My 78 k10 4x4 build thread -454 install / build -1 ton axles- frame restoration

[FearNoMan78k10]

So I dropped off the entire rotating assembly for balance and the guys did a fantastic job of balancing it... A literal dead on the nose zero balance on the entire rotating assembly, including the clutch , flywheel and harmonic balancer. He balanced it above and beyond what he normally balances it at. It is a dead zero on everything... They have been around for 60 years.... Long story short,,, my crank was ground 010" thousandths and is perfectly true and perfectly balanced to the T.... MOST every engine and balance job he does is within tolerances and specs. But he balanced it over and over like he does for the race engines he builds and works on for the race car drivers that compete on the pikes peak hill climb.. He moves his machine to a 3.0 tolerance and gets it dead on the nose for his race engines.. Well one of his guys accidentally I don't know how this happened but they ground off .010" on my crank when it was only supposed to be a balance job.. So he went above and beyond on the balance job. I have the balance sheet and all that data that comes with it... He felt bad my balance job turned into a machine job. So he ate the cost on rod bearings because he made the mistake of shaving off metal on my virgin stock 454 crank. It hadn't been polished, balanced, or ground before, and now it has, but that's okay it actually worked to my benefit in a really good way, and so he ordered calico coated clevite high performance race bearings. At first he offered to replace my crank with a brand new one. But I thought that was unnessecary. Stock cranks are not balanced and the journals are not perfectly round. Well now I have a perfectly round and perfectly balanced crank. The entire assembly is race balanced to a dead zero and not just a standard balance job.. Holes were drilled in the rods and crank as well, weights added and taken away.  I am pretty STOKED on the outcome of this job he did for me. Very good job on his part in the machine shop.  My other clevite bearings are being sent back to summit racing for a refund. So the bearings we have are the best we could afford without dropping thousands.. The bearings will all be hand filed to match each and every journal , and rod bearings too.. Tony is building a full out race bored 454 with me..... 600 horses of pure American muscle :-) the heads are getting completely worked over in every single shape and form... Inside and out, ground, polished, honed, ported, cut, and tricked out in every way this old school muscle mechanic is able to. Opening up the combustion chamber for more room, shaving this and shaving that. Still have ALOT of work to do on this heads... It's beyond a stage 3 port and polish by far considering what a machine shop would do on a stage 3 port and polish, we are taking these heads and getting the absolute most out of them. Way better than what a 2000 dollar set of heads would ever do for me, so I'm very very excited to have the finished product!   The big nasty Dana 70 behemoth of an axle has been FINALLY installed along with the suspension lift in the rear... The truck has literally turned into a monster truck compared to what it was... 1 ton axles and suspension and 33" tires has made a world of difference... The truck with the tires and "4" inch lift has made at least 12 to 14 inches taller than what it was.... It barely will fit out of the garage now! The door handle is now at nose level for me! I can't even get in the truck now because of my jacked up body and the height of the rocker panels where they are sitting makes I for impossible getting in...so ,,,, a step bar will be welded in place and made so that I can retract it back underneath. Not electronic, mechanical,,,  my body only has so much strength to it and ability to lift my legs are hard on me... Some guys probably will laugh when they read this but hey,,, I broke my back bad, knee twice, 20 bones in my foot and dislocated my hip that leaves me with a limp... So getting in a lifted truck is a challenge to say the least... Just getting in my wife's dodge ram 1500 4x4 with oversized tires is hard enough... So this chevy is huge now and I'm gona have issues getting in ,,,, and out,,, so we are going to fab something up to help my old man body out getting in and getting out! Haha... What a huge difference with the 1 ton axles and suspension and tires.... I'm pretty stoked that's for sure.... It's coming along and turning out to be a really cool truck.., last truck I'm building... I would love to build a 4x4 for my wife ,,,, but a 305 would be the engine choice due to her concern for fuel mileage.... So the 454 should be ready fairly soon after it's back from the Machinist.... So excited to have it done... Not much work was done last week by me. We had a 30 plus hour road trip this past weekend and so I wasn't able to do anything,,,   But this week I should be finishing up painting the bed and dog house so that's great !!! Just taking my time with this truck and trying to do things right and not mess up or cut corners.... The crank was installed along with the rods with the new ARP bolts and we are just loving it with the ARP products... Those guys make great performing stuff....     Side note,,, my body hasn't felt the best lately and it's keeping me from getting more things done on the hot rod,,, so that's another major reason why it's taking forever,,, but that's okay, patience is a virtue haha.... Truly.... I know this is a long update but hey I love this site and I love the truck build and I love updates and pictures and posting them here for you all to enjoy.... The front axle still needs the expensive top plates from Chevrolet... I'm trying to get those still.... Brakes still need done, clutch linkage still needs rebuilt, tranny bell housing still needs cleaned out, the heads still need the paint stripped off too as a matter of fact,,, a few engine parts still need painted, the drive shafts still need new yokes to adapt to the new axles, also need new strong as an oxe u-joints for the driveshafts in its entirety, still need new 8 lug rims for the 1 ton axles, I sold my springs and old roller rockers though that's a big plus! Still trying to sell my axles here in colorado on craigslist but no one has called on them so please pray for me that I can sell them here locally to someone who actually can use them or want them so pray I can sell some of my stuff and extra parts! I received a box with two turn signal light covers, and two original great condition Cheyenne 10 emblems for the truck! My truck is completely de-badged and it needs some badges :-) so those will be going on very soon :-) they will get repainted by myself and hopefully will turn out good looking ! I received a D- in art in high school, art is really something I'm not gifted with but we will give it a shot :-)  my axles still need sandblasted and painted too, inside the truck it needs new floor mats and rubber, a few gauges for the truck, a stock radio which I still need to get, and just a couple of basic speakers, the heater core still needs replaced as well, the windows are hard to roll up,, I'm going to fix that,me also driver side door is missing a lock and the right side doesn't work, so the locking mechanism and bars inside the door will be replaced as well, any weather stripping needing replaced will get replaced too ,,, still needing new door handles to get the hideous blue off,,, could always just strip and paint with a vinyl approved interior paint for the handles ,,,, truck needs LOVE,,,, and I'm doing my best to give it attention and tlc... Truly have been enjoying every second I'm around in the shop working on the truck or working on body parts here at the house... Definitely fun that's for sure,,, gets me out of the house and doing something.... Should be soon for the complete assembly on the motor... Very excited to finally be cruising around in the truck,,,, we will see when that is though haha


