Announcement

Collapse
No announcement yet.

1996 GMC 5-speed

Collapse
X
 
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts

  • a booger weld a day...
    keeps the ricer away

    broken shock mount,
    Click image for larger version  Name:	DSC03847w.jpg Views:	0 Size:	303.6 KB ID:	1298550

    I can buy this for 60 bucks delivered.. was feeling ambitious.
    tried some booger welding on the 90A.. 110 v
    left over 1inch flat stock.
    it has been cracked for the whole 6 years I have owned this.. and kept going anyway

    road construction in hamdpen maine did it in..
    it was a violent break, as the steel left doing the work was full guage.
    this truck be like that.

    can't ever call all of something rusted to hell.

    I like it as a welder.

    anyway, this shock really works now.. it must have been flexing for years.

    I am noticing bouncy vehicles everywhere.. was it the gentle heat wave? slow earthquake? 4 inches of tropical rain?
    maybe all of those things?

    I won't go nerdy on you, It attracts crazy people.

    smooth ride home.

    I seriously have one last welding chore on the important scale.. and can call the long chore list complete.
    I stopped counting at 10 pounds of mig weld 4 years ago..
    every year welding continues.
    Last edited by Barry Donovan; July 11, 2021, 12:59 PM.
    Previously boxer3main
    the death rate and fairy tales cannot kill the nature left behind.

    Comment


    • followup
      truck really dialed in. I am slightly embarrassed about going ape on the expensive plate I added to the hips of this old truck..
      but no. I am not really...
      stronger is better.

      the flexing wiggler i did not like may have been the shock mount this whole time.
      those do a lot of work in these long leaf springs.

      Click image for larger version  Name:	long1.JPG Views:	0 Size:	172.6 KB ID:	1298681
      speaking of long..a bit off subject, but this made me happy.
      my dna adventure found another site, and I deciphered a family mystery.
      ancestry.com has us related to a viking king named rollo who the french changed his name to long
      well..
      nothing added up and it made no sense what so ever.

      I then found another story, even older... and it is the real "long"
      the only valuable fact was the word Long, or DuLong as the french would say.


      I am directly related to some of the 57 people in a famous royal graveyard of lombards (long beards)
      wikipedia has more.. don't need to babble here...but they are of scandinavian origin, and not viking..
      exact name is clan armstrong. royal dude siward digry is first known name (strong sword arm) the long came from lombard, "long beard"
      french almost kept the facts straight, I digress. there was a long (pun) spell of no surnames, scandinavia was a big culprit of confusion (iceland today still does it) French and english set the record keeping straight.
      it is rare to be direct descendant. .. it is ashame how stories change and make no sense.
      DNA has been awesome at answering questions getting weird people and fake news out of the equation.

      on royal maps, there is genetic links going all the way to king edward the 7 (1910) and king george..
      I match to some rare y-dna something something of king louis xvi (he was beheaded 1793).. that one claims 94% closer than all users of their website as well. Y-DNA Haplogroup: G2a (P15/PF3112)
      just royal trails everywhere.
      I do not like it .
      I am still 48% irish with nothing but peace unwritten.
      even my irish name became a war hero in usa..defense in strange sneaky ways.
      danish, scandinavia, austria, england and france...that goes way back.
      glad my family got on a boat and came to america..
      I am from dulong with 1% cree indian.
      quite a trail.

      this also proved french and italian all mixed up with me. I could easily confuse my french with italian.
      these people are the reason.

      the germans called them "wolves"..must have been badasses.

      and my longest running SNP (cM value unchanged)
      it is 5000 year old greek... unchanged all these years.
      that is one strong man no doubt about it.

      hardly boasting. the euro relations are very tight knit..even with millions of people today.
      the realms of warriors as the only survivor.. it is your grandpa.
      the realms where a king succeeded. it is your government.
      the fact you are alive is some kind of love that is living.

      look at my dna map and think.."decipher the trail."
      nothing is easy.
      Click image for larger version

Name:	ancestrymap.JPG
Views:	142
Size:	65.7 KB
ID:	1298685
      anyway..
      will be putting that othe framer plate in my truck, and it is actually a plateau I call done.
      simple body work and going pretty is next steps.. new bumper, all the details.
      Last edited by Barry Donovan; July 12, 2021, 09:20 PM.
      Previously boxer3main
      the death rate and fairy tales cannot kill the nature left behind.

