1982 K10 6.2 Diesel build

[93M6Formula]

So the original owner had this air tank bumper installed when new, and I really want to keep it because it's a pretty cool piece I think and it was built here in Nebraska just a few miles from me. So when I pull the box, i'm going to get this blasted and powder coated silver and get a new gauge and fitting in it. My main goal for this truck is keep it fairly original but with period correct upgrades. Also has an old school CB radio he installed that i'd like to get working just for fun.

[93M6Formula]

One thing I find almost hilarious on truck is how damn rusty it is but almost every piece of the original aluminum trim is flawless but just dirty, as well as virtually no dents anywhere on the body. You can tell the truck wasn't road hard and put away wet over the years, it just never got washed and the poor thing got rusty. Though the stick on molding has fallen off in several places and the rest are holding on for dear life lol.

[straight6chevyguy]

I'm cb/radio nut so naturally I'm curious about the cb. Any pic's?

[93M6Formula]

Originally Posted by straight6chevyguy

I'm cb/radio nut so naturally I'm curious about the cb. Any pic's?

I'll have to grab some later, it's very 80s with the woodgrain and all.

[93M6Formula]

Originally Posted by straight6chevyguy

I'm cb/radio nut so naturally I'm curious about the cb. Any pic's?

Here's the CB

[93M6Formula]

Also remembered I have a set of bumperettes laying around so i'll be cleaning these up and installing.

[LT7A]

I like your idea of holding on to era correct upgrades. That bumper is unusual and cool and the CB radio is just right for the time. My 1982 GMC also came with a CB radio. The previous owner was a trucker and told me he spent a lot on it. I'd like to find out more about it. FWIW, I know that you are planning on a 2-inch lift and I wouldn't want to talk you out of your plan. But I did want to say I think your truck sits just right for that stock+ vibe. Like in posts number 4 and 20. Also, I see some brass with a big Z on it in the background while you're holding up your timing cover. That means we have something else in common.

[93M6Formula]

Originally Posted by LT7A

I like your idea of holding on to era correct upgrades. That bumper is unusual and cool and the CB radio is just right for the time. My 1982 GMC also came with a CB radio. The previous owner was a trucker and told me he spent a lot on it. I'd like to find out more about it. FWIW, I know that you are planning on a 2-inch lift and I wouldn't want to talk you out of your plan. But I did want to say I think your truck sits just right for that stock+ vibe. Like in posts number 4 and 20. Also, I see some brass with a big Z on it in the background while you're holding up your timing cover. That means we have something else in common.

Honestly I probably wouldn't mess much with the suspension but the springs are absolutely shot so they need done. The 2" will be a nice compromise, I've always thought it was perfect and practical yet.

But yes i'm a music man too, I write and record my own music so I play guitar, drums and sing as well. Mostly just for fun really.

[straight6chevyguy]

Originally Posted by 93M6Formula

Here's the CB

Looks like a cool little radio.
I'm not to familiar with that model cb but I think it's from maybe sometime around 1976. However the wood grain does go well with the early 80's theme.

[straight6chevyguy]

Originally Posted by straight6chevyguy

Looks like a cool little radio.
I'm not to familiar with that model cb but I think it's from maybe sometime around 1976. However the wood grain does go well with the early 80's theme.

For those that are interested, All cb radios with only 23 channels were manufactured before 1977.
After 1977 all full channel radios had 40 channels.
There was a few cb's that were made at the very end of 1976 that had 40 channels but not very many.

Like I said, I'm really into this stuff. LOL

[straight6chevyguy]

Originally Posted by 93M6Formula

So the original owner had this air tank bumper installed when new, and I really want to keep it because it's a pretty cool piece I think and it was built here in Nebraska just a few miles from me. So when I pull the box, i'm going to get this blasted and powder coated silver and get a new gauge and fitting in it.]

Wow I have never seen any thing like that.
Pretty cool!

[93M6Formula]

Originally Posted by straight6chevyguy

For those that are interested, All cb radios with only 23 channels were manufactured before 1977.
After 1977 all full channel radios had 40 channels.
There was a few cb's that were made at the very end of 1976 that had 40 channels but not very many.

Like I said, I'm really into this stuff. LOL

Yeah after you posted about it I did some research and this looks to be a 1976 model or so. I ended up finding an owners manual on ebay so that will be here next week lol. I'm pretty sure it works, some of the wiring is just a little shoddy now.

[Greenlee]

Cool truck! I like the rear air bumper. I’ve heard of those, but not sure I’ve ever seen one. Nice score on the same color parts truck as well!

[93M6Formula]

Got a couple goodies on Ebay. Weather went to **** last weekend so I didn't go get the other 82, so i'll be grabbing that this Saturday instead.



And a wiring diagram for the CB radio.

[93M6Formula]

Originally Posted by Greenlee

Cool truck! I like the rear air bumper. I’ve heard of those, but not sure I’ve ever seen one. Nice score on the same color parts truck as well!

