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73-87 Chevy _ GMC Trucks => Members Rides => Topic started by: ken4444 on April 16, 2018, 12:53:02 PM

Title: Project GoJo
Post by: ken4444 on April 16, 2018, 12:53:02 PM
Hello everyone. I've been looking for a C10 for a couple of years and finally jumped in. I'm calling this "project GoJo" after the orange bottle used by GoJo hand cleaner.

I wasn't able to find a '67 to '72 that wasn't a gigantic frame off project, so I switched to square bodies so I could find something that would run and drive on day 1.

This truck is a bit of a Frankenstein's monster.   It's an unfinished project from the previous owner.  It's titled as a '76 and the frame is a '76.  The front clip, motor, trans, dash pad, seat, and wiring harness are from an '88 Suburban. The cab and bed are '83.  I don't know what the tailgate is. The front suspension has cut springs and control arms from a Pontiac something or other.  The rear is spring under axle. 

The truck runs and drives OK, but it needs work all around. Off the top of my head, it needs: Aftermarket speedo quit working this morning, muffler (unknown make) is too loud, AC needs to be charged and tested, AC/heat air vent control not working, rear creaks when truck flexes at an angle,  battery was relocated to under cab but strapped in using ratchet strap, bed not painted, bed has cutout above gas tank, need sheet metal cover in bed over fuel tank filler, no radio, the thing is a bit too low for daily driving, power steering pulley is not 100% positioned correctly, manual crank windows are super stiff, tailgate won't open,  windshield cracked, fuel gauge flakey/ground problem, no side mirrors, has racing-style wheel studs and nuts, orange paint needs to be replaced with white or silver.

On the good side, the engine (454) is strong, the 700r4 does fine and has an aftermarket valve body, TV cable is in place, brakes are good, the interior is clean and has Dynamat and new flooring, no rust except for one small area that's easy to fix, frame is powder coated, heater works.

I can turn wrenches, but am no expert and will be relying on this forum for help and information. I will post updates to this as I knock out the work.  I have a new muffler, bed mat, and a driver's side mirror on order, and will open up a door tonight to see what's wrong with the window cranking.

(https://imgur.com/686u8uC)

(https://imgur.com/J1OauQ5)
Title: Re: Project GoJo
Post by: ken4444 on April 18, 2018, 10:40:06 AM
The first problem I have encountered was that the engine wasn't dropping back down to idle when I let off the gas pedal.  When it was stuck at a high idle, I could tap the gas and then make the engine drop back to idle. I first suspected a mis-adjusted choke and high idle cam, but after looking at the carburetor it was obvious what the problem was:  The  throttle return springs were not pulling hard enough.  I replaced the rusty ones with a new set and adjusted the slider where they attach.  This gives me a good feeling gas pedal (not too stiff) but it also returns to idle correctly.

I found a spare hazard flasher "relay" in the glove box and found the empty socket where it goes.  I got that installed and that fixed the hazard lights not working.

The manual crank windows are super hard to roll up and down.  I examined the driver's door last night and there were no obvious problems other than an accumulation of old grease, but cleaning and lubricating things didn't help much.  I'm going to order new windows regulators and learn how to swap those in.  I know it's not a super easy job but I'll figure it out.

The new muffler (hopefully quieter) came in yesterday but I need to get a short length of 3" pipe to connect it, because this muffler is shorter than the current muffler.  I'll get some photos of the work so you'll have something to look at here :)   I can do MIG welding so I should be able to get the new muffler in OK.  I'll try to get before and after video so you can compare the sounds.

The 454 is sucking gas as expected. My best estimate is about 8 MPG. I posted this question http://forum.73-87chevytrucks.com/smforum/index.php?topic=36355.0 (http://forum.73-87chevytrucks.com/smforum/index.php?topic=36355.0) to ask if anyone has first hand experience with aftermarket EFI systems providing better MPG.  The carburetor looks like a double pumper and has no vacuum secondary which isn't going to help the fuel economy, but I don't want to dump $300 or $400 into a new carb if I end up going EFI in the future.

