Getting The K10 Square Body Up and Running

(Marc)>> You're watching Powernation!

(Marc)>> Coming up next, we take a closer look at our new K-10 square body project to see if it's as clean as we thought it was.

(Brandon)>> Then I dive into a nice front brake upgrade.

(Marc)>> Later we give this old square body some much needed new parts that we got from RockAuto.

(Brandon)>> And then we put it to the test at Wooly's Off Road Park.

(Marc)>> This ought to be fun! [ Music ] [ engine revving ] [ Music ]

(Brandon)>> Welcome to Music City Trucks. I'm Brandon Burke.

(Marc)>> And I'm Marc Christ, and we've got ourselves a square body Chevy, and I'm really excited about it.

(Brandon)>> Oh yeah, and I think the first thing we need to do to this truck is put it up in the air, figure out why the torque converter is rattling.

(Marc)>> It's like a one-man band under there.

(Brandon)>> Sounds like a janitor walking down the hallway. Dude, wow! This is almost like the Suburban but way nicer. It wasn't garage kept. It's got oil leaks, and you can see all the way down, but there's still chalk marks on the frame rail. Look at the rockers dude!

(Marc)>> This is like solid.

(Brandon)>> I don't think I've seen an inner rocker on a square body like that.

(Marc)>> Not that nice. So, the exhaust has been swapped out.

(Brandon)>> Looks like that's about the only thing touched on the bottom side.

(Marc)>> That's a nice truck. It's actually nicer now that we're underneath than it looked up top. Let's see if we can figure out what that noise is.

(Brandon)>> I'm gonna guess it's somewhere in this area. It's rattling pretty hard. What's the issue here? Well, there's the problem. The flex plate is not connected to the torque converter. Let's try to tighten it up. [ Music ] That's the other problem.

(Marc)>> Flex plate to crank bolts.

(Brandon)>> You know what that means right?

(Marc)>> Either the engine or the transmission has to come out.

(Brandon)>> Well there's pretty much our day.

(Marc)>> That's the rest of our day.

(Brandon)>> I say the transmission comes out.

(Marc)>> Good idea!

(Brandon)>> First thing first is this rear driveshaft. [ drill humming ]

(Brandon)>> That looks pretty good. [ drill humming ]

(Marc)>> That really is.

(Brandon)>> Perfect, drop her down. Look at that!

(Marc)>> Transmission cooler lines disconnected. I think it'll ride like that.

(Brandon)>> Get out of here. Look at that!

(Marc)>> There's a reason why flex plates have torque specs Brandon.

(Brandon)>> Those are not supposed to be hand tight. Look at that. Every single one of them. Well, the flex plate's trash. We're gonna have to take this one off and go grab a new one.

(Marc)>> So here's the problem with the flex plate when you don't get the bolts completely tight. Some of these holes are actually oblong from the factory, but when you leave the bolts loose it starts to rattle in there, and then it oblongs the holes even more. Actually, on a couple of these you can see where the threads of the bolt started to bang against the flex plate and wallow the holes out a little more than they should be. That's really hard on these things, not to mention pretty dangerous. We got a new flex plate. We're gonna go ahead and get this thing installed, get the transmission back in, and move on to the next thing. [ Music ] Look at that! Like a glove! We'll get the flex plate bolted on and torque it to factory spec, being sure to use the proper torque sequence. Now the transmission can be reinstalled. Of course, we're making sure the bolts are tight this time. With the trans in place the crossmember can be bolted back in. Now it's time for the transfer case, and once that's tight we'll hook up the linkages and install the driveshaft. [ Music ] [ engine starting ]

(Marc)>> No more knock!

(Brandon)>> This thing purrs like a kitten!

(Marc)>> Got a brutal exhaust leak though. Couldn't even hear that before! Awesome! What do you think?

(Brandon)>> One problem down. What do you think? Finish ordering parts and get this thing back on the road?

(Marc)>> Let's do some tune-up stuff, and change the fluids, and get it back up and running and go out and have some fun with it.

(Brandon)>> Let's do it! I give this '85 K-10 a much needed brake job and inspect the hubs and make sure they're good to go.

