1996 GMC 5-speed

[Barry Donovan]

the most challenging month.

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no one jumps and says maine is the cold spot of the nation.. because it happens 100+ times a winter.
an inspiration for a journal is just that reason

3 below right now... I may be in the coldest town in the lower 48... right now.
I did spend some time down kennebunkport way it is 25F warmer than my little northern town.

Ever driven an all iron sbc air cooled in the sun below zero? I know why the cabin heat gets priority.
they knew some nut like me would be driving around in the arctic air, too cold for the engine to need the radiator.
Gm knows cold... actually the big 3 of america has always known cold. Most focus on hot rods here... but there is another realm of winning the race.

just last night, had to pull over after squirting the winter version of rain X on the glass. Wall of blindness. Had to wait for the windshield to heat up. Did not take long.. I love the heater in this. It was only zero F for that rain X to fail. I had been on the road for 150 miles, nice and cozy in the cabin. I forget how cold it can get out there, driving around in a tshirt.


Anyway, I still row my 5 gears the old fashioned way, with a chunk of arctic blue glacier in the back and a frame that compressed an inch off height...
all year round through the changes. I know to avoid big throttle in this cold, the density change is massive.



I found a unique problem on my aging rails. I had seen this in tractor trailers with leaf springs... they needed a million miles.
of course a half ton pickup is not a tractor trailer, I got fatigue holes emerging in the same spot though.. at 375k miles.
simply a perfectly shape fatigue hole drawn in yellow in photo. it is between the rivets of hanger. Frame is still strong all around it. Can smack it with a hammer.

still beyond a half ton, I did that work myself. But I am more interested now than ever,. I thought I had seen all steel weirdness and maine.
This pickup has gone a long long time in the north.


I'll share what I do to repair it. after the spring time, a quick run to home depot and harbor freight.

meanwhile got a monster storm forecast 2 days out. they do not usually call for 2 feet this many days ahead.

[DanStokes]

Buy lots of bottled water and bread and stay home. At least that's what the locals do here if there's going to be more than one flake/acre. I stock up on Caffeine-Free Diet Coke and go out to lunch at the Waffle House 'cause they stay open (guess they have a cot in there someplace). I still remember how to drive on a quarter inch of snow.

Dan

[Barry Donovan]

Buy lots of bottled water and bread and stay home. At least that's what the locals do here if there's going to be more than one flake/acre. I stock up on Caffeine-Free Diet Coke and go out to lunch at the Waffle House 'cause they stay open (guess they have a cot in there someplace). I still remember how to drive on a quarter inch of snow.

Dan

upon realizing my own build. I still sigh relief knowing if a road is open, I can take it.
this truck is my #1 out of 20 something vehicles.

still goes right by the book on fuel , starts right up in any weather.
this storm here is the worst I have seen in decades.
I am staying up late anticipating the 32F frame cracker coming back in.. going to go outside and start the truck to full warm.
it might be 3 in the morning... oh well.

it is still raining right now, a small lake next to my truck has formed.
that level of ice refreezing takes firewalls out of unibodies etc.

the gmc has its own channels too.
I got my A-pillar bottoms leaked on purpose, surrounded by stainless welded.

in relation to your post. I have finally given in to applying for more realistic housing at the southern border of maine.
I have to go... my black and white past here can stay with me.
for the first time in 4 years back in this town, I lost the net for 15 hours.
gotta go.
stores open 24/7, restaurants etc... I need to be near or in a city, with my truck .


i also found a new channel. I couldn't help but notice he wasn't just a rich kid with a duramax, there was something better. (I am still finding a way to get one)

Durtymaxjack
this video explains some of what he does and did.

I did buy an expensive T-shirt.. I just like what this guy is doing.

I had to meet my dads rig n I-95 the other day. As odds have it I was mergingon the highway and he said "I saw your harvey sticker and knew it was you."
I did not want to tell him again that was a genuine hurst sticker.. I do not know who harvey is... but it was an epiphany....

[Barry Donovan]

another compliment

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nice truck man!

