New CO guy w/old GM K10 and SnugTop topper

[Larry]

Hello,

I have been a lurker for a while and figured I would introduce myself and my weekend adventure rig. I have really enjoyed surfing through website and forums and reading about other people’s vehicles and adventures and look forward to reading more and chatting with you folks. Hopefully someday I can meet up with people from the area for some outdoor adventures.

My truck is not the trendy rock crawler type creation, it is purpose built to travel around Colorado and surrounding areas to reach the remote high mountain fishing spots most people can’t get to. I enjoy off-roading, camping, fishing, all the things that make this site great.

Stats:

1978 K10
NP465 4 speed manual transmission with a NP205 transfercase (NV4500 OD trans coming soon)
Swapped in ¾ ton drive train
Rear Detroit locker
Front Detroit Truetrac
Q78 x 16 Superswampers
Freshly installed fuel injected 7.4L engine
Old Hicky Sidewinder winch on the front (rear winch coming soon)
SnupTop cab high topper added in 2006 outfitted with camping in mind.
….many more goodies

Hope you enjoy. (sorry, the picture upload didn't work so I had to do it the old fashion way).

 

[Bergger]

Welcome to the site! I'm also from CO, Denver area. Nice looking truck.

 

[Haggis]

Welcome to the Expo, Larry. That's a nice Chevy, it's good to see some more, older American rigs on the expo. I had a '78 GMC as my first truck (383 small block, 205 and 400 tranny) and loved that thing. I've been driving past a '76 Chevy, shortbed, super clean for this part of PA, with a mild lift, that's for sale down the road and have been giving it to many covetous glances. This is not pleasing the wife.

 

[ntsqd]

What, no snorkel and with a roof rack? Obviously this will never work well off road!


Just teasing Welcome aboard!

 

[Larry]

Thanks guys…

This is a really cool site. I am glad to have found it! I have been plenty busy getting caught up on previous posts. I am really digging the Hackney’s adventure to Chili and awesome Fuso FG.

I hear you on the snorkel. The only time the truck is driven is when it is headed to the high country and I have yet to be anywhere close to a position where a snorkel would have been needed (not much deep running water in the high country). Plus, I have no plans to hack up a perfectly rust and dent free OEM 30 year old fender for the sake of a snorkel….albeit I think they do look pretty cool. If it was an imitation Chinese knock off fender I would defiantly do it.

How come I cannot attach pictures or hot link them to my Flikr page?

 

[Grim Reaper]

Nice!

Go get this if you haven't already.
http://www.offroaddesign.com/catalog/steeringkit.htm
BIG improvement in steering and hopefully keep from cracking the frame at the box and needing the patch below it.

Welcome to Expo!

 

[Larry]

Nice!

Go get this if you haven't already.
http://www.offroaddesign.com/catalog/steeringkit.htm
BIG improvement in steering and hopefully keep from cracking the frame at the box and needing the patch below it.

Welcome to Expo!

Thanks Grim…

Actually, my truck might as well be a rolling bill board for ORD although you will not find one decal on it advertising anybody. (okay, maybe one....GM Performance Parts).

I bolted on the steering box brace kit about 5 years ago when I dropped in the crate big block and the front HD greasable shackles, rear 4” flip shackles, HD engine cross member and sway bar disconnect kit over the past couple years.

ORD produces a lot great of corrective action parts for this generation GM truck.

Still wish I could post pictures...

 

[mountainpete]

Welcome to ExPo

 

[Carlyle]

Welcome to the forum and maybe we can get together sometime, I'm in the Canon City area. For uploading pictures I've had good luck with photobucket, you may want to try that instead.

Nice looking truck!

 

[Martinjmpr]

Wow, Blast from the Past! I started getting into 4wd vehicles when I was in high school in the 70's, your rig would have been my dream truck back then. Now I guess it's a "classic" (hmmm...does that make me a classic, too? )

I still have some of the old books and magazines from that era. Hickey Sidewinder Winch? When did they stop making that? I always thought it was a good idea, turn the spindle of the winch 90 degrees to take up less space.