The battery was located to under the cab on the frame rail, but the previous owner didn't install the metal bracket/clamp but instead used a motorcycle strap.  I cut that off and had to make newer, longer all-thread rods to correctly clamp the battery in.  It's in securely now. I also noticed that the previous owner installed a super thick, heavy duty ground wire from one side of the truck to the other, along the frame.  It is disconnected at  both ends.  I'm not sure what it was for.  I will have to call the guy and ask.

I had to fiddle with the tailgate a long time to get it open.  I greased all of the linkages I could get to, but the thing is still flakey.  I'm not sure the best way to proceed to make it work reliably, short of replacing the whole handle mechanism.

Another problem I hear daily is that the truck creaks loudly when it flexes at an angle, such as if I drive up a driveway at an angle.  I'm not sure what is creaking yet. 
Title: Re: Project GoJo
Post by: mattevandavis on April 19, 2018, 10:36:28 AM
Sounds like a fun project.  I'd love to see some photos!
Title: Re: Project GoJo
Post by: ken4444 on April 19, 2018, 10:57:06 AM
I swapped the old muffler last night for a Flowmaster Super 40 and put together a good "before" video only to determine that the new muffler makes about the same volume as the old one.  Then it hit me:  The tailpipe that's only about 2 and a half feet long is contributing to the volume.  So I ordered  a "universal" 4 piece tailpipe kit and will get that installed in the future. It's going to have to go over the rear axle which,  being on top of the springs, doesn't give me a ton of clearance. It may be a tricky install.

One time the tailpipe on my '85 Jeep CJ came loose from the muffler while I was driving across town.   That completely changed the sound of the exhaust system and it was a whole lot louder.  So hopefully installing a longer tailpipe will cut down the sound volume. 
Title: Re: Project GoJo
Post by: ken4444 on April 20, 2018, 09:29:36 PM
My C10 has the wrong bumpers and there's a gap between the bumper and body.  This doesn't bother me too much, but the previous owner did not clean and paint the bumper brackets, so their rusty surfaces were easily visible. I pulled them off and went to work on them with a big a** steel wire wheel.

(https://imgur.com/fz9nTeN.jpg)

(https://imgur.com/MWSu7dp.jpg)

(https://imgur.com/nv2gqCo.jpg)

(https://imgur.com/FOByxmt.jpg)

At the end my arms got tired and the grinder got away from me:

(https://imgur.com/1IooMoj.jpg)

The final product is not quite as good as sand blasting, but it's good enough. I will coat them in phosphoric acid tomorrow and paint them black.

Ironically, the underside of this truck is really great with a powder coated frame, zinc plated body mount hardware, new paint under the cab, neatly done wiring, stainless steel brake lines, no rust, and more.  But clearly the last owner ran out of time or money and cut corners on things like the bumper brackets which would have been cheap and easy to get powder coated when the frame was being done.
Title: Re: Project GoJo
Post by: ken4444 on April 20, 2018, 09:46:53 PM
A ton of parts showed up today.  Here's the Flowmaster 3 inch "universal tailpipe" kit.  I did a crude test fitup while I had the truck up on ramps and I think it will work really well.  Of course it'll take half the day Saturday for me to do it :)

(https://imgur.com/aCG5I8c.jpg)

I went with a Flowmaster Super 40 series, although I don't remember why. I think I ran out of interest trying to figure out the differences between the 40, 44, Super, and Deltaflow combinations.

(https://imgur.com/fxo5YJ1.jpg)

(https://imgur.com/WCoSl7o.jpg)

I was recording the casting numbers on the axle so I can look it up to see what it is, and they're upside down.  Does this mean the axle is in upside down, possibly due to the spring-under conversion?

