78 K20 modernization project

[MTCK]

Yikes! Are you going to order a new set of gears or look for another used set?
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[68 TT]

Originally Posted by MTCK

Yikes! Are you going to order a new set of gears or look for another used set?
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I am looking for another entire front axle assembly. The forward pinion bearing race was actually rotating in the housing while it was seized to the pinion gear and wore out the housing.

A new bearing race will not be tight in the housing like it needs to be so the housing is junk.

[68 TT]

Dug the 4.10 geared 14-bolt out and cleaned the dirt off of it. 438 pounds of dead weight is fun to move around with no wheels on it.

No oil leaks anywhere on it so it just got cleaned up and a fresh coat of paint put on it.

Painted the drums with high heat black so it might have a chance to stay on them.

It will go in tomorrow and the bare housing of the damaged case front Dana-44 will go in so I can pull both 5.13 geared axles assemblies out and deliver them to the new owner.

After that is done I can go to the wrecking yard and find a good 4.10 front axle assembly to go into the 78 K20.

Left the rusty center caps off. I think it looks better without them, especially with the painted hubs & axles.

[68 TT]

Got brave and tore the power window doors I have for the truck down to bare shells. Over all they are in great shape and only have a couple minor ripples on one door I will have to smooth out then they are ready for block sanding & paint.

It is not as bad a job as I had heard. Managed to tear apart and strip both power window door assemblies down to the bare shell without a single cut.

My replacement passenger fender needs one small dent repaired before it can be blocked out.

The replacement driver side fender needs the cup section from a donor fender welded onto it before it is ready for primer & blocking.

Got a job interview tomorrow so with any luck I will get a job offer with a decent rate of pay.

When I get back from the interview I will try to find my regulator for the MIG welder so I can run the solid core wire through it and finish the work on the fenders. Haven't seen it in a couple years so this ought to be fun.

I hope to have these parts painted and ready to install before the end of next weekend.

[MTCK]

Breaking the welder out - sounds like it's getting serious! Good luck on the job interview!

[68 TT]

Originally Posted by MTCK

Breaking the welder out - sounds like it's getting serious! Good luck on the job interview!

Thanks, the owners wife got hospitalized yesterday morning so they had to postpone the interview until Monday.

If I could find a set of fenders without rust in the front cup area I wouldn't need the welder at all. Unfortunately the PO of the good fenders I have cut the cup area off completely for tire clearance. He had a perfect rust free set of fenders to start with that were even the same colors as my truck.

The best cup area of what I have on hand has a little bit of rust I am going to weld up then weld the repaired cup section onto the fender.

I'm going to try using some copper backing and weld up the rust pin holes before I go to the extreme of cutting out the rust and bending up a complex curved repair panel to weld in.

[68 TT]

A few current pics of the truck.

[68 TT]

more...

[Adams74Chevy]

Good looking truck and looks like your making good progress. Good luck on future work. Another K20 for inspiration when I start to loose it on mine.

[68 TT]

and more...

[68 TT]

Had someone want to see a video of the truck.

78 K20 video one 08 11 2011 - YouTube

[68 TT]

Here is a video of it on start up and idle.

78 K20 video two 08 11 2011 - YouTube

[68 TT]

A few pics of the rusty & damaged areas the good fenders & doors I am working on are to replace.

[68 TT]

The good part is the rust is contained to bolt on pieces. The rockers & floor pans are straight and cancer free. Wish I could say the same thing about my 67 or 69 project trucks.

[68 TT]

Originally Posted by Adams74Chevy

Good looking truck and looks like your making good progress. Good luck on future work. Another K20 for inspiration when I start to loose it on mine.

Thanks.

I wish I could make faster progress but it is hard to get anything done when I only get a few minutes at a time to tinker on it.

[MTCK]

Truck looks great - especially the cab. Are straight panels easy to find down there?
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[68 TT]

Originally Posted by MTCK

Truck looks great - especially the cab. Are straight panels easy to find down there?
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Easy to find yes, minimal rust usually, dent free not so much. It is just a matter of being able to wait until you find a good straight panel.

[Adams74Chevy]

Originally Posted by 68 TT

Thanks.

I wish I could make faster progress but it is hard to get anything done when I only get a few minutes at a time to tinker on it.

I definately understand that.

[68 TT]

Originally Posted by MTCK

Truck looks great - especially the cab. Are straight panels easy to find down there?
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Anything in particular you are looking for? I might be able to help.

[68 TT]

A few pics of the nice power window doors I picked up and the decent condition fenders I had on hand.

I would like to find some perfect OEM fenders but they aren't easy to come by. I will weld repair these fenders as needed to make them work rather than buy some repop fenders for it.

I started sanding down the parts to get them ready for body work & paint. The fenders and the black door are DA sanded to smooth out any scratches and the tan door is untouched other than being gutted to allow it to be painted properly.

[68 TT]

The fenders aren't perfect by any means but they are far better than the pieces on the truck right now so they will be quicker to prep and paint.

A small bit of rust in the lower rear portion of the complete fender but I have a good section from the clipped fender to use as a patch panel.

The other complete fender had bad rust in the fender lip hiding under the wheel well trim so fixing the clipped fender with the front cup area off of the rusty fender was a better option. A little rust in the front cup area of the donor piece but easily repaired. My little MIG welder doesn't like to feed the smaller .024" wire so the tack welds holding the donor piece in place are a little rough. They will sand out smooth but will take a bit more work than I hoped for. My die grinder died so I need to pick up another one before I can proceed further with the repair.

[MTCK]

Nope, thanks though. I need a lot of parts between the two trucks, but nothing right now. I may try to drag some parts back when we move my wife home after grad school next year.
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[68 TT]

Originally Posted by MTCK

Nope, thanks though. I need a lot of parts between the two trucks, but nothing right now. I may try to drag some parts back when we move my wife home after grad school next year.
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Just let me know. I can keep an eye out for anything you may need.

[MTCK]

Thanks! I'll let you know if I think of anything. My wife is scheduled for a rotation in Browning MT so I'll be passing through that way in late fall.
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[68 TT]

I sold the 78 K20 today.

I was hoping to have one of the other trucks on the road before I sold it but I got a good cash offer I couldn't refuse. It's tough to find buyers in the current economy so I was happy to find a guy worthy of the truck with the cash in hand to pay for it.

It went to a good home and will be treated well & appreciated for what it is.

Now I need to really get to work on the 67 C10 & 69 K10 projects. I can't go for long without a drivable truck.

Goodbye old friend.