1996 GMC 5-speed

[Barry Donovan]

hanger followup

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smack me like a hurricane and quench my butt welds
my truck, its a bit masochist.
says strange things some times



warm rain from the east.
a spiral in the gulf of maine like a tropical storm.

something tightened transmission, aside the 30F drop to 66f in the rain...
rowing gears today noticed.
I laughed to realize the last spring hangers in the back is the end of the transmission..
food for thought.

hillbilly manual trans rebuild = change the spring hangers.

[Barry Donovan]

hood release

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thinking of details, as everything works...
waiting on a back ordered fancy driver side inner floor, and can finish that off.

I remembered most of the world is retarded when it comes to mechanical. this hood latch has sent 23000 dollars to the junk yard...because the whole truck is junk after that. Yep. Sure is.

I figured they were ford lovers anyway.


$7.95 brand new, with free shipping.. but you know me.
I snipped up some metal in the shape of a fork and put it back together.. these break that yellow outline clean off after the 5 times opening the hood in 383k miles.Still usable even after that..but decided I was bored and fixed it..

305 only needed hood popped 5 times in 24 years ans 383k miles.
amazing.

anyway, plastic breaks once like this.. I go for metal additions to make it better.
my home made working of it will go another 600k miles and 37 years.

[Barry Donovan]

inspection 25

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was all set, feeling good about my compilation....

photo borrowed from the net.

got sent home for ebrake adjustment.
forgot to do the in gear test for ebrake. I only check it by engaging.
last night it let out its moans and tractor trailer groans, and it stopped the truck.
I did forget about the new brake pads.
those loosen ebrakes as they are on the other side of the fulcrum
new pads = sloppy cable.

nice to hear it still engaging anyway..
I took it home, thunderstorms brewing .
soaked adjustment in pb blaster.

tomorrow will be sunny and I'll get that one inch movement needed on cable..
it may be more than that as that fulcrum stuff on two ends has ratios that go exponential

a quarter inch beef on new pads is like 2 inches on the ebrake. weird stuff.

an interesting thing to see is how far that ebrake cable is adjusted to the end.
they must have had old pads on this for a long time.

I never thought twice about it..as long as it kicked in I called it good.

will go at it again sometime soon. the state of maine is still in no hurry about registrations and inspections.
the covid stuff.

I am staying ahead.

[Barry Donovan]

e brake 3 part part 2

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being the herculean tractor trailering tug boater I am
I shredded the ebrake to tetanus levels of genius with my bare hands.


and this photo has nothing to do with this post... but i think my nuclear finger tips are nuclear fingering. the lcd lines are not part of the lcd screen.. but I have some anyway.


the rear left cable moves the entire rear left cable with the depressing of the ebrake pedal.. the cable inside the sheath does not.
the 1875 steam engine era design is surely outdone by now.

the right rear broke the adjustment screw, I had to grind off the nuts... and then shredded the cable to the point of doubting its use ever again..
onto the front 55 and 1/2 inches.


did not know there was a made in china call it good enough ebrake cable up to the pedal.. but oh.
this truck has one.
its suipposed to have one ball end and one cylinder slug and it is stuck with 2 inches more movement available for no known decipherable reason.


long rambling story short. I got the 3 genuine AC Delco cables delivering for less than 50.
I can re use the equalizer and other little trinkets.



now i know what ate the right rear pads and leaving the left one unhindered...ebrake while never working perfectly stuck the right rear to a scrubber.
the 305 with its 7000 foot pounds at idle hardly noticed it.
the ebrake only worked one side.

[Barry Donovan]

my cable is too small

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my truck likes big cables.
it laughed at my attempt.



sending this strap on back for a bigger one.

ebrake cable saga continues.

the xcab gets the 66 inch cable for the pedal connection to first connect under cab...not the 55.

just to add some info for you. rockauto does not have it organized by truck... just length.

I have done this a few times... getting under the 12 foot wheel base, individual parts look small.
just the trans with transfer is about 6 feet long.. but in the truck it just looks like a regular sized thing happening.

same for the spring hangers I recently did.
Realizing the size of things out away from the truck is trippy.