(https://imgur.com/kuQiiKq.jpg)

(https://imgur.com/FW8Rimc.jpg)

(https://imgur.com/iDTSM4C.jpg)

Finally, the truck makes huge creaking sounds when the frame flexes at an angle.  I have no idea what's causing it, but I thought I'd hit the easy stuff.  So I removed, cleaned, and greased the four cab mount bushings. They do appear to be rubber, not poly, so I used a silicone grease that won't destroy the rubber.  Probably this will not fix the creaking but I can cross it off the list.  As I always like to do, I used anti-seize on the bolts.

(https://imgur.com/lXnWbde.jpg)

(https://imgur.com/tzyQvC8.jpg)

(https://imgur.com/kFn7DlK.jpg)

In that last pic (above), you can see the pitting on the cup washer.  The previous owner must have had the original hardware zinc plated.  The bolts also had some pitting but were shiny.  I would have used new bolts but hey, no one asked me :)

Finally (really), the bed was only attached to the frame with 2 nuts.   The two forward nuts/bolts were in place, but the 2 rear nuts were not.  My gas tank makes it tough to get to those, which is probably why they were missing.  Luckily the bolts were in place, just the nuts were missing.   I had 2 correct sized nuts and washers so I managed to get those installed but it took a while.
Title: Re: Project GoJo
Post by: ken4444 on April 20, 2018, 10:01:35 PM
Jumping back to the muffler that was on the truck when I got it (which I probably should have just left installed), here are some photos.  The whole setup was instaled using V-band clamps which I've never worked with.   I had to re-use one of the flanges to attach the new muffler to the y-pipe.  I didn't want to cut the flange off the y-pipe because it would have been more work to try to weld to the y-pipe.

flange at the y-pipe:

(https://imgur.com/09K6Gcl.jpg)

Old muffler. No idea what brand it is:

(https://imgur.com/aNSvxSg.jpg)

(https://imgur.com/wKEdb3U.jpg)

Looking into the muffler:

(https://imgur.com/Q9HaBBP.jpg)

comparison to the Flowmaster:

(https://imgur.com/Jkc3c0K.jpg)

Flange cut off old muffler:

(https://imgur.com/zX7R5qb.jpg)

v-band clamps:

(https://imgur.com/wTahmlV.jpg)

Recycled flange to be welded on to the new muffler:

(https://imgur.com/UoTrlVl.jpg)

I was 75% done with the welding and the dang wire quit feeding.  I opened up the welder and finally realized the problem:  I had gotten to the end of a 10 pound spool of wire.  I knew I was low, but man, this was a lousy time to run out.   I had a small roll of flux core wire so I had to run with that for the remaining work.

Tomorrow is Saturday so I want to get the exhaust system work knocked out.  Luckily my teenage son is pretty handy and will be helping me out as long as he stays interested.

I also got 2 new window regulators in today, so if there's time I will try to get one of those installed but I don't anticipate it will be quick work.  My neighbor has offered to evac and charge my AC system Sunday so we'll see how that goes.
Title: Re: Project GoJo
Post by: VileZambonie on April 21, 2018, 06:41:04 AM
Not familiar with that muffler but looks like these are them spintech

https://spintechmufflers.com/
Title: Re: Project GoJo
Post by: ken4444 on April 21, 2018, 08:24:06 AM
Not familiar with that muffler but looks like these are them spintech

https://spintechmufflers.com/

Yes, I think you're right.  Thanks for digging that up.  I have to hit the Lowe's and Harbor Freight and then get to work.
Title: Re: Project GoJo
Post by: ken4444 on April 21, 2018, 07:19:17 PM
Plenty of accomplishments today.  My son treated the bumper brackets with a metal prep liquid that contains phosphoric acid to stabilize any remaining rust, washed them, then primed and painted them:

(https://imgur.com/1PvLhNs.jpg)

It was forecast to rain today, so I worked in the garage.  I backed the truck up on ramps:

(https://imgur.com/5TcdEVJ.jpg)

