# 1978 Chevy 4x4



## sarge3604 (Mar 25, 2014)

So here is my new 78 chevy 4x4. It has a small block chevy v8. Its most likely a 350 but it originally had a 250 six cylinder but sometime a while back someone swapped in a v8 so I'm not sure what size it is. The frame is mint for a maine truck thats 35 years old. The body is decent but it will need some bondo and maybe a little bit of sheet metal. A few bad things are the floors are GONE!!! there is almost as much missing as there. The motor smokes like the Marlboro manand its got a hose blown or something so its leaking a lot of antifreeze. Im thinking this spring i can get it on the road. This summer i want to put a 4 inch lift with 33's in and i want to either rebuild the motor in it whatever it is or swap in a 350 or 454 thats mildly built. Which one do you guys think i should swap in? Lastly i want to do a rustoleam paint job and do it 2 tone. Any suggestions for colors?


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## sarge3604 (Mar 25, 2014)




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## ImNotASwede (Mar 25, 2014)

I'd do an LS motor swap, personally, awesome motors and a dime a dozen right now. As for paint...I had an 85 K20 that was red and white which was nice. What part of Maine did you find it in?


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## sarge3604 (Mar 25, 2014)

ImNotASwede said:


> I'd do an LS motor swap, personally, awesome motors and a dime a dozen right now. As for paint...I had an 85 K20 that was red and white which was nice. What part of Maine did you find it in?


I got the truck in Holden. It has a old dump sticker from ST Albans though. If i was gonna do as much work as an LS swap would take i would put a 12 valve cummins in instead.


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## ImNotASwede (Mar 25, 2014)

Ls swaps have gotten pretty straightforward and cheap. Holden...lol I grew up not too far away in Oxford Hills. Good score tho. Solid trucks


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## ImNotASwede (Mar 25, 2014)

*


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## sarge3604 (Mar 25, 2014)

I should have mentioned before this is going to be a daily driver.


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## boxygen (Mar 28, 2014)

Sarge, If I remember right, you are still in High School? Im all for fixing up old trucks, but that thing is gonna kill you on gas especially if you are going to put a 454 in it. A 350 wont be much better. If you do a TBI swap and dont lift it, and drive it like a grandma, then you might get 13-14 mpg out of it on an excellent day. I was your age at one time too, and I understand what I just said isnt cool at all. I worked in high school and gas was 1.00/gallon. It was hard then and wages have hardly moved since then. If you are going through with this, dont bother with a 305. They are a good motor but make nothing for power and get teh same milage as a 350. Have fun, but dont be disappointed when you cant afford to drive it anywhere. Im not trying to pee in your cheerios and I realize you are going to do this no matter what anyone says so have a blast, its all part of growing up as a boy in rural Maine. You will make good memories and if you are lucky, just barely make it out alive with some good stories to tell.  I had an 86 in high school.


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## sarge3604 (Mar 30, 2014)

boxygen said:


> Sarge, If I remember right, you are still in High School? Im all for fixing up old trucks, but that thing is gonna kill you on gas especially if you are going to put a 454 in it. A 350 wont be much better. If you do a TBI swap and dont lift it, and drive it like a grandma, then you might get 13-14 mpg out of it on an excellent day. I was your age at one time too, and I understand what I just said isnt cool at all. I worked in high school and gas was 1.00/gallon. It was hard then and wages have hardly moved since then. If you are going through with this, dont bother with a 305. They are a good motor but make nothing for power and get teh same milage as a 350. Have fun, but dont be disappointed when you cant afford to drive it anywhere. Im not trying to pee in your cheerios and I realize you are going to do this no matter what anyone says so have a blast, its all part of growing up as a boy in rural Maine. You will make good memories and if you are lucky, just barely make it out alive with some good stories to tell.  I had an 86 in high school.


Yup im still in high school i think ive decided on doing a 383. This summer im planning on buying a blown up 4 banger 5 speed car cheap and fixing it up to use for long traveling. My tbi 350 i had got 16 mixed highway in town. But with how i drive 12 will be about right for this. The lift is gonna be pushed a little bit down the line too since it will just make me have to lift things higher.


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## boxygen (Apr 1, 2014)

Nothing beats the sound of a 383 IMO


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## sarge3604 (Apr 5, 2014)

boxygen said:


> Nothing beats the sound of a 383 IMO


Well in a truck i agree but ive gotta say my 97 yamaha 700 triple snowmobile running 8500 rpm with a can sounds amazing.


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## sarge3604 (Apr 15, 2014)

Brush Ape said:


> I knew that as soon as you said you was gonna put a four inch lift and great big tires on it. Walk a 350 pound chunk of Oak up a ramp of rounds till you can reach the height of your tailgate so you can roll it in with your arms and knees and then tell us how you like your lift kit.


I load the wood with the skidsteer opcorn:


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## ky044 (Apr 16, 2014)

Nice truck my dad had about 3 when I was a kid last one we had he put a Diesel engine in it I miss that truck


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## Marshy (Apr 16, 2014)

IMO Skip the 383 and work on the floor first. The 383 is expensive in more ways than one. I'd personally stick with a plain Jane 350 and just do an aluminum Edelbrock intake and matching mild cam, long tube headders and if you can swing it, some aluminum heads. What does it have for a trans?

