free Chevy squrebody

[Keaton 429]

me being 14, and my dad owning a auto repair shop, sometimes but very rarely we get lucky like this, there was a customer that had a 1982 Chevy c20, he repainted part of the engine and could not get it to run and did not want to put any money into it so he gives it to us, the title in our name we brought it home, at first I thought some awfull looking mirrors, today I think I figured out it is a camper edition, anyone know why they are rare or people want them, this was free, has a differint engine, small block Chevy still with a turbo 400 tranny, not Shure on the dif gears yet, I don't have pictures on here yet but it is red I believe , or rust, there is just sun wear and some surface rust but really clean underneeth. I will get pictures tommrow afternoon, thanks and I will post more in the morning it is almost midnight now.

-Keaton

Edited June 15 by Keaton

[mrc 810]

you are a very lucky young man!

[squonk 41,016]

Camper Specials usually have the stiffer springs, larger hubs, brakes, rad ect..

[953 nut 55,022]

6 hours ago, Keaton said:

I don't have pictures on here yet but it is red I believe , or rust, there is just sun wear and some surface rust

That is referred to as patina and it seems to be the in thing now. If you watch any of the collector car auctions these days the 1967 to 1987 Chevy regular cab trucks are very popular. Sounds like a great father/son project.      

Being a camper truck it probably won't have tall gearing for good fuel mileage, probably 4:11 or something in that range to handle the extra weight. If you plan to just make a driver out of it you may want to ditch the turbo 400 and get a TH-700-R4.

[Keaton 429]

@953 nut yes it is patina, and my dad was guessing it is a 4:11 but he cant find the tag on the dif, and the engine has been swapped but not the transmission,

@squonk  I think it is a camper special, I will post some pics now.

[Keaton 429]

and the dash says it only has 12 k miles, witch I doubt could be right I bet it has rolled over once at least

[ebinmaine 67,203]

That's a good strong solid truck!

[squonk 41,016]

If the wheels have the 8 lugs like the caps show, it's a HD chassis

[ebinmaine 67,203]

2 minutes ago, squonk said:

If the wheels have the 8 lugs like the caps show, it's a HD chassis

 

I ~think~

 

Up until 1986 or so ALL 3/4 and 1 ton GM trucks had 8 lug wheels. 2WD or 4. 

 

I've never seen a Camper Special without 8 lugs back then. 

Not sure if there were any. 

Doesn't mean they don't exist in another market...

 

The Camper Specials I dealt with were quite often a 1 ton suspension under a 3/4 ton registration to lower Insurance costs. 

[squonk 41,016]

Chevy had a std. 3/4 ton with 6 lug wheels. HD had 8

 

Lots of fun in the parts business when dealing with brake and steering parts. We usually needed the option code which of course the customer didn't have. Always asked "how many lug nuts on a wheel and that would narrow it down. 

 

Then the fun really started mid 87 when the redesigned the trucks. The new independent suspension trucks were C and K series and the old square bodies were R and V series. It went like this:

 

"I need a brake caliper for an 88 K 20." " What body style?"  "Huh?"  "New style or old style?"  " What?"  "sloped hood or square hood?" " I don't know."  " Solid frt. axle or independent with CV shafts?"  " Solid" "Ok you have a V20.How many lug nuts?" 

Edited June 15 by squonk

[ebinmaine 67,203]

47 minutes ago, squonk said:

parts business

 

Oh I well remember!!!

 

Wooo!

 

[953 nut 55,022]

Long bed with dual fuel tanks and eight lug hubs, just right for a camper.            Love the look of the patina.          

[Handy Don 12,125]

I know zip about old Chevy trucks, but that one looks like it has some life left in it, for sure.

Clearly sunburned and the interior fabrics and plastics have probably suffered badly for it but the metal all looks sound. I’m impressed that the bed is so lightly worn.

The earlier comments about fuel economy with a big engine and low-ratio rear end might put a strain on your allowance but it sounds like you have the knowledge to address that!

Good luck!

[Keaton 429]

I think we might put a puller cam in it to pull trailers and show off, we have a S10 that the plan is to finish putting the ls in it, and a Toyota tundra that my grandpa had before he passed will be more of a daily driver and the LS S10 will be a race truck then a truck for a pulling rig so I think that might be the plan

[JCM 9,130]

@Keaton  Did you open the glove box and look at all the RPO #'s to see what options the truck was built with ?  This is a pic of the partial list for my 86 Chevy K-20. There are more than just this number for a camper special package Z81 is this one. It may head you in the right direction. Also the belt moulding at the base of the rear window where it wraps around usually had some sort of emblem denoting that package.  Good luck.