Here's the previous owner's passenger side tail pipe, the only one, which will be removed:

(https://imgur.com/3iFiZ4O.jpg)

V-ring flange stitched to the new catalytic converter:

(https://imgur.com/HI2sZ7p.jpg)

Muffler tacked to the cat:

(https://imgur.com/ikIem0B.jpg)

I put my folding workbench outside for the cutting and grinding work because it makes a mess:

(https://imgur.com/BAymAPe.jpg)

From the whole Flowmaster "universal tailpipe" kit, I only ended up needing two pieces:  The one from the muffler to the hump, and the hump over the axle.  So now I have all kinds of extra 3" exhaust pipes and pieces. Here we see the two tacked together:

(https://imgur.com/pNlRMPA.jpg)

I spent most of the time figuring out where and how to locate the brackets to hang the pipes.  Here's the bracket just behind the muffler:

(https://imgur.com/UoFFHHC.jpg)

Cat and muffler:

(https://imgur.com/iA9qsEn.jpg)

The hump over the axle.  This took a long time to fit up and fiddle with.  The pipe goes higher than the frame, so I think it should be OK.  Remember my truck has the axles over the springs, and the frame is not notched.

(https://imgur.com/vaxNCWr.jpg)

Finally, here's the exit:

(https://imgur.com/F6ECFIe.jpg)

The basic design is that the cat and muffler are welded together, but attach to the Y pipe with a v-ring clamp so they can be removed.  The tailpipe is attached to the muffler/cat with a standard stainless steel exhaust clamp, so it it be removed in the future if needed.  The supporting brackets all connect to the exhaust pipe with rubber hangars which can be pulled off.

I didn't do any photos, but the bumper license plate frame needed some TLC so I cleaned it, ground off some rough edges and rust, and painted it.  I reinstalled the bumper, polished it twice with Brasso polish, and it looks  great.  I'll get photos later.

Finally, the great news is that the new exhaust system sounds great.  I need to road test it, but idling and light revving show it to be quieter than the old setup, but it still has a great sound.  I will shoot some video/audio of the new system tomorrow if it's not raining.

The next project will probably trying to install a new window regulator.  Maybe tomorrow.
Title: Re: Project GoJo
Post by: VileZambonie on April 21, 2018, 09:10:52 PM
Good job!
Title: Re: Project GoJo
Post by: Ol Blue on April 22, 2018, 08:48:33 AM
I am looking forward to listening to the new muffler if you post a video. Nice work!
Title: Re: Project GoJo
Post by: ken4444 on April 22, 2018, 09:47:32 AM
Good job!
I am looking forward to listening to the new muffler if you post a video. Nice work!

Thanks very much!  The video is half done, so am driven to finish it. I'll try to shoot the rest today.
Title: Re: Project GoJo
Post by: ken4444 on April 22, 2018, 09:44:57 PM
Good progress today. My neighbor charged up the AC with 134a.  He put the vacuum on it for about 45 minutes and the system held vacuum. The 134a went in OK and the AC was blowing 55 to 60 degree air which is not great but I'll take it.  The weather here in Houston is mild right now so it'll be a few weeks before we have a 95 degree stress test.  The real test is if the thing keeps the refrigerant in overnight :)

I was able to figure out the window regulators just fine.  The old ones came out and the new ones went in.  The big problem on the passenger side door was that the window kept jumping out of one of the tracks, but I think I found a fix which involved enlarging the bolt hole on the lower end of the track.   This enabled me to push the track closer to the glass to hopefully keep the glass in it.  This video shows some details and has some other commentary:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ljDHtfCiK3I

The exhaust comparison video is uploading now. I'll post the link shortly.



