1996 GMC 5-speed

[Barry Donovan]

final welds and extras

---

seeing in my own video about the exhaust..the z71 sporty flex is long gone. this truck is stiffer than a 1 ton chevy with a pontiac 400.

humoring this to a finale needs some thought.
cross sills are monsters, tire crossmember an unforgiving compilation.

the rules for these trucks are parallel welding is good, welding to connect to rails side to side is not.
they used rivets and bolts for a reason... they need to be virtual connected, not a weld connected.

wondering how to simulate rivets was easy enough.


these ought to do it.
about 120k psi a piece.
if one has ever analyzed the rivets gm uses, they are much smaller than the head you see.

these bolts are even smaller at 8mil... but twice as strong.
anyway, this will get to the tire crossmember through frame on 2 new spots and my tire crossmember. that is already welded to the old rivet tabs, but I don't trust it.
that will make 4 connections on driver side..classic trouble area.



I also have some shedule 30 pipe (I found that near a dumpster) for my last trick, just going to use one, spanning the rails hidden in front of tire crossmember, using holes that already exist by gm (gives an exact measure for the two rails perpendicular). these are the bolts I am reserving for that. You may recognize draglink bolts, 1987 subaru..
you would be correct. this is the 1980s version of class 12.
No ID...it did hold 3000 pounds from caving in. Good enough.
This will allow roatation every micronic angle. loaded, empty, cold hot..all kinds of ways to have 2 different rails throughout a given day. Needs fctory thoughts to stay together.

I will get the pipe with a welded nut and plate on each end shaped like a circle. this will be the last tie in for the incognito half ton (I could do 400 pound tongue, 10000 easy)
the point is the virtual illusion of connection, all while flexing even while sitting still. think of the hot sun on one side of your house and the creaking noises it makes. getting away from the shrunken cold...held by nails and screws.

analogy, something like that. This is where trucks sit around, these chores are scary for some reason. I am simply out for the big little truck for simple repairs.

weight dispersion has another trick, will reveal it some day. it basically goes from chain bolts near hitch on bumper to my welded irons on tire crossmember.. all with bolts.
hardly noticable...

the triple over a half ton, while still looking like one. Sneaky.
old gurus can identify the hardness coming down the road...the manual tranny reveals it. Throttle off is like a blow off valve. Street looking LT rated still sound like mudders...as if 5 tons is already on them.
It will never be able to hide there, but for the standard ford driver it is still my wimpy sport truck.

on last notes for DIY..
the biggest gain for this 25 year running design (1973-1998) I call them the wimpy tail c-rails.
the ubolts.
it is that simple.
balkamp or whatever brand.. go for the 100 foot pound nut version. I believe those start at 9/16ths.
for 60 bucks, your half ton is on its squared up way. It is then the rails are fun to add things to.
the other one is the main leaf while in there or my favorite to stay sporty is the hellwigs. Those reserve stiff for later on, after weight added. They stay a squishy truck when empty.

the second most important is the cross sills. I like to go many times stronger, full hot rolled on the front one.

away it goes. Kill that over excited flexing animal.

[Barry Donovan]

flowers and dumpsters

---

I have never had flowers handed to me by a girl.

She was a bit off kilter, and it was friendly. I am indeed in public housing.
Mental variations go many directions.
As if I have not computed what they think of me.

I have seen sickened and elderly get bullied, a low self esteem wild stab by an alpha wannabe.
its called a thug in the real world.

First chance I get away from this building.. if I meet the neighbor in the right place at his wrong time...
man oh man.
even my hands prepare in my sleep as I dream of it.
He better keep his running legs running.

Anyway, I wanted to followup on the air conditioning a few days later and into 46F at night.
I'll be damned its right on the money.

the most enjoyable reward for repairs...I vote a/c.
I come back to my place, my room specifically, to the smell of dumpster.. like white trash bags in water and egg shells, and that smells like...
nevermind.

Seriously. The a/c is part of a much bigger plan for 13 states south of here. I have winged moves with less.
getting too old for that.
hence no fighting with neighbors. Like my dreams of women I presume, those are dull too.
Too old for my age... plenty of law abiding excuses.

I really did do, what I said I was going to. We spoke as teens about simple futures.
They are gone and dead now. Of course that is sad.

2100 rpm is 72mph. the same small block sound as in 1986 in this same town, the same roads, I truly love them.
it was freedom, it was to work, it was to live.
pretending is out of the question. The destination is life and death.
I did have to come back here.
I do have to leave again.

