Great White: A Chevy K10 Build

[Ouiwee]

I finally got the traction boards mounted on the rack. They fit perfectly and are out of the way.



I also added a tether to the pin that holds the swing-outs closed...three guesses why.



The beach was nice, if you don't mind swarms of biting flies and 97 degree temperatures.




I'm planning a trip to the Land Between the Lakes in western KY in a couple weeks. With any luck, the weather will cooperate.

 

[4runnerteq]

I finally got the traction boards mounted on the rack. They fit perfectly and are out of the way.

View attachment 601277

I also added a tether to the pin that holds the swing-outs closed...three guesses why.

View attachment 601278

The beach was nice, if you don't mind swarms of biting flies and 97 degree temperatures.

View attachment 601279


I'm planning a trip to the Land Between the Lakes in western KY in a couple weeks. With any luck, the weather will cooperate.

Pleasure meeting you today. Awesome truck. Enjoy your time here. @Airmapper @jgatliff . Pretty sweet Chevy here

 

[Ouiwee]

Pleasure meeting you today. Awesome truck. Enjoy your time here. @Airmapper @jgatliff . Pretty sweet Chevy here

The pleasure is all mine. Thanks for the advice. You have a treasure there, but we only got to explore Land Between the Lakes for a few days.

We did manage to find the spot we discussed. It is beautiful.

One can see a few bald cypress knees sticking up out of the ground to the left in the picture above.

Right off the beach is a perfect camping space under shade of trees.

Getting to this spot requires a 4-wheel drive vehicle, but wasn't too difficult. The bog holes were not deep--less than two feet with a couple exceptions--and were solid on the bottom. The trails were tight but there was room enough for a full size truck. I suspect a winch would be necessary to get out right after a rain. The beach and camp site were immaculate.

 

[Ouiwee]

I'm looking for a show of hands here about how bad an idea I have been kicking around.

At least I have a truck for testing, measuring, and mistakes.

Given the length of the run of tube and engine flow requirements, I bought 4.5" tube and bends. Another option would be dual 3" intakes, but routing the tube under the hood would be a mess.

I would not have guessed it, but one cannot see the tube from inside the cab. I suppose I could build it and determine whether I like it before cutting through all that nice paint on the other truck.

What say you?

 

[Ouiwee]

Well, I managed to make it up to the Adirondack mountains. It sure is fall there.

They have roughly 130 free primitive camp sites available. I was surprised to see wolves, which nearly ran through my camp. The bugs are dead and night is utterly soundless since air travel is sparse (well, owls notwithstanding).

There seems a lot to see there, but perhaps I'll spend more time reconnoitering in the spring.

 

[Ouiwee]

I guess one can now buy the 10L90-E Supermatic transmission from Chevy Performance: 10L90, Chevy Performance

I like a manual transmission, but the NV 4500 in the truck now is not that stout when connected to 700 lb/ft of torque and the ratios are wide. Having 10 gears and 3 overdrive gears would be smooth as silk and likely get me a significant improvement in fuel consumption. A 4.70 first gear is more than adequate given the 3:1 reduction in the transfer case and the 10L90 is rated at 715 lb/ft from the factory. I would need only connect the TCU to the controller, and the calibration would be very close. Some tuning to address the weight of the truck might be necessary.

I remain amazed at what we can buy these days in terms of drive train options.

 

[SuperAwesomeDOOD]

Did you ever get the leaky ARB sorted? I have a Detroit locker in my CUCV with an NV4500. When that locker loads/unloads on and off the throttle or clutch, it’s a clunky SOB.

As you well know, the options for the 14ff are limited. I was really leaning towards an ARB, but I don’t want anything problematic or unreliable on the trail. I don’t really plan on rock crawling or having a wheel in the air, so the truetrac would likely suffice.

 

[Ouiwee]

Did you ever get the leaky ARB sorted? I have a Detroit locker in my CUCV with an NV4500. When that locker loads/unloads on and off the throttle or clutch, it’s a clunky SOB.

As you well know, the options for the 14ff are limited. I was really leaning towards an ARB, but I don’t want anything problematic or unreliable on the trail. I don’t really plan on rock crawling or having a wheel in the air, so the truetrac would likely suffice.

Sorry for the slow reply. I also had a Detroit locker and agree they are a pain in the neck (the old version). I pulled the ARB locker and installed a Truetrac and haven't looked back. Clearly, if you end up with a wheel in the air, the locker is better...provided it doesn't have an air leak and works.

 

[Ouiwee]

I just got back from another trip to the Adirondacks and decided a shower curtain/stall was in order. The trouble is where the shower needs to live. It must fit under the tent when the tent is extended and under the shower head. The challenge here is that I would not be able to access the storage locker or the contents of the shelf...

I decided to fabricate a mount that would allow the whole unit to swing out.

The hinge was somewhat involved since I milled it from a solid chunk of 6061 and then welded it to a 1/4 plate that attaches to the bed rack.

There is a lug on the hinge that stops the swing arc before the unit strikes the cab.

The rear portion of the box has a mount that slides into a tab on the bed rack.

The tab at the top is where a latch will drag it tight to the mount on the bed rack (shown below).

From the top, one can see how the latch will connect to the tab (lower) and pull upward to secure the shower box.

I have ordered a stainless latch and will post the final picture once I have it installed.

I weighed the truck with the bed rack installed, full fuel tanks, dog, and myself. She's a big girl at 7,600 lbs.

 

[Ouiwee]

The latch looks as below and secures the box nicely.

 

[Ouiwee]

I started another project. I seem to have lost interest in rummaging through pelican cases in the attempt to fix a sammich. It involves aluminium.



And it fits approximately here.



Part of the challenge with this is the brake work, which requires a large machine. So, I have jobbed out some of the work and it takes some time to get it done.



That is a 60" piece of 1/8" aluminum. I originally thought it made sense to put the water tank, pump, and propane tank in the back of the kitchen independent of the slide. Then I decided to have the whole shebang pull out.

 

[Ouiwee]

It's cold out, so I am fitting things together in the dining room. Some of the picture quality is going to suck--just a head's up.



Fit up with slides installed.



Faucet location.



I made the table and china cabinet myself, many years ago.

Initially, I thought the integrated sink and faucet to the right was just the thing. Then I realized I could save a bunch of space by using what I normally use when camping.



It collapses, of course, and the contents can be thrown aside.

 

[Ouiwee]

The battery shown in the previous post is an RC car battery. It will run the pump and LED lights.

Some nifty brackets to hold the sink.



Sink extended.



Sink stowed.



One can see the Partner stove location.

The light swivels from the sink over to the stove. I stuck a voltmeter in there as well as a couple of usb charge ports.

 

[Ouiwee]

Here is the location of the stove.





Now, what to do with all the space above the stove and sink? I made a box that can double as a step to stand on when cooking (for the less tall among us).



It goes right here and slides right in. I figure it will store cookware and food.



As viewed from the end with handles and latches installed. The additional switch is for the water pump.

 

[Ouiwee]

I need a water tank but also a place to put the pump, filter, and propane tank. Here is an initial mock up.



I went with 304 stainless but in retrospect, I would just stick with aluminum.





I turned some 304 to make a pick up. Sorry about the picture.



From the bottom.