Originally Posted by LONGBOX55
Originally Posted by BDammers47
I learned to drive in a 1974 Chevy K10: short box, full time 4wd, heavy duty springs, no radio, no carpet, etc - you get the picture. It was a work horse and it road like a log wagon.

The gear shift knob was labeled:
L . 2
|--|---,
1 . 3 . R

"L" was non-synchronized and the engine rev'd out between 5 and 8 mph when the truck was in high range. In low range, it was half that.

Dad called "L" a "granny gear" or "granny low". In "L" and 4-low, the truck would spin its wheels before it would stall. Loved that truck.

Bill
Rare truck. GM only made that particular transmission/transfer case combination in '74 to early '75. From what I understand, they had too many problems with snapped chains in the full time t-case from drivers dumping the clutch in Low. All later full time trucks were automatic trans only, manuals got the gear drive NP205 part time.

It "ate" u-joints. I remember backing it out of our driveway, the truck would twist and buck when the steering wheel was cranked over to the right turn stop (paved driveway to paved street). Looking back, I should have know better, but that's how Dad did it. One summer we had to have all 6 u-joints replaced.

We didn't use low often and eventually put a Warn part-time conversion kit into it. It almost doubled the gas mileage in town.

1947 3100 Advanced Design

Never, never, never, never give up. - Churchill