(Brandon)>> Now we've still got a hand full of things left to do to our square body before we put it back on the road, and one of those things is gonna be the front brakes. Now these older four-wheel drive trucks, they've got a little bit different rotors than a newer car where the rotor would just slip off once you get the caliper off. These ones you actually have to disassemble the entire hub, which is what I'm gonna show you guys right now. These rotors actually don't come off like the way they usually do. Something like this, and then you actually have to take these hubs apart from the inside. First thing to do on these old four-wheel drive axles is get the caliper loose. [ Music ] Yeah, we're gonna need to replace those brake lines. Look at that! Now we're gonna start attacking the lockout hub. This is your axle engagement, free, lock. These hubs are pretty easy to take apart as long as you've got a few specialty tools. Alright, let me take the hub, pull the lockout out. [ Music ] Snap ring off the axle shaft. Take one of your bolts from the lockout. Voila! You see that? So that's the axle shaft that's spinning from the differential, and this is your hub, and they are not interlocked at all, and that is what your lockout does. It takes the hub and locks it to the axle. It's actually pretty cool. Let's see! There we go! Perfection! We got all of our brake parts from RockAuto, including new wheel studs to put the new rotors on. We got new caliper bolts, banjo bolts and washers, and of course we're gonna be replacing those decrepit brake lines that are on our truck. And we ended up opting for some hub seals. That way we keep our old bearings in nice condition. Keep all the dirt and the water out of them cause they're actually in really good condition. But as far as brakes go, we went with Powerstop's drilled and slotted rotors. That's gonna give us a little bit more braking power, especially since these have 31s, which are a little bit bigger than stock, but it's always a good idea to have better braking power. As far as pads go, they have pretty much every option. Everything from your normal ceramics all the way up to your carbon fiber ceramics, and we're gonna be going with the carbon fiber ones because why not. But before we put on the brakes, we've got to actually remove the old hub off the old rotor. Now there's a few ways you can knock these studs out. One, you can use like an Arbor press or a shop press, an air hammer. I'm just gonna use a big hammer. [ hammer banging ] [ Music ] [ hammer banging ] [ Music ] [ hammer banging ] [ Music ]

(Brandon)>> Look at that! Look at all the grooves in it. See all that pitting? They'd work but they'd make a lot of racket. Before we flip this hub over, I need to remove the outer bearing so we don't loose anything. That's passenger. Set that right there. Now I highly recommend installing new studs. This is one of those jobs where I will use an air hammer. [ air hammer vibrating ]

(Brandon)>> And just like that! Look at that! This thing will be fresh for years. [ Music ] There we go! [ ratchet clicking ]

(Brandon)>> We're gonna actually be installing new lockouts. It's just cheap insurance that our four-wheel drive will actually work when we go use this thing. Old, new, these just line up with the holes. Beautiful! Once again, we're gonna be using Powerstop's Extreme carbon fiber ceramic pads. This should give us plenty of stopping power. Now we're gonna be replacing this old, decrepit brake line. Well now that we got our new hoses on, rotors, studs, lockouts, pads. Front's done. All we've got to do is bleed the brakes, but before we bleed the brakes I'm gonna replace the rear line too.

(Marc)>> Up next, we replace the old parts with some new parts that we got from RockAuto.

(Brandon)>> Tom, it's nice to have you in the shop again. This is the truck we're working on. It's an '85 Chevy K-10.

(Tom)>> Looks clean!

(Brandon)>> It's very clean. Almost completely rust free, and that's why we're getting it back on the road again before we tear it apart and build it the way we want to. I've already got the brakes on there. There's new studs, pads, new brake hoses. So, this thing should stop better than it did before.

(Tom)>> Stay cooler if you're towing, or giant tires on there.

(Brandon)>> It's got some oil leaks and it needs a tune-up, but it's a clean truck. If you want to go underneath, I'll show you around. Now I'm not gonna lie. It's greasy under here, but it's clean, no rust. What actually took the truck off the road was the flex plate came loose from the crank and the torque converter, and was making a bunch of noise, ruin the flex plate. Anyways, truck's all fixed, no more noises. So really the only thing left is tune-up and get this thing back on the road and drive it around. Speaking of getting it back on the road, I think Marc's got parts laid out over there if you want to check them out.

(Tom)>> Let's do it.

(Marc)>> Well Tom, what'd you think of the truck.

(Tom)>> It looked really nice, shiny new brakes on there, and a lot of potential.

(Marc)>> So we got the brakes from you guys, and then obviously the rest of the stuff here on the table. This is the kind of stuff you want to use when you're doing that. Tune-up items, belts, hoses, changing the fluids and stuff like that.

(Tom)>> Replacing the spark plug wires you can get rid of a lot of problems you didn't even know you had. Little hesitation problems, hard to track down, little gremlins.

(Marc)>> And especially when you can buy it at the price point that you guys sell it for. It just makes sense to just do it all. You can get name brand. Like for instance, we got ACDelco hoses, and belts, spark plugs. We got Fel Pro gaskets, Wix filters, all at a price that is equivalent to no name brand at a box store would be.

(Tom)>> Yeah, before the family started RockAuto it used to frustrate me that the classic car mark-ups. You'd go in the store, and they'd say that's a classic car. So, the shock absorber costs three times as much, and we don't do any of that at RockAuto.

(Marc)>> When I was on your website looking for parts for this truck there's a really big catalog of parts that you guys carry for it even though it's nearly 40 years old.

(Tom)>> You don't have to hoard the fuel filters every time you come across one. You can buy one anytime, day or night.

(Marc)>> Exactly, and that's nice too, but we just want to get the truck up in tip-top shape, and I feel like that parts that we have here are gonna do it. I actually need to get busy.

(Tom)>> I'll leave you to it.

(Marc)>> Get some grease under my fingernails. So, I'll show you out. Thanks for coming by.

(Tom)>> It was fun to see the new truck.