      Comment


      • Originally posted by Barry Donovan View Post
        followup
        truck really dialed in. I am slightly embarrassed about going ape on the expensive plate I added to the hips of this old truck..
        but no. I am not really...
        stronger is better.

        the flexing wiggler i did not like may have been the shock mount this whole time.
        those do a lot of work in these long leaf springs.

        Click image for larger version Name:	long1.JPG Views:	0 Size:	172.6 KB ID:	1298681
        speaking of long..a bit off subject, but this made me happy.
        my dna adventure found another site, and I deciphered a family mystery.
        ancestry.com has us related to a viking king named rollo who the french changed his name to long
        well..
        nothing added up and it made no sense what so ever.

        I then found another story, even older... and it is the real "long"
        the only valuable fact was the word Long, or DuLong as the french would say.


        I am directly related to some of the 57 people in a famous royal graveyard of lombards (long beards)
        wikipedia has more.. don't need to babble here...but they are of scandinavian origin, and not viking..
        exact name is clan armstrong. royal dude siward digry is first known name (strong sword arm) the long came from lombard, "long beard"
        french almost kept the facts straight, I digress. there was a long (pun) spell of no surnames, scandinavia was a big culprit of confusion (iceland today still does it) French and english set the record keeping straight.
        it is rare to be direct descendant. .. it is ashame how stories change and make no sense.
        DNA has been awesome at answering questions getting weird people and fake news out of the equation.

        on royal maps, there is genetic links going all the way to king edward the 7 (1910) and king george..
        I match to some rare y-dna something something of king louis xvi (he was beheaded 1793).. that one claims 94% closer than all users of their website as well. Y-DNA Haplogroup: G2a (P15/PF3112)
        just royal trails everywhere.
        I do not like it .
        I am still 48% irish with nothing but peace unwritten.
        even my irish name became a war hero in usa..defense in strange sneaky ways.
        danish, scandinavia, austria, england and france...that goes way back.
        glad my family got on a boat and came to america..
        I am from dulong with 1% cree indian.
        quite a trail.

        this also proved french and italian all mixed up with me. I could easily confuse my french with italian.
        these people are the reason.

        the germans called them "wolves"..must have been badasses.

        and my longest running SNP (cM value unchanged)
        it is 5000 year old greek... unchanged all these years.
        that is one strong man no doubt about it.

        hardly boasting. the euro relations are very tight knit..even with millions of people today.
        the realms of warriors as the only survivor.. it is your grandpa.
        the realms where a king succeeded. it is your government.
        the fact you are alive is some kind of love that is living.

        look at my dna map and think.."decipher the trail."
        nothing is easy.
        Click image for larger version

Name:	ancestrymap.JPG
Views:	142
Size:	65.7 KB
ID:	1298685
        anyway..
        will be putting that othe framer plate in my truck, and it is actually a plateau I call done.
        simple body work and going pretty is next steps.. new bumper, all the details.
        Data can and is manipulated to get results desired?
        good luck deciphering your journey

        Comment


        • Originally posted by Deaf Bob View Post

          Data can and is manipulated to get results desired?
          good luck deciphering your journey
          I learned that can happen
          ancestry.com has been good enough to be used by FBI.
          I keep that data and compare it other sites.
          mytrueancestry.com has some good reviews and accreditation. Every place else I have used has been so far off, i don't even log in.
          the two good sites match my sisters gigantic family tree with names.
          I am filling in voids where I can.

          the only mystery I had was so diverse, nothing would have gotten it without DNA.
          it turned out to be a complex story.
          my closest french relatives are the mystery surname in question.

          I am way more italian, greek than anything else apparently. Very tricky.

          when names are in the royal games, it even brings fakes, clones, coincidence, fraud and overall nasty insanity.
          I am also tied into the 1000AD viking boat ride.
          I have a good guess what a "legend with a sword" man declared would be running from.

