1996 GMC 5-speed

[Barry Donovan]

rocker panel update

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two new bolts on the way for cab mount rubber.
Lo and behold this truck seethed just like an old subaru...only much better.

This means an electrical anchor is in place where an open rocker cannot keep one. That may even be fuel mileage for this old girl.
Sailing along in the low 20s mpg seems miraculous already.

I have decided I liked my first attempt, driver side version is a final rough in..will clone it exact for the other side.
two pinch bolts to grab the old rocker at 2 layers, and my 22ga stainless, also at 2 layers...bolt it all together to compliment the welds, and pinch the layers.

That is one robust edge. I ponder I could weld a jack point on the rocker.

I give the door bottom a break away from the elements cramming back at it. this still works exactly as gm's door bottom does, as I love that part of this trucks design.. wants to keep heavy air out, allow whatever HVAC controls you place to win.

when 70 miles of pebbly icy salty rock snow is slamming a door edge, cramming whatever opening it can...
something has to get done.

that may be this trucks #1 flaw...aside from access to fuel pump.
Both fixed.

Also, four of the 6 cab mounts in. These lowers are changed to the point of almost foam like..more than the nitrile dump eaters they began life as. Their time is done. The uppers are in great shape, in fact good hardness to keep heights and aligns. I also used valvoline sythentic wheel bearing grease, good for 450F.

rubbing rubbers get hot.

someone did work with the right forward one...they changed a bolt already. I added two washers to gain a little more pressure as it bottomed out too soon. This may explain the only broken rubber..the back driver side one. The cab interacts like a letter X. Gaining real pressures even makes the seat comfortable. Liking black and chrome as it is...now gaining a fat strong looking cab to go with it.
All the bolts are excellent but the back 2, and three of the 4 I am keeping still have a grey paint. I simply greased. Above is a new one by someone else.

The driver side forward one got some serious creaks gaining on real psi of polyurethane as I tightened it in. Moved the cab apparently, small measure. I like the manual tranny hole in the floor. This as automatic would be stubborn as all hell to someones sagging laziness of ignorance on cab bushings.

I am now self taught to know...the bushings pretty much care less about the b-pillar as far as serious structure hold down goes..but very important for door comforts. The important ones are the two forward, and back. the middle ones do have an interesting purpose to gain a very straight cab overall.

Radiator mounts are terrible to look at but still working. Will see how the energy suspension fits. Those die at 5 years or less in this region. It looks as of now, the energy version are too big on the upper..just right lower...and that sucks. I wanted poly complete up front. I may cut to height if I have to. To use only half the kit in good measure is fine by me.

Being the huge scary five foot 9 sasquatch I am.. I shook the cab violently to get things rumbling around. Very quiet already.

Two more lower cab bushings to go for the very back...awaiting bolts.

edit:
by evening, it is not the same appearance as this morning before mounts. I am guessing the two forward cab mounts did something very powerful. Different to look at, like the roof even flattened out some. A.25 gain on a bushing is a ten foot run somewhere on the cab. This one is nice already, can't wait to finish the back ones. Those seem to be the most dramatic of all...looking forward to gaining some more creaking noises of change.

[Barry Donovan]

cab mounts complete

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broke a bolt..cutoff wheel did something seeming impossible. I shaved the welded nut down to less than 1/8th tall, and earthquaked the parking lot with a good swift punch to the remains of bolt. Popped right out. The old nut was so welded by design, I am using it as a washer for the new one. The new nut came from the seat belt sitting inches away from it. Lucky me. I'll just add a new nut to seatbelt when time comes.

2 new bolts. 6 new lower rubbers...and one borrowed 12x1.75 nut from a rear seatbelt. Again, like the driver side front, the passenger side rear let out a creak, but going back to the driver side front this time. This one was off in a big line there. (the cab acts like a letter X upon playing with mounts). This one measured by a body professional might have had it in inches offset someplace on that one line to follow. Squared up, all looking even.

