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My Green Machine (98 K2500 Suburban)

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  • #46
    with the cats, since you can't bring them to the heat - you could bring the heat to them by wrapping the pipes.
    Doing it all wrong since 1966

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    • #47
      Well I've been using it and driving it. Put new door pins and bushing in it that quieted most of the door rattles up (need to replace the drivers latch mechanism as it's not aligned right and it's a common failure.

      Recently I decided I wanted to tow with it and after trying to hitch the grill trailer up realized I have a 2in ball and I needed a 1 7/8in ball. Went out and bought an oversized shank 1 7/8in ball and after muscling the 2 incher off I discovered I had a heaver duty hitch in there that had a 2in ball with an oversized shank so fail there. That meant the hitch had to come out of the receiver so I could put a loaner in with the proper ball. After cutting the locking pin that I didn't have the key for off... nothing happened. The hitch was seized so well that even taking a sledge to it didn't budge it more than 1/8in. So after soaking it in PB Blaster for 3-4 days, this is what I came up with to get it out. Put carpet tape around a tree, attach comalong to the tape and then put a chain through the hole for the ball and attach the comalong to that. I tensioned the comalong up and proceeded to whack it with the sledge till it started to move then retensioned the comalong a few time along the way till finally it popped out with a yank on the chain leaving an 18in long stream of red structural rust flakes along the way. The inside was so bad I had to take a grinding stone to it and hammer a hitch in and out a few times before I could easily interchange hitches. Pictures of redneckery and the results.IMAG0558.jpg
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      Central TEXAS Sleeper
      USAF Physicist

      ROA# 9790

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      • #48
        been there...done that...too many times to recal... we now chech ours regularly to ensure it hasn't rusted in place...
        Patrick & Tammy
        - Long Haulin' 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2014...Addicting isn't it...??

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        • #49
          They WILL do that. After being rear-ended a couple of times I leave my equalizing hitch receiver in place all the time (OK idiot, hit THAT!) but I do pull it from time to time just to be sure. When I pull mine I put a smear of bearing grease on the square before I slide it back in - so far so good. This brings up another question that I'll post in "General".

          Dan

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          • #50
            I had a slightly different issue with the hitch on my old Chrysler minivan, it had a locking hitch pin and I had no key for it. It was also rusted solid, the lock that is. A couple of sharp belts with a chisle had that issue sorted. Ended up having to remove the whole hitch to clean, repaint and reinstall properly. The dealer fitted hitch was missing a couple of important bolts! Also had to rewire the trailer plug properly, again not done correctly.

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            • #51
              Welcome irsa! Always cool to have non-North Americans on the forum - a different perspective is interesting. Look forward to your posts. Remember to use lots of pictures and post real loud (but don't shout!) - we're mostly only semi-literate.

              Dan

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              • #52
                I never leave the pintle in. When I'm done, I remove it exactly for that reason so it doesn't rust in place. And oh, so I don't whack my shins into it either.
                Tom
                Overdrive is overrated


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                • #53
                  I leave mine in so that people are extra careful behind me. I come to a complete stop at stop signs and that just doesn't seem to be normal here in CA so people like getting pretty darn close and a trailer hitch pointed at your radiator helps reduce that. Also makes a decent step when I need to get all the way back in the back an pull something out like home improvement supplies when I've got the 2nd row folded down because of lumber.

                  Do need to pull it out and grease it up after I get a decent drop hitch.
                  Central TEXAS Sleeper
                  USAF Physicist

                  ROA# 9790

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                  • #54
                    Wow... 4.5yrs of no updates!