I'll remember the flowers for no reason. There is no reason in many directions.

The dupont gas only r134a will be here monday, that will finish the a/c.
This is already responding to the fan settings , creating the pump runtime interval. High does the most, ect ect.
That was also stated in one of the you tube videos.
Best to watch more than one for the DIY.

job well done. I thank those video makers.
"eric the car guy" was one and "chris fix it" I think was the other one.

the only oddity I found in both for this gmc:
"max a/c" is just a recycle mode. the fan on high is the important one upon refill. That will demand pump more.

[Barry Donovan]

power compares

---

I suppose this one is ready for a tell all.
factory to my version of the vortec 305.

my L30 is just beyond 300hp, and a wager would be fun.
by the book, the manual tranny L30 combo is 280hp half assed.
the simple chores:

• centering the timing with 8.8mm accel (custom)
• the new fuel pump blew my mind. It almost makes the engine sound like a turbine.
• fast acting o2.. this means not a 1996 o2 sensor.
• 3 inch flowmaster mated to whatever weird size that is gm has...and factory y-pipe stays. (It does shreak like the devil..but much better than factory crackles)
• even the alternator is updated.. yet another perfect turbine noise at all times. This setup is 4 wire like all good obd2 ought to be.
• the engine density:
  • bed cross sills
  • air conditioner is fixed/updated
  • energy brand poly cab mounts (all of them)
  • some frame and tire crossmember welds
  • LT rated 3450 pound sidewall tires... S rated speed
  • hellwigs and balkamp ubolts

no fairy tales, no tall ones either.
I would wager just for fun.. 1hp per cubic inch.

I was just watching the exhaust episode of engine masters. That was my most recent change to bump it up over 300.
No doubts at all.

this one only weighs 5000. the next generation after got about 50 hp more as the norm..but 600 pounds in the stronger framing to go with it.
comparing notes is very easy. Even the quarter miles..simply 100 +/-. Very similar.

just about all done, this thread is headed for quiet.
I am into photos.. will post them if it is truck related.

..and whatever I break.

[Barry Donovan]

air conditioning..!

---

this only got better today, a real shot of the last six ounces.. genuine dupont 134.
no wonder they sold 54 in 24 hours on ebay.

this place is full of hills, cab down to 61 degrees on this 58 degree day... that is doing wonders for this very HOT Gmc.
thought I was losing power on a climb...

it was the clutch fan kicking in like a good kenworth.
that could blow a bimmer right off the road like a hurricane.

I forgot my empty cans in my secret filling spot, and made a point to turn around and go get them.
I like the woods.

keep it clean.

maine's version of 84 degrees is not far off. This is when comparing maine makes Louisiana feels dry and cozy in july.

this truck was not as bad as my subaru in declaring days not to drive.. but it was damn close.
hot as hell is not even the words for it.

Doing wonders now.

So that concludes it.
I'll remember to get at least 6 oz of the 32 in the original 134a.. can't go wrong there. Dupont is the inventor.
my first guess was accurate.. simply needed 6 oz. This verifies no leaks even further, been more than a year with a half assed refill.
lost nothing. No strange odors on the evac, best system I have DIY'd yet.

I ponder $500 if to have gone to a shop, and someone doubting a dent in a side rib on the condensor.. trying to get even more out of me.
not this time.

total cost.. about 300.

for the past 19 days it has been too cloudy to shrug off as a non rain day.
that crazy ass swirl is coming back at us again for this evening...


it is raining right now.
anyway, when actual summer sun hits.
holy good god.
it is horrifying.

just in time a/c repair..priceless.

I'll get a shot of that drain hole at the cab, I bet it goes garden hose this time.

enough pressure to blow a bimmer right off the road in a flood.

[Barry Donovan]

gas tank strap

---

messing with this during fuel pump fail more than a year ago..
I left it loose unable to tighten...and unable to drop tank.
cold and wet... forgot about it. Getting truck running was more important.
that is when I cut out the fuel pump hole in bed.

Today I walk outside to the tank dropping, strap dangling.

given the fuel pump cut out hole, I easily took one of those mini 2000 pound straps (4000?)
and went into the channel of frame crossmember, all the way around and left the winch hidden up top under the fuel lid I made.

it is in the exact groove of tank and crossmember, all the way around.
job well done.
360 degree tank strap.

I actually want to leave that there as an inspection item, as the metal strap is notorious for being an impossible asshole.

This also stemmed from many miles of dirt road...my fault.
I don't forget everything, but that was one item I did. This place has a perfect unhook for the hook on tank strap...73 to 98.

