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-   -   My Luxurious late model truck (not so much) (https://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/showthread.php?t=628376)

Tx Firefighter 05-11-2014 11:47 AM

My Luxurious late model truck (not so much)
 
The name is a joke. There is nothing fancy, nor will there be anything fancy about this build. Valerie and I joke that I've finally got a luxurious new truck to drive.

Those of y'all who know me well know that the GMT400 is my favorite style of truck. I've been wanting a 4 wheel drive for a few different reasons so I figured to get an old beater and build it up.

My criteria were....

1) White in color
2) 3/4 ton, 8400 GWV with 8 lug wheels (not the 6 lug light duty 3/4 ton)
3) Standard transmission
4) Regular cab
5) 350 engine, not diesel or big block under any circumstances.

Guess what, that's not a common truck. I found a fair number of extended cabs, light duty 3/4 tons, different colors, and automatic transmissions, but seldom ran across one that met my "must have" criteria.

Finally, I found this old ranch truck on Craigslist. He wanted 2500 bucks for it. I drove it and looked it over and it was obvious that the 350 was only hitting on 7 cylinders so I walked away.

http://i276.photobucket.com/albums/k...1289ea0b37.jpg

About two weeks later the guys texts me and asks if I was still interested in buying the truck. I had let it drop since the truck wasn't worth 2500 or even close to that number to me. I told him I liked the truck but I wasn't a buyer at anywhere near his asking price. He asked me what I had in mind and I came back with 1500 dollars. We settled on 1700 dollars and the deal was done. I had bought a 4x4 with a hurt engine. I'm sure some of you guys will think I paid too much, and I might have, but if you want an 8 lug, 8400 pound GVW, white, regular cab, standard shift, small block truck, you have to settle for what you can find.

The run down on what I got....

350 TBI, Muncie SM465 transmission, NP241C transfer case, and 4.10 gears. And, don't forget, only 7 of the 8 cylinders were reporting for duty.

Caved door.

http://i276.photobucket.com/albums/k...a02989cb5c.jpg

Ranch truck interior.

http://i276.photobucket.com/albums/k...8a99e73c37.jpg

http://i276.photobucket.com/albums/k...205df935b1.jpg

My favorite transmission ever.

http://i276.photobucket.com/albums/k...719d16cc00.jpg

We don't get rust here in my area of Texas.

http://i276.photobucket.com/albums/k...784e3820d5.jpg

http://i276.photobucket.com/albums/k...221f8b53a7.jpg

Ranch truck bodywork. You guys with livestock will recognize what happens when you park a feed truck anywhere near hungry cows. Bump...

http://i276.photobucket.com/albums/k...d4687cdc78.jpg

Dig the barbed wire pinstriping.

http://i276.photobucket.com/albums/k...dc338467c9.jpg

http://i276.photobucket.com/albums/k...d090bbd2b2.jpg

More in the next post....

Tx Firefighter 05-11-2014 12:53 PM

Re: My Fancy Pants late model truck
 
Right off the bat I ran into a snag. A real snag. I went to swap the title into my name and the problem arose. Try to follow me here....

The guy I bought it from, we will call him person B, had only owned the truck a short while. He had bought it from person A. But, since he only owned it a short time, he never transferred the title into his name. So, when I bought it, the person whose signature was on the title was person A, not person B. Problem was, person A had signed the wrong line on the title. My girl at the courthouse gave me a form for him to fill out legally stating he had signed the wrong spot in error. Now what do I do ? I sit in the courthouse with a messed up title and a blank form that needs to be signed by a guy who I didn't know and had no idea how to contact him.

Ultimately, I wound up going to his house and knocking on the door. Fortunately his wife was a peach and set up a meeting with me and her husband so he could sign the form for me. When I met him, he was a great guy and explained to me some history on the truck.

He had bought the truck spur of the moment to pull a 35 foot boat from Florida to Texas. He said the truck pulled it at 65 miles per hour the entire way. It seems a combination of 4.10 gears, no overdrive, and pulling a 35 foot boat across the country was enough to hurt the engine. He admitted it had a bad miss when he finished the trip.

