1996 GMC 5-speed

[Barry Donovan]

obd2 trick

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if it were not for the web, I'd be lost.
I read the instructions for my ebay ms309 obd2 reader...
found some info on "driving cycle for obd2" and refer to your manufacture for specifics..
so I found gm's version, and concluded that when you turn key on, and check engine light is there, it is in the monitoring mode..out loud. It went through a series of tests to reveal something. This means a computer resource is being used, and not necessary. Makes o2 take longer to heat as well.

So, that is a good time to check for codes, and it will be faulty codes, its telling me something extra sensitive, not a real fault. After resetting, I came to this conclusion, as fuel mileage increased, no check engine light at all when turning key on, before starting, and throttle response is quite noticable. After shutdown, the crackle in the young y-pipe, young o2 installed... tells me it got that much hotter, and verified leaning out some to a really good runtime. I think my bro-n-law was right.. I am not surprised to see 22mpg out of this single pipe exhaust + 5 speed..

my bro-n-law tried explaining this stuff to me with a 96 corsica I bought for $300, in 2004. Banged up pretty good...but anyway. This truck is just like that. The first of the more complex obd2. you can monitor via another type of obd2 plugin, but for us regular people, shutting that resource sucker down is quite ok, as per instructions of the reader I just bought.

This does not mean a trigger for a fault will not happen, I just simply shut down some realtime monitoring for some readiness games by technicians. Almost like a debug mode. Monitor the monitor that is monitoring to monitor.

computer nerds. Just like that.

[Barry Donovan]

arctic fixes

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I had mentioned the grille looks great..but lost the driver side lower connection. why?

the contrast of 20 something below to runtime. Pops it subtle..the little tabs on the back side of the grille going to chassis.

my subaru was so bad on the grille subject I made my own. Found the answer eventually.

Hook two sides secure, let the rest float.

So.. thinking of this gmc, which needs a lower headlamp screw aligner fixed already (not a problem), I found an old rochester throttle spring.. and thought of the perfect spot for it.

Hook one end to a corner marker light pastic stud, and the other end cleverly to holes somebody drilled already on the grille support behind the grille.

will get pictures.
this problem goes way back to the first square front end chevies.. 1982 or so. Just needs arctic, and really driven all year. It will lose the lower connection driver side.
Still a good fit, the seams lined up seems to be the keeper. Just need to find a way to keep the seams engaged, and give some wiggle room.

The other one, this is number 1 for me..
the heater motor. I have never had one out of the box stay good for long. The one I recovered after the vibration of sprung shaft to long runtimes in place..has recovered. I took it aprt, added high temp synthetic, and verified spacers. I may even keep the new one coming as a spare instead.

other than that, this gmc is quite content. The warmp up before thermostat open needs a close eye on the temp gauge, as it battles the radiator 250f colder than the engine.... but that is the fun stuff.

I am extremey impressed with how slick the getrag/nv3500 stayed. No drag on the clutch letting it out in the very cold starts. My subaru is like molasses, and the car lurches forward in neutral if the engine even keeps the idle, digging into the goo called gear oil.

The metal chores seem like childs play, either being lego like snapins or straight runs. I was counting on doing some fancy something..but no. This is going to be nice and simple to be very strong.


update:

the spring trick on the grille is working, a warm day this will fall into place. I thought of this after buying pc cases with abs front ends all twisted. Can't just snap things into place. The truck will recover easy, and then think of a clever latch or screws.

Very vivid lighting. Sharp and crisp. I also found a trick for the third brake light... it is working when the dome light flckers for less than .25 second. It caught my eye when I was looking right at it. Glad those watts are gone. The dome and third brake is all led.

Another thing I tried was a very hard stomping of the brakes. Impressive. The throttle is even more snappier on this run since the obd2 reset. Thinking of brakes more as well.
This is a quick truck. I may target firing, disty, as a summer extra.. but doing very good as is. I like the fat plug wires that go with a given setup. Accel and MSD both have one, buy altogether. Coil, wires, disty cap rotor. Healthy stuff more than hot rod.

I am falling right back into my loves of these american chores, you always get extra.

