For Sale: Colorado: 1976 Chevy K10, 1 tons, Flatbed, 41.5" Pitbull Rocker radials

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This big truck actually drives very respectably on the street AND on the trails and was built with a focus on offroad performance AND being able to drive to/from the trails over Colorado mountain passes. And it does all of that and still maintains the “classic Chevy truck”. Here's an abbreviated version of the spec list (for those who don't like to read). I'll post a more detailed description after the pics. :cool:


  • GM Dana 60 1 ton front axle. NOS M1008 with factory 4.56 gears. Open. Warn Hubs
  • GM Corp. 14-bolt FF rear axle, completely rebuilt, Detroit Locker, 4.56 gears, disc brakes
  • SBC 350 engine with mild RV cam, Edelbrock Performer Intake Manifold, Sean Murphy Industries (SMI) Rochester Quadrajet carburetor, Hooker Comp full-length headers. AC Delco ignition parts.
  • SM465 trans mated to a completely rebuilt NP241C t-case w/ SYE. Crawl ratio = 81:1
  • Custom front High Angle Driveline with 1410 u-joints throughout.
  • Custom rear driveshaft by Rocky Mountain Driveline, with 1350 CV and 1410 at axle.
  • Custom built flatbed with wood floor and Trucklite LED lighting.
  • Offroad Design Crossover Steering with PSC Hydraulic Assist system
  • Suspension lift is approx.. 9” via DIY4X B52 brackets and 52” front springs, and 56” rear springs with Offroad Design Shackle Flip. Bilstein shocks (14” travel) at all 4 corners.
  • Polyurethane suspension bushings, engine, transmission, and body mounts.
  • Viair Onboard Air system – Dual 444C with 2.5 gal. tank and related accessories
  • Pitbull Rocker Radial 41.5x13.50R17 tires (x5) mounted on 17x9 Raceline Monster aluminum beadlock wheels (x5). Spare gets rotated in.
  • NEW Warn VR 10,000 lb. winch (without a single pull on it) mounted to a vintage Warn “Transformer” Brush Guard/Winch Mount.
  • Single 31 gallon K5 Blazer gas tank and skid plate, that replaces the problematic stock dual 16 gallon tanks.

$20,000 OBO

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Here's the "long story" of this build. I have $24,000 in this truck's PARTS ALONE, with documentation to prove it.

It probably goes without saying, but this truck isn’t a typical mall crawler or “monster mud truck”. It doesn’t have an off-the-shelf 12” Superstiff lift "kit" and 3” body lift with 8 cheap shocks, dry rotted bias ply tires, and a pile of “steering correction” parts to make it roll to the mall, all while riding terribly on road, and miserably off road. This truck actually drives great on the street AND on the trails. On the flip side, it doesn’t have a high dollar 4-link suspension with Fox Racing coilovers or anything else so exotic that you’d cringe if you had to replace a part. Nor is it dented and hacked up beyond recognition with miles of tube work and sawzall mixed with beer. This truck was built with a focus on offroad performance AND being able to drive to/from the trails over Colorado mountain passes. And it does all of that and maintains its clean, classic Chevy truck looks.

I have itemized all of the following parts and their current prices to show the buyer what it costs to build this particular truck to what it is today, and to justify my asking price. The prospective buyer who is familiar with these parts and modifications, is the one who is going to appreciate this effort. Some of these parts are 5-6 years old by now, and some are only a month old, but everything has very low mileage (approx. 2000-3000 total miles, and some parts only have 100 road miles!). What you skip here is the 1000+ labor hours, sales taxes and other additional expenses I have incurred over this 9-year build. In return, you get a very capable, classic Chevy 4x4 truck with all of the sought-after heavy duty upgrades, that drives well on the street, has conquered difficult Moab and Colorado trails. All of the wearable parts like brakes, tie rod ends, king pins, u-joints, all the fluids, belts, and hoses are all practically NEW, and have been very well maintained during their short service life. Every old, crusty body, engine, transmission, and suspension mount has been replaced with new polyurethane parts for better durability and performance than replacement rubber. Again, nothing terribly exotic here, just good parts to ensure a long life, and much better performance than stock. Here's a breakdown:


Steering
  • Offroad Design PSC Hydraulic Assist Steering system $1184
Includes an Extreme Duty PSC steering box ported for hydraulic assist lines, assist cylinder with hose kit, brand new high output pump with reservoir can on the pump and a filtered remote reservoir for greater fluid capacity and cooling. With one finger, I can spin my steering wheel at a dead stop and turn the 42” tires stop to stop. Its effortless on the trail as well. http://www.offroaddesign.com/catalog/PSCsteering.htm

PSC Tie rod clamp for hydraulic assist $40
a great way to attach a Hydraulic Assist Cylinder to the Tie Rod that still lets you adjust the toe alignment setting, versus welding tabs to the Tie Rod. http://offroaddesign.com/catalog/HDsteeringlinkage.htm#112TieRods
  • ORD Built Heavy Duty Tie Rod Ends $95
The frame was never cracked to begin with, but I made sure it never would be by installing both pieces.