I wonder if I can leave that strap there..it is way more robust than that crazyass metal band.
I think some people did way back when...
will check up on that...maybe just add a bolt like the video below..
not sure why they thought they could get away with such a dumb design.
25+ years onward..
must be more than that.

I am glad to not be working this 2005 in the video. the old 96 seems easy.

edit:
deciphered the unhook.
lean truck to right with a quick sway type bump.. half tank for the surge.
perfectly unhooks it..and it does seem it needs an extreme.

got under with camera to gain some eyes..



ripped out the dainty hooking mechanism. You can see a piece of metal in between orange strap and the real one.
I added some horse trailer mat on the only sharp edge for the cloth strap or nylon..whatever it is.

fix is easy, I have some angle iron for where the zip ties is, and bolt or weld to strap.
70000 times stronger.
problem solved.



that error took place just to get into my driveway.
must be a thousand times before it had enough..
no complaints. that is quite a truck rocking eperience just to get get into the driveway.

with strap snapped back in place, the add on strap acts as a spacer for the hook, hence a double.
I'll call this the fix, going no further for it for the time being.
both straps helping each other.

won't be able to get photo, so I made a precise diagram
the simplest fix.
most likely bolting the strap to the twisted flat stock.





this truck had a gas tank injury as well, don't know when.
new tank was 2012.
just going with the rock hard debris that is left on the crossmember.

it is just losing that dainty ass connection after 20, this opened up enough room to hook some stock from the top fuel pump opening.

that is turning out to be very convenient..the top side opening for fuel pump access. I can also see into crossmember for close inspection.
used it several times already.
only been a year.

these are the other injuries to gain a truck cheap off a dweeb, as the gas tank strap hooker must be "rotten frame."
as mentioned, the shock mount (left rear)
and tire crossmember (that could be popped anywhere, left right or middle - my truck chose left side)

Not to insult, I paid exactly the value, and the seller was very cool. We talked of the steel, hence the price.
Believe it or not, given the fuel spike that began in 2008.. the burns on the fuel gauge indicated no one filled the tank often.
I keep all 140 pounds most of the time.
this strap holds a balance of it.. maybe 90.
I am the killer with bad roads, and angles that are not in cities.
I have seen these unhook to a kick, just for bad angles. No rust at all.
Very frustrating just to witness.
I won't complain of the dainty connection.. it is just I have seen it way more than once...back half of the tank dangling there, always least expected moments, a surprise.

glad to have this deal.. it is already over a double physically and price wise...
trucks are like that. it all comes back.

[Barry Donovan]

gas strap fix

---

it is very complex. Years of research.
found this one by accident in a draw full of accidents.



factory kept a certain tension on the tank. not sure why.
to be cushy to the fuel is out, because this goes back to carb engines as well.
must be acknowledging buckboard riding rigs out there.
I am going to have to go that route as well.

the front is as squishy as an f100, but the back is tanked.

remembering just one of the ways to get the tank back up in there...
leave it tightened all the way to make casual measurement.
when dropping back down onto real strap, the quarter/half gap falls right in.

I'll bend this a little more, throw it at the truck some time.
one side of the strap still has the bolt that tightens, for fine tuning.
This gets welded to strap, hooked over the top rib of crossmember..
the hook will get a little more defined to lock it.

I can work top side to add little extras with fuel pump lid I made.

[Barry Donovan]

air conditioning!

---

First of the days to be too warm to sit in the 116F cab in the 70 degree sun. A maine solstice thing.. or whole east coast.

the a/c really works.
looking over left frame, the reason I got this truck cheap..
it really is hideous.

my factory chores in place, now it is my turn to go big.
I am making a monster.
will add some extras starting this weekend. July will get 2 more brutal welds.

116F in the cabin on a 70 degree sun.
July is insane. August takes sharp quick stabs to the warm ground, bu fades away in days already getting shorter.

The A/C chore has been my favorite thus far. Truly comfortable, looking out into the alien world.
We also got that yellow never ending pollen. usually a May thing...but this year is taking forever to warm up.
Glad to have windows up.

The max a/c option is quite powerful.
I noticed oil pressure gauge is up a needle width as well.
The a/c is big enough to send a cool breeze through lower half of condensor in front of radiator...
this cools oil pan...and my billet filter too. Aluminum sheds the heat.

The rails will be squeezing roadkill odors and however many years the a/c sat dead..
expecting some leathery looking shrink areas.

This is usually mission critical time for welding, but a year has gone by for this one.
Content and old.
Just simply continue the attack... July routine.

