1973 K20 Build Thread

[thirdstreettito]

And remember the pics of the painted frame!

[glimmertwin01]

Hey Mando..nice work...
I have been doing the K5 in the driveway myself... my northeastern stuff is much scalier than that truck but you are doing a great job... I live the 73 K20.. bad ass bro.

[69-72]

Thanks for the great pictures and info on the front axle. I have been looking all over for something like this.

[TheWhiteElephant]

Originally Posted by thirdstreettito

And remember the pics of the painted frame!

Originally Posted by glimmertwin01

Hey Mando..nice work...
I have been doing the K5 in the driveway myself... my northeastern stuff is much scalier than that truck but you are doing a great job... I live the 73 K20.. bad ass bro.

Originally Posted by 69-72

Thanks for the great pictures and info on the front axle. I have been looking all over for something like this.

Thanks, guys!

[67chevy1series]

any progress?

[TheWhiteElephant]

A whole lot this weekend. I redid the rear brakes, rear wheel bearings, and new drums. I'll post some photos here in the next few days. Still have to finish installing the hard brake lines, bolt them up to the frame, and install the booster and master cylinder. I'm hoping to have it moving by this weekend--at least up and down the driveway.

[BIGBERTHA]

Nice... Keep it up!! Can't wait to see it rollin

[TheWhiteElephant]

Did the rear brakes this past weekend. They are straight-forward, of course, so I'll just post photos. First thing you want to do is drain the diff fluid and then unbolt the axle shafts...





Passenger side...



Driver side...



Here is a tip on how to drive (bang) out the rear wheel studs. They are much longer than the front ones, so they don't come out as easily.

First, I finger tighten a lug nut flush with the top of the stud. Then I place one sledge on top of the stud with my left arm, and bang on the sledge with another sledge with my right arm. That way you do not directly strike the lug nut and cause damage to it. THEY WILL CRACK OR YOU MAY FLATTEN THEM AND DAMAGE THEM!!!

[TheWhiteElephant]

New drums from Rockauto.com. They are 11" drums and go for $87 EACH at the auto parts stores. I got THE PAIR from Rockauto.com for $137.67 shipped to my door. I painted them high heat black.




During this time I also cut the extra long u bolts that came with the 4" lift. Those are new rear leaf springs, also. I will post a detailed how-to on the lift later. To make it easy and make them look uniform, I threaded the old nuts over the bolts and cut them off with a 4 1/2" cutting wheel.

[TheWhiteElephant]

Passenger side new shoes, cylinder, and hardware installed...




Driver side new shoes, cylinder, and hardware installed...



Here are the Timken part numbers for the bearings, cups, and seals for the rear...


Installation is pretty straight-forward. Here I am installing the c-clip into the hub. It is what holds the outer bearing in place.

[TheWhiteElephant]

Interesting thing about the Timken seals and USA vs overseas construction. Here is the exact same seal, same part number. I inspected both of them very closely, and they were identical in quality. Just goes to show that you can't really go based on USA parts vs. overseas parts sometimes...



Seals pressed in. I used the same block of wood and hammer. By the way, you are supposed to pack the rear bearings. This is according to the 1973 Chevrolet Assembly Manual. I've seen a lot of incorrect info on the internet forums from the "experts" out there saying you don't need to because the gear lube keeps them lubed. This is true, but again, GM says you MUST pack the bearings before installation...



Studs "pressed" in. I used the same technique as for the front, but man, these were TOUGH. The studs are much longer and much harder to install using the lug nuts, washers, breaker bar, and cheater bar. I cussed myself silly doing these in 100 degree weather.




Driver side installed...

[thirdstreettito]

Question! Why did you stick with drums and not go to discs?

[my4by2]

You're doing great work man, I just love this truck!!! Keep the pics coming - I can't wait to see it as a full driver!

[Pop's C-10]

nice

[1985-GMC]

Nice work! I reluctantly paid somewhere around $90 a piece for my 11 5/32 drums from oreillys later to find them for $55 ea from classicindustries.com .

Originally Posted by thirdstreettito

Question! Why did you stick with drums and not go to discs?

I myself stayed with the drums mainly because of the parking brake issues with the eldorado calipers. Next time around I'll probably swap out the rear for the 1999ish 14B with disc and integral drum parking brake, along with a D60 for the front.

[TheWhiteElephant]

Originally Posted by thirdstreettito

Question! Why did you stick with drums and not go to discs?