          I am very happy.. my family is missing in big chunks. immediate parent, entire surnames etc.
          dna nailed it.


          on a truck note for today.. having good floor pans even brought a most pleasant odor in the cabin. I do keep clean, like the routine of an OTR trucker would
          it is paying off now with a tight build.

          my prediction for this solar minimum is even worse than I imagined... good to have a tight vehicle for the foreseeable future.

          here is another map of the compilation they deciphered.
          just for fun.
          this is the royal one.
          pink means haplogroup, unable to find people to bridge the gap (very sad for sure)
          yellow means direct ancestry.. we have the same great parents somewhere in the pathway.
          this simply means records written with people and DNA to coincide. royal tends to be vain like that.

          I went with this site to decipher a french name of mystery.
          the quieter a name is in the war path, the less likely it is to show up here
          my irish name is silent as can be.(I think that is how I am alive to be honest.. and the vikings. much more peace than crazy.)

          Click image for larger version  Name:	ancestry2.JPG Views:	0 Size:	125.1 KB ID:	1298881
          Last edited by Barry Donovan; July 14, 2021, 05:00 PM.
          Previously boxer3main
          the death rate and fairy tales cannot kill the nature left behind.

          Comment


          • I'm Lucky.....
            I am a 2nd generation "Off Da Boat" Finlander. Know ALL my relatives in the U.S.A.
            My Dad has the Family Records to way back.
            Family history gets a little murky in the Middle Ages as Finland was under the control of Sweden, and later Russia, Russia sold off parts, Then parts Taken Back again by Russia. (Czars are finicky)
            And records were lost or destroyed in the insuring chaos......

            Comment


            • Originally posted by Captain View Post
              I'm Lucky.....
              I am a 2nd generation "Off Da Boat" Finlander. Know ALL my relatives in the U.S.A.
              My Dad has the Family Records to way back.
              Family history gets a little murky in the Middle Ages as Finland was under the control of Sweden, and later Russia, Russia sold off parts, Then parts Taken Back again by Russia. (Czars are finicky)
              And records were lost or destroyed in the insuring chaos......
              my saddest history is scandinavian
              we even have some extinction.
              they also complicated matters of record by using first name as last and generating confusion.
              DNA has been awesome for me.
              we even found a native fur trader, his name was changed by french for easier communication.
              1600s. he is one of my grandfathers (my 1% cree indian)

              very humbling. all those tales of fighting are bit exaggerated.
              when you are starving... building from nothing.


              proud to be american.

              my irish name has lots of scandinavian interaction..we even had a viking clan living on our land.
              that name is still alive and well in america (very small family- even today)


              anyway, my truck thread veered right off the highway...

              I washed it today with ZEP in a lawn and gardedn bottle underneath, smells nice and is citric based.. lo and behold it is as strong as they claim. oils come off.

              I then went to car wash, gave it a scrub.
              the cabin cools down that much faster with real floor in. I should have guessed my make shift plate over the rust was not good enough.
              smells nice and HVAC is even more awesome

              should get a photo. Have not done that in a while.
              387k miles now.
              Last edited by Barry Donovan; July 15, 2021, 11:10 AM.
              Previously boxer3main
              the death rate and fairy tales cannot kill the nature left behind.

              Comment


              • yearly rock guard paint
                nothign stays on down low.. tried everything. steel is in great shape, a person could kick anywhere.
                I just do not know how to finish paint.
                Click image for larger version  Name:	jul2021.jpg Views:	0 Size:	515.1 KB ID:	1299265


                looks good every time.. quick scrub with wire brush, self etching primer.
                until next year.

                getting thread back on the truck.. family chat is over.

                very straight for a 96
                with 387k miles on it.
                have not taken a photo in a long time.

                one more plate to upgrade on the left side of gas tank.. the whole back end is done.
                I may scab some ribs for the last cross sill, that can stay more rigid and less oem flex.
                I left the bottom part of that sill factory just for the wimpy sheet metal flex...last remnant of the old square body mentality.

                it does not need that anymore. a stiff truck.
                Last edited by Barry Donovan; July 17, 2021, 06:57 PM.
                Previously boxer3main
                the death rate and fairy tales cannot kill the nature left behind.