The bed is now revealing the cross sill at driver side.. all is making sense now. Small measurements I am playing with. The longevity of this is very impressive. Someone got basic panel work done more than once. I am just continuing my way..

Banging at inside rocker seams, This one is doing very good, a pile of the past came out in the right rear, but outer panels are not old. I am doing the whole thing stainless right over everything. Refresh backplate with american 16ga. This one is very easy.

With cab squared up, I can get after my version of rockers.
Extremely noticable upgrade. The PSI gain on the poly mounts is priceless. Even the power steering floats its ball to better performance. The seat feels different to clock back and forth.

The very frustrating process of breaking a cab mount bolt is made easy by an access panel. The harbor freight cutoff wheel , seriously, it could not have asked for a more exact fitting tool. I filled the mount with water , still waterproof, and the job got done with 1 disc. Took quite awhile as my gmc has real steel nuts...unlike the female orifice called a subaru parked next to it.

edit:
Ordered a nut for seatbelt. Knowing sheet metal, I saw the rear belts have a metal plate in line with cab mount. This must be part of indirect beaming. Best to have all the nuts in place.
I would not sell my nuts..not even for 35000 dollars.

[Barry Donovan]

energy suspension cab mounts - review

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I did my 70 mile chore list today. ..and caught the last half of a little league game. My nephews are gonna be super stars someday.

This ride of a truck is a damn dream I would not have even thought to imagine. I only know old trucks -as in carbed old. That is no doubt ancient to some of you.
Better than brand new. By the time I list out what lower six main cab mount rubbers did for this...

I'll just say it is a lot. I even smelled the system ground change.



Two big thumbs up for the polyurethane.


My bro-n-law is an expert with this stuff, due to longevity (since the 1980s- non stop chevy). He rebuilt his own, and dismantled a trans am to put in an attic...then put it all back together, new firewall and front end, door bottoms, floors.. incredible work. He know chassis'.



I went to explain what one of the cab mount bolts did.. he knew exactly what I was describing. He had found some himself along the way of rebuilding older trucks. That is a genuine 15-20 year mark, busy truck with the miles. Sitting still does not do that to them.

The bed has moved some, middle floor gained highs and lows where I want it to stay flexible until I am done with the cab. That is now ready for new cross sills. I knew I could count on original mounts and spots on this one to set the pace.. just judged by the straightness of the rails first.

I can only guess what this old iron block with the whine of a supercharger sounds like here in the woods. I sail along in the 60s all the time.
I may let this one out with some tried and true classic mufflers of old. Will do some research.
It is not like the new ones. The automatics prevail of course, a lot more of them. I hear them beefed up and knobby tires out here in the woods. The manual is rare, add to that being a vortec..with the old iron. This is beyond the adjective "nice." Very adult sounds coming through.

I know some listen...and it is indeed unique.
My version to final..
My version of hard, you will know its coming, a lot slower thump than you might compare the speed going with it.

about halfway there now.. maybe 3/4.. looking forward to getting it done.
My most favorite ever getting on a highway...or the ricer romp redlight leapers. they all take off faster of course, I am letting out a clutch. By the time I hit second...
best get out of the damn way little ones. Run for your life.

just kidding.. add 1 mile to any gm v8 challenge, alot of other traffic is letting off at the first hill. Big is not the dragstrip. That v8 has a real mature purpose, tried and true. GM never forgot. I see dodge is doing a lot again with its sedans. I learned this stuff when american was on the rebound.. my 1984 monte carlo SS. I went 36000 miles in one year, a lot of highway. The very first thing I noticed when speed was not enough.. I cuaght up in longevity, and kept right on going..and going, and going and going and going....gone.

Out of state, in state, maine is is the fastest..even more so today legally. I learned a lot from a 305. My last daydream back then was wanting a 5 speed. Now in a 5000 pound chassis with 8 injectors to go with it...and that view of the world, it is a bit taller.

