"The Grande" 79 K15

[TerryD]

Tearing down the Grande finally. Progress so far:
Engine/Trans/T-case pulled
Engine at shop getting checked out (possibly cracked block)
Cab/Doghouse/Bed off frame

Hoping to get the old brake/fuel lines and wiring off the frame next weekend and start pulling off the junk I won't need (fuel tank mounts ect)

This is how it looked the day I picked it up. 79 Sierra Grande. Rusted from the glass down.

DS rocker/floorpan

Been hacking away at it for the last few weeks. Getting what I can done each day. I don't have alot of time to spend on it, but try to get a little done at a time. We got the old cab/bed stripped off today.

Don lets himself get talked into stuff too easily...

I guess this is the start of a build thread. It'll be slow and not very exciting. Finished product is expected to be (at this point and we all know how that goes):
~4" of lift via 52" swap in the front and inboarded 59" Dodge 1500 springs rear (freebies)
119.5" wheelbase
383/th350/np205
10bolt with lockrite and alloy shafts, 4.10 gears
12bolt with spool and alloy shafts 4.10 gears
Q-78/15 TSL's

 

[oatsk5]

LOL looks like a big project il have a 84 swb and a 88 long bed here in the near future.

 

[raymos]

wow that was one rusty truck! hope the frame is in better shape. sounds like its gonna be a sweet rig once this stage is finished .
gonna keep my eye on this one.

 

[TerryD]

Yeah, it'll be a job, but it's nothing new. The frame looks to be really good from my initial inspection. It only get rough behind where I plan to cut it off. Only one of the frame's cab mounts is going to have to be patched. The cab actually rusted out back in the early 90's, was patched up then and has rusted out again.

I know the history of the truck, it was bought new from Mundy Chevrolet (don't know why a GMC was bought there), my dad was a mechanic there when the truck was purchased, and did the check in inspection on it. It was used by another friend of the family to pull his race car and general "around the home work" then the motor blew. He had a local legend of an engine builder work over the 350, but soon sold the truck. It was bought by Bob's future ex-inlaws and the body patched up and a 1/2 butt coat of paint sprayed over the bondo and foam (one rocker was filled with spray foam and painted). The when Bob married Connie, she forced him to sell his little S-10 and buy this from her family. He used it as a DD for several years, Connie left, economy got rough and Bob got a Omni to drive. The truck was relegated to Farm Use. He ran it without checking the oil and it got full of gas, killing the crank. Then he called me and asked if I wanted it. Free truck? Heck Yeah! When I pulled down the motor last week, #8 and #3 rod bearings both had ~1/8" of clearance, I think it may have been a little tight.

 

[TerryD]

Had some help today. My daughter Alex was with me. We got the brake/fuel lines stripped off the frame and pulled the steering box. Then she got bored and we went back to the house and put the motors/gear boxes out of a Silverado in her Jeep. 3 y/o's have such a short attention span.

 

[TerryD]

Axles and springs are off the old frame. What do you guys usually do to a set of 52s before you put them up front? I was going to disassemble the packs, hit them with a wire brush on a grinder, spray a little black paint on them (probably semi-gloss rustoleum) and cut the overload down to about 10" long and reassemble them. Possibly cut the clamps completely off. Any suggestions?
I'd have pics of what we did, but I'm sure everyone has seen a pair of axles laying on the ground next to a bare frame...