Donut's '73 K-20

[Donut]

    Well, seeing as my wife is sick of looking at the POS lawn ornament, (but I see potential) I thought I'd share the agony.  Maybe some of the kind folks on this board won't think there project is so bad when they see what I'm dealing with.

A little history on the truck.  I bought it 2 years ago, it hadn't been registered in a year and the PO had told me that it hadn't had a state inspection "in quite a while" (there is no sticker at all on it's current windshield).  The PO had the truck just to plow/sand a dirt road the town didn't maintain. The plow worked, it ran, 4wd worked, and the frame wasn't to bad.  The PO had also recently rebuilt the frontend.  Used plow setup's here are going for about 1500.00, with the truck, it was 1/2 price.   Paid the man and drove it home.  I'm glad it was less then 10 mi., and out in the country.

Plowed the driveway for the first year, had to put some wood blocks on the frame to keep the cab up though.  The last storm the motor started "knocking".  10" of heavy wet slop it doesn't surprise me.  Last summer I bought a used motor, but got injured at work and couldn't get it swapped.  I was going to try to get one more year out of it, hooked up the plow last fall and the trans goes 2 days later.  Just my luck.  Snowblowing a rough, gravel driveway stinks!

Dead plow truck and internet access led me here.  It needed a motor and tranny, so may as well repair some sheetmetal also.  That's where I stand now.  I don't have any before pics.  Oh well

[frogman68]

Sheesh woman just dont understand 

If its worth anything I have owned my truck for 7 yrs and now its down to the frame

The Honey To Do List is my excuse

[bigkountry]

Give her a credit card, conversation over..lol

[Donut]

Thought I'd give an update.

The beast is back together.  I still have a lot of work to do but snow will soon be on us.

So far,
Rear spring mounts, brakes front and rear, cab sheetmetal replaced and painted, new trans, used engine, new tires, cab and rad support mounts, all new bushings, gas tank, exhaust, shocks, and other items related to the rest of the repairs mentioned.

Since the most recent picture, the plow headgear is back on and I'm chasing some electrical gremlins.  It's not a showpiece like many of the trucks on here, but at least now it's solid again.  Work will continue in the spring.

[hotrod24]

all right man good work

[78 Chevyrado]

It ain't ugly now, guess the wife will have to leave you alone....yeah right!    Looks good, major improvement!

[lowbucktruck]

It lives!!!!   

What the heck, tell the woman its a WORK TRUCK... therefore it doesn't need to be pretty-lookin.

[Donut]

She knows it is not supposed to be pretty looking.  Now all I have to do is get back to work. 

The doctor did say the truck was good physical therapy.
She has every right to complain I guess, I tore this thing down as soon as the mud dried up (some)  There have been parts strewn all around the yard.  For a while I had 2 poly tents built, so I could paint the cab, 2nd tent was for fenders, hood etc.

Just about every day there has been some work going on.  Yesterday I finally got around to putting the old engine in the shed.  That only took 5 mos!

Hopefully, when the weather warm back up, I'll do some prep/paint on the no-dump dumpbody and the plow gear.

[lowbucktruck]

She knows it is not supposed to be pretty looking.  Now all I have to do is get back to work. 

The doctor did say the truck was good physical therapy.
She has every right to complain I guess, I tore this thing down as soon as the mud dried up (some)  There have been parts strewn all around the yard.  For a while I had 2 poly tents built, so I could paint the cab, 2nd tent was for fenders, hood etc.

Just about every day there has been some work going on.  Yesterday I finally got around to putting the old engine in the shed.  That only took 5 mos!

Hopefully, when the weather warm back up, I'll do some prep/paint on the no-dump dumpbody and the plow gear.

That's great.  Good for her!  Wish I could get my wife to see the light... 
My wife doesn't quite understand why I like my OLD truck and why I don't just buy a new truck.   
I try to tell her, I just can't bring myself to throw stuff away when it can be fixed right.

[Donut]

I did look at a few later model trucks, with the same or more problems (95-2000) models. cracked frames, busted springs, rotted brakes, cab mounts, rockers, cab corners, and a few "electrical issues".  I pointed out that I had the same problems sitting in the driveway and I could fix that one with a crescent wrench and tie wire.

