What's new
CK5
Register an account today to become a member! Once signed in, you'll be able to participate on this site by adding your own topics and posts, as well as connect with other members.

Little Input + 12V Cummins Swap

B

bad larry

1/2 ton status
Joined
May 16, 2010
Posts
831
Reaction score
2
Location
USVI/Maine/NYC
Morning fellas, Im new here, tryin to gather a little info for my mild build. I've got an 88 V30 I bought it last year all stock from the original ower down in Va w 37k on the clock. Drive train is TBI 454, TH400, D60 3.73 open, 14BFF 3.73 LS. I bolted in a old weezed used 3.5 superlift, added a TBI chip/B&M trans kit, and did a 3" exhaust... B4 I had a chance to put together parts I took a job down in the US Virgin Islands on St. Croix at the Oil Refinery down here and i shipped the truck. Its taken me a year and a half to find axles but the other day the Gov auctioned off some M1008's and my friend got 5 so I bought a set of axles out of one, typical 4.56 d60 open and 14bff w detroit. My truck is my DD/once a week trail rig so I'm gunna rebuild the tons and bolt um up when I'm done. With tthe truck in its current configuration I botled up a set of H1 goodyear 36x12.5x16.5's on a set of 4.5" back space wagon wheels to check the clearence, no rubbing lock to lock drove around a little, didnt flex it (im sure it would have bubbed flexed) then took um off. With a set of zero rates and with these springs or new 4"ers do you think I could swing 38's (dont want to cut, I like the vintage look) depending on rim BS? I can grind the calipers for 15's but I dont think there is any advantege in rim diamiter? I'm also considering doing H1 12 bolt beed locks with spacers and RT 2's or maybe 38x12.5x16.5 tsl sx's. Would like to do high crossover w a 2wd box and some sort of poor man's hydro assist. Any thoughts, pics of crews or advise? Alot of great info here, thanks for your time and possible help...Last pic is my unfinnished M715 back in Maine...

Picture 030.jpg

Picture 034.jpg

Picture 033.jpg

Kaiser.jpg
 
Last edited:
Welcome. Looks like a really clean truck with a good drivetrain to start with . Lots of guys have built crew cabs on this forum. Some of them are really awesome. How far you go is all according to how good your fab skills are (or how much you're willing to pay to have work done). In the Virgin Islands, I would suspect you're going to have to be creative and fab most of the stuff yourself if you're planning on going wild with it. My aunt and uncle lived on St. Thomas for a long time and they said that it's tough to get the locals to do anything. They're really laid back over there. Again, welcome to the brotherhood!
 
Thank you Andy for the warm welcome. Yes, real good handfull of key information here! I'm over on Pirate as well, I saw a post over there where someone reccomended CK5 for model specific info and they were right, i'm happy whith what I have read so far. I can read for days and days on here and all really usefull stuff, I figured in order to expidite advise and opinions I'd just post and wait and see what people have to offer. Hopefully it will give more to think about and consider, i'm sure there are things I haven't considered....BTW, this is my first GM strait axle...
 
Well you got yourself a good one to start with. I'm sure that by the end of the day some guys will start to tell you all about their crewcabs. They just haven't gotten of work yet.:D

The one weak link I can think of is going to be the steering. If you're going to put the 38s on there, you'll want to put a brace like Off Road Design sells. These trucks like to crack the frame where the steering box mounts, especially a big heavy one like you got. There are all kinds of options for lifting the truck, but for what you want to do, I would recommend 6" Tuff Country springs for the front. They come in EZ Ride or Heavy Duty versions, depending on whether you're going to run a wich or not. Not sure if the 6" lift will clear the 38s without some minor trimming though. You may have to add one of those 1" Zero Rate blocks or a 1" body lift. Don't forget to get either a raised steering arm or dropped pitman arm to go with it too. Oh and longer brake lines. For the rear, you can't go wrong keeping the rear springs and using a shackle flip. Off Road Design will hook you up. If the front is higher than the rear, you can use a Zero Rate or slightly longer shackles. I don't think you'll need any shims to correct your castor for a 6" lift. You shouldn't have to modify your driveshafts or anything.

Once you get all that, you should have a cool truck. It may have a hard time fitting down some those tight streets with all the crazy pedestrians, junk cars and bicyclists though.:D
 
The possibilities are endless, my guidlines for the time being are to hopefull keep the tin uncut, fit 38's, and no Death Wobble (just rebuilt uppers-w-double washer shim)... I forgot to mention I already installed a 3" raised steering block and extended brake lines. Yeah the streets are tight here, makes for some creative parking....