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[FearNoMan78k10]

The heads still need a TON of work, we are just taking our sweet time going through them... The whole truck as a matter of fact still needs a ton of work ,,,, but progress is definitely being made on it!

[FearNoMan78k10]

The front tires were pulled off the old 6 lug rims and mounted onto the "dummy" 8 lug rims! Installed on the truck finally!!! Here is a few pics of the truck from my phone camera. Sorry the pics are not good quality... I will post some up as soon as I'm back down at the shop with a better camera! What do you guys think?!  It's a monster 1 ton 4x4 compared to what it started out at! It's going to barely fit under the garage door backing it out.... She's coming along .....


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[minus1]

  looking good! Would it be possible to post a short video of her running for the first time? Can't wait to see her all buttoned up.

[FearNoMan78k10]

Thanks Minus I appreciate it! Been awhile since I heard from you! How's life buddy?! Did you get married?! You know brother man I can totally post up a video of the big block running and starting it's very first time, with us tuning it etc... I'll post up multiple vids for you minus your the first who's asked about a video or commented on my truck build in awhile! Dunno why other members are being so silent on this truck build ?  Wonder if I said something that offended people,,,, don't know , but thanks bro glad your excited to see it done! I am too I just cannot wait to feel the rumble in my chest idling!  It will be put into the truck once it's done, motor has too much grunt to be started idling on an engine stand, it will have to be in the truck   we don't have a stationary heavy duty big block stand to run the engine on, just a stand to build it on... But hey that's better than nothing !  Dude I need rims! Lol and a plethora of other parts still! Not sure when it will be 100% done.... But I do know this, that engine should be DONE by the end of July, still have about 40 hours on the heads to do at least , and another 30 to 40 on the motor, soo quite a bit of labor still left just on the engine, still a good amount to do on the truck itself too,,, BUT it's getting closer everyday minus!

[FearNoMan78k10]

Happy 4th of July everyone ! Our Independence day! FREEDOM came with such a cost and we are extremely fortunate to live in the U.S.A........

[bd]

Happy belated 4TH!

Truck is coming along.  Looks good!

[FearNoMan78k10]

Thanks bd ! Happy 4th of July to you as well! I hope you had a great time yesterday! Thankyou bd I appreciate it! Glad you like it !

[FearNoMan78k10]

So I know it's not related to the truck , but this eumorpha achemon moth ( leaf moth ) is very cool looking , just outside our screen door

[FearNoMan78k10]

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[minus1]

Nah, I'm sure you didn't offend anyone. Everyone had a long winter so we're all working on outside projects and just enjoying the nice weather. Life is good here. Just finished re grading the north side of my house. Now I can start installing the new flooring in our basement. Not married yet, waiting on the boss to finish her RN degree. Will be at least two years. Anyway my truck is at a stand still right now. Need to prep the new cab for install. It's a two wheel drive body so I need to modify the cab. Keep up the great work.

