Matman2010
1/2 ton status
Ive almost had this truck for two years and have been building on it sense then. Figured I would start a build thread over here to catch up with current progress which will be a cummins swap soon.
Back in October of 2010 I was really wanting to find a crew cab truck I was looking for a SRW 2wd or 4wd crew cab but all I could find in my area was 2wd duallys. So I bought a 1985 GMC Sierra Classic 1 Ton Crew Cab.
Drive train - 454/th400
A/C, Power Locks, Power Windows, Cruise, tilt column, factory am/fm radio, hydro boost brakes
The truck looked to be in good shape but after I got it home and started tearing it down I figured I needed to find a replacement body for the truck. While I was searching for a new body for the truck I started to convert the frame to 4x4 using spring hangers off of an 86 k20 frame.
2wd stuff removed
Front axle half installed
I then decided I wanted to try out a 6.2 diesel in this truck, figured it would give me better fuel mileage compared to the big block. So I found a guy that wanted to trade his J-Code 6.2 with a Th400/NP208 for my 454/Th400.
In all of this time I then decided I wanted to go back to a dually on the truck. I had to find some rear spring hangers off of a K30 so that I could get the correct height in the back of the truck.
For the front axle sense I didn't have a D60 and couldn't afford one I just through a D44 under the front.
D44 almost back together
I then decided against running the th400/np208 and picked up a SM465/NP205 for the crew cab.
Frame painted with drive train installed.
During all of this time I ended up finding a guy selling a 84 C20 crew cab without motor or transmission. I traded him my TH400/NP208 and some cash and had another crew cab setting in front of the shop. This was going to donate its body to the 85.
Sense the truck was 2wd and I was using a SM465 transmission the floor was not going to fit, so I welded together a removable transmission hump for my floor.
After fixing some rust it was finally time to start some body work.
I needed new doors and a new bed so I just painted the cab and front clip for now. I then put it back together and got it running.
After that I drove it around some, but decided I wanted to go back to a SRW truck. So I just took the duals off and threw some singles on the back.
The plan then was to do 6 inches of lift and run some 37 inch hummer take offs on some 16.5 inch wagon wheels I had. I started driving the truck a lot at this point.
I then found someone willing to work with me so that I could finally put the motor in the truck that I really wanted. A cummins.
94 P-Pumped 12v out of a freight liner, HX35 turbo
At this point i was driving the truck a lot and all my friends who seem to drive small cars started calling my truck "The Tank" so that is where it has gotten its name from.
Then one day I was driving home from college and I started getting tons of black smoke from under my hood. One of my steel brake lines from the master cylinder produced a crack in it and that sprayed on the exhaust manifold and caught fire. Lucky all that was on fire was the rubber coupler in the steering system so there was no real damage other than needing a new steel line.
Bringing the truck home
That should sum up from the beginning to current. The truck currently has the 6.2/sm465/np205 all pulled from it as I took that and put it in my 80 k10. This truck is waiting for me to get my cummins and get it dropped in there.
So the current plan for the truck is to go back to a dually. After I get the cummins I will be picking up a 91 dodge D60 dually front axle. And I will either regear my D70HD rear axle or find a Dodge dually rear axle for the 3.54 gears. The truck will be getting a NV4500 and some transfer case, I am undecided to go with a 2wd NV4500 and run a divorced 205 or to go with a married setup. The truck will have 4 inches of lift and will at some point run 315/75r16 they will require 2 inch spacers between the rear wheels. The lift and tire combo on these duallys is a really bad ass stance!
Back in October of 2010 I was really wanting to find a crew cab truck I was looking for a SRW 2wd or 4wd crew cab but all I could find in my area was 2wd duallys. So I bought a 1985 GMC Sierra Classic 1 Ton Crew Cab.
Drive train - 454/th400
A/C, Power Locks, Power Windows, Cruise, tilt column, factory am/fm radio, hydro boost brakes
The truck looked to be in good shape but after I got it home and started tearing it down I figured I needed to find a replacement body for the truck. While I was searching for a new body for the truck I started to convert the frame to 4x4 using spring hangers off of an 86 k20 frame.
2wd stuff removed
Front axle half installed
I then decided I wanted to try out a 6.2 diesel in this truck, figured it would give me better fuel mileage compared to the big block. So I found a guy that wanted to trade his J-Code 6.2 with a Th400/NP208 for my 454/Th400.
In all of this time I then decided I wanted to go back to a dually on the truck. I had to find some rear spring hangers off of a K30 so that I could get the correct height in the back of the truck.
For the front axle sense I didn't have a D60 and couldn't afford one I just through a D44 under the front.
D44 almost back together
I then decided against running the th400/np208 and picked up a SM465/NP205 for the crew cab.
Frame painted with drive train installed.
During all of this time I ended up finding a guy selling a 84 C20 crew cab without motor or transmission. I traded him my TH400/NP208 and some cash and had another crew cab setting in front of the shop. This was going to donate its body to the 85.
Sense the truck was 2wd and I was using a SM465 transmission the floor was not going to fit, so I welded together a removable transmission hump for my floor.
After fixing some rust it was finally time to start some body work.
I needed new doors and a new bed so I just painted the cab and front clip for now. I then put it back together and got it running.
After that I drove it around some, but decided I wanted to go back to a SRW truck. So I just took the duals off and threw some singles on the back.
The plan then was to do 6 inches of lift and run some 37 inch hummer take offs on some 16.5 inch wagon wheels I had. I started driving the truck a lot at this point.
I then found someone willing to work with me so that I could finally put the motor in the truck that I really wanted. A cummins.
94 P-Pumped 12v out of a freight liner, HX35 turbo
At this point i was driving the truck a lot and all my friends who seem to drive small cars started calling my truck "The Tank" so that is where it has gotten its name from.
Then one day I was driving home from college and I started getting tons of black smoke from under my hood. One of my steel brake lines from the master cylinder produced a crack in it and that sprayed on the exhaust manifold and caught fire. Lucky all that was on fire was the rubber coupler in the steering system so there was no real damage other than needing a new steel line.
Bringing the truck home
That should sum up from the beginning to current. The truck currently has the 6.2/sm465/np205 all pulled from it as I took that and put it in my 80 k10. This truck is waiting for me to get my cummins and get it dropped in there.
So the current plan for the truck is to go back to a dually. After I get the cummins I will be picking up a 91 dodge D60 dually front axle. And I will either regear my D70HD rear axle or find a Dodge dually rear axle for the 3.54 gears. The truck will be getting a NV4500 and some transfer case, I am undecided to go with a 2wd NV4500 and run a divorced 205 or to go with a married setup. The truck will have 4 inches of lift and will at some point run 315/75r16 they will require 2 inch spacers between the rear wheels. The lift and tire combo on these duallys is a really bad ass stance!
crew with a Cummins, gotta dig it 
(its softerer lol and no trees)
The thing that probably sucks the most is that I cant work (which is ok, I just work a minimum wage job) but sucks that I wont be making the progress on my truck that I was hoping to.
