Larry's 1978 K10
- Thread starter Larry
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Larry
Bigassgas Explorer
Yeah, back in college Zoomad and I went to Detroit on an annual Automotive Boosters Club Detroit Trip where students would tour prospective employers as well as visit the Detroit Auto Show. When we toured the RenCen it was still Ford turf. At that time, I doubt either one of us would have guessed just a few short years later we would living in a cube farm in that exact building working for GM. There actually was a period of time where Ford and GM people where in there at the same time albeit different towers. Rob and I were in tower 400 overlooking the Southside of the Detroit River with a great view of Windsor!
A pic of the RenCen from the way back files. June 1997. View from Windsor. Punk fresh out of college :sombrero:
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zoomad75
K5 Camper guy
Funny times in the Ren Cen. The view was amazing. My last stint had me in a window cube in the back left tower overlooking the entrance to the Windsor tunnel. You could hear the bells from the Mariners church ringing for the "Edmund Fitzgerald" every year there too. That big central tower is actually a hotel. We got a hell of a show when some lady decided to disrobe in one of the hotel rooms facing our building and do a little dance to show off. Needless to say most of the guys were licking the windows and the ladies were calling security. Show ended in about 5 minutes. Pretty funny.
Oh and Larry tried to burn the place down too. I warned him about making microwave popcorn when he was in training. Sure enough he burned it and stunk up the joint and threw the bag in my trash can. Minutes later we saw smoke smoldering up out of the can. I couldn't stop laughing about it.
Oh and Larry tried to burn the place down too. I warned him about making microwave popcorn when he was in training. Sure enough he burned it and stunk up the joint and threw the bag in my trash can. Minutes later we saw smoke smoldering up out of the can. I couldn't stop laughing about it.
justcuz
Explorer
My Mom retired from GM in 87. She worked personnel in Toledo at the trans plant (Powertrain Division).
The other thing that she was exposed to was the guys that tested prototype projects. Their were a couple guys who could just ride in a vehicle and tell you exactly what was wrong with a transmission just by the way it sounded and shifted. She had a lot of respect for those guys.
Before she retired one of the guys, Jimmy Lyons, told her never buy a FWD car. I guess he felt developmentally they were not perfected yet. Still can't change her mind, so at 89 she cruises an old S-10 Blazer!
The other thing that she was exposed to was the guys that tested prototype projects. Their were a couple guys who could just ride in a vehicle and tell you exactly what was wrong with a transmission just by the way it sounded and shifted. She had a lot of respect for those guys.
Before she retired one of the guys, Jimmy Lyons, told her never buy a FWD car. I guess he felt developmentally they were not perfected yet. Still can't change her mind, so at 89 she cruises an old S-10 Blazer!
Larry
Bigassgas Explorer
Little update on the K10. Since the Polar Bear stole its tires and wheel last summer it was time to repay the K10 with a new set before upcoming annual Desert Trip. I bought the same exact wheels but I went with Goodyear Duratracs this time instead of another set of Fierce Attitude tires. Nothing wrong with the Fierce Attitude, it’s just the Duratracs turns out to be cheaper this go around. 315/75R16 Load Range E
Fierce Attitude tires on the Burb and Duratracs on the truck
A little family nuzzling
I was getting fed up with the interior paint peeling off of the center console so I had an upholstery guy cover the entire console in the closest matching vinyl he could find that matches the seat arm rests. Turns out nice! Having it covered in vinyl also stopped the lid from squeaking and itching.
Fierce Attitude tires on the Burb and Duratracs on the truck
A little family nuzzling
I was getting fed up with the interior paint peeling off of the center console so I had an upholstery guy cover the entire console in the closest matching vinyl he could find that matches the seat arm rests. Turns out nice! Having it covered in vinyl also stopped the lid from squeaking and itching.
Larry,
The tires look great! It's good to see the family together! :elkgrin: Please let us know your thoughts and impressions on the new tires. I just added a new vehicle to the stable (a 1974 Scout II) so when it comes time to do the tires I will be searching diligently for unbiased reviews.
Thank you
Christian
The tires look great! It's good to see the family together! :elkgrin: Please let us know your thoughts and impressions on the new tires. I just added a new vehicle to the stable (a 1974 Scout II) so when it comes time to do the tires I will be searching diligently for unbiased reviews.
