"The General" 77GMCK25 *interior pics up.

[original balzer]

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.

Thats hard for me to do. I had all this drivetrain in my blazer and ran 38's for a while. BUT the engineS were well worn 305's about 55mph was all I could do. I know the engine in my 77 has a LOT more power than those crappy 305s but it just sucked in high range.

Now someones gunna ask how many 305s I went through.
The answer is 4 First one just flat out ran out of power and ended up with about 25lbs of compression. Second one got submarined. 3rd one let loose on a 8000 rpm low range 1st gear snowy icey and steep hill climb (but I made it to the top) and the 4th one the best runner of the 4 kept back fireing so I was going to replace the timming chain. ended up the cam was broke right in 2 at #7 exhaust lobe. I dont like running free engines anymore HAHA. I used to be almost as hard on parts as Shawn

 

[original balzer]

Got my 14B tubes welded to the center section...........

Got the trans and transfer case moved so I can work on it. Years and years and years of grease and crud. Its stuck on there like concrete. My pressure washer hardly did anything to remove it. I sprayed some diesel on it and hope that will soften the crap up so I can clean them. I was literally chiping it off with a welders slag hammer. I got hot and sweat rolled into my eye. DAMN THAT STINGS!

In the morning I will start tearing the 14B down and get it ready to paint.
Something tells me the wire brush and I are gunna be real close friends after tomorrow. I should have both rotor/hubs ready to put back on it by afternoon.

OH YEA even though Im 100% positive the 1 ton I robbed the drive train from was a 1985, The trans-case is a figure 8 pattern. I have read time and time again that it should be a round pattern. I guess it doesnt matter much since I cant afford to do a doubler right now and beside that they make fig 8 stuff too.

I have decided to run the 4.11's and open diffs for now due to budget restraints. I will get a 1410 yoke converted to u-bolt style from ??? I cant remember who offers them right now. Northwest fab maybe? Kerts razor back diff cover is also on the list. Brake lines, and a few other things. I already have the gaurdsman calipers rotors and brackets.

 

[original balzer]

SO today I have been cleaning and wire brushing and cleaning some more. The area I am working in has shade most of the day but full sun durring the hottest part of the day.

Anyway not much progress to speak of but I did find something rather disturbing. After soaking with diesel the crud all over the trans and x-case softened up enough to get it off. Under all that crap i found the top 3 bolts from the adapter to the x-case where not even close to tight. they was backed out about a 1/8 inch gap. I used to wheel the blazer pretty dang hard and it held up with the remaing bolts. Im glad I decided to clean them up this time around though.

Wire brush cone, cup, and wheel in a die grinder and a 14b have been most of my day. I am dirty! but most of it is cleaning up nice and will get some paint this evening when I get my shade back.

update
OK so I got most the housing cleaned up and painted. got the hub/rotor that I already had ready and put new bearings in it with a light coat of grease. (14B hubs are lubed from the 90wt gear oil no need to pack the bearings.) new seal and got it and the caliper braket installed. The calipers will be pointed forward about the same as front rotors tilt rearward. I got the other hub and started cleaning it until I realized that having loose parts from the brakes inside there had chewed up the hub. Particualrly the shoulder near the seal. Looking at it it had wore into the seal its self and is tapered off. So I will use one of the other hubs. The seal would still work in this hub but I would rather have the full shoulder.

wire brushing away the rust

One side almost complete.

weld

 

[chevyridinhigh79]

good looking truck and im glad to see somebody else is doing a 77 pickup. is the cam a melling cam or millings? reason i ask is ive never heard of millings and i might look into that cam depending on what the powerband (basic operating RPM range) of it is. what wire did you use when you welded the tubes to the housing? i might end up doing this to mine if my lincoln 110 is enough to complete the job.

 

[original balzer]

good looking truck and im glad to see somebody else is doing a 77 pickup. is the cam a melling cam or millings? reason i ask is ive never heard of millings and i might look into that cam depending on what the powerband (basic operating RPM range) of it is. what wire did you use when you welded the tubes to the housing? i might end up doing this to mine if my lincoln 110 is enough to complete the job.

Melling yes sorry. They are called something like select torque now I believe.

I didnt use wire, 7018 rod.

 

[chevyridinhigh79]

oh, i thought you mig'd it. those welds look pretty damn good so im going to say you tig'd it and not stick'd it or arc'd it

 

[original balzer]

Just an arc weld with 7018 rod using my diesel lincon 300. I just found the best looking spot to take a pic of is all that is HAHAHA. But thanks.

I had a bunch of grease melt out while heating the center section. had to keep it hot and wire wheel if a lot until the grease stopped seaping out. Then I just lt it air cool no insulation or anything.

 

[original balzer]

Not a lot of progress, working nights has messed up my time to work on it.

I got my taxes done finally, my accountant had filed an extention due to the business I had. I will be getting about $4k back so I can get more stuff. Hopefully it shows up quick as they did do an e-file.

I am currently changing all the interior to black I have the interior basically gutted and all the metal that will show is painted black. I have painted all the a pillar, b pillar, and crown trim as well as the kick pannels. I havent decided if I am going to smooth the dash of just epoxy the cracks, sand and paint. I will be buying a head liner, door panels, lower door carpet, and floor carpet all in black. I want to do a roll on bed liner in the cab that way I can kill any surface rust that may be under the pad right now and hopfully prevent future rust. Then new pad and carpet over that. I will also buy some automotive carpet and cover the back cab wall.

I am also waiting for some of the stuff I have ordered for the wiring project. That is a bit overwhelming but once I get the stuff I can start on that. I have several mods Id like to do while Im at it such as headlight relays. I have been writing a lot of notes and planing it out the way I want it, and just basically trying to convince myself it wont be that bad.

Also the guy who does the paint and body work on the semis where I work offered to help me paint the beast. I have the colors and scheme figured out but Im going to keep that under my hat for now. I just have to get the materials for the job.

The drive train is gunna require some money so I may hold off on that until later as I want this truck drivable for the elk and deer hunts in oct. I will probably just use it as is for now with the d44, automatic and NP203 and do the axle trans and x-case swap next spring. I do have the rear axle ready to swap in but will wait until everythingelse is ready.

 

[supersize75k5]

My new motto is get is driveable and drive the damn thing.


Keep the progress train rollin

 

[original balzer]

Heres some interior pics everything used to be blue there was no black before. Most of the blue you can still see will not be seen being covered by trim parts. I scrubbed everything with a scotch bright type pad untilit was dull finish, then cleaned it with acetone before painting it. Just using rustoleum rattle cans. I think that should hold up on the interior, if not it will be easy to touch up.

This is the glove box out of the red 83 truck the blue one in this truck had a broken hinge.

Sadly the stickers will all be covered by a headliner.

still need to pulll up the old pad/insulation and bed line the floor with herc or duplicolor bed liner

I havent decided weather to smooth the dash pad with fiberglass resin or just epoxy the cracks sand and paint.

I will put automotive carpet up to where the cab bulges out with a piece of wood trim at the top also painted black.