1982 Chevy Stepside 4x4. When I bought it, it had a 396 in it, SM465 4spd manual, NP205 T-case, Dana 60 front, 14-bolt rear, with Detroit Lockers front and rear, Warn Premium hubs, a 4" suspension lift and custom trimmed out fenders. It was multi-colored, but free of any rust, with 37" tires, and a Ramsey 8000lb winch.
My original plan was to use the axles under the Big Crew Cab (since I was told they were 5.13 gears before I went and got it) and was going to keep the 396 big block and ramsey winch, put a 350 and 3/4 ton axles back under it, a quick paint job, then re-sell it for what I paid for it.
2 days after my trip to go get it in Bandon, Oregon, I was back in Spokane and took it out ot a mud bog. I put 39.5" Boggers I had on it and they cleared without rubbing. I took in a bunch of core automotive batteries to pay for my $20 entry fee that night at the mud bog, and ended up getting the 2nd place trophy.
I then kept it around for a while and kind of liked the truck, and a Stepside was the only bodystle 73-87 Chevy I didn't have yet, so I decided to just keep it the way it was since it was built the way I'd have wanted too anyway. Plus the trimmed out fenders that retained the factory lines and bends was cool too, and I could still clear big tires without being too top heavy.
I took it to the Sprague mud race on 35" Swampers and hit a water hole at the end and stalled out the motor and had a clogged air cleaner. My 2nd run was slow, but luckily a friend who showed up late had a spare K&N filter he loaned me so I could make my last two runs with actual air flow to the carb. I won 3rd place in the Street and Trail class.
Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3L0vHpaQ7W0
Two weeks later we went to the Harrington mud bog and I ran it. I hit 6200rpm on one pass, and then was hard on it playing with it afterwards. It had a high volume oil pump, and it sucked the bottom end dry, and I spun a rod bearing.
The 396 came out, and the night before the Fall 2005 mud bog in Moyie Springs, I swapped in the 454 from out of the Truck Blazer which had been swapped out of my '81 Suburban earlier that year.
Once it fired I loaded it and took off for Moyie. It was ticking a bit, so I adjusted a rocker arm, then drove it from where I parked to the mud pit and it started backfiring. Pulled the valve cover and two rocker arms were loose. Two cam lobes that I saw were going flat. So I adjusted the rockers down even more and screwed with the timing and got it to run, and made a few passes through the pit anyways even with a few valves not opening all the way.
Video Clips from July 2005-October 2005
In early 2006 I bought a '77 Chevy for $750 with a 454. I pulled the 454 out and put a 350 in it and re-sold the truck for $1100. I took the 454 and decided to use it in the Stepside, which had been sitting undrivable for most of 2006. I also decided to change it's look a bit, and the 39.5" Boggers went onto the Truck Blazer instead. The winch and bumper came off and went onto the budget Suburban, and I put a different winch bumper on it. I also started using rattlecans from Wal-Mart and painted it black.
The 454 was a runner, but I decided to change it a bit. I got a used Pete Jackson gear drive for $90, did dome trading and got a new set of lifters and a "used but never run" Comp 270 Cam with .516 valve lift, and new lifters. I also bolted up a pair of closed chamber 98cc heads. The shortblock was already bored .030 over with flattop pistons. I didn't touch rings or bearings or oil pump, just gaskets, heads, cam, gear drive. In the end I had under $400 cash invested in the motor.
About 10 cans of Wal Marts cheapest rattlecan gloss black paint, and no masking tape. Added an '85 grille. I also got a set of basically brand new 37x13.00x16 Boggers for $400 cash and a 14-bolt rear end in trade. And I got a set of brand new 16x10 Eagle alloy rims still in the boxes for $300.
I played around a little with a paint marker.
Some pics of the fenders.
I won 1st place with it in the Street legal class at the Big Als' mud bog. The next weekend I took it to the Moyie Fall Mud Bog 2006, like I had one year before. The motor had ran for 3 weeks since I put it in. Once I got to Moyie we made 2 store runs, and another run to pick up a motor for someone, and before I got to run it in the mud even on Saturday, I lost oil pressure and the lower end was knocking. I went ahead and made 4 passes with it anyways, then parked it before I could really screw it up. So now I need to pull the motor back out and start all over again.
Hooked up and all pulling a friends stuck truck out of the mudhole.
Pulled the knocking 454 out on Thursday, Nov. 30th and had it sitting back in the engine bay one week later on Dec 7th. 2006
During that one week period the motor was disassembled, the crank was replaced with another used one freshly turned to 10/10, the block was cleaned and honed retaining the .030 over bore, new freeze plugs installed, new cam bearings, new rings, new main and rod bearings.
The Comp 270 cam already had one lobe going flat, so in went a used Comp 280 cam that has been run in 3 different motors (for reference of what this cam has been in, take a look at my page on the Big Crew Cab, The Truck Blazer and the '80 GMC). # Valve guides were already bad so they got replaced, and then back together it went and the motor was all assembled and together by Tuesday thanks to Jeff!