Thank you
Christian
Neat photos with them pulled up together. It is interesting seeing the difference in the fenders and how the newer one slopes down more than the older style did. I had never noticed that before. I currently have a set of Duratracs on my 1977 K20. I have had them for a while now and I am overall pretty happy with them. I bought them because they seemed to be a good combination of an E rated tire that also had good enough tread to see off road duty. I have hauled some fairly heavy loads in the bed and pulled trailers and it always feels surefooted. I do not like soft sidewalls and the sway that comes with them when hauling loads. The tires are quiet on the highway and are wearing very well so far. The only complaint I would have is that they tend to load up with the clay we have here unless you are turning some RPM's to clean them out, but I suppose that is the case with any tire to an extent. I do not actively seek out mud holes at this point in my life, so they do just fine for my needs.
Larry
Bigassgas Explorer
I’m anxious to see how the Duratracs work out on the K10 as well. I’ve been very pleased with the Fierce Attitude tires but really, anything could be better than the load range D Kumho’s I was running a couple years ago. Of course, the Super Swampers are a no brainer. The SS are great in the snow and deep mud but suck in every other way. I only run those for local mountain trips just to burn them down and they really work well on the narrow mining trails. I’m with you Joe, I don’t seek out mud and would rather not get in it given the chance. Mud is too hard to clean off and it also gets packed in tight crannies in the body then rusts the bodies from the inside out. That is why these old squares rusted so badly. Too many tight spots in the body for mud to accumulate that are hard to clean out.
I’ve only ran the Duratracs on the K10 for about 10 miles and so far and surprised how quiet they are. Like the load range E Fierce Attitudes, they feel very sturdy when throwing the truck in to a road speed curve. I also put 285/75R16 Duratracs on my daily driver Silverado last fall and have been very pleased with them although they made that truck feel a bit floaty on the road. I might need to bump up the air pressure on that truck but the torsion bar IFS 2500HD’s ride like such crap where every crack in the road is an explosion of discomfort I’m not sure I could tolerate higher pressures in the tires to boot. They really bit the icy roads well thanks to the nicely done sipping. They worked great this past winter!
I’ve only ran the Duratracs on the K10 for about 10 miles and so far and surprised how quiet they are. Like the load range E Fierce Attitudes, they feel very sturdy when throwing the truck in to a road speed curve. I also put 285/75R16 Duratracs on my daily driver Silverado last fall and have been very pleased with them although they made that truck feel a bit floaty on the road. I might need to bump up the air pressure on that truck but the torsion bar IFS 2500HD’s ride like such crap where every crack in the road is an explosion of discomfort I’m not sure I could tolerate higher pressures in the tires to boot. They really bit the icy roads well thanks to the nicely done sipping. They worked great this past winter!
edlaffoon
Adventure Every Day
I'm interested in the DT's also.
god I'm with you on the mud, my truck went from none to stage 4 cancer in the last 5 years just driving on regular roads and the VERY occasional mud hole.
I love AT's, I will probably go with the BFG AT2's next year and move the current tires to the trailer etc.
I'm so jealous of your "motor status" lol, you need to "visit" Texas for a few weeks to "help me" build mine lol. When the time does come (probably a few years from now) I'm sure that I will have TONS of questions for you
Trucks look killer by the way!
god I'm with you on the mud, my truck went from none to stage 4 cancer in the last 5 years just driving on regular roads and the VERY occasional mud hole.
I love AT's, I will probably go with the BFG AT2's next year and move the current tires to the trailer etc.
I'm so jealous of your "motor status" lol, you need to "visit" Texas for a few weeks to "help me" build mine lol. When the time does come (probably a few years from now) I'm sure that I will have TONS of questions for you
Trucks look killer by the way!
dura tracs
hi Larry, I run a set of 33/12.50/15 Dura tracs on my 91 K5. I have run them about a year now with no complaints, I plow snow with them and off road them in the summer. Probabally the best dual purpose tires I have owned, quiet and plenty of bite without road noise. love all the info you share on the square bodies, hydroboost swap is next for my K5.
hi Larry, I run a set of 33/12.50/15 Dura tracs on my 91 K5. I have run them about a year now with no complaints, I plow snow with them and off road them in the summer. Probabally the best dual purpose tires I have owned, quiet and plenty of bite without road noise. love all the info you share on the square bodies, hydroboost swap is next for my K5.
huntsonora
Explorer
Larry, I had the same problem with my duratracs when I first got them. I searched high and low to figure out why they made my truck feel like I was in a boat and the answer I finally got was that they use a softer compound and the tires need to almost "cure" by getting hot over the first 3-4000 miles. Mine got way better so I think there may be something to that.