[Barry Donovan]

welds final part 1

---

tackled this yesterday.
the hours now for welds are 29.
added about 30 inches of plate to the bottom, buttoned up shock mount again (silly strong now - can give the truck a bell sound to smack it)
added a bolt to tire crossmember..
gas strap done stronger than factory as well.



the tire crossmember. it is strong enough.
(refer to factory example on the webs)

hellwigs are easy to spot.. the big ubolts too, down low.
dad handed me some more genuine caterpillar© engine yellow. I knew he hides it. I keep stealing the 30 dollar-a-can paint.
I want to keep it bright to see work needed, and how it is doing.
just needs sunny day or a small light to light up the whole underside of the bed.

ever hear the sound of a brand new unibody car?
that is what my truck does now on the bumps.
tight drum.
never heard a pickup do that before.
engine is even bigger. all 300 something ft pounds are to the ground.

...and the rear diff? an untagged limited.
go figure.
explains the frame needs indeed.
I will take the lid off to see what was done.
the previous owner said the diff was redone...
did not give details.
I only found by photo that is it 8.5 inch, 11 inch cover.. and bulging...with square chunks on either side on the bottom.

within 30 minutes, had boat hooked up and driving to the coast.
does not get any tougher for testing.
cruising through tiny road coastal towns.. the sound is something to notice.
well done and disciplined.






a glimpse of the balkamp ubolts. the threads are just to the inside.
gained an eight over factory.
..and 90 foot pounds on the nuts, versus 55.


the flowmaster makes some cool locomotive noises.

I also made this trailer for my dad.. to haul a bigger boat than is on it.

41 feet with trailer...
seems easy going.

a/c on the whole day, a real pleasure.
this truck is better than new.

there is nothing so satisfying as the scowl of a 45000 dollar half ton driver slipping the convertor trying to launch like this one does.

4lo to get boat out of the water.. at in idle..foot off throttle.

a funny thing.. my dad asked me turn the a/c down.
it is very powerful. Just needs some time down the road.
not even at 90F outside yet.

soon enough.
it just gets bigger as the temps get hotter.

[Barry Donovan]

cat yello and bed retorque

---

genuine cat.
primer is for not a cat yellow.
got under and checked my recent stuff under the bed.

found 3 cross sill bolts loose... expected those 3.
retorqued, went for a ride with a free coffee coupon.
left side rear, (aft of shock mount cross sill), and both of the bolts on the very front sill.
the front one is the full hot rolled beam. Adding weld and load to hot roled, 12v cathode anode games.. etc.
I knew that one was going to need something later on.
Been about a year to see it did.
steel takes its own time.
not ours.

the front needed to reshape to a machine level like a head to an engine.. the cross sills to the ears on the frame.
the back one was near my welds.
the pinstripes running the 18 feet, between bed and cab are very close to align, aside from the egg shaping of this 96.. you know what I mean.

the rest had no excuses...and stayed tight as thought.
I was remembering the old alternators, they love spans across the 2 frame rails of the trucks.
never explained, but related to physics of how an alternator gathers from its different locations in its rotation.
all machines loose amps to the cross sills (not just trucks)

so.. got the cat yellow out and let the first 3 sills really have a good layer.
I won't notice on this year of truck, but do remember 88-95..and much older.
one of those NASA grade dramas..

this thing is a brick enough to giggle at, if you know these trucks over bumps one could most often see the bed being quite different than the cab going different directions on a bounce.
this one is like a one piece tug boat at sea..
goes all together stiff as a brick...back and forth.

[Barry Donovan]

air conditioning!

---

86F in my unknown valley of death.109F in the cab..
the a/c sure saves life in this one.
by late afternoon cab has hit 124 on an 80F day..
curious to go check it , today is the warmest day this year.
left windows up to experiment.

took about ten miles and dropped 20 on the thermometer hiding in the center tray on the dash. Always a hot spot.
the air is noticable right away of course.

Seriously..
this truck was so impossible, I waited until summer evenings to go food shopping.
Right on the money now.. nothing to say about "needs more freon" or whatever.
simply there, and simply works.

my favorite repair is steel... but for this one truck, the a/c may be #1.

I also found my 80psi 3415 pound sidewall monster Kumho tires at 45psi up front. not sure why I did that.
puffed em back up by ten...55 front 65 rear, like last edition heavy half tons.
this saves a few mpg...and the a/c takes none. I strangely think A/C adds to mpg, by cooling oil and heater core.
Whatever it is doing is very clever..

will get a photo if it hits 130, via a calibrated pyrometer reading.

