52 OCTOBER 20194-WHEEL & OFF-ROAD 4WHEELOFFROAD.COM
LONGBED LOVE
1974 CHEVROLET C20
DRIVETRAIN
ENGINE: 469 ci Oldsmobile V-8
TRANSMISSION: TH350 3-speed automatic
TRANSFER CASE: 4-speed Advance
Adapters Atlas II
FRONT AXLE: 14-bolt with Dana 50
knuckles, Dutchman axleshafts, Yukon
5.38 gears, and Yukon spool
REAR AXLE: Corporate 14-bolt with Yukon
5.38 gears and Detroit Locker
SUSPENSION
SPRINGS & SUCH: Rancho 4-inch lift
springs and Fox remote-reservoir shocks
(front); 63-inch Chevy leaf springs and
Fox remote-reservoir shocks (rear)
TIRES & WHEELS: 41.5x13.50-20 Pit Bull
Ro cker o n 20x 9. 5 TrailRea d y H D b ea dlo ck s
STEERING: Howe steering box, PSC
hydraulic assist ram, modified factory
GM steering pump
LIGHTING: $60 Amazon LED headlights
OTHER STUFF: Custom front bumper, Smit-
t y b ilt X20 17, 50 0 w in ch , Fac to r 55 U lt ra -
Hook, Rockhound Off Road rock sliders,
York air compressor, 30-gallon Suburban
fuel tank, Cadillac Escalade seats, Flow-
master mufflersTECH SPECS
2475632
The Oldsmobile V-8 was a hand-me-down
from Wyatt Barry’s good friend Dave Phil-
lips, who had it sitting on an engine stand in his
garage for the past 20 years. The Olds engine
was punched 0.060 over and now displaces 469
ci. Olds big - block s weigh significantly less than a
big-block Chevy, and this one has a mild cam and
factory iron “E” casting heads with an Edelbrock
aluminum intake manifold. The E heads are stan-
dard big-block heads for 1968-1970 455s and
have small runners and valves but create a ton of
intake velocity for low-end torque on the trail.3
With a longbed truck, space is not necessar-
ily an issue. Wyatt mounted the 30-gallon
Suburban fuel tank in the bed to keep it from get-
ting smashed up. The diamond-plate boxes hold
tools, spare parts, batteries, and even keeps the
transmission cooler out of harm’s way.4
Dana 60 front axles are expensive, so Wyatt
got creative. He started with a rear 14-bolt
housing and retubed it to use ball joint knuck-
les from an inexpensive Dana 50, since they are
the same size as Dana 60 outers. A Yukon spool
and 5.38 gears route power to Dutchman chro-
moly a x leshaf t s and Spicer U -joint s.5
Wyatt swapped out the^1 ⁄ 2 -ton leaf springs
for 63-inch-long,^3 ⁄ 4 -ton Chevy leaf springs
to account for the weight of the truck. A cus-
tom traction bar that uses a slip yoke instead
of a shackle eliminates axlewrap, and the
12-inch-travel Fox remote-reservoir shocks
smooth out the ride.6
Corporate 14-bolt rear axles are fairly com-
mon, and for good reason. They use a huge
101 ⁄ 2 -inch ring gear and 1^1 ⁄ 2 -inch diameter axle-
shafts, and have a third pinion bearing to resist
gear deflection. All Wyatt needed to add was a set
of 5.38 gears and a Detroit Locker under the Ruff-
Stuff Specialties^3 ⁄ 8 -inch-thick differential cover.7
We normally don’t like 20-inch-diameter
wheels, but the 41.5-inch-tall Pit Bull Rock-
ers provide enough sidewall that the 20x9.5
TrailReady HD beadlocks don’t look out of place.“
The tires fit
with only a 4-inch lift
”