                Comment


                • swamped

                  have not seen this in a long time.
                  a short 1 or two day 90% humidity maybe.. and that is uncommon too.
                  looks like a fog at all times.
                  the sun is blurred enough to look at it,

                  this spell is going on 4 days.
                  my locale is past 10 inches for this month.. record keeping is erasing stuff for bangor fed sucker budget reasons.
                  (not sure why they do that.. they even erase cold records)

                  Click image for larger version

Name:	wfog summer.jpg
Views:	121
Size:	255.6 KB
ID:	1299831

                  fog outside the window, due to a/c working awesome.
                  cab staying cozy
                  I could only keep it on lo,... getting too cold.

                  this is the weather where temp gauges climb.. only 80F or so...but that humidity stomps interaction of radiators, all vehicles.
                  thi is the same stuff that gives "HHH" (hazy hot humid) and warnings if in the 90s.
                  this is where I love the 305 even more.
                  I just stay hammer down with the cruise on...a/c on, everything on. this motor does not notice.
                  even back when I hammered an old carbed 5 liter HO original in an 84 monte carlo SS for months in the summer.
                  reminds me of that liquid 3 main bearing subaru as well.

                  born for tropic I guess.
                  the 305 simply has more fluid between the cylinders.
                  it does extreme cold and hot and all inbetween. I love this engine, it stays real.
                  the sprites that passed me over the years are long gone
                  Previously boxer3main
                  the death rate and fairy tales cannot kill the nature left behind.

                  Comment


                  • paternal maternal, y x and mtdna what
                    this dna stuff..
                    I started getting angry.

                    I just wanted to confess I am my name.
                    ancestry.com finally added dna values to my thru lines section.
                    Being male. you should do more than the autosomal test (dna majority matching)
                    becuase you carry the rock of Y that is your ancestral father.

                    me or my brother have not done that test yet.

                    my real grandpa was empty...reasoning this bothered me.
                    I went and spent over 200 in other places..
                    Now I have a deep Y-dna test on the way..
                    and then find that ancestry finally gave me the info.

                    so now i'll just learn approx 18 generations, with 99% accuracy. The Y-DNA for the euro Y-dna is very complex.. 90% of europe men have the same r1b haplogroup
                    spanish is closer to irish than any other.. stranger than fiction.
                    you have to have a deeper matching to get it right.. else 40 million men will show up as direct math brothers and fathers cousins and uncles. (not kidding)

                    I am a lucky one.. the most i'll see is an O' drop (american)..but with dna it does not matter. I could be any of the 12+ spellings my name has become...it will find it.

                    my mothers side is quite literally famous. there is anonymous royals living like granolas in the canadian woods to this day.. it is my family.
                    I do a double take sometimes..astounding trail.
                    being real regular people today.
                    Click image for larger version

Name:	image_72321.jpg
Views:	108
Size:	219.6 KB
ID:	1300825
                    anyway..
                    put in the ebrake cable for my dads 1999.
                    my 96 here in this thread is a dream of easy going.

                    they really started going to engineers hell on some things after the gmt400.

                    truck is doing awesome...had some very squeaky doors to an incredible moist spell (for maine anyway)
                    no more hickups or burps on bad coil icm etc.
                    no complaints at all.

                    one more weld for this old truck, the bigger plan for full frame restore in the back is complete.
                    6th summer.
                    Last edited by Barry Donovan; July 27, 2021, 09:12 PM.
                    Previously boxer3main
                    the death rate and fairy tales cannot kill the nature left behind.

                    Comment


                    • most dramatic repair yet
                      Click image for larger version  Name:	left frame gmc.jpg Views:	0 Size:	306.2 KB ID:	1301322
                      note that big front cross sill..
                      the whole truck is like a double cheeseburger.
                      still just a cheeseburger by label.


                      took it all apart, tank dropped easy enough.. one broken bolt
                      I did not expect that area of the frame to be so bad..


                      was putting the plate there anyway... but that surprised me.
                      truck sat up this strong with serious exfoliation.

                      I am the first one to ever smash all that off.


                      first time ever to leave the truck for two days.
                      am driving the k2500 right now.

                      biggest repair yet.

                      tomorrow is a ton of weld.(for me anyway)

                      a complaint I had not heard yet.. my truck is loud.
                      7 years and now that?

