Larry's 1978 K10

[tip]

What an awesome truck. I think I have a pic of your truck saved on my computer from many years ago, are/where you on ColoradoK5.com?

I had an '01 2500HD standard cab 4x4 w/ 8.1L/Ally and boy do I miss it. If I ever get done with school I'll be doing a similar build with an 8.1 and NV4500, only in a long bed.

Keep up the awesome work!

 

[ExpoMike]

Now you make me wonder if that is what my M1010 had for rear brakes. They seemed huge for drums and it was the best stopping full size truck I have ever owned. Way better than my current Ram.

 

[Larry]

Now you make me wonder if that is what my M1010 had for rear brakes. They seemed huge for drums and it was the best stopping full size truck I have ever owned. Way better than my current Ram

Yeah, those are 13’s. 13’s were standard on 1 tons and optional on ¾ tons. Stepping on the brakes is like throwing an anchor out the back. :Wow1: They stop!

 

[lstzephyr]

Yeah, those are 13’s. 13’s were standard on 1 tons and optional on ¾ tons. Stepping on the brakes is like throwing an anchor out the back. :Wow1: They stop!

Another awesome update to the truck! This is one of my favorite threads and I'm always checking it.

Do those 13" rear drums fit on other axles than the 14bolt? Is your back axle a D60? I am wondering if those brakes would fit my truck's d70. Its research time!

 

[Larry]

Another awesome update to the truck! This is one of my favorite threads and I'm always checking it.

Do those 13" rear drums fit on other axles than the 14bolt? Is your back axle a D60? I am wondering if those brakes would fit my truck's d70. Its research time!

Thanks! The axle is the GM corporate (today they are known as the American Axle Manufacturing) 10.5” 14 bolt full-floater. The hubs would not fit a Dana 60 or 70 but I bet you could swap bigger brakes from the rear of a Dana 80 onto a smaller Dana 60 or 70 axle.

 

[ExpoMike]

Yeah, for being an ambulance body rig, it had some serious braking power for almost 6300 lbs. My Dodge on the other hand... lets just hope I don't have to stop like right now...

 

[Metcalf]

Yup, dodge brakes suck.

I noted a cool front D60 big disc conversion in my build somewhere ( I think it used P30 rotors )
2003(ish) GM 2500s had the last of the 14-bolt axles ( not AAM diffs ) but had factory disc brakes with the internal hat parking brake.

One of these days I will redo the brakes on my dodge.....or start a new one.....

 

[Larry]

2003(ish) GM 2500s had the last of the 14-bolt axles ( not AAM diffs ) but had factory disc brakes with the internal hat parking brake.

Actually, the GM Corporate axles morphed into American Axle Manufacturing in 1994. All GM axles after 1994 became known as AAM axles even they are the same basic axles that have been around for a few decades. They just got a new name when GM spun off their axle division. AAM also is the axle supplier for the 2003 to current Ram trucks. In fact, this basic old GM Corporate 10.5” axle center section is used in today’s Ram 2500 gasoline powered trucks even though the case looks different. The Ram diesel trucks and GM Dirtymax & 8.1L trucks use the same AAM 11.5" axle. Ford spun off their corporate axle division as well that later became Sterling then later Visteon. The automotive manufacturing world gets confusing sometimes with acquisitions, spin-offs, buyouts, mergers, etc.

 

[Metcalf]

Right, but what I was getting at is that there is an axle available that takes regular 14-bolt gears and lockers BUT has factory disc brakes with the internal hat parking brake. They are just over 67" wide too.

 

[Larry]

Oh, I see. Yeah, that is the 2001 to current Silverado and Sierra HD rear axle that you are thinking of. 2003 to current Ram 2500’s with gas engines are similar however the Power Wagon rear axle has 11.5 axle shafts. AAM is one of our suppliers so I get so talk shop with their application engineers often. Interesting things one learns over a lunch or customer visit. The early 90's GM P-chassis had rear disks on their full floating axles but it was a Rockwell axle (known as Arvin Meritor today) not a 10.5" full-floater.

 

[Metcalf]

I was looking at the 2003 GM 2500 HD rear axle. 14-bolt gears with the 3rd pinion bearing, all the 14-bolt lockers options, 67" wide and foactory rear disc brakes. The only bummer is that they only come with 3.73 or 4.10 gears, for my existing dodge gear that is a bummer.....nothing a front gear swap can't fix.

On the front Dana 60 I have been looking at using some larger front rotors and some better calipers....

 

[Larry]

Totally unrelated to this thread…………but I dusted off an old friend this weekend that has been in hibernation for a decade while I've been chasing my 4x4 interests. Actually, 18 months since started last, 11 years since last registered (2001 license tags) and 13 years since last driven on a road (1999 Woodward Dream Cruise in Detroit, MI). Thursday night I pulled the car cover off and cleaned it up with all intentions of selling it to order a new Camaro 2SS but change my mind after about an hour in to cleaning it. This is my first vehicle when I was 15 years old, although the truck didn't look like this during my High School years…This is the first vehicle that I spend every dime I earned working at my dad's shop through HS and college even though it wasn't a 4x4. Later I got a '72 Blazer that helped me into the 4x4 world but it too was too clean to molest for severe off-road use So then came the 1990 Toyota Hilux that got replaced by the '78 K10 that I cruise today...

Back to my first ride, l can't sell something I've owned for over 25 years! What was I thinking! I still want a new 2SS or ZL1 Camaro though.....


BTW, it is a 1968 GMC C1500 with a bored and whored big block 396/TH400.

 

[Dgurley2000]

Wow, that's a clean truck! Any issues getting it started after 18 months? What else do you have in the Jay Leno-like garage?

 

[Larry]

Wow, that's a clean truck! Any issues getting it started after 18 months? What else do you have in the Jay Leno-like garage?

Hehe, I have a 1963 Corvair van that is also competing for attention. I inhereted it from my dad a few years ago when he passed.

 

[Larry]

Here is the Corvair van project.....planning on going back to the original white with an Orange stripe theme.