You could bobtail it while you are there. Add a huge crossmember for a towhitch
Over here this would be a paperwork nightmare to fix
You could bobtail it while you are there. Add a huge crossmember for a towhitch
Over here this would be a paperwork nightmare to fix
I don't think I'll bob the bed, but I will definitely be adding in a tow hitch. Part of me wants to build a new spare tire carrier, but I know I'm just gonna toss the spare tire in the bed anyways.
I'm thankful that Kansas is extremely boring and flat and practically 100% farmland and prarie, because the laws on vehicle quality are much less strict than the laws concerning the methane output of livestock.
Regulating cow farts is more important than the structural integrity or carbon footprint of vehicles on public roads... But the roads themselves serve as a "survival of the fittest" inspection anyways. Lol
Just as an FYI: Mr. Gasket p/n 1516 fuel pump block off plate does NOT bolt directly to the G54B. It hits both the valve cover and the intake manifold, but the bolt holes line up. It will fit after cutting off the excess on the bottom, but the gasket that comes with it will no longer work. A new stock fuel pump gasket will be needed.
After all of the disappointments, accidents and mistakes, I should give this little truck some credit. The engine seems to be either extremely well taken care of, or much newer than the rest of the truck. The coolant was bright green, no rust in the radiator. The exhaust manifold studs weren't even that rusty... I don't know if there is some way of figuring out the age or mileage of this engine, but I would love to know if this one is original to this truck or has been replaced. Is there any markings that would tell the story?
I got the tach mounted, I hate drilling holes in the dash but oh well.I still have to finish wiring it up, just have to decide where to tap into for illumination and switched +12v. The stereo should be relatively easy to wire in, since the previous owner had an aftermarket one installed.
Two of the three green 168 gauge cluster bulbs are burnt out, and I'm unsure if those green covers are removable. I'm seriously considering swapping to LEDs, but that will have to wait. The turn signal flasher doesn't work, but the hazards do. Every other bulb in the truck works though.
I'm still working through all the little things, hopefully I can make progress this weekend.
These motors last if oil changed regularly. I got 275,000 and it was a something mechanical that made me rebuild it. It could of went many more miles with good compression and not a drop of oil burned.
Considering what the oil looked like when I drained it, it hadn't been changed for at least 10k miles.
I guess the only way to really know is to pull the head.
After the catastrophic melt down of my now notorious hung dog wagon, a few things about servicing were brought up by the shop I paid to chemically clean my pistons and rods* (turned out to be a massive waste of time and blew $44 unnecessarily but I learned sumpin'...)
#1 - Oil flushes are a good idea (there are places in hydraulics that won't purge clean from a regular oil change and it helps to break up sediment in the engine sump which prolongs the life and quality of fresh oil, bearing surfaces also varnish up from old oil and some of it gums up piston rings and grooves)
#2 - Service it at regular intervals (I had no way of knowing what the PO had put the engine through but I have a theory the head had been off and piston 3 had been replaced - leans towards a blown timing belt and piston/valvetrain damage. The first oil change I did looked nasty...)
#3 - If you are using a particular grade/type of oil, stick to it (mineral based oils and synthetics are not compatible with each other and bad stuff can happen)
*The oil scraper rings on all pistons were fused into their grooves and were completely non functioning. The piston bores were like chrome BUT had not taken any signs of mechanical damage that warranted a bore and new pistons. I did a shonky repair by deglazing the bores and installing new standard rings - so far it's running like a charm (oil ports on the pistons were still blocked after the shop clean and I spent 5 hours preparing and polishing the pistons by hand before I was happy with them - the chemical cleaning discoloured the alloy and left some kind of weird residue on them...)
I pulled the dash finally...
IMG_20190223_183512832.jpg
And cleaned everything. Wired up the stereo, made a half-assed cover template for the lower half, and started cleaning the inside of the cab.
IMG_20190224_225149312.jpg
Eventually I'll make an actual plate thick enough to mount switches or gauges, but this will be fine. I also picked up a set of 5x7s and a 10" sub... This truck might not be waterproof but it'll sound good. Lol
Dude that looks super fresh. A lotta work but worth it
There's still a LOT more to do...
But eventually this truck will be "done" and I'll be able to drive it. lol
"Done"Originally Posted by WarStryker13
I'm not trolling you but when does a resto ever get finished? The good thing about a dash pull out and heater box rebuild is you only need to do it once and ne'er touch it again for another 10 or 15 years (except if a core leaks or a heater valve decides to take a dump) Nice to get the country feel out of the air vents. A suggestion for your gauge cluster to fill your block off panel under your new stereo (I used something like this for my triple 2" gauge panel) -
https://www.ebay.com/itm/2inch-TRIPL...4dbrArj:rk:12:
How I set mine up in my Gen 1 -
L200 Express 358.jpg
That's why I classified this as a resurrection instead of a restoration. I'll save the restoration for another truck with much less rust.
Speaking of heater box rebuild, what's the best starting point for disassembly? I'm trying to keep from disconnecting the A/C lines or pinching/bending anything that might be important...
I'm debating on either doing gauges in that spot, or doing some form of pocket to hold random things. I'll concentrate on that after I get the rest of the interior situated. Like figuring out how I'm going to mount these two 5x7s...
The A/C core in the Gen 2's appear to be in a separate housing to the heater box and blower fan so it should only be a case of undoing the clamps either side and leaving the A/C core untouched. The Gen 1's sort of had A/C as an afterthought and weren't as integrated as the HVAC on Gen 2's. I haven't messed with Gen 2's so someone here will have insight on how to disassemble it without removing any gas lines.
