1972 GMC K20 Dubbed "The Wilson Project" ***UPDATES***

Any updates in the new year @northfacetraveller ?:)
Hey bud! I do have some updates, I will try and update with the pictures and info this weekend! In the meantime, feel free to check out my instagram, I have been posting the occasional pictures on there as its faster lol. I love that you guys are following along, it gives me motivation when i feel too burnt out to work on it.

@dirtroadconceptz
 
Hey everybody, Im back! Wilson is back on track, at least for nowI know its been awhile and I apologize, life has just been so busy as im sure you are all aware. I recently have just been laid off as a Heavy Duty Mechanic due to Covid-19 which kind of puts a damper on life, but were doing the best we can with what we've got. On the plus side, I had purchased a ton of parts over the past 6 months or so since my last update and I got to working on the truck right away!

Im really hoping the stars align and I will have this truck driveable for November so I can drive to SEMA (If it doesn't get cancelled). I'm not going to show my truck, I've just always wanted to go, and what better way then to make it an adventure in my new rig.

So my goal for this truck is still to have something thats oldschool in design but with some more modern upgrades that we have all grown to love. Ultimatley I want the truck to ride better, handle better, more horsepower and torque for towing and smiles, better stopping, more comfortable interior and longer range. I think i am still fairly on point with this build and my vision. While I have straggled away a little bit thinking about turbos and superchargers and 40's I have ultimatley come back to my reality, that money needs to be saved for a Four Wheel Camper!

So suspension wise I am running a 52" Front spring conversion from the folks at Diy4x. This stuff is very good quality, 1/4" think steel mounting brackets ad shackles. You can tell its engineered to take a beating. My intention is not to beat on the truck, however its good to know that the parts im using will stand up to a zombie apocalypse. With those spring hangers I had Off Road Design build me a set of custom front leaf springs with 4" of lift, I must say I have never had the opportunity to order custom springs thatare spec'd for my application and taking into consideration how i will be using the truck, the weight of the motor any accessories etc.. Truly a custom setup that should work very well for what im after. Did i mention I ordered these springs with kevlar bushings? Im curious how these bushings will hold up over time up here in Canada. I assume they will be great! I'm running Bilstein 5165 Reservoir Shocks in the factory mounting locations to avoid having to cut into my stock wheel liners. However the original hardware was only 3/8", I bumped up the hardware to 7/16" for some added beef. I knew I wanted to run a pyramid style poly bumpstop, but i did not like how they sat on the original bumpstop mounting pad on the frame, so i designed my own bracket for them and had them cut and welded by a local fabrication shop and powdercoated black. Not that I like to toot my own horn, but I think they turned out spectacular! "toot toot".

Steering was up next.. keeping in mind i wanted something to drive tighter, modern and responsive I opted to go with a custom box from my local steering shop. It's a 2WD 73-87 box so I can utilize crossover steering, it has a tighter ratio worm gear which eliminates an entire turn lock to lock and the valving has been upgraded for a firmer feel so you don't get that ridiculously light power steering feel from the 70s. Im running a crossover high steer system from NWF that included high steer knuckles and 4 bolt raised billet steering arms. The tie rods are all 1-Ton and the actual tie rod and drag link are 1.25" DOM. Its a substantial upgrade to say the least. To add to the rigidity of the steering system I added an ORD Steering Box Brace, this will help with any deflection of the frame or twisting of the box with the large tires. Im running a Bilstein 5100 steering stabilizer that i mounted to a PSC tube clamp on the tie rod, and i again couldnt find anything i liked to mount the stabilizer on the axle end so i designed my own bracket and had it CNC'd and powdercoated. This should be a great combo for steering and handling, its simple, proven and lateral which should provide lots of positive steering input and decrease any negative feedback.