[Barry Donovan]

errand day

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food run, stop at harbor freight.

did not want much..thought a cordless drill would be handy.
Grabbed at a 59 cent roll of "mechanics wire" (that used to be called something else, and it is funny that mechanics took it over). I also got a bag of zip ties.

Bangor is warmer than my current address, and still frigid.. but opted to sip a coffee, on a bare spot of pavement near a snow pile, and tackle the grille slop.

Nothing was as broken as I first thought. The bumper filler is all there, still bolted one end to the other. One tab was broken, and it was still sturdy. A middle one. Both the ends of the filler are in the factory spots. One leading edge is broken about a foot, but the worker part is all there, where you mount the grille to align as factory. Getting a look at prior owner ingenuity, I screwed it back the same, only adding some wire to help the broken tab. In fact, on a brand new setup, I am going to repeat whatever the prior owner did with the screws.

Exactly factory..only a little better. The lightweight coolness of the LED is a huge helper for this design.

Cost to fix: 59 cents.

The wet season has not even begun, but oh... a shame to forget. Keep the gutters flowing, and the grille tight to the front.

A record snow, packed in frigid. This should be interesting. The last I saw packed 7 feet to 3 feet was in 1987, and it did flood badly here. this year it is the same looking 3 feet on the ground, but it is 120 inches, none melted. Very packed..the most ever recorded.

A peculiar event happened just after gassing up.. I ponder "spring leap ahead" fuel is now at the sams clubs. A little bit of hitching, at slow speed throttling. A higher octane feel from the same 87 octane. I have never got a formal explanation, could be as simple as the sun. No vehicle of mine has pleasantly gone into March in Maine.

This vortec did something incredible to get things going... I finally floored it, to experiment, as far as throttle would go. Very long throttle...silly as a rochester monojet from way back when. I let off at 80mph. Got there easy enough. The throttle throw is like a foot long. Just when you think you are there...oh no. that is only halfway there.

That is one big sweet 305. I could only imagine the sound of this to others ears.

Chores list is small. I cannot wait to tackle steel.

A peculiar thing to notice. The parking lot had at least 5 chevy/gmc.. Every damn one of them had a rocker problem. Mine looks good in comparison. Some of those rigs, I guess not even 10 years old yet. Somebody liked this truck I am in. I will carry that baton.

Thinking of truck legends, as my dads trucking career spans 40 years. I learned some. Phantom 309, etc.

In pickups, I assumed white lightning was for fords...as ironically the black gmc/chevy with the signature chromes.. never really got a nickname, yet remain the eye candy.

I was moving an annoying air freshener from the rearview mirror..it says "black ice" on it. So, that is my nickname for this one. White lightning to fords is the black ice to gmc.

Ambiguous, both terms. That goes with legends ...no one can nail it down exactly. It just keeps going.

[Stewzer55]

Funny you mention that, my uncle when he was younger had either a Chevy or GMC named White Lightning, and another called Yellow Thunder..

[Barry Donovan]

Funny you mention that, my uncle when he was younger had either a Chevy or GMC named White Lightning, and another called Yellow Thunder..

This place I live, it is very rural. The way stuff gets flipped around..it is really funny.

The great wall is a winter like we just had. Today was the first whiff above freezing since december.


Got under the truck, it really is in great shape. Driver side floor will get some love, tiny patch...don't need to, but will be doing rockers. Get it in a day. I also found their design, a sealer or rivets is better. I got lots of flexible 22ga stainless for this.

Found the giant 17mm hex drain for the five speed, and am ordering one socket from germany.. the design of their socket keeps the wall from stretching as you add a load with the bar. I did work at a quick lube and remember these. The hex socket drains , in my opinion, are meant to be plugs, a more permanent nature than drain and refill. It sucks on transfer cases, rear diffs, no matter where they put them, those hex sockets suck unless permanent.

In fact, if I get these out peacefully, I am changing them to something else if I can. (I hate those hex sockets).

I found I could inspect my other trick I remember with the last of older design smallblock. After the filter swap I keep an eye on seals, front and rear main especially, as volume near doubles on the real flow of the billet filter balancing across relief valves now working. Sure enough, the rear seal used something during an overfill, and now oil is at correct height, like new, no leaks. Passed my test. Not even a warm weather swell job, still passed my test.

