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"The General" 77GMCK25 *interior pics up.

Whats the favored gear ratio for 38"tires?


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    21
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original balzer

1/2 ton status
Joined
Nov 17, 2004
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Location
roosevelt utah
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.:doah:

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.
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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. :haha:

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.
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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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:doah::doah:

Forgot the plans for it as if the fiorst post wasnt long enough!

If any of you have visited the blogs you may have seen the build of my crew cab. Well all the cool stuff for that is now getting donated to this truck.

Currently the truck has a TH350/203 D44 FF14B.

I am going to prep the D60 front and a matching gear FF14B. The D60 needs new king pin bushings, the highsteer crossover arms, the rear is getting the disk brake swap, a mild shave. I hope to have detroits in both as well but we shall see.
I will also clean and repair the 465/205 that came from my 85 K5 the transfer case will get a fixed rear yoke and the 465 has the notorious problem of popping out of 3rd gear.

Once I get EVERYTHING ready I will swap it all over. The truck has a 4" lift and 315x75x16s I will add Kerts eazy inch and extend the wheel base 2". 1" forward on the front axle and 1" back on the rear axle. I think this will center the tires a little better.

I will add more later.
 
Ok so I have a collection of stuff I bought for the crew cab that will now go on this truck.

From ORD
shackle frame eye hangers for 9/16 bolts
steering brace
high steer crossover knuckle arms

From DIY4X (kerts stuff is awesome)
rear disk brake brackets
14B gaurdsman
handfull of greasable 9/16 bolts for the springs
and a 14B diff cover kit (but I think I want razorbacks)

From Napa :haha::haha:
new brake rotors
new calipers
new wheel studs

From previous projects/trucks
D60 front
FF14B rear
SM465
NP205 Slip yoke style.
tilt col.

I have the stuff to swap to a fixed yoke on the transfer case that I bought from a member here but Im sorry to say I dont remember who I got it from.

Now the wish list.:doah:

Kert has lots of stuff, but for this go around I have limited what I want.
Razorback diff covers
UD spring plates for both axles
shackle flip and switch to eliminate the 4" blocks.
EZ inch zero rates.

ORD
1" body lift
drag link
tie rod
TREs for both above
pitman arm
PSC 2wd steering box
PSC steering pump

Sorry if this is repetitive its as much for me to keep info in 1 spot as your entertainment.
 
Ok updated pics some parts and a little progress.

Heres how it looks now.
77.jpg

77-3.jpg

77-4.jpg



It has some wheels and tires that I actually put on before I traded it to my dad.
77-6.jpg


Heres all the rust. You will see some bondo that wasnt sanded down, this is mostly tiny dents or dings.
77-7.jpg

77-8.jpg


This is the left front fender it has about 15 tiny rust holes under that unsanded bondo. I will replace this fender eventually.
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paint is pealing in some spots.
77-5.jpg


dirty lil mouse
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The rear bumper I never finished.
77-2.jpg


Parts
77-12.jpg

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77-14.jpg

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77-16.jpg

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And finally what I did today, it was a lot of work. I scuffed it then cleaned it with acetone let that dry hit the rust with napa brand rust converter then used 1 gal of dupicolor bed liner. It was barely enough to get everything coated there are some thin area and I have 2 small spots that it wouldnt stick to. I will have to hit them with the wire wheel and recoat the floor with a second gallon next pay day.

not many pics but I did get one while I was doing the sides. I did the sides and corners with a brush first. Then the texture roller, then moved onto the floor.
77-19.jpg


And finished
77-20.jpg
 
OK so as was warned by others the head of the wheel studs for the 14B did not fit into the rotor recess. BUMMER

However, one of my best friends was a machinist in the Navy and has a cute little bench top lathe/mill thing. He swung by today, while I was at work, and grabbed a rotor and the box of studs. It was about 3pm when he called me and asked where they was, by 5pm he sent me a text saying he had them done.

SWEET I love free stuff!

Naw Ill buy him a beer...........

Baby steps baby steps. But as my Dad says any forward progress is good.