He told me the reason he sold the truck though was the throwout bearing had begun screeching and he didn't have the skills to change it or the desire to pay to have it changed. He asked me if the other guy, owner B, had repaired the clutch. Beats me, the throwout bearing doesn't make any noise now (more on this later).

Tx Firefighter 05-11-2014 12:58 PM

Re: My Fancy Pants late model truck
 
So, now that I got all of the paperwork legally squared away, it was time to figure out what all the truck needed to be a solid driver.

First issue, fix the 7 cylinder engine. I narrowed it down to number one cylinder. So, I turned it over until both valves were closed (TDC) and hooked my air hose into the spark plug hole. The air was blowing out the exhaust pipe, but nothing out of the throttle body or oil filler cap. That can be only one thing, a bad exhaust valve.

So, off with the cylinder head to see what was going on.

This, fellas, is a burnt exhaust valve.

http://i276.photobucket.com/albums/k...4a837f8ef4.jpg

http://i276.photobucket.com/albums/k...46bc7a0e40.jpg

http://i276.photobucket.com/albums/k...264318b435.jpg

It began to sink in that the engine needed an entire freshening up rather than just a valve job. Sucks that I am always broke. Gotta figure out something because buying a crate engine is out of the budget.

mud.man.rj 05-11-2014 12:58 PM

Re: My Fancy Pants late model truck
 
Truck is a bit rough but all there and an 8 lug, got what you wanted, seems like a fair deal TX, so what are your plans for it.

DPowers 05-11-2014 04:12 PM

Re: My Fancy Pants late model truck
 
Can't wait to see the finished project

Palf70Step 05-11-2014 05:13 PM

Re: My Fancy Pants late model truck
 
I am in to see the rest of this project too!

Tx Firefighter 05-11-2014 05:30 PM

Re: My Fancy Pants late model truck
 
Plans are....

-Repair engine. Rebuild with roller cam
-Solid drivetrain. No leaks, nothing worn, every attended to
-New doors. Both of these are beat up. Rebuild everything associated with the doors
-Kodiak/TopKick door handles
-A better rear bumper
-Replace rear window with non slider
-Cowl hood
-Late model PY0 wheels with BF Goodrich tires
-Spray in bedliner
-Full interior overhaul
-Cab lights
-All LED bulbs throughout

Next post, I'll go into the engine and what I did to repair and upgrade it.

This thing makes my stepside look like a mini-me

http://i276.photobucket.com/albums/k...6415337BA7.jpg

flashed 05-11-2014 05:32 PM

Re: My Fancy Pants late model truck
 
Im in for another great build .

LEEVON 05-11-2014 07:13 PM

Re: My Fancy Pants late model truck
 
Cool truck, I'd rock it! Will be following along.

Zane M 05-11-2014 07:42 PM

Re: My Fancy Pants late model truck
 
Sitting back with an adult beverage to watch this one progress.
My next truck is going to be similar('cept I need an auto due to a wrecked left knee), so this one project is of great interest to me.

rusty76 05-11-2014 08:08 PM

Re: My Fancy Pants late model truck
 
I'm riding shotgun!

Palf70Step 05-11-2014 08:25 PM

Re: My Fancy Pants late model truck
 
I like your mini-me Kevin!

Kool pic!

Stoney 05-11-2014 08:52 PM

Re: My Fancy Pants late model truck
 
Nice engine hoist I have the same one. Trucks too.

Tx Firefighter 05-11-2014 08:57 PM

Re: My Fancy Pants late model truck
 
Quote:

Originally Posted by Stoney (Post 6669277)
Nice engine hoist I have the same one. Trucks too.

It's been a good one. It's previous life was as a rental unit. I had to put a new jack on it a few years ago. If I can ever get any time ahead I'll drag it into the shop and freshen it up for another 30 years.

Stoney 05-11-2014 09:04 PM

Re: My Fancy Pants late model truck
 
Mine too, old Hi/Lo rental unit.

Willowrun 05-11-2014 10:11 PM

Re: My Fancy Pants late model truck
 
What year is the 2500? Is the dash not cracked?

