this is Howard Knapp

[joedoh]

if you are topping out at 45 with a 4.10 gear I wonder if you dont have other problems. a 1:1 top gear (you should have 4 gears in a 1 ton floor shift) and 4.10 rear end should do 45mph at about 2000 rpm, your engine should have more legs that that.

a colorado 4x4 rear is wide enough and has the right centerbore and bolt pattern to fit your wheels, but will be 3.73 and that will only drop your rpm about 250 rpm. without an overdrive top gear you will want to get closer to a 2.73 rear gear, that will give you 62 mph at the same engine speed, thats better than a 0.76 overdrive from an s10. you can find a 2.73 in a lot of 2wd chevy trucks the same year as your k5 axle and can likely swap your 6 lug axles and drums to the axle. a 2.73 will make first gear almost usable too haha.

 

[sgtpontiac]

Hi Sgt Pontiac

The rear end I took out was a 1 ton with 5.13's or 5.38's....that must have been a real crawler type in the end...

I am thinking about finding a Chevy Colorado with a 6 lug rear end and that maybe should have some gears in the 3's instead of the 4.10's it has now...

If I can find an older S10 5 speed I have read somewhere that swap makes it a lot more driveable too...

MikeC

Sounds like you are on the right track but as mentioned, you really need to sit down and do some planning on what gears, transmissions and such you need to accomplish what you would like...hauling around at 45mph and 3500 RPM would not be fun...JMHO....

 

[mikec4193]

if you are topping out at 45 with a 4.10 gear I wonder if you dont have other problems. a 1:1 top gear (you should have 4 gears in a 1 ton floor shift) and 4.10 rear end should do 45mph at about 2000 rpm, your engine should have more legs that that.

a colorado 4x4 rear is wide enough and has the right centerbore and bolt pattern to fit your wheels, but will be 3.73 and that will only drop your rpm about 250 rpm. without an overdrive top gear you will want to get closer to a 2.73 rear gear, that will give you 62 mph at the same engine speed, thats better than a 0.76 overdrive from an s10. you can find a 2.73 in a lot of 2wd chevy trucks the same year as your k5 axle and can likely swap your 6 lug axles and drums to the axle. a 2.73 will make first gear almost usable too haha.

Yes I do have a 4 speed...I only use 2 ,3 and 4th...first gear is like creeper gear I think...2nd gear is like a normal 1 st gear...

I have a 1 ton chassis on this truck so the frame rails are parallel in the back... so the local junk yard that has a rear end with 3.42's in it out of a 2 wheel drive...so it should fit...( I measured one we have at work here)

....also wont the full size truck rear end be too wide to fit under the fenders???...I only have about 1" clearance on each side...

Don't I also need some funky gear set-up tools if I am going to swap the rear end gears into another rear axle??? Something about yellow grease that sets the gear height in rear end housing??? I will need special tools to do this right???

(I think I need to find an old school S10 5 speed and just do all the mods and swap it out...just don't feel like right now)

Any insight would be great....

MikeC

 

[mikec4193]

new wheels...taller tires...

I got new 6 lug wheels from wheels express...6 lug 16" dia...large enough center hole to fit on the 1985 K5 Blazer rearend...I think less than $160.00 for the wheels...



larger lug nuts too...



31" tires....235/85/16....around $190.00 for these...



here it sits...



I ran it up about 3 weeks ago to a real mechanic...just got another gas gauge ordered...then a mis comunication glinch with the vendor...anyways...3 weeks to get the gauge...hoping the mechanic can figure it out...we now have 2 brand new gas gauges....2 brand new sending units....1 new fuel tank...and still no working gas gauge...

Saying a little prayer that it will work....cant drive it without a gas gauge...I have been told about 9-10 MPG is about it...

Oh yeah..top speed is now about 52 mph...with the taller tires...

MikeC

 

[endicott_jb]

If you're planning on highway speeds, I'd suggest some taller gears. Something like a 3.55 or even 3.08 but that's me. In my 33, I have a t-18 trans(borg warner 1ton truck 4 speed with granny low), 3.08 gears, and 32" tires and she'll do 95mph at 3k rpm. Ain't a burnout machine but she gets up and scoots with that granny low. Even pulled the front wheels off the ground a time or 2. Only real "specialty" tool you need is a beam style torque wrench to set the crush on the crush sleeve. And if you buy a new gear set, which for your rear end shouldnt be hard to find, you can buy it in a kit that has everything you need like bearings, shims, a crush sleeve, and the grease crayon for setting pinion depth. Makes for a nice 1day project of you plan ahead.

