CK5
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K30 Crew cab wrecker
- Thread starter red EOD
- Start date
General purpose truck. Daily driver, medium trails, tow rig. Simple, capable, and reliable are the main factors.
red EOD
1/2 ton status
Truck gets worked hauling random stuff that's usually at least a few thousand pounds. Swapped out the broken rear 56" springs for a set of springs from a late 2000's GM cab and chassis truck which gives a smooth ride when empty but can carry quite a bit of weight once the upper overload leaves are contacted. Those were installed after the current pics. Right now in the middle of building a new flatbed for it, and building it as a gin pole bed with a tail roller. Makes self loading heavy stuff much easier that way. The bed winch is used to drag the cargo up and over the tail roller and then onto the bed. Old school way of loading things that I learned working in the oilfield and am just applying it to the pickup. The current bed just has a piece of pipe welded to it's outside rails and the bed subframe, new bed it will actually roll.
To safely load stuff that way I built a cargo skid from some old C channel truck frame rails and 2 steel pallets, then added in a few tie down points along the sides to secure the cargo to the skid. It's kinda ugly, weighs a little over 400 lbs all by itself, but it's durable and allows for a secure way to load heavy stuff onto the pickup without the use of ramps/forklift/crane/etc. Ended up attaching a piece of 3/8" scrap plate steel to reinforce the lift point that's not in the pics.
To safely load stuff that way I built a cargo skid from some old C channel truck frame rails and 2 steel pallets, then added in a few tie down points along the sides to secure the cargo to the skid. It's kinda ugly, weighs a little over 400 lbs all by itself, but it's durable and allows for a secure way to load heavy stuff onto the pickup without the use of ramps/forklift/crane/etc. Ended up attaching a piece of 3/8" scrap plate steel to reinforce the lift point that's not in the pics.
Nice truck. My 2wd crew cab flatbed truck wants to grow up and be like yours someday.
That skid is slick.
red EOD
1/2 ton status
Thanks, being able to work the truck and play with it are important.
Had it out on some of the local trails about a month ago with mostly Jeeps and a few Toyotas. Trail called 'Rattlesnake' out at 5 mile pass.
Developed a random shimmy in the front end and noticed cupping wear on the front tires so tore apart the front hubs and rotated the tires. New wheel bearings/seals, front end greased up and it's happy again.
Onto the current list of things for the truck. For a basic and mechanical truck it's wiring harness is a nightmare. Had a few uncovered + wires from the battery to under the bed, old/brittle wires, and over 2 dozen of the twist cap connectors were used to patch the harness. I've replaced those with proper butt connectors/heat shrink where it's given me problems but it needs a new harness. Plus a few random holes to pass wires through the firewall, common issues on older vehicles. Add in the winches and electrical add ons, yall get the idea.
Ordering up a pair of 1000 amp rated electrical bus bars that have 8 3/8" posts, a secondary fuse block (for accessories), 2 feed through isolated battery posts, and a couple bulkhead connectors. Figure restarting from the ground up with the electrical system is the best way to go for a clean/safe setup. Planning to build this truck and keep it around for the long term. The buss bars provide a clean spot to connect all the big electrical items rather than a rats nest at the batteries and pulls the electricity from both batts. Winches, both fuse blocks, main grounds, etc. Once that base work is setup then will replace the wiring harness and close up all the extra holes in the firewall.
The other big project going on right now is the replacement bed. Current bed is rusted apart and the deck boards have seen better days from hard use. Only the 2 main rails from the subframe are usable. Got my hands on some 5x3" angle iron that's 5/16" thick and used it to make the main part of the new bed. The center cross brace is at 3'8" from the rear of the bed to make room for a gooseneck hitch.
Winch mount worked but wasn't actually designed for the pickup. Was a leftover piece from my old m35a2 deuce and a half. Had the winch sitting quite a bit above the bed and gave the winch alot of leverage on the mounting bolts. Chopped it down so that the winch will sit flush with the top of the bed. The bed mounts will be attached to the winch mount, bed sub frame, and the truck frame (bolted to truck, welded to the bed parts) to tie it all together and make for a strong mount.
