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Old 08-08-2010, 11:40 PM   #1
Corts60
Just here to tinker
 
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Join Date: Jun 2008
Location: Holland, MI
Posts: 3,672
Comin over to the sqaure bodies with a '78 Silverado!

Hey guys,

I spend quite a bit of time on the 60-66 board with my '60 GMC but I am now coming over to this forum with a '78 Silverado short box. This is my fourth square body Chevy. I've owned a '73, an '80, and an '86. I hope you all don't mind the long story:

This truck is kinda special because it belonged to my neighbor (Tom) since day one. In fact, Tom ordered this truck in March of 1978 and received it in August of the same year. He chose the Silverado package and the diesel. Since then he has done many modifications to it including changing out the original 5.7 diesel block with the later DX block, installing head studs and making custom gaskets to counter the weak head bolt design, he uses an early style roosa master injection pump with the later style intake set-up. If I remember right, he said he went through many 5.7's until he found a set-up that is reliable....

He lowered the truck, installed a Gear Venders overdrive unit, put 3.73's in the rear to replace the factory 2.73's, placed a sleeper cab on the bed (which I have never seen another one like it), installed a third gas tank (truck holds 90 gallons) under the sleeper cab and he did all this within the first few years he owned it. He then drove the piss out of it. He lived in San Diego and drove the truck to Victoria every year for twenty years until his health no longer let him do so. He has told me the truck probably has over 300K miles on it, although the drivetrain has only about 15-20K.

So I recently talked him out of it, because we used to spend a lot of time working on my '60 and other cars in his shop until his health recently deteriorated. So it means quite a bit to me that I was able to get this truck. Anyways, I'll shut up and you guys can enjoy the pics.

Here are some before and after pics showing the work I have done so far:






Last edited by Corts60; 08-09-2010 at 12:54 AM.
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