Kevin's 1977 Chevy Silverado Big Block 454 w/ TH400 trans

[Mr85chevyk20]

were is the truck ?

[cgrobe21]

That. Is. One. Big. Ass. Engine. Test. Stand!

[turtlezed]

N-I-I-I-I-I-C-E TEERUCK.

[fatharmonix]

thank you for painting the chassis up so plain simple perty :D

[KyleMullins20]

I just got a boner

[fizzphoenix]

Wow nice.

[triniboy2007]

WHEN DO WE SEE THE FINISHED PRODUCT!!!

[rollinwillingham]

i think he likes red ..........lol

[poop1186]

super sick bro good job!!!

[monsterchevy1975]

What transfer case do you have on it? I'm puttin a big block 454 in my truck with a 400 turbo transmission. My truck now has a small block 350 with a 350 turbo transmission, and an NP203 transfer case, but the 400 turbo is 3 inches longer than the 350 turbo, I'm trying to do some research and so far I found out that I might have to get an adapter to make the 400 turbo fit on the NP203 transfer case and I also might have to move the tranfer case crossmember back about 3 inches.

[keevo429]

@monsterchevy1975 I'm using the NP 208 transfer case that came with the 1985 GMC. It was mated to a TH400 transmission in the '85. If you read the description, you'll notice that I'm making the 1985 GMC look like a '77 Chevy that my grandpa bought new in '77. The '77 had the 454, TH400 transmission, but was only rear wheel drive. I wanted to use the older transmission because it was in better condition with fewer miles. Simple transmission swap right? No.

[keevo429]

@monsterchevy1975 The '77 transmission had a longer tail-shaft because it was in a 2wd truck. I took both transmissions apart to take the short tail-shaft out of the '85 transmission and put it into the '77 transmission so that it would mate with the NP 208 transfer case.

[keevo429]

@monsterchevy1975 The NP 203 is a full time all wheel drive transfer case, and from what i understand, not as strong as the NP 208 and definitely not as strong as the NP 205. You might be better off going to a junk yard and finding a vehicle similar to yours with a TH400 (if it was an option for your truck) and getting a transfer case that's not an NP 203 so you won't have to buy an adapter. Good Luck.

[monsterchevy1975]

@keevo429 thanks, that truck is gonna look really nice when its done, or is it done already? thats how these trucks should be done is a frame up restoration, I hate seein these nice old 70s Chevy trucks covered in rust, I like lookin at a nice restored truck rather than an offroad rust bucket lol

[henkediesel]

@monsterchevy1975.. just switch or cut some off the tail shaft on the 400 move your cross brace and you will need a new speed sensor..plus, shorten the drive shaft, lengthen the front, and cut a bigger hole in floor board or make a new shifter..

[punk531]

@monsterchevy1975 use an np 205

[McLarenMercedes1995]

@monsterchevy1975 the cast iron np203 is stronger than than the aluminum np208. a np 203 will fit a turbo 400 both my k30s have thurbo 400's mated to np203's

[Norco5327]

purrrrrrs like a fucking walrus

[12salem]

You've got some time in to that baby eh ?

[petersmellslikeshit]

that is soo nice

[crazynigg00]

she needs some rpms

[jimmaygaah]

the th400 makes the 700r4 look like a honda trans use a th400 on any trail rig or towing the 700r4 is a street trans

[IRONSEAN7]

WOW,,, that thing is spotless,, real nice,,,,,

[thugstylef]

hey which transmission would you say is better the 700r4 or the th400

[keevo429]

@thugstylef I've only ever had a TH400. I don't know anything about the 700r4 other than it has overdrive. I think that'd be a nice thing to have for increasing fuel mileage a bit. In my research though, the TH400 is a very strong transmission and is frequently used in heavy-duty / high performance applications.

[Kochenderfer21]

the 700r4 is junk. the TH400 is much better in my opinion.

[utoobdude67]

@keevo429 By far, the Th400 is much stronger than the 700r4. The 700r4 has the advantage of a lower first gear and have an OD, but what good do gear ratios do you if you break the transmissions all the time? Even a Th350 is more likely to tolerate more abuse than a 700r4. There are some good transmission discussions at gmsquarebody com. There is a guy there that builds Th350, th400's and 700r4's for offroading squarebody trucks.

[Elipro427]

@thugstylef Its depends on what you want to use it for, 700r4 is more heavy duty but 400 is also great for street racing and on the track but i would recommend 700r4 with a 9 inch ford rear end 456 gears.

[thugstylef]

@Elipro427 thak you for replying............what do you recommend for about 600 hp non racer

[MFCxINC]

@thugstylef th400 is better....unless u have money to dump into a 700r4...both can be built to b bomb proof but if ur lookin for one to just buy and put in and it be strong the th400 by far!