Title: Re: Project GoJo
Post by: ken4444 on April 22, 2018, 10:08:34 PM
Summary: The previous owner's Spin Tech muffler with side dump exhaust was a bit too loud and obnoxious. I replaced that with a Flowmaster Super 40, catalytic converter, and a tail pipe that goes over the axle and dumps under the truck.  This video compares both setups:

https://youtu.be/OUvbiPH2Y6s

The new setup is quieter at idle, low speeds, and when accelerating but still has a good sound.   I haven't heard it at freeway speeds yet.  The catalytic converter definitely kills the raw exhaust smell, but without some kind of air injection I don't think the truck with have totally neutral smelling exhaust.  It's a big improvement though.
Title: Re: Project GoJo
Post by: MrFiveOh on April 22, 2018, 11:32:46 PM
Good progress today. My neighbor charged up the AC with 134a.  He put the vacuum on it for about 45 minutes and the system held vacuum. The 134a went in OK and the AC was blowing 55 to 60 degree air which is not great but I'll take it.  The weather here in Houston is mild right now so it'll be a few weeks before we have a 95 degree stress test.  The real test is if the thing keeps the refrigerant in overnight :)

Curious, was this 55-60 at idle only? I know when i start AC its roughly around that temp and when i drive some temp drops really nice around 35-40
Title: Re: Project GoJo
Post by: Ol Blue on April 23, 2018, 06:31:24 AM
Awesome video! Thanks for posting.
Title: Re: Project GoJo
Post by: ken4444 on April 23, 2018, 08:40:10 AM
Curious, was this 55-60 at idle only? I know when i start AC its roughly around that temp and when i drive some temp drops really nice around 35-40

You are correct, that temp was only at idle. It could be that the temp will drop when the truck is moving.  If my AC system is under-performing, which it may be, I don't know what's causing it.  The whole thing is new to me and I have no previous knowledge about it, what was replaced, and how well it worked.  It does have a new dryer and blower motor, but those are the only obviously new parts I can see.

The good news is that the system held its charge over night and was blowing cold air this morning. For now I will leave it as-is.  As Houston starts to see regular temps in the 80's and 90's, I will get a better test of the system's performance.  I'll dig  up my AC vent thermometer so I can get a consistent reading on the air temp output.

Awesome video! Thanks for posting.

thanks!  Sometimes a video just conveys more info than photos can.

Today or some day this week, I need to pull the instrument cluster out and measure the resistance of the wire from the fuel tank sender.  If that's not consistent with the measurement AT the sender, then that's a problem.  I wouldn't rule out a grounding problem at the fuel gauge either. If the resistance measurement is about what the sender is giving me, then the problem is the fuel gauge.  At that point I can order new gauges and start working on fitting Auto Meter brand gauges into the stock bezel.

Ultimately I want to get the instrumentation issue settled early on in this project because those metrics are vital to seeing the truck's health.  Having no tachometer and having a broken fuel gauge are big problems.  The other gauges seem to work fine  but ultimately they'll have to be replaced with their Auto Meter counterparts so I have a good looking, all matching instrument panel.
Title: Re: Project GoJo
Post by: MrFiveOh on April 23, 2018, 10:20:19 AM
Curious, was this 55-60 at idle only? I know when i start AC its roughly around that temp and when i drive some temp drops really nice around 35-40

You are correct, that temp was only at idle. It could be that the temp will drop when the truck is moving.  If my AC system is under-performing, which it may be, I don't know what's causing it.  The whole thing is new to me and I have no previous knowledge about it, what was replaced, and how well it worked.  It does have a new dryer and blower motor, but those are the only obviously new parts I can see.

The good news is that the system held its charge over night and was blowing cold air this morning. For now I will leave it as-is.  As Houston starts to see regular temps in the 80's and 90's, I will get a better test of the system's performance.  I'll dig  up my AC vent thermometer so I can get a consistent reading on the air temp output.


i hear ya, im in austin so i know all about the crazy texas weather.
Title: Re: Project GoJo
Post by: ken4444 on April 24, 2018, 12:43:08 PM
The inside of the radiator cap was coated in rust so I feared the worst for the cooling system.  I picked up a bottle of cooling system flush but upon draining the radiator I saw that the water looked clear.  It didn't appear to have any coolant in it though.  So I poured in the flush liquid, which is sodium citrate, and topped it up with distilled water. I drove it 30 miles today to an auto body paint shop.  I'll drain the thing this afternoon and get it filled with proper coolant and distilled water.

