New Guy from Tx with big project ahead of me

[ToreyC]

Hey guys, My name is Torey. I'm from Amarillo, Tx. My dad handed down to me his 81 long bed 2wd chevy that he bought brand new. Now my task to conquer a complete overhaul. I plan on tearing the truck down to the frame. First i am going to have it turned into a 4wd with one ton axles. Then i'm going to have the frame, and all other components that need it, powder coated. With the body off of the frame i am going to do all body work necessary to make this thing look good. It has very little rust and what it does have is just surface rust, so i lucked out there. Once the body work is done, i am going to paint it back to the factory blue with white across the bottom. I plan on putting a 12" lift with 44" tires on this thing. It's going to have a 400 small block and th400 tranny. Once it's all back together, i'm going to do a custom dash and middle console in between bucket seats. The truck has power everything, and i'm going to move all the controls to the middle console. I plan on having a stock truck from the outside(other than the lift) and custom interior. Going to look sweet, but will be a long process. I'm hoping to start the tear down next weekend. I am a DIY kind of guy, but more so with construction work. I don't have all the knowledge i need to do this entire build myself, so there will be some help of a few guys. I plan on starting a project thread when i get started and as i've already seen, i know i will have plenty of help from all of you guys out there, so thanks in advacne(i'm gonna need it). Well, that's all for now. Keep an eye out for my project starting in a couple weeks.

[zieg85]

Sounds like a neat project.  I would suggest maybe finding a 4x4 frame or a parts truck.  Much easier not having to convert it over, everything is factory riveted together and if you are starting with a C10 just search for a K30 and redo that frame the way you describe.  That way you will have the center hump in the cab which is what you will need unless you are going with a body lift as well.  Being in TX you may have a bunch of decent body parts left over that you could resell to offset some of the costs.  So far all of my projects have cost little to nothing in $, just a bunch of time and patience.

Welcome from NW Indiana

[ToreyC]

Thanks for the tip. I did find a 76 parts truck that the body is junk, but it has the 400 small block and th400 tranny and all other parts that would be need for the build. I bout the new 1 ton axles seperate from that truck tho. Got the whole truck, engine and all for $700 bucks. Engine needs a tune up, but still runs.

[big bear]

welcome from northeast ohio. sound like awesome project

[zieg85]

There are subtle differences 81 on up that I am sure I don't know all of.  Ask here anything you need.  The front frame horns that the bumper mounts to and some have reported core support mounting slightly different as well as the cab and body mounts throughout the years which I believe are matched with the frame year not the cab.  Sounds like you have a great start. 

[Captkaos]

You will definitely want to get a 4x4 frame instead of converting.  100 rivets you will have to remove from the donor vs 13 bolts to the frame is much simpler...

[69byrd]

Welcome from Tn

[thirsty]

Welcome from NH.

You will definitely want to get a 4x4 frame instead of converting.  100 rivets you will have to remove from the donor vs 13 bolts to the frame is much simpler...

Well said Capt.

ToreyC - I converted one because I couldn't find a 4x4 frame that wasn't rusted to death. It turned into alot of work. Would I do it again?? Only if I had too, I would look harder for a 4x4 frame next time. Am I glad I did it?? Yeah, I usually don't take the easy route on anything and other than being proud of it I also feel confident that I did it right. Would I do it if I were you?? No way, if you live in texas you can find a rust free 4x4 frame and focus all the work it would take to convert one on the rest of your truck.
I envy you guys out there with rust free trucks(rust free meaning frames not rusted in half and cabs not rusted up to the ashtray). Here we always have to decide if our rigs are too rusty to repair.

Good luck with your conversion! Take plenty of pics along the way.

[bake74]

     Welcome from California.

[ToreyC]

I know it is going to be a lot of work, but i am using my original frame and taking the parts from the donar. Unfortunately, this is one of the parts i don't have the experience in, so i am paying to have this done. A local place called ATX motorsports is doing the work for me. They build custom 4x4's and rock crawlers. They just completed the same task on a 80's model blazer. He will do all of the mods and then strip the frame down so i can take to powder coaters. I would love doing this myself, but also want it done right, so i'm putting my faith in these guys. Like i said, i plan on starting a project forum on this so anyone interested can see the progress. It will be slow progress due to work load. Winter times are usually slower for me, so i hope to have frame done and body ready for paint by first of next summer. Looking forward to getting tips from those of you who follow my build. I hope to learn a lot from you guys. Thanks.

[firefighter]

Sounds like an in depth but fun project if you have the time.

Keep us updated with posts and pics.

Thanks for sharing.

[Isaac3384]

Sounds like a great project, and welcome from the Dallas area!

Word of advice; a buddy of mine had a 77 K30 with 17" of lift and 44s and he still had problems with the tire getting into the fender. Granted, he took it offroading from time to time, but he was never the type of guy to beat his truck to death. He actualy took really good care of it. You may want to look into ways to obtain more lift without going the body lift route. On his, we used 8" lift springs and dropped the mounting brackets down 9" in the front. The rear was done similar, but I don't remember exactly what all the measurements were or what springs he used. If you really want to run a 44 and plan on it being a street only truck, I would reccommend going with about 15" of lift just to be safe. Just my $.02

[ToreyC]

Thanks for the tip. I'll take that into consideration. I may even think about just running 40" tires if that's the case. Thanks again.

[1982 Daily Driver]

Welcome from South Carolina

[DustyRusty]

Welcome from Alaska.

Rusty