Brakes were next on the list, again I realized that single piston calipers are not the best to be stopping a 37" tall tire. I found a good deal on a set of Wilwood Calipers and pads on Amazon surprisingly. They mounted directly to the factory caliper mounts and utilize stock style rotors. I replaced the rotors with a good quality replacement from my local parts supplier and thats that. I will be running stainless braided hoses as well once I get to that point. I also realized that I wasnt a van of the vaccum brake system on this application and I wanted something with higher pressure and more consistent volume so I opted for a hydroboost system that I pulled out of a wrecked 2012 GMC Ambulance. I got the booster, master and lines for free! It sure is nice to get something for free once in awhile! I will update the braking system more once I get the system installed.

Oh right, I almost forgot about the motor! lol. So i originally had a Gen3 6.0 LS from a 2005 GMC 2500 farm truck and it turns out that motor was a bit of a crud master. It was going to cost me way more than my budget would allow to rebuild it so I made the decision to search for another motor, hopefully cleaner and in better condition. I managed to part out the old motor and make my money back, turns out theres nobody selling used parts for these things up here so they went pretty fast. I stumbled across a 2012 GMC Ambulance that was in fantastic condition, was recently taken out of comission as the transmission failed and the truck was old enough that the city went ahead and replaced the unit with a brand new one as oppsed to repairng the transmission. Lucky for me, this van was in literal mint condition otherwise. I was absolutely stunned by how clean it and maintained it was. I made a deal with the owner and a few days later we pulled the cab and I took the motor, trans and hydroboost system home. Its a 6.0 L96 which is a Gen4 engine with Variable Valve Timing. It definitley didnt take me long to start tearing into it and cleaning it up. Needless to say im a little OCD and I have a problem looking past things that I know should be repaired, cleaned or upgraded. So after a couple hours tinkering i had the cylinder heads off the engine and disassembled. basically right down to the short block. Everything looks great, so im just going to give it a good clean, delete the VVT with a new camshaft and off we go. I currently have these parts on order, I will update with more information once those come in!


Anyways I hope you guys don't fall asleep with all that babbling, off to the pictures! Did i mention I can't wait to have this thing on the road?!! You are all keeping my motivation at peak performance and wallet at an all time low :) I love watching your build threads and adventures, especially during these crazy timeswere having.

Hopefully you all enjoy the update and stay safe out there!



Instagram #builtbyadam









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TwinDuro

Well-known member
Awesome work @northfacetraveller! The build looks like it’s coming along great and that things are coming together! Great score on the WhAmbulance L96. That dual alternator set up is interesting! I always wondered how they did that on L/LQ type motors.

Awesome wheel and tire combo too! Sweet beadlocks!

Ya, you definitely need to make it to SEMA! I was fortunate to be able to go in 2009/2012 when I was going to school at a local college automotive program and it was gear head heaven! I enjoyed every minute of it.

Looking forward to the next installment on Wilson!
 
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Thanks TwinDuro! I'm so stoked this longtime dream is actually becoming reality. I love the build process, but I also can't wait to drive it haha. I appreciate the kind words
 
I love hearing everyone's responses, keeps me motivated to push along. I am building this truck in my little townhouse garage, which is challenging at the best of times. In order to tackle this project I had rent a storage unit about 20 minutes away so I could keep all of my "non truck" belongings safe and secure and out of my way while tackling this project. Building something like this in such a small space has definitely made me appreciate all those times I was working as a technician in a large shop, that I typically had access to on the weekends. On top of that, I think all my neighbours think I am nuts working on it considering all of our strata bylaws and such. But hey, what else is a guy supposed to do?! I have to give a shout out to my amazing wife, she is a major contributor to this build as she is always encouraging me to keep plugging away so we can go away on an epic adventure one day. Maybe if im lucky enough, we'll be able to take it onour honeymoon that we haven't had yet?!

Anyways, enough of me babbling. Lets get on to the good stuff. I've done a fair amount of work since my last post.




I tore the motor down to the short block, cleaned up the block, pistons and checked over the bottom end to make sure there won't be any surprises when it comes time to fire this thing up. Everything checked out, so it got a good clean while I was waiting for parts.

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Parts started arriving at my door and I was literally waiting with my dog at the front door for the mailman to drop off this box of goodies!