[mrc 810]

to determine axle ratio: 

jack up rear end of truck. 

put chalk mark on tire at 6 o'clock postion. 

put chalk mark on driveshaft and rear diff.

rotate tire while watching how many revolutions the driveshaft makes 

when tire turns 1 complete turn if driveshaft made slightly more than 4 turns then you have 4:11 gears 

 

[Keaton 429]

@mrc we tried that but lifted up both sides we will try again tommrow, 

@jmc that is sweet looking, and in the glove box all it says is camper loading information, its a blue sticker.

AND IT DOES RUN!!! we did not ever try starting it because the tech at my dads shop said it didn't run, 2nd crand fired right up, it misses but at about 1/4 throttle it will run, we moved it a bit it will run about 10 feet then die, but cant beat that for free, thanks, and I polished all the chrome the bumper and the trim that was left with a sos pad, and washed it

[953 nut 55,022]

14 hours ago, Keaton said:

I think we might put a puller cam in it to pull trailers and show off, we have a S10 that the plan is to finish putting the ls in it, and a Toyota tundra that my grandpa had before he passed will be more of a daily driver and the LS S10 will be a race truck then a truck for a pulling rig so I think that might be the plan

I love hearing the boundless enthusiasm of a young gearhead anticipating his next escapade.              Keep posting you adventure.

[peter lena 8,579]

@Keaton  another opportunity , glairing right at you ? every aspect of that body / frame , could / should , have  a lubrication creep / soaking  going on . mineral oil /  penetrating oil , upper most start / top of a  body point . is where you want to start your oil tracking , as the oil creeps down inside closed areas . its hitting every weld point , seam track , and finally , lower end of boxed / closed section , oil film instead of rust , who does that ? been doing that for many decades , kerosene, also makes a good petal protectant . just look at any relatively new truck , puffy / swollen paint  , orange discoloration / rust  at every seam point ? todays road spraying / for  ice melt  , and pre plowing help destroys any neglected car / truck . just a suggestion , that can stop the rot , also mineral oil paint  outside for a rust barrier , all my body seams have a lubrication creep going on , ZERO RUST / ROT , regular visual look , verify oil film related . summer heat / will draw lube into every seam , pete   

[Keaton 429]

@953 nut we have had that LS S10 since I was 10 and still have not got to it, I think in the next month or so we might finally start on it because my dad said after we finish adding onto the building we will start working on, I will also post about that on here, and 

 

@peter lena I thought about wet sanding down the outside of the body and have it clear coated, maybe professinoally done, to make the original paint shine and put pennatrating oil in other spots

[squonk 41,016]

Coat it with Penetrol Flood. Just brushes on.

[peter lena 8,579]

@Keaton often refer to breaking / stopping the GRUNGE CYCLE  on neglected metal . rarely think of  a show queen recovery . that look see alone , lets me  start a metal lubrication creep . see so much newer anything on the road , with total rot thru ?  its so easy to prevent / stop that . anything I  have with a confined space , lower vent hole , is access and proof of metal protection , every lower body panel on my stuff , has an internal lubrication proof going on . open a tail gate , rear door on wagon , the entire seaming is damp with a penetrant . no swelling paint , rot / rust going on . also helps a lot to have an interest , in similar car neglect areas .KNOCK R LOOSE penetrant , will get into closed panels , and show you results , in no time . very easy to do , pete  

[OoPEZoO 513]

That looks almost identical to what my dad drove around when I was a kid, only his was a diesel version and his had a cap on the back.  It was even the same color.  Fix it up and keep it forever 

 

I love me some square bodies

[Easton Rich 251]

Lucky you got that for free!

[squonk 41,016]

22 minutes ago, OoPEZoO said:

That looks almost identical to what my dad drove around when I was a kid, only his was a diesel version and his had a cap on the back.  It was even the same color.  Fix it up and keep it forever 

 

I love me some square bodies

Every time someone mentions Chevy Trucks and diesel in the same sentence I have flashbacks to my first years out of college working at the dealer. What a time to learn a trade. Diesels that blew up, the onset of front wheel drive across the platforms, beginnings of Computer Command Control, Electronic Spark Timing and Torque Converter clutch. General Motors Sealant (Stinky Stuff. Smelled like swamp butt!) instead of gaskets. Crazy stuff. Then someone would drop off a 68 Belair or a 72 Olds and it was like a breath of fresh air

Edited June 17 by squonk