barry G's 1996 gmc 4x4 5spd

[barry G]

into the cold

 

 

 

 

I do not mention much, my locale hits cold spot of the nation unannounced more times than I don't forget.

the past two days have been brutal.

 

I jump started a neighbors vehicle. Had ice and above 35F for a few hours, right back under.

Dead calm and this cold is beautiful to me.. but I assume myself to be part old russian eskimo.

 

Every detail is not for show with this truck build, it is for this cold.

Keeping amperes in the right places.

 

the starts are tremendously confident. The new LED projector lamps are incredible. I spotted those againt oday, only it was on a 96 ford with a home made bed. Works for every make and model of anything.

 

I did swap battery for my own record of when it was new, in september.. wasn't sure of the old one.

that is posted in this thread. A duracell from sam's club. 850cca.

#1 cold starts in my 29 years of driving, 23 vehicles. I have no choice but to build them for maine.

I even had a monte carlo that was jacked up looking like a baja vehicle.

305 chevy in that one too..

 

I am also noticing in the frigid, the manual tranny seems huge compared to the molasses of automatics. Even the duramax and powerstrokes are wheezing turbos to power going everywhere but the damn ground.

 

 

This one lays it down at all times... an amazing sound and sight in this dangerously cold place.

the only pickup I have witnessed with more confidence was a powerstroke with stacks, and a six speed.

 

onto january we go..

needing nothing as of now.

Edited December 21, 2016 by barry G

[barry G]

maxi fuses

 

I only bought a pile for being a good deal, 30 maxi fuses assorted with two breaker/resettable.

 

found this photo on the net. I added the orange 40 in black background.

 

I dropped many amps off the fuse box in the dash, now I wanted to drop underhood some.

The lighting, all of it combined is using less than 1/8th of factory build.

Not much to change there, I swapped 2 fifty amp (#7 and 8) for 40.

 

I could go lower...but won't. This electrical hog from 1996 is way over the top for some time now, Just going for final extras.

not even the abs makes a weird noise to work.. that is the biggest fuse of all for this gmc.

 

I also have a new alternator beyond the 80-100A these shipped with. I would guess 120-140A.

 

 

Anyone remember the goofy tailpipe installs? This one was too long and dangling. I was epxecting snow piles to break it by now, or some kid jump on it.

 

 

I chopped off 7 inches.

Another tune to dial in. Injection is very fun. Self learned 7 inches chopped off the tail pipe.

I remember this chore way back to the 70s chevys...and even older.

Crazy pipes.

 

this photo shows the pipe trimmed, and the back end with concentric spacers is 80 inches track width.

I welded new sills into the bed, the old gmc got a fat butt now.

 

The tires stay within the wells at 80 inches wide.

impressive looking for aging gurus like me.. most don't notice.

 

Another impressive thought to me. as you can see the snow was rain and heavy and sucked it all in, did not let go of the water. We used to call that the back breaker storms. The back end of my truck was full of it. Shoveling it out revealed at least 500 pounds. The back end never budged with the hellwigs and new sills. Did not even notice going down the road.

 

I did something right. I love steel work anyway.. been a hobby for almost 10.

It was a good time to inspect last summer finale frankenstien on the spare tire cross member, shock mount. Very content under there. Many times harder than GM.

 

I may add even more, thinking of the next engine... even bigger. I look for "nv4500" and go from there. Taking my time.

 

I adore the 305 for now and always. Always my favorite.

 

almost forgot..

my first change for 2017 is a low CPI high flow 3 way cat. I have a favorite brand, will reveal when it is done. the road in front of my truck is called "1a". a very busy maine route. I hear vehicles of all kinds, and even witnessed a super car or two. It is a tourist route.

 

anyway..

when the enthusiast powerstroke or duramax decides to drop a gear climbing the hill.. holy cow. They echo off to the right into the valley an image of itself. Very impressive motors.

It made my thumpy truck seem very quiet.

 

so, I will let it breathe in one more ethical way, a new catalyst should do it.

 

 

this is less than a week after previous photos. Quite a monster out there. I am even second guessing this federally built building I am in. My entire chore list is for the photo above.

 

This gets dangerous quick. Keeping an eye on the wet storms coming as the straw that breaks something's back.

 

Just in time. It may seem prophetic, but it is 3 decades for me in maine. There really is an elongated cycle, about a decade long for each.

This season is disasters.

loves electric, and foreign steel. Weak buildings and minds and fairy talers. I have lost a few things here.Trucks typically do great in the steel, and modern electric.

This 96 had the misalignment of not enough alternator, and way too many amps taken for lighting.