I went to a well known, reputable body shop to get a quote for paint and had a good conversation.  Long story short, they are overrun with insurance company work and my project was going to be a lot of work and less profitable so it wouldn't be something they could give priority to, based on the price we talked about.  I got the name of another person and will call him.

My PRNDL indicator is not working (more on that next), and this morning I had shifted into drive instead of overdrive.  I noticed than when braking and slowing down, the truck let out a big audible "thunk" when I got down to about 10 MPH. I could also feel the thunk.   I thought something huge had broken loose like a motor mount.  There was no thunk when gaining speed.. it was only when braking and getting below about 10 MPH.  At some point I shifted into neutral at a stop light only to realize that I was not in overdrive, but in drive.    After that, in overdrive, the "thunk" sound never re-appeared.  So my only thought is that the 700r4 has some problem when it's not in overdrive.

So the PRNDL indicator is there, although with a frayed cable, but the plastic collar around the steering column, where the little cable attaches, won't stay locked in place.  I haven't looked into how to fix this problem yet, but i'm open to suggestions.  It is frustrating how much of a complete kludge so many auto part designs are, like this PRNDL junk.

In other news, the AC was blowing cold today, especially on the freeway. I talked to the previous owner about the front suspension situation and he claims the AC system had a leak, but I wonder if he was just not driving the truck enough and the 134a leaked out around the compressor shaft which is a known problem for vehicles that sit for a long time.
Title: Re: Project GoJo
Post by: ken4444 on April 24, 2018, 07:50:43 PM
I pulled apart the instrument panel tonight and tested the wire from the sender.  It is giving me about 40 ohms higher, at all sender positions, than what am getting at the sender itself. This tells me that there is too much resistance in the wire and that's at least part of the problem with the fuel gauge.  I ordered an Auto Meter Sport-Comp Analog Gauge # 3514 https://www.summitracing.com/parts/atm-3514 (https://www.summitracing.com/parts/atm-3514).  This means I'll have to start modifying the stock instrument panel to fit this in, so it'll be a test case.  I also ordered an AutoMeter Sport-Comp Series Tachometer # 3997 https://www.summitracing.com/parts/atm-3514 (https://www.summitracing.com/parts/atm-3514) so I can see what the engine is doing.  I'll put the tach where the factory fuel gauge was and the new fuel gauge in the blank spot.  The other gauges work fine for now.

I'm going to have to run a new wire from the sender which will probably take a whole lot longer than I'd like :)

I got the cooling system flushed but not much crap came out.  I filled it with all distilled water and will run that tomorrow, drain that, then go back in with coolant and distilled water.
Title: Re: Project GoJo
Post by: ken4444 on April 29, 2018, 04:41:11 PM
I worked on the sheet metal cover for the bed side of the fuel filler.  The previous owner never did this, maybe because custom fabrication takes a lot of time.

I started with cardboard templates.  I originally thought I could make a pipe-shaped piece as part of the design:

(https://imgur.com/7RrhVxO.jpg)

(https://imgur.com/ktpPn6K.jpg)

(https://imgur.com/WulXV9M.jpg)

(https://imgur.com/HylBBnQ.jpg)

(https://imgur.com/bLYnu9m.jpg)

..however it quickly became apparent that it would be easier just to box the thing in with 3 flat panels.

Here I am working with 16 gauge sheet steel:

(https://imgur.com/VUDBTHQ.jpg)

It took me 2 attempts to get correct pieces.  I am no metal fabricator, but I wanted to do the best work I can manage.

