Low mileage 1987 Chevy 1/2 ton to 3/4 ton - Undoing the hacks!

[Nick_R_23]

Hey guys, back again with another truck to add to the stable! This time I picked up a really low mileage, about 47,000 miles, 1987 Chevy V10 single cab long bed. Unfortunately for this truck, it fell into the hands of someone who decided the best course of action was to cut it up and turn it into a buggy. Why anyone would do this to a low mileage, rust free truck is beyond me, but it’s happened, so we’re going to save it now instead!

So, I picked this truck up off Craigslist with a clean title. The seller was asking $1200, but after a bit of negotiation, we agreed on $1000. The truck ran and moved, but the transmission was bad. The seller told me that two other 700r4’s were included, but it turned out to be a 1991 model 700r4, a TH350, an NP205, and an NP203, all in pretty poor shape. Before I even had the truck home, I sold the extra TH350, and two transfer cases for $300, making the truck total $700!







My intentions at this point were to simply finish up the truck as an off road truck. I wanted it to look a bit nicer, so I painted the primered portions to match.







Front portion finished:





Rear portion finished:



Next up, was to rebuild the transmission. The transmission in the truck was a 1982 model, which was not the best one to start with. The other 700r4 that came with the truck was a 1991 model, which is the one I chose to rebuild. I ordered a holding fixture and all the tools needed to rebuild.



The fixture was a bit on the pricey side, but ended up being worth every penny!



It’s amazing how much they can cram into one of these cases.



I spot a shift kit, so someone’s been in here before.



Completely gutted!



I ended up discovering this damaged pump during disassembly, which I believe is the cause of failure. Most likely it was damaged upon installation from an improperly installed torque converter.



I ordered a complete rebuild kit from Dana at Probuilt Automatics, including new drums and nearly every upgrade possible, including a new 1800 stall converter. I basically stopped short of 5 pinion planetaries and billet shafts, as this transmission won’t be used aggressively enough to require them. I believe this would be considered either a Stage 3 or 4 depending on the company. The pan and governor cover needed to be replaced, and I also ordered a new cooler and TV cable. Total came to about $1500.

On its way back together!







All finished!





The truck also had some headers that didn’t fit at all, so I bought new manifolds, a y-pipe, and an O2 sensor, for a bit under $400.





At this point, having spent some time underneath the truck, I discovered quite a few things that made me change my mind on continuing the off road build. The truck ended up having a bobbed frame, both axles moved forward, springs had been relocated, unaligned shock mounting points, severely cut fenders and core support, and a myriad of other small issues. I actually thought about selling the truck and saving the transmission for another project, but then I came across this!



A 1986 GMC 2500 HD. The cab is severely rusted out, and the engine, transmission, and transfer case are gone. However, it has a nice 3/4 ton longbed 4x4 chassis with a full floating rear axle, and the rest of the body parts are in usable condition. My plan will be to transfer the 1987 cab, engine, new transmission, transfer case, fuel tanks, and all other TBI components to the 86 chassis, and use the 86 frame, steering, suspension, axles, bed, core support, and fenders. My goal is to sell off as many unneeded or unused parts as possible, and keep the build cost relatively low. My plan is to end up with a 1987 Chevy 2500HD 4x4, with a TBI 350, 700r4, NP208, A/C, and dual tanks.