Picture 104.jpg

Picture 103.jpg
 
I think, to fit 38's with no trimming, you'll need more than 6" lift. Then again, it depends on the specific tire.

Get the bolt on and weld on steering kits, that's almost mandatory with these trucks. With 38's and enough lift to clear them, cross over steering is probably a good idea as well.

Check out ORD for all that stuff.

http://www.offroaddesign.com/catalog.htm

And here's my 1990 GMC V30-
90_v30a.jpg

90_v30b.jpg

90_v30c.jpg

90_v30d.jpg


Unknown 6" springs and 35's. I haven't even seen it in person yet, had a buddy handle the deal for me while I'm deployed... when I get back to the states, it's build time. :)
 
I forgot...

To help prevent the death wobble, check out these bronze king pin bushings from CM Performance Machine-
http://www.cmperformancemachine.com/store/product.php?productid=16133&cat=249&page=1

Those, coupled with a set of springless crossover arms like these from Ballistic Fab-
http://www.ballisticfabrication.com/D60-high-steer-kit-for-kingpin-axles_p_1246.html

And king pin rebuild kits from WFO-
http://www.wfoconcepts.com/pr/Dana-60-Kingpin-Rebuild-Kit/3164/3172/3435

Will go a looong way towards preventing death wobble. Good luck and post more pics of your truck as it progresses. :pimp1:
 
Will do, I remember when ORD's blazer was first on the scene, I thought that thing was so sick and then they cut it all up, cool if you dig that stuff..... Petersons step side build was sweet too with thier help, they provide a good product. I like the stuff ORU puts out as well... I think your right, it dose depend on the tire but I'd like to run a true 38, we'll see.. It depends on the wheel width and back spacing too, if the sticks out of the well too much then its affectively getting wider while you turn.... Couple pics of the donor mobile...I had a choice of the two so without looking at the milage I picked the all green one after taking a look underneth not like milage or appearence has anything to do with it but the truck seemed more clean and less used, whataya gunna do for $250 right...... So I thought....... Yesterday I thought I'd run over there and just check the milage, ha... The camo one has 450 miles or at least thats what the odometer has recorded and the other 30K :doah:
Whatever... I was thinkin about tellin him I'll take the otherone insted but he sold it already... Maybe 2morro I'll pull the diff covers....? Ya never know, "smarter not harder"...

IMG_0269.JPG

IMG_0270.JPG
 
For tires, I just bought 6 of these for mine-
11-16.jpg


11.00r16 Michelin XL's...38.7" tall and about 11.5 wide. Perfect for a dually. Also got 8" BDS front springs and 4" rear with one of DIY4x's shackle flips. Should clear the XL's just fine. :)
 
Ya man! that thing is gunna b sick! I love those XL's, they make whatever thier on look like rigs makin it happen! I love doolies, do you have decent choices for rims? Dose anyone mass produce beadlocks for them? What drive train do you have?
 
As for the mileage on the CUCV...It probably had it's gauge cluster swapped out sometime in it's life, or the speedo cable quit working or something. Being in the Army myself, I can see it happening. Those things always have low milage for their age, so I wouldn't worry about it to much. They are rarely ever put into 4 wheel drive.
 
bad larry said:
Ya man! that thing is gunna b sick! I love those XL's, they make whatever thier on look like rigs makin it happen! I love doolies, do you have decent choices for rims? Dose anyone mass produce beadlocks for them? What drive train do you have?
Click to expand...

I'm just gonna run the Alcoa look a likes that are on it now. It's gonna be a mainly street and pavement pounder truck with very little wheeling, so no need for bead locks or any crazy stuff. Rather than spend $40k+ on a new crew cab dually, I'm gonna build this one into something just as nice for way less money. A paint job, new interior/seats/carpet etc, and I'll be happy with it. I also have an '04 Nissan Frontier extended cab for the sensible, dd duty. The V30 will be a toy, but a toy reliable enough to pull dd duty if need, or want, be. :D

It has a 454 from a '93 Suburban, TH400, NP205, D60 front, D70 rear. I don't know what gears it has, gonna get re-geared anyways, so I'm not concerned.
 