[Barry Donovan]

ebay - 1993 gmc

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I ignore values of trucks, like odometers.
I simply look for generational facts of each model, and then what an owner did to it.

this one seems to have a false claim of 50k in accessories..and no sight of multiport.



the cheap headlights and plastics... it is a good thing it is surrounded by palm trees.

this leads to my own prediction. A real northern mod, would have to be all custom. Priceless, multiport.. easy access to all chores. Especially the fuel pump.
widening the stance prematures axles, bearings, torsion, balljoints, steering links, shocks, cab mounts, brakes, rotors and parking at sams club on a busy day.

if to pay 15k...
I'll take the rusty 97 with fat stainless rockers...and a vortec gone mythological.
Don't forget the crude hole for the fuel pump access...and poly cab mounts.

[Barry Donovan]

super rockers

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Got the other rocker in today. the first thing to notice was the radio speakers in the door. Tiny little sounds in songs I did not know existed. Must have been canceling out some. The thought of a lot of rain is in my mind.. or muggy crazy roadkill slimes and bugs etc. I wanted this in good, better than factory. Not xplained to me is how obvious incomplete it is..until finding certain accessories. I do not want rocker accessories. I want my stainless steel. Just two months ago had a 100 pound slobbers of icy slush hanging from them.

Better to underestimate the steel getting old. The manual tranny and power curve together does takes its toll after awhile. This gmc gained a long bend I did not knew occured at the rocker..must have needed all 345000 miles to do it. I could even see light outside if I looked just right.The new rockers more than made up for any oddities. The goal was to keep crap from splashing back up at the door bottom, while keeping the greatest venting ever known to a chassis: the bottom door seam. Discouraging news for old trucks of this generation: the door sill needs less than a .25 inch mistake to see outside.

This truck was at a half inch long way torquer looking bend. Had to get up close to analyze that it had a problem at all.

The first thoughts on doing something with the rockers was in january, the ride home from buying. The splash of snow on this trucks very first ride cramming into the door seam bottom.

..and then, my brother the first passenger, first thing he does is slam his grangatuan arctic steel toes boots to get the snow off...right on the rocker.







That would be 8 feet by 20 inch. The 4x10 foot piece this all came from is dwindled down to hardly anything. Between the subaru and the truck. That was 304 food grade, used by a trucking company. Very expensive if to buy. A little secret... the trailer number in paint is on the inside of one of the rockers. I kept it shiny side out so no one sees it. Part of that old trucking trailer will keep on trucking.


I love this trucks design for cabin air. Worked around what was given, and allowing it to work the same.

Goals met. Final welds will be next month, I wanted the full wrap in, and 3/4 or more welded for first go. This will change some as air is taken away, new pressure in the channels. Want that content before locking in...as this will be extremely strong.

I learned this with a subaru, that has a 6 foot run doing the same silly thing. I welded it all together too soon. Should have left one seam to sweat and change. The truck and subaru both changed electrically after this weld.. rockers are doing something big at all times, in any vehicle.

I also got that 12x1.75mm nut I borrowed form the seatbelt bracket bolted to the floor for the cab mount. I intentionally went slow to watch it meet the connection..and sure enough, it moved the bracket to tighter. It squashed it down silently.. so nothing went very far without it. I declared it a cabin stengthener, indirect beam for the rear cab mount. That is exactly what it does. A tip for extended cab owners..do not remove the seatbelt bracket with the 12mm bolts.

This truck does not need much. The bed comes off next, going to make strong sills.. then using this to move. The subaru may be let go as a loss.
Imagine moving to the woods for air and quiet..and gaining the most extreme of neither.

some good news with this headed to finale, rocker bottoms are real stinkers most of the time. This one had a slight hint of bowel, no other odors, like pets or oils, hydrocarbons.. or real scary is freon. Clean as a normal vehicle could be. Very impressed with it. The air kept moving, self cleansing cabin. This also tells me A/C has been working most of its life. Going to recharge that when it finally goes above 32F in july and august. I turned it on, and with no compressor kicking on, it still feels like it wants to work. I am guessing a quick charge will get it going. No signs of freon leak anywhere in the chassis. That stuff goes hog wild with petrols and electric. The sneakiest version goes crazy upon welding infected panels. This truck shows no sign of any.