[358SonicBoom]

@thugstylef hell yea the TH400 is wwwaaaaayyyy stronger than the 700R4, matter of fact the 200R4, or Metric200, is stronger than the 700R4, and it has an overdrive. They came stock in some of the mid 80s Gbodies. But if you plan on going with an overdrive, you need to check out the 4L60s&4L80s. The 4L60s came in the rearwheel drive GM CARS from 97(Corvettes,98-Camaros&F'bird­,T/A)on up, the 4L80s were used in the trucks/SUVs. The 700R4s break too easy, Dont waste your time or money

[fordgtrcr]

@358SonicBoom 4l60e's also came in the half ton trucks 1996 and up 4l80e's came in 3/4 and 1 ton trucks

[RustyCarnahan]

@thugstylef If you want a heavy duty OD trans, go with a 4L80. They're built on the architecture of a THM400 (they even share some internal parts) and has an overdrive. The 700R4 was good in some applications, but they really aren't meant for heavy duty use.

[digspeed]

@thugstylef 700r4 is junk

[lynette1953]

niiiiiiice!!!

,jon

[jackcass13]

it doesnt even have a body and i have wood

[ruwithlee1970]

Nice job so far frame and drive line look real clean ! Have you thought of using electric fans for the cooling ? They work better and don't rob power.

[keevo429]

@ruwithlee1970 Thanks for your thoughts! I have briefly considered using them. However, I need to budget my money so that I buy more things I need than want. I'm not too concerned with the fan using too much engine power because I'm not building a race truck and I'm pretty sure the 454 will have enough power for me :-)

Plus, who else has a red powder coated fan?? I think it looks really nice.

[furoshus]

Ya gonna put the chrome and yeller trim on her?

[keevo429]

@furoshus I haven't decided yet. If i do put the 77 style trim back on, I won't use the chrome and yellow coloring. ...because that yellow color is ugly...and it's not the 70's anymore.

[moszel1]

nice:)

[TheTractorJake]

you have any progress since this video was made?

[merlinman572]

nice looking rebuild mines two wheel started as 454 but went all the way and dropped in 572 and havin great fun there awsome trucks

[gauncei]

awesome looking so far. the red and black look great

[PimpMyZamboni]

Nice!

IK698!

[keevo429]

@LoNgBeAcHfIvEsIxTwO

The '77 originally came with a 454.

[kainhall]

@keevo429 is this a 1977 silverado c10, they clla came with 400's. if you decode the vin you will find out that it orrignally had. well, atleast all the black ones had 400's lol

[keevo429]

@kainhall This truck was originally a C20 Camper Special. It was a 3/4 ton truck with a 1ton rear axle as part of the Camper Special package.

[11Jjw15]

nice 454....my dream engine. Like my uncle says, "Damn, it'll eat a lot of gas, but it'll damn sure pull a house off its stilts"

[GOUGOUNETTE]

cant wait for part II

[superkrotz12345]

sounds like u gotta exhaust leak off the headers...

[duramax250]

i cant wait to see this thing done

[bigjake8901]

damn buddy nice when is it gonna be done?????????

[keevo429]

If I have enough money, I'll finish it this summer.

[Codythecartaker]

Yeap thats what every one says "if i have the money" lol Me to i wanna build my motor

[sethster70]

now thts wat i call an engine test stand lol

[Bloodyman24]

sounds nice

im rebuilding my 79 chevy after i rolled it

[ohfour40th]

so sick Kevin. it better be done this summer.

- A. Decker

[Wifli23]

Damn that thing is amazing.

[marvo75]

Is it done yet?

[jfrost77hd]

Nice video, I wish my 77 had a 454!

5 stars*

[rocker85675]

nice start

[meanextreme]

what are the headers on this???

[keevo429]

Flowtech ceramic coated full-length headers.

Flowtech part #: 31530FLT

[snowmobilerules]

nice job, i just picked up a 77 k20, hope io can do what your doing

[lawnside82]

that is one huge tail on the th400...is it supposed to be that long??

[keevo429]

That's the tailshaft housing for the NP208 transfer case. If my truck didn't have 4x4, that tail (along with the big black box bolted to the back of the TH400) would be gone. The tailshaft for a TH400 in a 2 wheel drive truck, though, is still pretty long, but not as long as it is on the transfer case. I'm not sure why it's got to be so long.

[weis45875]

that sounds fucking awesome.

[18Aaron90]

the frame looks really good

[TheTractorJake]

nice. she'll be able to haul a** when your done!

[Lyokofan24]

thats fuckin sick!

[keevo429]

Thanks man!

I'll definitely post more videos of the truck when it's finished.

[Lyokofan24]

ya, i have a truck with a 454 as well

[carandboatnut1]

Great Job !!!!

[peepeevagi]

Where's the truck? lol.

It'd better be a long bed.

Otherwise it's just not right.

[masonmumm]

looks sweet

[MrSicStix]

Hey nice truck , you did an awsome job on the frame and the engine. Im restoring a 1977 chevy k20 long bed and im just about to start sandblasting rust off the frame and brackets and what not. What kind of paint did you use to paint the frame?

[keevo429]

I had the frame powder coated. More details about the project are under the "more info" section at top right. Good luck getting all of the rust off. If you want to make the frame look really nice, sand the frame smooth before you have it painted/powder coated. That way, most of the pitting won't be as apparent. I wish I did that to my frame. My frame is nice and smooth but bumpy due to pitting caused by rust.

