Not so much what I did but what I learned.
I shared that I spoke with one of the old owners who filled in a ton of the blanks in the history. Including the big one, the how and why it ended up with a roller 454 in it.
Guy has no reason to lie to me so I think it ended up being a bonus on my part.
Story goes, he bought it with a 454 swapped in, from his buddy, sounds like the truck was basically a daily driver up til around 2017. Don’t know how it was used from 2018 when he traded it until 2020 when we bought it. But 2019 it basically just sat with occasional use by the last owner before us.
Guy I talked to replaced the tired 454 with what he says was a Goodwrench crate mark VI long block from another buddy who had a 1 ton dump truck for his business.
Dump truck blew the engine. Dealer put new crate motor in it. Buddy noticed it used some oil. Knowing his employees drove the dump truck and risk of not checking oil enough, guy gave up on the old dump truck with new engine. He said the dump truck was hammered and guy decided enough was enough and parted it out. My guy bought the basically new engine and put it in the 86. Direct swap. Long block. Explains why some stuff for the big block looks older than it would practically be for that engine.
My guy then lifted the truck and had plans to restore it. Didn’t daily it much after that until trading it in, in 2018.
He surmised that when he got rid of the truck it had maybe 20k on the new GM engine.
If that’s true it explains why the valve covers (stock) look old, exhaust is 20 years old, but the engine doesn’t. And he’s right it’s a typical L29 oil sucker. Doesn’t leak, no blue smoke, but likes oil.
Whoever hauled a camper with it was prior to my guy and his other buddy the previous owner. He said since the 90s the truck has been just a daily. Spent a lot of years just back and forth to the local lumber mill short trips not a lot of miles. This is consistent with the general condition I received it in. And pretty much verifies the mileage is around 160k on the chassis.
