72 GMC LWB 4x4 Project "How Much?"

[Eturnit3]

Well here she is with new rims n tires, this 1st picture was taken about 4 years ago. When I found her, she had about 160,000 on a LP converted 350, 80 gal propane tank in the back and a camper shell than any child molester would envy. Paid $3500 for it, and the guys wife cried as I drove it off (they were both in there 80s/maybe 90's and had owned it for 30 years). When I got it home I immediately converted her back to gas, took the camper shell and the propane tank out. Then realized what I had just committed to. Sold the stock rims, the lp conversion w/tank. Put a Edlebrock performer Intake and carb. Bought some cheepy steel wheels and some decent 31" mud n snows, since I like to play in both.
At this point Im into this thing about $4200, dozens of bloodied knuckles and enough shop time and beer to piss off my old lady enough for her to leave me. She said "its me or the truck", I said "Im gonna miss ya babe"
The poor thing has character like you wouldn't believe from the white oxidized house paint on the lid,bumper and side mirrors, to the Custom shaped rear fenders ( the previous owner pounded them in so he could fit his aluminum fishing boat in the bed with the camper shell on )
About 2000 miles later, the motor blew. Im not entirely sure why, I have been told that it had soft valve seats due to the LP conversion? No matter, I have always liked to wrench on the old trucks so I figured a gm crate 350 would be easy enough to swap( +$1800). The 3 year guarantee sounded good.
The whole process took me about a week to get everything together and bolted in (gaskets/replacements +$200). I had a really hard time with the clutch linkage and stabbing the motor. the little bushing on the back of the motor, where it slips onto the tranny shaft just wouldn't go... fought with it a full day before I called a few more experienced fellas to have a look and lend a hand. They found that the little brass bushing thingy was a little marred up and advised on how get it back into shape (a small hone for remote control cars). A little cleaning and a little grease, pulled the clutch off to make sure it was aligned right. Finally after about 20 minutes of pushing n tugging, it finally slid in. Anyways, after all the hard knocks. She fired up and sounded terrible. The old point n condenser distributor was to blame. Rather than rebuild it, I chose to swap it out for a Mallory HEI($150ish). Was a pretty basic swap, did take me a few tries to get the thing dropped in on T.D.C. but after that she purred like a kitten. Drove the hell out of it after that, commuting from Grass Valley to Sacramento (about an hour drive) for about a year. It was pretty hard on it, and I hated the 3 on the tree. It locked up on me constantly and was generally a hassle. Eventually, I got a Hurst conversion which I had to modify, unknowing it has an installation kit it also came with the crappy shifter. It was still my daily driver at the time, and I wasn't about to put the column shift linkage back in. So we had an old Hurts shifter that had the same bolt pattern, and bent it with a propane torch and a vise. And here it sits today lol

Ive beat the hell out of this poor thing not researching anything I did, obviously. I was recently pointed towards another conversion kit made by Hurst, the Mastershift 3 which I hear is pretty good. I am having a bit of a hard time finding the installation kit. But when I find it I will put that in with the right shifter.. Probably going to need new sheet metal on the hump which I think I can get.
My brother, lent his 67 stepper to Our step Dad and long story short, he totaled it. He had recently put a nice set of Hedmans and *****in holly carb. Eventually I talked him out of them and put them in (with very little modification) and had a set of 50 series flows put on. Sounds pretty good and make sooo much more power. Mileage has gone down considerably but, who cares
It has been parked about 2 years as I bought a little Toyota and have been driving that to try and save some gas. I fired up the old beater every so often n drove it a bit. I realize how much I missed all that horse power. I found this forum a few weeks ago. Last weekend I pulled it out of non op and to the gas station. Was a terrible ride, worse than I remember. So that will be the start of this beast: Ride Improvement. What i want out of it is to be like new again and a littler taller with some wider stance, and I want it to to shift well. Also, it needs a new windshield.

[Eturnit3]

The Drag link
looks pretty toasted to me and Im planing on replacing it with an adjustable 3 piece unit.

I will post a pic of the replacement tomorrow. I may even have enough time to put it in.

[drtwhls]

Love it. I purchased my 70 4x4 3/4 ton LWB a year ago... Sat alongside the house for a few months, started to tinker here and there and before I knew it my plans include throwing in a Gen III 6.0L, 4L80E and passenger dropped 205 with a 4-1 conversion and 4-wheel disk brakes. My feet dragging has all been completed... Frame is ready to paint this weekend... I've thought about starting a thread but I'd rather spend the time working on my project.

