Great White: A Chevy K10 Build

[Ouiwee]

I converted the shelf I made to a grill for use on an open fire. I'm sure one can buy something similar, but I had some angle iron and bought a small pack of steel rivets so whipped it up.



It folds up tight.




The ARB air locker comes out tomorrow. It might be strong as hell, but it leaks air and replacement parts leak air. And, I have to deal with one wheel peel most of the time when it isn't locked. I would have gone with a TrueTrac when I had the locker put in, but they were not available for a 14 bolt. With the TrueTrac, I have an LSD on the street, they lock up off road, no clutches to replace, near bullet proof performance, and no leaking air lines and internals to deal with.

Let me know if anyone out there is looking for a deal on an air locker...

 

[Ouiwee]

Did a quick trip to Cherry Springs State Park in PA. It is known as one of few sites that are free of light pollution. I reckon we had about 3 inches of snow.

I suppose one can no longer say that it is still fall. Most of the leaves are on the ground.

I had to break out the sweater.

We woke this morning to 15 degree Fahrenheit temperatures. My sleeping bag is rated to 15 degrees, but I don't know who would be comfortable in it at such a temperature. If I were using this set up in winter weather, a propane heater would be a requirement.

 

[Andrew_S]

Wow beautiful truck. Love all the custom work. That looks like the perfect set up! Those handles are truly beautiful.

 

[Ouiwee]

Wow beautiful truck. Love all the custom work. That looks like the perfect set up! Those handles are truly beautiful.

Thanks. I am ironing out the wrinkles, but so far so good.

 

[Ouiwee]

The spare drive shaft is now mounted to the bed rack. I started with some 5" aluminum tube and welded one end shut.



The drive shaft just barely fits.



I welded some tabs on the tube so it can bolt to the track like so.



I tacked a plate on the end so that it would be secure yet easy enough to remove. I smeared some rtv around the joint and wrapped the seam with electrical tape.




It is fairly out of the way and secure. The front of the tube rests against the front of the bed (with foam to avoid rubbing off paint). The bottom rests on the fender well, also with foam.

 

[chilliwak]

Thats a nice looking weld on that tube. Good idea for holding that driveshaft. Keep up the good work. Cheers, Chilli... ?

 

[Ouiwee]

Thats a nice looking weld on that tube. Good idea for holding that driveshaft. Keep up the good work. Cheers, Chilli... ?

Thanks Chilli, I hope I don't need it.

 

[Ouiwee]

Well, I finally made it to Utah (2,100 mile drive to get here). I figured now is a good time to do a Moab shakedown since it shouldn't be quite so busy this time of year. It seems the weather might hold out.

Here is a shot of Dead Horse Point.

I finally got a decent camera, so maybe the photos will be better. It was slightly hazy yesterday.

We are heading to Mesa Arch in Canyonlands National Park this morning for the sunrise.

 

[Ouiwee]

We took a brief tour of Canyonlands National Park today. Wow was there a lot to see. I ran out of time for the trail since we spent a good deal of the day at Mesa Arch, Grandview Point, and other spots.

The trail itself is mild, but rough with lots of corrugations. Running 20 psi is the way to go.

I'll be hitting the 4-wheel drive trails tomorrow.

 

[Ouiwee]

The scale of things here is hard to get through one's head. You pull up to a hill that looks nearly vertical, let the clutch out, and feather in the throttle and it just grips and pulls you up.

Two dimensional pictures just do not do the experience justice. The geometry of the trail really doesn't translate through pictures.

This big dufus wouldn't get out of the picture at the top of the big bath tub.

Going into the car wash...it happened to be dry. Notice the copilot.

The front bumper has plenty of clearance at the bottom.

We drove the entirety of the Hell's Revenge trail today without a single scratch or dent. A front bow shackle pounded some rock and the rear shackle hitch scraped a bit. I made a mistake by cutting the wheel too early and got the rear diff scuffed up a smidge, but no significant impacts to the bash plates.

I have a couple of videos from the GoPro that turned out all right. When I get some time, I'll see if they are worth posting.

 

[bknudtsen]

I’ll never forget the first time I drove up Launchpad. That “little” bump 2/3rds of the way up is a butt clencher... Nothing but sky in the windshield. I’ve been to Moab 5 times and have plans to go back in a couple years. I’m done with the “Jeep” trails though. More into exploring the backroads now.

 

[chilliwak]

Wow! Thats some hardcore wheeling. You really put that truck through its paces. The fact that you got it done without any serious carnage is even more impresive. The pictures actually do it justice as I can easily see the steepness of the road/trail. Big props from me. Cheers Chilli...?

 

[mrgoodwrench]

The scale of things here is hard to get through one's head. You pull up to a hill that looks nearly vertical, let the clutch out, and feather in the throttle and it just grips and pulls you up.

Two dimensional pictures just do not do the experience justice. The geometry of the trail really doesn't translate through pictures.

This big dufus wouldn't get out of the picture at the top of the big bath tub.

Going into the car wash...it happened to be dry. Notice the copilot.

The front bumper has plenty of clearance at the bottom.

We drove the entirety of the Hell's Revenge trail today without a single scratch or dent. A front bow shackle pounded some rock and the rear shackle hitch scraped a bit. I made a mistake by cutting the wheel too early and got the rear diff scuffed up a smidge, but no significant impacts to the bash plates.

I have a couple of videos from the GoPro that turned out all right. When I get some time, I'll see if they are worth posting.

Really cool definently want to get there some day. Just curious what size tires and how much lift are you running?

Sent from my SM-G970U using Tapatalk

 

[Ouiwee]

Really cool definently want to get there some day. Just curious what size tires and how much lift are you running?

Sent from my SM-G970U using Tapatalk

I am running 12.5" x 35" Toyo Open Country ATs on 17" rims. I have kept the truck as low as possible, but it is about a 4" lift and 1" body lift.

 

[Ouiwee]

I’ll never forget the first time I drove up Launchpad. That “little” bump 2/3rds of the way up is a butt clencher... Nothing but sky in the windshield. I’ve been to Moab 5 times and have plans to go back in a couple years. I’m done with the “Jeep” trails though. More into exploring the backroads now.

No doubt. For the first time through the trail, you just have to trust that there is somewhere to go once you make it to the top!