original balzer
1/2 ton status
Ok so here goes a build thread. I just had too many projects and my beloved 77 had been put on the back burner and actually had its dual batt cables scavanged off from it. Those bassturds! Oh wait it was me.
SO my crew cab project is being ditched in favor of the truck my family affectionatly refers to as "The General".
The pics have been posted a million times but, this is its build thread so its only fitting I post both its first pic and the last pic I have took of it.
Ok this pic is pretty much what it looked like when I got it. With the exception of the front bumper and KC lights.
I built the front bumper using 3" drill pipe and a solid dumb bell bar. I had to notch it and heat it bright red and push againstr my ford 655 back hoe to get the 3" to bend. This thing is beef! For those of you who dont know drill pipe turns and the friction causes it to become magnetic. To overcome this and weld solid to it you have to put 5 or 6 wraps of your welding cable around it. OK OK enough pattin myself on the back over the bumper. I actually dont like it anymore and will probably go into the for sale section or the scrap pile.
Below is after the first build. I had the axles gone through, new seals in the 203 tranfer case. and a new engine. It actually had a rebuilt engine transmission and the transfer case was gone through with a mile marker part time kit in it. But the engine had a chatter I didnt like so my brother and I built a 350 bored .060 over and 10:1 pistions, we used a millings stage 4 off road cam 444 lift and 230 duration. The heads are 70cc combustion chamber and 1.94 intake 1.50 exhaust, edelbrock performer intake and a reman 795cfm q-jet.
The chatter ended up being a broken piston ring in #6 and it also lookd like either they didnt change the timming gears and chain or bought cheap crap cuz the timming chain was loose.
I had a guy that was willing to help me with the body work and paint. But once we had it almost ready for paint the guy up and moved away. I actually found out from his neighbor! That bassturd!. SO my logical next step was to throw rattle can camo on it to protect the paint. It turned out pretty good and gave birth to the nic name my family has given it.
The general.
Shortly after that I traded it to my father. It was well taken care of for a while then he got sick of the wireing issues and didnt renew the registration. It has sat for about 2 years only getting used around the ranch. then last fall I robbed the batt cables off from it for our welding truck.
Now I have aquired it back from him. I replaced the doors with the ones off my old 85 K5 because the doors had cracks around the wing window and the driver side window regulator had an issue.
WOW what a long story! I will get current pics on my next days off. The poor thing has faded and some areas have started flaking and of course it has blue doors now.

SO my crew cab project is being ditched in favor of the truck my family affectionatly refers to as "The General".
The pics have been posted a million times but, this is its build thread so its only fitting I post both its first pic and the last pic I have took of it.
Ok this pic is pretty much what it looked like when I got it. With the exception of the front bumper and KC lights.
I built the front bumper using 3" drill pipe and a solid dumb bell bar. I had to notch it and heat it bright red and push againstr my ford 655 back hoe to get the 3" to bend. This thing is beef! For those of you who dont know drill pipe turns and the friction causes it to become magnetic. To overcome this and weld solid to it you have to put 5 or 6 wraps of your welding cable around it. OK OK enough pattin myself on the back over the bumper. I actually dont like it anymore and will probably go into the for sale section or the scrap pile.

Below is after the first build. I had the axles gone through, new seals in the 203 tranfer case. and a new engine. It actually had a rebuilt engine transmission and the transfer case was gone through with a mile marker part time kit in it. But the engine had a chatter I didnt like so my brother and I built a 350 bored .060 over and 10:1 pistions, we used a millings stage 4 off road cam 444 lift and 230 duration. The heads are 70cc combustion chamber and 1.94 intake 1.50 exhaust, edelbrock performer intake and a reman 795cfm q-jet.
The chatter ended up being a broken piston ring in #6 and it also lookd like either they didnt change the timming gears and chain or bought cheap crap cuz the timming chain was loose.
I had a guy that was willing to help me with the body work and paint. But once we had it almost ready for paint the guy up and moved away. I actually found out from his neighbor! That bassturd!. SO my logical next step was to throw rattle can camo on it to protect the paint. It turned out pretty good and gave birth to the nic name my family has given it.
The general.
Shortly after that I traded it to my father. It was well taken care of for a while then he got sick of the wireing issues and didnt renew the registration. It has sat for about 2 years only getting used around the ranch. then last fall I robbed the batt cables off from it for our welding truck.
Now I have aquired it back from him. I replaced the doors with the ones off my old 85 K5 because the doors had cracks around the wing window and the driver side window regulator had an issue.
WOW what a long story! I will get current pics on my next days off. The poor thing has faded and some areas have started flaking and of course it has blue doors now.
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