Diving Deep Into The Tear Down Of The Faux Guy Square Body

(Marc)>> You're watching Powernation!

(Marc)>> Coming up next, we dig into our plans for this K-10 square body project.

(Brandon)>> Then we talk about what will power our K-10 Chevy, and dive into the TCI 4-L-80-E powertrain.

(Marc)>> Later we get separation anxiety and start tearing this square body down.

(Brandon)>> And then I repair the cab corners on our K-10 square body. [ Music ] [ engine revving ] [ Music ]

(Brandon)>> Welcome to Music City Trucks. I'm Brandon Burke!

(Marc)>> And I'm Marc Christ, and we're back on our square body Chevy. We've got ourselves a square body Chevy project. That's exciting! Today's the day where we're gonna dig in deep on this project and start turning some nuts and bolts.

(Brandon)>> Now the last time y'all saw this '86 K-10 we took it out, we had some fun, and then we decided what these trucks' second life is gonna look like. Well, that's gonna be a tribute to the '80s t-v show "The Fall Guy", which we're calling "The Faux Guy". Now this truck's actually in really good shape. There's almost no rust. Between that and all the original paperwork in the glovebox with the owner's manual me and Marc decided that we're gonna keep this color scheme, this dark navy blue and silver, which I think is a good idea.

(Marc)>> I love that color scheme. The moment I saw it I was like, yes! But beyond that I think it's gonna save us some time with the door jams and the engine bay, and there's certainly nothing wrong with that. So, this truck is not a clone, it's a tribute. So, there's things about it that the t-v truck had that our truck won't have. Obviously, it's a Chevy, not a GMC. It's not gonna have that crazy hideaway box in the bed. That's okay, but there are some components that you have to have to make Colt Seavers proud. Of course, got some restoration components to bring this truck back to its original glory, and then we're gonna tap into the aftermarket for some performance parts to bring this truck up to the level that we think it deserves, and quite frankly build the truck that we want to build.

(Brandon)>> There's a lot of parts that we're gonna be throwing under our square body to make it our Faux Guy truck, and we're gonna start up here at the front. Old school guys probably recognize this. This is Warn's M-82-74 winch. This is probably Warn's most recognized winch. It was introduced in 1974. So, it's been going on for almost 50 years now, which is pretty crazy. You might be wondering what all those letters and numbers actually mean. "M" just stands for model. Pretty self-explanatory. "8" stands for 8,000-pound capacity, which this winch has now been upgraded to a 10,000 pound capacity, which is really nice. "2" just stands for two way. So free spool and power in, which pretty much every model has nowadays. And then "74" just stands for the year it was introduced, 1974. Now there's two models of this nowadays and we have the "S" model, which means synthetic. So, it comes with the rope and it comes with a fairlead without the cable rollers on it. The nice thing about a synthetic winch is it's a little bit lighter and it's a little bit safe, and I don't think there's any four by four build that's retro that's complete without an 82-74.

(Marc)>> Moving on to the restoration components you can see we've got this awesome grille setup that we got from Classic Industries. It comes with the grille, the bowtie logo, and the bezels for the headlights. We went ahead and also got the headlights, turn signals, some side markers, and some fender badges. Now these are just little pieces, but a little bit goes a long way on stuff like this. As for cooling we tapped Holley for this awesome, massive Frostbite radiator. It's got the dual fan setup that bolts right in. It's gonna just drop right in our truck.

(Brandon)>> Then we went to Summit Racing for these sweet chrome wagon wheels. I mean a retro style is not complete without the chrome wagon wheels, and then a chrome roll bar to go with it.

(Marc)>> As far as center pieces of what we've got laid out here, these axles definitely stand out. We've got Dana 60s front and rear that we got directly from Dana-Spicer. These are crate axles, universal crate axles. You can just buy this. This is the way it came to us, right in a crate. What's cool about this is it's got an electronic locker in here, and you can actually wire that up, 4.10 gears. It's got a high pinion setup. The tube's completely blank. So, you can adapt it to anything you're building. Coolest part about this though is the huge spindles, and knuckle, and brake assemblies here on the outside. Everything outside of this ball joint is super heavy duty. It's got massive dual piston brake calipers. This is actually very similar to what you find in a late model Dodge, a one ton Dodge. It even has the Warn lockout hubs there.

