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85K304SPD

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Location
Las Cruces, NM
First Name
Richard
Truck Year
1985
Truck Model
K30
Engine Size
402
Nice work! Guessing you fabricated the running board brackets. Willing to share some pics? I’m hoping to do something similar and not settled on where they will land on the under carriage.
Thanks. I did do some fabrication on the running board brackets, along with the factory brackets. I will get some pics. I will warn you that it involves self drilling screws. The running board/ steps changed the whole dynamic of the truck. With out them it really sucked to get in and out of the truck.
 

85K304SPD

Full Access Member
Joined
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Posts
471
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Location
Las Cruces, NM
First Name
Richard
Truck Year
1985
Truck Model
K30
Engine Size
402
Looks sweet! That's just not a buff, did you change sheetmetal?? Love those wheels! Now, polish them up, mask them off & paint the recesses satin black & install new chrome lugnuts!:cool:
Thanks. That is all original sheetmetal. No dents or rust. Not much body work at all. I have been trying to decide if the wheels are supposed to be painted in the recesses. I dont know if they will polish either. The lug nuts are newish and chrome. I have not really done any resto on the suspension or underneath the truck yet. It is a mostly original survivor.
 

85K304SPD

Full Access Member
Joined
Mar 29, 2022
Posts
471
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699
Location
Las Cruces, NM
First Name
Richard
Truck Year
1985
Truck Model
K30
Engine Size
402
LOVE the BBC & Cab Lights also!
It is an original big block truck, so I just had to go back with a big block. It is a 410 (.040 over 402) instead of a 454. The motor that I took out was a 383 small block, a cool motor, but nothing like a BIG BLOCK!! It also has a serpentine belt set up with A/C.
The cab lights and tailgate lights are original equipment, although I had to replace them all.
 

Craig Nedrow

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Washington State
First Name
Craig
Truck Year
1973 (have two), 1985
Truck Model
K10, K20, C20
Engine Size
350, 454, 6.2 Detroit
Thanks. That is all original sheetmetal. No dents or rust. Not much body work at all. I have been trying to decide if the wheels are supposed to be painted in the recesses. I dont know if they will polish either. The lug nuts are newish and chrome. I have not really done any resto on the suspension or underneath the truck yet. It is a mostly original survivor.
Richard, I worked in many job shops as a machinist. One place had some big swing lathes, and there was a guy that bought old school (real) mags, and aluminum wheels, painted the whole wheel with epoxy paint, then brought them to us. We chucked them up, tapped them close to zero runout, and then turned the outside face, two handed X and Z axis, and they were better that new.
 

85K304SPD

Full Access Member
Joined
Mar 29, 2022
Posts
471
Reaction score
699
Location
Las Cruces, NM
First Name
Richard
Truck Year
1985
Truck Model
K30
Engine Size
402
Richard, I worked in many job shops as a machinist. One place had some big swing lathes, and there was a guy that bought old school (real) mags, and aluminum wheels, painted the whole wheel with epoxy paint, then brought them to us. We chucked them up, tapped them close to zero runout, and then turned the outside face, two handed X and Z axis, and they were better that new.
So you polished the face by cutting a thin layer off, and left the voids with the paint on them?
 

Craig Nedrow

NADAR UNDER THE RADAR
Supporting Member
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Posts
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Location
Washington State
First Name
Craig
Truck Year
1973 (have two), 1985
Truck Model
K10, K20, C20
Engine Size
350, 454, 6.2 Detroit
So you polished the face by cutting a thin layer off, and left the voids with the paint on them?
Because we would be turning the od, they were sandblasted, and yes just took enough to clean up, maybe .010. We did not polish them, for the guy, but you can make them look like a chrome finish...a process, with sandpaper and then sewn cotton buffs with white rouge finishing with the red rouge. I have 16.5 US mags, want to do that, but BFG does not make tires so gonna scrap then. I will get another set, probably 15 inch.
 

mtbadbob

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May 9, 2021
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Location
Montana
First Name
Bob
Truck Year
1987
Truck Model
V20
Engine Size
350
Because we would be turning the od, they were sandblasted, and yes just took enough to clean up, maybe .010. We did not polish them, for the guy, but you can make them look like a chrome finish...a process, with sandpaper and then sewn cotton buffs with white rouge finishing with the red rouge. I have 16.5 US mags, want to do that, but BFG does not make tires so gonna scrap then. I will get another set, probably 15 inch.
BFG's are overrated, get yourself some Cooper's and save some $$$!
 

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