87 Ram 50 4x4 "junkyard" rescue,

[WarStryker13]

Out of curiosity I drained the oil and cut open the oil filter, there's a little bit of super-fine glitter visible in the oil filter element, but no flakes or big chunks that I can see. The glitter could potentially be left over from the Cera-Tec additive, but it's a small enough amount that I'm totally comfortable with the thought of it being due to the engine break-in process.

I did notice that the old oil seems to be very thin, despite how much assembly lube I used and the fact that the break-in oil was SAE 30... I'm seriously considering running a slightly heavier oil, like 15w-40, because the old oil being that thinned out concerns me slightly.

I'm having a hell of a time trying to decide whether I want to drop the trans now or wait until the new clutch shows up. On the one hand, I would know exactly what's going on inside that bellhousing, and if it's just a matter of a few bolts that came loose I would probably just put it all back together and drive it... But when the new clutch finally arrives I'll be pulling the trans YET AGAIN to install it.

[geezer101]

I would play it safe and drop the transmission. If something really came apart it would damage the flywheel, end of the crank and the input side of the gearbox. PITA - yes, but better than having to fix something that wasn't busted. I think going 15w40 will be fine. It'll hold up better when it's warmed up. I did a change to semi-synthetic on my Hung Dog after I went overdue on an oil change (used 20w50 mineral oil initially) and I lost power so I thought. Now the oil has had a chance to circulate around the engine I think the rings weren't sealing from the mineral oil being gummed up and they're finally expanding. I probably won't go back to mineral oil again and hopefully it'll keep the innards of the block cleaner.

[WarStryker13]

Dropped the transmission today, found quite a few issues...

First, all four bell housing bolts were loose, enough so that I didn't even need a wrench to get them out.

Two of the rear driveshaft bolts were starting to come loose.

The rubber in the transfer case mount is hard as a rock, and the stud snapped almost immediately.

The good news is parts did not fall out when I dropped the trans, and there's no obvious damage to the pressure plate or flywheel.

Now I have to just sit and wait until Summit decides to ship the new clutch... I'm probably going to pressure wash the transmission and transfer case, replace the little rectangular side cover gasket that's leaking, and do a bunch of other little things that ultimately won't make the truck more reliable or improve performance, but I'll feel better for having done something.

[WarStryker13]

Clutch finally shipped, it should be here by Tuesday of next week.

[geezer101]

Hope your new clutch isn't another one of your headaches

[WarStryker13]

Well the clutch finally showed up, and I realize now that the pilot and release bearings aren't included with this particular one.

But I did find a shop that'll resurface the flywheel for only $55, so I've got that going for me, which is nice.

[Giovanni89]

:Sigh: it's always something. 55 is not a bad price. I have found that flywheel resurfacing runs from "that's it?" to "I have an extra kidney".

[Salteen]

Mine was done for $15 at a local NAPA store. They even sprayed it to protect it from rust.

[WarStryker13]

Been way too busy to even touch the truck, but I've had the trans laying on the ground for a week or so...



I haven't pulled the clutch or flywheel yet, but hopefully I'll get the time to after this weekend.

The transfer case shift lever mounting plate is missing half of one of the mounting ears. I'm not particularly concerned about it.

I (finally) got the new transfer case mount, but it didn't come with a new nut so now I'm trying to find an extra M10x1.25 nut in my pile of parts. I don't really feel like trying to drill the broken stud out of the old nut...

I do have a jack stand under the engine to protect the mounts.

Now I have to decide which method is a level of sketchy I'm comfortable with in order to get the trans out from under the truck. I can either lift one side of the truck to get the torsion bars and frame rail high enough to clear the top of the bell housing, or jack up the rear axle and drag the trans out the back.

[Giovanni89]

Been way too busy to even touch the truck, but I've had the trans laying on the ground for a week or so...

I haven't pulled the clutch or flywheel yet, but hopefully I'll get the time to after this weekend.

The transfer case shift lever mounting plate is missing half of one of the mounting ears. I'm not particularly concerned about it.

I (finally) got the new transfer case mount, but it didn't come with a new nut so now I'm trying to find an extra M10x1.25 nut in my pile of parts. I don't really feel like trying to drill the broken stud out of the old nut...

I do have a jack stand under the engine to protect the mounts.

Now I have to decide which method is a level of sketchy I'm comfortable with in order to get the trans out from under the truck. I can either lift one side of the truck to get the torsion bars and frame rail high enough to clear the top of the bell housing, or jack up the rear axle and drag the trans out the back.

Definitely jack up the back! Either with the front wheels on the ground, or the front jacked and the truck level.

[85Ram50]

Jack Stands are cheap at harbor freight. I had four of them under mine to pull the trans and I tested it out after I put it back together while it was still on the jack stands. if you can find them those ramps you drive up are nice too. Don't do sketchy, that cool feeling you get when you get away with it is not cool enough to make up for as bad as you will feel when it eventually fails. Even a pile of lumber, cinder blocks or spare wheels for safety is better than sketchy.