(Brandon)>> Continuing on with some more restoration parts we went to RockAuto dot com and got steps, and a new gas tank. That way all of our new fuel goes to our new engine nice and clean.

(Marc)>> And then some more restoration components here from Classic Industries, door seals and gaskets. I've actually got all new rubber for this entire truck, and we'll get to a lot of that later on in the build.

(Brandon)>> And to top it off we're gonna match the rear axle with the front axle with another Dana 60. Same gearing, electric locker in the rear as well. Then this has got disc brakes. So not only is this truck gonna look good, it's actually gonna handle on and off road just as well. And there's another tailgate to fix our dented one.

(Marc)>> I noticed these big brakes back here and on the front as well. Is this hinting to some extra power?

(Brandon)>> Maybe?

(Brandon)>> Next, we take a look at our nearly 600 horsepower Chevy big block.

(Marc)>> And we'll go behind the scenes at TCI Automotive.

(Marc)>> Well we've been introducing a lot of the parts that are going to be making up our square body Chevy build, but we haven't yet got into the big components of the drivetrain, specifically the powertrain, starting with the engine.

(Brandon)>> So we definitely wanted to go big block and looking back we realized that we haven't done anything but fuel injection. So, this engine is definitely gonna get carbureted to keep it simple, and you might even recognize this engine from the twins that our sister show Engine Power built.

(Marc)>> In case you missed it check it out. These 496 cubic inch big block Chevys feature forged Eagle crankshaft and H-beam rods, forged Icon pistons, and Howard's hydraulic cam shaft and lifters. As well as all of the other supporting components to make these big blocks sing, and everything came from Summit Racing. Short block was topped with Trick Flow Specialties' Power Port 320cc heads, ARP hardware throughout, and a Weiand Track Warrior single plane intake. Once everything was torqued to spec it was time to hit the dyno. So, the first time we know of two identical big block Chevys were coupled together and then dyno'ed together. [ engines revving ]

(Jeremy)>> It did it!

(Marc)>> And the pair made 1,167 horsepower, but individually each one made almost 600, and we get to use one of them. I don't know about you Brandon but 600 horsepower in a four wheel drive square body is gonna be pretty cool.

(Brandon)>> That's gonna be sweet! Now this engine's pretty much ready to rip. We actually got a brand new carburetor that no one's seen before going on here. We got a really cool belt drive, and a set of headers.

(Marc)>> And it's just gonna drop right in, which is the best part. Let's move on to the transmission. Well, we definitely needed a heavy duty transmission for that big block. That's what we've got here with this 4-L-80-E Super Streetfighter trans that we got from TCI Automotive. It's made to handle up to 875 horsepower. So, it's gonna be plenty strong for our 600 horse big block. Now as for the torque converter we went with this bolt together design triple disc torque converter, which has a lockup in it as well, and it's got a stall of 3,000 to 3,200 r-p-m. As for the flex plate we went with TCI's s-f-i approved flex plate. Now TCI has been in business for a long time, and chances are they've got a transmission for your project. Well, here's who they are, what they do, and how they do it. TCI Automotive was founded in 1968 as a small local business dedicated to delivering high performance transmissions and parts to a small group of hardcore drag racers. In the 50 plus years since the company has grown to be one of the largest and most technologically advanced automatic transmission manufacturers in the world. From concept to a finished product that's headed out the door to a happy customer, TCI handles every step of the build process. In its hometown of Ashland, Mississippi, TCI has highly trained technicians and builders, its own r&d and engineering facilities, dedicated test vehicles, and multiple dynos. So, every piece is tested for quality control before it ever leaves the facility. Well, being we're running the 4-L-80-E and it's a fully electronic transmission, you have to have a transmission controller, and since this truck was never equipped with e-f-i, or an electronic transmission, it makes sense that we run an aftermarket transmission control unit, and that's what we've got here with this brand new Edelbrock TC. You can see it's got a nice, compact design. You can mount it pretty much anywhere. This thing will allow you to control your shift points, shift firmness, shift speed, torque converter lockup, line pressure, and even your speedo calibration among many other things. Now there are different setups that are already in here. You can use the setup wizard. So, make it nice and easy, or you can set your own tune and you can communicate with this thing through an app that you download to your phone, whether you have Android or Apple i-o-s. Now this thing will control GM 4-L-60, 4-L-65, 4-L-70, 4-L-80 transmissions. And not only that, it comes with its own wiring harness here. It's nice, and simple, and tidy. Easy plug and play, and this will work with either e-f-i or carbureted applications like ours. And just like everything else Edelbrock, it's made right here in the US of A.