[Barry Donovan]

almost have ebrake.. almost doesn't count

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I am one step closer.
got the first 66 inches in.
that fit perfectly, also made use of the rubber grommet at the floor.

the old one had no grommet in sight.
so.. like several other things in this truck.. it is the third brake cable, at a minimum
383k miles. 24 years.
this truck is working on 3 of everything..except transmission..
seems about right doesn't it


the rear right cable snapped, and that is my fault.. I did not see I was counter twisting with the adjustment.
I ruined the cable.
gave it a go anyway .. I had a feeling I was going to break it.
got a feeling for the new brake anyway..for all 1 second it lasted.
pedal returns fully on its own..

rear left cable.. it is now officially a mystery.
rock auto could organize this a lot better.

2 out of the 3 boxes are shipped back.. and hopefully can get this all brand new.

the rear left is hanging on as the strongest. It has remnants of the plastic sheathing and no fraying.
not to worried about that 77 inches yet.

the weather it got so hot so fast, I got dizzy.. I had to come home.
the new right rear cable is correct.. as I said. I could not get off the ground. I was that dizzy.
delaying install for better health.
when maine gets a heat wave its moving somebody's arctic ass out of the damn cold ground.

I'd rather be in a place where the nature of it understands heat.
this place gets dangerous above 90.

keeping cool until wave is gone by.
inspection sometime soon

rockauto has 4 rear left cables for the same truck.
ac delco has no match at all, they ave 2 choices.. makes no sense.

this wagner photo looks correct, and am going with this one next.
have it on order now.

printing a return for the other one.
slowly digging a hole towards 100 dollars in #$^%$%^$$ ebrake cables

and one more thing.. rockauto had the inner left floor pan I am after
I want the original shape in place to go with my custom stainless rockers.. and I have a small section to finish.
just below ebrake cable ironically..maybe six inches below it. Need a scab there.
waiting for shipping there as well.

[Barry Donovan]

ebrake in the heat advisory

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for one hour so today, it was super hot.
I was sitting on the pavement getting the right rear ebrake cable installed.

got it all in very easily, with cutoff wheel taking out the old one running.on my little generator


now the equalizer does not have enough adjustment for the new cables.


waiting for the third piece..the 25th foot of ebrake cable assembly to get it all band new.
meanwhile i am making my own equalizer.

the 3rd piece is due on friday. I do not need to wait that long.

[DanStokes]

Sounds like it's coming along. When I finally get going on the 'Stang I have an Ebrake to fix, too, so I can relate. When I installed the rear discs the cable is WAY too long so I need a '93 Cobra cable.

Dan

[Barry Donovan]

Sounds like it's coming along. When I finally get going on the 'Stang I have an Ebrake to fix, too, so I can relate. When I installed the rear discs the cable is WAY too long so I need a '93 Cobra cable.

Dan

it is an exacting math.. the bigger the vehicle, the more amazing it is to see it all work.
only one model away on this one from being huge...the crew cab 8 foot bed.

25 feet in the xcab is quite long already. .


Anyway, I had to make the equalizer myself..the new stuff literally balanced out in the middle..as if to be self equalizing.

the kit does not come witht a zero to zero connect.. does not exist that I know of.

I made this one out of a coil spring squisher..the real cheap ricer suspension dropper.

the angle leaning back is my bevel with a die grinder thinking ahead of the stress.

oddly enough, the pedal goes to the floor to gain full brake. any tighter and the brake will be stuck on when releasing.
this is how i know GM mathed this very seriously.

a human leg can break that cable..so they plan it to be full pull all the way to floor.
did the in gear test.. of course with a granny low 5 speed on a v8..it is a lot to ask of an ebrake on drums.
it held very good.


ready for inspection.
I also have a third cable..going to keep that as a spare.

[Barry Donovan]

KEYSTONE RRP1251

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not much waiting from rockauto for this one
got this in the mail



a lot bigger than it looks in the picture.
I'll take the seat at least partially out to get it in.


I don't even need it right now.. but the original has sag and mis-shape from years.
Also there is a fuel line running underneath
the factory new shape is what I am after with the new piece

with the welding already done, this piece here will give a quadruple seam at the rocker junction.

my doors are 200 pounds.. I noticed after my stainless adventure on the inner rocker, the change in door tone when closing.

the door is heavy enough to know the floor beam underneath it.

heavy chevy.