That and I figured I could mess with the newer state troopers a little.  My truck only has lap belts (Maine does have a seat belt law) so there not visible.  Try to look on the dash for the VIN#, you wont get far.  Try to let the guy at the inspection station tell me the truck fails because it doesn't have a catalytic converter.  It didn't come from the factory with one, I don't need one.

It kept me out of her hair for the entire summer.  I just happen to like the "old" truck.  I saw the potential when I picked it up a couple of years ago.

[bigkountry]

My wife can't understand alot of the reasons why I like my 81 either.

She's ugly, has cancer and is about 5 different colors at the moment, but when we see a decked out 73-87 at the car shows she always likes them. Back in high school, my wife drove a 76 c10 so I just have to remind her that she once owned one of these beauties and that mine will someday look nice...if she will stop spending all of my money...lol

[lowbucktruck]

My wife can't understand alot of the reasons why I like my 81 either.

She's ugly, has cancer and is about 5 different colors at the moment, but when we see a decked out 73-87 at the car shows she always likes them. Back in high school, my wife drove a 76 c10 so I just have to remind her that she once owned one of these beauties and that mine will someday look nice...if she will stop spending all of my money...lol

Haha, we are hijacking Donut's thread here... could almost start a new thread on "why our spouses/girlfriends don't like our trucks". 

[Donut]

That would be a very looong thread,

On a side note, got the plates for it today, inspection station tomorrow.  1 step closer to being legal.  I have some repair work to do, the headers I put on were off an unknown vehicle so I made the new exhaust work.  As it turns out there is to much suspension travel with the plow blade on.  I hit a bump in my driveway and the front driveshaft smashed one of the primary tubes (about 1/4 of the dia. dent.)  I'll do tomorrows inspection first, it's not leaking at this time, then I'll look into an add-a-leaf, Timbrens, or something.  Clearance is fine without the weight of the plow blade.  (8' Fisher).

[Donut]

Thought I'd dredge this back up to post a few updates (it's raining and I'm bored).  The weather this spring didn't cooperate, I don't think it stopped raining until mid July, but I kept plugging along.

What I managed to get done.
-Swapped the old 882 heads for a pair of used Vortecs.
-Installed a Summit 1103 cam,  the truck had some sort of a "musclecar" cam in it before.  The exhaust sounded good, not "lopey", but not much for bottom end.  I was surprised to find no ridge on the cylinder bores, and some of the cross-hatch still visible.  (I got the motor used from a guy who got it from a guy...)
-Changed air cleaner.  After having my open element freeze up on me last winter, I found a tall OEM cleaner and used that.
-Changed the balancer while I was in the neighborhood.
-Got a homemade back bumper from the junkyard, 1/4, 3/8 plate and angle.  I pity anything I may hit with it.
-Installed an H-pipe on my exhaust and cut back the tail pipes.  I bent one tailpipe pretty good on a snowbank, they had to go.  Now they're turndowns just past the rear end.
-Patched and painted the plow blade, headgear and pushplates.  Just trying to squeak a few more years out of them.
-Patched and painted the "no dump,dump".  Moved the bed back to the end of the frame and built a small platform behind the cab to fill the space.  Also a good place to mount my spare tire.  Also built some sort of tailgate for the bed, a "headache" rack, and some bent steel for over the rear tires (there was 2x6 bolted to angle)
-added a couple of leafs to the front spring packs, seems to carry the weight of the plow better. (I really haven't driven it yet to check) Timbrens went to the rear.  I may look into an add a leaf for the rear as now the front sits just a little higher. (next year)
-changed front pinion seal, and did u-joints on both driveshafts.  2 of the joints on the front shaft were showing "rust dust" from the caps.  They weren't long for this world.  With my luck they would have failed when it was -10f and I'd have to lay on the ice to change them.
-I'm in the process of doing the weatherstripping now.  If I opened the window at 45 mph, the noise in the cab didn't change.   I'm waiting for the SEM to get here from NAPA so I can do the door panels while I have them off.  I also have a floormat on it's way, carpet is not practical for me.

Got to meet gold84gmc.

I have a few pics also.

[hotrod24]

wow your work really payed off