The front grille is like door seams on these trucks, spot one half a mile away. That fell right into exactly factory spot, no strain. I am also finding the doors are going back in at the bottoms. this truck has a winter summer change in the steel, and am learning as i go.

26 below will be 100+ above and more on stopped traffic on summertime pavement. Good truck. I spotted the corsica steel (my nickname), upon purchase, and knew it was going to be easy dynamical. Great for body workers. The floor material is most interesting.. no desire to weld their idea of flexible. Just add traditional cold patches.

[Barry Donovan]

black ice

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I do not do nicknames, but I like this one. Simply derived from the air freshener hanging from the mirror. It said "Black Ice"







The snow line around the truck, it is not on purpose. The shovel and snoblower got the whole driveway..except for my area. It is too hard to get off the pavement. I laughed. I just dropped 40+ amps in circuits on the lighting and relays...and the subaru next to it, that was just 8 weeks ago or so, that I finished off the LED on that one too.

The truck is more interesting, as the steel is bigger. Seems I won the whole front end into densifying. The back end, not so much, but it does have a hot rhino lining that was in the sun. I know I changed that too, from the strange lines of dirt that showed up in front of the tail lights, one day after washing the truck.


I cannot count how many times I have altered at a molecular level. The welding just past the first few reels 8 years ago now, on the little subaru really put into perspective of what I had been doing to all my machines, all along. I strangely see steel differently. My aircraft mechanic job in the air force was not even the begining of the weirdness, I spoke of my story with my dads trucking. Very small boy when it began.

rant:
I am not sure to this day, how engineers do not see things better. Still shipping dumbass double sucking light bulbs, now playing with composites after they can't even get iron right.
/rant

My greatest tale ever on the steel subject, is the little subaru. 10 gears and 20 years, high compression, old school. Not many take those chassis' in...even when they are near perfect.

My first winter after a boat load of welding, in the prior summer, maybe ten pounds of mig wire. I caught onto what I had done.
I had to park on the city street, house was grandfathered to avoid any parking bans. The road right behind the bumper got a lot of traffic and attention. I noticed as April was rolling around, it hung onto icicles, and gained a pattern similar to the gmc above in the photo with snow... right in the middle of the hot swamping city. Some claimed 40000 psi was gaining on top of the ricer 20-30k. I believe it.

steel stops for nothing...unless the motion setting it does. Planet Earth is the same.

nerdy dweeby uncool stuff aside.. if you are a car or truck wannabe keeper when they are past the 20 year mark especially. Start with the lamps and switches... and keep it parked outside for some time.

For the trucks, the third brake, and any double filament bulb, that has been a drama for the GM versions, a very long time. There is even modern relays that should be in place, regardless of LED or regular bulbs.The sheer quantity of 194 bulbs is the other monster. I go at all this first, then tackle the steel knowing its at the contentment to keep some lines.

this one at 18 years still gives a curl at the front bumper ends, to go over twisted terrain. A lot of these trucks lose that at a relatively young age. The torsion design must be helping this along anyway.

having fun.. I want to drive more and more.

there is hills, climbing out of milo maine on the way to dover .. some more hills.
I am creeping along in third, town speed limit 25, in milo. That hill by the high school hits like a brick wall as you make your way to dover and the 55mph limit. I remember it well from hanging in the high school parking lot, late 1980s, the strain of everything known to man, gaining the speed limit heading out of town on that hill.

I gave it 3/4 throttle at the bottom, was doing 75 by the top. No time to look at the speedometer... less than an eigth mile steep grade. Phenomenal. A growl I have never heard from a 305.. and wondered if the back end would break free around 60. Front end exactly symmetrical picked up both banks of torsion. On the way to dover, always a downshift on the hills with the slow lane on the right. I stayed in fifth chugging along at 1500 rpm..and never downshifted.

I only know of one other machine per my witnessing that went that far into a dig of torque, and it was a modern power stroke diesel with a manual tranny. I posted that truck here, when it went for sale, 18000. I loved that truck, saw it in the city, and coincidentally out here in the rural area too. Two stacks in the bed. Incredible sound, boosted diesel . It must have sold, have not see or better yet, heard it, in quite some time.

