80 1 ton 4x4 ?

[Nightrider]

does anyone know if they made a 1980 1ton dually 4x4 ,longbed, single cab from the factory? And what they are worth in good condition.Suppose to go look at one, not sure if its factory made. thanks

[1FaastC10]

yes, there were 1 ton LWB standard cabs buit in this body style from 1977-1991. if it is a true 1 ton, it will have a Dana 60 in the front. if it does not have a Dana 60, it is worth far less than a truck equipped with one. price depends on condition, and what you're willing to pay. Dana 60 front axles alone can go for up to $2000.

[Nightrider]

thanks I'll check her out !

[Bill W]

I've never seen a factory big-block 4x4 in the 73-87 body style. I've seen plenty of conversions but non factory. So that will also be something else to look for.

Bill

[Misled]

Originally posted by Bill W
I've never seen a factory big-block 4x4 in the 73-87 body style. I've seen plenty of conversions but non factory. So that will also be something else to look for.

Bill

Bill,
There were some 454s in 1982 and 1983 in the K30 SRW. I'm assuming they were special orders, but they were from the factory. I had 4 friends who ordered them (stock truck pulls were big here then and the 454 K30 was the hot ticket) All the guys put the aluminum slot wheels an them and they were great looking (I still wish I had one!!!)

Misled

[1969 GMC]

I am pretty sure that you could get the 454 in every year K/30, starting in '77. Most I have seen have the 454. I have seen some with a 350, and a few '80s models with the 6.2 diesel, but it seems that most have the 454.

K/30's are the trucks that everyone wants to use parts from. You could get one with the 454, TH400 (or SM465), NP205, dana 60 front axle, corporate 14 bolt (or dana 70) rearend. like the wish list of any offroader, but all from the factory. since that one you found is a dually, it will probably have the dana 70 rear axle. not too sure why a lot of these d70's popped up in DRW applications, but they did. they are just as strong as 14 bolts.

[Lester]

The 454 was not a K30 option until 1979. It was a C30- option from 73 to 83. The K30 first appeared in 1977 with a 400SBC, srw or drw. Not a good engine for that truck. It was replaced by the 350 as the standard engine in 1979.

There are two type of dually trucks. The ones that came without a cab called a cab chassis usually had a GM 14 bolt rear end. These became service trucks, wreckers, ambulances etc. The other one was the dually pickup it came with the DANA 70. The dually pickup rear ends are 11 inches wider than the cab chassis dually's.

The DANA 70 is the Big Dooley option for the standard cab and crew cab dually's.

The 454 became the standard engine for pickup duallys in 1983 2wd or 4wd.

[1FaastC10]

Originally posted by Lester
The K30 first appeared in 1977 with a 400SBC, srw or drw. Not a good engine for that truck.

you're right, big heavy trucks dont need the torque a big bore, long stroke engine creates.

[NAPCO ken]

I bought a new (from the dealer) '78 dually crewcab 4x4 (K30) and it had a 454.

[Lester]

Napco Ken, If you bought your 454/K30 after June 1978 I'd agree you did that. Before June... I suppose anything was possible back then... for example, many of the 79 GM trucks sold in early 79 were re-titled 78's. The VIN said it was a 78 and the title with that VIN number stated it was a 79. Made for an awkward moment at the title office.

1FaastC10, "you're right, big heavy trucks dont need the torque a big bore, long stroke engine creates." I agree the 400SBC when it was new was a strong engine, but get 50K miles on it and pooof, it suddenly needed alot of work starting with replacing both heads. You are probably too young to know this, but back in the 70's the running joke at the time about 400SBC was if you had a 400SBC with a Qjet you'd be rebuilding the 400 before the Qjet needed a kit. They ran well, some said better than the 350, but would not stay together in a high stress application like a truck which is probably why GM quietly dropped that engine. Long stroke engine...hmmm, isn't an inline 6 cylinder engine a long stroke engine and a V8 a short stroke engine? Did GM build a 400 inline 6 and I missed that? But then, you are the member in this thread who said that Dana 60 front ends go for as much as $2000, yet I recall you telling me last month that a K30 rolling chassis with a DANA 60 would need to be plated in gold to be worth $1900. Is your name really John "FlipFlop" Kerry?

[1FaastC10]

Originally posted by Lester
1FaastC10, "you're right, big heavy trucks dont need the torque a big bore, long stroke engine creates." I agree the 400SBC when it was new was a strong engine, but get 50K miles on it and pooof, it suddenly needed alot of work starting with replacing both heads. You are probably too young to know this, but back in the 70's the running joke at the time about 400SBC was if you had a 400SBC with a Qjet you'd be rebuilding the 400 before the Qjet needed a kit. They ran well, some said better than the 350, but would not stay together in a high stress application like a truck which is probably why GM quietly dropped that engine. Long stroke engine...hmmm, isn't an inline 6 cylinder engine a long stroke engine and a V8 a short stroke engine? Did GM build a 400 inline 6 and I missed that? But then, you are the member in this thread who said that Dana 60 front ends go for as much as $2000, yet I recall you telling me last month that a K30 rolling chassis with a DANA 60 would need to be plated in gold to be worth $1900. Is your name really John "FlipFlop" Kerry?

when PROPERLY maintained, a 400 can be a very reliable engine. let up on your maintnance, and you're going to have problems. the majority of the 400s that went bad had cooling issues. had those cooling issues been attended to as soon as the owner had a problem, they would still be on the road today. many people just didnt realize that it was a different animal than the previous small blocks.

on the Dana 60 issue, i said UP TO. and the Dana 60s that go for that much have generally been gone through. the 60 your brought up was a dually version, and it was used, nobody made mention of it ever even having the cover gasket off.

to be honest with you, i could care less what the bore and stroke is of an inline 6 cylinder. that has absolutely nothing to do with the topic at hand. as far as i know, there isnt any real stroke difference between an inline 6 and a small block. 300 is 75% of 400, and GM built a 292 I6 didnt they? that's close enough for me.

[mike reeh]

$2K ?? I will sell you all the dana 60 axles you can afford, at 2K a peice. Youd have to be exceedingly stupid or filthy rich to buy a front axle for that much money. I better be able to eat off every square inch on that bad boy too.. if its a fully built custom axle then that might be different but no parts truck take off axle is worth that much...

mike