[Barry Donovan]

a ride in the rain

---

anything on the frame for welding, I let it quench in terms of weeks, even avoiding rain.. as that can make a hard surface before I want it.

Today was a long enough interval, went down some clean roads in this rural place...warm rain.
looking over the fresh stuff in the back, it really was nature that ground down the steel to needs.
Waters dripping off, the leaning roads feed it even more. The p-rated tire days even bent the tread intoa super grinder aiming at the spots I just welded.
The LT tires stand ground for their straight path instead.
I had assumed receiver hitch and electric brake bi-metal battles created the problems..
that was only part of it.
Nature had much more of it.

the back left is also ground wire for tail lamps and trailer wire hookups.. so it will always be busy. Just up in front of it is the gas tank and its ground.
The assymetry of a 96 gmc.
hardly a mystery, easy going.

I spotted one more of the chevy, this time in the 2002 range with a good hard kink between the bed and the cab.
Yet another broken frame...
keep after the game.

Another thing I have noticed in the past year and a half with this (now at 11000 miles for 18 months)..
the need is never ending.
A good way to feel good is helping someone that needed a truck for something.
I have hauled my dads boat several times, my subaru several.. stuff for my brother,
and now my neighbors are moving on a deadline, and filling up the back of it right now.

I have witnessed the utimatum of moving deadlines, many times. A reason to have a truck for sure.. they are like accidents sometimes, don't know when they are going to happen, just be as prepared as possible.

I normally do not talk of neighbors, unless anonymous. The couple I was helping was evicted. They do not own a vehicle. This evening the final favor for the broke couple was giving them a ride to a camper they would be staying in. It turned out to be a delapidated camper down by the river.
When people are at rock bottom, there is always white trash bags. They had lots of them, filled and breaking.

I offered to help, as I have been that stuck...without the odors of methodone or the gut of alcoholics vinegar. I was that stuck for being a veteran.

Hardly rich myself... $25 in fuel went by to move their stuff. In the dark, unloading via flashlight, I found a lamp they had in a white bag and started my 63cc generator. The camper was full to the brim, like a shed. We unloaded it into the yard. Ceiling caving in, but holding together. Glass broken. Foggy and buggy and muggy.

rock bottom.

I do not know why I am not sad for them.

I pulled away in reverse, in the dark, in 4 lo as to not disturb the lawn of the house owner. As the a/c wound up, the dry comfortable air and the alpine radio playing a good tune.

By the time I hit fifth gear thumping along like a locomotive at 1200 rpm, the fog kept my speed.

I know why I am not sad. The path is torque, the work, the speed... the pace separating the living from the dying.
I got to the nearest town in the red.
took the highway home.. cruise control, 77mph, foggy. Rural and quiet, I-95 above orono maine. I stayed in the left lane, as too many roads lean to the right.

[Barry Donovan]

the sound of torque

---

very glad to be back in a truck... where half throttle is not gaining a zero to 60, but a humble 10000 pound total.
some do not know that sound, when a v8 is digging in to direct gearing, a 1 to 1 gear or less...
the full stroke, actually working.
real shame to miss out.

here is the biggest concept of torque in the world:

it is not just fighting a hill.

this sound is so deep it shakes my knuckles as I hold the headphones tighter against my ears.

[Barry Donovan]

10 dollars!

---

my truck earned 10 dollars.
but it is owed much more than that...
I simply stopped to get a belt for a neighbors subaru, and offered to install it.

As much as I poop on subarus...
what other little car goes as far as needing a belt for high mileage and creaking the hood open after never checking anything.
I'll leave the newer subes alone.
the first build on their engines, with normal driving.. they do go a long freaking way in some of those models.

I saw one today with "general courier" on the side. A whole business is revolving around them to deliver things.
Avoiding the city for too long brings the chevy ford battle if you know what I mean... easy to be prejudice when it does not survive in the woods.

A/C on all day, loving it. Looked over a 2004 for my neices boyfriend, Best bargain I have encountered yet. Bought form a widow.
1500 bucks, 140k miles. Extended cab, needs tank strap, simple things.
needs simple things.
we literally blew out a mouse nest in the same spot as my 96.
down the road it goes.
genuine z71 with 5.3 LS. RPO code in the glovebox.
iron block, aluminum heads.

nice truck.

on the way home, a car suddenly turns right to get onto their driveway... another one on my tail.
Ambitious drop to third and bam, 70 in seconds, 2 more gears to go...
I do drive like a grandpa most of the time, but the throttle once and awhile is fun...