[brant8406]

hey man. If you know of any body work tips for a 72 chevy blazer please pass them my way. i need to replace my back side panel, but i have no idea on how. i have most parts and basic materials..info and mechanicks background, but new to wedling n stuff. thanks

[keevo429]

I taught myself how to weld on a Millermatic 135 MIG welder. If you're using a MIG welder, use shielding gas instead of flux core wire. Make sure the two pieces you're welding together are clean (no oil, paint, road grime) and free of rust. For welding on body panels, use lap joints in hidden areas because they're much easier than butt joints. I used butt joints on exterior panels (i.e. cab corner) so that I'm left with a smooth surface when the weld is ground down. Best welding tip: practice!

[keevo429]

When welding on body panels, use multiple spot welds spaced no less than 2 inches apart. Do not weld a continuous bead!!! If the welder is set up correctly, the spot welds will achieve maximum penetration without burn through. The spot welds also allow the metal to cool much faster than a continuous bead so that the metal is distorted less. I believe the process is called "stitching." You'll have to go back and forth on the body panel many times so that your seam is completely covered with weld.

[keevo429]

For removing the high weld seam, I like to use a flap disk on a 4.5" right angle grinder. Surprisingly, it takes down the weld much faster and cleaner than a grinding disk. The flap disk has many little flaps of sand paper glued to it. I was skeptical using it the first time. I didn't think the sand paper would do much to the metal. Don't sand too deep. You'll make the weld seam thinner than the parent metal. You may have a weld seam visible that will have to be covered w/ bondo.

[m82a150]

nice truck get a video of the body. how goodof shape is that in.

[quader94]

great truck, any updates?!

[keevo429]

Thanks!

No major updates yet. College kind of limits how much time i can spend on it. I will definitely add some new videos when something major is accomplished!

[quader94]

nice looking foward to seeing it, i was going to do something along the lines of that but then decided a car project seemed more realistic living in the suburbs lol

[terralove09]

hell, slap a steering wheel and a seat on it, then you got a buggy!

[SupergrannyVideos]

Looks Great Kevin!! You are obviously a talented & industrious guy.

I am impressed.

Best wishes, Mary the Supergranny

[bradenn]

Amazing work! looks really good! You should post up more videos of it's current state.

I've been working on an '89 C1500 for about three years now and getting to tire it up in a couple weeks. Nothing like this though. I've only rebuilt a 4.3L V6, I wish I had a V8 in my truck!

Thanks for the video, cheers from Canada.

[31funk]

this is a good job, i did a 74 chevy blazer tear down and rebuildt it up, had about 15 of my friends come over to lift the body off the frame...i regret not taking video of it cause it was alot of work to tear down to a rolling chassis, but you did a great job...

[JGueret]

Nice Nice Nice, Your doing a fantastic job. I wish I could make mine as pretty, but she owes me service that won't be pretty. I seriously recomend aftermarket EFI. It's a little more simple than oem stuff and the gains are awsome. The body and engine(383)10:1 were on a 1/2 ton frame and the EFI made the truck spit 700r4 out weekly. Passed emisions with modern day standards and gave me 2 more mpg that a carbed 5.0. I'll even help you with any questions. Keep up the good work. Jamie

[keevo429]

Thanks.

Thank you for the EFI advice. I did consider it for a little while. Then I discovered the price tag of an EFI system. Although it's hard to tell from the video and pictures (a link is located under "(more info)")I don't have a lot of money to spend on the project. Plus, I have to budget my money for the rest of the truck. I could afford EFI now, but then I couldn't paint it or install a nice interior. Its got the stock Rochester QuadraJet on it now. It has really good throttle response.

[JGueret]

I total understnd. good choice on the rochester,small primarys make good atomization-throttle response

[chevydually454]

Well done my friend.

[1godfather01]

Sweet Man, are you rebuilding that Chevy all by yourself??? and also is that truck Crew cab or a long box???

[keevo429]

I'm rebuilding the truck primarily by myself. I get occasional help from my dad but we both have never done a project like this before. This truck has a standard cab and an 8ft bed.

[SystemofaDownfanpage]

it seems like somethings missing

[keevo429]

No ratings yet? There's got to be someone who likes the video.

[buckshot305]

Very nice! You did what I wish I had done - detailed the frame. I undercoated mine with 3M rubberized undercoating in a can, after I had painted the truck and put it back together. Feel free to send me a PM if you have any questions; I can save you a lot of headaches!

[Johnathon541]

Dude seriously that is beautiful.... Awesome, mad props to you.... I wish i could of done that to my truck before i built it... Is that powder coated? or paint? I really like the red/black theme. So whats your plans for the truck? So far man its a A+, keep it going... Sounds fucking badass too

[keevo429]

Thanks!

[keevo429]

Most of your questions can be answered by checking out the "more info" section on this page. Definitely look at the webshots and vimeo sites. The frame and a ton of other parts are powder coated Mower Red or Mirror Black. Powder coat is so nice. It's also more durable than paint AND it was cheaper. I plan to paint the body a gloss black color with inconspicuous red metallic flake. I want to do something classy (like the yellow and black that you have) but not too flashy.

[kirksvillemale]

sweet