78 gmc heavy half stepside project

[Skunksmash]

Be sure to put a brown sticker on the back that says the name of the project

[INSIDIOUS '86]

Originally Posted by Skunksmash

Be sure to put a brown sticker on the back that says the name of the project

Haha I'm going to try too.

So a small update. I pulled the rear axle out and will be getting ready to put in the 308 12 bolt axle I got. Found that the original axle the truck has was a 3:73 ratio. Very nice indeed. Got the valves lashed and it sounds a little better.

Progress will be slowing down. Just started my 3rd quarter of weld school. And the weather has been absolute garbage so that doesn't help me get motivated in the slightest.
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[INSIDIOUS '86]

Good news everyone! Not a lot of progress this month but I got some things at the wrecking yard like these factory bed rails!

Then I got a free exhaust from a friend on northwest c10's on Facebook. Nothing special but it sounds nice. When I get a better video I will post it on YouTube and show you guys

Got the frame drilled for my old lowering brackets that were on my red truck when I first got it. Bought some grade 8 bolts and got them nice and tight.

Got my other axle in and modified the yoke to fit my driveshaft and got it on the ground

So since my driveshaft is on I decided to drive it...bed not bolted on rear shocks not mounted...core support not sinched down... No rear brakes whatsoever and no vacuum to the booster...haha! Just like my old go cart when I was a kid just drove in my neighborhood with it in first gear and low gear all the neighbors and thier kids loved swing it roll around dragging a low muffler. Last time they saw it we were pushing it down the road as a shell from my friends place haha

More updates soon guys. But I'm closer than ever

[INSIDIOUS '86]

It needs a good washing and a buff and much detailing but hell it's beautiful to me now. It was a shell a few months ago and it's come a long way

[mattcrp1]

Looking good!

[Billy81]

Congrats she is looking good.

[68Timber]

Looks good. Now slam it.

[INSIDIOUS '86]

Originally Posted by BRUISER

Looks good. Now slam it.

I'm debating it. Want to have fun with the monster truck size though. Prob get some steelies and if its possible find some gmc dog dish's and paint the steelies a light mint green haha

I figure maybe Somone would like the fact it's almost all stock. Otherwise I'm going to cut a coil up front and put some drop spindles on it then sell it.

I buffed it out today exept the drivers door and front fender. Those are getting replaced sometime soon. Same with floors. I will get more pics when Washington clouds go away

[96twodoor]

You really turned it around man

[INSIDIOUS '86]

Just went out and got all the side panels off a 73 Sierra truck. Headliner and visors too. Going to get some tan Bed liner and spray the doors and dash and make the interior saddle brown like original

[INSIDIOUS '86]

Alright well the tan bedliner didn't work out. It's way to light more like a desert sand than anything. There was the annual swap meet a week ago so I took some of my leftover parts and some stuff I got at the wrecking yard. I found an intake and got it for $20 and tried selling it for $40 but it was dirty and ugly and didn't sell. I basically sold the stuff I didn't think was going to sell and the stuff I figured would be gone stayed. Oh well just Craigslist it then. Slow time to sell stuff in the winter


I got some NOS chain sleeves from my freind and installed them.

I got power steering hooked up and some factory wire looms from a Malibu Put in. The steering box was so water logged that the power steering fluid looks like milk. So I flushed that. I blew the u joint caps taking it for a drive again. Did it roasting the tires haha.

Tried bleeding the front brakes and doing a fluid flush only to have the master cylinder stick so I def need a new one. Not a lot of work done as of late weather is getting cold and foggy

I will post some YouTube vids of the exhaust for you guys. She sounds nice. Just a hint of a lope at idle.

[INSIDIOUS '86]

Well not a super bunch done. Been low on funds but the good news is I sold that old intake and got enough money to fix the brakes. Bad news is the master cylinder got replaced and and works fine but my passenger side caliper seized up when bleeding the brakes. So I got two new calipers but the passenger side won't take any fluid still. So no more seizing and just not working now on that side. So now I need to see if its the hose the line or proportioning valve giving me issues.



