1996 GMC 5-speed

[Barry Donovan]

title of ownership

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I knew the dealer was cool. got this in the mail today.
another non-surprise is seeing odometer exempted.




one inspection near dusk, hearing the cold start.. the backing out of its snow encrusted spot..and the first test ride down pouncy roads slicked up.

I self declared miles unknown...and I knew it with out any doubt. I stated in a first post on this truck, its as if the odometer is for reference only. It does not match the condition.
it is a source of comedy, as that will roll around to 500,000 miles someday.

I have concluded its in a realm of fresh second engine, exhaust..and he mentioned front cv joints, rear end work, and brakes. For maine that is 100k something.
the infamous chevy scab near rear driver side shock mount is still not quite needed.
removing heater motor had no odors, and literally... one pine needle.

The engine is phenomenal. That is all I have to say.

To go through as much as i have in quantity. I am almost in a silent realm to judge machines...an aging mans gibberish.
Not been wrong yet.

[Barry Donovan]

shift extension

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with a plucked rib aching..the exactly 5 inches short on the oem shifter was driving me out of breathe in 4th and 5th gear.
I went about what I do next.




cannot get any closer to the steering wheel with a straight shot.

the extension is from an old desk lamp. The shifter for this gmc is not modifiable, so I smashed the knob off with a screwdriver , reeling in my rage against asian midget socialism..but oh, this is a gmc. I then continued to smash the knob until just the right amount of plastic fell out of it, then I snug it onto the extension. Looks a bit factory.

Got it done.
the pipe is cut with a pipe cutter, real time. Trial and error. It ended up a 4-6 inch extension by eyeball, measurement is my own comfort.

oh look, in the background..15 inch french wheels on a ricer.

amazing!


Went for yet another ride, a subconscious routine per 100k 305 ci engine miles: I knew arctica left today. It's like a switch. Even if it gets cold again, it's too late. Old man winter is on a losing retreat.

This means I get to see the real temperature of engine, and fuel mileage. My subaru was a 50 mile run, get a coffee, monitor what I just built closely. This truck is 100 miles for the same thoughts on testing. Much larger world.Tranny likes being warm, that extra needle width to the warm side brought well over 20mpg. It may hit 25 by the time I am done with the tricks. I will throw in a 195F thermostat as well.

I am now certain to find something like lucas or magic trick come out with tranny fluid. Back to GM genuine it goes.Other than that, the shifter is just right, exhaust sounding very quiet more and more. I also got in a 4600 rpm to the floor. Help dial in the equal length wires. It may need a little more of that.
dial in to my own learning is tps, map sensor, and this one has a 3 wire gnition control.. that is something fancy apparently. All the gadgets. To maximum on the road, and come back down. I noticed fuel mileage increase dramatically in the first 25 miles after that stomping.

This injection stuff is fun. I still feel an old 305 chevy under the hood.. but the valve train is slippery, and the fuel/air controls are just priceless.

I have also deciphered this one as a genuine z71. Special order. I guess the list for rpo codes has a limit..they literally did not fit in z71 in the glove box. I found the tires call for white lettering, and the hefty width. z71 is the only one to get that for 1996. 265/65/16 WOL, 114S. (I want to step up to 116T or LT).

The tranny code is for the manual 5 speed. The torsion bars are hefty, it makes an escalade version look wimpy...and that escalade is a big one. The other, was SLE trim is genuine, exactly GM built..and not mentioned as rpo. Tricky stuff. The only power option missing is seat forward and back..and heated mirrors..although those might be. One mirror lense popped off its backing. Just learn what it is, and gather the clues with other rpo codes that are written for certain models.

[Barry Donovan]

shift extension (cont)

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This is too lucky. This all threads together. And the plastic sleeve for the universal shifter is just right. The thread stud is already inside it in photo, I chose a bad angle for the shot, cannot see it in the sleeve. That sleeve is the gem for these shifters, as vibrations and static get to be a nuisance. It allows for a metal ball on the end of the stick. OE typically goes plastics for this reason.



anyway, put it all together. I freakishly found a vacuum cleaner extension that snugly fits over the whole extension, and gives a trim for the ball even further. Stretch silicone tape seems to be my choice for now. And an odd note... I have never seen a black steering wheel by factory. Thought it was simply dirty at first.



..and found the trim, and it is multipurpose beyond trim.
polyelflelinin heat shrink. I choose the black launder-ay version.

