1977 620 King Cab - Georgia Truck

[eNVe]

I've been a long time lurker here. Finally registered several years back, but kept quiet. I have wanted a 620 King Cab for about 15 years, but living on the east coast, they are rare. Those that come up for sale are always way too far away, sellers price them as if they are made of unobtainium, or they are made from Swiss cheese. I finally found one local to me, and, best part, it has been a Georgia truck its entire life! It's a 1977 620 King Cab with a L20B and a 5 speed. Seller said that the motor is not original to the truck, but it did come from another 620 King Cab.

 

Overall, it is in good shape. It is definitely a 20-footer. The paint job is terrible. It looks like it was originally a red truck (the original owner wrote "Hustler Red" in the owners manual). There is no obvious rust and the floor pans look fantastic. It does appear to have had some rust repair (looks like fiberglass patches) in some places - battery well and passenger door. I will strip the car and do a new paint job in the future, so I will see what was done then. For now, she'll sit as is.

 

The truck came with a lot of parts. A lot of it looks like junk, but I have not had a chance to go through and catalog all of it yet. I did get one door card, so I will use it as a template to build new ones.

 

The seller said it was a factory A/C truck, and I initially believed him because the A/C controls matched the pictures in the FSM. However, after reading the owners manual, I noticed that it was marked that the A/C was dealer installed. I have not checked the A/C components (they were removed, but retained) to see if they are factory. If they are factory, I will try to restore the A/C. If not, I'll be paying a visit to Vintage Air.

 

 It runs and drives, but it needs some TLC before I can daily it:

* Seats - The driver seat is only held in with one bolt. The passenger seat isn't even bolted down, nor does it belong to the truck.

* Seat belts - The ones in the truck are shredded.

* Brakes need to be looked at - They work, but they are quite squishy.

* Tires (very dry rotted winter tires on it) or tires and wheels (larger wheels to up my tire selection)

* Door locks - The seller said he had the keys for the doors, but failed to produce them at the time of the sale. It wasn't a deal breaker for me, but I was very disappointed.

* Lights - It has new lights, but it looks like the wiring was not done correctly. I was an Electronics Technician in the Navy, so it is just a matter of time before the lights are restored to operation.

 

With these things taken care of, she'll be a driver. 😊 There are many other things that I want to do, but we'll start with what needs to be done to get her on the road.

[datzenmike]

Factory air was first available for '79 trucks. All others were a dealer installed 'option'. Looks good.

[pidge]

Looks good. I like it man. 
-Pidge

[RustedRails]

Hell yeah, looks good! We have the same year and king cab...yours looks in a lot better shape though haha. You are right about the east coast....slim pickins out here. I'm up in Asheville so just a few hours away. Good luck with the build!

[EDM620]

Nice survivor, have fun with it

[]2eDeYe]

Nice score. Looks like a good truck all around. 

[eNVe]

Thanks for the welcome!

 

I managed to pick up some '97 Chevy factory take-offs today. The previous owner bought his truck and immediately went to the tire shop to change out the wheels and tires. They had been sitting in his basement for 23 years. They look immaculate.

 

 

The downside... they don't fit as well as I would like. The centerbore is too small...

 

 

And the backspacing is a bit deep...

 

Stock:

 

Chevy Rims:

 

It looks like a set of 1-inch spacers will fix both problems. I would prefer to not use spacers, but they will do for now.

 

I also scored a set of seats from a '97 Miata. The driver's seat is a bit torn up, but it is still far better than what is in the truck now! They were super cheap and came with the tracks. They are enough to get me on the road. I will post pictures of them later.

 

My wife has started to call it the Lego truck, because she thinks it looks like it belongs in a Lego set. I don't think the new wheels are going to help with that...

[eNVe]

I didn't get much done today due to rain. I pulled all of the parts out of the truck and stowed them in my garage. The truck looks much better now that it has been de-cluttered. I test fit the Miata seat on the passenger side:

 

 

I think it looks good there. The tracks are narrower...:

 

And the holes don't line up...:

 

But I really like how they fit. These seats also have the mounting pockets for headrest speakers. I checked it out, and there's a retrofit kit available to install speakers in both seats. I think I am going to do it. I was originally going to use these seats temporarily, but I might just clean them up real nice and use them permanently. We'll see. The driver's seat is tattered, so it is going to need quite a bit of TLC to restore:

 

I started investigating the wiring situation with the lights... man... it's terrible. My OCD is kicking in. I will be rewiring a lot of the truck.

 

 

[eNVe]

Got some more done over the past couple of days.

 

I pulled the center console out of the truck. Nothing in it was hooked up.

 

I went through all of the parts that came with the truck:

 

Sway bar. I'll try to install this later.

 

A/C pieces. Not everything is there, so I am going to scrap this stuff and look into getting a Vintage Air system. I'll hang on to this stuff until I get that installed. Never know if any of it might be useful.

