Re: Budget Build 1985 K20
 

She' alive!

Re: Budget Build 1985 K20
 

Sounds good from my seat!

Re: Budget Build 1985 K20
 

Thanks! I am surprised how easily it started up and ran good without any tweaking of the tune. It seems to have really good throttle response. I just had the wires connected with wire nuts to get it started and make sure there were no major problems before I get put back together.

Re: Budget Build 1985 K20
 

I never find good deals on NOS parts like you see some guys posting on Facebook. Well today that changed! I have been keeping an eye out for a sliding rear window since the price had jumped up on them recently and no one has them in stock.

I found this NOS one with gasket included about an hour away for $150. It is missing one of the corner lock strip covers and the chrome lock strip is discolored. I was planning on using black lock strip anyways.

Re: Budget Build 1985 K20
 

Nice score! I luv my slider.

Re: Budget Build 1985 K20
 

Congrats on the startup! And nice grab on that slider.

Re: Budget Build 1985 K20
 

Nice find!

Re: Budget Build 1985 K20
 

The start up looks/sounds like it went great...Good job.
I might head over to DeNooyer on Stadium this Sat 5/14 for a cars and coffee event. You should drive your Blazer over.

Marc

Re: Budget Build 1985 K20
 

Thanks Marc! I'll be there if the weather looks good!

Re: Budget Build 1985 K20
 

Same here. I will keep an eye out.

We might run over to Sturgis Friday evening. They have the downtown shut down and they have food trucks. That's a decent drive going thru Mendon to M-86. Pretty soon you will have a real dilemma on your hands.....which fine truck to drive.

Marc

Re: Budget Build 1985 K20
 

Good to see you on Saturday and the work you did on your headliner and kick panels is top notch! By the rate of my progress lately I have a feeling there is only going to be one option on what to drive this summer!

Re: Budget Build 1985 K20
 

I was able to get the back sliding glass in on Saturday. Somehow I managed not to scratch the paint. What a pain in the butt. Can’t wait to do the windshield!

Re: Budget Build 1985 K20
 

Since my cab was a non ac cab that is the vintage air system I bought. What I didn’t realize is that they supply some real cheesey air vents that you are supposed to cut into your dash panel. I wanted the stock looking vents in the dash. No problem right? I’ll just order the stock vents. Not so fast. I bought all the stock vents but they need adapters to fit the vent hose supplied by vintage air. No problem right? I’ll call vintage air and get their adapter. Once again not so fast. Called vintage air for the adapters but they told me it would be 16 - 20 weeks! No problem! I will build my own.

Re: Budget Build 1985 K20
 

Nice work and much more rewarding I'm sure. Too bad this is the only time they'll be seen!

Re: Budget Build 1985 K20
 

Probably a heck of a lot better quality too! Good job!

Re: Budget Build 1985 K20
 

agree VERY NICE job!!

wondering if those add "additional weight" or "stress" to the vent mounting?
I was not having fun trying to get their hoses to fit & seal on the vents as well. i ended up using "alum. ducting tape.... again your solution looks ALOT better! :metal:

Re: Budget Build 1985 K20
 

Great catching up on Saturday Josh.. It was a nice day. I bombed around all day running errands in the 53. Nice work on the vents. I knew you would get it handled.

I had my son's help me with my 2 piece front windshield. We didn't do bad considering combined they had 0 yrs of experience. That is where a rusty/patina finish comes in handy.

Marc

Re: Budget Build 1985 K20
 

Thanks!

Thanks!

Thank you. Not much more added weight. They are only about 1 1/2” worth of .065 wall stainless tube. I thought that I would weld some nubs on the tube to help grip the hose but I test fitted the hose and secured it with a zip tie and you had to pull pretty hard to get it off so I decided the nubs weren’t necessary.

Yea I drove my Jimmy around running errands as well and took my wife to dinner. It was nice to get a cruise in after a long winter.

Re: Budget Build 1985 K20
 

X2. I think I would want to mount those on the outside of the dash, haha. Nice work.

Re: Budget Build 1985 K20
 

Thanks, but I think I’ll hide them!

Re: Budget Build 1985 K20
 

Got all the under dash wiring complete and installed a retro sound radio. I also cleaned up the gauge cluster, painted the needles, installed led bulbs and reset the odometer to zero. I left the plastic on the new lens so I don’t scratch it when I install it.

Re: Budget Build 1985 K20
 

I can’t afford those high dollar Holley led head lamps and this is a budget build after all! So, I picked up some glass h4 housings and some led bulbs off Amazon. $130 invested. I got them hooked up to try them out but apparently my dimmer switch is bad. Power goes into it and nothing comes out. Worked fine before I tore this thing apart? So I have to wait for the switch to see how they work.