Tx Firefighter 05-11-2014 10:20 PM

Re: My Fancy Pants late model truck
 
It's a 1990 model. Dash is good, no cracks.

aggie91 05-12-2014 10:49 AM

Re: My Luxurious late model truck (not so much)
 
subscribed to this one....

Low Elco 05-12-2014 03:34 PM

Re: My Luxurious late model truck (not so much)
 
Excited to see how this one comes out!

jhama78 05-12-2014 08:16 PM

Re: My Luxurious late model truck (not so much)
 
Glad to see ya start a thread on this rig. :metal:

Primered_69 05-12-2014 08:53 PM

Re: My Luxurious late model truck (not so much)
 
you need me to find you a red seat?

Tx Firefighter 05-12-2014 08:59 PM

Re: My Luxurious late model truck (not so much)
 
Michael, I need seat, a door panel for the driver side (no power), and all headliner stuff. Notice I have no trim at all on the B pillar, no headliner board, and no trim below the back window and everything associated with the driver door panel is destroyed. I'd even take a red carpet if I could find one with no holes. I can hang it over the fence and pressure wash it if its any kind of usable whatsoever. I'm not building a show truck by any means. Low price > perfect condition.

83GMCK2500 05-13-2014 12:31 AM

Re: My Luxurious late model truck (not so much)
 
Oh, FANTASTIC! I love that big one piece SM-465 & NVG-241 shift bezel. Really really glad to hear that the OBD-I ECM was able to deal with your changes and that it runs great.

Dang! I think I know where most of the red interior parts are that you're looking for. I'll shoot off some emails and see what I can find. Do you want the correct early bench (pre '95 interior) with the single fold down armrest for the driver? Love your to-do list, really great upgrades you have planned. I installed the medium duty door handles on mine a month or so ago and I love them, just flat love them. Mine have been sand blasted and powder coated gloss black as well, I'm looking forward to what you may do with yours. I always thought body colored buckets and black handles would look good.

EDIT: I also know where a full set of cab lights are, harness, fasteners, etc. I do not know lens/gasket condition, would have to look. I recently put the factory LED clearance light bulbs in mine and they are awesssome. However, I am having water problems now, prior to bulb upgrade everything was dry, now I'm getting a wet floor and a couple lenses are partially filling.

EDIT #2: Forgive me if you've crossed this bridge already or already have it in your notes...when you put the PY0s on, if you want to run the -400 center caps you will need to use the black nut covers from the -800 caps to hold them on, there may be another solution, or a better one, but that was my solution for the problem when I encountered it. I observed that the -400 cap sits further out on the PY0s, just far enough to prevent the nut covers from reaching the lug nuts. If you (already have) solve this differently or observe something else, I am looking forward to your solution.

Tx Firefighter 05-13-2014 11:45 AM

Re: My Luxurious late model truck (not so much)
 
I don't think finding the interior parts locally will be a problem. Primered69 is a local legend at parts sourcing. He uses some combination of ancient sorcery and bloodhound nose to find the un-findable. When he's on the job, results are always forthcoming.

But, we need to talk about the LED light inserts. I was reading a build thread on another forum last night by someone named 88GMC....something or the other. He posted a picture of those GM LED inserts that he used in his black dually. I got the impression you two were local to each other and knew each other. Can you get me the part number ? I can set my buddy, the Jedi dealership parts guy, on it from there. I need those light inserts. They are fantastic.

On the wheels, I haven't delved off into that yet. I know there are differences and techniques to make it work. I figured I have a set of late model PYO center caps, my GMT400 center caps, lugnut covers for both sets, and 64 lugnuts. I figured I could make it work somehow.

83GMCK2500 05-13-2014 12:52 PM

Re: My Luxurious late model truck (not so much)
 
Quote:

Originally Posted by Tx Firefighter (Post 6671582)
I don't think finding the interior parts locally will be a problem. Primered69 is a local legend at parts sourcing. He uses some combination of ancient sorcery and bloodhound nose to find the un-findable. When he's on the job, results are always forthcoming.

But, we need to talk about the LED light inserts. I was reading a build thread on another forum last night by someone named 88GMC....something or the other. He posted a picture of those GM LED inserts that he used in his black dually. I got the impression you two were local to each other and knew each other. Can you get me the part number ? I can set my buddy, the Jedi dealership parts guy, on it from there. I need those light inserts. They are fantastic.

On the wheels, I haven't delved off into that yet. I know there are differences and techniques to make it work. I figured I have a set of late model PYO center caps, my GMT400 center caps, lugnut covers for both sets, and 64 lugnuts. I figured I could make it work somehow.

Excellent, Primered69 sounds like a great resource.

LEDs, PM sent. Also, I can just about get you any part number (for the '90) if you need.

Wheels, :hh: it should have occurred to me that you'd have both sets of caps and all the associated bits.

Tx Firefighter 05-14-2014 06:55 AM

Re: My Luxurious late model truck (not so much)
 
First priority was to get the engine squared away so I could judge how much of my old truck building budget was gonna get used up.

I began with the research. GM used two different 350 engines in pickups during these years. I looked closely at the options and found that there were the 350s used in the half ton and light duty 3/4 ton, and there was a second one that was used in heavy 3/4 ton and 1 ton applications. My buddy at the dealership told me the only difference between the two was 2 bolt vs 4 bolt mains. As I got to looking deeper, I found two more differences.

First, the heavy duty engines are listed as lower compression ratio. Further investigation revealed that the heavy engines had a deeper dish piston to do that.

Second, the heavy engines have different exhaust valves. The stems are larger, and they are stellite valves.

If you want to geek out, here is further reading.

http://www.aera.org/engine-professio...ve-technology/

Let me reiterate, the valve stems are larger. You cannot put stellite valves from a heavy engine into light duty engine heads as an upgrade. You'd have to machine the valve guides larger. The purpose of the larger exhaust valve stems was to more thoroughly transfer the heat from the valve through to the head.

My main goals for the engine were to keep cost down and to use a roller cam. These TBI engines of this era were machined for roller cam usage even though they were equipped with flat tappet cams. So, I wanted to take advantage of this. with the modern oils we have, a flat tappet cam is always in jeopardy of failing whereas a roller isn't.

First step was to knock all cam bearings, freeze plugs and oil galley plugs out of the block. Then much cleaning of the entire block inside and out, all oil passages etc. After that, I used my hone and drill to clean up the bores. Tech tip: A rifle cleaning kit from the sporting goods section of Walmart works killer for cleaning all of those long oil galleys.

http://i276.photobucket.com/albums/k...799388c222.jpg

In an effort to further my abilities, I bought cam bearing installation tools from Summit. They were like 30 bucks or something. Basically about what a machine shop would charge to install them for me, but I'm left with a new tool for my arsenal.

http://i276.photobucket.com/albums/k...5b1f525862.jpg

Cam bearings are stupid easy once you've got the tool. Maybe five minutes to install all of them.

New cam bearings, block plug kit and cam thrust plate (for the new roller cam setup).

http://i276.photobucket.com/albums/k...28290f9a3c.jpg

Now, I needed a roller cam and lifters. Some folks don't realize, but the great thing about roller cams is that the cam and lifters are infinitely reusable. I had an old Vortec 350 under my workbench that my stepson had destroyed via overheating (see my Lemonade truck build for that story). So I plucked the roller cam and lifters out of it for this build.

http://i276.photobucket.com/albums/k...66c9086206.jpg

http://i276.photobucket.com/albums/k...d326c93b88.jpg

http://i276.photobucket.com/albums/k...85672b2f5e.jpg

The crankshaft in the Vortec engine was a bit smoother and nicer than the old TBI engine so I used it too. Notice the lovely 4 bolt mains.

http://i276.photobucket.com/albums/k...96a1530576.jpg

Disassembled and cleaned the oil pump so I could reuse it. The original engine had great oil pressure so I knew the pump was a good one.

http://i276.photobucket.com/albums/k...d93f50742f.jpg

A picture of installing the rear main seal. This is obviously a 1 piece rear main seal engine. The press and a scrap of steel plate make the job easy and drama free. I don't want to be using a hammer on a 20 dollar seal.

http://i276.photobucket.com/albums/k...7ede697410.jpg

Vortec engine are reputed to have high quality rods. To my eyes, they do look nicer than most so I decided to use the Vortec pistons and rods. First step was to soak them in diesel for 24 hours to loosen the carbon.

http://i276.photobucket.com/albums/k...b0f5205a65.jpg

Comparison shot of the Vortec piston and rod (left) versus the TBI parts (right)

http://i276.photobucket.com/albums/k...505d3be203.jpg

Again, Vortec left and TBI right. You can see the Vortec pistons offer less dish volume for a bit higher compression ratio.

http://i276.photobucket.com/albums/k...bdd301165b.jpg

Vortec left, TBI right. Notice the Vortecs have shorter skirts for less resistance and significantly thinner rings. Look closely, the rings are little narrow things. This bit me on the parts cost because the skinny ring sets are about 20 dollars more expensive than the normal thick ones that so many engines used.

http://i276.photobucket.com/albums/k...91b377a8ca.jpg

In the next post, I'll do the top end.

Tx Firefighter 05-14-2014 07:09 AM

Re: My Luxurious late model truck (not so much)
 
My cylinder heads were wasted. Total scrap metal. The exhaust valve seats were cracked. Since I'm doing this on a budget, paying a machine shop to change valve seats wasn't an option.

In a huge stroke of good luck, another member on here from up in Oklahoma reached out to me and offered to sell me a set of heavy duty TBI heads (with the Stellite valves like I need) for a good deal. I talked Valerie into a road trip adventure so we got in my Honda and headed north across the Red River to Oklahoma for my new (used) cylinder heads. The guides were fairly tight so I knew they would fill my need.

http://i276.photobucket.com/albums/k...c612f2e9bc.jpg

http://i276.photobucket.com/albums/k...1d13be1d94.jpg

First step was to soak them in a 5 gallon bucket of diesel to loosen the crud. Then, degreaser and soda blast them clean. I also got out my high tech cylinder head machine tools.

My mill.

http://i276.photobucket.com/albums/k...745d4646d2.jpg

Valve guide cleaner.

http://i276.photobucket.com/albums/k...b2e2b22c1b.jpg

http://i276.photobucket.com/albums/k...e91a068ad6.jpg

Valve spring compressor.

http://i276.photobucket.com/albums/k...ff9ac53e08.jpg

After surfacing the heads with a long sanding block.

http://i276.photobucket.com/albums/k...93b95cf28d.jpg

http://i276.photobucket.com/albums/k...5d5a1109e8.jpg

I re-lapped the valves to clean up the sealing surfaces.

Exhaust valve before...

http://i276.photobucket.com/albums/k...186caaf61b.jpg

After...

http://i276.photobucket.com/albums/k...da2dfa4b9e.jpg

New valve stem seals. I had to special order the exhaust valve seals (not shown) since they use the unusual larger stems. My gasket kit just included the exhaust valve stem seals for light duty applications.

http://i276.photobucket.com/albums/k...215eaa9e12.jpg

Bottom end all together....

http://i276.photobucket.com/albums/k...a1dbc83e8d.jpg

http://i276.photobucket.com/albums/k...45316a3fb5.jpg

Tx Firefighter 05-14-2014 07:14 AM

Re: My Luxurious late model truck (not so much)
 
My harmonic balancer was good other than a significant groove where the seals rides. So I bead blasted it and installed a speedi-sleeve.

http://i276.photobucket.com/albums/k...8cb37e9fdb.jpg

http://i276.photobucket.com/albums/k...f929751e8c.jpg

http://i276.photobucket.com/albums/k...0132b09209.jpg

http://i276.photobucket.com/albums/k...4b3f1153b1.jpg

http://i276.photobucket.com/albums/k...6b4825dd53.jpg

Then, install it properly. I try to buy one specialty tool per job. Last engine I built, I bought a harmonic balancer installer. Something like 30 bucks from Summit.

http://i276.photobucket.com/albums/k...3b2aaf006b.jpg

http://i276.photobucket.com/albums/k...b94f1696e5.jpg

http://i276.photobucket.com/albums/k...be4bbcdb5f.jpg

My little shop helper was there every step of the way. Border Collies are some kind of smart. She helped me remember torque specs and tolerances throughout the whole build (when she wasn't busy doing my taxes or programming my VCR).

http://i276.photobucket.com/albums/k...e950d94b54.jpg

aggie91 05-14-2014 10:00 AM

Re: My Luxurious late model truck (not so much)
 
I need to find me a rebuildable Vortec core engine...I think I would do the same thing here that you did. Just do a basic re-ring/bearing job with attension to the small details and cleaning...

We has a border collie mix for about 14 years. She was a great dog and smart like you say. One of our current dogs is a Red Healer/Korgy mix. Super Smart and Super Loyal! We swear if she could talk, we could have great conversations!

Tx Firefighter 05-14-2014 10:22 AM

Re: My Luxurious late model truck (not so much)
 
My goal on this engine was to pick and choose with what used parts I had on hand and end up with a good runner that didn't need any TBI programming trickery due to being overbuilt. I was afraid if I got too fancy I'd wind up with drivability issues on the stock ECM tune. I did hours of research on the internet machine and the consensus was about 50/50 whether the TBI would tolerate a Vortec cam. In my case, it worked fantastic.

The roller cam is said to add 20 horsepower over an identical flat tappet engine just with the reduced friction, not the cam grind itself. Plus the added security of no break in worries or flattening a lobe issues and never needing zinc additive added to the oil for the rest of it's life.

All told, I'm somewhere between 350-400 dollars into the engine build, including the 50 I gave for the used heads up in Oklahoma. I don't expect it to last as long as a properly bored, fresh piston, machined crank rebuild, but it will last plenty long enough. Years ago I built a 350 for a little 72 SWB I had. My neighbor is a GM parts guy and he was there with me every step of the way on that engine build. He called it a "swept the floor motor" because I just used whatever was hidden under the workbench or in old worn out engines I had laying around. I sold that truck to him a short while later and he still drives it today, which is 20 years later. He said it's begun to burn some oil now, but it went for many years without issue, and that bore was loose when I put it together. That was an engine built entirely out of used parts with a 175 dollar Summit rebuild kit and a cheapie Erson camshaft. I probably had less than 250 dollars in the entire deal.

Here's the truck. This was all done back in the day before the internet, when I didn't have 1000 folks sitting at computers telling me I was doing it wrong. I'm sure the engine in this project will similarly cause criticism from a few people. That's the single reason I have delayed posting this build thread for so long, because I didn't care to listen to naysayers. There's so many times in life that folks do things that work just fine, but technically, they didn't do it according to the book or standard practices.

http://i276.photobucket.com/albums/k...DSCN0305-1.jpg

What's that old joke ? Scientists say it's impossible for a bumble bee to fly because it weighs too much for it's little wings. Yet, fly they do. Just don't tell the bumble bee he can't fly and he will be happy doing his thing.

rusty76 05-14-2014 08:11 PM

Re: My Luxurious late model truck (not so much)
 
You know I helped my buddy put together a engine together for our enduro car some twelve years ago. It was just a 350 iron headed small block. Nothing super fancy and nothing trick. It was put in that old car and ran for 100s of laps in stop and go racing action. The motor is solid. It wasn't bored or any machine work done to it. Just a simple rebuild. The motor still runs to this day with no smoke. It's hard to beat a basic run of the mill engine that does it's job and does it well. Killer write up Kevin. Thanks for posting up the info.

Tx Firefighter 05-14-2014 08:26 PM

Re: My Luxurious late model truck (not so much)
 
This build will take off somewhat as time goes on. I've been fortunate to find some nice parts for good deals by dogging Craigslist religiously. I haven't had any real compass to guide me, just scoring good deals on parts when they show up. It seems like when you're building something and you get set on finding a particular piece that you usually wind up overpaying and not getting the best example too. Only when you relax and back off do you find good deals and great parts.

Tomorrow I go to see my dealership buddy and pick up some parts I've ordered last week. I got some big stuff at home to put on the truck but I needed a bunch of little detail stuff to do it.

mud.man.rj 05-15-2014 12:44 AM

Re: My Luxurious late model truck (not so much)
 
Doing a great job, coming together nicely. Will be nice to hear it run, cool price too.

Thunderwagen 05-15-2014 03:23 AM

Re: My Luxurious late model truck (not so much)
 
I have a HD bumper I pulled off my 90 that is in pretty good shape. We could probably work something out on it and I'm right down the road.

83GMCK2500 05-15-2014 10:27 AM

Re: My Luxurious late model truck (not so much)
 
Quote:

Originally Posted by Tx Firefighter (Post 6673799)
I got some big stuff at home to put on the truck but I needed a bunch of little detail stuff to do it.

:D :metal: Woo-hoo! My experience is lacking in a few ways, one of which is engine building/assembling. I really appreciate the pictures and explanation behind your engine build. As always, I look forward to your thread updates. I always learn something, be it a process, a tip/trick, or just good advice.

Craigslist is indeed funny that way. Wasn't even thinking about them the other day and I stumbled across a set of Firestone Ride-Rite bags for the flatbed, whole kit off a '94 just a couple years old. Cha-ching, mine!

Tx Firefighter 05-17-2014 06:58 AM

Re: My Luxurious late model truck (not so much)
 
Now that I had the engine assembled it was time to tend to the engine compartment and engine accesories before installation.

First thing I noticed about the truck, even before I bought it, was that the fan clutch was seized up. I haven't ever seen one completely seized like this one. With the engine off you could grab the fan with your hand and turn the engine over.

So, I cleaned up and powdercoated the fan.

http://i276.photobucket.com/albums/k...fe83bbba78.jpg

New Heavy Duty Hayden fan clutch.

http://i276.photobucket.com/albums/k...fd96fff8a8.jpg

The knock sensor was broken for some reason so I had to get a new one. Rockauto takes a lot of the pain out of buying Delco quality parts.

http://i276.photobucket.com/albums/k...0a336476ef.jpg

I cleaned and powdercoated the stock intake manifold. Good thing I spent some time on it, the EGR passages were completely clogged with carbon. Various bits cleaned up and installed...

http://i276.photobucket.com/albums/k...9e5b362db1.jpg

I like to use teflon paste rather than teflon tape.

http://i276.photobucket.com/albums/k...9e3eea1029.jpg

http://i276.photobucket.com/albums/k...12ddf30dd7.jpg

These trucks have a very brittle quick connect for the heater hose on the back of the manifold which seem the break regularly and cause heartache so I changed over to the better aftermarket replacement. No better time than right now rather the beside the road sometime.

http://i276.photobucket.com/albums/k...955e08cc28.jpg

These are the only thermostat gaskets to buy. They're multi layer and reuseable many times. No sealer, no silicone, no mess, no leaks. Since I started using these some years ago I have never had an issue with leaky thermostat housings.

http://i276.photobucket.com/albums/k...636c6ec7ec.jpg

New thermostat.

http://i276.photobucket.com/albums/k...d0d83f9ff7.jpg

I always drill little bleed holes in my thermostats. It alleviates getting air locks when filling with coolant.

http://i276.photobucket.com/albums/k...1a71382d7b.jpg

http://i276.photobucket.com/albums/k...4ef005be65.jpg

Always use anti-seize on your thermostat bolts. It avoids future heartaches. How many threads have we seen on here from guys with broken off thermostat housing bolts ? A ton, that's how many.

http://i276.photobucket.com/albums/k...e44898b607.jpg

http://i276.photobucket.com/albums/k...f47830d3d6.jpg

EGR valve hardware.

http://i276.photobucket.com/albums/k...83d196aedb.jpg

http://i276.photobucket.com/albums/k...b6ef662ca5.jpg

http://i276.photobucket.com/albums/k...78ba654444.jpg

A note here. My thermostat housing was somewhat heavily pitted on the bottom flange and I didn't want to pony up the cash for a new one so I powdercoated it heavily, then filed it flat, using the powdercoat as filler for the pits. Then one final finish coat of powdercoat.

http://i276.photobucket.com/albums/k...8f60f13165.jpg

That heater hose fitting I was talking about earlier. It comes with sealant on the threads, just open it up and screw it in place.

http://i276.photobucket.com/albums/k...0cd1e62865.jpg

Tx Firefighter 05-17-2014 07:14 AM

Re: My Luxurious late model truck (not so much)
 
Next sub project was the heater hose. I like stuff all routed like original so I wanted to spend some time here and get it right rather than using plain hose or something.

http://i276.photobucket.com/albums/k...d90365bb4a.jpg

The old quick connect.

http://i276.photobucket.com/albums/k...74404c3e3a.jpg

Slit the factory crimp band with a grinder.

http://i276.photobucket.com/albums/k...a70b2c1ca4.jpg

Take all this junk off and throw it away.

http://i276.photobucket.com/albums/k...60fbbd753c.jpg

You're left with the pipe itself. Corroded and gunky.

http://i276.photobucket.com/albums/k...2d03eebb15.jpg

http://i276.photobucket.com/albums/k...545bd81508.jpg

http://i276.photobucket.com/albums/k...6444a3f17f.jpg

Now, clean that mess up and paint it.

http://i276.photobucket.com/albums/k...b91c165153.jpg

Various other little bits cleaned up, detailed, and powdercoated.

http://i276.photobucket.com/albums/k...6bb558f7f2.jpg

http://i276.photobucket.com/albums/k...97e1836155.jpg

http://i276.photobucket.com/albums/k...ad0a75564b.jpg

Begin the laborious process of degreasing and pressure washing the engine compartment.

http://i276.photobucket.com/albums/k...752c9c9225.jpg

http://i276.photobucket.com/albums/k...f3a26da092.jpg

http://i276.photobucket.com/albums/k...e11bdfe192.jpg

Personally, I always change engine mounts on the trucks I build. These had 200k miles on them and new ones were less than 15 dollars for the pair. Changing them was not fun. I had to wind up dropping the entire front differential housing down from the truck to get access to the nuts on the bottom.

http://i276.photobucket.com/albums/k...e45c530399.jpg

http://i276.photobucket.com/albums/k...b2ab30058c.jpg

Some grease was hidden behind the old mounts. I can't sleep at night with that.

http://i276.photobucket.com/albums/k...690e857e71.jpg

http://i276.photobucket.com/albums/k...7160bd915e.jpg

New versus old.

http://i276.photobucket.com/albums/k...f8ed05fc3f.jpg

Cleaned and shot with a quick coat of paint .

http://i276.photobucket.com/albums/k...e9471fe896.jpg

http://i276.photobucket.com/albums/k...baf9f4db6f.jpg

http://i276.photobucket.com/albums/k...e4ec06befc.jpg

http://i276.photobucket.com/albums/k...62234d0cbc.jpg

The flywheel looked pretty ugly so I had my local place machine it for me.

http://i276.photobucket.com/albums/k...7e08a1490c.jpg

It's important to use a shim between the flywheel and crankshaft to compensate for the thickness that was removed off of the flywheel.

http://i276.photobucket.com/albums/k...88c709d9a0.jpg

These guys work cheap. That's the out the door total for machining and the shim both.

http://i276.photobucket.com/albums/k...1e3d6681d2.jpg

Various other bits cleaned and powdercoated.

http://i276.photobucket.com/albums/k...8ddc774cde.jpg

http://i276.photobucket.com/albums/k...960550ad85.jpg

http://i276.photobucket.com/albums/k...e8b730b8e5.jpg

http://i276.photobucket.com/albums/k...51f1a1228e.jpg

Thunderwagen 05-17-2014 07:18 AM

Re: My Luxurious late model truck (not so much)
 
Once again man I love how detail oriented you are on your builds.

flashed 05-17-2014 08:21 AM

Re: My Luxurious late model truck (not so much)
 
Very nicely done as always .

83GMCK2500 05-17-2014 11:35 AM

Re: My Luxurious late model truck (not so much)
 
Those freshly coated parts look so goooood. How easy are they to keep clean? Thinking of any dust, fluid vapors or splashes incurred in driving or maintaining.

I have one of those (rarer) GMT-400 SM-465 bellhousings stashed and it looks like crapola compared to the one I see behind your motor mounts. What do you do for aluminum, sand/soda & clear?

I might need to scope out the motor mounts on my '96, it has almost 260k with a 454 riding on them. Good to know they're affordable.


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