Pardon the new guy... My plowrig build

[propanemudtruck]

Hey everyone, I'm Kevin. Please forgive me, I didn't see this 4x4 build section! I'm going to transfer most my build from the main build section, as I think it would fit best over here...



So I'm building a new plow truck for next winter. Currently I run a 90 Chevy short box with front and rear blades and an 89 K5 with the same setup. The K5 is rotten to the point where the body is literally sitting on the frame. So I've decided to use what parts I have and build a truck. I'm reading on this site every chance I get and working in the mean time. Progress is slow because of the family, a young toddler daughter and an infant daughter and Mommy needs my help whenever I'm not workin!

The truck will have a Boss 8' blade on the front , a wooden box I built a few years ago and a 7.5' back blade too. My thoughts are tough the first time, less down time when snow flies in Michigan. I'll be running belt driven hydraulics robbed from the K5.


Started with my donor frame - 86 K10 Longbed


Stock Leaf Springs


Donor Leaf packs / 86 10 bolt w/ 4.10 gears swapped in





Frame marked to cut



Donor rear axle with leafs - 86' 14 bolt / 4.10 gears


Rough cuts lined up - Cleaned up edges following the straight edge, clamped frame in place and welded.





Engine installed - 86 350, .443" lift & 212° duration cam, new lifters, pushrods, rockers, and valve seals. Edelbrock performer intake, 1405 Carb and Hooker Headers

Fuel Pump Blockoff - Plan to run TBI in tank fuel pump w/ regulator

My free cab and front clip - the cab needs plenty of work and it's not quite worth it. I'll get the truck going down the road safely and worry about another cab to work on later. It will be nice some day!





Got the cab and front clip sitting on the frame just to get a look at how high it will sit. It's well over 7' tall at the top of the cab, it towers over my F250 super duty with 2" AAL and 35" tires.


I'll be manufacturing and selling this universal clutch alignment tool, for only 3 easy monthly installments of $29.95!



I know my vent hole isn't plugged! I tipped the tranny up on my dolley to get it in place. Looks like the ball socket that the shifter sits in is a little leaky too.




Clutch pivot bracket bolted to the frame, something to line up when I'm figuring my trans mount.

[84 400]

lotta wok going on there. is a 60/14b full floater in the plans later down the road? did you fish plate the weld?

This is gonna be a killer plow rig

[propanemudtruck]

It seems that I have a stock pile of 14/10 bolt sets, so I figured I'd start with those. If I break all my 10 bolts I know I'll be on the lookout for a 60. I have a Driver's side HP44 from a 70's ford too, kinda saving that for the S10 SFA project!

I did plate the frame, I used 1/8" plate, 5"x8" with one 1.5" plug weld on each side as well. I realized I didn't get any pics of that yet. I've been plowing for 8 years, 4 years independently and it pays for my home heat and some fun too every year. Every year I try to make my fleet a bit tougher. Last year both rigs had TBI belt driven hydraulics because I was killing batteries and alternators left and right!

[84 400]

yeah seems like you know what your doing then. IF you got a stock pile of 10's m ight as well use em.

[propanemudtruck]

I'm comfortable with the build from the frame down, but the "new" body is what brought me here. Thanks for the input guys.

[propanemudtruck]

Last night I cut all the parts for my trans crossmember, I'll hopefully get that all finished up today with some pics to follow. Progress is slow but steady!

[propanemudtruck]

Crossmember is done - need to drill holes in the frame and debur a couple edges then maybe even paint it.

Had some help the other night too while the girls were sleeping! My wife was finishing the carb gasket up for me. It's been a while since she has been able to come out to the garage, next will be tuning up her welding skills again.










Might need more clearance once I get the driveshaft I'll make some modifications as needed.

[propanemudtruck]

Last night I drilled the holes in the frame for the crossmember, got it bolted up and mocked a front driveshaft in place. It clears the notch so I can pull it apart and throw some paint on for good. Need to pull a retaining nut from another t-case for my front yoke and measure for driveshaft lengths. Slow progress compared to most on here, but what do you do? I'll have to start pulling parts from the K5 soon, flowmaster exhaust, gas tank. I think it has stainless fuel lines that I should be able to use, I need to pick up a fuel pressure regulator and then I'll work on firing up the heart of this beast to see how it runs!

[propanemudtruck]

So I cleaned the glove box sticker enough that I could get the VIN and decode it...

It was a 1971, 2wd, 1/2 ton V8.

The original color is 524 Hugger Orange

[propanemudtruck]

Last night I did some more little work here and there. I moved the rear spring hangers for 56" springs and now my shackles look happy again. I also got my rear bumper/back blade bracket clamped in place. Then I pulled the gas tank from my 89 K5, I'll need to pull the two crossmembers tonight and mock them up. The truck frame is a bit wider than the blazer frame and some of the geometry is different, but it should be easy to get everything fit up well.

[propanemudtruck]

More progress.

Got my plow frame welded on last night, then cut out the rear crossmember and welded the blazer crossmembers in for the gas tank install. A few pictures of how the body is sitting now with it mocked in place. I'll need to make mounts now.

[propanemudtruck]

Ok, I have a deadline. I plan on going camping for nearly a week in about 8 weeks. The last week of July I recall. I'll be less than 15 minutes from the Silver Lake Sand Dunes in NorthWestern Michigan and would like to be able to go for a cruise with my wife. I've got quite a bit of work to do and not much time left considering my schedule so I need to make every bit of work count!