I never thought in a million miles, I'd encounter such discipline from an old 305... it must be that slippery nv3500...and the large barrel vortec. I am not sure who gave the spider injection a hard time, with opinion, I am in love with it.

A couple more things I noticed this evening. One can stay in fuel miser chugging for too long, causes a little blip to notice at 2k or less after quite some time. This is cured by half throttle or more to 2500 or so, maybe a downshift to go with it. Very simple recovery. This may be the wimpy wires factory always ships, will start there.

The other thing was the oil pressure gauge smoothing out. Letting off throttle, the second it gains engine braking, pressure is up by a pound or two. That is as tight as a mechanical gauge (I have had that too on a 305). That was good intuition to cool the dash and set a direction with LED.When pressure does that, you got a pcv function. The billet filter ensures the whole curve of oil settings.

58 is cold, 40 is run time throttle, 21 something at warm idle. The reliefs and temps does those 3 things together. I wait for 40 idle in the cold, very good habit from trucking...and that old subaru, that one was crazy if you did not wait for the oil to come down some.

[G-Motive]

Good song, too. I'd post a link but I don't want to mess your thread up.

[Barry Donovan]

8.8 accel 300 wires

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found I had enough leftover from the subaru project.

the plug end came out perfect..the disty end is strangely small on the vortec, but will make it work.

custom wires and ends, got my custom ends on top of the Accel kits universal approach.
..and of course they are cut to equal length.

Remembered why I wanted these for my little boxer.. applies the same to this v8, the exhaust manifold is under the wires. A cheap heat shield protects the boots.

The Accel 300+ Ferro-Spiral Race Wire Sets provide a stunning 300 percent increase in electrical current delivery and are custom tailored for race engines. The oversized 8.8mm wire features a double silicone construction rated at over 600 degrees Fahrenheit and 60k V-rated. The high gloss black silicone wire jacket resists heat extremes, petrochemicals, ozone and has moisture for greater durability and longer life. The high-density, high-temperature and high-durometer silicone insulation provides greater dielectric strength. This wire set eliminates arcing and the effects of corona better than the typical Original Equipment style rubber materials. High density insulation eliminates arcing. The Kevlar stranded inner core and fiberglass braiding adds greater pull strength and terminal retention. The stainless steel and brass terminals provide unsurpassed electrical conductivity and excellent corrosion resistance.

Got all these installed. Another old routine of memory revived.. the idle dropped 100, even more a rock than the rock it was. 700 locomotive rpm. Took it down the road, and no hint of hitching. It is below freezing for a long time now, and want all the events that can happen with water at bay. I like this vortec. This chore was easy. I got the coil wire installed as well.

So far it is the smoothest idle I have ever heard from a gm v8, the heater motor is even quieter, the clutch fan started working at 180, and taking off is very peppy. Inbetween gears is no jerkiness, almost race car short throw smooth. I was driving it like an old 350 cummins for this first month, baby the tranny like a real old school driver does, feel out what the drivetrain wants, more than what you want. That problem gone is a big eye opener.

First test was an annoying hill after a right hand turn, climbed right in. Hard telling what else was going for the ride...but it is no doubt gone now. This brings me to an old memory, the hot boots. We wondered if there was even a plug wire capable..this was 1980s. The silicone is miraculous. The ends I have changed, that are not stainless, are at the disty cap end, to get a straight shot, snap in. The plug end is the high grade accel stuff. Oem boots are a better fit on the 8.8 than factory wires, plugging into disty. Came out nice.

I opted to do this, checking length of the longest wire.. found a split boot. I then plucked another one at the other end of engine, the shortest wire...
another split boot. I noticed the wires are very tiny, like less than 7mm. OEM had to go. Passenger side had two boots cracked.

Digging through my pile found the accel box, leftover 300+ wires hanging out. Just enough to do the eight cylinder complete. These are very expensive if found at the wrong store.

These accel boots in photo are very rugged. They sit at the hot end near manifold. I like these. Not to be confused for the orange ones.

I also found coil part numbers, the 45k volts ones, and the normal parts, like cap and rotor. Very cheap for this engine, I am liking it. Seems the cost is the wires.
With the biggest wires they make before magneto 10mm dragster installed... I can choose any coil I want now.
Seems i do not need it. Very nice and robust as is.

