I could look for and old moving van trailer and have weather protection to boot.

[roundhouse]

Used OTR tractors are really cheap right now


Used OTR trailers have always been cheap

You're definitely gonna need a autocrane or liftmoore for the tires


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[Engineer]

I would love to go the OTR truck route. A semi tractor with a drop frame trailer like an exhibits, or auto parts trailer would be great.

The biggest problem with doing that is having a tractor/trailer combo that is not earning revenue. Then you have the commercial/non-commercial thing.

A commercial truck needs apportioned license plates if crossing state lines, IFTA fuel tax, if registered for 55,000# or more there is the IRS HVUT, and then the appropriate class CDL, log books, drug tests, DOT physicals, commercial insurance all around, federal and state operating authority, USDOT#, KYU# if driving through Kentucky, etc. If carrying more than, say, 150 gallons racing fuel for instance, then you would need haz-mat authority, haz-mat endorsement, haz-mat insurance.

Going the non commercial route is only slightly less of a pain. You won't need any of the above but because or your weight, and/or axle count you will still have to stop at most state weigh stations and then I guarantee 90% of the time you'll be detained to explain what you are doing, where you are going, how you can afford to have such a large truck that is not earning revenue, and why you don't think you need to comply with any of the commercial vehicle regulations.

When I was truck pulling I was told by a state DOT officer that I would be in violation of about 10 laws just by transporting my puller to a county fair pull..........with a K1500 pickup and gooseneck trailer.

I then asked a USDOT officer the same question about my requirements, his response was if I were being paid then I was commercial. If I wasn't expecting to be paid just for showing up then I was exempt from the commercial standards. I then brought up the subject of prize money, and his statement revolved around the idea that prize money is not considered earnings for the sake of the commercial criteria but is considered earnings by the IRS.?.?

However, commercial or not, the HVUT would still apply if registered for 55,000#+.

If you are not-for-hire and get stopped, then you would be wise to be able to prove that everything on/in your truck is your property and no one else's. If not yours, then is the owner paying you to haul it for him?

IMHO, the biggest thing about using an old OTR truck for personal use would be trying to convince the CMV enforcement officers that your Freightliner road tractor and 53' Wabash drop frame dry van is your version of an S-10 and golf cart trailer.

[roundhouse]

You register your OTR tractor as a motorhome
You still need a CDL with air brake endorsement but no log books at anything



Lots of full time RVers use OTR tractors instead of F-350s   
Cheaper and safer

Check with your state to see what you have to do to register OTR as a motorhome usually a micro wave and portapotty  is all you need

If its considered a motorhome and you can prove you own what's on the trailer you're obviously not for hire






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[Engineer]

Looked into the RV registration. The state's website has nothing on it, and the people at the DMV are not anymore help than the website.

RV registration would be nice because that would reduce the number of states that you have to stop at the scales.