Suspension
  • Offroad Design greasable polyurethane bushings and hardware everywhere $200
  • Offroad Design Ford front shock towers $56

Brakes
  • Napa stock replacement GM ¾ ton front calipers and pads $170

Axles
  • GM Dana 60 front axle $1600
  • “New Old Stock” (NOS) Military Surplus M1008 (still in wooded crate when I purchased it), with factory-installed 4.56 gear ratio and open differential. This axle was brand new when I bought it, and now has only 2000-3000 miles on it. The gear oil has already been changed after the “break-in period”.
  • Warn premium locking hubs $270
  • GM Corp. 14 bolt Full Floating rear axle $1400
  • Completely rebuilt with all new bearings and seals, 4.56 Yukon “thick” gears, master install kit, Detroit Locker, and 1410 u-joint yoke. All from Randy’s Ring and Pinion with Extended Warranty. Gear oil has already been changed after the “break-in period”.

Driveshafts (a.k.a. Drivelines)

Front:
High Angle Driveline custom 1410 CV driveline. (all 1410 series u-joints) $1500

I spent the money on this particular driveshaft because of the extensive suspension travel from the front suspension. The previous custom front driveshaft that I had quickly ran out of slip and u-joint operating angles, and cracked the front case half of the previous NP241 case I had built. (I rebuilt the NP241 with a donor case in February 2016). Rather than re-engineering my suspension setup that already worked so well, this current driveshaft solved the slip and operating angle problems all at once (the comparative costs were about the same). Plus, this driveshaft is WAY beefier than the 1350 CV and stock 1310 axle u-joints that were there before. I haven’t found a beefier driveshaft available anywhere!
http://www.highangledriveline.com/38cv.html

Rear:
Rocky Mountain Driveline 1350 CV at the t-case, and a 1410 u-joint at the rear axle $350


Transfer Case

New Process 241 (NP241C) $1200

Completely rebuilt with all new bearings, bushings, seals, oil pump pickup, Borg Warner chain, new speedometer gear to correct speedometer reading for tire size and axle gear ratio, plus a Slip Yoke Eliminator (SYE) kit from JB Conversions with 1350 rear output flange. The NP241 transfer case has a low range ratio of 2.72 to 1.

http://www.jbconversions.com/products/sye/np241c_j_std_sye.php
http://www.jbconversions.com/products/np241/rebuild.php
http://www.ebay.com/itm/151652900007?_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649&ssPageName=STRK:MEBIDX:IT

Transmission

GM Muncie SM465 $500
The “Low” gear is a non-synchronized “granny gear” with a 6.55 to 1 ratio. -That gear isn’t suitable for regular street use (you have to shift from it too quickly, and by then, you’re rolling a bit too fast to then shift into true “1st gear”). But Low gear is great for offroad on technical obstacles, or if you just need to go really slow. I rarely need to use “granny gear”. With the transfer case shifted into Low Range, and the transmission in Low gear (Crawl Ratio), I can step out of the truck and hardly walk slow enough next to it. The crawl ratio is 81 to 1. For comparison, the stock “crawl ratio” was a miserable 19:1. Driving offroad with a 19:1 ratio and automatic transmission meant that I had my foot on the brakes whenever descending, and I was on the throttle whenever ascending any obstacle. That is NOT the case anymore! The SM465 and NP241 provide much more control offroad than the stock setup. Now, at the trailhead, I can shift it into 4Lo, and leave it there the entire trail. I just select an appropriate gear in the transmission and go for it. The SM465 and NP241 are a great combination! For gearheads, you can see the math by checking out this calculator here: http://www.grimmjeeper.com/gears.html

This truck will drive 70 mph at just over 2500 rpm (I’ve driven it up to 80 mph), and I can still crawl on the trails idling along at only 100 feet per minute. This is a great combination of gearing in the right places, great control offroad, and yet it still allows you to cruise on the highway with traffic at an acceptable engine rpm.

Engine
Chevy 350
  • Mild RV cam
  • Hooker Comp full length headers
  • Walker stock replacement mufflers (not “quiet” by modern vehicle standards, but as quiet as I could make a classic truck without extra restrictive parts like catalytic converters, stock exhaust manifolds, and resonators). –This truck’s VIN never required catalytic converters for emissions testing, by the way. The exhaust sounds nice and throaty, but not annoyingly loud or crackly.
  • Sean Murphy Industries (SMI) Rochester Quadrajet carburetor $500
The "next best thing" to EFI. Easy to tune, reliable, and doesn’t require a laptop. A huge upgrade to the Edelbrock carb that was on before it! This carburetor is tuned for 6000 feet above sea level. I just got back from an offroad trip to Ouray, Colorado; where some of the trails were at nearly 13,000 feet above sea level, and the carb performed fantastic. Plainly said, this truck starts every single time, and doesn’t choke and stall out when its twisted up on the trails.
https://www.smicarburetor.com/products/sfID1/14/sfID2/9/sfID3/108/productID/47
 
Flatbed $1000

The structural frame of the flatbed was built with 2x3 0.120 wall square tubing. The outer “rails” or “walls” were built with 6” 0.120 wall flat stock. Fully welded. The size of the flatbed is still 6.5 feet long, just like the stock short bed that came off, and the width matches the width of the truck cab. The LED light panel was built from aluminum diamond plate, and the lights are all Trucklite LEDs. All of the electrical connections were made with marine heat-shrink crimps, and then addition shrink tube over it. The tail/turn signals don’t flash “rapidly”, like some LED conversions I’ve seen. They flash normally, as the stock lights would. The reverse lights are nice and bright, as is the hidden license plate light.