[Barry Donovan]

disco rockers

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Got a glimpse of the rockers from a distance, taking the trash out.
my work....

it is hideous.

Someone had to try to make something this ugly.

looks preworked. Dented kicked, almost straight, lumps..and reflecting every bit of it like a light bulb.


flat black paint to the rescue.
Rockers are masochist trying to keep pretty. Shine them up for road kill.

I did get an idea of proportion of distance. Doors to this gmc, are like the fishbowl windows to a gremlin.

Those are some very big coupe doors for a truck. The rocker looks like it takes up a third of the body..being only 4 feet long.
Something that carries it, is how lean this looks with a 12 foot wheelbase. kills the height.This one for reasons unknown as a rear axle set back off center to bed wheel wells, with no errors.

I did get a manual tranny theory already...as they end up a little different in overall build. Not sure what the truth is, trucks are quite dynamical. Hard to claim them all the same.

Finally got a shot of rain..followed the path right onto my new stuff. Front and back of doors gathers the streams. Most of the problem was water path after all. I can smell this welding job inside the building in the hall. My subaru did the same things. What is up with those innocent rocker panels?
Glad nature is getting it into the final.

looking forward to air conditioning.

[Barry Donovan]

Now with air conditioning!

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saw a good deal at wally world for the 22 ounce freon. If a system leaks, that is 22 bucks gone.

this one kicked in the first half a second after hooking it up...
took in all 22 ounces. it is only 60 something today, but as a/c works mysteriously in humidity, it was a good test and to thrash the additives that was in the freon at a cooler air temperature, reseat a long winter.

Survived the first hour home anyway...nice and cool. Will get stronger as temps and humidity rise.

A trick for these with the self serve gauge.. when compressor not running, I have found it always needs to read in the yellow or alert part of the gauge, and not the simply full part. (the alert is for overfills). They must be serious about liability..as nothing I have tackled even starts the compressor, unless the one mark beyond full is met.

I wonder how much value this adds...I bought it with a/c not working. Needed nothing but a refresh thus far.
Not much into modern music, the stainless rockers are sucking in radio channels from another universe...

first song with A/c working:

346000 miles just around the bend..

good tune.

I can't see where you comin' from
But I know just what you runnin' from:
And what matters ain't the "who's baddest" but
The ones who stop you fallin' from your ladder

And you feel like you feelin' now
Doin' things just to please your crowd,
But I love you like the way I love you,
And I suffer, but I ain't gonna cut you cus

This ain't no place for no hero.
This ain't no place for no better man.
This ain't no place for no hero
To call "home."

This ain't no place for no hero.
This ain't no place for no better man.
This ain't no place for no hero
To call "home."

Every time I close my eyes, I think,
I think 'bout you inside,
And your mama, givin' up on askin' why -
Why you lie, and you cheat, and you try to make
A fool outta she...

I can't see where you comin' from,
But I know just what you're runnin' from.
And what matters ain't the "who's baddest," but the
Ones who stop you fallin' from your ladder, cos

This ain't no place for no hero.
This ain't no place for no better man.
This ain't no place for no hero
To call "home."

[Barry Donovan]

a/c update

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went out and checked for a leaker..after a smell of nitrile.
very old burnt nitrile.. like an sbc when taking off the old oil pan.
I just knew it would be a/c related.

Sprayed my lysol mix at the pump looking for bubbles..
the back of the pump has a very very slow piss at the seam, and the high side valve is outright bad.
this happened after charging, and after getting home. Seals must be too dry to fall for the stop leak.
96 is the last of those dumbest seals known to man anyway.

looking for a rebuild, little o-rings etc, as this pump is super quiet.
Found no rebuild.
$115 for a whole pump all ready to go from rockauto. That is not bad.
looking at the colors of the o-rings...no way those are nitrile in the new pump. Fancy colors.
18 years .. hard telling what would be next anyway.

