The Beige Jimmy

[regal403]

Took the wife and kids to the creek in the Jimmy this past weekend. What a fun time.







Taking the dash apart to swap out the headlight switch for my smoother-turning junkyard unit, I discovered an aftermarket cruse control module and an un-molested radio hole.







Note the Delco-Remy cast logo inside the switches. Beautiful little details like that aren't common anymore.


I'm heading to my uncle's ranch in South Dakota this weekend to rob parts out of the tree line. Rally wheels, charcoal canister, maybe a grill and some interior parts. I can't wait.

 

[82355]

Why is the top still on?

Rally wheels are MUCH needed. Those black wheels make it look awful.

Martin

 

[regal403]

Why is the top still on?

Rally wheels are MUCH needed. Those black wheels make it look awful.

Martin

We're in monsoon season out here on the high plains. Every afternoon it rains somewhere in the area. It's a crapshoot on whether we'll get wet or not, but when it rains, it pours (and sometimes hails).

 

[78SWB]

Awesome rig. Glad you finally found one!

 

[regal403]

I'm about to hop in the Jimmy to go to work, but here's a spoiler picture of my weekend adventure.
I'll post more this afternoon.

 

[regal403]

My uncle said he'd give me a really good deal on a set of rally wheels, center caps, and beauty rings he had laying around. All I had to do was pay for shipping.

So I threw some tools and the kids in the minivan, kissed the wife goodbye, and headed to Nebraska for the weekend.



I asked my uncle why there are so many old Chevy trucks in that area, and his half-joking response was that 1976 was the only year any ranchers made enough money to buy new trucks out there.

I think he was kidding.







Mostly.

 

[regal403]

My uncle has purchased every one of his brand new vehicles from H&H Chevrolet in Omaha. The first (and probably last) time this happened was in 1980 when he bought a K5 Blazer there.

It is long gone, but the paint scheme was identical to this 1976 K10 affectionately named The '76.





That red '89 had around 300k when the odometer froze. It had close to 400k when they parked it in the tree line.

Spent a lot of time riding in this truck with grandpa.


I remember wanting to tear off the month on this calendar, but deciding to leave it for posterity. This was when it was parked in the trees.




This ventilated motor is out of the 84.

 

[regal403]

This 1984 K10 has been thoroughly scavenged by a former hired man who's into these type of rigs.

This was my designated fence line, hayfield, and refueling rig. We chased a lot of cows together.





As it slowly returns to nature and time takes its tenacious toll, the Old Chevy Truck Smell has been replaced by Rancid Mouse Turd Smell. At least my Jimmy still smells right.


It was in service until 2002 or so, but I kept the calendar on 1997 for old times sake.


It was a good old truck. But no usable parts for me.

Edit: I should grab the factory radio next time I'm up there. I like how they look.

 

[regal403]

By 1987 my uncle's K5 had surpassed 300k (and at least 3 motors and 7 transmissions) and he was looking for something to replace it.

This 1982 K10 left the factory with a 6.2L diesel but it grenaded at some point for reasons unknown. It belonged to a customer of his who traded it to my uncle for services rendered or an outstanding tab at his service station.
The shop mechanic swapped in a gas burning 400 and the Blazer was retired.

This was running when parked. Not sure why. I think he wanted something with an extended cab. It wouldn't need much to be road worthy besides a thorough de-mousing and some tree removal.




All said and done, here's what we scraped up.






Grandpa got on a diesel Oldsmobile kick in the 80s. The brown one has 450k+ and ran when parked, as they say.


My folks owned the white one (or one identical to it) when I was a kid. What a cushy ride. There is another red one besides this one that my uncle ran for years.


This Farmall Regular was converted to a hay sweep years ago. It's been parked here since before I was born in late '83.

 

[regal403]

I hit up the best little junkyard in Denver yesterday for a charcoal canister and sun visors.


Promptly after removing this canister from an '86 K5, I dropped it on the ground and it cracked open, spilling its contents all over the dirt.


I left its sliding side windows for another day. They would look pretty sweet on my Jimmy.





Fortunately there was an '85 Suburban in the same aisle that also had a canister.


This '88 is fairly well picked over, though there is a nice rally wheel in the back end still if anyone wants it.

 

[82355]

There are the pics I was looking for!

Martin

 

[82355]

That last Blazer was probably an ‘89, not an ‘88. They did not have the serpentine setup yet in ‘88. Also the two tone is wrong for ‘88 (that also changed in ‘89).

Martin

 

[regal403]

That last Blazer was probably an ‘89, not an ‘88. They did not have the selective setup yet in ‘88. Also the two tone is wrong for ‘88 (that also changed in ‘89).

Martin

I questioned the year based on the center bolt valve covers. Or did those start in 88?

This is my favorite yard not for their accuracy, but for their inventory.

 

[regal403]

Not pictured were grandpa's pale yellow '77 K10 named Blondie nor the gray '85/86 C10 GMC named Jimmy. Those both got sold when he sold the big ranch in 1995ish.

So there were a total of six square bodies, as I originally estimated.

 

[mrk5]

I questioned the year based on the center bolt valve covers. Or did those start in 88?

This is my favorite yard not for their accuracy, but for their inventory.

87 tbi motors would have the center bolt valve covers.

 

[beags86]

Wow, this thread got good quick! More pictures of shitboxs in the weeds/ trees please!

Especially good when you where talking about gas swapping that 6.2 !

 

[82355]

‘88 (and ‘87) would have centerbolt valve covers.

Martin

 

[regal403]

Actual work photos in my work log!

Charcoal canister installed.


The air tube fittings are much larger than the holes in my exhaust manifolds. Does anyone know what size these are so I can make an adapter without having to pull exhaust manifolds from the junkyard?






I'm currently figuring out how the air pump brackets go back together.

 

[82355]

They’re odd sizes.

The correct tubes or manifolds is going to be a better bet.

Martin

 

[diesel4me]

They switched to metric flare threads around 1980 on those flute pipes..

Also I remember the earlier ones having 1/4" pipe "straight" threads,not tapered like typical pipe threads...but you could put 1/4" npt pipe plugs in the manifolds to block them off...they would screw in only a few threads but enough to keep them in place..