80 Chevy k10 build

[Mattman2010]

Hello guys, I am new here, I just picked up a 1980 K10 Pickup last Monday. This is my first project truck, and I am really looking forward to getting to work on this.

Pictures:

Grill is cracked, you can see it is held together with string, the right head light bezel is broken as well.










The Hood is bent, I know this is a problem with this style truck, how do I go about fixing it? It has been bent so many times that I will have to add some kind of support to keep it from bending.


It has a 250 engine/ 350 transmission/ 205 transfercase. The fuel pump is missing, and the PO said that the engine is making a clicking noise, but I plan on putting a 350 in it. It also has AC in it!


Does anybody know anything about this rear bumper? It sets in really far, and then the ends stick out farther. It has a frame in the bed for a hay lift, and im not sure if that has anything to do with why the bumper is like that.


This is where the hay lifts winch was mounted.








It seems to be in really good shape for being 30 years old, and being a farm truck. I dont know if I want to replace all of the dented areas on the truck or not. I plan on it being a Daily driver, and a mild offroader, so Im not sure if It is worth it to replace the bed and front fenders or not.

The Plan:
-Blue Body (Darker)
-All chrome, or non body colored things will be black
-350 Engine
-3/4 ton axles and springs
-New Stereo system
-Military Surplus Tires

[RandyP]

Welcome to the forums!

I'd almost swear that is my Grandpas old farm hands truck, his name was Manny and he passed away about 12 years ago or so. I have no idea where his old truck went, but I'd really have to be convinced that wasn't his. Then again, there are a loooooooooot of those style out there, in that condition.

Looks like a good project for you, has some awesome potential though! I'll be watching.

[palposity]

Looking forward to seeing how this goes for you! Looks like you have a solid truck to start with.

I am betting that rear bumper is a custom job with the corners intended as steps.

[Rodms]

The bumper is probably homade and in in the center so you could drop the gate down without kinking it in the middle ,If you swap to 350 I pretty sure you ac is on the drivers side and alt is on the passenger,I know alot about these trucks as I bought one in 1980 and still have it today,Dang I feel old now,I got a hood for it though off 79.

[Mattman2010]

Well, the guy that farms my parents land said that he has a 1980 3/4 ton, I am going to use it for parts. He says it was a high end truck at the time has power windows, power locks, ect.. I plan on stealing the 3/4 ton axles and springs (if they are 52" rears like mine) to make a Heavy Half ton.

Well the 250 engine has some bad news. It was missing the fuel pump, but I wanted to see if it would crank, because the PO said that it was making a clicking noise, and that it was getting really bad, so they parked it. Well after hooking a battery up to it, and trying to crank it, the engine was locked. So sense it was locked my dad and I started to look at it, and there was a hole in the oil pan from something flying through it. I planned on replacing the engine any way, it just means I have to get a new engine before I can drive it around, but that is what im going to get this parts truck for, it has a working 350 in it.

[Mattman2010]

Well I have not updated a lot, but I have done quite a bit lately. I have already removed the front clip, and pulled the engine and the 350 transmission out.





The 250 was blown, the connecting rod went through the block, and the cam shaft was broke, and a lot of metal floating around.

After I removed the front clip and engine/trans, I took off the bed and cab.

I spend two days going around the frame removing any rust/dirt i could. Tonight I final put a fresh coat of paint on the frame.





Should be picking up a 1980 K20 for parts this weekend. I plan on stealing the engine and axles out of it, and any sheet metal that is better than mine. I also plan on stealing the gauges out of it, instead of have the idiot lights in mine.

[palposity]

Nice job!!!

[RandyP]

Looking good!

[Mattman2010]

Thanks Guys, So far this has been a really fun project.

I have a few questions to ask though, How should I go about tipping the cab and bed over so I can paint the bottom of them black? Does the back glass on the cab need to be removed, or is there a way to set the truck on the back without removing the window? I just want to clean up the bottom sides of them, they are really muddy, and I'm sure the rust is starting, im just not sure how to go about setting them up and over to paint the bottoms.

[GMC91]

On the cab, if you can slowly roll it over, have someone to put like a 4x4 at the bottom of the cab and right at the top, right above the back glass. Now, Im just guessing you could do it this way.

[Walts_restoration]

Originally Posted by Rodms

The bumper is probably homade and in in the center so you could drop the gate down without kinking it in the middle ...

bumper is dealer installed item, we have several trucks with that bumper on -them, but most of them are 73-74s, although i think one of our later 77-80 has it as well.




