Would You Drive This Monster? Meet the 42-Inch Tire K10 Dually

Some trucks make you do a double-take. Others make you question everything you thought you knew about what’s possible with a pickup. This 1984 K10 falls squarely into that second category, and honestly, it’s the kind of build that gets your blood pumping just looking at it.

What we’re looking at here is a short bed K10 that somebody decided needed to be a dually. Not just any dually though - we’re talking about a custom flatbed monster sitting on 42-inch tires with enough lift to require a stepladder just to check the oil. The whole setup is so audacious it borders on the ridiculous, and that’s exactly what makes it brilliant.

The heart of this beast is a 350 four-bolt main paired with a four-speed manual transmission. Nothing fancy, nothing complicated - just good old-fashioned American iron that’ll keep chugging along no matter what you throw at it. The builder spec’d it with 4.56 gears, which means this thing will crawl over obstacles that would stop lesser trucks dead in their tracks. Those gears also help manage the massive rolling resistance from those 42s.

Speaking of axles, this isn’t some half-hearted conversion job. The rear Dana 60 got the full dually treatment, while the Dana 44 front received beefier wheel studs to handle the stress from those monster tires and wheels. When you’re running rubber this big, every component in the drivetrain needs to be up to the task, and it looks like the builder understood that completely.

The suspension setup uses what the previous owner called a “soft ride lift.” That’s refreshing to hear because too many lifted trucks ride like buckboards on a washboard road. The fact that this thing apparently drives well despite sitting on 42s and having enough ground clearance to park a Civic underneath says something about the quality of the build.

Here’s where it gets really interesting - the previous owner drove this truck from Florida to Alabama because it wouldn’t fit on his trailer. Think about that for a minute. This thing is so tall and wide that it defeated a car hauler, but it’s still civilized enough for a multi-state road trip. That’s the kind of versatility that separates a well-built truck from a garage queen that only comes out for shows.

The attention to practical details shows throughout the build. Dual electric fans keep things cool when you’re crawling through technical terrain with the AC running. The air conditioning actually works, which is more than you can say for a lot of project trucks. There’s an aftermarket stereo system for those long trail rides, and the custom seating looks like it’ll keep you comfortable whether you’re commuting or conquering.

What really stands out is how clean this build appears to be. The truck wasn’t rust-free when the builder started, but it wasn’t a rust bucket either. That’s the sweet spot for a project like this - enough patina to have character without the structural headaches that come with serious corrosion. The end result looks like something that could roll off a custom shop floor today.

The flatbed conversion opens up all kinds of possibilities that a standard pickup bed just can’t match. Need to haul a UTV? No problem. Want to mount a camping setup? Easy. The flat deck gives you options, and in the off-road world, options are everything. Plus, let’s be honest - it just looks tougher than a conventional bed.

This truck represents everything that’s great about the custom 4x4 scene. Somebody took a solid platform, had a vision that most people would call crazy, and executed it well enough that the end result actually works. It’s not just a show piece that looks good in photos. This thing will drive down the highway, keep you cool in traffic, and then crawl over terrain that would humble most purpose-built trail rigs.

The K10 platform has always been a favorite among serious wheelers, and builds like this show why. The bones are strong enough to handle serious modifications, and there’s enough aftermarket support to make almost any vision possible. When you start with good genetics and add quality components, you end up with something special.

For anyone thinking about a similar build, this truck proves it can be done right. The key is understanding that every modification has consequences, and planning accordingly. Bigger tires mean you need stronger axles. More lift means you need to think about driveline angles. More capability means you need better cooling. This builder clearly thought through all those details.

You can check out more builds like this and get in touch with the team behind this beast at alloyautosales.com or follow them on Facebook for updates on their latest projects.

This K10 dually proves that sometimes the best builds are the ones that make you scratch your head and grin at the same time. It’s functional insanity at its finest, and the off-road world is better for having trucks like this rolling around.