                    Holiday times are maintenance for Bruce (Green Machine didn't stick) as it now has almost 200k miles and made the trip from CA to TX with the 4 humans and 2 cats in it and there are definite deficiencies. Since the last update it's gotten two cycles of holiday maintenance. Last Thanksgiving it got a new idler arm, valve cover gaskets, AC compressor, hydroboost booster, and master cylinder reservoir. Funny story on the reservoir... I new the hydroboost was leaking but when I panic stopped after someone pulled out in front of me I could hear fluid spraying in the engine bay. When I checked what it was, it was the O-rings between the reservoir and the master leaking so bad that some how they sprayed brake fluid out! That mess was fixed that night!
                    Over Memorial day it got a new fuel pump, new injectors, new billet distributor, new plugs and wires, and a new MAF for a tune up. All of those were good except for the dang injectors don't seal great and I've chased that issue for the better part of 8mths after it's left me basically idling down the side of the road twice. The problem is the intake doesn't have a counter bore so the original injectors would basically bottom out on the big magnet housings, the new Bosch injectors can slip all the way into the intake. The upper retainers also don't locate them so right now it's running LT1 O-rings on the injectors and I'm pretty sure they are ever so slightly leaking as the HVAC will move the blend doors when the manifold vacuum drops. I think I'm going to need to machine up some adapters with a tighter bore tolerance and a shoulder to finally seal that up!

                    Just put new tie rod ends (two were shot) early from the Christmas maintenance this year after I could hear the tires scrubbing audibly in corners, drives so much better! Basically doing the whole front end and since the only thing between me and the oil pan gasket is the front diff having pulled everything else out already, that's going in too! Still loving Bruce but as a daily driver I'm not sure I want to keep doing 30miles a day and parking in a University parking lot in this thing. Even TX A&M doesn't truly size their parking spots for something like this!
                    Central TEXAS Sleeper
                    USAF Physicist

                    ROA# 9790

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                    • #55
                      Those of us who DD older vehicles know that these things just need doing when they need doing - you get this in place of a car payment. Truck (the Dodge Diesel) is closing in on 300K miles and right now all is well but we know that at some point he'll need love again. The Cummins just keeps chugging along!
                      Last edited by DanStokes; December 3, 2022, 09:54 AM.

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                      • #56
                        The 454 keeps on trucking, when I do the oil pan I'll drop the converter shield and check the flexplate bolts as there's a start up rattle but I think it's the cat bricks needing the expansion to wedge into the housings. At $850+ per cat, I'm not replacing them when it still passes CA dyno testing (before I left CA that is).
                        Need to hit the junkyard and yank the floor pockets for the 3rd row so I can turn that into a garage bench when it's not in use as a 3rd row. It just takes up space and adds weight to the commute.

                        I wouldn't buy something with a car payment, not ever again. This would be a <$4000 beater car. I miss my Lincoln LS so that's high on the list of things I'd want with the rest pretty much being 96-05 Buicks with the L36 and the on and off again desire for a 96 Century despite the 3.1L (OBDII only) or even sometimes a 2.2L.
                        Central TEXAS Sleeper
                        USAF Physicist

                        ROA# 9790

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                        • #57
                          Trying to explain Economic's to my 5 year old Grandson...
                          "Why Doesn't Grandpa have a NORMAL CAR?" Meaning something from "This Century"........

                          Told him, Its Cheaper to FIX Grandpa's Vehicles and Keep Them Running, than Buying a New Car with Payments.
                          So We Can Go Spend that Savings on Model Trains, Mario Brother's Games,.......etc.

                          ​​​​​​He says That's Cool........

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                          • #58
                            Oh boy are the ball joints trashed! I pulled the passengers side apart last night and the upper boot was cut clean in half and not where the picklefork was (that part was fine).

                            Bad news is I forgot to drop CV shaft so I can't get the last bolt out of the LCA to start swapping bushings.
                            Central TEXAS Sleeper
                            USAF Physicist

                            ROA# 9790

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                            • #59
                              Bummer.
                              Previously HoosierL98GTA

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                              • #60
                                The hole got a bit deeper too... To get the drivers LCA bolt out you either have to cut the head off or drop the front diff. Lacking a sawsall and not wanting to track down another bolt I took the 4 bolts that hold the diff (not counting the straps on the front U-joint) out and dropped that out. That's opened the "while I'm there" can of replacing the oil pan gasket since it's seeping enough to make the underside wet but not enough to drip in the driveway. Sigh...
                                Central TEXAS Sleeper
                                USAF Physicist

                                ROA# 9790

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