Re: Budget Build 1985 K20
 

It’s because the new ones are not pinned correctly. The couplers need to be pinned to match the new lights. I even had to do that with my Holley lights, but at least they came with instructions on how.
When I bought mine, it was a 1 day pre Black Friday sale last year. It was a buy 1, get 1. So in the end, I paid for 2 lights and got 2 lights fee, plus the instructions. Trying to located them, I post it when I find it.

Re: Budget Build 1985 K20
 

Yea, I repinned the headlight plugs for the LED's but i dont have power on the low beam brown wire or high beam green wire with the headlights on. Checked for power at the headlight plugs, then the bulk head plug then back to the dimmer switch. I have power at the yellow wire on the dimmer witch but nothing to the green or brown wire.

Re: Budget Build 1985 K20
 

Looking great Josh. I did something similar for headlights on the Suburban but mine were obviously round glass housings.

Marc

Re: Budget Build 1985 K20
 

Thanks Marc! Got the dimmer switch swapped out and now I have 3 working headlights. One of the led bulbs has a bad wire in the pig tail. If you wiggle it just right it will come on. Amazon is sending me another set. It never fails when I try to save a nickel! So, not real confident in these starting off.

Re: Budget Build 1985 K20
 

I had to service my At4 today so I had to get the K20 out of the shop so I decided to do a couple shake down runs up and down the drive way! A lucky buck bucket works perfect for a seat by the way. I found a leak on the fuel pressure transmitter and the speedometer bounces real bad. I knew the speedometer bounced before I tore this thing apart but I thought it was the cable so i got a new one.

I fixed the leak and then tore the gauge cluster back out and replaced the speedometer with another one I had laying around. Did another test run down the driveway and all good now. So I ended the day in the exact same spot as I started.

Re: Budget Build 1985 K20
 

successful mini shake down. If the bucket tipped over while driving, it might have been more eventful...Ha ha. It is always nice to find these leaks prior to.

Looking good.

Marc

Re: Budget Build 1985 K20
 

I worked on the interior today. I had to notch the cardboard tool tray for the 6x9 speakers but I think it turned out ok. Thanks again TKCR for the seat and seat belts. They look great!

Re: Budget Build 1985 K20
 

Looks great:metal:
And your welcome!

Re: Budget Build 1985 K20
 

AT4? I have an 85 k20 and a 21 AT4 and I'm looking at moving to Michigan in the very near future. So many questions.

Re: Budget Build 1985 K20
 

That interior is looking great Josh. You going to hit up the Friday Night cruise or Saturday showing in Vicksburg this coming weekend?

Marc

Re: Budget Build 1985 K20
 

Definitely looking good!

Re: Budget Build 1985 K20
 

Thanks!

Ask away!

Thanks Marc! Unfortunately I'm not going to be able to make it to Vicksburg this year. we got a birthday party and graduation party to go to. Some people just can plan their parties very well.

Thanks!

Re: Budget Build 1985 K20
 

Time for a lesson in windshield installation! I bought a precision gasket with chrome locking strip from GMC Paul’s and the windshield from a local glass shop. The gasket went in fairly easy and I got the windshield inserted in the gasket with little trouble.

Now for the fun part the lock strip. The one that came from GMC Paul’s went in Fairly easy but the coating covering the chrome is really soft and I ended up nicking it in several spots using the lock strip install tool. So what the heck, I’ll get a new one from summit and do it again.

The summit lock strip showed up today so it was time for another fight. Now the summit strip is a precision with the exact same part number as the GMC Paul’s but it is stiffer and has black backing instead of clear backing and the coating over the chrome is harder and more durable. It was a real pain in the ass to get it in but it I think it will hold up better in the long run.

Can anyone tell me why Precision has 2 different lock strips with the same part number? It doesn’t really matter because I won the fight this time!

Re: Budget Build 1985 K20
 

Different supplier run or that "SP" designation might be the rub here?

Re: Budget Build 1985 K20
 

Just guessing here, but I have read that precision actively tries to improve the fit of their products. They may be getting the locking strip produced by someone else after having similar complaints on the one you started with. My guess on that is that summit might move them more quickly and have the improved version while GMC Paul's may have been sitting on the shelf for a while. All just guesses, but I appreciate the input since that's something I need to do soon.

Re: Budget Build 1985 K20
 

The summit strip had “SP” as well it just got torn off when I opened the package.

Definitely a possibility. Do yourself a favor and get the lock strip install tool. I got a Lisle one on Amazon for like 12 bucks and it worked good. I used the ball hook tool on the rear glass lock strip and it worked ok but I would have never gotten the lock strip in the front windshield doing it that way.

Re: Budget Build 1985 K20
 

Good to know, thanks. I'm tempted to wing it on stuff like that sometimes.

Re: Budget Build 1985 K20
 

Another thing…..use soap and water for lube. In the Precision video on YouTube the guys use foaming glass cleaner but I didn’t find it very effective. For one it foams so you can’t see what you are doing and another it dries quick and doesn’t provide much lube.