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This is the camshaft I decided to try out. After spending literal days researching and reading cam cards from every different manufacturer, this is what I decided would fit my application best. Should be good for about 450-500hp at the crank, but still have a nice clean driving quality for the trucks intended purpose. I will update my findings once the truck is done and driving around under its own power. I will also take it to a chassis dyno for verification.



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Camshaft installed! Ok, so I don't recall if i mentioned earlier but this motor is a 2012 6.0 L96. That means that it came with Variable Valve Timing from the factory which is great for fuel economy and power across a broad range of rpm. I know it might sound ridiculous, but I did not want this feature in this particular application as through my research I have determined that these systems can often pose problems and become unreliable. To remedy this, I am running a 3 Bolt cam from an earlier design LQ4/LQ9 LS motor and a new cam sprocket matched for that system. A new non VVT timing cover was also installed with the proper cam sensor. Also please note, that all components were lubricated in assembly lube prior to installation. In my excitement I forgot to take pictures of that process. Next up, Cylinder Heads!




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So I had these cylinder heads vapour blasted, which is extremely efficient and does a fantastic job. I highly recommend this to anyone rebuilding an engine. All of the intake, exhaust ports , chambers and valve seats were basically brand new. I was blown away by the quality of the job they did. A shout out to Vapor Blast Canada, located in Chilliwack, BC for performing this service. The guys name is Kevin, and he is top notch! Here you can see I've just installed the original valves, which I had cleaned up in a drill with some scotch-brite pads to near new condition. I'm installing new Beehive valve springs that are designed to work with the additional lift that my cam provides. I also had these heads decked .006" to ensure that they were dead true before mating them back to the engine with new head bolts.



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New Fel-Pro MLS head gaskets installed


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Cylinder Heads installed with new hardware, lifters, push rods and rockers all cleaned up, lubricated and reinstalled. You might notice, that I actually had to of the rocker arms on cylinder 7 in the wrong location. I by accident installed the intake rocker on the exhaust and the exhaust on the intake. I noticed this when I looked back at the picture and went back and fixed it! These cylinder heads were installed with new Fel-Pro Head Bolts. I did not opt to install head studs as I am not planning on running this application with boost and did not see the benefit in spending $350 on ARP headstuds. These are all OEM torque to yield bolts and I have no concerns of them running for another 300 thousand kilometres or more.



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After a good scrubbing and cleaning with some Acetone, I started spraying the good stuff. This is Duplicolor Engine Enamel Primer. I originally wanted VHT, but up here in the great white north its extremely difficult and expensive to get my hands on the colours I wanted so I ended up landing on Duplicolor. I must say, the quality of the paint definitely looks top notch and the colour saturation and coverage is great.




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Here is the first coat of colour! This is Chevrolet Orange. I know, i know... who would of guessed?! I like a bit of the classic chevrolet look on this old school truck, but with some new technology. Colour scheme for the motor was orange, black and raw aluminum. I think it turned out great! This was the first coat of about 4 coats of colour to make sure i didnt miss anything.
 

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While I was waiting for the paint to dry, I decided to reassemble my throttle body that I also had vapour blasted. Did I mention that I love vapour blasting?!



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This thing literally looks brand new. Total investment $20.



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Here was my first peak at the progress once the colour layers were done. Next up on the list was 3 coats of Duplicolor Engine Clear Coat. I used this on all of the raw aluminum parts, with the exception of the cylinder heads. The clear is an absolute must in my opinion, it really makes the paint pop and seals all of the pores in the raw aluminum. Back on to the assembly!


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That escalated quickly. Put on a bunch of new parts, pretty much everything is brand new or rebuilt and cleaned. No sense in putting it back on if its covered in years of filth. I know I will end up getting it dirty down the road, but that's different cause I get to be the one to do it.



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So here I was at a bit of a standstill as I was missing the water pump, intake manifold bolts and a few other little odds and ends that were on order, patiently waiting for them to arrive.




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While I was waiting for parts, in my attempt to be a good husband I decided to rip up our little backyard and put in new landscaping and grass with the help of some friends.