Adding storage to the underside of the bed. Gin poles and tail roller will be built once the bed is actually on the truck. Can finally get ride of the rear bumper at that point woohoo! hahaha.
I just saw you are in Utah, sweet! I'm down by Price. Better bring this thing to Blazer Bash '18 in Moab.
red EOD
1/2 ton status
Thanks, it certainly has proven itself useful. The bed winch, tail roller, and skid make things easier. Downside is with a wooden deck the skid (or other cargo) can get stuck on the bed. Added the second winch at the rear of the truck to drag the skid/cargo towards the rear of the truck a few feet when unloading. Once the skid starts lifting up off of the bed then the bed winch can handle the rest of the unloading process.
Around the Lehi/Orem area? Yep that's me slowly puttin down the highway at 60mph hahahaha. When is the Blazer Bash? I've been through Moab many times but never gotten to play there yet.
It's in Sept. There's a spot on the forum for it and a web site if you Google it.
red EOD
1/2 ton status
Cool, don't see any reason I wouldn't be able to make it.
Spend yesterday afternoon/evening at my friends shop where my wrecker and trailer are stored. The hydraulic system on his semi had been contaminated with diesel fuel so doing a bit of work on that. Pickup looks tiny by comparison hahaha.
And the big electrical stuff arrived today. 2 bus bars (1 pos 1 neg), the dual post junction block that will be mounted under the bed where both rear winches and any other rear electrical needs will be connected. 2 insulated through posts (1 pos 1 neg) that will provide the power for the second fuse block inside the cab. That way it provides a lasting sealed connection on the firewall unlike typical grommets. The neg one isn't necessary but the fuse block has a neg section to it and figured that a dedicated neg connection will reduce the likelyhood of having to hunt down bad grounds later.
At least someone didn't put def in his hyd tank. Have you seen what that crap does when it gets put in a fuel tank on accident?
red EOD
1/2 ton status
Yea that is just a nasty goup when that happens, waste that must be disposed of. This mix of hydraulic oil/diesel is running great in my 6.2 on the other hand haha.
Was planning to start installing the new electrical stuff today but have to wait until at least friday for the nutsert tool and a few other items. Planning to mount the second fuse block as high up in the passenger footwell as possible without being in the way of the heater/ac stuff, unless there's a better 'out of the way' spot in the cab.
Yeah I try to get as much hyd oil and transformer oil and any other clean used oil I can for my 6.2 and my cummins and now I have tractors that can burn it also.
red EOD
1/2 ton status
Was planning to start the electrical work last weekend but realized I forgot to order the nutsert tool and it's inserts. With all that here the only thing missing is the heat shrink which seems to have disappeared in the mail. Have some work to do with the wrecker first this weekend but if all goes well then can start on setting up the base of the electrical stuff.
Going to mount the 2 buss bars over the driver side fenderwell probably setup back to back. Followed by the dual post mounted to the frame under the front of the bed where it can be easily split off to the bed winch, rear winch, and big aux port for a trailer. Then the 2 through posts and the second fuse block in the cab.
After the new electrical base stuff is installed will hop back onto the flatbed and add a second fuel filter while there. Ditched the stock saddle tanks in the fall and went to a single 40 gallon suburban tank mounted at the rear and tucked up HIGH, too high cause filling up is a pain in the ass hahaha. Pics of the old fuel system setup. Running a Walbro FRB5 pump and a fuel filter/water separator from Detroit Diesel as the only filter for now.
Cleaned up the plumbing and mounting locations of the filter and pump when the suburban tank was swapped in and the 64" springs installed as well. The tiedown straps were temporary until the upper tank straps were made.
The fuel tank makes for some issues with the flatbed build due to it's size. At stock height it clears the axle when it's fully compressed, if the tank comes down any (which would make filling much easier and less messy) then the axle will hit the front edge of the fuel tank. Hmmm, actually might not be able to proceed on the flatbed until the 4" lift is installed.
Going to mount the 2 buss bars over the driver side fenderwell probably setup back to back. Followed by the dual post mounted to the frame under the front of the bed where it can be easily split off to the bed winch, rear winch, and big aux port for a trailer. Then the 2 through posts and the second fuse block in the cab.