 

[mikec4193]

If you're planning on highway speeds, I'd suggest some taller gears. Something like a 3.55 or even 3.08 but that's me. In my 33, I have a t-18 trans(borg warner 1ton truck 4 speed with granny low), 3.08 gears, and 32" tires and she'll do 95mph at 3k rpm. Ain't a burnout machine but she gets up and scoots with that granny low. Even pulled the front wheels off the ground a time or 2. Only real "specialty" tool you need is a beam style torque wrench to set the crush on the crush sleeve. And if you buy a new gear set, which for your rear end shouldnt be hard to find, you can buy it in a kit that has everything you need like bearings, shims, a crush sleeve, and the grease crayon for setting pinion depth. Makes for a nice 1day project of you plan ahead.

Hi endicott jb

What make model and year truck will I find a T18 transmission? Does it bolt up to 1958 Chevy 235 cu. in. motor???

....I can find a Chevy Colorado rear end with 3.42's in it for less than $500.00....dont have clue on even what a T18 transmission is out of...any insight would be greatly appreciated....

MikeC

 

[endicott_jb]

The t18 in my car came from a 72 ford 1 ton. But even it has a 1-1 4th gear ratio. The only way you get an overdrive out of a manual is by at least stepping up to a 5 speed. I really think that your primary issue is your rear end gears. Because you're running a 4.10 gear ratio, that means for every 4.1 rotations of the driveshaft you get 1 rotation on the tire. Having larger tires helps because you're now covering more distance with the same amounts of rotation but it's still not enough to drop the rpms into a more comfortable realm. I'm gonna have to look in one of my old school books to find the equation to calculate what different gearings will do to rpm but right now, anything(3.73, 3.55, 3.08those are the most common gears for gm axles) would be better.

 

[endicott_jb]

Well, couldn't find what the calculator in any of my books but I. Did find this website: http://www.crawlpedia.com/rpm_gear_calculator.htm

I can't promise how accurate it is as I've never actually looked this stuff up online but at the least it'll help you out maybe.

 

[Blue Eyed Devil]

....I can find a Chevy Colorado rear end with 3.42's in it for less than $500.00....

Why would you want to put that rear under it, especially for that price?? [S There are a lot of rear ends out there that would be much more suitable for that truck and WAY cheaper...

 

[dutch]

here`s a clever tool to help

http://vexer.com/automotive-tools/speed-rpm-calculator

 

[BlueNorther]

I can't believe you have 4.10 gears, my old corvette with 4.11's would only be turning 3500 rpm at 70 mph.

try this easy to use calculator:

http://www.advanced-ev.com/Calculators/TireSize/

 

[mikec4193]

Drove Howard Knapp to work last week...




another view here...



I think it is time to let it go....I had fun building it...drove it a couple of times now...I am all good to go now...

Anybody want to buy it??

MikeC

 

[billy]

Did anyone ever figure out why a truck is called howard knapp?
The question has been asked at least three times now.

 

[mikec4193]

Did anyone ever figure out why a truck is called howard knapp?
The question has been asked at least three times now.

Sorry...I thought I had...but I guess I did not...

When I was a kid back in the 1960's and 1970's....we lived across the street from a farmer...well one of his buddies drove over to his house at least weekly and would visit with the farmer across the street...he drove a 1948-1953 Chevy truck...his name was Howard Knapp...

I think seeing his truck sitting outside on the side of the road when I was outside doing what kids do...it must have planted a seed in my head that made me want to have one that would remind me of his truck...

I did it...I am glad I did it too...one more for the bucket list to check off...



MikeC

 

[Willowbilly3]

Nice work on that old truck. I love those ADs, probably the best truck Chevy made. Much better trucks than the next ones that came after them.

 

[billy]

I like that it has a long bed.
Actually cool and useful at the same time.

 

[21willys]

I just saw this thread for the first time. I'm a but confused though. As mike stated this truck came from me a long time ago. When I had this truck it ran and drove and would run down the road at 40 mph with another gear left in the trans. I'm not sure how it got slower or why the head needed redone. [S[S.

Sorry ya had such a ruff time with it Mike. Hope ya have fun with your next project. And stop adding up reciepts!

 

[mikec4193]

Just thought I would update this thread....



the old Howard Knapp truck went to his new home...next town to the South of me...the new owner is like 78 years old...



he stopped by once or twice since I sold it to him...he seems thrilled with it...

So thankful he loves it...

It was a 2 year learning curve for me....I learned tons on this build...next one like this will be on newer chassis and have a 5 speed transmission...

MikeC