[Barry Donovan]

"come on over ya missed me"

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trucker slang for get back in the lane..plenty of room.
Ever encounter the slow rig in the right lane coming on fast, as you stand ground at the speed limit, and there is a vehicle in the other lane, hovering exactly at your speed like an a#$%!@#@.

the other night, I look in the mirror, just as a car flickered the lamps to come out in the lane, and it slowed some...to let me get by the slow rig.
There is a presence of 141 inch wheelbase, and took a deep breathe to realize how friendly that was.

if that was me in my subaru, no one would have cared.

anyway, jumped up at the crack of dawn to put the shifter together as per my dream that came to me.
and forgot to try it out.

Went for a ride in disbelief at 930pm, thermostat reading is 35F. I have not seen that since december.
I did something just right this time wiith the extension, tranny is quiet, shifts fall right in. One end of the shift knows the other. That is a heavy ball, and got it very cheap, by a tipper at a subaru forum I believe...3 years ago or more.

I also added a set screw to the extension pole, had that tight for the ride. I can get real fancy with that one, as I have taps all the way down to very tiny. I am thinking npt 1/8th, look flush as a set screw.

Truck is rumbling to the warm weather coming. I dropped a colossal monster off the rails changing the bulbs and relay..and plug wires. My subaru was this dramatic after welding the chassis...for 2 years following.The parking spot is the only one left with ice hard packed even after todays 40F something sun. I have done this to at least 3 of my machines in memory. First time with a truck. I cannot help but wonder if it is the color of powedered tungsten in the mix in the snow/ice. Dead cold.

I gave it a new parking spot, see if that helps. the welds on this one are just going to be my version of mythological density. Mostly cross sills under the bed , if to notice any change. Those are still hlding up as factory measures, very hard...with holes in them. I am getting quite familiar with this hard earned skill. My health being better would be the best.


I also noticed those expensive stainless lines I bought for my subaru intake will work wonders on this trucks negatable power steering cooler lines. Those may be weeping right now. will wait til tomorrow check things out.

[Barry Donovan]

tire jack

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I did not miss the gmc version missing under the back seat...
remembered I had two jacks from my monte carlos and a grand prix. All 1984...as seen in photo.

This slipped onto the stud they give the oe jacks under the seat, and so it sits. I put in a clean one, but will think of something to put the jack in, then bolt it to floor in oe spot.

the truck is easier to jack than a subaru, as the goal is picking up a tire. Looking down at lower arms or live axle..this has more than one good spot to crank up in a short time.

Me and those jacks go back to the year this truck was new, 1996. That is when i put the two I kept, in the back of my first subaru.

31 years old this year. Need nothing. Great alternative for the light duty trucks.

[Barry Donovan]

shifter gmc nv3500 - final

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the pipe coming from an old desktop lamp. Strangely perfect. threaded inserts, studs for shift knob.

Some trial and error to get extension length ,
a little bit of grinding on the universal ball trim to gain an angle and further the seat into the extension... just right.
I had to pry off the old shift knob, which is pressed on. I then wrapped in tape as a squashy quiet buffer.


this gives an idea how far off the mark it is for me to drive this. I have a set screw in to tighten it down. the final trim will be heatshrink with a pattern in it.
I thougt I gained six inch, but it appears to be eight or so.

This will do any universal shifter. I cannot find this exact one, but there is many that look like it on ebay.

The goo on the steering wheel also gathers on door knobs and shifters. Simple green does great with it. It is not just us filthy pigs called humans as the cause, its called ionization. My other hint to attack electric, drop amps and give a direction. The LED lights is greatness. Anyway, the chrome shifter never gains that in any way...as long as that plastic sleeve is good for the universal mount.

The ride is a lot more feel, the shifter owns the big tranny. It needed the weight of extension for sure. I have no clue where their numbers come from, for max power it can handle. I'd tug 12000 pounds and add 600 foot pounds to it. I am only guessing to keep liability down, gm halfed or 3/4 the total due to 4 low, as 4 low magnifies the stab at all transmissions. In that math, a 450 foot pound of an LS would be do-able. I would not hesitate to try it.

Old discipline knows not to slam 4 low around even on an old engine with low power...but I digress.

This, to me, is worth more than a hurst.. I must confess.


Hand on the shifter, floating through the alton woods, the angled curve that had crosses on the side of the road, had some ice, last second no decision, hand on shifter to feel out what comes next. The gmc kicked in the LSD even with throttle off, as chunks went flying past the front of the truck going faster than me....

do you wanna know what else is more than a gimmick addon?

[Barry Donovan]

more amps dropped

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this brake commander has a 1/98 date on it. Did some browsing around and well.. its all done outdated. Interesting gadget for electric brake trailers.
I found a 6 foot lead to the aux bolt underhood, and two more wires in the same cluster going to the frame heading to the back end.

at least 30 feet of wire wicked, lit and nowhere to go until a trailer hooked up. This may explain the explosive past on the third brake light. The rear bumper would be in even better shape as well.. but no complaints. Some people got some hauling to do.

