Chris15
Junior Member
- Joined
- Mar 20, 2019
- Posts
- 1
- Reaction score
- 2
- Location
- Dulce, New Mexico, USA
- First Name
- Christian
- Truck Year
- 1985
- Truck Model
- K20
- Engine Size
- 350 cu. in.
Hey there everyone.
I own a 1985 Chevrolet K20 Custom Deluxe with a 350 short block engine.
It was given to me by my dad, who recieved it from his father(bit of an heirloom truck).
At the time he gave it to me, I was a rambunctious teenage driver, and did little in the way of maintenance. The clutch gave out, and after replacing the clutch, and after much trouble reinstalling the transmission, the clutch wouldn't disengage. My father and I replaced the master and slave cylinders, and bled the clutch line, and it still wouldn't shift into gear.
It sat at my place of residence for a while, before being towed to my parents house for my father to take a look at (Neither one of us were able to determine the problem). And there it sat for about 6 years(give or take).
So, having grown up a little more, I decided it was time to undo my neglect.
I started the engine, adjusted the timing, and towed it home from my parents house. I bled the clutch hydraulic line(properly this time), and was able to shift into gear. After a test drive that blew out one of the dry-rotted tires, I determined that the steering needed to be worked on.
Currently, I have purchased a new power steering pump(the old one burned out on the test run), upper and lower ball joints(for both right and left sides), and new outer and inner tie-rod ends.
I removed the old power steering pump from the truck and separated the reservoir, thoroughly cleaned the reservoir, and assembled the new pump and reservoir. The old tie-rod ends have been removed from the truck and from the adjustment sleeve, and the new ends assembled to the adjustment sleeve.
I have been tracing out all the basic specifications for my specific model year and engine(which has been a load of fun), using a repair manual(of which mostly refers me to the information contained on the near completely weathered and illegible VECI label.) I am fairly confident that I can now effectively tune the engine to near perfect running condition. Fixing any problems along the way, of course.
My next step is to remove the wheel hubs, remove the steering knuckles, press out the old ball joints and press in the new ones, reassemble everything, and see how it handles.
Repairs have been slow-going now that my wife and I have recently had a new addition to our family, majority of my time being dedicated to work, and taking care of my now two month old daughter.
So that is where I stand currently. I am sorry that there weren't any pictures to accompany this post. There will certainly be more pictures in future posts.
I will be posting updates, and plenty of questions, in the near future.
Thank you for your time.
I own a 1985 Chevrolet K20 Custom Deluxe with a 350 short block engine.
It was given to me by my dad, who recieved it from his father(bit of an heirloom truck).
At the time he gave it to me, I was a rambunctious teenage driver, and did little in the way of maintenance. The clutch gave out, and after replacing the clutch, and after much trouble reinstalling the transmission, the clutch wouldn't disengage. My father and I replaced the master and slave cylinders, and bled the clutch line, and it still wouldn't shift into gear.
It sat at my place of residence for a while, before being towed to my parents house for my father to take a look at (Neither one of us were able to determine the problem). And there it sat for about 6 years(give or take).
So, having grown up a little more, I decided it was time to undo my neglect.
I started the engine, adjusted the timing, and towed it home from my parents house. I bled the clutch hydraulic line(properly this time), and was able to shift into gear. After a test drive that blew out one of the dry-rotted tires, I determined that the steering needed to be worked on.
Currently, I have purchased a new power steering pump(the old one burned out on the test run), upper and lower ball joints(for both right and left sides), and new outer and inner tie-rod ends.
I removed the old power steering pump from the truck and separated the reservoir, thoroughly cleaned the reservoir, and assembled the new pump and reservoir. The old tie-rod ends have been removed from the truck and from the adjustment sleeve, and the new ends assembled to the adjustment sleeve.
I have been tracing out all the basic specifications for my specific model year and engine(which has been a load of fun), using a repair manual(of which mostly refers me to the information contained on the near completely weathered and illegible VECI label.) I am fairly confident that I can now effectively tune the engine to near perfect running condition. Fixing any problems along the way, of course.
My next step is to remove the wheel hubs, remove the steering knuckles, press out the old ball joints and press in the new ones, reassemble everything, and see how it handles.
Repairs have been slow-going now that my wife and I have recently had a new addition to our family, majority of my time being dedicated to work, and taking care of my now two month old daughter.
So that is where I stand currently. I am sorry that there weren't any pictures to accompany this post. There will certainly be more pictures in future posts.
I will be posting updates, and plenty of questions, in the near future.
Thank you for your time.