(Brandon)>> As far as our transfer case goes, we found ours on Summit Racing. This is a New Process 241-C. So, this would have came in 2,500s and 3,500s from the mid-'90s to the late '90s, which is nice because it comes with a 32 count input shaft that's gonna match our transmission. It also comes with a front yoke on the driver's side. So that's gonna match our front axle that we choose. Not only are all these components heavy duty, but they're bolt together. So, they're gonna be easy to install. Now that we've got our heartbeat figured out we're gonna start tearing into the truck, tear it apart, put it back together.

(Marc)>> Up next, Brandon and I blow this truck apart!

(Marc)>> Well the body's not very rusty. A lot of the bolts underneath are, and we finally started tearing this thing apart.

(Brandon)>> We're gonna tear this thing all the way down.

(Marc)>> I don't know all the way but pretty far. Let's do it! [ Music ] [ drill humming ] [ hammer banging ]

(Marc)>> Alright, I got it! [ Music ]

(Brandon)>> Now the impact's nice and all, but that's kinda what its job is meant to do is break bolts loose, and you guys know that I like my hand tools. So, let's see if Deep Creep helps with this ratchet. Stubborn! [ ratchet clicking ]

(Brandon)>> Oh there we go! Look at that! Not bad!

(Marc)>> Especially since this truck's never been apart, and you'll probably notice we like to spray all these rusty bolts with Seafoam Deep Creep. Deep Creep is a powerful penetrating oil and lubricant. It works fast to break the metal surface tension and helps free stubborn parts from rust and corrosion. You can also use it to oil bushings, chains, gears, hinges, rollers, and slides. Around here we love it for getting into rusty bolts and nuts, specifically like the ones that are holding our bed on. Let's see how it works. [ impact driver humming ]

(Marc)>> With all the bed bolts loose we can now remove the tailgate. Then we can remove the bed. There you go.

(Brandon)>> This is a truck bed lifter. One of the most invaluable tools while working on a truck. Ready?

(Marc)>> Hit it. You're good right there. Send it!

(Brandon)>> Coming on down.

(Marc)>> I think these bolts are tight. There you go! It's a nice hood.

(Brandon)>> It's a beautiful truck. [ Music ] Deep Creep's not just good for bolts.

(Marc)>> Put the Brandon touch on it. [ drill humming ]

(Marc)>> Every bolt is still in place, and they all just come right out. Pretty impressive.

(Brandon)>> The impressive part is none of these trucks still have everything. [ drill humming ] [ impact driver vibrating ]

(Marc)>> Fell right off!

(Brandon)>> Besides being dirty this is the cleanest square body I've seen.

(Marc)>> Pull these headlight bezels off. [ Music ] You ready?

(Brandon)>> After that big ole mess.

(Marc)>> Moving up front, with the hood out of the way we can start removing the front clip. [ Music ]

(Brandon)>> Something's like holding up!

(Marc)>> Wire? One wire?

(Brandon)>> There's always something you forget. Always something you forget.

(Marc)>> Let's see. One little wire?

(Brandon)>> It's a big gauge wire. [ Music ]

(Marc)>> Let's try it. Can you send it? [ metal clanging ]

(Marc)>> There it is. We're free now.

(Brandon)>> There we go! If we would've took the a/c line off.

(Marc)>> I cut it, I just cut it on the wrong side. Wow! Getting there!

(Brandon)>> Everywhere we look this truck's clean.

