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turbonator's 1978 k30 plowtruck build thread...

63K views 657 replies 32 participants last post by  Bigboytoys 
#1 · (Edited)
hey guys, this week we finally signed our big commercial snow contract, and since we dont even have a plow truck, we went truck shopping today...:HiHi:... looked at a 1997 dually with a blown head gasket and huge rust for $1200, a 1994 3500 gasser that has a totally pooched body, and a hood that wont open for $800.00, a 1998 1500 gasser with a 4.3l and 4l60e combo that was not bad, but too small/light for snow removal @ $1500.00, same guy has a 1991 3500 with a 6.2l/4l80e combo for $500 that has no keys or papers....:banghead::banghead:

on our way home we went out of our way on another highway that always has stuff for sale along it, didnt see much, until we were almost to the turn-off to take the highway through gov. land(no houses or population) when we found our truck, a 1978 k30, with rust, gas engine, automatic, and a tree growing through the bumper.....:hehe:... it already has the plow frame on the front, all the hydraulic circuit run, and a tilting hydraulic flat bed on it... needs a lot of TLC, but we got it for $300.00 with papers, and you can bet that the gasser will be going bye-bye, and it will have at minimum a N/A 6.2l going between the frame rails ....:clap:.... going tomorrow to bring it home, so we will get pics of the process....:thumb:
 
#561 ·
ordered a legnth of 3" OD pipe to continue on this, got my silicone parts in the mail monday for the turbo inlet/outlets.... just getting prepped to install the rad support to be able to start hanging fenders and inners....
 
#562 ·
got a few more parts in the mail this week, the rubber steering stabilizer boot from summit, and all new moog super strength u-joints for the shortened front drive shaft....:thumb:.. just prepping to install the windshield so the truck can sit back outside to have the shop for other side projects....
 

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#563 ·
also, we bought another VW diesel(1995 eurovan with the 2.4l non turbo-diesel) to fill in for rattlepuss, as being a 1 ton+++ truck it has zero suspension and is just shaking itself apart:shake: right now the drivers door latch is totally finished, and the cab appears to have tweaked so the door does not close properly anymore...:hole:
 

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#564 ·
took a few pics of restored dash-pad, nothing like working the dash pad with the windshield out....:thumb:.. also a pic of the 1998 volvo V70 heated/electric bucket seats that will be installed...
 

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#567 ·
bit of an update, got back to working on this thing saturday, got the front fenders, rad support, inners and hood installed... also, we have strted hunting for a plow and a sander, decided we are just going to take a brand new sander(dont know if anyone has priced this stuff lately, but sanders cost a fortune:eek:) and found a truck with a plow next door for a reasonable price, its amazing the junk people try to peddle for $2000.00, looked at a dozen blades, both separate, and mounted to trucks, and finally decided on this one, its not a 45 degreeing blade yet but will get modified here by us to do so, the most important is its nice and straight and clean....... we will clean up the truck and sell it off after to make back some of the investement.... heres some pics of the sander we are buying, and the truck with the blade, will get some pics of hodge-podge this morning to post up...:thumb:
 

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#568 ·
some pictures of our truck with the front end installed... also, the box of prothane goodies is now officially empty...:thumb:
 

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#570 ·
all the old stuff is junk already, rotted and bent up, no good material left for rebuilding, we did one for our tractor last winter, and it was a joke when we were welding new metal to the rusty stuff....:hehe:...... the one pictured is meyers stuff, the pump is an electric E-47 style, with the solenoids for the 45ing there, just no cylinders or swivel pin...
 
#571 ·
looks good...almost ready for work
 
#573 ·
yeah, it needs to be rebuilt on the back board end of things, but the blade itself is as strong as any other we have looked at....
 
#575 ·
they are wings, to keep more snow inside the blade itself, to make the jobs quicker by moving more snow at once... the snow is not always pushed to the sides, lots of times it needs to be pushed to a specific snow dump point in the parking lot, where it is then loaded into dump trucks with loaders and hauled away..
 