[Barry Donovan]

fail inspection..again

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heading for 280 miles in round trips for inspections
at 85mph smooth as glass because the tires are that good.

I think a real guru could disagree with the inspector this round.


anyway.. this one is failed for an outer edge. the same outer edge that was there for a couple of years now.
it has not changed at all.
I had these on for 5 months prior to ball joint change.. before knowing anything was wrong up front .
this has 20k miles to go.
munched on the edge where it stopped in time to the balljoint change.
looking closely the camera blurs the depth of the tread.. there is that much left.

I am thinking now i may give up on my favorite garage.
I also learned no one is caring about inspections.
He told me.
there is still cars driving around with no plates

I am prepared to get two more anyway.

This truck is damn good. He also suggested they are excellent spares.
I'll go hunt down some rims. a dime a dozen for this truck...and head back to the garage and try again.

no rush I guess. inspection ran out in may and nobody cares.
first in history I think.. giving up on all these rules and regulations.

edit:

it has been 5 years on the tires... looking back at this thread.
august 2015.
faultless, no errors.
just rotations.
Maybe i'll just walk in to wal mart and start over.

food for thought:
I checked the air once
they were that good...still are. they need nothing.

going for LT load range E (123/120 S) again..no doubt.

[Beagle]

New tires are candy, Barry. Expensive and worth it. You'll think you rebuilt the front end.

[Barry Donovan]

iron man with a plan

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New tires are candy, Barry. Expensive and worth it. You'll think you rebuilt the front end.

this truck is an odd one. I had to have a real inspector tell me all four balljpints were bad. Did not even notice.
and they were really bad. He showed me after removal.

I am one to surround the weirdness with 10 pounds of weld and 70 pounds of steel and poly mounts and class 12 bolts and...
anyway. I think I could brea this ones frame in half and still keep going straight.

I have a plan.




buy 4 more wheels, get these greatly named tires mounted for inspection.

seriously. i will buy these just for the cool lettering.


come home and put my old ones back on

they are not done yet.

kidding aside, the iron man have the S speed rating and 123 sidewall.. 10 ply load range E
just like the kumho

I like highway looking tread.
I think I'll go for these.

still browsing, but this is my number 1 favorite so far.

i am extremely disappointed in the kumho... they gave an impression the tire i bought was a long running model that does not change like the BFG all terrain. you can buy a new one any time...and get the same tire.

nobody has it in stock, and wal mart will not tell me if what they got is white lettering.

done with the kumho as new I guess. not sure if it is a covid19 delay or not. made in korea.
they did do very good however, and i am not done with them yet. in fact in 33 years of vehicles on my own.. these load range E kumhos are incredible. I am tortured by tires normally. these did something amazing.



a memory of just one of the times a normal tire is ground down to nothing... salt below zero mid day blasting its way to my 75mph run to the city , the exhaust smoke so cold it is ten lengths the truck keeping a shadow behind it
I am impressed.
given world standards, buying another brand should be similar.

I just have check on the tread wear value.. 60k mile was the kumhos.

[Barry Donovan]

4 more wheels! 4 more wheels!

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that is what they yell for the current president




guy turned out to be an interesting human.

a veteran of the gulf 1, enlisted in 1975.
he was near retiring back then
older guy now

he has a walk similar to mine.. he is a stroke survivor.

I was glad to give him the asking price of $100. the centers look very good, caps snap tightly on.
I may make another deal for whole set of wheels and tires, and he'll keep my old ones to move his tahoe around the yard.
he parked it with new tires on...truck just sits around now.


so.. awaiting some photos, and most likely going to get 4 more new ones.
load range E, S speed rating... 123/120S

[Barry Donovan]

iron man tread on the way

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went and ordered the iron man rb-lt
45 pounds a piece.. they got two pounds more than the kumhos.
wondering if they go extinct after i buy them.. I did some digging.
they are made by cooper. the parent company keeps things going for the overseas manufacture.

seem to be in abundance everywhere I check.. if not at the location, they get them a hurry.
my tires are coming from portland maine .. that is good news.



and this storm.. we will be on the east side.
I may have written in this thread the last time that happened.

there were so many trees down, only one road to the city was open.
it tends to go unpredictable for the sandal people predicting the northeast

anyway, should be all set.

I think of these as fun anwyay