So new pump it is..with obvious change in the seals, and $1.71 for the high side valve.
updating seals is like updating plug wires to kevlar and silicone. There is no end of life in sight for those either.

found a kit on ebay.
110 free shipping.
234 sold. when it rains it pours.

I remember speaking up about plug wires on the truck forum...seemed a day later 4 posts related to jumping wires failing.

clockwork. The 20 year cycle is when stuff drops off. Builders reap rewards for doing the right thing..for years.

the a/c has several modern things going for it. the 134 is proving to be friendly, even to an engine that might have to suck on it. the seals get updated, and even f they did not..the 134 managed to stay good for almost 2 decades.

the kit comes with accumulator, and orings. I also got a smell of bangor maines septic that never stops leaking..it is very potent. So a/c has a thief it seems, it sucks on lightweight gas around the pump, keeps it like an ionizing machine on the surface. It does clean off...but oh, to know bangor maine.

I best get another pump after that specific odor. After this video, I am assuming it was sucking and or blowing at the engine bay. Hope for the best, get it up and running again with new. I only see two seals in this video... o-rings.. I'll call this last refill the flush. Complex gadget it is.
the new kit has accumulator, great place to look for weird things it may have gathered.

another note for today:
I had a thump in the left front, it happened after accelerating quickly to 70, must have been february or so. Still very cold.
Today, I accelerated quickly to 80, getting on the highway, as that is the limit for the letter "S" on the tires... and no thump after slowing down. What in hell did I seat? I will assume a tight cv joint.

Needs a kick in the throttle every now and again.

The last time I leave a trail of normal cars behind getting on the highway, was also a 305, my version..but still a "little" 305. That was 1996...a long time ago. This truck is quick enough to get some giggles. Wouldnot have expected it. I simply bought a truck for being a truck..5 speed.
80mph in 4th gear and 4k rpm, is not even at the max HP number of 4600. It gets exponentially faster as you get closer to 4600. I have not gone there yet. My hand is tight on the shifter after 3k...to feel if the back end can hang on.

its a 130mph truck..without effort. Beyond imagination today in this fog and drizzle...I'd swear this left some sharp visible air streams billowing off the cab during acceleration..those window gutters for the back windows look like ears.

[Barry Donovan]

new a/c

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every sale i could find on ebay has a large number sold.
this seller had 237.
I bought one.

I have not had this in the summer, but 1 day did hit 81F.
Damn the black truck gets quite warm.

Will get this done while cool. I love what a/c does for welded chassis as well. Enforces original lines a bit more.
we are headed for a 35F low by wednesday.




this rebuild has the original unique bolt in the back, hence i bought one.
I found some others that change that bolt.
Crazy as a cab mount.
I also remember 1996 for more than obd2. Air conditioning was not allowed to stay down for long, it is an "integral part of the runtime". Not ure if it applies to the trucks. for my corsica (1997) it was even important to keep a strong firewall of all things.

At most I have found for this truck is hot dash bulbs all blown (now led). I did not notice if this kicked on for defrost, but it might. will find out soon enough.

the last thing to notice is as old as cars with a/c..the radiator in the heater core box usually self cleanses to water condensation..that is the water drips we see on the ground when a/c is running. that radiator can gain powdery oxides, and you can smell them once a/c is fixed, if it has not run in a long time.

sneeze, cough, new deodorizer..and away it goes.

[SuperBuickGuy]

uh, probably not, more likely is you'll have a bunch of leaves jammed between the two and dirt since the water attracts and holds whatever is sucked through the intake.

[Barry Donovan]

uh, probably not, more likely is you'll have a bunch of leaves jammed between the two and dirt since the water attracts and holds whatever is sucked through the intake.

You lost in this thread?
This one just happens to be spotless, the entire heater assembly. Not sure why. I mentioned that earlier, after changing heater motor to ball bearing. There is not even an old odor.
being entire engines can be bought for less than a grand in great shape.. I would not be surprised if this a/c compressor came with one of them. this is at least 2 motors at 345k miles. They do not last all that long in the north and stay this quiet.

found a high side valve, got that on the way too.
I learned I could poke it to try and reseat.. but there was no cover. most likely bad.