 

 

for giggles. My welded 1987 subaru is 30 years old now for 2017. The 4 lo allos it to pluck itself out of the darndest piles. Now taller than my subaru, where it normally parks.Used it as a wind breaker, pile keeper.

Edited January 4, 2017 by barry G

[barry G]

nothing for chores in this thread, just driving around with my camera.

recent storm.

I like going for a rural drive, this isn't even 5 miles from home.

 

icy sloppy mess.

 

heavy dense stuff. the truck is actually on top of some inches.. not sure how much.

5000 pound is just right.

 

 

abandoned railroad trussel converted for road use.

 

this side of road spot had a good puddle mixed in.

 

 

was sailing along at 60, simple sloppy two lane road, and a wt gardiner logging truck stomped on its 600hp to go by.

glad to be in the truck, as if the roads aren't daredevil enough. Got rig drivers acting like ken block with 120k pounds.

 

grew up with this stuff.

 

state vehicle inspection next month, nothing to think about.. just goes right through.

Edited January 26, 2017 by barry G

[barry G]

high flow cat

 

I had confessed this truck is a bit beefier than the stereotype of those who cannot see odd length plug wires..never mind real power to the ground that goes missing to amperes sucked dry on old lights.

 

Anyway...

very close to 300hp now, without a high flow cat.

 

 

 

By chance, found the cat this truck needs, it is the same need as a brand spanking new LS to get and avoid California..

began in 1996 for GM, but ads place it in 1997 or even 1998. That is the elusive fact that would have had me putting in the wrong cat.

Not sure why they got that mixed up.

 

basically if your engine is obd2 and has a po420 code check..this is the high flow cat they built for that design. Respects ECM code checking.

thunderbolt calls these HD. I like thunderbolt for the price.

 

I have one in an 87 subaru, only very extreme at 100cpi.

 

I have inspection due sometime in the next month, I'll ask that same garage if they can weld this on for me.

[barry G]

big snow

 

Took the truck down a small road.

 

30 years familiar with this place, Never saw this much.

 

 

This is not my better video editing software, but easy going enough for you tube.

 

I also have a question, before i check the block..

Do you think it is a 350 or 305?

I had second guessed it after swapping fuel pump almost 2 years ago.

 

I still wager 305, as the way thermostat kicks open is very content. No shooting past 200 and surging.

Very thumpy powerful 305.

 

Truck is smothered in icy snow packed stuff.. all at my new steel. I am glad to have made it more than twice over OEM.

I love driving this around.

 

The ride is harder than factory, all tools and things that can rattle. The Energy poly cab mounts are really working.

 

 

 

I also made a timelapse.

Edited February 16, 2017 by barry G

[barry G]

inspection day

 

went right through. Needed nothing. Inspection for 21-22 year.

Got complimented on the exhaust note to boot.

..and a surprising reaction about the ebrake working and being exact.

This manual tranny truck needs that function of course.

 

This truck has zero errors.

Everything works.

I like to mention this for a 21 year old northern 358,600 miles.

An ode to mechanics and fabricators.

My own welds.

The repairs before I purchased.. is a long list. No one let it go.

Someone stopped at shock mount broken and needing a patch.

My pleasure.

I love welding the american stuff.

 

 

 

Yes wimps. I am posting this for you.

 

 

[barry G]

With the hard stuff done, I just need to drive.

I-95 to canadian border is my limit.

 

 

 

 

 

Very rough sections heading home. The wind noise in part of it.. it is actually that windy. Gets kinda violent near katahdin. No leaks, very comfortable cab.

 

 

surprised me near 80. the torsion reaching way back.. that is quite something.

Very confident.

 

Today inspecting underneath has a exfoliation flake near passenger shock mount, right where I left it. Nothing budged. Really pounced the hell out of this. Even rattles are minimal.

I am beyond factory now...

and not done yet. Next is more custom chores.

I want 400# actual on my bumpers trailer tongue weight.

Easy to do, will show and tell.

 

Did good on fuel. Powerful for a 305.

A good pile of my learning came from a low budget racing group. Cheap engines, and chassis..

once welded for safety, the less than stellar engines became big, strong fires, moved more air (hp)

 

All because of steel chores. The density of what holds it into the body allows for it to stomp its feet by nature.

I share this truck, mostly for steel chores. It is a total shame what some think of steel needing work. That is the biggest chance to make a real vehicle.

 

The hot brake (left front) is a routine of climbing into spring.. needed a good long ride.

The tighter the system, the more likely my vehicle would do this at this time of year.

Not just gm trucks, even my subaru was an idiot..left front sticky, into Feb- March.