Toolbox $500
All of the items you see in the toolbox: spare parts, spare oil and fluids, Warn winch recovery bag, hand tools and tool bag, etc. goes with the truck! These are all just essentials and spare parts/fluids for the trails.

Viair Dual 444C Onboard Air System $650
http://www.viaircorp.com/oba-dual444C.html
Many hours were spent plumbing and wiring this system to a switch in the cab so that I could control when it turns on/off. Out of the box, the system only came with a pressure switch on the tank that shuts the compressors off at 200 psi, and then turns them back on if the tank falls below 175 psi. The pressure switch is still there and functions perfectly, but now the system can additionally be turned on/off whenever you desire. The system’s air manifold still has 4 more taps remaining for you to plumb in additional air accessories such as: ARB air locker(s), air horn, additional air line leads, etc.

Hi-Lift Xtreme 60” jack $150
Includes 4xRAC mounting system, jack cover, and jack handle isolator

Tires and Wheels

Pitbull Rocker Radial 41.5x13.50R17 (x5) $2767

  • The tires might have 2000 miles on them, and I’ve already rotated them twice (using a 5 tire rotation pattern) to ensure that all 5 tires continue to wear evenly. By rotating all 5 tires, you increase overall tire life by 20%.
  • Tires are all balanced internally with Dynabeads: http://www.innovativebalancing.com and they have zero vibrations on the road, even at 75 mph.

Raceline “Monster” aluminum beadlock wheels (x5) $1740

  • 17x9.5 with 4” backspacing
  • These are real beadlocks, not fakes. No air pressure leakage from them at all, even when they sit all winter long. On the trails, I’ve had the tires aired down to 5 psi with these wheels and have never lost a bead.


Body and Extras

Winch $700
I just installed a new Warn VR 10,000 winch, and mounted it to a Warn “Transformer” Brush Guard/Winch mount (which are quite difficult to find anymore). The Warn winch hasn’t even had a single pull on it. I’ve only pulled and re-spooled the cable on the drum with a load on it (per the Warn instructions), and it hasn’t been operated since.

Seat $200
The 40/60 split bench seat is from a 1996 Chevy Silverado pickup. I built the seat frame out of 1” 0.120 wall square tube, fully welded, and utilized the newer seat slider assembly to keep the seat slider function and also the old seat’s mounting feet to bolt the seat into the stock locations on the floor. Both the driver and passenger seat have electric lumbar adjustability. These seats are much more comfortable than the stock bench seat, with the individual slider function, lumbar adjustment, and headrests.

Gas Tank $500
I ditched the troublesome stock dual “saddle” 16 gallon gas tanks in favor of a new 31 gallon K5 Blazer gas tank from MTS Company, which has a built in “sump” at the bottom of the tank, should you ever decide to convert over to EFI. I designed and fabricated two custom crossmembers out of 2x3 0.120 wall tube that position and secure the gas tank, and also adds strength/rigidity to the otherwise “flexy” ½ ton frame. The filler neck assembly is new, as are the filler and vent hoses.
http://www.mtscompany.com/chevy-gmc.htm
http://www.fillernecksupply.com

All the Good… and now the Bad and Ugly

The factory color on the build sheet was Light Green. Sometime in its life, the truck was repainted solid white. The ONLY “bad thing” I can say about this ENTIRE truck is the body rust. No, it isn’t rotted to the point that its unsafe, like some trucks I’ve seen. No, there aren’t huge, unsightly holes that you can pass a dinner plate through. Simply put, the rocker panels have started to rust, and one of the front lower cab corner “ears” that attaches to the lower corner of the passenger fender has nearly rotted away. (Oddly enough, the same piece on the driver side is still in great shape). The rear cab corners have started to rust also, as they commonly do on these rigs. I suspect the passenger fender is aftermarket (and probably an old school crappy fitting one), as it has never fit quite right. I’ve tried to adjust it and its never “correct” like the driver side is. If you're handy with body work, replace the rockers (or cut them out completely and build rock sliders), replace the passenger fender and rear cab corners, and it's a solid cab again. The floor is completely solid. I sprayed Al's liner in it about 7 years ago, and its held up great.
 
I can provide any pictures, descriptions, videos of anything. I've got some great pics and vids from Moab last year. I'm just out of time tonight to post them up. Thanks for looking. :smokin:

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