(Marc)>> Well I'm gonna get busy attacking these maintenance items, and I'm gonna start here underneath the truck. First thing I'm gonna do is drain this front diff. The trick is figuring out how to do all this without getting it all over you. [ drill humming ]

(Marc)>> Ah, that's gross! [ aerosol can hissing ]

(Marc)>> You can see the sludge coming out. Get those on like this. It's very tempting to apply too much silicone. [ Music ] Go ahead and pull this air cleaner off. Then I can start working on that tune-up. Usually those just fall right off. When I'm replacing plugs and wires I like to leave the wires where they are, and then install the new wires on the bench. Original coil, but if it ain't broke! I'm gonna find the longest one. Put the longest one on number one. [ Music ] Perfect! This one's a trim to fit. Looks like it has to be trimmed on this end. Make a nice, clean cut. Looks pretty good! Test fit. Side by side, that needs to go. [ Music ] Fill some fluids and this thing will be ready to hit the road. It's nice and clean. Now for the gasket. Fill this up. [ Music ] [ aerosol can hissing ] [ Music ]

(Brandon)>> Coming up, we head to Wooly's Off Road and put this '85 K-10 through the mud.

(Marc)>> I love this truck!

(Marc)>> Well we got our square body all dialed in, at least to our liking, for what we want to do with it. We're getting ready to take it out and have some fun with it, but before we do that we want to give this thing a bath. [ small engine revving ]

(Brandon)>> Well now that we got the whole truck all wet, we went to Sonax for the line of auto detailing products. They have everything you need from basic car wash soaps, tire and wheel cleaners, even fallout remover. First things first, we've got to attack this brake dust on these wheels. I'm gonna start with this Multistar cleaner on the tires just to kinda pull some of that dirt stain out of the rubber.

(Marc)>> Cleans it off the white letters too.

(Brandon)>> Watch this hood. This is gonna be a crazy transformation.

(Marc)>> That is a cool patina look. I'd rock it!

(Brandon)>> Dude, this thing runs good!

(Marc)>> It's not like mint condition but it's pretty nice.

(Brandon)>> This is a driver. [ Music ] We're here at Wooly's Off Road. Our favorite off road park, and it's time to test this truck out.

(Marc)>> I'm really glad that we decided to just do a few things to this truck. Bring it out to see what it'll do because I have a feeling this is gonna be a lot of fun.

(Brandon)>> Oh yeah, it's a nice truck too.

(Marc)>> We've got to be gentle. Let's do it. [ engine rumbling ]

(Marc)>> Well this thing's got stock suspension on it.

(Brandon)>> It's got 31s on it.

(Marc)>> Stock everything except for the 31 x 10.50s.

(Brandon)>> To me this is perfect because this was a farm truck its whole life.

(Marc)>> And this is the kind of stuff it did. I noticed when I pulled the front diff cover off how the gears were not worn out but worn in.

(Brandon)>> I'm blown away with how solid this truck is. The fact that it only needs cab corners is not an exaggeration. When you're talking about a classic truck or what's timeless, first gen Dodge, square body Chevy, dent side Ford. There's a reason why, and it's not cause they're particularly better built, but it was just the intensive purposes of what the vehicle was gonna be used for.

(Marc)>> They did take design into account. Look at the truck. This has got to be the most iconic, at least for GM, the most iconic design.

(Brandon)>> Every music video, every t-v show.

(Marc)>> Every country song.

(Brandon)>> This is like the fishbowl, this whole pond. Drive in circles.

(Marc)>> It's like a little cul-de-sac.

(Brandon)>> Get it, get it, get it! [ engine revving ] [ Music ] [ Brandon laughing ] [ Music ] [ engine revving ]

(Marc)>> Ready?

(Brandon)>> Yeah! [ engine revving ] [ Music ]

(Brandon)>> That was close. [ engine revving ] [ Marc laughing ]

(Brandon)>> It's always fun playing in the mud.

(Marc)>> This is awesome! Got a little mud right right there on your lens.

(Brandon)>> The only thing that's happened so far is we lost a beauty ring. [ engine revving ]

(Marc)>> I love this truck! That's what this truck was built for.

(Brandon)>> Marc?

(Marc)>> What?

(Brandon)>> I know what we need to do to the truck now.

(Marc)>> You're probably thinking the same thing I'm thinking, go ahead.

(Brandon)>> A Fall Guy knockoff.

(Marc)>> I knew it.

(Brandon)>> Long bed square body Chevy, two tone. Put a roll bar in it.

(Marc)>> Stunt capable.

(Brandon)>> Yes!

(Marc)>> What else you gonna do with this truck besides what we just did? Nothing else would do this truck any service.

(Brandon)>> Catch bad guys!

(Marc)>> Let's do it!

(Brandon)>> Let's go back to the shop, order parts, and build ourselves a knockoff Fall Guy truck.

(Marc)>> Are we still gonna keep it this color?

(Brandon)>> I want to.

(Marc)>> I think this is gonna be a fun project.

(Brandon)>> What do you think we should call it? I got it! Faux Guy! Like fake!