78 K20 Custom Deluxe - "modern meets vintage"

[Teck]

Contact this place if you want custom brake cables made to length your need. Controlcables.com
They made custom one for my blazer for less then $100.00 shipped to my door.

 

[y5mgisi]

Love that bumper.

 

[K20Chevrolet]

Awesome truck with a ton of impressive work put into it. Subscribed to watch what's next!

Thank you!

Next is the frenching in o some LED tail lights into the bumper, then getting it coated semi gloss black, like the front.

Still need to mount the hitch, get a tank skid plate made and remount the rear sensor for the adaptive headlights.

Oh and mount the NOS grille I got for it.

Then I might actually drive it for a while before tearing into the suspension front and rear and swapping the entire body to an arizona body.

Then it should be as good as done... but it´ll be a while before that ias all done!

Nice work! The bumper looks great, and will be killer when you smooth it out and Powder Coat.

Thank you!

Contact this place if you want custom brake cables made to length your need. Controlcables.com
They made custom one for my blazer for less then $100.00 shipped to my door.

Thank for the info. These are long enough, I just either have to route them differently or change the way it goes from the e-brake pedal to the rear cables. I might have to go the route the OEM does it on the new trucks with the cables both going down the passenger side frame rail. WE´ll see, I can drive it this way for now, so I´ll get some seat time again first! Been a while!

Love that bumper.

Thank you!

 

[K20Chevrolet]

did some fender trimming on the aftermarket fenders to clear the 37" MTR´s for now, til I get the OEM fenders modified.









Doesn´t look as bad as I thought it would. I still can´t wait to modify the OEM ones for a factory look!

 

[Greg72]

Doesn´t look as bad as I thought it would. I still can´t wait to modify the OEM ones for a factory look!

I can offer you some free advice (from experience that was gained the hard way over the last 72 hours or so...)

Trim more..... a LOT more.


Droop out the opposite side to the maximum amount your shocks (or limit straps will allow. Stuff the tire on the side you're trimming as high as it will go (not sure how you accomplish that with leaf springs but maybe some kind of come-a-long setup?)......then crank the wheel to the steering stops in both directions......then report back.


Everyone probably has to see it for themselves to believe it, but there's really NO way that the trimming you did is going to be adequate in the "real world". Better to face the horror now instead of when all your beautiful finish-painted parts end up crumpled up and destroyed. (I've got some really graphic recent photos in my "Might As Well" thread that show and explain it all pretty clearly.)



-G

 

[K20Chevrolet]

I can offer you some free advice (from experience that was gained the hard way over the last 72 hours or so...)

Trim more..... a LOT more.


Droop out the opposite side to the maximum amount your shocks (or limit straps will allow. Stuff the tire on the side you're trimming as high as it will go (not sure how you accomplish that with leaf springs but maybe some kind of come-a-long setup?)......then crank the wheel to the steering stops in both directions......then report back.


Everyone probably has to see it for themselves to believe it, but there's really NO way that the trimming you did is going to be adequate in the "real world". Better to face the horror now instead of when all your beautiful finish-painted parts end up crumpled up and destroyed. (I've got some really graphic recent photos in my "Might As Well" thread that show and explain it all pretty clearly.)



-G

Thank you for the reply and advice. I do know and realize that there is no way a 37" tire with only 4" lift will fully fit inside the fender opening all flexed out and turned without trimming way more! Especially not with the new suspension that will go under it (16" travel, coilover, 4-link). It will also be a lot easier to check for clearance with the link suspension. take the springs out and flex it both ways til it hits the hydraulic bumps and then cut the wheel lock to lock and figure out what has to go. Then with the room made I can go at the fenders. And I´m sure with 6" of uptravel on only a 4" lift A LOT will have to go to make room! I´m not even sure if it´ll clear the radiator support then!
That is why the OEM rustfree fenders I have will be sectioned, so the original lip stays on the opening but it will be A LOT larger. But to make that look nice and stock it takes time.

The truck has been sitting for almost 18 months now without being driven, so I just cut enough to be able to drive it around town now to put some miles on it. I won´t do any crazy offroading with it for now until the new fenders are on. Still need the tank skid plate bad and some rock sliders before I do that.

I would have to modify the inner fenders too or build my own in order to stuff the 37´s all the way and with the larger new opening. There is so much mounted onto these inside the engine compartment that the truck will be down for a while, when doing that.

I might tear into that during the winter as it is not driven during salt/snow time.