..and necessary.

Speaking of subarus, I am not laughing out loud to think this goes by the factory wrx sporty sedans, the little hood scoop.
STI should be much faster, and I won't say what brought me to the causal conclusion.
surprised me. The truck is quick however.

[Barry Donovan]

just trucking.. july 4

---

I knew this was going to happen, and even thought ahead for my dad when he finally gives up the little boy sized boat.
the need for my truck all at once in somebodies panic.
I am making the truck heftier than factory, my secret, just for towing a bigger boat later on.

my dad, he's got a old man and the sea mentality in his head..
a 10 foot skiff and 300 foot sword fish or something.

maybe trucking too long. the boat might be his bobtail tractor, the right whale his trailer he hooks up himself.

I went to add a bolt to crossmember for spare tire, as I am just making the brutal work of welds and steel tidy.
I forgot I welded the spot where I was trying to drill...
sure as hell don't need a bolt where 70 k psi is holding it together.

this must be at a carbon level a scientist would be intrigued over.

yesterday's lumber list.. just used the bed.

4 of 12 feet 2x6
5 of the 4x8 1/2 inch osb
3 bundles 80 pound shingles
10 of 8 feet by 2x6
3 of 4x4 pressure treated.

a/c on, 89F in the big city, 3 of us in the cab.
we took the highway home, normal speeds, little orange flags for the extra 6 feet hanging off the 20 foot truck.

This truck is won. Could not even tell that stuff was there, until looking in the mirror at the flags flapping.

later that day, I gave the a/c the last ounce or two of freon in a 2 second burst..the dupont stuff. The a/c is already a dream, just using a last trick to find maximum high pressure...
wait for a 90 F day. maine takes awhile to get there.
Knowing it is at 28-30 of 32 ounces..
topped it off.
still have 4 ounces left in the can... I'll just hide that away.

later that evening, my brother the drinker and I went to the river for fireworks with the silverline boat, 50hp merc.
made in 1973 like me.
The landing is busy with people doing the same.
that crowd is rather serious with the $40-60k trucks, pontoon party boats at 10k pounds and other interesting stuff.

I backed down the ramp, trailer is skinnier than the truck, and it was dark out. I laughed out loud to find it jacknifing into the dock... gently of course.
I ended up going in far enough with exhaust gurgling, so the boat could just drive onto the trailer.
Dark and a line of boats waiting.. very busy at hamlin marine on july 4.
lots of people to realize I am making my own modern sounds. As long as we waited.. I noticed I was the only manual v8 truck there. I notced my truck was the oldest of a dozen.

It is a truck to piss a fat guy with a wallet off.
been doing that to old vikings since I was 13.

got pics of the day, just sorting stuff now.

happy fourth.

[Barry Donovan]

an example of what you can do with frames, aside from roadkills latest buick on a corvette episode..
this one is about the trucks.

I made my own a brick in cross sills and simple framing welds.
Hard to understand people and their steel issues, growing up in the path I was given.
so many get intimidated..
ridiculous.




this was in craigslist today. This truck, in this region would stay antique registered..
the frames. Crazy stuff. I skipped over a lot of years, and finally got details beginning with obd2 (1996). I could not wait find the 96 I have got.
my 96 looks like a monster when taken down to the bones compared to this 82. then in 1999, they got even bigger..and people here still broke them.
from those years onward, they look like a monster down to the bones, compared to my 1996.
they have come a long way. Getting bigger...
the 2013 custom ramp ... glad to see one, excellent candidate. A real one.

I remember laughing at the 400 pound stamp on some of the bumpers for max tongue weight. We'd be lucky to keep it good at 200-250. The 96 can do 400 with my own extras learned here in the woods.. on just the bumper. It gets scary in years prior...for real. Snapping runs of rail like twigs. Not just in half, but the long way, in strange ways.. twisting and popping.

anyone remember the frameless trailers? it took a couple of years to snap a 48 foot version in half to rolls of 5000 pound paper or salt bags..crazy loads like 50000 pounds etc. Made pick up trucks seem even dumber.

keep on welding on...
the truck in vid is a work of art as well as reality.

of course, a 2013 model would have a beefier backbone (back of cab) but would still require some simple laminate welds for extension in that distance.
would love to see the details.
that is great stuff.

might hit 90 for the first time since.. ?

have to wait and see.
this is a big deal for welding.

the 61 in photo is bangor maine.
where I am is 56.7F