After the new electrical base stuff is installed will hop back onto the flatbed and add a second fuel filter while there. Ditched the stock saddle tanks in the fall and went to a single 40 gallon suburban tank mounted at the rear and tucked up HIGH, too high cause filling up is a pain in the ass hahaha. Pics of the old fuel system setup. Running a Walbro FRB5 pump and a fuel filter/water separator from Detroit Diesel as the only filter for now.
Cleaned up the plumbing and mounting locations of the filter and pump when the suburban tank was swapped in and the 64" springs installed as well. The tiedown straps were temporary until the upper tank straps were made.
The fuel tank makes for some issues with the flatbed build due to it's size. At stock height it clears the axle when it's fully compressed, if the tank comes down any (which would make filling much easier and less messy) then the axle will hit the front edge of the fuel tank. Hmmm, actually might not be able to proceed on the flatbed until the 4" lift is installed.
red EOD
1/2 ton status
Didn't touch the pickup today but finished getting the wrecker PTO components back together. Which finally freed up my 5ft prybar again hahaha.
Also have a transmission dilemma. Plan is to upgrade from the TH400 to a overdrive trans and install a PTO so the truck can power some of my equipment. Picked up a 2wd sm465 with a PTO on it back in the spring. Friend has a 4wd sm465 that's sitting on a shelf and I've been planning to move the PTO over to it and eventually order a Ranger overdrive aux trans to give the truck an 8 speed. However, another friend has a couple 80's GM medium duty dump trucks that he wants to get rid of and one of them has a 13 speed Eaton RTO 613 with PTO.
Benefits/downsides to each setup:
NV4500-most compact package with .73 od. Picky about it's fluid, wide gaps between a few gears and of the 3 trans options it's the most expensive Of the 3 options it's known for the most issues. Adapter to the 4bd1t is about $1400.
Ranger with sm465-fairly compact, already have it's PTO, middle price of the 3 options. More reliable than the nv4500 but the ranger box is limited to 400ft/lbs of torque rating. 4bd1t adapter is $650
RTO 613-Oddly enough it's the cheapest option. 14:1 1st gear and .8:1 overdrive so not as good of an od as the other 2. It's by far a stronger trans and comes with a PTO. Downsides are it's size, weight, and will require the np205 being mounted divorced. For a 13 speed it's small/light at 12" tall, about 20" wide, 32" long and weighing in at 550 lbs (compared to 700+ of the heavier duty models). Might have to rotate the tcase down for front driveshaft clearance but not positive on that yet. Already have onboard air to work the trans ranges and the truck has the wheelbase to easily deal with the tcase being moved. 4bd1t adapter is about $700.
Looking for opinions.
Also have a transmission dilemma. Plan is to upgrade from the TH400 to a overdrive trans and install a PTO so the truck can power some of my equipment. Picked up a 2wd sm465 with a PTO on it back in the spring. Friend has a 4wd sm465 that's sitting on a shelf and I've been planning to move the PTO over to it and eventually order a Ranger overdrive aux trans to give the truck an 8 speed. However, another friend has a couple 80's GM medium duty dump trucks that he wants to get rid of and one of them has a 13 speed Eaton RTO 613 with PTO.
Benefits/downsides to each setup:
NV4500-most compact package with .73 od. Picky about it's fluid, wide gaps between a few gears and of the 3 trans options it's the most expensive Of the 3 options it's known for the most issues. Adapter to the 4bd1t is about $1400.
Ranger with sm465-fairly compact, already have it's PTO, middle price of the 3 options. More reliable than the nv4500 but the ranger box is limited to 400ft/lbs of torque rating. 4bd1t adapter is $650
RTO 613-Oddly enough it's the cheapest option. 14:1 1st gear and .8:1 overdrive so not as good of an od as the other 2. It's by far a stronger trans and comes with a PTO. Downsides are it's size, weight, and will require the np205 being mounted divorced. For a 13 speed it's small/light at 12" tall, about 20" wide, 32" long and weighing in at 550 lbs (compared to 700+ of the heavier duty models). Might have to rotate the tcase down for front driveshaft clearance but not positive on that yet. Already have onboard air to work the trans ranges and the truck has the wheelbase to easily deal with the tcase being moved. 4bd1t adapter is about $700.