 

Miscellaneous electrical. Wires, cables, relays, etc... The radio appears to be original, but I am not sure if it works. I know the tuner does not work (I tried.). Maybe I will open it up and see if I can repair it. I am not sure it is worth it, though.

 

Various interior bits:

 

Miscellaneous engine bits. Mostly distributor and carburetor parts.

 

Various trim pieces. Some sockets. 80 cents.

 

Found a brand new rear view mirror and installed it. I also found another side mirror. I am assuming it is for the passenger side, but I am not sure I want to install it.

 

I pulled out some cheapo speakers (5.25" round) that I was going to use for a different project that never got off the ground and test fit them in the truck. Looks like they'll work. I have a head unit somewhere...

 

If anyone needs any of this stuff, let me know. When I get the truck sorted out, anything left is going in the trash.

[eNVe]

The parts fairy came by today and dropped some goodies off... then kept coming multiple times throughout the day.

 

I had tires put on the rims today. 215/60R16 Continental Control Contact Tour A/S Plus.

 

I removed the old wheels and installed the 1" spacers.

 

Then I installed the new wheels.

 

Overall, I like the look with the new wheels. I drove it up and down the street with no rubbing, even at full lock.

 

The spacers push out the wheels nicely.

 

While swapping out the wheels, I noticed that the brake lines were leaking in at least two places. I also found several very dry rotted brake lines. I am going to have to do a hand-over-hand inspection and repair on the entire brake system. It explains the mushy brake feel.

 

Best surprise of the day:

 

The previous owner found the original keys to the truck (and the original ignition cylinder) and mailed them to me! Now I can lock the truck! Fun fact: the metal clip holding the keys even says made in Japan.

[620slodat]

In two posts up, the third pic, are what looks like the the AC tubes for the rectangular vent outlets on either side of the dash, and maybe even somewhere in the center of the dash. If you don't end up using them I possibly could use them as I am going to put AC into my 1973 620. Let me know!

 

Don 

[EDM620]

7 hours ago, eNVe said:

A/C pieces. Not everything is there, so I am going to scrap this stuff and look into getting a Vintage Air system. I'll hang on to this stuff until I get that installed. Never know if any of it might be useful.

Indeed hang onto those bits, I see a defroster duct in there.

7 hours ago, eNVe said:

The radio appears to be original

Could use that as the controller for a hidden higher-end system, also acts as a theft deterrent (who wants to steal a crappy old AM radio anyways)

 

The GM wheels dress it up nicely

[620slodat]

I have three sets of those rims, but they are 5 lug for my two Astro vans. Looks good!

 

Don

[eNVe]

On 8/18/2020 at 10:09 AM, 620slodat said:

In two posts up, the third pic, are what looks like the the AC tubes for the rectangular vent outlets on either side of the dash, and maybe even somewhere in the center of the dash. If you don't end up using them I possibly could use them as I am going to put AC into my 1973 620. Let me know!

 

Don 

 

I will probably not use these tubes. The A/C parts that came with the truck are not a complete system. I have not looked under the dash to see if there are any already installed. These may be extra tubes. I am going to look into an aftermarket A/C system. I like the look of the Vintage Air systems. The price looks reasonable too.

 

I'll let you know if I do not end up using them.

[eNVe]

On 8/18/2020 at 10:10 AM, EDM620 said:

Could use that as the controller for a hidden higher-end system, also acts as a theft deterrent (who wants to steal a crappy old AM radio anyways)

 

I had not thought of this. It is definitely something to look into!

[eNVe]

I have been busy with all of life's little treasures lately - family, work, rain - and have not had much time to work on the truck. I finally got some time today.

 

Welp, the honeymoon is over. When I was installing the wheels, I had noticed the passenger side rear drum looked wet. I pulled the drums and found the culprit:

 

I thought (hoped) maybe the master cylinder blew (the brakes were pretty soft/weak). Turns out the axle seals are bad. That would also explain why the brakes felt soft/weak... they were being lubricated. I jacked up the rear end and pulled the wheels and drums off in preparation for pulling the axles.

 

 

 

Going to need new drums...

 

 

Removed all of the brake hardware (except the master cylinder).

 

I did not remove the emergency brake cable from the drum housing. I unbolted and disconnected it upstream at the crossmember.

 

Disconnect the brake line from the master cylinder and remove the 4 bolts holding the bearing cage to the axle.

 

And pull the axle. I thought I would need a slide hammer, but the axle came straight out...

 

No...

 

No no no...

 

Nonononono....

 

Aaaaagh!

 

A simple seal and bearing replacement... just turned into a whole axle removal, inspection, cleaning, inspection, and possibly rebuilding...

 

I pulled the axle. Sorry, no pictures of the process. I was pretty heated up at this point.

 

There was a casualty. Poor little screw driver. It's been with me for 18 years... Rest in Pieces: 2002-2020

 

Dropped the center.

