1977 Chevy K30 Crew Cab Build

[my4by2]

On your comment for the harness issue - we went into this with a MUCH simpler plan & almost NO power accessories, but have since added almost everyone you can imagine... I had already purchased a new Painless wiring harness for the truck so we wanted to use it & then just had to add all the other crap along the way. All along it has been in Keven's hands though how he wanted to wire it & proceed.

As for the interior switches - my interior is going to be totally re-vamped & customized - so the switches we went with, although looking out of place at the moment, will fit right in with the overall scheme once the interior is completed & has all the aluminum accents & all.

On the Holley intake - yes, I'm well aware that the stock intake would've worked better on the low end range, but it was a sacrifice I was willing to make to get the look I was after in the engine bay. Besides, this is not a "stock" LS truck motor (497hp) & I do have some power I can afford to "lose" & still be WELL above the factory rating for that motor!!! I just had a very specific vision of how I wanted this engine bay to look when I pop the hood & no factory intake cover or anything else seemed to work for me...

Believe me, I am well aware of both Keven's skill level & his attention to detail with the truck - he's why I'm still using them to do all of this work!!! It's never so much been an irritation with the length of time it's been being worked on, it was always more a matter of the repetitive "gaps" in anything productive happening with the truck....

That particular issue seems to have passed since my truck was moved into its own little area & Keven has been allowed to focus more on it regularly. He still gets pulled, but I always knew that was gonna happen.

I really appreciate you taking the time to go by & check out my build man - means a lot!!! Also always thankful for input & opinions - the world is full of those with knowledge & it's always awesome when it's shared!!!

[my4by2]

BTW - you must'a went at lunch because Keven said he never saw you.... He's the one you really should'a talked to on it - it's 100% "his baby" now!!!

[Evil Trailblazer SS]

He was at the shop, just not around your truck, so I got to crawl around it (not literally) on my own! Trevor told me to go check your truj out while he was finishing up a phone order.

I got everything you say, I just didn't know your intentions on the comments I made...
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[my4by2]

Yeah, Trevor can't seem to get more than a few inches from that darn phone... I'll be there on the 14th & told him I want Keven all to myself that day - no other shop work that day - just my truck!!!

Trevor, Beau & Del are all great guys - they've just got so much on their plate every day it keeps them to busy... Keven does all he can to stay on my truck, but he's the best they've got & is always having to jump on other things.

They are a top quality shop no doubt! Also they're looking at getting a bigger shop so they can have more people & projects there too! Glad ya got to "crawl around" the truck like you did.

[Evil Trailblazer SS]

They do have a lot going on...I have to do my own work now because they were too busy to throw the rear axle and lift parts in!

Either way, whatever you need, I'll see if I can help!
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[my4by2]

Appreciate it again man! I'll be out that way from the 13th to the 17th - we should try & hook up some time. The Wife & I may head up to Tahoe for a bit not sure.

Sorry WFO couldn't get done what ya needed man - know ur pain! :-)

[Evil Trailblazer SS]

If you guys make it up to Tahoe, let me know and we can met for dinner or something! Any idea what part of the lake you plan on staying at?
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[my4by2]

Thinking around Sunnyside most likely as that's where we went to last time & the only area we really know. Wouldn't mind heading over to Sparks to check out the Summit store, but pretty sure that's not on my Wife's "to-do" list...

[my4by2]

Ok folks - time for some input from the group again....

Mario & I are thinking about modifying the bed/frame length - he wants to go like to a 5' length, but I've seen those & just not overly thrilled with the look or lack of useable bed space... I've also seen a lot of just converting over to a 6' short bed - again, done quite a bit.

What I was thinking of was just to "lop" off about a foot from both the frame & the bed - I think it'd give it a nice look without people immediately realizing that it's been modified or shortened.

Only issues with this really is that both the rear driveshaft & torque arms have already been completed & would therefore also have to be re-done... The frames already going to be re-powder coated so doing the mods to it isn't a biggie at all. Mario's got a ton of work to do to the bed, so cutting out a foot isn't a big deal either...

Wanna know what you guys think about it though!



Oh, and on a different note - Mario says to get the headers we purchased modified like we'd need them he'd basically have to re-do like 75% of them... He wants to just go ahead & build a 100% custom set from scratch. I tend to agree with him & have been pushing for that for some time - we've wasted a lot of time & money purchasing "off-the-shelf" ones & trial fitting them over & over...

[mcmlxix]

If you mean removing a foot after the rear wheelwells, there are a bunch of guys on Pirate4X4 that bob the bed for a better departure angle... this would leave the rest of the drive train in tact. the fuel tank might be an issue.