Good question. I really wanted discs and will eventually put discs in the rear. The main reasons I didn't do that right now are:

1) I REALLY want to get this thing on the road NOW.
2) I NEED a working mechanical e-brake. Not only to pass inspection, but more importantly because I want one for safety reasons. I don't want to be worried about finding someone to pass inspection for me illegally, either.
3) I don't want to pay the expensive price for the Cadillac calipers with the e-brake.
4) To put it plainly, the drums are more than adequate for these trucks, especially for my intents and purposes. I'm only going to use this truck as a work truck on the street. Too many people feel the disc upgrade is necessary, but it really isn't.

All this being said, I would eventually like to install rear discs. I believe that I can find a way using the aftermarket calipers with the built-in e-brake. Speedway sells these calipers as do several other aftermarket companies. At this point I refuse to accept the fact that the only option (aside from the t-case brake or line-locs) is the Eldorado calipers. So I will continue to research until I can build this thing the right way.

[TheWhiteElephant]

Originally Posted by my4by2

You're doing great work man, I just love this truck!!! Keep the pics coming - I can't wait to see it as a full driver!

Originally Posted by Pop's C-10

nice

Thanks so much, guys.

Originally Posted by 1985-GMC

Nice work! I reluctantly paid somewhere around $90 a piece for my 11 5/32 drums from oreillys later to find them for $55 ea from classicindustries.com .
I myself stayed with the drums mainly because of the parking brake issues with the eldorado calipers. Next time around I'll probably swap out the rear for the 1999ish 14B with disc and integral drum parking brake, along with a D60 for the front.

I hear you. The only real reason I want to do discs in the rear is because it's a pretty trick upgrade.

[MTCK]

The build is coming along awesome. I don't blame you for wanting to get on the road. Drive that thing! I saw a short blurb in the back of the July 4 wheeler about a company called right gear (www.rightgear.com) making a kit to adapt OEM 2001+ GM 14FF discs to older 14FF axles. The web site doesn't have anything on it, and I'm not close enough to that point to need to dig deeper. If the price is reasonable, that sounds like the ticket to me. Keep up the good work!

[TheWhiteElephant]

Originally Posted by MTCK

The build is coming along awesome. I don't blame you for wanting to get on the road. Drive that thing! I saw a short blurb in the back of the July 4 wheeler about a company called right gear (www.rightgear.com) making a kit to adapt OEM 2001+ GM 14FF discs to older 14FF axles. The web site doesn't have anything on it, and I'm not close enough to that point to need to dig deeper. If the price is reasonable, that sounds like the ticket to me. Keep up the good work!

Thanks, Marcus. You know, I saw that a few weeks ago when I got the issue. I went straight to the website and nothing! I sent them an email in their contact section and they never got back to me. Looks interesting and I wonder if it is anything "new" that hasn't been out already.

What a bummer, though. A company gets a shout-out in the magazine and they don't even respond to their emails. I'm sure I'm not the only one who tried this.

[j.kirn]

I had the same truck years ago mine was orange and white ,your doing a great jog on the drivetrain. Would love to see it totally restored.

[TheWhiteElephant]

Originally Posted by j.kirn

I had the same truck years ago mine was orange and white ,your doing a great jog on the drivetrain. Would love to see it totally restored.

Thanks!

[1985-GMC]

Have you installed the ORD brake lines yet? Ive been looking for a braided stainless set for a while that aren't $150+ and those look pretty nice, I'll probably order then tomorrow.

[TheWhiteElephant]

Originally Posted by 1985-GMC

Have you installed the ORD brake lines yet? Ive been looking for a braided stainless set for a while that aren't $150+ and those look pretty nice, I'll probably order then tomorrow.

Tony, sorry for the late reply. I haven't been on in a while. Yes, I installed them and they fit and look great. I agree, everything else is way too expensive that I was surprised the ORD ones were priced just right. Great product.

[1985-GMC]

No problem Mando. I actually forgot and you just reminded me to order them. Thanks and that's good to hear that they fit good!

[TheWhiteElephant]

So I got everything buttoned up a few weeks ago. I got the exhaust installed, went with super turbos with turn-downs right before the rear axle. I'm pretty surprised at how quiet it is. I will post many more pics of what happened between the installation of the rear brakes/booster/master.

Right now I just have to tie up a few loose ends to go and get it inspected. Still haven't resolved the E-brake issue as I will now have to modify it due to the lift, but I've driven the truck around the block a few times, got a little cocky and drove it to the gas station, too.

I tossed the idea around on what tires to get for months. I did not want the run-of-the-mill 33X12.50 BFG "standard issue" tire. I wanted my truck to look a little different, and I wanted a skinny, not-too-tall tire. I have always liked the look of the old Ford Hi-boys and that is the look I wanted to duplicate all along. I wanted some room between the wells and the tires.

I really like the Firestone Transforce A/T in a 235/85/16 size (about 32 inches), so that is what I eventually got. I love the way it looks...