K10 suspension upgrades?

[AuroraGirl]

That’s very close to what the front hub on my other trucks looks like only difference being the locking part being different amongst them. This 81 has a totally different looking one
Edit: I have no idea what it originally had, rearend was replaced because the truck pulled a boat and stayed parked with the rear wheels in the water while they rode the boat. Water got in rearmed not a good time

a factory 81 with a np208 would have llocking hubs that were auto, but factory optional manual hub locks for manual trucks im pretty sure(something like that) But your pic was hard to see but it looks like someone maybe converted it to take slip on brake rotors which is popular

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I dont know what front brakes it has but this example was a ford late 70s d44 (different side drop than your truck) but they wanted to use floating calipers which when coupled with having a slip on rotor (On that stock hub) moved the brakes out further toward the wheel, i guess , but allows things to fit .

Maybe something like this has been done

 

[SquareRoot]

Whatever you do, DON'T pressure wash it or you'll have nothing left! This is why @AuroraGirl has never tried to move her jewel. lol

As far as the VIN# on the frame, this is what mine looks like today. It's what yours looked like 45 years ago.

 

[Bextreme04]

You need to stop trying to guestimate what it might have in it. Everything has been swapped and mix/matched. You can tell what your gear ratio is by pulling the covers and reading the numbers on the ring gear. You should probably do this anyways, since there is no telling how old the gear oil is in those things. You can get some decent GL-5 80-90w from walmart for decent price by the gallon.

When Taylor asked about frame horns, she was talking about the very end of the frame that your bumper bolts to. 73-80 has rounded frame horns that the older style bumper bolts directly to with a single bracket that sits on top of the frame. 81-87 has an angle cut frame with no forward portion. The bracket for the bumper is then bigger and has an angle piece on it. If you can get a picture looking in at the inside of the front bumper where it bolts to the frame, we can tell you what year group frame it is. The rear shock placement tells you that it is not a 1-ton frame or 1-ton axle. The 1-ton axle would have the shock mounting brackets in a different place.

If you have a NP205 with a slip yoke rear, it must have come from a 87-84 NP205. Pre-78 the NP205's all had a fixed yoke rear output. Post 84, they had a short adapter, W-style crossmember, and round pattern for the adapter.

 

[AuroraGirl]

Whatever you do, DON'T pressure wash it or you'll have nothing left! This is why @AuroraGirl has never tried to move her jewel. lol

As far as the VIN# on the frame, this is what mine looks like today. It's what yours looked like 45 years ago.

Ive pressure washed mine
But the odd thing is that my frame other than by the bed has a very rust free frame. pressure washing was to get mud off tho so theres that i guess lol.

 

[iamtherealJayy]

Sorry for no responses for a little bit worked late yesterday, I’ll get some more pics today around lunch. Also hopefully going to get some 2000’s aluminum Chevy wheels today to put on the truck for time being. I’ll get pics of stuff with wheels off too. This front bumper has a 45° piece coming off the bumper going to the frame, if that’s not what you mean than I’ll get a pic of what it has later. By slip yoke and fixed yoke, that means the end of the driveshaft slips into the tcase or bolts to a plate on the tcase I assume? I’ll have to look harder to know on that I didn’t know that but I also thought they changed to the 208 around that time. Oh I’m pressure washing it soon lol everything is pretty rust free just want to get some caked on filth off. Surprisingly the front hangers for the rear spring aren’t too rusty, the bolt head is a little misshapen but there’s no holes like my 78. So what about shock mounting? What’s a 1 ton got? Is the 2wd one ton any different than a 4wd? My sisters got a 1980 3+3 I can look at it’s got a one ton for sure lol it’s all factory for the most part. Maybe it’s a FF and that’s why they called it a one ton rearend? I’ll go get some gear oil to do some fluid changes especially since I do plan on using these axles somehow, just hope the ratios match somewhere lol. What fluid goes in a sm465(Amazon calls is a CH465 if you were curious) and np205? I need to change the fluid in my 78 ive got a clunk in 4x4. Oh and the brakes I have no idea, it’s got the same master cylinder as my 3/4 ton I did notice that. It doesn’t look like the half tons. It’s got the plastic snap on lid rather than the snap over wire thing that you just have to pry open. If it has slip on rotors I’m fine with that I suppose? No negatives to that over stock? I’ll verify later if I get a wheel off. Thanks to majority of you for putting up with me lol

 

[iamtherealJayy]

Pics of what I remembered I need to show

 

[AuroraGirl]

Pics of what I remembered I need to show

i have never seen that locking pattern, wonder if it maybe came from a dodge or its a conversion type.

 

[iamtherealJayy]

It’s a warn hub, but it says 4x2 and 4x4 instead of lock and free, and it’s got that spacer I mentioned.

 

[AuroraGirl]

It’s a warn hub, but it says 4x2 and 4x4 instead of lock and free, and it’s got that spacer I mentioned.

4x2 is FREE or UNLOCK and 4x4 is LOCK/ENGAGED

 

[iamtherealJayy]

I knew that much I’m not a complete imbecile all the time lol

 

[Grit dog]

That’s very close to what the front hub on my other trucks looks like only difference being the locking part being different amongst them. This 81 has a totally different looking one
Edit: I have no idea what it originally had, rearend was replaced because the truck pulled a boat and stayed parked with the rear wheels in the water while they rode the boat. Water got in rearmed not a good time

Likely just a different brand or style of locker. Warn vs Mile Marker

Edit, those just look like normal 70s hubs. Same look like my 74 Jeep with a Dana 30.

 

[AuroraGirl]

Pics of what I remembered I need to show

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I didnt think about that being a dana 44 with external hub, the ones I have are both internal. but i have a 77, 78, and 80 dana 44s so that explains that. Im guessing its from a pre 80s truck unless that was done to get a certain brake/rotor/hub setup

 

[iamtherealJayy]

Just updating on here, trucks getting ready for an ls swap and tuner requested my rearend ratio so I got on summit and did some mathematicals. 55mph at ~2000rpm with a 255/70/15 is 3.14… 3.08 was an option in half ton trucks, so I’m thinking the reason I’ve never had any power from this truck along with the shudder taking off was I had little to no torque, I’m glad I haven’t put bigger tires on yet lol. Maybe after the ls swap I can get a better rearend ratio so I can really start to work this truck

 

[AuroraGirl]

Just updating on here, trucks getting ready for an ls swap and tuner requested my rearend ratio so I got on summit and did some mathematicals. 55mph at ~2000rpm with a 255/70/15 is 3.14… 3.08 was an option in half ton trucks, so I’m thinking the reason I’ve never had any power from this truck along with the shudder taking off was I had little to no torque, I’m glad I haven’t put bigger tires on yet lol. Maybe after the ls swap I can get a better rearend ratio so I can really start to work this truck

i wouldnt expect a stock a 3.08 truck to shutter unless your engine just wasnt running right or your rear end is yikes city

 

[iamtherealJayy]

The engine isn’t in optimal condition by any means, if I shift above 3k rpm it blows some blue smoke. It’s been beat on, but if I’m not on level ground or slightly downhill it’ll shudder taking off, and if I’m in the throttle betore completely off the clutch after shifting to second it’ll do it. Second to third never really has the issue. The ls swap will have a brand new flywheel and clutch so I’ll finally know just how bad this flywheel and clutch is. I know the throw out bearing is shot. The truck shakes at idle in neutral and if I press the clutch down the shake goes away and starts squealing lol.