No ticking in the exhaust to notice anymore either. The disty side ended up the oem boots, and various accel plug wire ends...straight shots. I worked the snap part down to the vortec sizing. Snug right in.

with this chore, one month has sailed by, and 1200 miles.
I must be blessed. I was counting on a financial abyss of gmc for several months.

Did not happen.

I was looking closer at some getrag information, that is the tranny in this one. Not the 1993 version, it is the updated bearings. I found a hex socket from germany, where get rag has BMWs and v8s going together. Seems they have the same plug as well. I worked at a quick lube and mentioned hating hex plugs. The hex tool should be an exact mirror for the plug. Very silly design for somehting that needs to be removed and reinstalled...many times.

So, I am spending too much for a german hex socket, call that this trucks specialty tool. (My subaru has many)
Very happy about this purchase.

[Barry Donovan]

roller bearing heater motor

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took it out of the box, less than impressed as usual...
until l found this:




a roller bearing heater motor.

Needless to say, I took out the old sleeve bearing version in the truck now, slicked up and near perfect as that one can get, and put this one in its place.


Now have two good heater motors.

This heater motor has a 10 year warranty, obvious as to why. My contentment killing amperes, this adds to it. Gain for a loss. That is modern electric is it not?

..and back to my psychosis of life. Got a .25 inch ratchet today as well. Approximately 20 years ago, a now ailing relative stepped up and claimed my ratchet was his. I was dumbfounded. Not easy to explain..but it turns out to be symptoms of parkinsons...and only got worse.

I look at a .25 inch ratchet and jump to this day. Anyway, conquering little dramas, one day at a time.
Back to tools that allow work to continue.

[Barry Donovan]

Summary - 1 month

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• professional product billet filter, 5w30 oil change (I use regular stuff)
• 31 light bulbs to LED
  • electronic relay - ep29 (all gm modern trucks have it - might be called a "tridon")
• heater motor, (modern roller bearing)
• lamp casings for headlights (crystal or spider type)
• 8.8mm custom accel 300+ wires, equal length (and coil wire)
• banged a dent on a door out
• aligned passenger door

Amps dropped is actually unknown, no way to measure. 50 amps is a given, would not be surprised to learn 75% of the alternator ability. High beams can be seen by the space station.
To do list:

• swap the expensive fluid into tranny
• cross sills under bed, custom rebuild
• scab shock mount area, rear driver side
• polyurethane rear cab mounts especially..but all of them would be a good long day.
• verify a/c (I would not be surprised if it just starts and works - seems very content at the clutch level)
• door pin bushing
• rockers

I have also found some bumpers, if to go towards show truck quality.. but both are working and inspectable at this time.

things to notice..
very smooth, part throttle and idle. "wide open is easy". in quotes, I learned my v8 stuff with carbs in the 80s, a generation gone by ahead of me. The idle is a rock solid locomotive smooth 700 rpm at full warm. On a v8, that is the biggest test of all. That circuit at 700 rpm is so slow, you could point to the next cylinder firing before it gets there. Hence a great test for tuners.

My first guess is a little bigger. This must be 260hp and beyond. Written as 230, but that is automatics.
3.73 is the tall gear for this one. I do not know as the 3.42 went with manual, unless diesel.

anyway.. another summary. I am glad to be here , a little taller, older and wiser.

FEBRUARY WAS A BRUTALLY COLD MONTH ACROSS ALL OF NWS CARIBOU`S FORECAST AREA. MOST LOCATIONS AVERAGED SOME 10 TO 15 DEGREES COLDER THAN NORMAL. BANGOR HAD ITS COLDEST MONTH ON RECORD, WHILE CARIBOU HAD ITS COLDEST FEBRUARY OF ALL TIME.