[Giovanni89]

Ramps are the best. I made some from Lumber. Properly made, very safe. Never use concrete block. It doesn't like the concentrated load. Also, check your jackstands for fatigue occasionally. Watched my buddy's HF jackstand fail about 3 seconds before he was about to get under the jeep it was holding up. You never want to mess around with supporting a vehicle. It kills

Jack Stands are cheap at harbor freight. I had four of them under mine to pull the trans and I tested it out after I put it back together while it was still on the jack stands. if you can find them those ramps you drive up are nice too. Don't do sketchy, that cool feeling you get when you get away with it is not cool enough to make up for as bad as you will feel when it eventually fails. Even a pile of lumber, cinder blocks or spare wheels for safety is better than sketchy.

[85Ram50]

I got a couple of the steel ramps, I think it was an estate sale. I'll check my jackstands for cracks. I usually get it set then try pretty hard to push it over before I crawl under just to make sure its safe. I'm sure if I wanted to I could get one of them to tip over. Never use cinder blocks, good to know.

[Highdesert56]

Dude...
This thread seems to have cooled off, but you deserve an award of some type for your patience and perseverance with that thing.
It's great seeing old vehicles loved on like this and I can totally relate to all the shenaningans it's put you through. It becomes personal after a point and only we can understand how these little pickups become so endearing and seemingly worth all the attention and frustration.
I just ordered new tires for my '87, so after I mount them I'll post a pic or two on this thread in hopes of enticing you out of your hiatus with some updates on the red zombie.

P.S. Thank you for your service.

[WarStryker13]

I have returned with a pile of news.

#1. I'm officially out of the military, my body couldn't keep up and I felt like it was time. Not a bad thing, honestly.

#2. I'm getting a divorce. We hit a point where it simply wasn't working, our relationship wasn't healthy for either of us, and she left to be with her family. Problem is, she took the savings and the car, and left me here to deal with packing up and moving an entire house by myself.

#3. I managed to get the truck back together, more out of necessity than anything else, and on the first drive it started rod knocking. Which was just today, btw. The new clutch felt great for the hour it took before the knock got bad, and I somehow managed to make it back home with it still running. There's already glitter in the oil, and the knock sounds really nasty.

To add to it, I've got two weeks before I need to be out of this house and less than $50 to my name, and this truck is my only vehicle right now.

I might, might be able to swap another 2.6 into it, but there's a lot of things that have to fall into place exactly and in record time for that to work out.

Lovely time I'm having over here. Just lovely.

[royster]

The chips are down, WarStryker, but you will find kind words here, and some encouragement. We'll pray for a couple of miracles, so be on the lookout for those . I send my best hopes for you, and hope you can hang tough through this sh*t storm.

[xboxrox]

The chips are down, WarStryker, but you will find kind words here, and some encouragement. We'll pray for a couple of miracles, so be on the lookout for those . I send my best hopes for you, and hope you can hang tough through this sh*t storm.

Bless you royster

[geezer101]

Oh man, people complain about how bad life is until they take hits like that. Sorry to hear you've been backed into a corner. Hope things improve for you soon dude

[WarStryker13]

It's not as bad as it could be, but still thank you everyone for the support.

I might be bent all out of shape right now but I don't break so easily.

[xboxrox]

It's not as bad as it could be, but still thank you everyone for the support.

I might be bent all out of shape right now but I don't break so easily.

GOOD FOR YOU WarStryker 13

[WarStryker13]

Made it back home, total of 9,454 pounds of stuff moved 1,236 miles over 6 days. Not including weights of vehicles.

Now I'm just working on getting a job lined up and figuring out a place to live.

Things are going better.

[geezer101]

That's good to hear dude. No cash and no fixed roof over your head is a death loop. Hope you can land some work and start clawing your way back asap. You got a skill set that can make you some cash money in hand? Might be time to think about being your own boss...

[WarStryker13]

My skill set is "fixing things" so I could easily make some quick cash here and there.

But the real money is the technical knowledge I've got, and the clearance. Both of those should land me a decently well paying job, it's just finding the right people and asking the right questions.

For right now I can slum at my parent's house, they've got a camper trailer that's in decent shape except for the floor in the back where the bathroom is, and a small ant infestation that I'm steadily eradicating... But it's got power, heat, and the wifi just barely reaches out here, enough so that I don't have to tether my phone the entire time.

Things aren't perfect right now, but they aren't bad.

And to get back onto the topic of the truck:

Once I have the time and/or inclination to do so, I'll be pulling the engine out of the truck and dropping the oil pan to find out what went wrong where. I have a feeling I might have missed something tiny like a nick on one of the crank journals, or a bearing was just barely too tight and ended up spinning, something to that effect.

Once I get a look at what is salvageable and what is beyond saving, I can either rebuild it yet again or start looking for a new engine. I am open to swapping in something else. But that's future plans.

[WarStryker13]

I've successfully gotten settled, still waiting on the job thing but I'm doing better than expected.

I've filed for the divorce, gotten a few payments from the Army I didn't expect, and I might have found someone that is willing to be a partner instead of a leech. Obviously not moving forward until after the divorce is finalized, but I'm quietly confident that she a good one.

I got a little 2003 Chevy S10 to get me around while I look for a new beating heart for the '87, which my new friend has given a name that fits way too well with the personality of the truck IMO:



Pickles.

it doesn't make sense, and that fits.

[geezer101]

Life is messy. Doesn't mean it has to be bad (sorta like a 2 year old eating spaghetti by themselves lol) Good to hear that things are levelling out now for you

*Pickles... now you can find yourself to be in one, and not in a negative way