Fuel Lines from the tank to the regulator to the carb

Power booster installed with pedal assembly
Brake Lines and hoses run

Front Clip hung onto the cab, figure all body mounts
repair rockers/outer floors just strong enough to hold for a year until I find a decent cab to redo
build body mounts and bolt body down

Run some of the truck electrical using the 89 K5 as a donor for future ECM/TBI

Cut down driveshafts

Repair Steering Column or use K5 column, customize as needed to mate to 86 steering box

Replace old critter eaten buckets with another set of buckets from an old GEO Tracker.

Once I return from the trip I'll worry about mounting up the wooden bed if I run short on time, wire the lights and markers, figure wipers and all.

Hope I make it, it's been 5 years since I've had any toys out there!

[propanemudtruck]

Things are coming along ok. I ran the supply fuel line to the fuel pressure regulator and to the carb, jumped some wires to the fuel pump, distributor and starter and jumped with a battery on the front frame rail...

No fuel pressure.

Come to find out my new regulator had two plastic diaphrams in it and wouldn't allow any fuel through. All is well after I pulled the second out. It fired up and it's close on time, but I've got some bad noises coming from the gear box

I pulled the top cover back off, did some rework to the shifter rod while I had it apart, made sure the forks were in line with the gears and now I can't get it together again with the darkness. I'll wait until I can see what I'm doing without a drop light...

Got some paint on the bare spots of the frame, the welds, the crossmember.

It's nice to work on it now that I got the HUGE bumble bee's nest out of the heater box!

[Dieselwrencher]

Nice work! Those stupid bees and wasps sure make it a challenge for sure! :hehe:

[84 400]

sounds good man. I can't wait to get my sm465 in my rig but hav eheard the shifting fork is its weak link. Those damm bees can be a real bugger to get out.

Keep up the good work

[propanemudtruck]

Thanks guys!

Those bees have been humming in the cab since I picked it up, but they just started flying around and making problems. It only took a few cans of spray, a shop vac running, a crow bar to dig the nest out and my hat to swat at the bees!

I'm sure once I get the top cover of the trans figured out and put in it's place things will go smoothly from there. I'm really hoping so at least!

It's nice having a body that's not so great looking, I'm not too afraid to try a cut here or there for the newer parts coming into the build. Then when I go find a nice donor I'll know where to measure from and what to modify to make everything come together.

[propanemudtruck]

So I know this is most likely my own fault, but I'm still having transmission issues. I got the top cover back off, situated in 1/2 reverse position, all gears set right, everything dropped together just like it should, but the grinding got worse. I have another transmission at a friend's house about 25 miles away and I'm thinking it will take less time to go get that to swap in then it will screwing around with this one. Nothing like things to set you back, huh?

This thing starts and sounds great for the 1/2 second that I fire it up to hear it grinding like crazy! I can't wait to go spin a wheel for a change! It's been 9-10 years since I had a 4x4 toy to go play with, 5 years since I've been in the sand dunes (2 hours away) and 3 years since I've ridden my quad. It's time to play and I'm ready even though I have a ton of work to do still.

Tonight I also measured for body mounts. I'll dig my 1/8" stock out of my rack and start fabbing those some time soon. looking forward to having the body bolted down

[propanemudtruck]

Hope this is ok to post on here, but I found a manual online. Maybe this will save me a trip and a sore back loading that big pig into my super duty...


http://www.zieglerdigital.ca/public/...sm465rbman.pdf

[propanemudtruck]

This weekend I got some time to do some work. I pulled the power booster and master cylinder off my 89 K5 to see how it would mount up. A couple new holes drilled in the mount and some trimming on the bottom for steering column clearance and it bolted on. Took some customization of the pedal assembly just like the clutch did but I have the top half of the brakes complete, just need to run some lines now. For the time being, since my steering column is shot and the cab isn't worth restoring, I'll be mounting the blazer column and hacking the dash to make it work. Once I get a nicer cab and decent rebuildable column I'll make sure to pay my respects to the old iron and splice the original column into the 89 K5 wiring.

[propanemudtruck]

Sorry, I'll have to get pictures soon, but the custom body mounts are tacked on and the truck cab is sitting on body bushings. I hung the front clip to see how things will end up for the core support mounts. Ending up with about 13" between the 32" tire and the top of the fenderwell. I've got room for up to a 40" tire I'd say without wheeling it too hard, probably a 36 or 37 for moderate wheeling. Now that the body mounts are on the truck and things line up well, I'm going to pull the cab once again and get a different tranny in that's not grinding in neutral. Although it has to come apart again, I feel like I accomplished quite a bit in the few hours I worked.

Pictures to come.

[propanemudtruck]

Here are the pictures of the body on the mounts and the front clip just sitting for some reference. Also my wooden box that I'll be mounting up and the C60 that came with the house. Some day I'll be sure to get it running to haul vehicles, wood, whatever needs to be moved I guess. The cute little girl is my oldest daughter. She loves to come play outside and turn a wrench with daddy!

[propanemudtruck]

Couple more pictures...

[jeremy zander]

Nice..Helpers are always good..!!!

[Dieselwrencher]

Nice progress!

[aerotruk63]

The wood box is interesting, nicely done. Building a 63 K10 for plowing industrial/ commercial sidewalks.