Mine sits on 36" tires with what appears to be a 2" or 4" trailmaster lift. It sits perfectly level and looks very proportionate. The ride (from what I remember) was soft, similar to my 83 that was lifted on 35s.

Sorry no pics... I can't bring myself to waste the time on what a crappy ride it was.

[Eturnit3]

I was thinkin of going with the Skyjacker deluxe 6" (comes with just about everything, including rear leafs) its a little pricey but I dont want to piece everything together and I really didnt want blocks in the rear. I took a pic of the drag link Im about to put in, Does anyone see any downfall in the 3 piece design as opposed to the one piece drag link that I'm replacing?

[Eturnit3]

Under the hood

in all her dirty glory

[OARNGESI]

Nice looking truck

[Eturnit3]

Thanks, it has a lot of flaws but it will get there. I wish I would have taken pictures through out everything I did before any of this.
New windshield will be here on friday, with new rubber and trim. Should be putting new upper n lower ball joints one this weekend with tie rod ends n drag link, trying to get some 35x12.50 micky thompson baja claw radials on a 6" lift. then off for an alignment.

[Eturnit3]

Drivers side needs to be replaced, passenger looks good but ya never know whats under the shotty mako paint job

[onlyifihadachevy]

the 3 piece i think is better because it adjustiable, and nice truck.

But you put a lot of money into it, my mom is mad that me and my dad have paid 1500 for the truck and everything we have done to it maybe more didnt account for the hubs and a few otherthings. And i might just get my dad kicked out again when she finds out that we need rear leafs and wheels and tires.

[Eturnit3]

Yeah I put a lot of money into it, it was mostly by choice. I have a chevy family, we (about 8 of us) all have at least one, and at least one parts truck. I think we have 6? on the property now. So parts are plentiful, I just wanted everything to be new, and reliable (which I'm finding out that new isn't always reliable when it comes to alternators and water pumps). By the way, I got the old lady back, she just smiles (that ****ty grin) whenever we talk numbers and trucks. The name of the project is "how much?" because thats always her response. Anyways thanks for the input on the drag link.. appreciate it.

[Eturnit3]

By the way, if anyone has input on Lift kits,6"- 4 leaf, to be exact. I would love to hear what anyone has had good/bad luck with. Also any "What not to do" or "look out fors" if there is such a thing. This is the 1st time and I don't wanna screw anything up.

[onlyifihadachevy]

i have, watch out for brake lines really and and the steering link.

It maybe be difficult, with a car lift that picks up from the frame if you don't have one. Superlift it supposed to be good, put the leafs with more arch in the back. And get new shocks.

[Eturnit3]

Well I ordered my lift this weekend, I went with the superlift with rear blocks (as funding is limited right now) also got the brake lines to compensate for the lift, ordered tie rod ends and ball joints. Im guessing I will more than likely have to have a new rear drive line built. So I am setting aside some funds for that. Had the new windshield put in last friday but the guy forgot to bring the new trim so it will need to be redone. I might have tried to tackle this myself but it was only $60 for labor bringing my grand total to $230 with glass. Not too shabby. It will be a couple weeks before Im ready to update this thread with pics, let me know if anyone has suggestions or recommendations.

[onlyifihadachevy]

i think the driveline will still fit, but i have blocks but i need to order the rear leafs soon.

[Eturnit3]

Well I have made some small progress, got the drive line balanced and some new grease-able u joints in there (why they sell them without zirk fittings? I dunno, but auto zone does). Put a new coat of paint on it as well as the slip yoke.



My lift is on back order apparently, and may not be here for a couple more weeks (superlift is busy) So Im acquiring all I can as far as wheel bearings/ hubs/ front disks/pads/tie rod ends. I want it to be as "like new" as possible so the effects of the lift aren't multiplied by worn parts. It was recommended to leave the ball joints for the pros to do, which sucks because I want to save money where I can. Is it really that much more difficult than u joints? I dont have a press but I have a full socket set and a vise... some c clamps and a lot of beer and one hell of a will to succeed Should I leave it to the pros?
Also, Ive lost my flywheel dust cover and cannot seem to locate another. If anyone has any sources, that would be highly appreciated. I have looked on LMC, and summit racing also golden state parts. This isnt a subtle WTB its a please point me in the right direction of a retailer. I do plan on becoming a site supporter, just have limited pockets at the present time. Thanks in advance for the comments.

