I caught the virus this past winter but not the one all over the news, I came down with the squarebody bug a while back after finishing my Chevelle. I've been quietly spending every waking moment I can find working on it so I haven't even started a build thread. Now that its running and driving (but not yet finished) I'll take a few minutes to share my covid build, here it is guys. I picked up this super clean rust free 86 Silverado back in March. It was a 2wd short box 305/4 speed Silverado running and driving with 108,000 miles. The original paint was peeling and the previous owner had started stripping it before moving on. I really wanted to build something clean and simple with no forced induction, stick shift, low weight and some good handling so a pickup seemed like the perfect choice. After stripping to bare metal and shaving the drip rail moldings and hood ornament I had the truck resprayed in the original light blue metallic but changed from the dark blue to a Harley Davidson silver for the top and bottom. I added the sport mirrors and 73-80 lower trim as well. The truck now has a full QA1 coil over setup in the front with 6 piston wilwoods and an axle flip in the rear while I wait to get the QA1 torque arm rear setup. The rear axle is now a Mosier full floater 9" with 4.11 detroit trutrac and 4 piston willwoods. The engine is now an ls3 based 428 stroker with GPI 281cc ported ls3 heads,GPI SS4 cam, Fast LSXR intake and Holley Terminator X efi. The trans is an AR5 5 speed with FabBot conversion kit and ls7 clutch. On the inside I replaced the dash pad and carpet but I'm waiting on a custom bench, the gauges are squarebody syndicate series from Dakota Digital. So far I could not be happier, the noises this thing makes going through the gears coming out 3" x pipe exaust and cherry bomb salute mufflers is like a childhood dream come true! Eventually I want get this thing on an autocross track and kill some cones.

 

Clean ride!!

 

This is how I found the pickup in March and during the build these past months.

 

That turned out great! I wish those were rust-free, up Northeast. Great find and build

 

your truck looks awesome. can you please spill the beans about the suspension? im trying to decide which route i want to take on my suspension for my 1968 c10 with a ly6/tr6060. this engine tranny combo is too much thee stock suspension, even though the suspension has been rebuilt.

 

im just running the qa1 front full coil over conversion and sway bar with wilwood pro spindles. I’m still waiting on the qa1 torque arm rear coil over setup.
I wish I had a truck arm rear like a 68.

 

Beautiful truck.

what size whee/tire combo?

i am building a K5 with AR5 and wondering what shifter you used?

 

18" wheels, 295 in the rear 255 in the front. I used the FabBot shifter with a lokar handle.

 

Beautiful build!! I am currently LS swapping my 85 C-10, and I decided on an AR5 as well.

What transmission crossmember did you go with, and did you have to have a custom driveshaft made??

 

Tejas steel works crossmember and custom driveshaft

 

It's a shame they don't make that in anything wider than a 10". I love the look and would put them on my Chevelle, but they're too small