Recent upgrades to 33 year old GM rig: NV4500 and hydroboost brakes

[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.

[Dogmann]

Outstanding !!
Sell
It to me!!

[anthonyca]

Every single time I hear of someone selling their first project car I get upset that I sold the Nova that my brother and I were building. Great looking truck. My father just passed and old cars bring back the good times, especially one he watched you build.

[redthies]

The Corvair van looks pretty neat. Keeping it all original I would guess?

[Larry]

Yeah, the Corvair will be returned to original white with a redish orange stripe and plain cargo van interior. I already gutted the interior with all of the early 80’s conversion van crap my dad put in it. Luckily, he kept the original bench seat and never cut holes in the body window or vents. I pulled the engine to reseal in late 2010 but haven’t gotten back on that project to put it back together. Been too busy with the K10, Suburban and my FIL’s Sportside 4.3L to 7.4L swap. This little van is actually very clean with zero rust and only a small amount of body filler above the right front tire. It will be an easy fixer. The hardest part is getting all glue off the interior walls were my dad had carpet glue in.

[redthies]

One of my buddies in high school had a love affair with Corvairs. I remember him pulling out of a parking lot and the bump from the curb caused the last bolt holding his engine/transaxle in place to snap, and the whole thing just dropped out onto the road! He was NOT into maintenance, as you may have guessed.