THANKFULLY, WE`RE FINALLY SEEING SIGNS THAT THIS PROLONGED COLD PATTERN IS GOING TO CHANGE. MUCH OF THE FORECAST MODEL GUIDANCE IS SHOWING THAT UPPER LEVEL RIDGING IS GOING TO DEVELOP ACROSS THE SOUTHEASTERN UNITED STATES, RESULTING IN A WEST-SOUTHWEST OR WESTERLY FLOW OVER THE NORTHEASTERN UNITED STATES. THIS WILL FORCE THE POLAR JET STREAM TO LIFT NORTH AND PUSH THE ARCTIC AIR BACK INTO CANADA. ALTHOUGH IT WILL BE TEMPERED A BIT BY THE DEEP SNOWPACK, THIS PATTERN CHANGE COMBINED WITH A STRENGTHENING SUN WILL ALLOW A GRADUAL WARMING TREND IN TEMPERATURES OVER THE NEXT COUPLE OF WEEKS.

somewhere inbetween the coldest on record, and coldest of all time. A bit like a military tour. Even the formal facts vague, can go legend.

I remember sitting in the february sun. Woodstove crackling. Water long gone frozen. I was 18 living in a camp. A single glass paned porch was not exactly warm...but I could see the sun shining into it, early morning. After 90 days of this place... the february sun was the greatest ever...even if it did not reach 10F that day. A bad habit I did not get rid of, is not knowing I exceeded the limbs called my fingers. I have awakened in the night, numb halfway up to my elbows. Move things around. One cannot stay crew chief visegrips forever.

A chevy failed starting, a 1979 with a loud lifter tick in 1991. Today its a half second whirl into fuel injection. I was off to join a war soon anyway.

I reached under to the back cylinder dirver side to change a plug, and a most peculiar thing happened. My lower rib caught onto the fender edge, and that hurt. Did not knock the wind out of me, just hurt for days. I liked the fact I could reach anything under there without a foot stool. The heavy half sat up rather tall. That was 1991.

Yesterday, adding 600f silicone wrapped kevlar strengthened wires to the 96... I reached back to the last plug on the driver side, and a most peculiar thing happened. My lower rib caught onto the fender edge, and that hurt. Did not knock the wind out of me, just hurt for days. I liked the fact I could reach anything under the hood of this z71 4x4. It sits up rather tall. This is now 2015.

I guess chevy kept going like me in some ways.







here is a glimpse of the northwest side porch. A place where snow would gently fall. In the open, add some 6 inches or so to this. I found this area also gets above 32F on a 20 something F day. It may be 10 or more inches deeper than this in the field. I can stand on top of this. that would be a funny picture. My head would be above the top of the door.

The flood warning is above normal. I would have panicked if forced to drive my subaru throughout this winter. As it is, a sibling already had his seasonal attack while living near a city..got on a bus for 19.95 and took off.

[Barry Donovan]

summary cold

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February 2015 was a month to remember across New England and the greater Northeast U.S. in general. It was one of the coldest Februaries on record with average temperatures 9 to 15 degrees below normal. Caribou, Maine had its all-time coldest February on record with an average temperature of just 2.8 degrees, which surpassed 1993 when the average temperature was 4.1 degrees. Even more impressive, Bangor set an all-time coldest month record. The average temperature of 6.1 degrees smashed the previous record for February of 11.3 degrees in 1993. It also broke the all-time coldest month record by more than 2 degrees. The old record of 8.4 degrees was established in 1994.

Across New England there were some other impressive monthly temperature records. Portland, Maine observed its coldest February on record, and the 2^nd coldest month of all-time. Boston, Massachusetts and Providence, Rhode Island each had their 2^nd coldest February and 2^nd coldest month of all time. Hartford, Connecticut had its coldest month ever on record.

Below is a map (Fig. 1) of the departure from normal temperatures (F) during the month of February from the Northeast Regional Climate Center. Fifteen of the 35 airport climate sites had a record cold February (Fig.2)

In addition to the cold, many areas, especially coastal New England had record snowfall, with totals up to 4 ½ feet above normal (Fig.3). Seventeen of the 35 airport climate sites had a top 10 snowy February. Two sites (Boston and Worcester) had their all-time snowiest month on record

This place this cold, its incredible. Not just for lower 48. This place is damn cold anyway, in normal winter. I was here in the late 80s into the last record breakers, 1993, 1994.

There is no mention of caribou being cold spot of the nation and alaska (populated area).
My region was at 3-5. It is written as bangor maine airport. Bad mistake. This place still sucker punches the innocent.

