1981/83 Pickup build

I know. I hate the 4 speed,but that is what I have to use for now($$). Until I can rebuild.

 

I am also in the process of building a house!!

 

I feel your pain! Thats where I was in kansas.

Now I miss my projects. Not that I have time now but I miss working on my house.

 

I want to at least add power steering to the 20R. Possibly AC??(long shot)

 

Do you have the threaded boss on your 20r head? Some are missing it. A/C is out there, can be hard to come by for a 1st gen. And it doesn't work extremely well. Its an add on to the blower/airbox that has the heater core.

Ill see if I can find one this weekend to take a picture for ya.

I have sold a few of those manual steering boxes to guys up in canada. Power steering is a must. Can't believe it's got those wheels and tires without it!

 

I noticed the lack of 4wd flares. Was it a 2wd body?

Also being an 81 thats the year for 3.90 gears.. if you still have them ditch them.

I get the feeling its been pieced together. . Theres nothing wrong with that.

are you running the 83 harness or the 81? 83 should have spade fuses and 81 would have glass buss fuses. Also 81 will have a slide switch for the fan and the 83 would have a dial.

 

I believe I have the threads on mine (driver side of the block)? I'll take a pic later to update. The 83 cab is complete with harness, and fuse box. The truck has be dubbed fRaNkEnToY, so, no doubt it has been pieced together.

 

Both of my cabs have slides for the fan. No dial in the 83'. Vin numbers for the 83 match up as 83'.

 

You might be my new best friend, lol.

Are you on Yotatech?

 

Haha technically I have an account buy I don't remember it.

This is the only forum I am really on. I don't have to to browse too many lol.

 

83 with the dial/knob
79 with the slider
And a/c box under the dash in my 79

 

I made some progress today. I finally got fed up with having too many projects, trucks and other nonsense sitting in my driveway. I went and picked up my skid steer and spent the day swapping cabs on pickup trucks. I started around 08:30 this morning and by 13:30 I had the 83' cab set in place on its new frame.

 

@Konvict KROG

How is the progress? Still lots more to do, but…

 

Its going slowly.

Turns out there is more sheet metal to repair in my cab than I thought. Got tired of dicking with my little welder so I ordered a new one.

Picked up a Hobart Handler 210, have been holding out to buy a Ironman 230 but due to space and budget. . I went with the smaller one for now.

All together with cart, welder, gauges and 150cf owner bottle of argon/co2 I am into the new setup for 1250 ish.

 

Subbed!

 

I used a case 1840 for years in iowa for toyota trucks.. great tool.

Here in NC I just rigged my cherry picker with air over hydraulic. . It works lol.

 

I got the 83 cab to come to life today. I got the gauges and blower motor, blinkers, headlights and some other stuff to work. I can't get it started yet though, I am missing something from the ignition coil to the alternator and distributor. I put new battery cables on it today and was able to group some wires together that are needed to run it. The ignition coil is really puzzling me. I don't see the correct hookups/plugs to get power to it. I have been studying the Haynes diagrams but I can't figure this one out.

 

Take a picture of what your working with! Should be a simple fox

 

These are the plugs for the ignition coil. I am lost here. I have no matching plug and have no idea where to pull from. There is a plug in back here that was connected to the voltage regulator in the 81 cab. There is not one on the 83 and the wires in the plug are not the same as the 81. The voltage regulators are different. I can get the plug out of the 81 but I need to know where to put it in if it is possible.

 

Ok too easy. The alternators for 1st gens can be different, thats the issue there.

Not all of the plugs for the coil have a home, I will get out and get a picture of my 83 and 81 this evening