 

Lots of crusties floating about. Some rust on the ring gear teeth, but the gears look okay, so far.

 

There is soooo much sludge in here... It appears that this thing has never been serviced.

 

I called it quits at this point. And here she sits at the end of the day.

 

My To-Do list for this little part of my project:

* Clean the inside and outside of the housing.

* Clean the inside and outside of the center section.

* Bolt the center section back onto the housing. Strip and paint.

* Disassemble and clean the axle bearing cages.

* De-rust the axles.

* Re-assemble the axle bearing cages.

* Re-install axles.

* Re-install assembly in truck.

* Rebuild rear drum brakes.

* Address any new surprises as they come up.

 

So much to do just to get to drive my toy!

[EDM620]

There was obviously water in the diff, first glimpse of the axle shaft and I said Oh Crap!

While you have it all apart you best replace the pinion seal, but be prepared for more bad news there too.

[banzai510(hainz)]

I like the stock wheels better

[EDM620]

Looking again at the pics, the drum obviously dragged on the ground for some distance, but amazingly the brake backing plate was untouched! It's a miracle!😁

[eNVe]

19 hours ago, EDM620 said:

There was obviously water in the diff, first glimpse of the axle shaft and I said Oh Crap!

While you have it all apart you best replace the pinion seal, but be prepared for more bad news there too.

 

There was no leakage from the pinion seal, but you're right. I might as well change it while everything is apart.

 

13 hours ago, EDM620 said:

Looking again at the pics, the drum obviously dragged on the ground for some distance, but amazingly the brake backing plate was untouched! It's a miracle!😁

 

Yeah, that drum was drug for a bit (I've seen it before, and it definitely will damage the backing plate to get that far down on the drum), but not on this truck. I don't think the drums are original. They don't match, which is another reason why I want to change them out.

 

15 hours ago, banzai510(hainz) said:

I like the stock wheels better

 

I do appreciate the classic look of the originals. I wanted more tire options, so I decided to go for a larger wheel. While these wheels aren't my preferred wheels of choice, I could not pass up the effectively new wheels and the cheeeeeeap price.

 

I do plan on reconditioning one of the original wheels and making it my spare.

Edited September 7, 2020 by eNVe

[eNVe]

I'm back! I apologize for ghosting, but I got deployed. No work since last post, but I hope to get back into it this year.

 

I did get some new toys, literally:

 

 

 

I got them as a belated Christmas present. 😊

 

My son already thinks that they are his. He calls the blue one "Daddy's truck" and the white one "White truck."

 

He already broke the steering wheel out of the blue truck. Lol.

 

 

They are nice die cast models in a 1/24 scale.

 

I also rewarded myself some new toys for doing such a great job while deployed:

 

 

Disregard the mess. I have a welder coming in the next few weeks to go with the plasma cutter. I'm getting ready to do some damage!

 

If the deal goes through tomorrow, I will have another goody to share. Stay tuned!

[eNVe]

Alright! So the deal went through, and I am excited! I wanted to post this up yesterday, but I was exhausted after everything was done.

 

And here it is:

 

 

 

It's a 2007 Toyota 4Runner frame with axles, four wheel disk brakes, suspension, rack and pinion, and fuel tank! I picked it up from a guy who was going to do a frame swap for his 4Runner, but then he totaled his 4Runner before he could do the swap.

 

 

When I finally got home last night. The frame is a lot bigger than I had originally thought, but it's less than 46" wide at its widest part (minus the body mounts).

 

 

The wheelbase (for the 4th gen 4Runners) is almost identical to the 620.

 

 

The frame itself is slightly longer in the front and rear, but it looks like it can be easily modified to fit. The front wheels are from the 620, flipped around. They don't fit, but they fit enough to get the frame home.

 

 

Some shots of the frame this morning. Yup. That's a front diff, so I am going 4WD.

 

 

I don't know what the axle ratio is, but I am not concerned. I will figure that out on my next day off. I do need to get some 4Runner wheels so that I can move the frame around easier. I am a little miffed that my brand new wheels and tires wont fit this frame. I'll run them on the truck until I am ready to do the frame swap.

 

 

My HOA is going to hate me.

[Goemon]

Have you looked at the ball joint problems 4 runners have had?
I recently ran across videos about them on You Tube.
 

[datzenmike]

That's a Toyota frame.

[eNVe]

32 minutes ago, Goemon said:

Have you looked at the ball joint problems 4 runners have had?
I recently ran across videos about them on You Tube.
 

 I was not aware of this, but after a quick search, my frame should not be affected. This was an issue with the previous gens' design which would cause the balljoint to fall out from the bottom. This gen has a new fail safe design where even if the balljoint fails, it will stay in. I will grab some pics when I get home from work tomorrow.

 

9 minutes ago, datzenmike said:

That's a Toyota frame.

Yessir, it is. I chose it because of the very large aftermarket support system.