So now that I'm starting to get tired of this trucks gimmicks I've decided to let it be fora while and save money and overhaul the whole brake system. In the meantime me and my son helped my freind with his truck. We cut out the original catylitic converter from '85 welded in a straight pipe. Changed out a freeze plug found out he had a 400 and not a 350 pulled the engine and 700r4. Put in a fresh th350 and motor mounts since the originals somehow disintegrated. And called it good for a while.

[Tx Firefighter]

Originally Posted by INSIDIOUS '86

I'd sure like to see you put a breather cap or at least a hose up to your air cleaner in that valve cover hole. I keep thinking of your PCV valve on the other cover sucking bad stuff right through there and into your engine.

[INSIDIOUS '86]

Yah I have a breather for it. And the other side is pcv. I just have it off since I put in some zinc additive for the oil

[INSIDIOUS '86]

So update. I got some things done to the truck. I found the culprit of my front brakes not working on the front passenger side. The hose got swollen to the point that were it clamps to the upper a arm fluid could no longer pass through. It's suggested to replace these every five years anymore. So now that I have new calipers new brake pads and new brake lines and master cylinder the braking system went from trash to new. It was real cheap to. With core charge on calipers an $22 brake pads its not real expensive to overhaul the whole brake system. I got tabs and insurance for it and gassed it up. Boy this thing pulls pretty decent for a big truck especially a 305 with what most would say WAY to big of a carb. I think the smaller 650 will help fill the cylinders though and run a little stronger down low. But it revs pretty clean and keeps the power going. I'm not disappointed in the least.

At the gas station I looked at it and remember how I got it. It's been a long journey but its almost done. Just small details left to go.

[rs74]

Way to go, another square back on the road.

[Low Elco]

Congrats! Good to see it runnin'.

[INSIDIOUS '86]

Here's a YouTube video of how it sounds. http://youtu.be/yyMSWfEglKI

[mattcrp1]

I like your picture of the brake line. Just another reminder of going over the basics.

[INSIDIOUS '86]

Yah a lot of people say that the lines have issues but I'm one of those people that likes documented evidence. So there I found the issue that everyone talks about and then the root cause. Now we all know what to look at when inspecting lines.

[jpnh]

nice/progress is good/nice to see ya got it back out there-jeff

[INSIDIOUS '86]

Yah I'm still having issues with the gas gauge though. I need to find the dual tank wiring diagram and go through the whole system.

[INSIDIOUS '86]

Alright so been a while since pics but here's an update. I have since gotten the the door panels repainted and refreshed. The weather here has been so cold that the dash cracked at the repairs again. I just need to get the door pockets and arm rests to complete them.




Also painted Adam west up some.

I have been driving it mostly to and from work. Just recently went out and had some fun with it in a corn field (maybe to much fun) with my friends truck and mine. My hose is frozen solid right now so I can't wash it. So now it just looks like a fresh of the farm truck


Then off northwest c10s site I got a pair of nice steelies and tires for free to put on the back. Got rid of the reverse rake and it looks much better IMHO than this tiny 15s in that big wheel well. Plans are to get the big ten stickers back on even though its a heavy half since the prev owner ruined the paint underneath by adding these stickers. Then add wheel trim and then the dealer done body pin striping and some side emblems. Should transform the look of the truck. After all this I plan to have my buddy respray the trouble areas of the truck were the paints getting thin. Like the hood and cab and prob the new drivers door and fender I will get someday if I can't find brown ones.

[INSIDIOUS '86]

Went and washed it up nice and good. Had to go to a brown near car wash since my hose was frozen up and they were the only ones open. Gotta say. I kinda dig the stock height it drives nice and looks classic. I got a radio and kick speakers in more pics on those when its light out.

[Zane M]

All I can say is I love this truck!