                      I think not.

                      still assuming I am confused for someone else.
                      I do not like loud.
                      summary of the back end thus far..
                      • all hangers front and back have a laminated welded plate with bolts going through precision holes (no more rivets)
                        • angle iron added to bottom of frame to convert front hangers to 6 bolt.and strengthen frame (I want a camper or fifth wheel)
                      • all cross sills changed or strengthened...front one is intentionally a little monster.
                      • welded shock mounts
                      • heavy duty U-bolts, with hellwigs (under bolt version)
                      • hole cut in bed for gas tank.. steel welded in to act as a lid holder.
                      • custom hitch..using factory bumper.

                      must be other things i am forgetting.. probably routine maintenance (I do not talk of that stuff)

                      aniother photo I took, gave it some labels
                      Click image for larger version  Name:	DSC03880w.jpg Views:	0 Size:	320.4 KB ID:	1301328
                      I never really showed the significance.. needed this perpindicular degree view

                      the yellow circles is the hanger.. gm leaves the bottom two bolts dangling empty hanger like a perforated muffler on a v8 after 1 maine winter.

                      the red is bolts going up thru the frame, the two red on the left is factory holes.. the third one on the right is mine
                      that angle iron and bottom rail together is beyond 3/8ths thick.. it is also how to get a 6 bolt hanger on a half ton...its all there factory, just left dangling empty. drove me nuts for decades.

                      the facing of frame to original areas (whatever is left of it) is also beyond .25 and less than .5 inch (the exfoliation varied depths)
                      this driver side gets the weld and bolts.

                      the squares on this side only are the gas tank bracket.. note the plate ends in between the 4 bolts.

                      passenger side was mint.. I only layered the angle iron to bottom of frame.. thick bead.(about 105 amps- would not do much more)

                      that is why this side is taking longer.. the gas tank, (reviving some little things there at the tank mounts) and way more weld than passenger side.
                      Last edited by Barry Donovan; July 31, 2021, 06:38 PM.
                      Previously boxer3main
                      the death rate and fairy tales cannot kill the nature left behind.

                      Comment


                      • Originally posted by Barry Donovan View Post
                        start and stall
                        little longer term update on the coil, controller combo..
                        that start and stall problem is all done. It has been doing that for at least half of my 6 years with it.
                        I had guessed it correct all along.. but there is no books to back me up.

                        I shall continue with my crew chief ways after all.

                        ..and i am shamefully down on fuel mileage.
                        it must really be thumping the fires now.. o2 trimming less fuel.
                        a.c working perfectly.. I have to remember it needs more fuel to run it as well.

                        zero errors..26 years old. ..387k miles.
                        never had an airplane like that.

                        Click image for larger version Name:	DSC03802sw.jpg Views:	0 Size:	470.9 KB ID:	1295246

                        worked with dad's truck today.
                        got brand new factory wheels back on the long studs.. this means the covers can thread on properly too.
                        those are new and so are the tires. looks nice.
                        I only share this as dad tells me once again today the truck is mine when he is done with it.

                        I told him i'll keep working on it for free.
                        1999 with 6 liter, 2500 (seems to be exactly HD.. need to check rpo codes)
                        14 bolt rear, wide springs, big rails. Found it is gt4 gearing in rpo.. 3.73
                        SLT trim.. this means leather extra goodies.. heated seats etc.

                        tires are same size as my half ton now. GM liked the 245 on their monster trucks..never did make any sense.
                        265/75/16 123/120S

                        not sure what the story is on the prev owner going cheap ass steelies..or even making this a plow truck.
                        came across as a whistlin diesel rich guy in a way.