I'm going to at least try and clean the evaporator coil and housing, considering the rest of the truck it should be packed full of dirt. lol
I have ordered 5 quarts of Redline MT-90, ANOTHER fuel filler neck, turn signal flasher, transmission gasket set, shifter bushing and boot for the transmission, boot for the transfer case, new PCV valve, and a big 4x4 decal...
No idea where I'm going to put the decal yet, but I found a few other decals that I'm definitely going to need.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...31XWK68R&psc=1
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...9F5MFYAX&psc=1
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...19HNKABP&psc=1
Those should put enough fear into anyone that asks for a ride. lol
https://www.amazon.com/American-Viny...omotive&sr=1-1
Found your decal. lol
I'm not going to go crazy with the decals, only one or two that are actually worthwhile. Who knows, maybe some speed part stickers might find their way into a neat line on the front fenders...
I like vintage repro stickers like Mr. Horsepower/Clay Cams stuff. I bought a RAAF flying kangaroo insignia for my truck but I haven't figured out where it'll go yet (the small rear window is getting crowded with the MR50 banner and a few other stickers back there)
Couple of questions real quick...
Brake cleaner and the KM145: Bad idea, or harmless? I don't know if the fluid has been changed in the lifetime of the truck, and if there's a bunch of nasty crap in there I'd like to clear it all out before putting fresh oil in it.
Auto locking hubs: Is there an easy way to fully disassemble them? I want to check for excessive wear, while cleaning them out and repacking with grease. I want to get manual hubs, but if the auto hubs are fine I can wait a little longer.
Parking brake: I know some people have had issues with adjusting the parking brake, is there any specific way or process to doing it? I'm going to have to pull the entire lever assembly apart regardless, it's pretty rusty and doesn't want to disengage. And the cable is the wrong length, it's gonna bug me until I get the correct one on the truck.
Rear speakers: I've got some 5x7s that I'm planning on mounting behind the bench seat in the truck. Was there a factory option for rear speakers in any standard cab trucks? I'm only willing to cut holes in sheetmetal if I can find a stock or stock-looking speaker cover.
I have an '87 standard cab with 4 speakers, 2 of them behind the bench seat. They are mounted on the sides, right next to the doors.
EDIT- Here are some pictures The speakers are round, ~6" in diameter.
IMG_8127.jpgIMG_8133.jpgIMG_8132.jpgIMG_8136.JPGIMG_8137.JPG
Last edited by MrPaco; 03-01-2019 at 09:44 AM.
It won't make any difference on what type of solvent you use to flush the trans out as long as it's not destructive/corrosive. I used diesel fuel on my Hyundai and it seemed to work ok (drain some oil out and top it up with diesel and roll it through the gears while everything is off the ground - don't do it long, just enough to make it circulate around the inside of the trans casing) If you can access the sump it's just as easy to dump everything out of the gearbox and blast it with degreaser/brake cleaner etc and reinstall the sump. Probably a safer way to do it.
MrPaco- Thank you. I didn't realize how much extra interior paneling there was in order to make the truck look "stock"
It's starting to make me wonder who ordered this damn truck from the dealership... Base model, with sport wheels and air conditioning? Lol
geezer- My plan was to just drain the trans, drop the pan, pull the shifter out and start spraying from the top down.
I know this truck isn't particularly nice, or fancy, or even generally well taken care of, but I'm hoping I can get it back to roadworthy condition soon and start enjoying it for what it is: A simple, old little truck that refuses to die.
Well, at least you got AC! I don't, and I'm wondering how much of an issue that will be come summer (I've only had the truck since this winter), I don't have a sliding back window to help with air flow either...
The shift controls are above the transfer case so spraying into the controls' opening will only flow into the transfer case. The trans and t-case fluids don't mix and are changed and filled separately. Geezer101's flush recommendation would be more effective and thorough.
Filling/flushing it through the extension housing will only push the sediment laying in the bottom of the casings out onto the sump. Not a lot happens from the shifter mount. I would have a go at spraying whatever cleaner solution up into the trans case with the sump out of the way. Really hit the gear clusters and synchros etc and then use a blow gun off an air compressor to clear it out (unfortunately a nasty job that needs to be done in a dirt free environment so you don't inadvertently blast debris off the floor into the trans).
You should count yourself lucky. There is literally no trim in the poverty spec Gen 1, the Sport gets a nicer instrument cluster and seats with body decals and wheels, while the Royal had full plastic cab trim and carpet + fabric door panels (and the all illusive digital clock). A/C? Pfft, only a dealership fitted option and uncommon at that. Fitting it as an afterthought is tricky as there's all these special ducts and joiners needed to integrate it into the heater/blower unit. A Gen 2 should be a piece of cake to adapt to A/C as it's a single module between the blower unit and the heater box.
Ah. I didn't realize that the shifter mount was nearly useless for anything but shifting the trans. Lol
I am planning on draining and refilling the transfer case as well, but I have a feeling it's going to have a lot less gunk in it.
The only inside plastic trim in this truck is the A pillar covers, kick panels and a driver's side door sill seam cover. No passenger side. Lol
I'm happy with it the way it is, because the entire purpose of this truck is to get beat to hell against trees, rocks, and whatever else I might find off road. The body is in bad enough shape that I won't feel bad about any of the sheet metal getting crunched, and my wife's car has all of the fancy interior that anyone could ever need...
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