"HOJ" -- The Rebuild (72 GMC Jimmy)

[dmcx72]

Alright. I've had this truck 10 years and I finally have the sense and cents to do something with it. HOJ is his name and it stands for Hunk of Junk.

Here it is:

Talked to Steven yesterday at OffRoadDesign. He talked me into finding some 1-ton axles. I will be moving from Louisiana to California this fall, so the plan at the moment is to:

0. Get the motor out and install the new HD first-gen crossmember from DIY4X (new version has removable crosspiece)
1. Find 1-ton axles and swap-em out
2. Install ORD 4" shackle flip (with all the accouterments, bushings, HD shackles all around, etc) and springs for 6-8" of lift total
3. Install high-crossover steer w/ hydro assist

Looking to run 37's or 38's when it's all said and done.

Went to the junkyard today and found a couple 14-bolt rears in Chevy 2500's and one 3500. I'm just not sure now which ones will swap in directly with my 12-bolts. I remember Steven saying that certain ones were a direct swap, but now I don't recall. Can I get a pointer on axle swaps?

More later ... bed now!

-DC

 

[dmcx72]

Think I Found An Axle

Alright ... found this today:

Looks like a 14-bolt, full float (has the removable pinion yoke support or whatever) with disc brakes!

It came off this:

I think this is a direct swap into HOJ ... any thoughts? Wanna make sure before I go pull that thing off in 100+ degree heat.

Now I'm really going to bed.

 

[kgblazerfive]

As long as the spring plate mounts are the same width it should fit

 

[kgblazerfive]

If they are not you can just move them and make it work. I am about 99.9% sure it will bolt in though.

How much do they want for it ?
It has disc's so that is neat but you are going to have to fab some cable connections for it.

 

[Greg72]

Anything can be made to fit with enough money, time and experience.

You'll find that the most challenging part about slinging a 14BFF under a 1st Gen will be finding a junkyard axle with the correct pad spacing.....it's not the same as the later model K5s.

Of course, you can cut a reweld the perches.....or can you? What sort of tools and experience do you have? If you've got a welder and a 4-1/2" grinder the swap will be straightforward. You'll at least need that grinder to cutoff dozens of rivets to do the shackle flip anyway.

It looks to me that you've got plenty of rust in the floors (like all the 1st Gen guys do), so if you want to get that fixed...the welder and grinder will get plenty of use again.

Looks like a fun project. Be sure to keep posting pics as you go....

 

[70jimmy]

I don't know of any 14 bolt that won't require moving the perches. But then its not hard to do. If you don't have one hire a buddy with a welder.

Plenty of first gen build threads on here to get info from.

Your end product is a lot like mine.

 

[dmcx72]

Yeah, I don't have the equipment or chops to do any welding like that. I've got some friends who might, but if possible, I would like the direct swap. Is that pic I posted a 1-ton axle? I just wanna make sure I'm IDing the right part before I go after it.

Are all 14-bolt's 1-ton? How do I tell the difference between 3/4 ton and 1-ton?

Also, I still gotta find a Dana 60 front either way.

 

[70jimmy]

I don't know how to tell or if there is any difference in a 1 ton vs a 3/4 ton 14 bolt.

but that is a 14 bolt full floater and already having discs on it makes it nice.

this is also some good info: http://coloradok5.com/axleguide.shtml

 

[dmcx72]

After a little more research, it looks like the Chevy/GMC 2500's were 3/4 ton and 3500's were 1-ton. Both the 3500's that I've found are dually's. Can you use a dually axle and just put one wheel on it? Are some 1-ton axles duallys and some 1-ton axles not-duallys?

 

[70jimmy]

Are some 1-ton axles duallys and some 1-ton axles not-duallys?[/QUOTE]

Yes and you will see in posts here that it might say DRW or SRW which is dual rear wheel or single rear wheel.

and yes I knew the 2500 vs 3500 thing just didn't know if you just saw a bare 14 bolt sitting if there was a way to tell 3/4 or 1 ton???

 

[Greg72]

Search for a G30 (van) axle if you want to be like the cool kids...

It's about 3" wider than a typical 14BFF axle and matches the front D60 track width perfectly. The end result will look a lot better.

Make friends with other K5 enthusiasts in your area soon, you will need someone with a welder to help you with this one.

Once the "addiction" takes hold, you'll buy your own welder, tubing bender, air tools, plasma cutter, etc, etc.

 

[dmcx72]

Guess I ought to be looking for a detached shop when I move to CA this fall...

"honey ... " !

 

[dmcx72]

Engine Out!

Well, I got the engine out yesterday. That wasn't so bad. I still gotta find me some axles.

I'm thinking 383. Anybody had any experience with the Comp Cams Xtreme Energy 4x4, hydraulic roller cams?

Any advice on heads/intakes?

Cherry picker hooked up

Engine out!

The heartless beast

Might do a little cleanup

 

[dmcx72]

Yeah, I don't have the equipment or chops to do any welding like that. I've got some friends who might, but if possible, I would like the direct swap. Is that pic I posted a 1-ton axle? I just wanna make sure I'm IDing the right part before I go after it.

Are all 14-bolt's 1-ton? How do I tell the difference between 3/4 ton and 1-ton?

Also, I still gotta find a Dana 60 front either way.

Well, now I know: they put 14 bolt axles under 3/4 and 1-ton trucks. The axle isn't really different, just the spring set up.

 

[Bent77]

You learn fast grasshopper...follow what Greg said, there are a lot of guys on here that can help you with info, especially if you use the search button

As for the engine parts, what you pick needs to match your usage, so consider what you need it for b4 you dump a bunch of unnecessary dough where you dont need it


Personally, I have a performer cam and intake on 9.5:1 CR. Though it isn't a race motor, it does well. The best part on the engine is the TBI retrofitted to my 4 barrel intake...injection is your friend

 

[dmcx72]

Pics of new Axles

Here are the axles I picked up. The first is the rear end from a 2001 Chevy Silverado 2500HD. It is at the welding/fab shop right now getting the spring perches moved and new shock-mounts fab'd. The second is the front end Dana 60 from a 1985 Chevy 1-ton dually - hence the dual-rear-wheel (DRW) front hubs. Next for the front will be removing the front DRW ends and replacing them with single-rear-wheel (SRW) hubs/rotors - which is not looking to be as cheap as I hoped for.

Both front and rear have 4.10 gears.

Orange paint was put on by junkyard to denote "premium" pricing (400$ is what I paid for the rear end).

The D60, unfortunately wasn't as good a deal ($625). I took it anyway because it had the gears I wanted (which looked to be in good shape) and finding D60's was a huge PITA

 

[dmcx72]

Personally, I have a performer cam and intake on 9.5:1 CR. Though it isn't a race motor, it does well. The best part on the engine is the TBI retrofitted to my 4 barrel intake...injection is your friend

I have seriously been eyeballing the FAST system.
http://www.fuelairspark.com/ezefi/default.asp

Too bad when I finished my shopping list for the motor, I had hit 6.5K. I think we'll just keep it simple for now.

 

[Bent77]

Not a bad price for what you get...anyone using this we know?

 

[dmcx72]

I've heard nothing but good about it around the interwebz.

 

[dmcx72]

Test fit of Diy4x 1st Gen Engine Crossmember and HD Motor Mounts

Here are pics of test-fitting the new Diy4x HD Crossmember and motor moutns for 1st-Gen trucks. The new improvement to this over the old one is that the crosspiece is completely removable.

I know some others had reported oil pan troubles with this, but it doesn't look like I'll have any problems. The locknuts are not tightened (so I didn't ruin them prematurely)

-Dane