                        lots of years left for regular people like me.
                        124k on an iron chevy.
                        all fluids serviced. Dad is getting into it as much as me.. he went and torqued every lug nut (those are new too).. all 32 of them
                        he just turned 70 last month.
                        Click image for larger version Name:	DSC03804w.jpg Views:	0 Size:	524.7 KB ID:	1295247

                        another photo from front angle.
                        learning curve for both me and dad.. I had guessed this shipped with alloys.. SLT trim, some extra factory chrome trim (doors), long studs and fender flares..
                        all the evidence needed.
                        this filled out nicely.
                        the steelies in the foreground.. never did have hub covers...long studs on skinny flange of steel wheel would not allow them to fit. the cheap chrome hub caps had dangling loose sharp knife edges as a result.
                        Glad we did this today.
                        I recommend looking into Nitto Ridge Grappler tires because they work well on a variety of surfaces. These tires also include a stone ejector pattern that helps to prolong tread life by preventing stone drilling.
                        Last edited by CoreyWelch; July 31, 2021, 11:28 PM.

                        Comment


                        • ugly and strong
                          hydro carbon errors, very old.
                          day two gas tank area.. the corten plate.

                          I opted to weld this side.. and there was some gas tank mounting fixes.

                          the frame was so content, it never smashed off its own hidden swiss cheese.
                          I left one swiss cheese hole.. it is triangulated (surrounded).. inbetween front and rear hanger anyway.
                          these trucks get away with nearly anything there...but right at the hangers is life and death most of the time.
                          this one just tanked. i like this frame

                          my photos suck today (got some debris in both eyes), but this nightmare of an area is all done.
                          Click image for larger version  Name:	inside frame at tank.jpg Views:	0 Size:	291.1 KB ID:	1301477
                          you can see my fender nut above.. the gas tank cut out.
                          works great. have four of them.

                          ugly the way it deteriorated.. some gauge is thick, some down to thin..and golf ball sized holes.
                          I just grinded until a surface..welded...only 2 feet section. smashed with framing hammer find the hard and brittle stuff..

                          fixed a gas strap, revived the front tank holder bracket with some stainless..
                          and added a little extra to the dying crossmember. I want to be able to remove it - getting old.

                          this truck went full speed with the hidden dying steel...
                          I hate the gas tanks area, avoided it like a plague.

                          glad to get these two days in. most time I have in one structural little section,..had to leave truck at garage could not drive.
                          also a first for me. I time it to get a project done in one day and drive home.

                          not this time.

                          this truck will do beyond half ton now anyway, all four corners of the back end are laminated and bolts..
                          ugly and strong.
                          Click image for larger version  Name:	image_75026.jpg Views:	3 Size:	262.0 KB ID:	1301479 this one, you can see a nut with threads not coming all the way through.
                          that is what happens when your frame is half inch thick on oem tank bracket.

                          I did replace one.. and added a spacer for left two bolts, as new plate ends in between that tank bracket.

                          Click image for larger version  Name:	image_75025.jpg Views:	3 Size:	345.6 KB ID:	1301478
                          here is a blurry glimpse of the swiss cheese i left. little hole up top. it has the plate going by at a 45 degree angle, welded. And a rivet for crossmember, and the bolt for bed crossmember above..
                          its like an ebb and flow of corner of a river...like spot for spider web.

                          not going to worry about it.

                          another note.. the areas at the C part of the c-rails all stayed strong.. errors there are very small if any.
                          the corten plate is simply a new face to weld to the strong C part.


                          had the bigger welder going at it today
                          .035 wire and 105-110 amps

                          gobbled it right up.
                          Last edited by Barry Donovan; August 1, 2021, 03:28 PM.
                          Previously boxer3main
                          the death rate and fairy tales cannot kill the nature left behind.

                          Comment


                          • truck with a golden voice
                            Click image for larger version  Name:	ted williams.JPG Views:	0 Size:	50.1 KB ID:	1301639

                            a famous person got a giggle out of one of my off replies.
                            I am always off
                            if you remember Ted Williams story
                            found homeless in bad shape.
                            true definition of saved. I am a true fan.
                            I have never learned of the uniformed photo of him (I think he is a veteran)
                            been following ever since.
                            he is still doing radio work these days and has his own show.

                            Click image for larger version  Name:	day after welding.jpg Views:	0 Size:	477.0 KB ID:	1301640 one day after welding.
                            was not sure if I did anything.
                            on the way home yesterday, noticed nothing, even my drivers door trim still squeaks..

                            Now I am sure I have.

