1983 Farm Truck Build
 

Well this is my first new thread here since 2017... Its been a while. I'm sick of Social Media platforms for sharing builds. The flow of a forum is just better to me.

Wanted to share with you guys my K20 I saved from a 10 year slumber out of a buddies shed. its a 1983 GMC.

Here is how it was when I found it.

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Over the past two years I had a goal of using the Flat bed that my dad and I built for his old Ford farm truck in the late 90's and making a reliable stock-ish old usable truck to pull the trailer, and haul stuff I didn't want to put in any of my daily drivers. Pretty much I build a truck :)

We started with removing the rusty bed and test fitting the flatbed.

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After the bed was sitting in place I could tell it was going to take some more work than I had time for, and it needed to be mobile to move around the shed. So I set out to find a driveline for it, as I picked it up as a roller truck. I purchased a used 355 from a friend who was doing an LS swap, and a freshly rebuilt 700R4 from another friend. I used the stock 208 behind that. In no time at all, we had it moving under its own power.

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I bought a few bends and some prebent tail pipes from Summit along with a pair of 36" long glass packs. Got that all welded up and mated to the shorty headers.

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Next up was a respectable set of tires. Found a gently used set of Good Year Dura-something or other AT's on FB Marketplace. Stock rims are to narrow, but its a start...
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This was about a year ago today, finished for the time being and it sat outside all winter.

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I called on one of my best friends to do some fab work and get the bed sitting level. With kids in sports and being involved in what seems like everything in life... time was slim... and I had a 6.0L LS that he wanted so it worked out well!

Mike started off with removing the saddle tanks. and prepping some steel to level the bed.

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When my dad built the bed we always talked about frenching in the license plate and we just never did... So Mike hooked us up there. He also had to do some custom work with the hitch to make room for the Blazer tank he installed.
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The bed is now sitting pretty, with a sweet pair of D rings for trailer chains too.
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Next up the bed came back off and the tank went in. He had to do some adjustments on the sending unit, as I went with an EFI tank but a non EFI Sending unit.
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One of the biggest needs was front engine accessories. Mike was able to get a set up from a 93 TBI truck. Fits fantastic and even the AC lines screwed in place... I have multiple ports to fill now but hey, the price was right!

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The bed took a few more mods to finish off and a big cosmetic one was to move the gas filler from where it needed to be on the old Ford to the back where the new gas tank is mounted.

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And LED lights are SO CHEAP now... this was a huge upgrade in lighting.
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Once Mike got it running and it proved it self to him that it would be reliable and make the 80 mile drive home I did the most Roadkill-ish type thing EVER.. I drug my car hauler trailer to Mikes, hooked it to the K20 and put my Daily driver yukon on the back, and went home that 80 miles with out ever driving the truck before now. And I have to say... it did amazingly well. I didn't get any photos but Mike also rebuilt the steering components as well and it drives very nice!
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So we all know that Farm trucks get nasty.. The interior on this old truck was no exception as it had 3 decades plus worth of dirt and dust up in the dash, under the seat... etc... So I blew it all apart on a hot sunny day and went to town with the pressure washer!
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It appears I'm not good at taking after photos of the interior... BUT I will revisit at the floors needs some patching when I do the rockers and cab corners. Some Corner mount 6x9's 3.5" dash speakers, a Pioneer Radio I had on the shelf and this old powered bazooka tube drown out the pipes and wind noise nicely.
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The bed was the next up to get cleaned and painted. I bought a cheap sand blast attachment for my pressure washer... it was OK at best, but took off most of the scale I needed gone. not perfect but good enough for this purpose.

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And to finish off the bed, my dad always had side boards on the old Ford, so I cut out some 1x8's and found it really finished off the look once I painted them black.

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Its proving it self to pull nice and is handy as can be!

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It provided the best seats in the house for my son's home games this fall too!

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Thanks for looking so far. More to come on this old truck. I'm feeling the need to ditch the Edelbrock 1406 and go with a Holley Sniper and feel like the 700R4 may go away to be replaced with a 4L80E. It is a 4:10 gear truck so seems natural to build it to work!

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Re: 1983 Farm Truck Build
 

Looking good so far! I'm in for the end results.

I didn't realize you could get a K20 with a 700R4, thought they all came with TH400s?

Re: 1983 Farm Truck Build
 

I was a little taken back as well, but it also has a Semi Float rear end, but heavy duty springs... and no trans cooler..... ODD...

