sahls01gmc

In all seriousness, I don't have many tools in my toolbox. Odds are if something breaks on the road, I won't have that tool with me anyways. I just keep the basics. Small socket set, screwdrivers, crescent wrench or 2, random pliers, 4-way lug wrench and extra oil.

Shoot, that's not even broke in yet! Mine has 200,000 more, and still runs just as great!

^^^, I supply the Generators to that company. They build great stuff.

I'd check your wheel bearings. I had about the same scenario with mine. It was when I was pulling into a parking spot the ABS would engage. Found out the bearing had enough slop to make the ABS sensor not be able to read the teeth on the bearing and thought I was skidding out of control......at 4mph. New bearings....no problem ever since!

No joke, the 350 in it now goes through just as much oil as it does fuel.

I know, but mom doesn't want an LS or a 6-speed. She wants factory just like the day she bought it. I say that as I helped complete renovate their entire main floor of their house which included taking down walls and moving the kitchen......at HER request! I think with enough time she will see that a resto-mod is exactly what she's looking for. Classic looks, modern reliability!

I need to get my parents to restore their black '79 Z28! First thing they bought after they got married. The only problem is getting mom and dad to agree on the same build. She wants a restoration, and he wants a resto-mod. I'm on both sides. Fast and new is great, but nothing beats classic original styling! I need to get my parents to restore their black '79 Z28! First thing they bought after they got married. The only problem is getting mom and dad to agree on the same build. She wants a restoration, and he wants a resto-mod. I'm on both sides. Fast and new is great and unique, but nothing beats classic original styling!

This threw me for a loop the first time I saw it. Makes sense though, I can see the alternators lasting longer now if they're not constantly charging.

How good/old is your power steering pump? I wonder if the bearing on the pulley is going out.

What shocks are you going with Mark?

Well, I finally got it all wrapped up. Some parts were a breeze, and some parts were slightly more difficult. Here's some notes for anyone looking to do this in the future: Upper Control Arms - Since a complete upper control arm with new bushings only cost about $20 more than just the ball joint, this was a no brainer. Not having to press and ball joints or control arm bushings definitely comes in handy if you don't have access to a press. This also saves time. The bolts on the control arms were kinda trick to get out. They were slightly stuck and took some "convincing" to get out. I had to remove the shock to get enough access to swing the mini-sledge to knock the bolts out. After that, just replace and reverse procedures. Pretty straightforward. Lower Ball joints - This one was a lil difficult for me. The ball joint press didn't knock these out, so I headed over to YouTube. This video was a huge life saver! I just followed along and let the 3lb sledge knock the ball joints right out. The ball joint press put the new ones in easy as pie. Tie-rod ends - I originally wanted to leave the center link in and just replace the inner and outer tie-rod ends. I couldn't get enough leverage to break to parts loose when this was installed. Now, the tie-rod end tool would have easily accomplished this task. However, since I was replacing the idler and pitman arms I knew the whole steering linkage was coming out. At that point, I just put the center link on the vice and was easily able to remove the tie-rod ends. Assembling the new tie-rod ends was easy and I was able to match up the lengths so it would be close to how it was when it came off the truck. My only gripe is the MOOG grease zerks would not go in. I had to use the old zerks to thread the new parts before I could attach the new grease zerks. Not a huge deal, I didn't break anything or lose any time. Idler arm (and bracket) - Definitely replace both of these at the same time. The new bracket comes with a grease zerk relocation line so that you can make it easy to grease in the future. I mounted mine to one of the bolts on the sway bar where it attached to the frame. Really easy and straightforward. Remove and replace. Pitman arm - This was the only part I wasn't convinced I could tackle easily. With the differences in parts (3 or 4 groove), I was instantly doubting myself. I bought the 3 groove, and was ready to replace it. When I went to look at replacing it, I noticed I had to move the steering gear box to gain enough access to remove the pitman arm. I was expecting a huge headache fumbling around in that tight space. So I held off and decided to wait until I was going to replace the gear box later down the road. There were 2 gear box options (33 spline or 32 spline), and I was instantly confused again. I shot in the dark and ordered the 33 spline so I could replace everything at once. Turns out the 3 groove pitman arm attaches to the 33 spline gear box. And just for reference, the 4 groove goes with the 32 spline. Makes sense now that I saw how they went together. Replacing the whole unit ended up saving a huge chunk of time versus just replacing one stuck part in tight quarters. Steering gear box - I held off doing this because I thought it would be a pain to do. But, this needed to be done since it was leaking a ton of fluid. After looking at it further, it's only 3 bolts that hold it on there, and they are right on the frame. Really easy to get to. The steering linkage is held on by 1 bolt, and then it comes right off. Quick tip, MAKE SURE YOU DO NOT SPIN THE STEERING WHEEL WHILE THIS IS DETACHED!!! The wires in the steering wheel can easily get pinched and damaged because there is no stop to keep it from spinning. The power steering fluid lines were kinda tricky to break loose, but I was able to do it without breaking them. Then the whole piece came out really easy with the pitman arm attached (after the bolt on the center link was removed of course). From there I was able to attach the new pitman arm to the new steering gear box using the old as a reference, and then re-assemble. I waited to put the lines back on the new gear box until it was bolted to the frame, which was very time consuming because the 18mm wrench could only move about an 1/8 of a turn at a time. Same thing when I was removing it, but I didn't consider that because I was just excited I didn't break the lines. I would suggest trying to attach the lines before you bolt it to the frame, just be careful about how much play you have with the hoses. All in all , I spent around $600 for all MOOG suspension pieces and an ACDELCO re-manufactured gear box. RockAuto was my go to on this, and they delivered big time! The local shop quoted me $2,300 to do all of this work. Even if you had to buy the ball joint press and pitman arm puller, you would still come out way ahead. This work was completed with 275,000 miles on the odometer. Well, off to get an alignment and then hit the road!