                            that factory brochure positive rake.
                            that area, front hanger of rear springs has to be a very dense hammer.
                            no flex allowed.

                            I am there.
                            even my transmission notices.
                            my new tires sound more tread in the back left.
                            I got a stronger foot to the ground,

                            I did set a pretension before locking that plate in.. that means just jack up somewhere in the middle of truck, let back end do its half ton flexing thing in a downward motion..
                            I got it just right.

                            this latest weld will get tougher and tougher through the winter.
                            I call it God's quench.

                            real steel is never overnight... or one day.
                            such is a strong life.

                            this marks the end of the back end serious plans. all four corners of suspension.
                            the ubolts, hellwigs
                            shock mounts
                            all hangers converted to bolts.
                            all cross sills worked over
                            tank bracket strengthened
                            a full boltable cover for gas tank cut out in bed
                            custom hitch
                            the laminations just knocked it right out of half ton category.. greater strength unknown.
                            I chose the exceed option of "meet or exceed" for inspections.

                            the little bits left should be ok with the inspectors I go to.
                            they know these trucks well.
                            that is the last problem left.. white glove fairy talers trying to tell me my own steel work.
                            maine has plenty of real inspectors going at the same chores anyway.

                            this month is inspection 26...my 7th year with it.

                            with all the gadgets i got for welding and making things.. I may wander off to a boat with my dad.
                            we have 3 trucks that can haul them today.
                            Last edited by Barry Donovan; August 2, 2021, 04:05 PM.
                            Previously boxer3main
                            the death rate and fairy tales cannot kill the nature left behind.

                            Comment


                            • At the Optima Challenge, the inspector was - good naturedly - giving me grief for losing a point because I didn't have a radio in it. Before I had a chance to retort, the head inspector said "why would he need a radio, he already has stereo with the sidepipes?" I do indeed.
                              Doing it all wrong since 1966

                              Comment


                              • details before inspection
                                on the way to garage.. hit a bump in the bangor area..they are repaving roads like mad men, all over the place..
                                must be a big budget

                                I hit a metal ridge, like at bridges.. pipe cracked a little more after muffler and engine started skipping.
                                I knew it was a poppet (injector end at head).

                                Click image for larger version  Name:	DSC03900w.jpg Views:	0 Size:	243.6 KB ID:	1302205
                                seafoam, techron, lucas, marvel, high test gas, and fuel filter. and it comes back at an idle after a minute or two..still hope for it.
                                checking live data, it verifies sticky, the trim suddenly goes to normal numbers when it is idling good.
                                Not a good time to need an entire injection set..
                                trying to tidy this up for another year
                                a cool note, the old obd2 nailed the exact cylinder skipping.. it was indeed correct. Cyl #3
                                po303.

                                swapped fuel filter.. the previous owner did something clever to keep threads slick.. swapped this out in minutes. Nothing stuck, little seals in great shape.
                                only thing I found was the clue that I am the idiot that bothered the injectors..
                                grindings...little metallics.
                                I left the rubber hose for filler wide open while welding and attacking the area at frame.
                                I must have oxided the hose.

                                my bad.
                                I may have to pay a hefty bill..



                                Click image for larger version  Name:	DSC03897w.jpg Views:	0 Size:	318.1 KB ID:	1302206
                                I also welded muffler up better with a new connector to tail pipe
                                whaddyaknow, this does have a proper angle. I thought I was working a faulty tail pipe these past 6 years...let it droop down into snow piles of icy pipe breaking hell.


                                Click image for larger version  Name:	DSC03898w.jpg Views:	0 Size:	287.8 KB ID:	1302207
                                also added a clever bolt and washer through the swiss cheese hole, it is welded to the bolt that was already there (has broken clip)
                                I can use this to hold the stainless break line and wires...two birds one stone.
                                I did not want to go too detailed here.. as I want to rip into that area on a full day.

                                but hanging on for now. I had done this before to one of the injectors..also welding related.
                                .. it did work its way back out.
                                it liked marvel mystery oil the most.
                                Last edited by Barry Donovan; August 7, 2021, 02:56 PM.
                                Previously boxer3main
                                the death rate and fairy tales cannot kill the nature left behind.

                                Comment

                                Working...
                                X