Looking for opinions.
Will the 13 speed soak up too much power? I've heard of guys doing swaps like that from a 6 or 7 speed Eaton up to a big one and it killing there power. How much will you be driving this? My f350 with a Cummins/zf5/gear vendor drives like a 7 speed and it gets old shifting so much. I'd probably vote sm465. What engine you going to be running an Isuzu?
red EOD
1/2 ton status
Isuzu 4bd1t cranked up a little to the 400-500ft/lbs range so within what a sm465 can handle for a reasonable amount of miles. Truck is the daily driver and tows fairly regularly. 4bd1t might be a bit small for constant towing I'll admit but they were in the up to 26k rated medium duty trucks.
My biggest complaints with the sm465 is lack of overdrive and the hole between 3/4 gears is kind of hell on diesels. Going to an auto like the 4L80E is an option if a PTO for a np205 is found and the trans setup is similar in price.
RTO 613 will absorb some power, not as much as the heavier duty trans models but certainly more than a sm465. Also don't have to use all the gears with the 13 speed. 4th gear on it is roughly 6:1 and when unloaded can skip some of the higher gears.
Probably should list plans to help with decision making haha. In it's current form the truck tows well (control and braking) at 60mph but lacks power since it is a stock 6.2 diesel and I want to get the speed up to 70mph without spinning the engine real high. For offroad capabilities once it has a 4" lift and rear locker with some 35/37" tires it's set. The Isuzu kinda fell into my lap and building/swapping it is the same cost as building the 6.2 and is a far better quality engine. The need for a PTO is to power the hydraulics and other equipment.
red EOD
1/2 ton status
Got a bit side tracked from electrical work today. With the flatbed build delayed decided to go ahead and mount the underbed storage box to this bed, will just swap it over to the new bed when it goes on. Box is 36" long by 18" deep by 18" tall. Had to notch the 2 bed supports to make enough clearance. Not worried about strength loss since they were extremely short and the box is actually thicker metal anyways. Bottom of the box is just a hair higher than the bottom of the cab.
red EOD
1/2 ton status
Bit of an update. Friend of mine that has a machine shop mentioned that he can look into making a new gear for the PTO that I currently have on the sm465 trans. Making it operational on a np205. It's an old Tulsa PTO (Muncie has the rights to it now) that the hard parts are no longer made. If it works out then trans swap plans will be pushed back for quite awhile and no longer requires a manual trans swap. (maybe go 4L80E then)
Replacement wiring harness is on the way earlier than planned. Electrical system will be completely redone over the next few weeks.
Replacement wiring harness is on the way earlier than planned. Electrical system will be completely redone over the next few weeks.
red EOD
1/2 ton status
Started with the big electric stuff today. Decided to mount the 2 bus bars on the driver fenderwell, where the washer fluid reservoir and glow plug solenoid are sitting
Took some measurements and decided to use 3x5" angle iron that I have sitting here as the mounts for the bus bars
Then drilled the 4 mounting holes in the inner fender and fender well that the bracket gets mounted to and popped the nutserts in.
Get it painted up tomorrow then installed soon after.
Took some measurements and decided to use 3x5" angle iron that I have sitting here as the mounts for the bus bars
Then drilled the 4 mounting holes in the inner fender and fender well that the bracket gets mounted to and popped the nutserts in.
Get it painted up tomorrow then installed soon after.
red EOD
1/2 ton status
Hmm, not so sure how I feel about that color. Supposed to be a metallic copper and, well, it's looking more dark brown than I hoped hahaha.
Will see how it looks saturday when it gets installed. Truck will be getting painted and I've been thinking of doing the bed in a dark grey and cab as a copper color, with a grey interior to match the bed. Might be changing it up though to something else
Will see how it looks saturday when it gets installed. Truck will be getting painted and I've been thinking of doing the bed in a dark grey and cab as a copper color, with a grey interior to match the bed. Might be changing it up though to something else