(Marc)>> Nice truck! Let's keep digging. Pull the interior out. When you're cleaning up the engine bay on your ride it's easy to grab the obvious things, like chrome valve covers and air cleaners, but don't forget the details, like bolts and fasteners, and what better way to clean up your engine bay than a matching set of accessory bolts. This is a polished stainless steel bolt kit from ARP. It comes with everything from valve cover bolts, to oil pan bolts, and everything in between for LS-1, LS-2, and LS-6 engines. All the bolts are labeled. So, you know what goes where, and they're all the correct length. So, all the guess work has been removed. These kits are available in both six and 12-point head designs, and for just about every popular engine you can think of.

(Brandon)>> Coming up, say goodbye to the only rust this Chevy truck's ever seen. Looks good now!

(Brandon)>> Now before we completely disassemble our square body project, I want to address the soft cab corners here on the back of the cab while the door is still on. That way we can get the door gaps and the rocker panel gap lined up. Now with that being said this is a clean truck. You can see the chassis, really clean. All the other body panels are super clean, but the back of the cab is pretty soft. Now we went to Classic Industries for some of the restoration components, but they also have sheet metal. And this is where we got these panels from. Now we're probably not gonna use the entire panel, hopefully, but before we cut this up and start taking measurements we need to get the paint off the back of the cab and see how far that rust goes. [ grinder buzzing ] [ Music ]

(Brandon)>> Well, that cab corner's in really nice shape. The rust doesn't go past the rocker seam. It's literally just this bottom. So that's probably where we're gonna start, cut that sheet metal off. [ saw buzzing ] [ Music ]

(Brandon)>> So this is a really good example of why you don't just patch this spot right here is because on the background all the way into the middle of the seam it's rusting away. So, a little patch panel would have worked for a couple of years, but the cab corner is still rusty away. Now you're getting it cleaned up. Like I said, chisel works just fine. This, that's actually part of the outer rocker right there. So, we've got to figure out how we're gonna repair that. [ welder crackling ]

(Brandon)>> This is like on of those things where multiple tools are necessary to get this panel to look like it was never replaced. I'm gonna call that pretty dang good. Well, we got lucky on our square body. We didn't have to cut too much out of the cab corner, but if your truck's from the north it's probably got a bunch of rust, and this cab corner from Classic Industries goes pretty much a third of the way up the back of the cab. So, you've got plenty of meat on the bone to replace all that rotted sheet metal, but we don't need it. So, we're just gonna cut this one low. [ saw buzzing ]

(Brandon)>> Ooh, that's pretty close now. That's the one nice thing about Classic Industry panels is that they're 18 gauge. So, it's gonna match the sheet metal that would have came factory on this truck. That way it's gonna be nice to weld to both of these panels but it's also gonna be just as strong as the factory. And as you can tell it comes e-coated with the rust prevention. But since we're about to do body work and strip this truck I want to go ahead before I install this panel and strip just the outside. I'm gonna leave the inside so it's got the rust prevention but I'm gonna strip the outside. That way when I'm done this thing's gonna be ready for body work. Now like I said, I want to keep the e-coat on the inside. That way it keeps our rust prevention and that cab corner doesn't rust out again, but this is ready to go in, and get welded up, and ready for body work. [ welder crackling ] [ Music ]

(Brandon)>> Spot welder time! Oh yes! [ welder crackling ]

(Brandon)>> Grind this down smooth and you'll never know I did it. [ grinder buzzing ]

(Brandon)>> One thing to remember when you're grinding welds on sheet metal is to always grind with the weld, not against it cause the weld's harder than the sheet metal. So, if you go this way you're actually just gonna take the sheet metal away instead of the actual weld. [ grinder buzzing ]

(Marc)>> Brando, whoa, look at that cab corner! Never in my life have I seen one that nice!

(Brandon)>> I feel like there's some sarcasm in there.

(Marc)>> That looks good though, seriously. What's next?

(Brandon)>> I've still got the other cab corner, but I'll be honest. I ain't doing it this week.

(Marc)>> I'm gonna go to the river.

(Brandon)>> Camping, pavilion?

(Marc)>> It's family friendly too!