The brake fluid is not as dynamical as claims. I know it is expanding.

just go into a maine 20 below and wait for spring.

 

I even put DOT4 in my subaru to help. The cold side of the temp range, it still goes exceeded.

Edited March 1, 2017 by barry G

[grizzlyltz]

Barry I read your write up from the first post, I like your humour and I can tell you love what you do

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[barry G]

Barry I read your write up from the first post, I like your humour and I can tell you love what you do

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

I do.

 

I don't mention much on why have a lot of time. Been a disabled veteran for 21 years.

Take my own time, summers only.

 

I have fun welding chores with my dad's rigs as well.

 

A lot gets lost here, in real world keeping pace.. it is like watching the spirit of working going broken. Billionare or not..weak vehicles really suck.

 

I like the trucks, all makes. I chose gm a long time ago.

I may take in a troubled powerstroke, manual tranny.. another project.

This locale, you could find stuff into 30 years old now... still going down the road in mythical ways.

 

this 96 has a tougher routine this year, there is a longer day change where the density of the cab changes length on top of the frame. Even the driveshaft changes..the big hollow. All the steel down low into the below zero.. dead silent out here really cools it down.

 

it is kinda like when you get a bent rotor.. except it isn't. An opposite of fail. 70+mph dials it in instead of out. That goes away by end of april.

That is the only drawback to going 70k psi in strategic bouncy GM places. The tails used to be wimpy for a reason.

I can sure understand why new trucks fall off the lots in droves.

 

I got the very front cab mounts on a stainless steel sandwich, allowing a full quarter inch gap for a rotation 360 degrees.. just for these seasonal changes. It looked like a sun dial when I first inspected at 20 years old, 350k.

 

The full poly mounts by energy suspension..master pieces. they really thunk them good.

 

Spring is on its way.

This last ride has it real close to 360k miles even. Engine is spotless, and got a look at the back of the block today. A real vortec.. just might be original. The logo for GM is a bit different than 88-95.. this might mean that it is the metric 305. This was thumpy and powerful enough to raise doubts on displacement, it is faster than the 350 auto of the same years. Quite robust. Still a 305.

my way. Surround what holds it in.. good place to start.

Edited March 1, 2017 by barry G

[barry G]

burning brake!

 

it finally went too far today. Got so hot I was waiting in a parking lot to be sure a rim did not crack or fluid catch fire.

 

 

 

went to O'reillys down the road from where I was at and got two new calipers and new pads.. redid the front in about an hour. Got a 6 dollar discount for being a veteran, they just needed the last 3 of my DOD id.

returning the cores got it down to about 52 dollars.

 

the caliper was so hot, it remained smoking on the garage floor the whole time as I redid both sides, and had truck backed out in the yard all bled and ready to go.

I bet it turned red somewhere on the way to garage.

 

the driver side was the roaster. Passenger side was quite old. The nitrile type rubber boots..decaying badly. Driver side was young..but overworked. The old pads were worn, but just over the halfway mark. Rotors are quite young.

 

big power increase.. had no clue it had been dragging since I bought the truck. Only when it got hot did I notice.The slippery 305 manual combo must have tricked my own mind.

 

back to 22mpg...and 140mph if need be.

phenomenal is a good word.

Did I ever tell you what 122mph is, smooth as glass.. with wind whistling by the windows in a gmc?

I never will. Because I never go over 58mph. *cough* allergies.

Edited March 7, 2017 by barry G

[barry G]

fuel mileage

 

I volunteer to drive a neighbor to the V.A. hospital, disabled vet like me.

222.7 miles if we beeline.. did that twice thus far.

 

I caught onto the trucks gas gauge going down at a slower pace, and figured it out with underestimation today...

over 20mpg.

The brake was indeed sticking for more than a year.

 

My first ride home in it, feb 2015. The old tires thumping, cross sills broken, shock mount.. it still tanked an 80mph wind blowing powdered snow out of the back all 160 miles...22mpg.

 

A lot of improvements since then, in fact most of them beyond factory.

I found max oil pressure is right at 80mph, 2300 rpm today. Cruise control on for quite a while.

Slippery old truck, I love that manual transmission.

 

I think that is the benchmark maximum for this model, it even matches the sticker on the window from 1996.

 

if you are below that 20mpg on the 96-98 with 5 liter... keep after the chores. It is only hiding behind something.

the manual does go way beyond the aging automatics, I'd still shoot for 18mpg anyway on that one.

[barry G]

new plugs

 

winter has been long. Today is still cold and windy.

opted to jump up into the engine bay with warm engine and swap plugs to iridium.

 

 

did not need to, but was curious.