I was walking out of a store in old town mall, and some lady yelled "is that your truck?"
I was like what? thinking, is it on fire or leaking something?
"that is a nice truck man.." with a thumbs up.
I can determine sarcasm from enthusiast. thank you for the compliment.



I had mentioned something in a previous post.

some see trucks...not really looking
some see straight bones, fat and lean in the right spots...
standing as tall and long as the beginning.

no automatic truck does what this did to the back end bones.
I still really like it to this day.

long and lean and fat in the right places.

[DanStokes]

I'm still sort of surprised that I get a lot of "Nice Truck" and thumbs up on Truck the Dodge Cummins (it's pre-"Ram"). It's basically a stock early 2002 black Dodge with the top half painted in my special teal green. Anyone could make one just like it. But folks seem to really like it. I don't live for the approval of others but it IS kind of fun. This pic was taken at the place in Jacksonville, FL I stayed for my proton beam cancer treatments.



Dan

[Barry Donovan]

I'm still sort of surprised that I get a lot of "Nice Truck" and thumbs up on Truck the Dodge Cummins (it's pre-"Ram"). It's basically a stock early 2002 black Dodge with the top half painted in my special teal green. Anyone could make one just like it. But folks seem to really like it. I don't live for the approval of others but it IS kind of fun. This pic was taken at the place in Jacksonville, FL I stayed for my proton beam cancer treatments.



Dan

that really is a nice truck
there is a normal line.. and there is something so straight you can't look away.

Playing inches of width or whatever the case may be.
My bed got fat to rigid cross sill replacement, then the rear end looked too small...
I added spacers to gain the same appearance as the front, all on factory wheels.

Upon looking back on a walking trail to a distant sideview..
I noticed the rear leaf springs leave the rear wheels a bit aft centered.. as if to be an inch extra long.
I even measured wheel base one day, it is still exactly factory.


It really plays on the lines. Yet so simple. Hardly plan to let nature do what it did.

I still see it in the gms once and awhile.. they all got manual trans and 300k+ miles.

[DanStokes]

The only thing really "special" about Truck is that the ol' boy is lowered 4" in the front and 3 " in the rear. I'd have liked the rear a tad lower but it's a BellTech kit and that's what they offered. Still, a lot of people look at it and can't figure out why it looks "different." That, and he's been 117.8 MPH and I have the time slip to prove it.

Dan

[Barry Donovan]

The only thing really "special" about Truck is that the ol' boy is lowered 4" in the front and 3 " in the rear. I'd have liked the rear a tad lower but it's a BellTech kit and that's what they offered. Still, a lot of people look at it and can't figure out why it looks "different." That, and he's been 117.8 MPH and I have the time slip to prove it.

Dan

really came out nice..
you know you hit the right mark when someone speaks up to compliment.

lots of eye tricks for trucks.. they got 20 something feet to look at.
My dents and scratches go ignored. It is the most bizarre phenomena I have ever taken the helm of.
Glad I did.
I am nothing but trucks and SUV for the rest of my days anyway.

[DanStokes]

I have the ol' Boy to pull the race truck/trailer and the Cummins gets 'er done! Best trailer tow-er I've ever had and I've had several. And he still doubles as my DD.

Once the home repairs are done I'll get back out in the shop where I have a new dash waiting to install. These trucks are notorious for the dash rotting away (wrong plastic formula) and the replacement is guaranteed to last. Good thing as I expect Truck will be my last vehicle.

Dan

[Barry Donovan]

I have the ol' Boy to pull the race truck/trailer and the Cummins gets 'er done! Best trailer tow-er I've ever had and I've had several. And he still doubles as my DD.

Once the home repairs are done I'll get back out in the shop where I have a new dash waiting to install. These trucks are notorious for the dash rotting away (wrong plastic formula) and the replacement is guaranteed to last. Good thing as I expect Truck will be my last vehicle.

Dan

I am thinking this as well. Going for a last vehicle.. it is indeed a truck.
Was hoping to take a manual trans version duramax off the hands of an effeminate typical weirdo who always gets them...
will have to wait out the find and seek.