Re: 1983 Farm Truck Build
 

Man, that goes back to the days when you could check ANY boxes you wanted on the order sheet.

You want a red pickup with blue interior...done. 305 with a TH400...ok. How about AC with a vinyl floor....no problem! :metal:

Re: 1983 Farm Truck Build
 

So true, I had to do a lot of research to find out what Standard Rear End meant for 1983... it was different for nearly every year it seemed. Lucky for me turns out its a 4:10 with a G80 :metal:

Re: 1983 Farm Truck Build
 

Sweet truck! It looks real tough with the bigger tires and flat bed. EFI swap will be a lot easier with the one tank.

Re: 1983 Farm Truck Build
 

Cool rig! I like the flatbed. Just the right width.

Re: 1983 Farm Truck Build
 

Thanks! and yes that was my thoughts for going with the blazer tank. Simple for EFI that way.

Re: 1983 Farm Truck Build
 

Thank you! It was actually built for an 84 F250, width matches the K20 cab nearly perfectly

Re: 1983 Farm Truck Build
 

Very nice build so far! It looks great!

Re: 1983 Farm Truck Build
 

Late fall I picked up a set of 15 x 8 wide wagon wheels. Ya I got them to fit, but SHEESH.. what a pain. If I had not already owned a set of nice 33-12.50 BFG's I'd have kept looking for 16's.

I had a pair of LMC K5 ralley center cap decals and I put those right on top of the cheap amazon center caps for the rear. Really like how it turned out.


Video of Idle - click on photo
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For Christmas I was given a cheaper than cheap seat cover, but after a bunch of zip ties and a few bungee's it fits decent enough that I don't hate it and really enjoy the pockets for some tools and the ever so needed hand sanitizer.

Early January I struck a deal with a JD Sled pal to trade two 440 non running Trail Fires for a running 340 Spitfire. He was 100 miles away at the Indiana border. I did not want to drag my new trailer in the salt so I chose to use the GMC instead. A buddy and I took off with any tool we may have needed, and it ran like a champ there and back. 10.5mpg there and back. Not terrible but I think I can improve it once I get the lock up working.
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We may have crossed the state line to get some Yuengling beer :)

Still planning to do an EFI upgrade at some point. But we are logging many smiles per gallon! My kids love it. My wife has YET to ride in it... maybe that is why we still have it... I don't know.... :)

Re: 1983 Farm Truck Build
 

Thanks for the update! Been wondering about this pickup.

I grew up with a 1975 Scorpion Whip, so old school sleds have a soft spot in my heart. And I used to work for a couple of different JD dealer groups, so I've sold a ton of parts for the JD sleds.

Haha, that picture of them loaded on the flatbed is straight out of 1983!

Re: 1983 Farm Truck Build
 

We have been messing with the old Deere's for a bit now, I grew up with one of the two spitfires I now have. My son got a taste of it this past weekend when we had just enough snow to put around the yard.

and YES that is maybe the most 80's photo I've ever taken!

Re: 1983 Farm Truck Build
 

Nice truck, I love it!

Re: 1983 Farm Truck Build
 

" I'm sick of Social Media platforms for sharing builds. The flow of a forum is just better to me."


Damned good lookin truck and yes facebook is a toilet.

Re: 1983 Farm Truck Build
 

Cool to see the pickup getting used like it should!

Re: 1983 Farm Truck Build
 

Nice to see the beast fixed up. You did a great job.

Re: 1983 Farm Truck Build
 

Cool truck! I like the flat bed.

Re: 1983 Farm Truck Build
 

Thanks for the comments guys, gearing up to pull the bed back off and redo the body this spring/summer.

Re: 1983 Farm Truck Build
 

Let the fun begin.

What are the plans on the body work?

Re: 1983 Farm Truck Build
 

Flatbeds can be hard to pull off properly but you and your dad nailed it with your truck. It looks great and functional.
I grew up with a spitfire also and still have it. Great sleds for kids.

Re: 1983 Farm Truck Build
 

I bought floor pans, rockers, cab corners and inner fenders. Trying to decide if we are going to change color or just leave it the same color. Personally I really want to change to a 79 front clip... but not sure..

Re: 1983 Farm Truck Build
 

Thank you! Man you can't beat a good old spit fire deere!

Re: 1983 Farm Truck Build
 

https://youtu.be/6_hOwlamPAo

Rust Repairs for the old K20