Welcome to the forums!

ETA: Noticed the sleep platform in your truck. Nice! I hope to do something similar with my Taco this Summer once the garage is built and I have someplace to work!

 

[tdesanto]

Thanks guys…

How come I cannot attach pictures or hot link them to my Flikr page?

Welcome to the site.

Is it possible that the file size is too large? I know I get errors whenever I haven't resized the picture to create a smaller file.

Just a thought.

 

[kcowyo]

Very nice set up. When it comes to old school cool and classic Americana, the 70's 4x4 Chevy's are hard to beat.

Great sleeping system too. That really liberates a traveller as far as I'm concerned. And southern Colorado is fine place to be free. I lived in Lake City for 6 years. The San Juans are a Rocky Mtn paradise.

Here's a forum "how to" regarding posting pics on ExPo.

Welcome to the forum - :beer:

 

[ntsqd]

I still have some of the old books and magazines from that era. Hickey Sidewinder Winch? When did they stop making that? I always thought it was a good idea, turn the spindle of the winch 90 degrees to take up less space.

Hickey went out of business sometime in the early to mid 80's. When Vic left us none of the kids could run the business and it floundered on the rocks.
As it happens I've driven past their old building 3 times this week.
I've heard complaints about the cable in Sidewinders wanting to bunch up on the bottom of the spool rather than wind on nicely and lay flat. No experience with them so no opinion.

A note on the ORD or Autofab steering box braces; if you have the GM OE engine oil cooler the hoses will rub on the bottom of the brace. Mine did anyway. There really isn't room to move the hoses far enough away. I took a piece of 1/2" steel pipe and slit it thru one wall only. Made the slit width a tad larger than the brace's thickness and welded it to the bottom of the brace where the hoses rub against it. Voila! No more sharp edge to wear into the hose.

 

[Larry]

Welcome to the forum and maybe we can get together sometime, I'm in the Canon City area. For uploading pictures I've had good luck with photobucket, you may want to try that instead.

Nice looking truck!

Hey Carlyle….we are real close. I am right down the road in Pueblo West. My wife actually works in Canon City. My main playground area for 4 wheeling, fishing, camping, etc lately has been in the Buena Vista area (Taylor Lake area). It is beautiful up there with plenty of trails and sites to see. Pretty short drive from Canon too. My flickr page lets me hotlink pics to other sites so I am surprised it doesn’t work here.

Wow, Blast from the Past! I started getting into 4wd vehicles when I was in high school in the 70's, your rig would have been my dream truck back then. Now I guess it's a "classic" (hmmm...does that make me a classic, too? )

I still have some of the old books and magazines from that era. Hickey Sidewinder Winch? When did they stop making that? I always thought it was a good idea, turn the spindle of the winch 90 degrees to take up less space.

Welcome to the forums!

ETA: Noticed the sleep platform in your truck. Nice! I hope to do something similar with my Taco this Summer once the garage is built and I have someplace to work!

I am not exactly sure when the Hickey sidewinder ceased production but Hickey actually sold the rights to the winch to Advance Adapters, which chose to do nothing wit and no longer produces the winch or service parts but were able to hook me up with installation instructions last summer. I want to say I read some where the last sidewinders were built sometime around 1983. Sidewinders are not the best winch in the world by any means, in fact they kind of suck, but they are better than nothing and this one has been in the family since it was new so…..I had to put it on my rig. The plan is to add a real winch to the rear bumper. Seems like the majority of the time I need a winch to get myself out of a jamb rather than further into one….so, I like the rear winch idea. Maybe it was my younger years working recoveries with the wreckers at my dad’s shop that makes me fond of rear mounted winches.

Thanks for all the warm welcomes. I have not seen such a hospitable site before!

 

[1976K5Chalet]

Good ole K10....

Welcome aboard! Where abouts in the southern regions of colorado?
Fruita here on the western slope. I am the Chalet guy...and i have about
7ish other K5's as well. Lol. Just finishing up the new shop so maybe if your out this way and i am not stuck in collbran drilling ahead we can get together...

DW