1979 Sierra Grande?

[carpeonnel]

I have a question about a truck I found for cheap. I have an 89 K5 I just lifted and put 36's on. I've been looking for a donor vehicle to buy so I can steal the parts off of. Well, I found a 1979 GMC Sierra Grande. I know it's got a 400 small block and a 12 bolt rearend, but other than that I couldn't tell in the dark when I looked at it. I was wondering if this vehicle most likely had a Dana 44 front or not and if it came with a 205 T-case. Any idea of gears? The owner said that he thought the t-case was some kind of special t-case that GM made in which you could hook up a pto winch, but I've never heard of it. Is this the GMC version of a camper special? The stickers on the glove box and doors are gone or beyond clarity. The guy only what's 400 bucks for the truck, but I just want to know if it's worth driving 45 minutes away to inspect any further.

 

[3 on the tree]

My dad had a 79 GMC for a few years. It came with a 203 transfer case, automatic and 400 small block. I think 400 bucks is kinda steep for a parts truck, unless the 400 is low mileage and a good runner.

 

[prerunner1982]

The NP205 has PTO capability.

 

[pvfjr]

As a 79, it's most likely a 10 bolt front end. There's a slight chance it would have a D44 front, not that that would make any difference. It won't have flat top knuckles, so the front axle would probably be about the same as your current one. If it has manual hubs and yours are automatic, then you'd want to swap those for sure. The 12 bolt rear is stronger than your 10 bolt, though not comparable with the 14 bolt. It could have a 203 or a 205, both of which are standard transfercases, and both have PTO capability. So there's really nothing special about the ability to run a PTO winch, cause every 4wd truck had that capability. If it turns out that the truck has a better gear ratio than your K5, then go ahead and swap your axles. Would get rid of those automatic hubs and the weak 10-bolt rear end at the same time. If the motor is a good runner, I'd say it's worth $400.

 

[tRustyK5]

The 12 bolt has a marginally larger ring gear, and a weaker pinion than the 10 bolt. I wouldn't favor one over the other...

Rene

 

[blazin_blazer]

flip the driver side sun visor down....i have yet to see that sticker missing...if its a 203 there should be a sticker on the visor sayinr full time 4x4 if so its a 203
it may have a sticker telling you how to shift the transfer and if it doesnt say full time i would say its a 205. you can tell the 205 will have a round shifter whereas a 208 will have flat sides on the shifter, but i don't think a 208 would run a pto, only 203's and 205's were pto capable.