First day I had them put on my truck I tried to tow my little red Toyota to the ranch in NM and I literally felt like I was driving a boat. I turned right around and drive the red truck to the ranch instead. Six months later I drove down and towed it back and didn't have the same issue do I think they will harden our stiffen with some miles on them
toyrunner95
Explorer
problem is that most modern trucks don't last that long... but maintenance and care can go a long ways. Ive watched your build for a while, it was an inspiration when i had my CUCV.
Larry
Bigassgas Explorer
Wow! It’s been a really long time since the K10 has done any web wheeling around here. Over the past year I’ve been so busy on the Polar Bear Burb and Rob’s Zook5.3L Blazer the ole K10 has been sitting in the garage collecting dust since the last outing last October. This past week it has gotten some attention in preparation for our annual week-long Desert Trip. I will be piloting the K10 and a work buddy and his wife from Chicago will be cruising the Polar Bear Burb.
Greg (Coloradutback) did a great job of rebuilding the can carrier.
Greg came up with a clever can lock and lid lock
The old carrier was more of a basket that served its purpose for a few years until something better could come along. This basket badly covered up the left taillight.
Breaker 1-9! After 10+ year of pressure from my buddy Rob (Zoomad75) I finally succumbed to the CB world. Just got so tired of feeding little walkie talkies a never ending supply of batteries for trail communications. The Polar Bear Burb got a CB this week as well. Rob did a great job of tuning in the CBs in both of the rigs this past Thurs night
While the K10 was getting attention I completely rewired the power supply to the camper. Up until now it just had two 10 gauge wires from the underhood aux battery to charge the camper battery. That worked fine but on the last few days of a 7-10 day trip the batteries were tired and wreaking havoc on the National Luna refrigerator. This time I went all out carefully threading a 1/0 battery cable from the underhood aux battery to the camper battery. The huge voltage drop is all but a memory now!
Unfortunately, I ran out of time and funds to get a few things done to the K10 that last year I swore would happen before the next big trip. What didn’t get done this go around were shocks and selectable lockers. The truck badly needs some real shocks as these cheap Superlift shocks are not cutting the mustard and I am totally OVER the rear Detroit locker. Absolutely tired of rear steering and all the other bad habits known with Detroit lockers. After driving the Polar Bear Burb with the same powertrain (sans a Detroit) for the past several months, the Detroit in the K10 is more noticeable and annoying than ever.
That’s it for now……. Desert Trip 2016 starts next Saturday!
Greg (Colorad
utback) did a great job of rebuilding the can carrier.
Greg came up with a clever can lock and lid lock
The old carrier was more of a basket that served its purpose for a few years until something better could come along. This basket badly covered up the left taillight.
Breaker 1-9! After 10+ year of pressure from my buddy Rob (Zoomad75) I finally succumbed to the CB world. Just got so tired of feeding little walkie talkies a never ending supply of batteries for trail communications. The Polar Bear Burb got a CB this week as well. Rob did a great job of tuning in the CBs in both of the rigs this past Thurs night
While the K10 was getting attention I completely rewired the power supply to the camper. Up until now it just had two 10 gauge wires from the underhood aux battery to charge the camper battery. That worked fine but on the last few days of a 7-10 day trip the batteries were tired and wreaking havoc on the National Luna refrigerator. This time I went all out carefully threading a 1/0 battery cable from the underhood aux battery to the camper battery. The huge voltage drop is all but a memory now!
Unfortunately, I ran out of time and funds to get a few things done to the K10 that last year I swore would happen before the next big trip. What didn’t get done this go around were shocks and selectable lockers. The truck badly needs some real shocks as these cheap Superlift shocks are not cutting the mustard and I am totally OVER the rear Detroit locker. Absolutely tired of rear steering and all the other bad habits known with Detroit lockers. After driving the Polar Bear Burb with the same powertrain (sans a Detroit) for the past several months, the Detroit in the K10 is more noticeable and annoying than ever.
That’s it for now……. Desert Trip 2016 starts next Saturday!