I found something nerdy today...
I have an explanation why my own factory 305 goes by all other factory engines of the same generation with abeautiful sound to boot. (even my dads 2016... by the end of 2nd gear I am leaving it behind... off to the horizon I go)

the distributors in these trucks and the sensors that generate electric (o2, wheel speed, speedometer) responded to LED... as much about amps as guiding stray magnetics.
the biggest monster in these old trucks is the distributor. It may explain why my truck got powerful swapping the third brake to LED, finding a bleed and snipping the unnecessary connection.

just simple physics. We did go this far as crew chiefs on tankers (kc135).. into the unknown. Behind a fence there is no rude facebook comments and I learned a lot even if describing something strange. someone knew what I or any of us had found eventually.

some day cars and trucks will catch up to the air force.

[Barry Donovan]

february marvel

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4th year for me and the truck.

it is the coldest I have ever felt the underneath.. the transmission tells me.
it is a very hardened 5 speed for sure. It makes the same noise as my dads 1981 cabover back in the 80s.
I could have guessed it, the way midwest plummeted air temps, maine's ground takes it on from hell frozen over backwards.
unique frost heaves I have never seen here.. since 1987.

Today required 4 whirls on the starter to get it into the fat mode idle.
I took it to a advanced and gave it some marvel upper end lube fuel additive.
the small chambers like that stuff. It is instantaneous change for reasons only the inventors could explain.

When springs decides to sprang, its going to be sprung quite lively this year....

and this.
the smartest thing I have ever seen this guy do.

[Barry Donovan]

delta pro tool box

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the guy I sold the subaru to posted an ad for his toolbox.
gathered up 80 bucks, unsure of what it was, only knowing it was metal.



lo and behold it was an older logo delta pro.
appears to be "1980-2012 all fullsize".. not sure when they were first built.
this could be 30 or more years old for all i know.

to this day, these are $400 at their cheapest.
this one has working latches, good hinges, no dents.
the lid still has the foam silencer/sealer.

spare tire fits underneath.

I immediately cracked through the ice in the bed to bust apart the plastic box holding my 73 pound 3 ton jack,
the handle, 50 pound chains.
gas can, oil drain pan,
17 foot tow rope
among other things in cans.. odds and ends.
good sale of the day.
this was one of the first thing I looked for when i got the truck. Saw the cost and avoided getting one.

[Barry Donovan]

lock box to bed

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I wanted to draw something, so here it is.

I heard my neighbor cussing one day...
short box single cab chevy with a newfound bed tool box.

I walk over and he tells me he could not get the damn thing to sit still.
did not want to drill through the bed.

I forget what we came up with for that one...

but 30 years later, this is what i did with mine.



the hardest part is the coil spring bracket, ambiguous statement...
part of a cheap kit to drop springs with bolts and brackets.

the bolt can't turn to a bend, the nut can't loosen being self locking.
the crude drawing doesn't show that the bracket is actually locked against bed rail from both ends of the curve.
by nature of the grab, it only wants to tighten in the direction you want it to stay,

I'll be selling this as a kit for 3 easy payments of $19.95.

[DanStokes]

Remember Barry, the price is "ONLY 3 easy payments of JUST $19.95!" The exclamation mark counts, too.

Best of luck in your new venture - you IS an en-tra-pan-eur!

Dan

[Barry Donovan]

Remember Barry, the price is "ONLY 3 easy payments of JUST $19.95!" The exclamation mark counts, too.

Best of luck in your new venture - you IS an en-tra-pan-eur!

Dan

I remembered that short bed and my neighbor seriously getting uptight...
if you use a hook, even the hook moves, and that wiggles the box.
it was funny as heck to me, we was all just kids back then.

I was already digging into frame rails. I was still going with dad hauling steel.
resonance and results.. still a mystery today for many.

with crap I had laying around, I simply made a jaw like an animal.


a good episode from streetspeed today, and some advice.