(https://imgur.com/2q08eKT.jpg)

Here the parts crudely fit up, below.  I have to go to a wedding tonight so I had to put this project on hold.

(https://imgur.com/nh7KrPQ.jpg)

I will get them welded and primed, hopefully this week.  I suspect some amount of seam sealer will be needed to bond the thing in, but I'll try to make it look legit :)

The longer term plan is to get the whole bed stripped, primed, and painted white.  It needs the rust protection.  I ordered a panel to cover the fuel tank.
Title: Re: Project GoJo
Post by: VileZambonie on April 29, 2018, 05:02:45 PM
The Blazers and Suburbans have an inner panel to do the same thing.
Title: Re: Project GoJo
Post by: ken4444 on April 29, 2018, 08:43:26 PM
The Blazers and Suburbans have an inner panel to do the same thing.

Great information.  As usual with  , they provide no additional information on this part. Has anyone bought or installed this part?
Title: Re: Project GoJo
Post by: Oldblue on April 29, 2018, 09:10:27 PM
Good stuff man. Keep it up truck looks good!  like the vids too
Title: Re: Project GoJo
Post by: VileZambonie on April 30, 2018, 07:15:42 AM
I purchased one when I restored a K5
Title: Re: Project GoJo
Post by: ken4444 on April 30, 2018, 11:20:15 AM
I purchased one when I restored a K5

Did it fit correctly?  Was it in the stock location or a new location?

In other news, I'm trying to find compatible Auto Meter 2 1/16" water temp and oil pressure gauges. Are the factory temp and oil gauges mechanical or electronic?
Title: Re: Project GoJo
Post by: VileZambonie on April 30, 2018, 06:00:21 PM
Fit perfectly, in the K5. The gauges are electric although oil pressure was mechanical  through 77
Title: Re: Project GoJo
Post by: ken4444 on April 30, 2018, 09:28:19 PM
Fit perfectly, in the K5. The gauges are electric although oil pressure was mechanical  through 77

Good deal.  I figured the gauges in the 80's would have been all electronic because of the circuit board that's part of the instrument cluster and how the gauges seem to plug into that.  I see the Auto Meter Sport Comp series of gauges is more expensive than a few years ago when i put them in my Jeep.  Geez.. they must be $20 more expensive, each.

I finished the fuel filler cover tonight.  Here's the final fit up before I welded it together:

(https://imgur.com/3kPS7YI.jpg)

Tacked together:

(https://imgur.com/StbfFfL.jpg)

Here's the welded final product:

(https://imgur.com/ORkoXHo.jpg)

I realized that there is an indentation in the factory sheet metal.  Rather than trying to bend my part to fit the factory contour and then having to re-bend the triangular parts to fit the contour, I just made a spacer on the back side to fit the depression in the panel.

The spacer was made from 1/8" bar and 16 gauge sheet steel and that seemed to be the right height together.  I had to use body filler to fill in the lines between the 3 layers of metal:

(https://imgur.com/Entqgd7.jpg)

I realized that it was going to start flash rusting if I didn't prime it, so here's the final product primed. It's not 100% flawless, but it's pretty good:

(https://imgur.com/KF81cq8.jpg)

It will need a bit of sanding and some thin body filler in a couple of places but I think it will work well, and it's strong as heck and probably weighs 5 pounds.

You can see the holes around the perimeter.  Ultimately I decided to use sheet metal screws to attach it to the bed.  I can use the same screws that I'll use on the panel over the gas tank.

As far as painting the bed, or the whole truck, I am at a crossroads.  I am talking to another body shop tomorrow.  They specialize in full paint jobs whereas most places just to repairs for insurance companies.  So I'm eager to see what price they cook up.  I suspect it won't be cheap.  Every place I've talked to makes it clear that a "full" paint job is very time consuming due to disassembling the vehicle and all of the other prep work.

