78 K20 Custom Deluxe - "modern meets vintage"

[K20Chevrolet]

You have done some pretty awesome work on that truck!

Thank you, I appreciate the compliments!

Just scanned through the pics. Very nice.

Thanks you!

Nice pics

Thanks!

Very nice, good looking rig!!!

Thank you!

Super Nice.

Thanks!

 

[streetrodchev]

Truck looks great.

Have you started on the 4 link?

 

[K20Chevrolet]

Truck looks great.

Have you started on the 4 link?

Thanks! I have all the links for the front done and the tabs and brackets, shock hoops, etc. I just need to find the time to weld them all in for the front. The rear is just "on paper/computer" as of now. Once the front is in and I can set the actual ride height, then I will start remeasuring for the rear and then build links and shock mounts and the cantilever arms....

The front system consits of:

34" long upper links out of 1.75" x .120" wall DOM

40" long lower links out of 2" x .250" wall DOM

Panhard bar and drag link are 1.5" x .250 wall DOM

All brackets are .250" plate

shocks are 2.5" remote reservoir race series coilovers with 16" of travel, dual rate.

2.5" hydraulic bumps with 4" travel

(I might add some 2.5" or 3" bypass shocks, but I´ll try the setup without first)

 

[mtnman]

Change the sheetmetal to mid '80s and you are building my "dream truck"!

 

[K20Chevrolet]

Change the sheetmetal to mid '80s and you are building my "dream truck"!

I personally prefer the round headlights.

But if you want to build a truck just like it, I´m glad to help out with info along the way.

Maybe you can build it quicker than me!

 

[folkenheath]

Thanks! I have all the links for the front done and the tabs and brackets, shock hoops, etc. I just need to find the time to weld them all in for the front. The rear is just "on paper/computer" as of now. Once the front is in and I can set the actual ride height, then I will start remeasuring for the rear and then build links and shock mounts and the cantilever arms....

The front system consits of:

34" long upper links out of 1.75" x .120" wall DOM

40" long lower links out of 2" x .250" wall DOM

Panhard bar and drag link are 1.5" x .250 wall DOM

All brackets are .250" plate

shocks are 2.5" remote reservoir race series coilovers with 16" of travel, dual rate.

2.5" hydraulic bumps with 4" travel

(I might add some 2.5" or 3" bypass shocks, but I´ll try the setup without first)

I really like what you are doing with the truck, sweet ride. Diggin the L92 as well, just add a cam and long tube headers to it!

As for the suspension, is it a straight (horizontal) 4 link with panhard I take it? If you use a straight 4 link with heims on the ends you won't get much articulation at all. What about anti-dive, or are they parallel (vertical) links? I think you will be in for a big surprise when you try to cycle it for the first time with steering and articulation, everything needs more space than you think.

 

[K20Chevrolet]

I really like what you are doing with the truck, sweet ride. Diggin the L92 as well, just add a cam and long tube headers to it!

As for the suspension, is it a straight (horizontal) 4 link with panhard I take it? If you use a straight 4 link with heims on the ends you won't get much articulation at all. What about anti-dive, or are they parallel (vertical) links? I think you will be in for a big surprise when you try to cycle it for the first time with steering and articulation, everything needs more space than you think.

Thank you for the kind words.

The long tube headers will not work for numerous reasons. One being, no room! Everything is so packed inside the frame rails, no way, unless I would move them outward on the outside of the frame. And the cat´s won´t work with the long tube headers. And sure I don´t need them, but the motor has clean emissions, so I want to keep that.

The suspension is not a full horizontal 4-link. The upper and lower links have an angle to them lengthwise and sideways. Kind of like a Jeep JK front suspension. he lower links have a few degrees of angle to the horizontal plane whereas the uppers are parallel to the ground at ride height.

Siedways, the uppers are wider on the frame than on the axle and the lowers are narrower at the frame than on the axle. Not by much, but it should work. But we´ll see for sure when it is on the truck. I´m certain I´ll have to move things around a bit.

The panhard bar is at about 5° at ride height and very long, so changes in the angle won´t be to severe.

The link ends are not heims. I only use the heims at the panhard bar. The axle rod ends are from QA1 and called Rock Ends. They are huge and have a bushing inside to have "a little" give to them, similar to a Johnny Joint. I might actually run rubber inserts on the frame ones though to get a little less vibration into the whole chassis. WE´ll see, I´ll try it out first and then decide.

The anti dive is set to ~ 68% and the caster change is 3° through the entire 16" of vertical travel.

I know that it need huge amounts of room! I know the stock inner fenders have to go, I might have to massage the floor of the cab and the fenders need major mods. But frame wise it should clear as I tried to keep about 1.5" around everything when measuring. So I hope it all clears but I won´t know until I get everything tacked into place and cycle it.
I might limit the articulation with limit straps a bit if things go to crazy and won´t fit.

