The 1947 - Present Chevrolet & GMC Truck Message Board Network - View Single Post - '78 K20 to C10. Almost 20 years in the making.

cruizin01 · 08-12-2017, 05:25 PM

Recently I looked into converting it over to 2wd to make a "street" truck out of it. Something I can drive around on the weekends, haul some light loads, do burn outs, etc. :-)

My wife gave the ok to start bring the project together this fall. I just didn't know exactly how to go about it. I considered trying to find a LWB 2wd truck and redo the frame restoration, upgrade, etc on it. But I think just doing the front and rear swap might be better. I already have a very nice frame, all new lines, fuel tank, new mounts, exhaust hung, etc. Along with the fact I wont need to remove the cab.

The plan is to remove the Dana 60 and 14B FF rear along with the TH350 and NP205. Swap the 2wd crossmember, control arms, brake, etc over. Do the same with the rear axle. Id like to find a 4L80E for this swap since I'm having to find a 2wd trans anyway. Ill just use a standalone controller for it.

August 2017.
Luck would have it that I ran across a 2wd frame and junky cab on craigslist for $300. It was a 76 so it was a 12B which seemed like the right move and shortbed which makes keeping it in the garage slightly easier.

I decided to start on the rear end since it was less parts to deal with. I was pleasantly surprised to find a Powertrax No Slip LSD had been installed sometime recently. One of the springs is broke so I ordered a new spring kit.

Ive removed the rear brakes to prep the axle for a rear disk conversion. I decided to do a weld on bracket and Astro rotors with GM metric rear calipers. (ordered non ebrake) might switch them out for ebrake calipers at some point.

I also ordered a TA rear diff cover for it, rear brake hoses, fluid, new axle studs, etc.

I did uncover a broke rear leaf which got my thinking about how Im gonna do the suspension. Initially I was gonna do the std 4/6 drop but Im thinking slightly more advanced. Id need new leafs and new coils (they were cut) anyway.

My current plan is the RideTech Street Grip setup. So that the plan for now. We'll see how this all comes together over the next few months.

My plan is to ready the front and rear suspensions over this fall winter. Order the Ridetech and in probably in the spring bring the blue truck over and swap the 4x4 parts off and put the 2wd parts on. (axles, transmission, tcase, etc.

So wish me luck!

08-12-2017, 05:25 PM	#2
cruizin01 Registered User Join Date: Mar 2016 Location: Cbus, Ohio Posts: 290	Re: '78 K20 to C10. Almost 20 years in the making. Recently I looked into converting it over to 2wd to make a "street" truck out of it. Something I can drive around on the weekends, haul some light loads, do burn outs, etc. :-) My wife gave the ok to start bring the project together this fall. I just didn't know exactly how to go about it. I considered trying to find a LWB 2wd truck and redo the frame restoration, upgrade, etc on it. But I think just doing the front and rear swap might be better. I already have a very nice frame, all new lines, fuel tank, new mounts, exhaust hung, etc. Along with the fact I wont need to remove the cab. The plan is to remove the Dana 60 and 14B FF rear along with the TH350 and NP205. Swap the 2wd crossmember, control arms, brake, etc over. Do the same with the rear axle. Id like to find a 4L80E for this swap since I'm having to find a 2wd trans anyway. Ill just use a standalone controller for it. August 2017. Luck would have it that I ran across a 2wd frame and junky cab on craigslist for $300. It was a 76 so it was a 12B which seemed like the right move and shortbed which makes keeping it in the garage slightly easier. I decided to start on the rear end since it was less parts to deal with. I was pleasantly surprised to find a Powertrax No Slip LSD had been installed sometime recently. One of the springs is broke so I ordered a new spring kit. Ive removed the rear brakes to prep the axle for a rear disk conversion. I decided to do a weld on bracket and Astro rotors with GM metric rear calipers. (ordered non ebrake) might switch them out for ebrake calipers at some point. I also ordered a TA rear diff cover for it, rear brake hoses, fluid, new axle studs, etc. I did uncover a broke rear leaf which got my thinking about how Im gonna do the suspension. Initially I was gonna do the std 4/6 drop but Im thinking slightly more advanced. Id need new leafs and new coils (they were cut) anyway. My current plan is the RideTech Street Grip setup. So that the plan for now. We'll see how this all comes together over the next few months. My plan is to ready the front and rear suspensions over this fall winter. Order the Ridetech and in probably in the spring bring the blue truck over and swap the 4x4 parts off and put the 2wd parts on. (axles, transmission, tcase, etc. So wish me luck! Last edited by cruizin01; 08-15-2017 at 05:53 PM.