I wrote in a post several months back to volunteer a weather station. Bangor was off by 15F or more sometimes. The other freak fact of this locale..it gets warmer the same...off by 15F or more (no cold coast sometimes, it gets hotter than the high temp written)

anyway. This thread is about a gmc. I suspect the supercharge whine of the getrag tranny nulls some. The roller bearing heater motor will keep the truck from self combusting...and the morning birds love the dark color in this march sun.

The bottoms of the doors tuck in a .25 inch, the density gain on the amp drop gained a circle of hard pack ice...spring is coming.
A good chance to make yet another one of my cryogenic monsters. "This one does not sound like the others" - If I had a dollar for every time I heard that.

The only computer error is triggering the o2 heater code, and it is not a real fault, just showing up as information. It is working, just too cold for the diagnostic. By 1996, GM and others knew this was happening for locales like mine, does not allow it to have the real check engine fault light. Too cold to even make an o2 heater worth a european on shore breeze.

Other than that, very robust starting, extremely smart. -26F was a get up and go.

[Barry Donovan]

LED summary - final

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Got in at the cargo light on the third brake light.
33 bulbs to LED.

• 16 interior
  • 8 dash 194 LED
  • 2 at 4x4 lever 194 LED
  • 5 interior 194 LED
  • 1 dome light to festoon led
• 17 exterior
  • 4 front parking to 1157 LED
  • 2 front corner to 194 LED
  • 2 third brake (black circuit board 194 LED)
  • 2 cargo light 194 LED
  • 2 reverse (Crees special design - just for reverse)
  • 2 rear parking 3157
  • 2 license plate (unique 1 cell LED, completely waterproof)
  • 1 underhood retractable lamp 1156 LED
• 1 ep29 electronic flasher

I do leave the cargo light on to come on with interior, (door opening). This uses 8 times less power, each bulb. No worries. May as well give it the full GMC circus light show upon door openings.

Of course overall, there is bleeding numbers unknown conquered, and the old fashioned 700 amp (slightly exaggerated) rock relay is in a spare parts pile.

6 bulbs remain warm for GM reasons. The lighting relay is meant to be the monster it is for headlamps, so I left the headlamps as traditional. Very bright and vivid now anyway.(That is Not seen much on the 1996)...
.. and two left in the tail lamp are for under hood brake relay and ABS functions (this includes brake switch).

Chore done.
41 amps was a nerdy calculation, it is more towards 50 or 60 amps dropped off. This changed density in the frame rails already. I have the coldest parking spot being kept by a shrinking GMC in the driveway.

an honorable mention for the amp savings is the anonymous taiwanese company that made the roller bearing heater motor, and confidently sold it with a 10 year warranty. Since my time purchasing, they sold all 20 they had advertised in a short time...no negative feedbacks. Given my years of computing, fans have been a patient rage for me. I build my own. My last fan builds for pc..had itty bitty roller bearings.

I found it almost comical it took so long to find a heater motor in common sense. I would hope all the v8 heater cored machines have the roller bearing. The A/C kicked in is just another opposite dimension that calls for a good motor as well.

First place, even after all this...

The accel silicone 8.8mm 300+ plug wires, allowing me to cut custom length and add the disty ends. Colossal volt/amp number to stop bleeding there. Unfamiliar with truck headers, the tradition is big cast iron under the plugs, a cheap heat shield protecting wires. I love these headers, and today they are more welcome than ever, with wires for extreme heat conquering.

took for a ride today, these same wires took a week or more on the subaru to dial in. this one is in today. Very powerful engine. The part throttle and idle is the win, as wide open or heavy throttle can do anything, even with split boot wires.

Looking oem parts over at rockauto. This one has the 3 wire coil, icm. This means complex and incredibly genius to my simpleness. It may even change dwell in real time. I will only give that ac delco stuff when the time comes.

Underhood complete.

I see power steering cooler could use better clamps, but in seasonal rages like this one.. I have to wait. That is something no car has got away with in the parking lot here. Not a leak... just incredible tolerances getting exceeded. This one has quarter sized drops from up front, I see wetness at the clamps of power steering cooler. That is actually doing damn good. May just leave it alone..have to wait and see. That is an item I remember from the quick lube. Most left it alone until something broken.

This video was just posted, I like his experiments, as he knows how crazy the ending is before getting there. That is a form of intelligent. It is like me with steel and engines.