I planned the setup for 5-6" of uptravel and 10-11" of down travel.

 

[Greg72]

I'm interested to see if you can actually get 16" of travel with a 4-link, or if it will bind in the joints before hitting that kind of number.

Droop seems like "free" travel since you rarely have any clearance issues as the tire is coming down out of the wheelwell.... but it definitely wreaks havoc on the opposite side as it leans that tire way over into the framerail / link mounts / PHB / firewall..... I was super-proud of myself for getting 6.5" of bump travel without any interferences. Then I drooped the opposite side all the way out and got my feelings hurt.


-G

 

[folkenheath]

I make them work, gotta have long tubes With a cam and header upgrade you could go from 400 hp to well over 500 pretty easy.

I think you will need more clearance than 1.5" in many areas, but the best way to find out is to tack everything up and see! You never know until you try. I am a little concerned for your front driveshaft having 11" of droop and hardly any caster change. I have about 6" of bump travel and 8" of droop, and I was at the extreme limits of angle for my tie rod ends on the drag link and also my driveshaft, and my pinion angle stays darn near even with my driveshaft with the radius arms. You using heims for the draglink?

You can probably keep your inner fenders, I just cutout a portion of mine to clear the shocks and hoops and reinstalled them. I'm curious to see what you have done. Keep it up.

 

[K20Chevrolet]

I'm interested to see if you can actually get 16" of travel with a 4-link, or if it will bind in the joints before hitting that kind of number.

Droop seems like "free" travel since you rarely have any clearance issues as the tire is coming down out of the wheelwell.... but it definitely wreaks havoc on the opposite side as it leans that tire way over into the framerail / link mounts / PHB / firewall..... I was super-proud of myself for getting 6.5" of bump travel without any interferences. Then I drooped the opposite side all the way out and got my feelings hurt.


-G

Greg, I´m sure vertically I can get the 16", flexing out, not sure. Unless I´d go with a 3-link it will bind up at some point. I guess there is only one way to find out!

What I´m actually affraid off, like it happened to you, is that the firewall might be in the way, also the radiator support when all flexed out and turned lock to lock.

I make them work, gotta have long tubes With a cam and header upgrade you could go from 400 hp to well over 500 pretty easy.

I think you will need more clearance than 1.5" in many areas, but the best way to find out is to tack everything up and see! You never know until you try. I am a little concerned for your front driveshaft having 11" of droop and hardly any caster change. I have about 6" of bump travel and 8" of droop, and I was at the extreme limits of angle for my tie rod ends on the drag link and also my driveshaft, and my pinion angle stays darn near even with my driveshaft with the radius arms. You using heims for the draglink?

You can probably keep your inner fenders, I just cutout a portion of mine to clear the shocks and hoops and reinstalled them. I'm curious to see what you have done. Keep it up.

The motor has more than the 404HP from the dyno sheet. It has a tune to it so it is at least at 450hp. Haven´t dynoed it yet though. It has plenty of power for what I use it for!

The front drive shaft will be fine! I am running a high pinion D60, so the angle is very low, almost at what it was stock without lift and the original axle. So even all drooped out it should be at a managable angle. But again, only one way to find out. The tie rod ends are what I´m more concerned about... I´m affraid they might actually bind!

No, using tie rod ends for the drag link, high angle ones, but still...

Not sure about the inner fenders as I want the tire to not contact anything from lock to lock fully articulated... and that need A LOT of room!

Also lock to lock, not sure if the tire will contact the upper link when flexed. Hard to tell how far the link will move in an out.

If I ever find some time, I´ll start tacking things together and cycling to see what works and what needs to be changed. I think the 68% anti-dive are pretty good though.

The light motor and winch in the front and the huge and heavy (when full) gas tank in the back and hitch should even out the weight front to back pretty well.


@ all: Thanks for the tips and info! Always good to hear a different opinion!

 

[K20Chevrolet]

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....

 

[y5mgisi]

Was just thinking about this truck the other day!

 

[K20Chevrolet]

Was just thinking about this truck the other day!

really!? Never thought other people would think about my truck!

 

[K20Chevrolet]

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!

 

[K20Chevrolet]

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... :/

 

[K20Chevrolet]

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

 

[K20Chevrolet]

This is what the new back up/work lights look like lit up ...

at dusk:



at night:





The camera doesn´t do these justice, they are way brighter than seen in the pics! I love them!

 

[Greg72]

Yeah....that will get tailgaters to drop back a few feet.




-G

 

[K20Chevrolet]

Yeah....that will get tailgaters to drop back a few feet.




-G

And if that doesn´t help, two more of these will go on the roll bar at roof level facing back!

 

[y5mgisi]

Was just thinking about this truck today! Love it!