CK5
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sons first car

1986 Chevy K20 stock 350 th400 a bunch of unknowns
well after multiple talks an what not my son finally pulled the trigger in his first ever truck
he always and still wants some sort of 70s muscle car ie 70-73 camaro
early Something nova
70's something el camino or chevelle.
I convinced him that be needed a truck
especially something 4x4.
we live just shy of Tahoe in Nevada
were winters can bring some snow.
that an he is big into dirtbikes so something to carry that was a plus.
although his answer is "I can take your truck or your blazer".
that an he wanted a manual as well.
big list, big dreams, small pockets.
I always told my kids if they save up 1/2 for anything I will match it
 
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a deal was struck for a steal
the po said the selector valve for the tanks was not working but everything else was good.
a new battery and some fresh fuel and she fired right up.
I've showed him how to
replace the radiator
degrease it (4 times)
oil/filter change
alternator install (old one was shot)
build battery cables from welding cables
we got a new selector valve an of course no power to the harness.
test the switch an wham we found the culprit
bad switch and the po though it was the valve
 
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this thing sat in a field unmolested for 5 years.
surprisingly the rodents didn't get to it.
can't find any botched wiring or po fixes.
really impressed
right now we keep turning it over an letting it idle for a few minutes a day
until I can teach my son how to do timing from scratch dizzy out etc etc etc.
I know I need to drop the tanks to replace the hoses an install the fuel valve properly.
should we drop the tanks or lift the bed.?
 
Nice find, Son is going to have a nice truck for many years. If you have the ability to raise the bed rise it much easier to do hoses and keep everything in order while going back together.
Gardnerville is nice country I forget Douglas or Washoe county. I know Washoe has emission testing.
Did you fix the vacuum leak the separated hose there at the carb in the pictures?
 
we removed all the extra vacuum hoses
for the carb we replaced the hose with a single one.
thanks for the recommendation about raising the bed
need to get him some tires
since they are all weather cracked
although the truck came with 9 sets of tires with rims
 
I wish
just 9 tires
all 8 bolt
sometimes wish they were 6 lug
that way can swap tires from the blazer to it
 
right now he is talking like a total mini me
he wants to know the fuel economy of a big block
I keep saying small block 350 or 383
I'm saying blazer tank
he says keep the duals
I say 2" lift
he says stock
 
383 stroker
keep the trans th400
dual tanks
stock height
he is also talking some sort of efi system
although I wish I knew more about quadrajet carbs
 
Agree
Nice find, Son is going to have a nice truck for many years. If you have the ability to raise the bed rise it much easier to do hoses and keep everything in order while going back together.
Gardnerville is nice country I forget Douglas or Washoe county. I know Washoe has emission testing.
Did you fix the vacuum leak the separated hose there at the carb in the pictures?

Agreed. My first truck was an 85 silverado long bed with dual tanks. I had a fuel leak between the two tanks. I think its 8 bolts and a few electrical connections to dismount the bed. My dad and I built a frame to support the bed with some 2X4's after we lifted it, then drove the truck out from underneath.

Of course, 2X4's were, like, 75 cents for an 8 foot board back then. But it made it a TON easier to make the repair. we had such easy access, we went ahead and replaced all the hoses, sending units etc...etc... while we were there. "Might as well"...
 
Do you have to be emissions compliant with this where you are at? There's a hose with the egr that is not there and that broken vacuum temp switch on the thermostat housing. Good start for a truck with it not being totally molested and messed up. That way your kid doesn't have to deal with that and figuring out how to fix things. My K5 was that way when I got it. Old guy gifted it to his grandson when he died and the kid didn't like it so it sat like 5 yrs then I got it. All original. I'm gonna push my kids to get old stuff when they start to drive. It's good for them to learn all that and figure out how to fix things. Now days most kids in high school just get a car or a diesel pickup their parents give to them.
 
No emissions requirement were I live.
Goal for now is to remove all the smog stuff,
remove the exhaust tunes from the manifolds.
teach him how to stab a dizzy, build plug wires.
we have to replace the master cylinder an the steering box since that's the only leak we have found.
 

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