And the big red wire was also on an aux port, this went to the back seat to power a sub no longer there. I removed it...

like a boss.

the fuse is bigger than all the power with every accessory on in the truck combined...for a speaker or amp. Ridiculous.

Result is a big cold start, vortec style. The radio turns on quicker, revealing the bad news... the commander wire was indeed wicked, lit and nowhere to go. It was thieving its neighbor.

My desire to change all the lights is the same without the unusual amp draw removed today, it was my modern vow, and fun. The relay for blinkers is very smart now, bleeds off what is not needed, before never taking too much.

I could expect cab mounts to dry brittle and go missing in chunks now, and I am serious.. but ahead of the game. I found some polyurethane mounts, and am ready to do whatever is necessary.

[Barry Donovan]

still playing with encodings. I think I am ready to use the cheap camera. It even encodes fast to what I am used to.

moving on, found some polyurethane mounts cheap.



This locale is brutal. I learned the happy are called arcadians. I am not one...but am not sad to be here.
I lept from this place knowing it was hopeless with facts, and it is the same 20 years later. A record breaking winter was a must see. Very silent for days, I get a phone call occasionally.

I cannot do that for long. I am one to go for a ride...to new jersey from where I am, for no reason what so ever.

I know I'll be leaving for good this time. It is astounding enough, my time here... a real novel. some talk of the lone death and make it famous. This place has many more than one, and an occasional lone survivor.
I figured 30 people I once knew here, all deceased. I walk into the store little expecting see old man drake, and it isn't. A pile of car batteries next to the little debbie snacks, the smell of a garage and pizza, and even some beer...not like that now.

The floor creaks the same, it lived longer than lifetimes. The door still has a bell. I do remember being young, and on a bicycle. My last year of it was my first year of maine. I was 15. Buying candy with found pocket change belonging to dad was still a motivation to pedal the mile to the store.

My dream truck at 16 was a z71. I am not sure what I am proving.

[Barry Donovan]

the rubber mounts

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bought the energy suspension version for extended cab fullsize.

I noticed the lower rubbers are the cracked, above them is like new, including the steel. The diagram shows how that is possible. In fact the whole cab narrows down to rockers, precisely so...common stuff.
That is not uncommon , as my learning is like the time that goes by, waiting to see what steel does next on what model. The pick and choose fails of the metals in the computing era. Precise as hertz. I am nerdy enough to find that amazing.

so, I am hoping I can pry off the lower, without jacking anything up. I want to offset the mismatch of dainty lower to rugged aging upper with the polyurethane. All is working now, but have encountered these fail with a carpenters truck that was loaded daily..and that was regular cab. The extended cab, non rear openings, is as rugged as gm ever got for the trucks. If i am not mistaken, that design is gone too, like the 5 speed.

I did pick and choose by my own facts, the aging truck to take in. To me, this is the special edition that takes years to catch on. Like a rare mustang left in a barn. The difference not ever seen in the car collecting realm, is a computer with zero complaints, multipoint vortec injection right on the money..headed for its first 2 decades. Time to buy is now kids..

4 am, frigid, and in pain. I do not complain, that is the facts of this winter taking its toll. Good time to think of better times, and weather allowing chores to be easy. Gather parts, and tools, and a place.


edit:
got a closer look today in the cold sun, all the mounts are perfect except for the slightly larger rear cab mounts, the lower side. The upper has no signs of any wear , squashing. Same as the rest of the truck.

Quick chore for the cab mounts. The parts photo does not look as flat out as factory lower mounts, maybe there is a big compression upon bolting in.

[Barry Donovan]

captain commander gadget followup

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full memory is returning, it must be spring on the way.
got underneath driver side, found there is covers on the larger cab mount. It is swiss cheese underneath the cover on the driver side when I picked at it with my finger. The new polyurethane is a necessity after all. I was not sure at first. only that one mount. All the others are like new. I remembered how easy this chore is, especially extended cab, 6 mounts just for body. the single cab had a difficulty, something got stubborn.
Anyway..
I also found the left floor, and the edge seam is deionizing.. letting things go. I dropped a monster. Good spot for some disinfecting lysol. Right side floor is mint.
Rockers are better than I thought., must have been the dirty roads and bumpy nature of them giving a worse impression.