#576 ·
worked on getting the 1500 ready to bring home, changed the in tank pump, had to change every hard brake line, including the rear rubber one, had to delete the power steering fluid cooler because it was pissing everywhere, it runs like a 5.0l vortec from 1998 should....:whistle:..... hoping to put it into gear and move it around, going to transfer the title today, still have a P.S. leak from the crimp on the pressure hose, but not enough to stop bringing it home...:thumb:
 
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#578 · (Edited)
finally had to go and buy a high pressure P.S. hose, one on it was finished from dry rot.... got the truck home, tranny/t-case works nice, engine runs so-so, blade is nice, and the rest is junk... LOL... but i will fill the rot holes with tin, rivets, and plastic, jim will verify the major oil leaks, and trouble spots, and we will drive it this winter for our beater....
 
#579 ·
they will get re-worked, but just the blade dropping to the ground generally frees up the chunkies...:thumb:
 
#580 ·
I bet the brother's will leave the ends on as it forms a push box to push more snow in one shot without it spilling out the ends.
 
#581 ·
been working on both units, started riveting in tin in all the holes on the 98 to get it ready to sell, or drive for the winter(would rather sell it and have the cash) jim has started making the back board for the hodge podge, he has all his inner frame plates cut and drilled, and yesterday afternoon after i was done chasing engine/trans oil leaks on the 98, i installed the pass. bucket into the hodge-podge, then started on my bracket to mount the engine oil and trans coolers under the truck....pics after work....
 
#582 ·
need to pick up a new injection pump to be able to fire this truck up... pricey-pricey...LOL
 
#587 ·
not gone to work quite yet...:rolleyes:.... went out an snapped some pics; pics of new plow back board and inner frame brackets coming along nicely, pics of engine oil/tranny cooler/external filter install progress, and a few shots of the rust holes in the blue truck...:thumb:
 

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#588 ·
just picked up a delivery of fender trims from rock auto for the hodge-podge truck, and ordered a db2831-4911 from fred at badger, brand new pump, after exchange and shipping cost us $1072.00CDN:nope:...stupid exchange....:banghead:... anyways pics of box from rock auto, and of one of the trims...:thumb:
 

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#593 ·
.... and ordered a db2831-4911 from fred at badger, brand new pump, after exchange and shipping cost us $1072.00CDN:nope:...stupid exchange....:banghead:....

Ya fricken Canadian Peso's.... :banghead:
:wtf::hole:Censored:bat:
 
#590 · (Edited)
Right out of the box, one was tweaked ( Jeff is eye-balling it in the pic)....:popcorn: will not be sending it back though, shipping and time is non-conducive for anything other than major returns....LOL.
 
#594 ·
update, one update for truck, and another for plow, plow is advancing good, have most of the steel in-stock for the rebuild up til now,, at the endof the day jim was just getting on to building the a-frame, and calculating for the cylinders, has all the springs and adjuster in for tripping the blade....:thumb:... pics...
 

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#595 ·
now for truck, working on exhaust, lost my pic of downpipe out of truck, but got one in it, pics of my home-made 1/2" rubber hangers... also, working on drivers-side battery trays.... pics...:bounce:
 

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#596 ·
small update, snow plow back plate/a-frame/blade is pretty much finished,(getting primed and painted right now) just waiting on our set of meyers extension wings to show up to fit them, also just bought a used joy-stickplow controller off ebait for $185.00 CDN shipped....... these are the extension wings...

started wiring the truck, got the headlights circuits all ran, and all the front signal lights/park lights/hazard circuits all ran, got the rear drivers circuit done as well, just need to finish the pass side wiring(soldering) and all the signals/hazards\running lights will be done, will snap some pics tomorrow of progress....:thumb:
 

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#605 ·
pics of plow frames on bench primed and painted, and pics of led lights that showed up yesterday to make daylight...:HiHi:
 

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#597 ·
heres the joystick...
 

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