Okay, I know this is Grand Prix Forums, but I figured some of you guys might enjoy seeing something that isn't a w-body. So, here's the story of my 1984 K10...
My grandpa bought this truck brand new from a dealership in Grand Rapids, MI. Being a GM employee at the time, he would have nothing else. It was his daily driver for many years. Pulled a camping trailer to the campground every summer, and after retirement, it's what he and my grandma drove to Florida for the winter. That's the reason it has over 457,000 miles on it. He pulled the original 305 somewhere around the ten year mark and replaced with a 350 that he built. Best guess is, the current motor has over 350,000 miles on it. Still holds 40 psi of oil while cruising. Plenty of miles left in it.
Time passed by, and eventually grandpa was no longer able to drive. Rather than sell it, he chose to pass it on to my uncle Bob. From what I understand, he only used it occasionally. Mostly to pull a boat to the water. Eventually Bob upgraded to a larger boat that just stayed in the water. This left him with very little use for the truck. I guess just letting it set didn't sit well with him. So he offered it to me, on one condition; I could never sell it. It had to stay in the family. Considering I've got two rambunctious little boys, it shouldn't be hard to find someone willing to take it.
Of course I was all over that deal! Only one problem... I live in Tucson and the truck was in Grand Rapids. For you guys without Google, that's almost 1900 miles away. Shipping that far is crazy expensive, and I couldn't really take a week off of work to fly out, then drive it back. Plans stalled.... Until....
My father in law, (the guy with the mint silver mist GP that I built a trans for) told me he bought a utility trailer in Michigan, but didn't have any way to get it home. Light bulb! Long story short, he drove his Cadillac to Michigan, sold it, then drove my truck and his trailer back to Tucson. The plan was perfect. The execution was less that perfect though.
About 3/4 of the way here, he started to have trouble. Total loss of power after about 1-1/2 hours of driving. Not entirely sure what the problem was, but he stopped at a garage and they put on a new cap, rotor, coil, ICM and PCV valve. It was better, but still not perfect. Keep in mind, it was over 100° for most of the drive, and the altitude changed almost 7000ft between Grand Rapids and Santé Fe. I'd be surprised if there wasn't any issues. Anyhow, he limped it the rest of the way, and it now rests in Tucson. I plan to get it all dialed in.
Here she sits in my parents green front yard, prior to the 1900 mile drive
And fresh off the highway
I did manage to get it washed yesterday. There was more than a little brake dust on them old rally wheels
Next step is doing something about this mess
I got the first layer of grime off with about a half gallon of Super Clean. It's a little better now, but we still have a long way to go.
It was at least clean enough for me to climb in there and check the timing and idle A/F ratio. Timing was good a 6°. A/F was way off (I think). Right (passenger) side was out 1 turn, and left side (drivers) was out 2-1/2. I set them both at 1-1/2 turns and took it for a quick spin. Ran good. At least as good as it did before, and now it's not pig rich. I'm probably lean right now, but I can play with it more after I pass emissions. That change plus the cat I'm going to clamp in should get me through.
So that's where it's at right now.
Here's my plan with it in order of priority.
Most important, get it past emissions. Kind of important to get it registered.
Headers and true duals. The single 2-1/4" pipe isn't doing it for me. I need that V8 rumble.
Maybe, a set of junkyard vortec heads, intake, and Edelbrock carb. Considering the cost of a pair of heads, I may just grab an entire vortec 5.7 and re-gasket it. We will see.
Way down the road, I see an LS swap. I really like the idea of computer controlled reliability and consistency. Who knows, maybe there will be something better by then.
Stay tuned for regular updates and progress pics. Special thanks to my uncle Bob for turning a simple truck into a family treasure!