[msgross]

nice project.. If you are putting a large lift then be sure to get a raised steering arm, dropped pitman arm or an S shaped drag link...or a combo of that mix...

[Eturnit3]

Thanks big mike, I believe the lift I ordered included a pitman arm, and possiblly a spacer block? I also bought the adjustable drag link, also purchased the aftermarket brake lines to compensate for the lift (+$140) the lift only set me back $644 if that damn thing would just get here, Id be in business... Just about done collecting parts now, just hubs n brakes left. And Im in no rush, they tell me 3 weeks at least (backorder) on my lift

[msgross]

what hubs do you need? 1/2 ton or 3/4 ton?

The lift probably comes with a raised steering arm which are a pain to get off the axle, have fun! You want the adjustable drag link and an even better option was the S-shaped drag link. You need to keep it as parallel to the ground as possible to avoid "bump steer".

If you don't like large rear blocks then you could always so a shackle flip and 2" blocks.... diy 4x4 has a lot of cool parts...

[Eturnit3]

Yeah I wish I had the funds to just get new rear leafs, as you can see from my av pic it seems to sag a bit in the rear. My uncle has a set of 4" lift tough country springs but Ive heard the ride isnt all that. Im going to look into the shackle flip. I appreciate the tip. To answer your question Im looking for the 1/2t hubs. The ones I have on there (probably stock) pull away from the axle a little bit (maybe 1/16") if you grab them and wiggle. My step dad seems to think that "play" wont be there after the new wheel bearings, but Id just assume get a new set on there and not worry about it for another 30 years Thanks again for the input big Mike, Im obviously no vet to these trucks but I love em and want mine to turn out right.

[msgross]

wheel bearings won't change the hubs, it's just play with the hub and the snap ring that holds it on.

[Eturnit3]

Well I made some minor progress I felt was worth mentioning. Lost my alternator... then voltage regulator... and battery due to the voltage regulator and alternator... So I went through all the wiring on the front of the engine compartment. Replaced everything from the battery to the block, from the block to the voltage regulator (aside from the voltage regulator clip... that things a pain in the ass to track down locally and I cant justify spending 10 bux shipping on a 1/4 ounce part) so I'll wait to order that until I come up with the money to buy the new front drive line assembly that I need...$384 and some change shipped from LMC. I Was getting a pretty good rumble when I would corner somewhat fast, and then progressively slower and worse, and finally started getting a really bad spinning chirp noise and I knew something was wrong... the sound seemed to come from my shift knob which if you think about it makes sense... kind of like using a wooden pole to listen to the block (redneck stethoscope). I had suspected the grind while cornering was due to my ultra worn shackle/leaf spring bushings.. Ive got about 1 1/4" between the leaf spring bumper and leaf. I figured I was just leaning the truck too much while turning and because of the worn leafs/bushings it was either leaning the tire on the corner tread or something... I got under the truck last night and grabbed the front drive line near the transfer case and the H-yoke. There was a little play, like a 1/4" side to side. So I pulled it, asked a stupid question in the 4x4 forum and went for a drive and my rumble is gone... Stopped by the part store on the way back and picked up new u joints. Spent a good half hour when I got home pulling the drive line apart. When I got the weld yoke, centering yoke and "H"yoke apart, marred metal, a broken spring, a half missing metal sleeve, and a steel ball with a hole in the middle hit the floor. After cleaning the drive shaft off a little I noticed a good gouge on it and even a small hole. Looks like the weld yoke had been replaced before and there was a balancing weight on it. Seems to me I had already spent $50 on U joints and I know I couldn't have re balanced the drive shaft and replace the weld yoke and centering yoke for $384 dollars... So I thats the justification on the new drive shaft assembly. Also thought its worth mentioning that my gas mileage seems to have increased without front drive shaft, which is strange to me because I was under the impression that the front drive shaft didn't even move whilst in 2hi I may have transfer case issues. Anyways I will update with pics later tonight as Im out of batteries for the camera ATM lol.

[onlyifihadachevy]

lmc is expensive, did you look around in other mags.

[Eturnit3]

No.. Not really, I didnt think GMCpauls would have this and I lost my other parts catalog. Any suggestions as to other places I might look? I will drop the 25 bux a little later tonight for a membership so I can post some WTB's and sell some stuff as well.

[msgross]

front drive shaft shouldn't move unless the hubs are locked, then it will all be "driven" and not "driving" the front axle... either way it's drag on the truck would decrease steering radius and increase mileage...

[Eturnit3]

names looking much better in blue... although some of my favorite things are pink...