Finding posts from 2007 on this trucks realm of air conditioning... I can see why even a 13 year long car fax with itty bitty details ignored the cost, never replaced. That pumps gasket odor..definitely an original.

Today the high side valve is less than half...just 8 years later. The compressor comes complete with no more nitrile o-rings, and new accumulator for also less than half of less than 10 years ago..

Safe to assume long overdue. I did find new seals to rebuild compressor on my own.. but I have an intuition the front and back lids are like warped heads on an 83 ford escort.

just throw it away.

Cleaning the ionization odors were very bad... would not trust it.

There may be a big wreck missing for this one, cannot find it written. The heater area, etc.. no way in hell it is the age of the truck, unless someone really did like it as much as the carfax has written..and then some more.

A first hint was that heater motor. did not match how young the surroundings is, like someone grabbed an old rear version from a suburban to fill a new heater. That is also an item that came way way down in price in less than 10 years.

looking forward to finishing this. Someone in the past went a long long way to keep this good. I am replacing what used to be expensive.

[Barry Donovan]

air conditioning continued

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a side note: I had mentioned wheelbase looks long, so I measured. 141.5 inches..exactly by the book. It appears the tires in the back are closer to the mudflap than centered in the well..simply one of those strange things to notice.

back to fixing a/c in the coldest recorded year ever...
removed high side valve, as system is drained dead already. I am wrenching on something that doesn't even turn before figuring out the illusion.

Tricky illusion, like pretending automotive a/c pumps are strong. the valve seal was black, partially disintegrated. Nitrile fantasy no doubt. No poke and hope for a seal, it was a goner. Good idea to have a cover for that one, and I found one.

the new accumulator they send will go in a parts bin, as those are good for 3200-3800 years.
the pumps have a routine, some systems are nastier than others.
this one does not have updated seals anywhere, so it is safe to call it more than 10 years old. Nitrile based was a goner by early 2000s...2004.

I am calling this one a 5 year cycle. A pump with the new style seals just might be a 10 year.
I will get this going on my own, no fancy drain and suck refills panic mode of chemistry. 134a is as close to environmentally friendly as it has ever been...will just cram it to a good reading and go with it.
esther oil goes on the low pressure side...taking the long way around is the esther fed on high side, for no reason.

one thing I liked to change in the past, before necessary, was the condensor, that is the radiator in front of the engines radiator. Those quit at any moment, but this one does not even have a bug fest anywhere in sight. this one does have a bent rib driver side, and it is comical to my belief in these setups for cars and trucks. All is damn near bullet proof except for that retarded pump.

refurbed a/c: about 150 bucks total.

A funny condensor I kept was from one of my subarus I bent. The front was smashed into a parallelogram, radiator, bumper, everything.. the a/c never leaked.

[Barry Donovan]

those little alignments

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I have totalled a few machines. I have plucked at a b-pillar that squashed a driver seat to 10 inches wide.

the little things.. I still pay attention. I noticed the truck had some slight off planes in ribbing of pinches up front. Must have been the same hit that bent the condensor.
Someone did very good in recovering, the grille lines up etc.

For the heck of it, I banged some things around, a little bit of visegrips.. then gave the left side hood rubber a 1 .25 turn upward.

Bam.

looks like brand new.

I knew to try these things after the tougher cab mounts had time to settle the way in. My rockers are already adding the invisible strength tank factor.
Where a ricer plays this game endlessly..the gmc took 19 years to need a quick bang and visegrips on a pinched seam.
I am loving the once torture chores already.
Evidence it had hit something in the past makes it near comical, the recovery of body on frame repairs. Very easy going.

I was at the front there, grill off to see what the orifice tube looked like in the condensor for air conditioning. Nuts are quite stuck. No worries, I'll break the condensor side if I have to, as there is a slight kick on the side rib. Then use the vise and heat to save the lines condensor is attached to. I want a new condensor eventually.