The first bulb with a bubble resembles the third brake light bulb from the gmc. I have now concluded the wave of hertz was not 60 to do that. It was munching on something else.

A note on the third brake light area..with LED installed, the driver side bank is a tad brighter , and finally figured out the past bulb mishap discolored the lense. Seeing the cheapest all LED pre built 3rd light for 35 bucks... I got this done for pennies. So, new factory lense is not out of the question, looking all factory.

Anyway, now directional, halfwave... safe bet.

I also got the first "freeze frame" from the obd2 gadget. 48mph, 1400 rpm, 162 F, 18 inches of vacuum. The vacuum tells me this engine could sail beyond 300hp easy, with a cam swap. I love it as is. A smooth idle is something I never really went for, and this combo is a big engine to go with that calm small end. I simply like it. Some confess old school, and never tire of it. I really did, for every day stuff.

[Barry Donovan]

draper socket

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extremely uptight over drain and refill sockets and tools.






found the right one in england...for 8 bucks, free shipping.

3/8ths driven. Could not find anything but 300 foot pound 1/2 inch driven. Drain/refill plugs need that. Yeah.



I betting myself at how long the densifying gmc takes to allow the ice to melt.
Sun was out, the whole driveway cleared off. 32F today...but not for this hot black gmc. No.
It has a self made little mound of ice under the front left tire trying to self level. I bet this could kick my soob like a soccer ball.

With plug wires smoothed, the tranny is also different. I first learned this stuff with the ten geared subaru. The tranny will tell you the engine tune. Unique direct driven sounds and feel. I knew this one did not like offset length plug wires....same as the subaru. The idle and a good ear, or feel of shifter. Tells all.


I have concluded, this one is going to have something thick mixed in the tranny fluid, when it should not..but that is ok. It was smart enough to chatter into warm enough at 26 below. Part of the chatter was starter gear, and it always retreated that last half a millimeter within a minute or two. That has not changed with these v8s. Some get stubborn the other direction, engaging the gear. This gmc is like my subaru, the gear is slower to retract in the frigid.



with 20s and 30s for daytime highs, all that goes away. From the time of photo above to now, as I am typing, we are in the midst of a mountain like snowsquall... sun was out just a few minutes ago.

edit: sun is back out. ..after a 3 minute squall.

on another invisible note, 32F brought an interesting odor to my bathroom.
it has only been 50 days or so below 32F.

I swapped in a green lamp, 5 watts, to the broan fan setup in the ceiling when I moved in. I grabbed an old 60watt sylvania, hot as all hell, and put it in its place today. Turned the fan on. The old hot bulb is not done completely. It is so wrapped up in our lives for a 100+ years, utilizing flows by those that pay attention to clean bathrooms.

The 2 hot bulbs left in the gmc's tail, those are staying...as well as headlamps for now. If i find the right LED by crees for 9005-6 with ballast, I'll go for them to be headlamps. For now, seeing the incandescent headlights this vivid is a conquering not many get to see.

[Barry Donovan]

door pin

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unusual outcome for this one, Must be the dent event.


Needs one pin driver side top, and no others.

I witnessed the dramatic video of those trying to out this pin in with a "how to" theme.
the top one..with the scary spring in it.

I'll make my video 3 minutes or less in one take for you all to witness on how I get this done.

maybe a little more than 3. The clip is painted in.

[Barry Donovan]

subconscious motivation

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the net has been torture for me, until bangshift.
Found this photo at photobucket from several years ago. Must be 6 or more now.

78000 something pounds. needle buried, and the odometer at 629k miles on original unrebuilt engine. 550hp.

I have been around long enough to remember 62mph limiters, and many hazards. Cabovers hauling way too much. 318 detroit still a mainstream rig.. a lot of weird stuff out there. the ford 9000 etc. Cars very unpredictable, all around us, was like sitting next to a driver that reeled in time like a book.I was lucky to feel the balance of a scania v8 in a mack, as my first ride, in 1978. It was not a dump truck..it hauled lightweight fabrics. Full box van trailer.

I am glad the stigma of stereotype is more towards who I am, with this pickup I took in.
Just wanted to say that.

Do not question the ice circle around my project..it may be there until May.