Miles is unknown on this perfect motor. I had guessed 60 to 80k miles when I heard it start at the dealer... January 2015.

I have many subconscious miles on the 305. Beyond memory .. miles and miles and miles and miles.

All hours, all a maine year.

 

 

I was right on the money. It must be close to 100k miles now.. still a bit less. Maybe 80-90k.

 

 

 

 

I have never seen worn platinums , have you?

the middle one is iridium.

this truck has some good amps in the right places. Manual tranny is lacking a whole other computer it would use for automatics. This one has no DRL implemented, No anti-theft.. or power seats.

 

I figured it simply fried the plugs itself.

they gapped themsleves to .070 +/- .002

factory is .060

Feisty truck.

never missed a cylinder.. I even drove on an arcing plug wire when i first got it.

 

going for high flow cat next, and one more o2 sensor that demanded to be twins with another version I bought.

 

bled brakes after a flush the manul way.. pump the pedal with bleeder open. Refill , go at it again.

this winter crossed the lones of cold. it was black thick and thin at the same time. Wiped the carbon out of master cylnder when it was empty.

 

first longer ride on the new plugs, cat code is still in place. p0420.

Real stinker after a good throttle romp.

Smells like my old subaru before the high flow swap.

 

 

the cat comes to life the farther south i go.. this region may be the killer of that too. It kills all fluids..even antifreeze.

No longevity in the fluids.

synthetic oil does good however.

The high flow cat trick was inadvertently learned wanting to allow my racing subaru engine more flow. It fixed a lot of old problems.

That was just 6 years ago. I kept getting bad advice about the factory cats.

"just keep them and add cleaners."

"the factory cat is high flow, leave it alone"

 

 

Ignoring that from now on.

Going for the same brand as my subaru miracle, always cheap enough, to put in the truck.

the subaru even smells sweet.. processing correctly. I am assuming factory cat goes too far trying to conquer sulfur. My locale is worse than the new jersey flats. Can't have the overzealous cat.

Edited March 19, 2017 by barry G

[barry G]

6 month scrub

 

 

thinking of new electrical signatures.

iridium plugs, LED headlamps.. in the months of goo that let nothing go.

Waking up the hibernation to spring.

Went through a car wash with scrubbing wheels and extras I rarely give.

Last fall was the last scrub.. maybe even august.

 

I played with buffer and caranuba last summer like so many of my dads rigs growing up. The truck seems easy of course.

A bit smaller. Under all the crap, the shine was still there.

 

Every oncoming vehicle stared at this truck coming home from the wash.

the black paint is so very black.

 

I still look twice sometimes. After a good scrub is one of them.

Running excellent, ready for the surge of April.

maines record is 90F in caribou.

 

I was here for that one.. 1990.

it reached 92F or so in my locale. We walked out of school, people getting sick.

 

7F last night.. I know what is coming next. It is quite warm in comparison.

Will post my summers weld extras when the time comes. Just keeping an excellent runtime going for now.

 

it was 26F at the wash, but I knew the black paint would not keep any frosty moisture in the sun.

Edited March 23, 2017 by barry G

[barry G]

some old maine problems

 

 

I saw this video today, and hardly laughed.

what he is in trouble for, maine went through with cult status in the 80s, early 90s.

 

 

 

 

For 300k subscribers..

the fan who sent him the snowflake air scent was right on.

(snowflake is a term for aimless)

 

I later learned if you do get it all right, keeping stuff in the wells or flares...

past 80 inches needs clearance lights.

 

 

My half ton is a candidate for the offroad toy mode, always has been around here.

I keep the back at exactly 80 inches, inside the wells.

 

10.5 inches of tread, a 13 inch wide overall.. all on factory numbers. Why can't kids stay happy with real engineering.

There is also a lever effect for 4x4 modes. the tires in the right spots grab a traction due to footprint pressures from the rails and suspension.

 

I know 4x4.

stay smart.

[barry G]

small update

I have been experimenting with LED since 2007.First spotted on an ecomod forum for hypermilers. I tried license plate lights first for my 1987 subaru...it had a 50 amp alternator. Lights of any kind killed it.

I liked it so much, I was buying first edition versions all the way to today. As they evolve, I swap them out.

the 1996 has 4 of the older 1157 socket up front.

I did not like how dim the 54smd version was, and am just getting to the brighter ones now.

this whole truck is swapped. All the others are perfect.

 

this should conclude the LED swap. Just replace as needed.

I did find the switch back, white.amber version.. and this truck could get away with it, as the lenses are very opaque, like an old cadillac.

 

I'll just go simply bright, call it good.