Will see if just the pump and high side valve gets this going nice. Before it drained out the fill up to see if this even worked.. it was nice and cold. Seemed free flowing enough no doubt.

Just needs the pump and high side valve so far. I will be going all out for the complete restore of the a/c if it needs it..but will wait until something is needed.
The 134a refrigerant year right out of the box, with electronic controls. very worth spending on.

[Barry Donovan]

a/c pump installed

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all clean and new..and missing a switch.
I try to forget my absolute hatred of automotive air conditioning, the daintiness, the stuck self welding bi-metal 500 foot lines for no f*****g reason system of "genius".

with that said. I did go easy with my hammer. Maybe I'll cut this pump into pieces to get the switch that still works.

I'll have to get a new switch. this pump is trash bound. I deciphered the top of the back of pump leaking..it is just by pressure of the one bolt holding all the psi for 15 years.

Lets put one bolt on 400 psi, and self weld the low pressure side for safety..and then lets stick something up an orifice and make it so it cannot ever be removed...until hacking the whole thing apart.

insane. the whole thing has been insane since my first go on a 1978 oldsmobile.

patience. Will take the pump off entirely again, then with the snap ring pliers remove the dummy slug, put the switch in, then put it all back on the engine again. Very convenient servicing.

Warranty? @#$@#$ your @#$@#4 warranty. I am not changing the accumulator to have a warranty. I am going to throw these away every time there is an inkling of a baby killing problem.


I simply hacked it with cutoff wheel. AC delco genuine on the switch..this is the 54 dollar version. Half the cost of a complete pump I just bought. Gently tapped it into new pump, fits tighter than the slug it shipped with. A good hint that a/c is simply ready to be charged? on a warm day, kick on the a/c switch...even though the pump does not run to low/no pressure, there is nature of the beast trying to make a difference. Looking forward to a good low pressure fill up, this one is ready to go...exactly as it was in 1996 in the switches and electric.
..and I am loving that serpentine belt, one swift kick on the tensioner with a ratchet... belt on.
never had one yet, this is my first.


I kept the old pump. The cuts are to remind anyone (most likely me and my memory), the back lid at a minumum is not a go with new seals...that part needs to go to scrap. Warped upon checking for leaks, hence the new pump entirely. Rebuilding these is not difficult..unless casting is bad. The rest of the pump is excellent. I am keeping it for the clutch etc.

[Barry Donovan]

a/c up and running

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putting together gets ester oil in the low side, this one being synthetic is a confidence the seal designs are all new.

of course the new a/c sitting dead uncharged drove me curious. I wated to move all the new oil around. I drove the 48 mile round trip for some DIY 134a refill. The ride brought back memories of the woods version of reviving a resealed system.

As compressor gains on its cycles, filling to the gauge precisely to outside temps and limits...
purge high side in random intervals being sure a/c is off first. then kick it on, check pressure, add the little bit as needed. Eventually its a darn good system. Not exactly legal in most places, purge into atmosphere..but the woods is a suffering desperate place. Stuff goes to atmosphere, like a leak does anyway. The first purge will smell nothing like an a/c system. May even be tropical, or shower stall odors from a frat house.

it is cloudy right now, 59F. Will give this a purge again on sunny day.

Standing ground, no leaks. Cycling on its own.

Driving this truck around .. a whole world different. I forget why the word minority exists. Driving my subaru was a terrible vibe. Wrong place wrong time kinda thing. Too old to gain opinions now, but I do not forget.
The truck matches my existence... exactly.

looking forward to some cold a/c.
That is a pretty penny I saved doing all this myself.

For the treehuggers DIY, adding some refill is still a must do to clear oxides, keep clean, preset the system for the real environment. Just do not purge, let the pros do the refill/flush. Adding the refill may be a total loss come time for the real one..but you kept a good system to make it safe and easy when the time comes.

on that thought, my own hillbilly way of going about, still might need a real drain and flush and fill.. but, I got a good head start, like a primer and safe keeper going..and verified all the elctrics and switches, the clutch, no leaks.