1986 4x4 Silverado from Tucson Az

[hydrospec2001]

New to the site and just thought I would post a picture of my truck. I will try to post more but I have to resize them!

[Ferdwerd]

Wow that is awesome.
Wish mine looked that good.
Nice ride.

[mikek20]

Awesome looking truck. Can you give us some information on it? I'm dying to know what's under the hood.

[frotosride]

Welcome to the site and thanks for showing us that. I hope to have some ground clearance under mine soon. The lift is just sitting in the garage waiting on TIME!!!and bugging me to death! more pics and INFO please,. ie engine/specs axles, t-case, lift, tires,wheels...ect,etc.

[frotosride]

Looks like you have a shackle flip on the rear.. I realize you just got the truck but any idea where that came from. Oh and coming from AZ there must not be a spot of rust on that thing!! Mind telling us how far it set you back?

[ehjorten]

Those look like DIY4x shackle-flip hangers.

[Engineer]

I approve.

[bake74]

     Welcome to the site and very nice truck you have there.

[hydrospec2001]

Sorry yall but I've been very busy and just got back on here. The truck irandads an 86 swb Silverado. My Grandad helped me buy it back in 97 when I finished tech school for the Air Force. It is a original Northwest Florida truck that surprisingly was rust free.
After having it for a year I couldn't leave it alone so I put a 2" body lift on it. About six months later I got a good deal on some 38" Swampers so I put a six inch lift on it. It was like that for a year but the 350 that was in it was pretty tired.

In 99 I came across a good deal on some 454 heads and other parts so I found a block and had it punched out .40 over. I tried to run a tunnel ram but the streetability was aweful.

I always wanted a big supercharger so I started saving up and in 2001 I finally bought one. It didn't take long to shread the 10 bolt gov locker. I replaced it with a Lock Rite and regeared to a 5.13. Suprisingly it held up!

[hydrospec2001]

After changing the axle and gears the transmission was next to go. Rather than going with a costly rebuild of a700R4 I ended up going with a well built TH350. It has held up really nice.

In 2003 I wound up going thru a bad divorce and almost had to sell it to make ends meet. Somehow I managed to hang on to her. One night while messing around I blew the head gasket running too much boost. I was broke! I couldn't afford to do anything besides pay bills and eat. I volunteered to deploy to Iraq and Afghanistan to try to get ahead on bills. I was gone alot and didn't have time to work on her. She sat in the carport for 2 years. In that time I sold the 38"s and 10 bolt axles and found a 14bolt rear from a military truck. It already had a Detroit locker and 4.56 gears. It took some time before I was able to change the gears to the 5.13. I finally did and also decided to go ahead and do rear discs as well. At this time I also found a Superchiller Intercooler from BDS a buddy of mine had. He let it go for a steal of a price. I also found an old Dodge snow plow truck in Illinois that had a Dana 60 frontend the guy let go for 700 bucks....

[hydrospec2001]

In late 2006 I finally was able to get to work on the truck again and came across some 12" Superlift front springs and 8" rear springs. I found them on Ebay for cheap. So the assembly process began. I personally am not a big fan of lift blocks so I researched a place that fabricated shackle flip brackets called Sky Manufacturing. They are really nice brackets! I got the axles under the truck and had the drive shaft made locally in Little Rock Ar.
 I found some 39.5 Boggers on Ebay for a smokin deal. heck they only had 30 miles.on them. The guy I bought them from lived in Missouri and was driving hom from a truck show and got pulled over for bumper height violation. I got the wheels custom mad from USA 6x6 ( out of business). They are 15x14 double beadlock and powdercoated chrome silver.  The truck has a crossover steering setup now too. The truck was  finally driveable! 

[hydrospec2001]

I moved from Arkansas to Tucson in late 2007 and over the past few years I have been doing a little here and there. It was painted in 2009. I recently redid the interior all original with the exception of Autometer guages and radio. I removed the factory gas tanks and installed a fuel cell under the bed. The only reason I did was so I could install some electronic swing down steps. It makes it so much easier to get in and out of.

So far thats it for now. This is my baby and my creation  and she means the world to me. My Grandad left us in 2007 and I know he is looking down smiling saying What a waste of money!!! The only work I did not do on the truck was the short block, a buddy of mine did all the machine work and assembly. The transmission, I was afraid to screw it up and have to pull it back out, and the paint. I know nothing about auto paint and I hate painting in general. Everything else was me!

I know its a long story but its hard for me to sum up in a few short words. Thanks for all the nice comments!!!

[81_Chevy]

Great story!!  what an awesome truck man!

[frotosride]

Well at least you didn't just say..'i don't know, I bought it this way'. Like it a lot but I think that for me a lift that big and tires that big wouldn't be particle but that isn't why I wouldn't do it...$$$
 Oh how bout more pics? under hood maybe and closer pic of those rims

[hydrospec2001]

Sure! No problem! I will try to get some posts of the motor, interior, and wheels as soon as work slows down.