Go-go gadget captain commando with the japanese sounding brand name was torturing something in circles. All 4000 amps of it. I found the ground is on the under dash pole, doing nothing now of course..but that must have been the looper. No error indication but steel and time.

this outcome, right side mint, the left shock mount rear, the specific one cab mount... it is exactly precisely so... to the first one I had seen just as bewildered. A 1984 gmc, a friend bought for cheap in the early 90s. That one recovered too.

the rear shock area will need a scab, and a short handled sledge hammer. That is the extent of drama on this one. The tongue can still do the whole 400 ball, and 4000 limit. Stuff must have changed slightly back there for the year, steel grade, less battles. The rear spring hangers to the frame are ugly, but cleanable and paintable. Not needing to be new yet. This will all stop in time where its at.

another snowstorm on the way.

[Barry Donovan]

a ride in the snow

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mid march snow, I remember them here..into april. They cut back on the plows and stop using salt.

Great time to sail down the unbeaten path at 50mph.. fresh clean snow. Get the underneath with the natural path that made it dirty in the first place.

I found my favorite cleaner, undiluted, mix myself in a spray bottle. Lysol with a particular scent, 99.9% disinfectant etc. Cleaned the truck interior, found the steering wheel needed half a roll of paper towels, never ending grey goo from people. That cleaned up, shrunk the hand sewn threads that must have cost this z71 another 100 dollars back then in 1996.

This is quite a beast, and 4hi mode is instant limited slip. Easy to grasp, but a lot more gear like things happening, a little bit of slop like a tractor trailer..but other than that, 5 times the power and the same feel as my old subaru.

The confidence is there due to the sheer weight and slow tire revolutions, to step right up to 70mph with a snowstorm in my wake..but did not.This was actually my first ride on fresh stuff.
I backed into a driveway, near dusk.. could not see the snowbanks all that well. I look over to my left, and I am eye level to one, and the truck is still sitting level. I was like wtf?

The articulation blew my mind. I was on the four foot tall pile with half the truck, sitting level.

did not even let out a creak.

glad to be back in my sizing of things.

[Barry Donovan]

Reading up on speeds of other trucks at the gm forum, towards stock or supercharged...and I do keep up on the most famous gm v8s in the corvette.
I was reading an article about the manual tranny vette getting a 10.9, matching the automatic. In the truck world, when you add weight to an automatic, you are making the same noise as a corvette, and not moving the same speed.

This manual truck hauls ass in comparison to others with an auto. I would not be surprised to match a 6.2 supercharged with the 8 speed auto. I also found the rpm range is the same as the vette to maximize the go forward power. Between 4k rpm and 2500. I found that funny, as this truck is exactly 2500 to luanch forward fast enough to pay close attention, and past 4600k is simply making noise more than a climb.
I had guessed this one does 80 in the eigth, and that is hauling ass for the fullsize.That is coincidentally a common number at the truck forum. Visualize a common length of a highway onramp, and you shoot off the end at 80mph.


Something else I am learning is exacts of length and blind spots etc.
Today I did a donut.
it was fun.

like a billboard sideways coming at ya. Went well with the sno-nadoes climbing across the field.
Good year for a truck in maine.

Narrowing down the inches, the blind spots, gaining speeds of confidence.
Alot like a tractor trailer, or large cube van.

aside form being foolish, I left the parking to give the snowblower man more room. He must be bordering anervous breakdown by now. Another 7 inches or more today, heavier version wind howling.. A balmy hot snow in the low 20s. Not like what the past 27 snowstorms have been. Absolutely phenomenal winter.

The thoughts on electrical blips this time of year into april... No success exactly. A lot of years straining to get through faultlessly. I am looking forward to trying out each weather spell that triggers the thoughts of something failing. Around 32F and wet and snow on the ground and ice/ fog at the same time, is a holy crap sometimes, even for big diesel.

This one went tank so far. All moves, all weathers, exactly where I put something. Throttle, switches , cold starts...success.

The headlamps give a big kick on the alt gauge, the last hot item..and will continue to humor them. They earned their brightness. I did take note someone had some hefty watt versions, and I keep on using them.

I also got a simple compliment today, from a neighbor. I had assumed such things to be sarcasm for so long, it was hard for me to realize it was genuine.
This really is a good rig...not just to me.

when I was younger, before independent. I felt safe myself just seeing my neighbor own a good truck in the yard. GM has always been my favorite.
back then it was gimmick to chose a brand. I had it all... and like it all. The gm stuff was like a domino effect. Kept getting the similar stuff , a routine and years. It is easy to say gm is my favorite.

[Barry Donovan]

monster cables

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removed 2 of these already. One was left (red wire in previous photos) dangling from an auxiliary power bolt from underhood, draped behind the firewall sound deading, which is in front of the pedals. the clutch mashed right into it on full depression.. but anyway.

