Chevy/GMC Trucks 1973–1987: How to Build & Modify
Chevy/GMC Trucks 1973–1987: How to Build & Modify
ITEM 303TOT
By Jim Pickering
Build and modify your 1973-1987 GMC or Chevrolet truck in your garage with step-by-step processes to boost power, add curb appeal, and improve stopping ability, handling, safety, and more.
GM’s squarebody trucks are solid, simple, and easy-to-find rig--and that makes them perfect for modification. They’re American classics, and they’ve become the hot rods of a new generation.
Veteran magazine editor Jim Pickering brings these trucks into focus, taking you through the aspects that make them so popular and modifications you can perform to put a modern spin on their classic looks. He takes an in-depth look at all the major systems in your Chevy truck and covers what can be done to them to turn your classic hauler into the modern hot rod that you want: a truck that’s fast, safe, full of curb appeal, and reliable enough to drive whenever and wherever you want.
Built in massive numbers during an 18-year production run, these trucks aren’t hard to source, but finding a good starting point and mapping out your plan are important. This book covers a lot of territory: how to find a good starter truck, LS-power builds and installs, slammed air suspension and coilover systems, automatic and manual transmission choices (including a 6-speed manual conversion), cooling system upgrades, safely adding a modern alternator to factory GM wiring, modifying a mechanical clutch pedal to use a hydraulic master and slave cylinder, making new fuel lines and brake lines to support fuel injection and big brakes, installing a 4-link rear suspension system, fabricating an under-bed mount to hide air suspension components, building exhaust, adding LED lighting, interior restoration, and more.
If you're building a squarebody truck that you’d actually like to drive regularly, you’ve come to the right place. There hasn’t ever been a more comprehensive, authoritative look at building a complete truck for street use that includes all the steps required to make it work.
Sftbd., 176 pages; 8.5” x 11”, ISBN: 978-1-61325-516-2
While focused on building and modifying a 1973–87 Chevrolet or GMC “Squarebody,” this book provides a wealth of useful information for those intent on restoring one of these increasingly collectible trucks. As with similar Cartech titles, the book provides hundreds of close-up color photographs to illustrate the text. Organized into 13 chapters, the book first surveys what made these trucks special, including a photograph and brief description of each of the 15 years of Squarebody models. Chapter 2 covers setting a budget, assembling the needed tools, and finding a truck. Chapter 3 deals with the first stage of any restoration: disassembly. With an emphasis on upgrades, the remaining 10 chapters address building, modifying, and restoring this generation of Chevy/GMC truck. Suspension components are covered in Chapter 4, while Chapter 5 deals with brakes and steering. Chapters 6, 7, and 8 are about installing an upgraded engine and modifications regarding fueling and cooling. Transmissions are the subject of Chapter 9, with rear axles discussed in Chapter 10. Chapter 11’s coverage of the body, trim, and interior is also applicable to restoration projects. Lighting is covered in Chapter 12, and wheels and tires in the final chapter focus on upgrades. A Source Guide offers useful information about businesses and products.
Book Review by Robert Gabrick