Thanks! I think it's a really cool piece, luckily it's not actually rotted out or beat up. Some sandblasting and powdercoat will whip it right into shape.

[93M6Formula]

Finally was able to grab my 2WD clone yesterday.

[93M6Formula]

So I got the truck home. Was a little more rough than I was hoping but it was cheap and worth the spare parts. Box is still pretty decent and will look much better on my truck and the engine runs really well.



I did find some cool stuff in the glovebox though. Some original purchase documents including the original owner who bought it with 23 miles, it's first oil change at 1800 miles, and a diesel supplement.

Another cool thing I found also is that it was bought new at the exact same dealership in Lincoln, NE at the exact same time as my 82. It was also built the same month as mine in April 1982. I was hoping they were built close to each other but my 82 was built in Janesville and this 2WD was built in St Louis, still pretty cool either way.

[93M6Formula]

Diesel Supplement



Warranty info



First oil change in June 1982



SPID is nearly identical to mine as well

[93M6Formula]

Was having issues with the oil pressure gauge working intermittently so I decided to get the gauges fixed up. Speedometer cable has been bad for who knows how long also and it apparently broke the needle off the gauge at the same time. So i'll be repainting the needles, doing some cleaning and an LED upgrade. I have a few spare cluster laying around for parts luckily.





Tag from the clock



Found some corrosion on the printed circuit which was the issue.



Also found a gigantic mouse nest in the dash...

[93M6Formula]

Did some minor refreshing on the gauges, they are much better now. Took 4 different cluster I had to make one lol. Somehow I had one with a good gear indicator needle. Also found some interesting differences between different years of clusters. Note my original 1982 fuel gauge vs the 1986 diesel cluster. As well as the different 700R4 gear indicators. Speedometers were slightly different as well. My 1982 speedometer had a stop needle at 85 MPH, my other clusters did not have this. Also different Odometer gear setups between clusters.

[93M6Formula]

Also got a new windshield installed, not many pics from the install but it looks great.





Put new bushings in my low mile leaf springs I acquired. A hole saw works pretty well instead of burning them out and smelling like burnt rubber. Also used my sawzall to cut the remaining shell out and then tap them out. All in all took me an hour surprisingly.

[93M6Formula]

Came across my NV4500 donor. Wasn't even really looking but this popped up for super cheap so i snagged it. Runs and drives but it's crusty so i'm just going to part it out.

[93M6Formula]

Been slacking on updating i'll post where i'm at now.

Got rid of the crusty old box first, somehow the bolts all came loose but started spinning due to the rotted crossmembers. Once that was off, I started getting the lift blocks in the rear.



https://imgur.com/SaaZHLf

Of course had to break out the torch for the eyelet bolts. the rears weren't too bad but the front hangers had mud packed in them for YEARS so the nut and bolt end were nearly non existent, luckily the hanger was still halfway decent.



I have never see a set of springs so worn out and sketchy before I got this truck... rear sets were all cracked and one stack was missing half a leaf. front springs were absolutely sagged out too.





Once I got the blocks in and the low mile used springs I aquired, i learned something new... These were 56" springs from a 2WD so with the hangers on my truck meant for 52" springs, I had a problem...







I didn't take any pics but luckily, GM was generous to provide the holes in the frame for 52 and 56" springs so all I had to do was move the rear hanger back to that position.

Once that was sorted out I installed my 2" lift springs from ORD. This was much easier and required no torch and only 2 hours of my time.





After the lift install, I had to tackle the mouse problem. I didn't take a ton of pics but I gutted the interior and pulled the entire HVAC system to do some disinfecting. Of course I found nests in about every orifice. I pulled apart the heater box and vents and scrubbed every inch with bleach/soap water and replaced the heater core. fixed a few vacuum lines that mice chewed up and put it back together and it functions perfectly and smells 10x better...

[93M6Formula]

After that was all done, I finally finished my fuel system so that it was 100% new tanks to engine. Replaced all rubber lines, wired up a relay for my 6.5 lift pump, and installed the new tanks and sending units.



Also for ****s n giggles I wanted to see how the paint would look after a quick buff. Not bad lol.



Unfortunately I skipped a bunch of photos and steps between these pics. But after the fuel system was buttoned up, I tossed on my donor box, added new side molding, charged the A/C, replaced belts, and i've been driving the wheels off it. Still plenty to do, next project is balljoints and tierods, then it's mechanically in shape and i'll probably be driving it like this awhile.










And that's where it sits now. Successfully making it less ugly for the time being until I can do actual body work.

I did pick up a super clean frame and diffs from an 86 K10 6.2 diesel that was parked in the early 90s and my plan is to get that blasted and powdercoated, rebuild diffs, etc etc and eventually start transferring parts over to it. May sound kind of dumb but that way I can enjoy the truck for awhile and not have it down in pieces not getting done.

[focusedontheprize]

The truck looks great and that color scheme is definitely growing on me - I really am liking it now. Regarding your K10 diesel frame project, that is the best way to go if you can and the best of both worlds.