Afternoon fellas, are there any 5" lift blocks that keep the axle centered in the wheel well kinda like a zero rate? I have a feeling with the searching i've done that with the right backspacing and tires I can get this to work with 5" of lift maybe 4" in the front and a zero rate... Any thoughts?
 
hello there new guy. nice truck.

by reading your input here i think i have a good idea for your build.

i would do a 6" lift kit. then 1" zero rates front and move the axle forward 1.5" and new top plates with the center holes set for axle movement. ditch the front sway bar you dont need it.

then the rear go with a set of 4" lift springs for 56" eye to eye for your 1ton. then go 2.5" flip kit for the rear and a 1-1.5" longer shackle for the extra lift . or if you want centered axle in the rear opt out on the longer shackle and get a second set of zero rates and move the axle as needed. and get the new spring top plates again setup for axle movement options.

next i would only do a crossover steering kit . 2wd box swaped in or sector shaft swap to your box. a good quality crossover kit . this will help with road handling and the axle moved forward as stock push pull suckes to begin with. and crossover = no swap bar but thats gone anyways.

next if you want rood ride and cheep go 37" goodyear m/t from a h1 hummer and get them on stock h1 rims. then find a set of drw hubs and swap them on the front for 4" more width. this and the 7" b/s h1 rims = 3" total b/s and perfect fit. then sell your srw hubs thay will sell quick trust me.

rear i would do a drw wide axle. but then you got 14ff - 4.56- detroit so prob best go with solid steel spacers around 3-4 " wide per side and bolt on the h1 rims/ tires.

srw = single rear wheel axles
drw = duel rear wheel axles



this in the end will get you the ride / look / function you want. and almost all these parts can be found on forums like us in the sale section cheep or vendors he have .

good luck and anymore questions just ask.
 
Last edited:
Real good bunch of useful info! Thank you K30! A couple of questions if you will, by "swap" bar do you mean sway bar? What do you mean by, "and new top plates with the center holes set for axle movement"? And, what 2wd box am I looking for? One out of any full size 2wd K series truck, blaze or burb give or take? I gotta do a little round up of what is here on the Island, I havent made it to all the "junk yards" yet. These usually consist of a small hole in the mangrove that you walk through and its like alice in wonderland BIG back yard of rigs galor! I found the Ford guy, havent found the GM guy yet...:rolleyes: come to think of it he sent me on some goose chase for axles that ended with a drw 4wd chassie, mmm front hubs....
 
if jethro is goin to pic hore. i am too.
here is my v30. and 11.0 xzl michelins. tires are mounted on my other truck currently though. i just got the crew cab. just getting started
looks like you have a nice truck to start building with. although i think most everybody will steer you away from the goodyear military tires. specifically the 36" ones
i wanted a tall tow/driver, thats why im goin with the michelins. a lot better driveability over bias ply tires. easy balancing. just something to consider.

005.JPG

001.JPG

006.JPG

008.JPG
 
if jethro is goin to pic hore. i am too.
here is my v30. and 11.0 xzl michelins. tires are mounted on my other truck currently though. i just got the crew cab. just getting started
looks like you have a nice truck to start building with. although i think most everybody will steer you away from the goodyear military tires. specifically the 36" ones
i wanted a tall tow/driver, thats why im goin with the michelins. a lot better driveability over bias ply tires. easy balancing. just something to consider
Click to expand...
I see your over in the classifieds, that sux u gotta sell... Y dont you sell the blaze, those are a dime a dozen..Keep the crew, that thing is clean, good sheet metal, stick, uncut...Man that thing is a clean slate, what a great dd w xzl's!! I really like all original metal and patina, I'd clean the **** out of it and clear over the original paint and surface rust to keep it like that forever! I wonder if there is a rust converter like POR 15 that will cure clear and is paintable. You could use it on the surface spots and clear the rest, I bet it would b cheaper than a paint job and you would have the piece of mind that it was preserved..:rolleyes: The paint on my truck is burning through on the top of the quarters in a couple of spots and starting to fade a little in others and I love it? I had a set of the 36" rt's on this truck already and yes they were POS! I decided on 12bolt H1's drw 60 hubs, spacers on the 14b, 37" rt2's and 1 extra inch of lift. Although I had never considered those michelins, I like um...
 
i was actually trying to sell the k5 for a while. but i have almost $20k into it plus labor and might be able to get $5k for it, and now the engine is knockin'. it has been extremely reliable, on road and off. it is also really straight and not rusty.
so after i sell the trans am and the crew cab. i'm going to look for a c30 with a 454/465 combo and hydraboost to swap into the k5. ( i actually already had all this stuff but sold it to buy the crew)
then i'm hacking the top off, boatsiding it, and exo caging the rear quarter panels and building a big ass rear bumper with a hitch to tow my rubicon with.
then later when i'm not so poor, maybe get a 81'-85' dodge crew cab, and swap a cummins into it.
if i can sell the trans am first, i'm keepin the crew cab
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Latest Posts

Top Bottom