 

[Greg72]

Especially not with the new suspension that will go under it (16" travel, coilover, 4-link). It will also be a lot easier to check for clearance with the link suspension. take the springs out and flex it both ways til it hits the hydraulic bumps and then cut the wheel lock to lock and figure out what has to go. Then with the room made I can go at the fenders. And I´m sure with 6" of uptravel on only a 4" lift A LOT will have to go to make room! I´m not even sure if it´ll clear the radiator support then!

I'll check back on this thread again in a few years!





-G

 

[K20Chevrolet]

I'll check back on this thread again in a few years!





-G

It might be a few years.... you sure know how long it takes to make something look classic but go all out on everything underneath.

I love what you did with the frame!!!

 

[Greg72]

It might be a few years.... you sure know how long it takes to make something look classic but go all out on everything underneath.

I love what you did with the frame!!!

When I see & hear the way you talk about the build it reminds a lot of myself a few years ago....

Everything seemed straightforward and clear, and I couldn't understand why everyone didn't build trucks with massive amounts of wheel travel and nice small fender cutouts.

Each step of the way is hard. Really hard. I noticed that your links are already cut to length and painted. My guess is that you cut them at least twice more before you get lengths that actually fit the space and give you geometries that are acceptable. Oilpans, core supports and firewalls are all fair game for the cutoff wheel..... it's an almost endless series of interferences and compromises to package a front suspension.

Enjoy the journey.


-G

 

[K20Chevrolet]

When I see & hear the way you talk about the build it reminds a lot of myself a few years ago....

Everything seemed straightforward and clear, and I couldn't understand why everyone didn't build trucks with massive amounts of wheel travel and nice small fender cutouts.

Each step of the way is hard. Really hard. I noticed that your links are already cut to length and painted. My guess is that you cut them at least twice more before you get lengths that actually fit the space and give you geometries that are acceptable. Oilpans, core supports and firewalls are all fair game for the cutoff wheel..... it's an almost endless series of interferences and compromises to package a front suspension.

Enjoy the journey.


-G

I think I was insane with my plans but your blazer tops almost everything I still have planned on mine! Can´t wait to see your´s done. I´m sure it´ll be done a lot sooner than mine! I am sure the 16" coilovers will not really help me any! I thought about it more than once that I might have gone too far with the travel. But we´ll see!

The 37" tires and non-protal axle might help some.

I guess I will have to set the firewall back though and notch the radiator support. what I´m concerned about is the clearance between the tire and links when the wheels are cut all the way. I went with a larger offset wheel to tuck it in further, but that might bite me down the road with the link suspension.

After building my links I made up my mind for aliminum ones too, so it won´t hurt as bad cutting these a few times now!

And I don´t even want to think about the rear... (full bed floor with 18-20" of wheel travel....)

I´ve been told a few times that I lost it!

But we do share the theme of an all out wheeler with the "as classic and OEM as possible" looks.

Good luck getting yours done!

 

[Chevy305]

I thought you were just getting this thing driving as is, now you're talking 4 link and sectioned fenders. Why not just drive it and enjoy it?

 

[K20Chevrolet]

I thought you were just getting this thing driving as is, now you're talking 4 link and sectioned fenders. Why not just drive it and enjoy it?

I will drive it for a bit. But I already have all the tabs, brackets, links, coil overs, etc laying around for the front. Never got around to put them in. It has been the plan all along to go this crazy, just did it in steps so I can at least drive it a little inbetween.

 

[K20Chevrolet]

Ok, so here are some more shots of the rear bumper. I just added the work/backup lights for now and spray painted it... it´ll get the LED tail lights, the trailer plug, etc later and when all done the powder coating:



















just had to throw this one in!

 

[K20Chevrolet]

So more photos.....

here is a shot of the drive shaft angle with the high pinion D60 and about 4.5"-5" of lift. Worked out perfect...



here is a close up on the LED lights on the bumper (off)





and here (on) during the day



Warn VR10000-s winch... love the light weight synthetic rope!

 

[K20Chevrolet]

And now some beauty shots on the beach....







here are the massive F550 brakes



Hella Bi-Xenon headlights



and just some more beauty shots











I really like this one....

 

[y5mgisi]

You have done some pretty awesome work on that truck!

 

[jtrux]

Just scanned through the pics. Very nice.

 

[Chevy305]

Nice pics

 

[livid4dirt]

Very nice, good looking rig!!!

 

[blazer74]

Super Nice.