k20 6"lift 37"tires need some help

[bakerboys]

I am looking at buying a k20 1985 has a stock 84 c10 350 no diesel i do mean bone stock has 400 trans 6" lift and 37 inch tires nice truck but when you put in gear it goes in gear real hard I have never drove or been in truck this big i had a 79 bronco with lift and 33" tires with 400M engine it had alot of power but this k20 truck seems kind of weak and takes a little longer than i think it should to shift but does shift will this set up kill power it just feels weak to me and should it go into gear real hard from say park to reverse or to drive I know engine is stock 350 I dont know gears in truck axles but it used to be a military truck one more thing there was alot of play in steering wheel is that normal for lifted trucks this big if not could you guys give me some info I really love this truck But want to make sure I will be able to drive it on road not just mud

[Mr. 250r]

Are the axles original under the truck or did someone put them there? If there original you could check the codes in the glove box assuming the gears have never been changed, and the steering wheel i would say there shouldn't be play in it, neither of my mud trucks have play in the steering wheel also the tranny check the vacuum line to the modulator it can possibly be the problem, it shouldn't be a weak setup i have nearly the same setup on my two mud trucks and i wouldn't say they're 'weak' but everyone has their opinion of that word

[bakerboys]

what gears should i put in it and a stock 80s 350 are kind of weak anyway if i built stronger engine you think it would make a diff or would gears be better i want to drive it around town to

[Mr. 250r]

Figure out what gears are in it first you might not need to change them check the glove box for these codes GT4 - 3.73s, GT5 - -4.10s, HC4 - 4.56s, G80 - locker

[bakerboys]

thanks mr.250

[Mr. 250r]

To figure out the rear just count the number of bolts on the diff cover if it has 14 bolts then its a 3/4 or possibly a 1 ton rear axle if it does have 14 bolts then you can look at the actual cover itself and then look on this page and see which of the two 14 bolts it is the semi floating or the full floating http://www.lmctruck.com/icatalog/cc/full.aspx?Page=155 or just look at these images the first one is the full floater the second is a semi floater

[bakerboys]

thanks

[RossRinSD]

What size are the wheels? I'm trying to figure out if I can get away with 16's... mine came with 16.5 and it looks kinda tight in there.

[bakerboys]

17 inch rims 37x13.5x17 6 inch lift wheels i think 17x10

[bakerboys]

pic of my new old yeller

[bakerboys]

4x4 not working noticed driver side u joint broke and pass side auto locking hub broke so today i replaced u joint wow that was fun put new calipers pads bearings and manual locking hubs I think front is 10 bolt back is 14 bolt 3/4 ton axles oh well good enough i guess

[Psycho71]

A lot of people will tell ya the 10bolt will not hold up to tires that big (over 35"). And from experience I tend to agree. It depends on hard you are on it though. I haven't truly abused mine but once or twice, and on hard ground I have already broken one axle shaft. That's w/36" tires. In mud I can flog on it pretty hard and have yet to break anything.

The 14bolt out back...if it's a Full Floater 14bolt, you have a good rear end. Lot's of hard core wheelers running them, and lots of aftermarket upgrades available for them. If it's a Semi-Float 14bolt, it's not as desirable, as it has c-clip axle retention, and a few other not so desirable features. But again, with proper driving techniques, it could last forever. Just depends on what you want to use it for.

Nice rig! Look forward to seeing more updates on it.

[Mr. 250r]

My bolt held up to my 38.5s just fine until I tried yanking another suburban out which had to be dug out by a trakhoe then I broke the passenger side axle
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[bakerboys]

So i should be ok with what i got dont plan on rock crawling haha mayby a little muddin from time to time
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[bakerboys]

Mr250r how big is your lift and tires what axles do you have thanks
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[Mr. 250r]

If your just mudding every once and again and not straight yanking knowing the truck isn't coming out you'll be perfectly fine my truck is 4in lift, 3in body, 38.5s a stock dana 60 up front which im not happy with lol and a 14 bolt semi float out back not for long though

[Dalaigh]

Originally Posted by RossRinSD

What size are the wheels? I'm trying to figure out if I can get away with 16's... mine came with 16.5 and it looks kinda tight in there.

You'll be fine with 16's, thats what most people go with when replacing their 16.5's, I'm running 16's on my k20.

[hartbraker]

the play in your steering could be caused by a number of things.... but what I found with my 86 is that the gear box was worn....

on top of the steering gear box there is a way to tighten up your steering.... there is a big nut with an allan in the middle:
1. loosen the big nut

2. tighten the allan

3. hold the allan while you re-tighten the big nut

IF this doesn't work, and your steering pump isn't whining, and your upper and lower ball joints are fine and what not... I'd suggest having your gear box rebuilt. Its not cheap if you take it to a good steering rebuild shop, but your truck will drive like brand new when it's done.

[bakerboys]

thanks

[bakerboys]

Been a while since.i posted sorry
Update
New engine. 355 roller
Trans rebuilt
New rear end and drive shaft. 4.10 gears
New eagle alloy wheels and two new 37s toyo two were almost new allready
Truck does good but am going to change cylinder heads. Have toooo much compression

I.think now I want to sell my new wheels and tires. And get some 40s on 15 inch wheels will 15s work on my truck
I wonder how much I can get for my wheels and tires $$
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[bakerboys]

Steering is much better too
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[Psycho71]

If it's an 8 bolt, then 15" wheels will rub the front calipers. Actually, they'll bind on them. You can grind them down to where the wheel will clear though. It's really more "smoothing out casting lines" than it is "hogging out a bunch of meat". I run 15x10's with 4" of backspace on mine now. About an hour with the grinder (grind some, paint, check, grind some more, paint, check, and so on) and they clear. Pretty tight, but they don't rub.

Why too much compression? Just curious what's going on here?

[Mr. 250r]

what about thicker head gaskets usually people raise compression by getting thinner ones but in your case you can do the opposite

[bakerboys]

Engine is 350 bored 40 over flattops with 58cc heads
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