Caught the bug -72 K20

[Jonlopes]

Nice looking truck! I like the wheel and tire combo. I was thinking about those wheels for my rig. What size tires are on it right now?

[gable74]

Thanks for all the feedback. Got the truck tonight but its too dark to mess with it. Cant wait till morning! This thing is a beast for sure! I noticed it had a factory tilt wheel. Is that part of the custom deluxe package? Morning cant come quick enough.

[Lmac]

Welcome to the forum. That's a great looking truck. I'm new to to the K20 club as well. I hope you enjoy yours as much as I am mine. I burned thru a tank of gas today.

On the hubs: I had to go out and check mine. Looks like they are kind of copperish color. Does that mean they are not stock?

[68350]

Someone must have added the tilt which is not a bad thing. Take a picture of the hubs up close and they should be easy to ID for us

[gable74]

Originally Posted by 68350

Someone must have added the tilt which is not a bad thing. Take a picture of the hubs up close and they should be easy to ID for us

Okay thanks. So it wasnt part of the custom delux package then. Just making sure.

[Vintage Windmills]

Originally Posted by gable74

Okay thanks. So it wasnt part of the custom delux package then. Just making sure.

Nice truck! This was in WI? I was sleeping on this one

Tilt was a separate option except for being part of the highlander option packages (and there were 3 highlander packages, A, B, and C). I think you had to get B or C to get the tilt. Unless the SPID says SPEC PROMO or something like that, you don't have the option grouping. The easy way to spot highlanders is the plaid seat.

Oh, and the only difference between the blue spicers and yellow spicers is the knob. The mechanisms are the same.

[gable74]

Originally Posted by Vintage Windmills

Nice truck! This was in WI? I was sleeping on this one

Tilt was a separate option except for being part of the highlander option packages (and there were 3 highlander packages, A, B, and C). I think you had to get B or C to get the tilt. Unless the SPID says SPEC PROMO or something like that, you don't have the option grouping. The easy way to spot highlanders is the plaid seat.

Oh, and the only difference between the blue spicers and yellow spicers is the knob. The mechanisms are the same.

Okay thanks.

Now that the sun is out I am having fun going over this thing and finding some pretty cool stuff. I will post up some findings and questions later this afternoon. I dont think I was this excited when I bought my Duramax a couple years ago....

[DeadheadNM]

Feel under and behind the seat on the chance the build sheet is stuffed under the springs - being a Fremont truck it's possible.

[gable74]

Originally Posted by DeadheadNM

Feel under and behind the seat on the chance the build sheet is stuffed under the springs - being a Fremont truck it's possible.

Thanks DeadHead, will do.

So when the truck arrived last night it was dead, completely dead. Just figured they left something on so I jumped it to get it off the truck. Let it run for a bit (it idled a little rough) and shut it off. Tried to start it again right away and nothing, stone dead. I figure the battery was shot from leaving something on for 1100 miles. I go out today and find what looks like someone has disconnected wires and caused a dead short. I got a body ground with the sheathing melted off and a big #2 copper cable just laying beside the battery not hooked up. I would bet a dollar that the brain surgeons who delivered the truck tried to use the battery for something else on their trip and did not hook it back up right as this is an AUX battery setup. They called yesterday morning saying they were running late because the vehicle in front of mine on the rig was having issues. So Im heading to Auto Zone to pick up some cables and a new battery. I talked to the PO and he ensured me everything was in perfect order when he loaded it and I believe him. I guess these are the things you deal with when you have something shipped. On a side note I have found a few cool things I want to share when I finish up with the batteries. Ill post up this evening.

[gable74]

Spent most of the day poking around and getting the electrical issues sorted out. Someone had to have been messing around under the hood after it left the POs house. The Alt wire was disconnected from the battery as was the main Gnd wire to the Alt.

I got those tied back in and charged the battery up and it fired right up. As far as the idle issues I think since the truck came from the upper mid-west, that atmospheric pressure differences were probably causing the low idle. I got that fixed up and she is running well. Could use a little tune up probably but nothing major.

I few things I noticed that seem odd are:

The fuel gauge does not drop to E when the key is off. It stays at the current fuel level.
When I hit the high beam button the lights go out. So I assume the headlights (high or low couldnt tell in daylight) are bad. SO I will pickup some new headlamps and hope thats all it is.

There is some crazy wiring going on in this truck that I will need to straighten out when it gets warm. Between the AUX battery, added RV camper plug, add-on intermittent wipers, and the add-on cruise control...I need to clean it up some. One last thing (for now) is the gas tank switch on the floor does not have any noticable "stops". I mean it doesnt feel like it seats in an indent to let you know you are in the right position. Is that normal? Do I need a new fuel switch? There is a cool add-on fuel sending switch under the dash that allows you to see the level of fuel in each tank.

Anyway, here are a few pics of the dash stuff which I am guessing are not dealer add-ons.

[swamp rat]

You mentioned getting rid of the wiper delay, if it works and you so decide drop me a PM.

[gable74]

Originally Posted by swamp rat

You mentioned getting rid of the wiper delay, if it works and you so decide drop me a PM.

Will do Swamp Rat.

Okay, I know I am asking a bunch of questions but bare with me....