This one had a plugin at the back of radio. I was in there to get a look at the tiny bulbs in the heater controls...too tiny to bother with led. I'll leave them.
Found a discoloration in one of the brittled tabs on the controller , and found these cables going by.

Those silly ass alpine pioneer type boom box radios, single din and 200watt. yeah right. Like they are not on fire just to light up their own bezel. Funny enough, I got a delco for a 96 chevy sitting in my subaru. Coincidence.

The alpine turned on even faster, as the guts of those modern radios are 200 times smaller than the false impression powerline-to-house cables in the photo.

Sounds great. With a cool dash to led, unnecessary cables removed, calling the dash good.

The last odd electrical change nobody pays attention to in tropical lands like boston and southward..
The nitrile based anything. I know the engine has the one piece seals, old nitrile design, and they passed my tests, electrically inert nyway if using regular oils.


So, the last step, and calling the whole truck good is the cab mounts. Those are due tomorrow I guess, but I am in no rush, we got 4 feet of slop in the ground.

Maybe I'll ask my bro-n-law to use his car lift to pick up the cab, get all 8 of the buggers at once. The extended cab and the mount chores are very easy. Some claim that extra middle one helps the torsion stress on the frame rails. I never forgot these things, looking for a truck to take on and fix up. I only avoided single cab at first because I am shaped funny, I cannot sit in one for very long. As it is, like all my machines, the top of the front seat looks like it is in the back, passed the b-pillars.

liking this one a little more every day, after liking it a lot already. I noticed the height of shifter has it in no light to show where it is at all. In the dark, I did misreach to where the knob wasn't. I am looking around ebay for a unique thing to add one tiny led light in the shifter, very dim, to come on with parking lights.

[Barry Donovan]

one of these parked next to my truck. this is 2012.




wow. The 96 looks more the classic sizing, like back in the 70s and 80s. This place must be flat broke, never remembered seeing a new one.

Funny coincidence, I was just talking to my dad, as this pulled in. He said I could pull in the garage to do the cab mount bushings. I told him the roof would hit the garage door opener.
He did not remember the height of it. So, I am describing to him, the back bed comes up to my neck, and I cannot clean the roof off completely standing on the ground (I can reach a ten foot basketball rim on my toes)

then along comes this even bigger one, all factory.

Impressive. Is this 8 feet wide or what. It looked colossal.
I guess this verifies the thoughts on the speed of my old one. I was matching a supercharged 6.2 liter with my manual 305 vortec.



..and I found my wheels . First impression is always the one that sticks. I saw black and chrome, positive rake...and old school in my 96.
I wondered what 5 spoke cragar SS of the past would have looked like...
Well.... too small is what they would have looked like.


Found these 17 inch 6 spoke on ebay. this will compliment my highway superstar theme a little more..while keeping an all season white lettering tread.

[Barry Donovan]

came with instructions. Came in retail box.
easy enough to decipher. the short one is way up front, the tallest one is way in back. The back one is the reason I bought all 8 of them.
Driver side rear seems to be the only challenged one...I am sure to be surprised. One can only feel mounts going down the road. My ride to the city breaks rally cars.


Today, the snow is wet falling.. I just knew I was going to get a frying pan smell someplace. For this one it is front left wheel well. I know this truck like 22 vehicles that came before it..
LED for the win.

Got looking at cab mounts, the drama queen to be, was the front, those look shredded, but still doing their job with what is left. Those are bolts not to stay friendly to. Snip them right off if an air gun does get them first try.

the other mounts, super easy. Counting on using original bolts as well. Getting enthused to warmer weather chores. The wet chassis today.. I had to wait a long time for that one. I bought this january 31st...this is the first day above freezing with moisture falling from the sky.

The odor is an act of physics, tells you what it got caught up in during the winter. This year was more than 60 days. Its like deionization with an attitude.I have met some that vomited over their own vehicle..first rain storms after winter. My locale had a violent dumpsite near dysarts truck stop for years, and one is still active at the highway merge where I am living. The frying pan odor is metallic physics, electrical is the attraction...and anything nitrile based. I have won with everything, but it needs some thought.

The poly mounts have a pleasant electrical value in comparison to doctors gloves piled in a dumpsite holding up your cab. Cannot wait to slap all the new mounts in.
The other value increased is the infamous -20c garbage chemistry not being limited. The poly can go way way below zero...a bit like LED lights.

I still joke about this place, for those who win or not. You will know a northern vehicle is coming your way. This one just happens to be a v8 with manual that gains attention anyway.