Looks like a clean old 4x4, what ratio are your current axles?


overall clean looking truck, i likey

[Mattman2010]

Originally Posted by GMC91

On the cab, if you can slowly roll it over, have someone to put like a 4x4 at the bottom of the cab and right at the top, right above the back glass. Now, Im just guessing you could do it this way.

I have thought about that, but I do not know if the cab will flex some causing the back window to break out.

Originally Posted by Walts_restoration

bumper is dealer installed item, we have several trucks with that bumper on -them, but most of them are 73-74s, although i think one of our later 77-80 has it as well.




Looks like a clean old 4x4, what ratio are your current axles?


overall clean looking truck, i likey

What is the purpous of that bumper? The end parts that are sticking out have a hole on the inside almost like something was suppose to install on there? I want to find a new bumper, I'm just not sure what I want to run on it. I am not sure what the ration in the axles are. This is my first project truck, so I don't know how to do some things. I Guess what I need to do is jack one of the rear wheels up, and spin it and see how many times the drive shaft rotates to 1 rotation of the wheel?

[Walts_restoration]

jack it up and rotate the pinion and watch and make sure both tires turn evenly at the same speed, and count how many turns of the pinion to one turn of the tire.

[Mattman2010]

Originally Posted by Walts_restoration

jack it up and rotate the pinion and watch and make sure both tires turn evenly at the same speed, and count how many turns of the pinion to one turn of the tire.

Alright, I will have to check that out this Sat. I hate working nights, and it being so hot out during the day, not much gets done!

[GMC91]

The cab shouldnt flex with the doors and all still on it.

[Jonboy]

Are you planning on swapping out the power doors and all onto your truck? If so, it may be easier to swap out cabs and all, since yours is already torn down.

[Mattman2010]

Originally Posted by GMC91

The cab shouldnt flex with the doors and all still on it.

Well I removed the doors already. So if I put the doors back on, and then set it on some blocks I should be able to clean and paint the bottom?

[GMC91]

Well with the doors already off, I probally would put the doors back on just for this. But when I sold my old 86 K20, it was all in peices. And the way we moved it, we had to lay it down on its back and then rock it some to get it up on a wagon. And it had no doors on it and the back glass didnt break, neither did the front glass. We just didnt care if anything broke is why we moved it like that. But if you are un-sure and dont want to risk it, I would put the doors back on.

[Mattman2010]

Well I got the 1980 K20 parts truck yesterday. My dad and I was able to get the 350 out of the truck. I think it has a dirty carb, because on the way to the shop from the PO house the truck would start to lose a bunch of power when you would accelerate it. I think the tanks also have some leaks, i had to refuel it 4 times to get the truck 4 miles from the PO house to the shop.
The PO said that the valve seals need replaced, and I also think the rear main seal needs replaced as well because their is oil all over the back of the engine, as well as the tranny. I didnt get any pictures yesterday, so I will get some pictures when the storms clear, and post them up!

[Mattman2010]

Well I have not done anything sense I pulled the engine out, here are a few pictures.

Parts Truck




And the 350


Will be cleaning up the 350 tomorrow night, and start changing out the valve seals. Then I will be tearing it down more to change the main bearing seals, and look at the timing gear/chain. I plan on also changing out the Water pump, thermostat, hoses, spark plugs, and spark plug wires. Is there anything else I should change on the engine before I go about putting it back together? I will be putting headers on this (cousin is giving me some for free) and getting a custom dual exhaust on it in the end.

Matt

[Alex7191]

Nice!! cant wait to see this truck done

[RandyP]

Ohhh, a nice cattle guard on that parts truck, and cab lights. Well, I guess it depends on what the use will be for the truck, but I always loved trucks with cattle guards on them.

[Mattman2010]

I plan on using that grill guard, and I have thought about using the cab lights, but I just don't know how I would install them, and I would hate to drill holes in my cab and have it leak.

I did a compression test on the 350, 7 of the cylinders are getting 180 PSI, one of them is getting 150 PSI. What am I suppose to be getting? Should I be worried about the 30 PSI gap between them?

[GMC91]

Stock should be around 160 PSI.

[Mattman2010]

So is that 180 a bad thing? If not, then should I be trying to figure out why that one cylinder will not go any higher than 150? Or should it be ok the way it is?