'82 K20 4x4 diesel restoration...?

[Bob Youngquist]

Hi, I

[JeepSJ]

Bob, welcome. That is a nice truck. 117K is just about broken in.

If it is the coolant port, that means they are cracked. They can be sleeved. I bought the kit and sleeved mine while I had it apart just as a preventative measure.

As for the rear locker - a true locker will bang and clunk a little on the street. If it will see a lot of street, then a limited slip may be better, or something like an ARB if you have the budget.

[RoverIIa]

Sounds like fun. I could go on for pages about the issues/opportunities that I've had while doing a similar project with my 83 K10. I would suggest that you look at the following things as items of interest:

1) Fuel System, I changed mine from a suction system with a fuel selector valve to a pressure system with an electric pump at each tank. Switching the (new) switch, now turns on each pump in turn. I did this because my fuel tank selector stuck, leaving me airlocked in the desert, playing with trying to swap fuel lines from tank to tank in plus 100 degree heat. I wish I had done this change as a pre-emptive strike.

2) Cooling System, After that many years, it is probably worth having your radiator inspected and re-cored if necessary. Also check the passages where water flows through your timing cover into the block for corrosion. Mine got so bad that they almost rotted all the way through the cover. I suspect that this was due to a radiator leak that allowed air into the system, but it could have just gotten old.

3) Rear Disc Brakes, The heavier brakes in the bigger trucks are nice enough, but I don't know anyone who has been sorry to go to discs. They will stay cleaner, and cooler in the desert. Ever fill a drum with sand or mud?

Anyway... just a few things to think about.

-Nate