Looks like a K10 to me seeing that it has 5 lug axles. Start looking at 4 new 31" or 33" tires and you'll start to thank me for my advice about saving money from not goin with the 383. Skip the 454, they are too heavy.


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## cgraham1 (Apr 23, 2014)

Don't listen to all these old farts, a 4" lift will be fine, and you'd have to save a whole lot of gas to pay for an LS swap. And it's only about 200 lbs difference between a 454 and a 350, so swapping to a big block wouldn't hurt a thing. Also, the fuel mileage difference between the two is not much, if any at all. I have an '85 1/2 ton w/ a 350, and an '80 1 ton CC w/ a 454, both have 4'' lifts and aren't any higher than my 2006 Dodge diesel at stock height. Just don't beat on the 12 bolt rearend too much, they don't hold up well to abuse. I swapped a 14 bolt semi-float 6 lug rearend into my '85, it's huge in comparison, and no need to swap over to 8 lug. Good luck with your new rig!


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## cgraham1 (Apr 23, 2014)




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## redfin (Apr 26, 2014)

Nice cc. There's nothing wrong with a 12 bolt as long as your not trying to throw huge tires and big power at it.

I have 33s on my tiny 10bolt on my suburban and it has held up well. It is in 4 wheel low as much as it is in 2wd.

And you won't need to lift that rig at all for 33s if you can use a sawzall.


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## cgraham1 (Apr 26, 2014)

Remember, he's in High School. The blue GMC in the pic had a 305. I got it for $350. The high school kid who had it blew up a 10 bolt, swapped in a 12 bolt and Dana 44 and blew up the 12 bolt. I got a 14 semi-float 6 lug from a '94 GMC, moved the perches and shock mounts, and I've never had another issue. Of course, I don't dump the clutch or drive stupid anymore!!


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## redfin (Apr 26, 2014)

I concur. And why my 10bolt is still alive in my sub. 

But inteligence is also why I have a set of dana 70s for a 472 caddy in my blazer.


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## cgraham1 (Apr 26, 2014)

What year's your blazer. That sounds pretty sweet. Those big Caddy's make some serious torque!


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## redfin (Apr 26, 2014)

Its a 74. I'm all over the hp/axle spectrum. I'm about 75% done with my toyota buggy. Toy axles, locked 5.29 ratio with a 4cyl propane turbo for go.

This one will not be one I drive conservatively.


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## RIDE-RED 350r (Sep 5, 2014)

Sarge: by the looks of the grille and headlight bezels (the way they wrap all the way down and around the front facing marker/turns) you have a '79.

I have a '78 K-10 I picked up this past feb... It is lifted 4", 35" BFG Mud Terrains, 4spd, 350 with mild cam, Edelbrock carb, Edelbrock intake, full length headers with dual cherry bombs that dump at 45 deg downward angle just behind the rear axle. This truck came from TX and despite needing some cosmetic work it is solid through and through.

The 12 bolt rear end was re-geared by the previous owner and I believe they forgot to Lock-tite the ring gear bolts. Well consequently, they backed out and destroyed the gear set, carrier and axle housing itself....

I now have my first axle rebuild under my belt and let me tell you, it was a learning experience! I added a posi-traction differential with the axle rebuild...

Here are a few pics... First is how she looked when I first brought her home.. The rest show different steps in some of the changes I have made. I did some interior work too. It is far from "finished", but well on it's way.

Oh, and a family member is giving me a 79 3/4 ton for parts. I plan to salvage many parts from it for a rainy day, particularly the axles! Now that I know how to build an axle, my truck will have a 14 bolt rear and 8-lug wheel conversion.

I plan to have this truck painted dark candy apple red and retain the black trim....

How it first looked...


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## RIDE-RED 350r (Sep 5, 2014)

Here is how she sits now.... Got rid of the black bumpers, added bumper guards, driving lights and a moon visor. ALso got rid of those nasty black marker/turns in favor of some '73-'75 amber lenses.. And check out the "350" badge I scored from my father in law! They stopped putting the engine size badge in the grilles after '74!


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## Merc1973 (Sep 17, 2014)

Nice trucks!


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## Bounty Hunter (Sep 29, 2014)

Hey Sarge, nice find! Old trucks are one of the best things a man can own...they take patience, a little love, kindness, money, time...kinda like other relationships in life worth learning and practicing. New trucks are just to be driven...you don't spend time under them greasing tie-rods and u-joints, you just drive them. Old trucks need care and love. The belts gotta be tensioned just right...they don't do it themselves...you have to adjust your carb with the seasons, tighten bolts and check torque regularly, and keep those brake pads and front wheel bearings looked at. Check the diff gear lube, transmission oil level, and keep the engine oil clean and changed often. Old trucks are like old Harleys...they drip a little here and there...that's cuz they like to "mark their spot".
We have a 1977 Chevy 1-ton 4x4 work truck i call Old Grumpy...he's been with me since 1979...and we have a had incredible adventures together. He is lifted about 8" and runs 36" Dirt Grips...a 468 big-block with 540 HP running through a granny 4 speed and a 14-bolt rear end with a Detroit Locker. He hauls our big wood trailer and all the gear, and has been working hard for 615,000 miles. Yes, he takes some time away from other stuff when he needs work (yesterday a valve cover gasket). A committed relationship takes a little effort, but the results are worth more than what can be seen...


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