Take care,
Eric

[FearNoMan78k10]

You re graded the north side of your house? Wow man... And installing a floor in the basement ? Sounds like your a busy man ! Lol the boss , yeah that's exactly what wives become :-) just so you know , happy wife happy life buddy,,,,, haha,,,, I so hear ya on the truck standstill thing, my truck came to a complete hault just about for awhile except doing the odds and ends, I'll have to check out the new carb you have for your motor, what did you go with?  Thanks minus , I hope I didn't..... Appreciate it I'm trying to get the truck done as best as I can


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[FearNoMan78k10]

So BIG update guys............. I was getting the run around on getting any kind of work done on the heads, block, engine in its entirety for a very long time and got fed up with it. Shop owner is a genuine good guy but the engine builder slacked and slacked and slacked doing nothing for the truck build. The truck will be finished at the shop after the engine is completed. SOOO ,,, this is what I did... I pulled everything,,,, block , heads, cam, bearings, crankshaft , rods , pistons, and all the parts I bought for the motor and took everything down to Burts auto supply and machine shop here in the springs. They have been around for 60 years... And know what they are doing to a T. he is going to fully assemble the engine for me. Top to bottom, he is starting completely over by cleaning everything in the hot tank, then align boring the block, filing the bearings, decking the block after measuring each piston, adjusting the main caps for a better clamp and hold. Assembling the rods pistons crank and bearings, doing bowl work on the heads ( combustion chamber ) porting and polishing, port matching, valve work, and cleaning the heads really well as well.. He is going to try to squeeze 600 ponies out of this big block for me on pump gas...  He has his work cut out for him that's for sure. He will assemble the full roller setup, roller cam, roller rockers , roller lifters and is going to give the cam some love and trick it out a little too. It's a 588 lift cam. The block has been bored .030" over already before I dropped it off, when i bought the motor it was that way already, I had another machine shop which did a poor job overall . Poor customer service, had them clean and crosshatch the cyclinders doing a honing job,,, they did okay on the cross hatching and removing scratches gouging etc , both vertical and horizontal gouging and scratches .     But the owner of the shop and his senior engine builder are doing this engine build themselves! So I'm definitely fortunate that's for sure. The engine will be completed in two weeks time. Everything was dropped off yesterday to them with a down payment. He builds race engines for the pikes peak hill climbers here in colorado and does a fantastic job at what he does, guy has a natural talent for it. And so I'm definitely blessed to have his hands on the engine build. He is building it like it should be, a performance big block. Every last detail will addressed on this engine, I finally got my Holley 830 double pumper this morning from the other mechanic . It has been heavily modified. So it should be a great add on to the engine.  So it's official now, two weeks until my engine is finally fully assembled !!! And by a reputable professional machine shop to boot! 60 years of building engines. I'm pumped! It's no easy feat to build horsepower here at 8000 feet where I live. So we will see what the outcome is, exhaust will flow through some hooker competition headers and out through a dual x pipe 3" exhaust or 2.75" we will see after it's done exactly what it will need. I'm excited guys.. The front tires are on the truck now with both the Dana 60 and Dana 70 swapped over to the truck and the new suspension added on as well. Will be doing the brakes here shortly too, drive shafts need cut and welded , rebuilt, that's hefty price for that, but needs done, clutch linkage needs rebuilt, also bearings for the axles will get replaced too, still have the heater core to do as well and a few other things, but at least the engine will be done perfect as the owner can possibly get it, head work is EXPENSIVE , that's where a lot of the money will be tied up giving the heads a manicure :-)  all the power is in the heads. Very time consuming to do head work. I am very excited to FINALLY have this big block being finished.  Now I just have to be patient and wait for it to be done... Which isn't easy, I'm the kind of guy that likes to check up on every single last thing that is done and a machine shop just doesn't work that way lol so it's tough for me. I'll try to squeeze out a few pictures of the progress but don't know when... These guys are old school and I don't want to upset them in any way. The new 1 ton big block K10 project should be done in its entirety in August sometime. And once the motor is broken in really well and everything has had a chance to get broken in on the truck...... I am going to just lay on it in a deep hole of mud sometime . It will not be a muddling truck, this will be a carefully driven and maintained truck but will see some abuse from time to time. I don't abuse my things or my trucks, I like to take care of what I have. I will post a video of the engine running the first time, and when the truck is done as well, and of course will post a ton of pictures just like I always do.... Well guys I'm sure there is more I could write up on but I'll leave it at that for now.... Two weeks motor is DONE. Then one week and vroom vroom !!!


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[minus1]

Keep your chin up bud. I'm sure everything will fall into place soon. 

[Tonka]

This thing is going to be an absolute monster. That 454 is the stuff of dreams. Just having a resource like that machinist/engine builder is so rare these days.
I'm nearing the end on my frame off/resto mod (77GMC K15). It has taken 5+ years to do. She is on the road now with tags and insurance. My advice is of course take your time but more than that try not to scrimp on anything big. Better to save than cut corners. I cheaper out with my suspension (rough country lift and shocks) and my first test drive I knew I made a mistake. Too stiff, too bouncy, poor handling. Don't neglect the interior stuff like gauges, dash bezels, cranks etc. You are gonna want this thing perfect just like I did and that factory plastic dash just aint cuttin it for me. Worked too hard to stare down at that butt ugly GM gauge cluster.
I'm gonna ride my trucks 350/350trans till they pop. After that it is time for me to finally rebuild my first Chevrolet 350 V-8.
My build threads called "My Project" but I haven't updated in a while. I want to get pretty close to done with the interior of the cab before doing so. Had some user issues with my window install and hope to iron it out this weekend.

Haven't read your whole thread but did you have a lot of rust repair to deal with?