If you have a good side shot, I would post in the photoshop section and have someone try a few ideas....

here's a pic

[my4by2]

Was actually thinking more of removing the 1' from the front of the bed, but if we mixed it up a little bit it'd probably look pretty cool!

The one's you showed were done more for increasing the departure angle off-road.

[my4by2]

Never mind on taking anything off the rear of the bed - just got to thinking about that - the fuel tank we built wouldn't allow for that & NOT re-doing that!!!! So that leaves just the front of the bed for removal.

[jbclassix]

What about just stretching the wheel wells two inches or so to make the the bed sides appear smaller. You can also raise them an inch. you could mimic this on the front. I think Square crews look best with a long bed. The wheel wells on early chevy's are kinda small. I know Mario can make it look factory and only a few would catch the mod. If your rear bumper wraps around the bed a little that will detract from the size of the long bed too.

And on that note... how about a hi-jack. You should find a way to make it out to Cali around July 7th... No one at the unit I contract for wants to run the Tough Mudder with me.

[my4by2]

Well, the wheels (16") & tires (33") I am going with wouldn't look quite right with the wheel wells opened up any more than they are...

Keven's going to be fabricating a new rear bumper for me from scratch & part of the plan is to have it wrap around the bed sides some - that will give the overall effect of shortening that rear area.

All-in-all it's looking like the front area of the bed is the best overall choice for me to remove the material from - plus there's a lot there to pull from...

As for July - I'll be back over here in Afghanistan by then, so I can't make it...

[AntiGov]

well you do have a fully customized truck, however i could not bring myself to hack up the bed of such a nice truck . just my 2 cents

[Evil Trailblazer SS]

I would leave it be...don't chop it up!
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[1985-GMC]

Agreed, don't do it! It will look goofy too.

[jbclassix]

I'm sure Mario won't let anything come out of his shop with his name on it that looks like crap!

[my4by2]

Yeah, well I just about got yelled at by Keven when he read the email I sent to him mentioning it........ Shortening the side steps, wiring harness, torque arms, etc, etc!!! Pretty much killing that idea before it gets any further along - he's got enough frustrations on his plate already!!!

Appreciate everyone's input though! Should'a thought that little idea out just a bit more before putting it out there... Hehe

[my4by2]

And on the header note - Keven did agree we need to go with a set of "one-off" headers, so Mario will get cracking on those shortly. Will use one of the other two sets we bought on my Daughter's truck - whichever fits it best.

[Devillusion]

This is what I did on my K5.....kind of what someone was talking about previous about opening up the wheel wells. I agree if you are only going with 33's, there is no need I personally don't think. But this is 35's, front fender has been opened up 1.5" front and rear, then lifted 1.5" as well. Thus making the wheelwell 3" longer and 1.5" taller to make it look like more lift than it really has. This is only a 2" lift on the K5.

Also took the font section of the fender and brought it upward to level with the rad cradle, then finished it off. Rear same thing, brought it up to level with the bottom of the door, then knocked the rockers off to make room for the rock sliders in the end. Looks stock, but not...

[JPalmer81]

Well, I have sat here and read this post from the beginning. I had my wife buy a 88 crew square 4x4 1 ton for me cause i am here at FOB Salerno, wondering what FOB u are on. Must say, your truck is over the top to say the least, dont look like your sparing anything with it. When i saw that your battery tray was custom, that is when i knew this was gonna be a crazy project. Looks like its getting done right though. Hot Springs is pretty close to my neck of the woods (Hope) so maybe i will see your truck around when it finally (if that is in my life time ;-) )gets done. I am jealous of ur truck, i bought mine to pull a fifth wheel camper that i havent bought yet. I will keep following this build, since i have so much time invested in ur thread now. Doing a great job, just tell them to hurry the heck up so we can see the finished product!!

[my4by2]

I'm here on FOB Sharana.

Noticed you on my thread for quite some time, so very sure that you went through it quite thoroughly! Appreciate the compliments & the time you spent reading it!

I too am hoping that the truck can get finished at some point in my lifetime...

It's actually coming along much faster than it has in a long time here lately & would be further along if it weren't for the electrical gremlins plaguing poor Keven...

Stay tuned for more updates - I post them just as soon as I get them!!!

[JPalmer81]

I was on it for a better part of a day, now im addicted to it, its like a mini series on tv now, cant wait for the next episode to come on, its getting juicy now.

[nekkidhillbilly]

Glad its not getting hacked cclb srw look great and stand out in sb or dually world
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