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Because I cant just let a simple job be simple... I ran electrical and underground waterline over to our little garden for some accent lighting and sprinkler/soaker hoses. I'm actually really glad i did this, I hate having hoses and extension cords running visible everywhere.



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Old grass removed, ground levelled, new soil. Ready for some new green stuff.




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Buddy laying down the first roll of new grass! What a good feeling, thats like instant satisfaction.




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And just like that, it was done! Wish my truck was done that fast, lol.
 
Ok, back to the fun stuff!


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While waiting for the other parts to arrive, I came across these sick coil covers from eddies motorsports. They look very slick and clean. I ordered a set, pretty sure I won't see them for awhile. But look forward to getting them!



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Finally got the waterpump! Motor is basically done and ready to be installed in the truck :D. I just had a small problem that I had to source a cherry picker again. Drove out to my friends house about 30 minutes away and picked it up at 7:30pm on a weekday.




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Obviously I couldn't wait! So with the help of my wife, we chained her up. Im obviously talking about the motor... and we guided her into place.



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Please excuse my footwear... I have quick reflexes.





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Is anyone else as excited as I am?!



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Almost down in the final resting position.




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Drooolllll.......... My childhood fantasies coming true. Loving all this experience! I've wanted one of these trucks since I could ever remember. I've spent alot of time compromising this, that and the other to get one. Hard work pays off, you just need to believe in yourself and trust your process. I am truly to proud and blessed to be able to build the project my dreams are made of. I mean, this is no race truck, barret jackson rig or a truck with thousands of dollars worth of sponsors. This is just me, putting my blood, sweat, tears and working extremely hard to fulfill a dream! To me that's where my passion is. Regardless of what your building, if your passionate about it, I can really appreciate and value what your working towards!
 
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Drivers side shot.




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Heres a picture of the motor sitting in its final resting place! We'll until I get everything else in place, I might have to shift it forward a bit. We will see once I get the headers mounted and transmission installed.



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Not sure if Im going to run an engine cover yet or not, this is not the actual cover for this motor. It's just sitting there. If I plan on using it ill have to make some mounts for it. We will see once a few other things arrive. I'm currently waiting for the Holley Terminator X Max stand alone controller to arrive to I can complete the wiring, headers, coil covers, coil cooler block off plate and JB Twin Stick conversion for my NP205 Transfer case. So, I'm at a bit of a stand still. I've been contemplating sending the transmission out to get rebuilt, however I have always wanted to do it myself as well. I've done it once during my automotive apprenticeship in school but thats it. So in an effort to gain some more experience and save a few bucks I decided I want to see if i can do it myself.



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So I found a great deal on this teardown table from Princess Auto, $200! This thing is solid, and I bolted it to the wall for further rigidity. I love that I can actually take something apart without covering the floor in transmission oil and tracking it all over the place. I should of got one of theses awhile ago. Now before I tear the transmission down, I decided to tackle the transfercase as I actually have parts on the way for it. So I can get started on it. But not before.....



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I dropped the transmission on my finger whilst moving it across the garage. I must say, this was probably the most painful finger pinch I have ever experienced. Thought for a second I might black out haha. Luckily I didnt, after some ice and about 30 minutes to cool down I was back at it.




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My dog, Darwin. Wondering what the hell is going on, and also enjoying life!



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NP205 ready for teardown!



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Fluid was surprisingly pretty clean.



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I'm pretty confident that this transfercase has been rebuilt before I bought the truck, everything is in great shape. So I'm going to clean everything, sandblast the case, reseal, install the twin stick shifters, paint it and get ready to install it into the truck.


Next time I post, I should have the transmission disassembled. Thanks for everyone who is following along on this build, means alot to me to share my experience with others. I have gained a lot of valuable knowledge from others on this site and from other sites alike, so im happy to give back and hopefully inspire or help someone out with any ideas or questions you may be having with your own project. Feel free to follow me along on my instagram as well, I try to post there as I'm doing something as its fairly efficient. I try to post here as often as I can but it typically takes a couple hours to sit down and do it properly, and i always seem to be on a time restraint.

Look forward to hearing from you!

Adam G @builtbyadam
 

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