Do you tow or haul everyday? Line up your answer with the correct drive mode.

I figured I wasn't the only one! I only notice when I get into the truck....it's perfectly hidden when I'm driving!

What is the black paint on the bottom of the dash trim from? I have the same thing on mine but it is right behind the steering wheel. Haven't tried to take it off yet for fear of making it worse!

Thanks for the tips guys! Looks like the parts should be here Friday, which means I may start tackling it this weekend. I'm gonna study my Chilton's manual as well and see if that has any other tips. I'll try to take some pics along the way.

Ha, that's what I'm afraid of!

(2) Upper control arms (new bushings and ball joints) (2) Lower Ball joints (2) Inner Tie rod ends (2) Outer Tie rod ends (1) Pitman Arm (1) Idler Arm (1) Idler Arm Bracket Assembly. Yeah, I'm doing it all myself. I almost pulled the trigger on the lower control arms, but I don't want to mess with the torsion bars.....those things scare me!

I ordered a full MOOG front end today! Just over $500, and should all be here by Monday.

Thanks davester! The only reason I was asking on the idler arm was because Rockauto lists idler arms that go with either the 3 or 4 groove. I pulled the trigger on a complete MOOG front end rebuild, and gambled on the 3 groove pitman. In the mail is: (2) Upper Control Arms (2) Lower Ball Joints (2) Outer Tie Rod Ends (2) Inner Tie Rod Ends (1) Pitman Arm (3 groove) (1) Idler Arm (1) Idler Arm Bracket Assembly

Sounds good! Thanks for your help! I'll keep this thread updated as I go along.

And that's my dilemma. I have a 2500, non-HD. Based on what you're saying, if I buy all new pieces that match with each other, it should work?

Also, do you recommend replacing the Idler Arm Bracket Assembly as well?

I'm looking to replace my idler and pitman arm, but there are 2 options. I don't know if I have the 3 or 4 groove. My real question is, if I'm replacing both at the same time, can I just buy the same corresponding ones, and they will work? What exactly does the grooves line up to? I suppose I can buy both options, but if I don't have to, I won't.

I wonder if your oil level indicator is malfunctioning/bad. I haven't heard of that before, but anything is possible.

I'd be interested to know how much oil they put in at your last oil change. I'm sure you burn a small amount, and if they filled it to just over the "Low Oil Light", it would go off pretty soon. Did you check the oil level after the oil change?