Bad pic and not so exciting but heres the machined wheel studs. I cant remember what the measurment he said but its a slight resistance fit meaning its almost a pressed fit. and yes its almost a mirror finish on them. Oh and I called the 2 local machine shops and told them what I needed one quoted me $160 the other....... a WOPPING $250 are machine shops just flat out LOONY everywhere or just here where the oilfield pays big money?
lugstuds.jpg
 
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Ok so I had the 22nd and 23rd off got alot done around the yard and did as mush as I could with little to no money spent.

I had to buy copper header to head gaskets for my yukon the leak was driving me crazy. Got that fixed but I think there is a slight leak at the collector doughnut gasket. GRRRR I hate headers!

Got a new drive belt for the lawn mower put on but I had bought the belt earlier this spring when the blade belt broke. I got some yard work done got some of my project messes cleaned up and out of the way.

Tuesday Lectric80 (Jason) showed up to get the top off my old K5. REALLY cool guy Im glad I got to meet.

I took1 hub off the crew cab and applied a generous coat of grease to the spindle and just inside the axle to protect it from rust. I wont be using that axle as it has the narrow spring perches but the hubs where already stripped down. I will use the matching axle that was used in the K5 when it went to 1 ton. The 85 k30 pickup had narrow perches and a gov bomb that had seen better days I swapped it for a 3/4 ton 14B, with matching gears and open diff years ago.
I bought some sand paper and a can of high heat black paint. I then got 1 hub rotor brake bracket and caliper cleaned up and painted. The caliper and rotor are new I bought them last pay check. Once the paint dried I put the hubs rotors and wheel studs together. Next pay day I will buy new bearings and races. The old ones look fine but I figure I might as well go new since its a slow project anyway.

I didnt get progress pics as there where boring, but heres the finished product. All cleaned painted and assembled.

77-brakes1.jpg

77-brakes2.jpg

77-brakes3.jpg

77-brakes4.jpg

77-brakes5.jpg
 
Not much responce but I guess so far this build is kinda boring.

I have a question about gearing though.

My axles have 4:11 gears right now and 35" tires, it runs good as is.
But I plan for 38's later and looking at a few differnt charts they recomend 5:13's to be in a simular to stock range with 38's. I will be using a sm465 trans. Possibly later going to a NV4500 but not right away.

So guys running 38's and either 4:88 or 5:13 gears I would like to know your oppinions.

Thanks in advance.
 
I was just doing that 14 bolt disc conversion the other day, looks good. I regeared to 4.88's with my 38's. It's a daily driver, and it has a 700r4 so I think it will be equivalent to stock or a little slower than stock. I was told that in overdrive I should be able to cruise at 60-65 with 2000-2200 rpm. But I haven't gotten the chance to drive it yet, still being built lol. I'd say if it's just for offroading go all out with the 5.13's.
 
i had 4.10's w/ 35's and then got a set of 38's. It's enough gear for the 38's, though 4.56 might be nicer. I've got plenty of get-up-and-go, so I think 4.88's will be a great choice. don't forget that you'll have one hell of a low first and second gear, so that helps alot with all this. i don't think that my 4.10's would be enough with an auto trans...
 
It was great meeting you as well.:waytogo:

As to the truck, the pictures don't do it justice, it looks much better in person (at least from 20' away:grin:)

Keep it up, I can't wait to see you get this thing back on the road!
 
I am running 4.88 gears with 38"s and a 700R4/241. Feels pretty good, but I haven't had it on the highway or off road yet (bad d-shaft angles and front gears are still 3.73 :doah:).

I bought new gears but if you want to save $$$, used 4.56 gears are much easier to find.

What is the deal with the 14BFF studs? Mine fit fine.
 
I run 4.88's with 37's, borrow a set of 40'" Boggers for the trail. I'm very happy with my set up. I'm running a 465/205. Even on the highway it isn't too bad. I can keep pace with traffic and pass if I have to.
 
Apperantly some rotors are made with smaller recess' and it was just my luck to get them.

Its ok though my friend saved me and left a slight resistance fit. It worked out great.
 
Depends on what the plans for the truck are. If you like doing a lot of freeway driving then either 4.88 or 5.13 will be a little stout (i.e. high rpm) with a non-overdrive transmission.

My recommendation would be to put the truck together with the existing 4.10 gears and see how you like it.
 

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