It was Fired on Dec. 8th 2006, and I ran it out in the field, then the next day we went on the snow run in Kettle Falls.
I got volunteered as trail leader, and it was a fun day.
I also brought some Christmas spirit with us.
And even added a little bit of body damage.
Video From Snow Days Jan. 2007 in my field:
Video From the April Mountain Explorers Play day:
Me in the Stepside at the Sandpoint Mud Races.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_SwzYlhCbjo
At my place "Mud Days 2007"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3NhAMksbFv4
The motor started knocking again and I drove it anyways through the Summer. Then the motor came out in Fall of 2007.
In March 2008, my friend John helped me tow it out of it's snow bank and throw a temporary stock 454 in it so I could take it on the "Cabin Fever" trail run.
We got it running the night before and I put my new 38" Boggers I got for it. The tires were brand new and were on 16x10 rims, though I didnt buy them new, they came on another truck I bought to get the tires. In the end I am into the 38.5x15-16 Boggers a total of $150.
The Cabin Fever run was fun, and I ended up being the 1st fullsize rig in line (2nd in line following the trail leader in a lightweight Jeep going over lots of snow).
Video: Cabin Fever Run 2008, Pinehurst, Id.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=alloE-1GQxc
My 27th B-day weekend June 7th, 2008.
In August, 2008, I finally rounded up/saved all the parts I wanted for the "good motor". Pretty much was able to part out trucks and motors and kept the parts I wanted, and traded some of the rest for some of the machine work. I had a 4-bolt main 454 block from a Suburban I seized the motor in, a forged steel crank out of a parts truck motor, a pair of 771 casting semi-closed chamber heads with small valves off a motorhome 454, a used Comp 270 HR cam, valve springs and roller lifters from my friend Travis's old 454, plus the used small domed pistons from that motor that were .040 over, a used gear drive, and a Holley intake and carb.
This time I was tired of swapping used motors around, and did some part trade/part cash to have Jeff Cassell of Cassel Performance Engines assemble this one. He bored the block to use the pistons I had, we had the heads ported and polished and 2.19/1.88 valves put in, he balanced the bottom end, and assembled it. With the trading and parts I already had, cash-wise I'm only into the new motor about $825.
The Stepside came back down to Spokane from Ione and drove over to get the new motor.
I also changed the exhaust from the 2.25" glasspacks to 3" Flowmasters, and put 36" tires on it so i could run in the "Street and Trail" class at the Sprague Mud Races. On September 12th, the motor went in, and about 2 hours after it fired up, I drove it down I-90 to the town of Sprague and stayed at a friends house, then saturday morning was the Sprague Mud Races.
Video: Sprague Mud Races
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EZ4QTQENcBc
Video: Breaking in the New Motor
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PQ8X4Cfywz8
When we got there to race, we found out they no longer had street and trail as a class, and I had to run in "Modified". I still managed a 2nd place Trophy.
On Sunday Sept. 14th, I met up with Freddy and Jeremiah and we went up to an area with a few little rocky spots.
On September 20th, I put my 37" Boggers on it and drove it to the Big Al's Mud Races. I was put in the Modified class, but won 1st place and won $70.
VIDEO: Stepside at Big Al's September 20th.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SCXCBVjEH7s
Sunday Sept. 21st I went out to 7-Mile ORV park near Spokane and played around on the hills, and on the little rocks.
Video from 7-Mile:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7gtShLqrEvM
It's been a daily driver since then running errands and hauling stuff around Spokane, then on October 18th, I put my 38.5" Boggers on again and drove to Big Al's for their final Mud Races. There was a silver Toyota extended cab there I was dreading having to race cause I knew it would blow me away. And it did, but I still won 2nd place and this time $100.
VIDEO: Stepside at Big Al's Oct. 18th and all other races.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nF_oEqnXBMw
Video: "Back in Black"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oC-mD3Ht46E
In October went to the local 7-Mile ORV Park and ended up losing my water pump gaskets. had to change my gaskets and then ran the rest of the day out there.
When the snow hit (2ft in Spokane) I had to break out the Stepside. Was sort of fun snow wheeling down city streets that cars were getting stuck on.
With the deeper snow this year, the 38" Boggers did ok out wheeling, but my axles were dragging alot. So I grabbed my 42" Iroks and figured I'd see if I could fit them on the truck to make the annual Snow/Poker Run up by Kettle Falls where the snow would be over 3 feet deep. Since my truck is heavy and doesn't stay on top, I figured the 42's would help and I know the Irok SWampers do well in snow.
So on went the 42" Iroks, with only a 4" lift. And no rubbing.
I was impressed with how well it did on the snow run on January 17th, 2009. I even attempted to try and get stuck once and it kept pulling through the snow.
Video: (play the Metallica Song "My Friend of Misery" along with this video)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tEG4oHEVjDg
Video: 7-Mile ORV Park January 18th.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JWxc7Tvig-M
Now I have the 42" Iroks on it that are supposed to be for my camo Blazer trail rig, and I don't want to take them off.
7-Mile ORV Park February 7-8, 2009 Video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E5-mY0yfNMM
