72 K20 Cab Body & Paint Complete!

[mjensen]

That turned out awesome! I love it!

[72KAY20]

Thanks Mjensen!

[Dieselwrencher]

Absolutely awesome! Our trucks should look/set pretty close. Nice job on the whole thing!

[72KAY20]

Have been driving my truck more and have noticed that the driver's side leaf spring shackle sometimes hits the shackle stop on bumpy roads. Pretty loud bang at times. Took the shackle stop off and problem went away. It should not be a problem from what I have read on other posts.
Was wondering what opinions others have on that shackle stop?

[ryanroo]

is that a 2.5" or 4" lift? the truck is amazing. i cant wait to drive mine

Ryan

[Low Elco]

Looks great, just great. How wide are the rims? Being a 3/4 ton, some of those factory 16x10's would look AWESOME on that truck. Or Polished Alum. slots! (but I'm partial) Looks great as-is!

[72KAY20]

Thanks. It is suppose to be a 2.5" Tuff Country lift kit.

Rims are just the factory size, maybe 7.25 or 8". Would love to find some wider steel factory wheels and mount some bigger tires. I like the look of the trim ring with the factory hub caps with the logo. Mounted the biggest that was recommended. Was told I could go with a bigger tire but would probably wear the centers out prematurely because of the way the tire was being pulled in to a narrower wheel.

Anybody know a source for wider factory 8 lug wheels?

[Low Elco]

I think there's a thread of 3/4 ton pics here where there's a good bit of info about the big wheels. Also could have yours widened. I like the modern caps. Still an awesome truck!
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[72KAY20]

Went to the annual spring Carlisle Car Event last week and picked up a pair of Vintage 1971 Farm Truck Tags. Thought they would look pretty cool on the K20. Was able to get the vintage tags approved by the MD MVA this week so I bolted them on this afternoon. Can keep them on it all the time now.

They are actually cross-referenced now in the MVA database with my other plates. The only down side is that every 2 years I have to pay to register both sets of plates. Oh well, worth it to me.

[shanboo71]

Originally Posted by 72KAY20

More pictures of progress after sandblasting frame.

Nice! and thanks for sharing. Im about two weeks away before i start pulling my 71 k20 apart. cant wait!

[Dieselwrencher]

Cool deal on the plates!

[ryanmctee]

Wow, everything turned out great. Congrats on finishing such a big project. And a big thanks for so much posting on the build process. I've used your thread several times for reference on my build, which is getting closer! Enjoy your truck - Ryan

[litew8]

those plates

[72KAY20]

The K20 has been running great. Here are some pictures of the hidden receiver behind the front bumper. Really like the way it looks and works. I installed some Tweco twist connectors for the 12 volt cables for my winch. They are sweet!!! Just push together and twist and you have a solid electrical connection.

Still need to get a nice class 4 or 5 hitch for the rear. I want to be able to pull my 10,000 lb car trailer. Anybody have any suggestions? Reese, Curt Mfg, others? Most available by web order are only class 3.

[72KAY20]

Located a Class 5 hitch by Curt Mfg on the web that looked like it would work. 15,000 lb pull rating - definitely more heavy duty than I think I will ever need.
It has a 5.5" drop below the rear frame rails. My other choice from them had about a 7' drop which I thought would be too much. Did not want to impact ground clearance.

Started to fit up the side supports and then realized my rear mount tank and dual exhaust hangers were in the way. Went to Plan B - Customize.
Will need to do some welding and add some more metal but it will be plenty strong in the end. At least enough to pull our 10,000 lb rated car trailer.

[killer71]

Beautiful truck!
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[Low Elco]

Still awesome. I sent my radio off to your guy yesterday. It'll look good in my uncut dash. Get that truck to workin'!
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[72KAY20]

Thank's killer71 and Low Elco.

Pretty sure you will be very happy with your customized stealth radio Low Elco. I have surprised quite a few passengers when I turn on the old AM radio and crank up the watts.

Although I don't listen to the music cranked up like I did years ago, will still turn up a few every now and then and feel the 12" subwoofer shake the bench seat.

[72KAY20]

Here's a side view picture with the bumper mounted with the hitch installed. Ended up raising my chrome step bumper a little so I could get the class 5 hitch to fit underneath better. Actually am happier with the way it looks now compared to before when there was a larger space between the bottom of my tailgate and the top of the bumper.

Also happy with the ground clearance with the hitch installed. Glad I did not choose the other hitch from Curt Mfg. that would have been about 2" lower.

[Dieselwrencher]

That looks perfect!

[MrBeast]

Man that truck turned out nice, I have always love the K20's my first truck was a 71 K 20.

[DeadheadNM]

I hope my K20 turns out half as good!!

[72KAY20]

Appreciate the kind words Dieselwrencher, MrBeast, and DeadheadNM! Like the progress you guys are making on your trucks.

Still tinkering with a few final projects on the K20 besides the class 5 hitch.
Not completely happy with my fuel fill tube. It works but does not flow very fast. Open to suggestions.

Bill is repainting the cowl vent piece between the hood and the windshield. The paint wrinkled up in 3 places on the cowl. Around 2 edges and where the antenna is mounted. That is the only area on the truck that had the problem. Can't wait to get it back on the truck.

Bought some 1x6x10' fresh cut rough oak boards for the side racks. Planning on making 4 board racks for both sides and front of bed once they dry out. Currently air drying them in my garage. Have borrowed a friend's planer to smooth them out. Will start on them one of these weekends. My goal is to have them complete by the 1st week of October. May put them on when I take it to the Ocean City, MD Endless Summer classic car cruise.

[ryanmctee]

Regarding your fuel filler, this is what I did and I'm very happy with it. The fill rate is really good, and it's a clean looking set-up, at least that's what I think. Get a 67-72 Blazer fill tube and cover (I got mine used from a board member, just do a search for them) and mount it inside your bed. All that is required is using a hole saw in the very bottom corner of the bed for the filler hose.

Here's a couple of pictures of how mine turned out. If you'd like some more, just let me know. Again, I am VERY happy with how fast my tank fills, and the look of the filler. Ryan

[72KAY20]

Nice job on that fuel fill Ryan. I like that much better than the ones I've seen in the floor of the bed. Thanks for posting the pictures. Would like to see how you routed the fuel and vent hose under the bed.

I mounted my tank with the fuel fill inlet towards the passenger side, can't remember why. I think because the fuel fill on the tank could be filled easier from inside the passenger side rear wheel well. Oh well it works but I just can't fill the tank at full speed or else the auto-shut off feature keeps shutting it off.
Luckily I don't drive this truck every day because filling it often would probably drive me crazy.