78 K20 custom delux "modern meets vintage" build thread

[K20chevy]

Originally Posted by whitels1

Truck is looking real nice!

Thank you!

Originally Posted by tip

Nice work! Love the bumpers, clean and simple.

i apreciate the compliments, thank you! You forgot strong in the description though!

Oh and somewhat period correct or OEM looking.... I was trying to mimmic the "stockish" look or sth that was available back in the late 70´s.

It is easier to modify something old and show the mods than to try to hide them as best as possible...

[Kinze]

I just found the link to this thread and read every post, what a simply awesome build!!!!!! Everything about it is trick, custom, and works. It is inspiring to those of us in the beginning stages!

[73Super8]

Very nice build! Mean looking truck.

[K20chevy]

Originally Posted by Kinze

I just found the link to this thread and read every post, what a simply awesome build!!!!!! Everything about it is trick, custom, and works. It is inspiring to those of us in the beginning stages!

Thank you for the kind words!

Originally Posted by 73Super8

Very nice build! Mean looking truck.

Thank you!

[1985-GMC]

Awesome build! I like everything you've done, I plan on doing my bumpers similar to that too.

[K20chevy]

Originally Posted by 1985-GMC

Awesome build! I like everything you've done, I plan on doing my bumpers similar to that too.

Thank you! I think this is the closest way to vintage looking bumpers but with the added strength of something more HD.

Let me see pics when you get your bumpers done.

[1985-GMC]

Definatly, it may be a while though... Haha

[K20chevy]

Originally Posted by 1985-GMC

Definatly, it may be a while though... Haha

it always is. I´m 14 years into mine and only about 90% done.

[1985-GMC]

Haha well I'm about 6 years in and I don't think I'm even half way done, but the last 3 years have been pretty much stagnant.

[K20chevy]

Originally Posted by 1985-GMC

Haha well I'm about 6 years in and I don't think I'm even half way done, but the last 3 years have been pretty much stagnant.

it takes time, but I think it is well worth it at the end, creating somethng unique and keeping these old trucks alive!!!

[1985-GMC]

Taking all this time though has allowed me to change several different aspects of the build, which could be good or bad depending on which way you look at it... I'll just say its good lol

[K20chevy]

Originally Posted by 1985-GMC

Taking all this time though has allowed me to change several different aspects of the build, which could be good or bad depending on which way you look at it... I'll just say its good lol

My initial plans were way crazier, basically a 4WD, stock/vintage looking Trophy truck. But I went away from that plan as it would just be too much work and cost too much for a truck not really usable anymore.....

I have changed my mind often, but I think now I have a pretty good idea on how I´ll finnish the truck!

Did you get started on your fenders yet?

[1985-GMC]

Nope not yet, I need to go pick up a set from a friend's house and I still need to buy a set of tires then it shouldn't be tooo long after that.. Though this first set will end up being for my suburban instead of my gmc.

[K20chevy]

Originally Posted by 1985-GMC

Nope not yet, I need to go pick up a set from a friend's house and I still need to buy a set of tires then it shouldn't be tooo long after that.. Though this first set will end up being for my suburban instead of my gmc.

sounds good! Looking forward to pictures. I´ll be back with my truck in May to work on my fenders and a few more goodies!

[Kinze]

Don't forget about us, we need pics and write-ups!!!

[K20chevy]

Ok, finally a little progress...

The suspension and fender mods had to stay behind though. The truck needed a stronger clutch bad, it really needed the hitch and I wanted to finally get the rear flood lights and auxiliary tail lights onto the bumper.

I did mock up a hickey brush guard to work with my winch bumper. But ran out of time to completely finnish that.

pics will follow....

[K20chevy]

New south bend clutch! Works really really good! So much more fun to drive now!



The class V hitch is finally on:





and because of the rear tank and not being able to get a wrench to tigten up the bolts and not wanting to drop the tank every time I need to take the hitch off, this is my home made sollution:







works great!

[silverbear]

WOW what an awesome build. I have been curious what other manual transmission have been swapped into a square body. I would love to dump my SM465 and install a ZF. Did you need any adapters to mount the Zf the your original 350?

When making room in the trans tunnel to clear the ZF was it more height or length that was needed?

[K20chevy]

Originally Posted by silverbear

WOW what an awesome build. I have been curious what other manual transmission have been swapped into a square body. I would love to dump my SM465 and install a ZF. Did you need any adapters to mount the Zf the your original 350?

When making room in the trans tunnel to clear the ZF was it more height or length that was needed?

Thank you! You don´t need any adapters. The bellhousing will bolt right up. Although the crank on the 350 has more stickout than the one on an LS engine. So that moves everything (clutch, pressure plate, flywheel) back further. That self adjusting TOB of the ZF will make up for that, but it is pretty much maxed out with the 350. The LS motors work great in combination with the ZF.
You would have to get a clutch from an 8.1 with the pressure plate. your flywheel, if I remember correctly should work.

As for the floor/trans tunnel: BOTH! The front of the tunnel needs to go all the way up to the seem where the firewall joins the cab floor. and at least in my case with the Atlas II, I had to cut the floor all the way underneath the seat area. That thing is at least twice the size of the SM465.

I hope this helps you some.

[K20chevy]

And just because I think you can never have enough lights on your truck, I added some combination turn/tail/brake/reverse LED tail lights and flush mounted them to the bumper, just like the rear LED work lights.

Mock up state:



light pockets cut and holes drilled/countersunk:



Seal around the edge:



Lights installed:





Lights are not hooked up yet though... :/

[kikkegek]

What did you get for the turn signals LEDs? Switchback panels?

[K20chevy]

Originally Posted by kikkegek

What did you get for the turn signals LEDs? Switchback panels?

So I assume you figured out that I went to amber turn signal in the back.... so the "new" LED combination lights have 12 amber LEDs as turn signals, 12 red LEDs as tail/brake lights and 6 white LEDs as back up lights.

On the OEM tail lights, I added some white and some amber LEDs to the back up light housing, to have both finctions in there. But the back up is just way too dim that way. So I might try a switch back LED bulb that has white and amber in one unit. The stop/tail lights will be converted with a dakota digital conversion kit and the rear side markers use replacement Osram LEDs.
Hope this answers the question!

P.S.: to separate the stop/turn wire, I ran a completely seperate wire driectly from the white wire on the brake switch to the tail lamps. The original Stop/turn wires only funtion as turn wires now.

[kikkegek]

Cool. So did you build the led panels yourself? Or bought some?
Posted via Mobile Device

[K20chevy]

Originally Posted by kikkegek

Cool. So did you build the led panels yourself? Or bought some?
Posted via Mobile Device

The LEDs in the bumper are units from Hella new zealand, so I bought those.
The white and amber LEDs in the OEM back up lights were bought units as well, but they are not bright enough to really be visible. So I thought about using one of the switch over 1157base LED bulbs. If that diesn´t work, then I´d have to make my own panel. The tail and stop funtion in the OEM light will be done with a Dakota digital unit, so something I will buy.

[K20chevy]

this is what the marker lights look in the dusk/dark: