HG's Bigass Farm Truck

[LT7A]

Looks good! You're making short work of it.

[hgs_notes]

Last patch is in. My lesson learned from this was to not put the weld seam right on the bend because it's thinner there so welding and grinding causes holes, which need to be welded again. Also, believe it or not the patch steel is thicker than the OEM parts.

But it's done. I'll do a little cleaning and rattle can spray to preserve it then put the doors on this weekend. Get some insurance on it next week and take it out on the county road for a couple miles. It hasn't been out of the yard in about 5.75 years. I should probably get the fans powered up for the radiator too.

I still need to fix the driver side cab support and replace the body mount bushings but it can wait until after I put a few miles on it.

[hgs_notes]

Brown

[Ol Blue K20]

Looks good..

[hgs_notes]

Originally Posted by Ol Blue K20

Looks good..

Thanks! It ain't pretty but it's a driver again! Got the doors on this morning, cleaned the windows and got the junk out of the bed and down the road we went. Runs good. The only issues I noticed on my very brief drive was the tranny hunts between first and second during take off and there's a whining noise from the rearend when coasting down from highway speeds. Oh and the seat is too soft, I sink down too far. Wasn't planning to use the original seat but for now it's better than a crate on the floor.

Before the engine swap we timed it to 60 mph with the 454 and 400 tranny. It was about 24 seconds. A real dog. But it rode nice for a 1 ton and the big crewcab was great. Today the 0-60 was around 10-11 seconds. Not really getting on it just like getting down a freeway on ramp. And it cruised at 70 like I was in my Yukon Denali. So smooth in fact I better check the tire pressure. Lol

Lots to do yet but this was a big step today.

[hgs_notes]

Tonight I got the coolant fans hooked up. I wasn't 100% sure my fan relay was going to work. It came with a temp switch that goes on the engine but I wasn't going to use it. The engine harness has 2 wires for fans and the instructions say to connect to the relay ground. I took a chance that the relay ground and the temp switch wire were the same thing and it worked.

Next was using my cheap ass OBD2 code reader to finally find out why the check engine light is always on. Took a few tries to get an app that worked and make a connection with my phone but I got it. The only codes were for oxygen sensors not working. It's trying to read all 4. I only have 2 and no cats. So part of the problem is programming. The other problem is the sensors. When I was hooking them up the plugs were slightly different. I used a razor knife to get the 2 plugs to fit together knowing that they may not work but worth a try. Apparently they didn't connect. So I need to get the correct oxygen sensors and get some programming done.

Lastly I wanted to get the idle adjusted. There's a procedure in the manual for the harness and I followed it but no change. Maybe the oxygen sensors effect it? IDK but in gear it idles at 500. In park it's about 1400, way high.

So overall it's running decent and the fans work and it doesn't overheat. So insurance, get the hood on, make sure the lights all work and I'll put some miles on it. Oh and I have to get the driver door window swapped to the manual regulator. No AC so it's a must have.

Going in the right direction!!

[hgs_notes]

Got insurance on it. But it's not quite ready for a road trip. I got the driver door window regulator swapped so I have air conditioning. I bolted the seat down. Haven't done seat belts yet. And found my tailgate, which is in worse condition than I remember. And it doesn't fit. I don't remember what the deal was when I took it apart but it's an 80 and up tailgate which has different trunnions and I don't have the parts to mount it.

So I called my local parts supply, daburb, and he was out of new gates but had a decent used one for cheap. So I got that as a temporary one and will get a new one later, before paint.

Going to get the hood and grill parts on, probably tomorrow, then drive it to town and see how it goes. The new oxygen sensors will be here Tuesday. I'm still shocked that the only trouble codes were for the sensors. Junkyard engine that sat for several years before I got it running. Unknown condition other than the junkyard people saying it ran good before they pulled it.

[hgs_notes]

Spent the day working on reassembly on the front end. Mismatched bolts, missing bolts, missing bulbs, broken bits, etc. Replaced the tail light lenses. The lights all seem to work but not the blinkers, the flasher isn't clicking I don't think. Got the hood on. Complete pain getting it lined up and it's still not right. Will probably have to replace the hinges. The hood release cable is broken so I can't put the grill in. Should have it next week. Went for a drive though and it rides and drives great. Brakes are a little uneven, probably from sitting so long. Got the gear noise from the rear I need to check out. A small tranny fluid leak by the radiator somewhere.

[hgs_notes]

https://youtu.be/HTrWX1Lq2G8

[rgunlock]

I've been enjoying watching your progress on this truck, but that video was NOT what I expected when I followed the link Lookin good!

[hgs_notes]

Originally Posted by rgunlock

I've been enjoying watching your progress on this truck, but that video was NOT what I expected when I followed the link Lookin good!

Haha, perfect. The song popped in my head because I was going for a drive down highway 68 in my big old pickup truck. My daughters showed me that years ago and it stuck. LOL.

Didn't do a lot today. I routed some wires after getting them loomed up. Connected a ground wire that was missed for the light harness. Most of the wiring is still a loose mess but I'll work on it. I've got bigger fish to fry...

Wanted to put some miles on it and I needed some things so I asked the wife if she wanted to ride along. She brought the puppy with because he needs more exposure to the public. So we went for a bit longer drive today and had transmission problems. Thought I fixed the leak but didn't. Fixed it in the store parking lot. And added 2 quarts of tranny fluid. It didn't leak that much, it was just low because I hadn't really filled it all the way, which is one of the things I needed from the store. The leak was solved by Just using some Teflon tape on fitting threads. The bigger problem though is it loses overdrive after it warms up. And then it really hunts for gears between 2nd and 3rd at part throttle. It got me home, 40 mile round trip. Nothing is hot.

I found a website that tells how to diagnose the most common problems with the 4L80e and I think it's an electrical side issue and not mechanical. I could be wrong but the symptoms seem to indicate a sensor problem sending bad info to the ECU or a solenoid acting up. I'm going to get the codes read for it and talk to a couple mechanic friends and see if I can figure it out. Fingers crossed that I don't have to pull the tranny. I think I only paid about $400 but that doesn't mean I want to dump a grand or 2 into it now.

Picture could be titled "because roadkill". Not the first time doing repairs in a store lot. Probably not the last.

[hgs_notes]

Today's progress. It's got a front bumper.

[Ol Blue K20]

The bumper makes it look a lot better

[hgs_notes]

Originally Posted by Ol Blue K20

The bumper makes it look a lot better

Yeah, the grille will too. I have a new one but waiting to install until after I get the new hood release cable in. Just ordered it so next week.

Also ordered a new OBD2 code reader.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08PFJMTY3...R9F18B8T31MT34

Supposed to read transmission codes and other stuff. The wireless cheap one I have now will only do engine codes and is really frustrating to use because it's wifi and doesn't stay connected. I bet I had to reconnect my phone wifi to the code reader a dozen times. Eventually I got it and was able to clear the oxygen sensor codes after replacing them. New code reader gets here next week too so we'll see what I find.

Going to be a hot weekend so probably going to float in the pool more than work on trucks. I don't really have any new pics to share so instead here are pics of what I'm looking for in future projects. If you know where I can find a Chevy van, short, without a bunch of windows in fair condition let me know. Or a boat tail riviera, 71-73. Less than $2500, project cars.

[Ol Blue K20]

I love those Rivieras, I'll keep my eyes open for you.

[hgs_notes]

Haven't figured out the problem with the transmission yet. I bought a new OBD2 code reader and took a drive with it hooked up. I monitored the temperature and once it hit 80c it kicked it into safe mode without OD. The temperature kept climbing up to high 90s. I stopped for a few minutes and the temp was still in the 90s but it went back to normal operation. I checked the pan temp and it was much lower than indicated so that is one problem. I'm trying to understand why it went into safe mode and then back without a lower temperature.

It will also swing really bad between 2nd and 3rd at minimal throttle. No idea what's happening there. And the shift into OD is really hard when I do have it.

A used transmission with issues? No way! I can try to fix it myself. The common issue is solenoids, harness, etc. Which you can buy a kit to do. Or with a new valve body, which includes the solenoids and would make sure the TCC valve is also good and only about another $50. Plus the new temperature sensor. And I should add an external tranny cooler.

Or take it to a tranny shop and have it checked out. Since it seems to work pretty well mechanically I'm thinking about just changing the temperature sensor and filter. Eliminate the known problem, do basic maintenance, then see what happens. And check what's in the pan, if anything.

[Ol Blue K20]

Originally Posted by hgs_notes

Haven't figured out the problem with the transmission yet. I bought a new OBD2 code reader and took a drive with it hooked up. I monitored the temperature and once it hit 80c it kicked it into safe mode without OD. The temperature kept climbing up to high 90s. I stopped for a few minutes and the temp was still in the 90s but it went back to normal operation. I checked the pan temp and it was much lower than indicated so that is one problem. I'm trying to understand why it went into safe mode and then back without a lower temperature.

It will also swing really bad between 2nd and 3rd at minimal throttle. No idea what's happening there. And the shift into OD is really hard when I do have it.

A used transmission with issues? No way! I can try to fix it myself. The common issue is solenoids, harness, etc. Which you can buy a kit to do. Or with a new valve body, which includes the solenoids and would make sure the TCC valve is also good and only about another $50. Plus the new temperature sensor. And I should add an external tranny cooler.

Or take it to a tranny shop and have it checked out. Since it seems to work pretty well mechanically I'm thinking about just changing the temperature sensor and filter. Eliminate the known problem, do basic maintenance, then see what happens. And check what's in the pan, if anything.

All of that is out of my wheelhouse. I'd be tempted to talk,to a trans guy and get his recommendations.

[hgs_notes]

Not much progress, had a back spasm last week that I can still feel some pain from. Waiting for parts to be delivered. But I did manage to replace the hood release cable and put the grill in.

Found a tranny filter kit that includes new shift solenoids and got a new temperature sensor. Going to swap that and check what's in the pan, if anything. If it looks ok I'll add some tranny repair in a bottle from Lucas and seafoam. And install the aux cooler. Run it for a while and see if it's better. Move on from there.

Front end Wednesday...

[Ol Blue K20]

Smile is almost complete. The truck looks happy!

[Low Elco]

Man, I'd forgotten about this one! Congrats on the progress!

[hgs_notes]

The parts came, almost. One of the shift solenoids was missing from the package, the 1-2 shift solenoid. I don't think that one was a problem but I can always replace it if I need to. I didn't want to wait anymore so today I dropped the pan and checked things out. There was some wear materials in it but I don't think it was excessive. Nothing else in it. There was a magnet in the pan but not much more than dark silt on it. Everything looked alright, clean, fluid looks and smells ok. So I replaced the 2-3 shift solenoid and the temp sensor. New filter. I put in some Lucas transmission treatment and seafoam transmission treatment in it. I don't know if using both will be good or bad but they are different products and I figure that they have different ways of doing what they do, so why not?

The transmission fluid cooler I picked up was from a 90 something truck. They work great for the 67-72 truck because the brackets will mount right on the radiator support like it was made for it. That's not the case on a square body. I pretty much had to completely change the brackets to make it fit behind the grill. I got the lines with it and rebent the hard line part to go where I needed. Didn't quite finish it tonight, it's mounted but I need to get the lines hooked up. Then a test drive and cross my fingers. Probably Wednesday.

Bonus pic is a 59 Jeep. A friend (fellow board member) and I drove to the Denver area last weekend to check out a 63 C10 that he was interested in. Turned out to be too rusty and he was pretty down about it. We had planned on spending a day there to get the truck then be tourists and check out the sites. I've been there before but he hasn't. The forney transportation museum was on the list to check out but it was closed for a private event. I wanted to go up pike's peak, but this was race week and we weren't going to be able to do that either. He had to be home on Monday for work so we couldn't stay Sunday for the race. The next thing to do was simply drive up into the mountains. He's never been out west, never seen the Rockies. Off we went, with the trailer hooked up. An empty trailer. There was rain, some construction, some traffic but overall it was going alright. We drove past a place that had a bunch of old iron sitting outside so I took the next exit and went back to get a closer look. Cool stuff along the road but it's posted no trespassing. The guys shop was just up the driveway so I suggested we just go ask if we can check it out. The owner was in the shop and he was open to selling most of what was there. And there was a lot. He had a similar truck to what we had passed on that morning. But the jeep caught both of our attention. After hours of checking out all of his extensive collection we decided to make an offer on the jeep. My friend agreed to a deal and we loaded it up. We weren't going home empty. And his wife loves it so a very successful trip, even though we didn't get what we came for. The jeep is a decent driver, original 4 cylinder overhead valve engine, new tires, even the spare, a little rust but not too bad. Not sure if the winch works but it probably does. The lights didn't work but wiring an old jeep isn't difficult. Did he need another vehicle or project? Nope. Did we have a blast driving out west, finding cool stuff, meeting a great guy and getting something we didn't expect at a fair price? Hell yeah!

[hgs_notes]

Changed filter, temp sensor, shift solenoid, added aux cooler and tranny repair in a can. No real improvement.

The transmission keeps going into hot transmission mode at normal and lower temperature. Drove about 30 miles and it went into that mode 3 times. Highest temperature was about 187f which is normal. The high fluid temperature shouldn't happen until the fluid is at 295f for 30 minutes. If I shut it off and restart it goes back to normal operation and then hot mode again a few miles later. Other than that it seems to operate pretty normal mechanically.

Online search is indicating that this happens on swaps and is a programming issue or the ECU itself has issues. I'm getting some other trouble codes related to the fuel level sensor, which I don't think is even connected to the ECU. So I think the next step is going to the local shop that does these swaps routinely and have them check out the ECU and programming.

[hgs_notes]

I called the local shop that does LS swaps and we figured out the transmission problem. The 4L80e has two VSS connections. My harness only has a single VSS connector and I was plugged into the wrong one. Took about 30 seconds to switch it. The test drive went great. It even fixed the high idle problem I had.

During the call he asked about the various connections and the symptoms. One thing I had noticed but he didn't ask about was that my scanner showed a speed even when the truck was in park. That lit a light bulb and he said my VSS connections were reversed. I only had one so I switched it. Problem solved.

I drove around, let it sit and idle, drove some more, never shut it off. It ran for well over an hour, never overheating, transmission never really got warmer than about 165f.

Made my day. Still need to bring it to the shop so they can fix a couple other programming issues. Nothing serious. Going to put some miles on it over the next couple weeks, change the oil in the rear axle, clean up some wiring and work on getting the gages working.

[Ol Blue K20]

I'm glad it was something easy.

[LT7A]

Glad to hear the transmission worked out and that's a cool Jeep.