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The truck that shouldn't exist

rybike13

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Dec 29, 2014
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Fernie B.C. Canada
Hey guys,
Over the past few months Ive looking with my dad to try and find a project truck for him, he owed a 84 k20 when I was first born but due to not enough room for a family he sold the truck, it ended up going to a local farmer and teacher whom I now have as a history teacher.

My father recently got the off road bug again after I brought home a 1988 toyota pickup, He started showing my pictures of his old truck and told me that he would like to find something similar. I knew the onwer of his old truck before having him as a teacher because my dad would hire my out to him in the summers to help on the farm, so when I found out I had him as a teacher I knew the first thing I would be asking him about. Turns out the transmission gave up on him and then he sold it to a local kid for $400, I was feeling a little disheartened like i missed my chance. A month or so later he approaches me in class and asked if i was still looking for a chevy? of course i said yes, all he had to say tho was I had totally forgot about it but there is a 3/4 ton 4x4 chevy sitting in one of the lower fields with with a burnt up clutch and its been there for 25 years, that was all he knows about it and said go take a look and if you want it you can have it.

the next day we went out to have a look, the farmer said it was in the lower field so we started walking. After tugging through the snow we finally caught a glimpse of what looked to be a old blue chevy cover in snow, as we got closer we could tell it was defiantly a 80s from the horizontal lights on the fender but other than that this truck had no grille, badging ot lights what so ever and under the peeling old blue spay paint there was the tell tale bright yellow of an old mine truck from are area.

One of the first things i noticed was the rear axle was a full float, i didn't climb under to make sure it was a 14 bolt but i assumed when I saw the ff hubs. Then I crawler under the front end to see what was buried behind the snow, a 10 bolt. confirming this truck is a 3/4 ton, next under the passenger side to get a look at the t case and to my surprise there was a big cast iron case not an aluminum 208 like I was expecting! now starting to get excited we have a ff 14 bolt looks to be a np205 tcase mated to a 4 speed manual. all that left is to pop the hood, and what do we find. Thats not a 350, thats a big block! After seeing that we decided to go talk to the farmer, in the end he basically said you can have the truck if we pull it out. We made a deal we would be back this spring once the snow melts

so we left there with out a single photo, minimal information and no vin number. and now after researching ive learned that the 205 should of only been in 1 ton trucks.

I guess what im wondering is could this be a factory build from the early to late 80s?
3/4 ton 4x4 454 with sm465 to np205 with a full float rear end?

Hope thats not to much to read!
-Ryan
 
I just quick-searched Rockauto to see what drivetrain options are available. For an '80 K20, the 454 and the 205 are both listed as stock options. Not sure what all years this would apply to. In any event, sweet score even if it's just for free parts.
 
465/205 setups are extremely common and all 1980 trucks got 205's regardless of weight rating. It was a weird transition year, with 79 being the last year for 203's and 81 being the first for 208's.

205's were common in all GM trucks (1/2 ton through 1 ton) in the 70's, then starting in 81 they only came in K30's.

454's never came stock in a K20, so that was swapped in at some point.
 
Thanks for the quick response, i just looked up rock auto like you said and according to them the 1980 was the last year of the 454 and 400 so if it is a 80 I guess i could be ether. that brings up my next question. it has horizontal marker lights and the later hood, i thought all 80s had the early body panels and that the new body came out in 81?
 
Don't trust application catalogs for that stuff, they always list the 454 as an option in anything but they didn't come in 4x4 trucks until 81, and then only in K30's. For some crazy reason, they put them in 2WD trucks long before then.

1980 is an oddball year for all body parts if I remember right, pretty much unique.
 
'80 model K30's were available with a 454. Most things you read say they were not available until '81 but I have seen a couple that I am 99% sure were original 454 and a friend of mine has one that I am positive was an original 454. It had the option codes still in the glove box when he bought it. The guy that he bought it from was the original owner and he also knows the mechanic that worked on it from when it was new until he bought it.
 
Sounds like a 1 ton that someone swapped the front axle for a 10 bolt. Couldn't get a 205 in anything other than a 1 ton after 81, and like others said couldn't get a 454 in a 3/4 ton. If possible go back and get some pics, look for the RPO tag, be either in the glovebox or inner fender. If they tag says 4.56s, won't be a 3/4 ton. Are you sure it's NOT a 10 bolt front?
 
These are about as authoritative as possible: http://brochures.slosh.com/index.shtml?1980

Click "pickups" on the left, and then the last page on the right.

The EPA put the automakers out of the "you can order anything you want" business in the early 70's, all combinations had to be emissions certified, no way would any manufacturer do that for a single customer.
 
How did you identify the front axle? Are you visually familiar with a GM 10 bolt? I ask because a D60 has 10 bolts on the cover.
 
-he biggest thing to keep in mind is that we are talking about a 30+ year old truck that almost every part was easily interchanged with other model years. I'm almost surprised if I find a truck of this age that is all original nowadays.
 
My grandfather had a 1980 Chevy K30 that he ordered with the 454 and SM465 combo. Wish I would have been given the chance to buy it first when he sold it since I just turned 16.
 
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