I got the charging issue straightened out. I will clean it up a bit once it warms up but for now its working fine. Gauge on dash is not working but thats common and I will trace out that issue later.

Fuel selector switch on floor. As mentioned, there are no "stops" in the switch and I do not know what position it should be in to pull from the main tank. Do they make replacement switches and if not, can someone tell me where it should be to pull from the main tank?

This may sound REALLY dumb, but could someone explain the selections for the AC/Heater controls? Should the top lever or the middle lever control the A/C? The middle lever seams to select between vents on dash or vents on floor.

Last one is not a question but a , WOW. This rear has at least 4.10's in it. The tach reads about the same as the speedo...lol. Seriously though I am doing 3000rpms at 50mph...

[jocko]

Here's a pic of the placard. It would be installed such that as if you were sitting in the truck looking down at your switch, the letters would be right side up. So, in the pic above, you're set up to be drawing fuel from the right aux tank (if there is one). If you want to draw from the main, point the short arrow end of the selector valve aft. Outboard for the left aux tank (or, NL2 tank - factory aux). I'm guessing you have all dealer or owner installed aux tanks, and the fuel lines indicate you still have 3 total tanks - and there's no NL2 on the SPID. I believe pointing it toward the front of the truck acts as a fuel shutoff - the opening in the valve is not ported to any of the fuel lines. This is all assuming your fuel lines are routed appropriately - who knows - may want to crawl under and trace them back... (the dash placard is just for fuel gauge selection, if your aux tanks even have senders - check for wires).

[jocko]

Oh, and by the way - Marine valves are the same type as the ones in our trucks. Here's a 4 -port (they also have 3 port versions). http://www.starmarinedepot.com/moell...CokaAhkW8P8HAQ
Need to confirm whether they are counting inlets only or all inlets/outlets. i.e. not sure if the 4 port or 3 port is for a 3-tank (total) config). From the looks of it, 4 port is correct.

[gable74]

Originally Posted by jocko

Here's a pic of the placard. It would be installed such that as if you were sitting in the truck looking down at your switch, the letters would be right side up. So, in the pic above, you're set up to be drawing fuel from the right aux tank (if there is one). If you want to draw from the main, point the short arrow end of the selector valve aft. Outboard for the left aux tank (or, NL2 tank - factory aux). I'm guessing you have all dealer or owner installed aux tanks, and the fuel lines indicate you still have 3 total tanks - and there's no NL2 on the SPID. I believe pointing it toward the front of the truck acts as a fuel shutoff - the opening in the valve is not ported to any of the fuel lines. This is all assuming your fuel lines are routed appropriately - who knows - may want to crawl under and trace them back... (the dash placard is just for fuel gauge selection, if your aux tanks even have senders - check for wires).

Thanks Jocko, there are wires tied to all three positions on the gauge selector switch under the dash but when I select anything other then the main tank, the gauge pegs full so not sure whats up with that yet. So if the small arrow end of the floor switch were pointed to the rear of the truck, that "should" be the main tank if I understand you correctly.

[57taskforce]

Originally Posted by jocko

Oh, and by the way - Marine valves are the same type as the ones in our trucks. Here's a 4 -port (they also have 3 port versions). http://www.starmarinedepot.com/moell...CokaAhkW8P8HAQ
Need to confirm whether they are counting inlets only or all inlets/outlets. i.e. not sure if the 4 port or 3 port is for a 3-tank (total) config). From the looks of it, 4 port is correct.

Thanks for that nugget jocko. I've been contemplating how to put my nl2 setup back in my K/20 when the time comes. This is one piece of the puzzle that's missing

[joeydurango]

Unlike a modern vehicle, the fuel gauge will stay at its actual level when the truck is off. Or, at least, mine did.

RE: rear diff ratio, I've been wondering what a 350/350/4.10 combo would be like on the open road. Now I know, thanks! 3k at 50mph is a bit much. That's one of the things that's pushing me towards another K10 instead of a K20 - the 3.73 ratio typically found in the K10s.

[RedRoad]

I bet the speedo is off. Make sure you really are doing 50mph with a GPS app.

4.10 with 33s @50 is around 2100rpm, even with 4.56 you are still around 2300.

http://www.ringpinion.com/Calculators/Calc_RPM.aspx

[joeydurango]

Good call, RedRoad...

[gable74]

Originally Posted by RedRoad

I bet the speedo is off. Make sure you really are doing 50mph with a GPS app.

4.10 with 33s @50 is around 2100rpm, even with 4.56 you are still around 2300.

http://www.ringpinion.com/Calculators/Calc_RPM.aspx

Your're right the speedo is probably off. It felt like I was doing 40mph @ 3k not 50mph....lol. I will check it and verify. Thanks for the suggestion.

[Vintage Windmills]

I like the fuel sender switch on the dash. Would like to find a couple of those sometime. As for your question on the selector valve, mine doesn't have detents either. They are just a cylinder with holes inside of a block with holes. There is no spring/latch component that would give you feedback you're in the right position.

[gable74]

Thanks for the info. I was waiting to feel a click of some sort letting me know I was in the right spot. Good to know that isn't the case with these valves.

[Tdrcreyn4]

Welcome to the K club. Great truck. Congrats.