I have no problem prepping and painting the bed myself, because the bed doesn't have to be perfect since this is not a show truck.  But I really don't like the orange paint on the rest of the truck but I'm not up to the task to paint it myself.  That would be a TON of work and probably take me 2 months.
Title: Re: Project GoJo
Post by: ken4444 on May 02, 2018, 08:00:00 PM
I started stripping the interior of the bed tonight.  While I am not sold on the orange as a long-term color, the bed is a combination of primer, orange over spray, rust, surface rust, dark blue paint, and what looks like a lighter color.  I assume there is some factory primer and factory paint under there somewhere. I also noticed some new flash rusting in an area that I haven't even touched, so that was a reminder that I need to get the metal stripped, cleaned, and coated with a good epoxy primer.  This truck is generally rust-free but the bed is headed south.  I can't stand to let it rot.  Probably I will shoot it with warm toned white that will go with the orange, but I am partial to warm toned whites anyhow.

Here are some "before" photos to set the scene:

(https://imgur.com/nWcwZK8.jpg)

(https://imgur.com/HvaKQHt.jpg)

(https://imgur.com/0iqB65J.jpg)

(https://imgur.com/FXsS0CW.jpg)

(https://imgur.com/sejShNy.jpg)

(https://imgur.com/NfIccF7.jpg)

(https://imgur.com/dBsA4eI.jpg)

Title: Re: Project GoJo
Post by: ken4444 on May 02, 2018, 08:19:50 PM
Sand or media blasting is clearly the best way to go here, but I have no equipment for that or means to trailer the thing to get it blasted.  So, bring on the wire wheels and strip disks.

I started off with my biggest steel wire wheel to see how the paint and rust would react.  This wheel is a beast but it takes some muscle to control. The Makita grinder is variable speed and super high torque.  It's a real powerhouse.  Ultimately this wire wheel will strip down to the bare metal without taking too much time.

(https://imgur.com/pLJj6Al.jpg)

After 15 minutes, I busted out this Harbor Freight silicon carbide strip disk that I had not used before.  I'd used Norton, DeWalt, and other brand disks like this and they are fantastic.  They take off paint and rust easily, but they wear down.  They also abrase the metal, making visible scratches.  The name brand ones are about 10 bucks a pop.  The HF one was maybe 7 bucks so I thought I'd try it.  This one worked as good as the name brand ones and lasted as long.

(https://imgur.com/8i9sTvg.jpga)

Like the others, this strip disk did wear down after about 30 minutes. It started at about 5/8" thick with a square edge.  These get rounded off at the edge and become worthless:

(https://imgur.com/hMqB2LO.jpg)

Here you can see the original white seam sealer revealed. You can also see abrasion marks that  the strip disk makes.  Ultimately these are filled in by the epoxy primer and 2K primer and won't be a problem:

(https://imgur.com/zSRsBFf.jpg)

Here you can see some real pitting from rust.  This was the worst area I saw tonight:

(https://imgur.com/I5JbECe.jpg)

After about an hour, I got this much done:

(https://imgur.com/N9fNqyq.jpg)

Ultimately I used a smaller wire wheel in the corners and edges where the strip disk would not reach.  I am out of strip disks and will need at least 2 more, probably 3.  I will probably need 3 or 4 more hours of work to get it mostly totally stripped.  I will use a dual action orbital sander on the flat sides to save time and save my back a bit. Then the plan is to hammer out the major dents and spray epoxy primer to seal and protect the metal.

One other thing:  Sometimes it's not really needed to get all the way down to the bare metal, but when you have to remove rust and several layers of paint, it's impossible to NOT get to the bare metal in at least some places.  Given the rough shape of this bed, I pretty much have to take it to bare metal in most places.  In contrast, on a newer vehicle that was in better shape, it would be possible to gently sand off the top coat or two and not expose the bare metal  to the air which promotes rust.  Here, not so much...
Title: Re: Project GoJo
Post by: ken4444 on May 03, 2018, 09:39:28 PM
I went another round with the angle grinder and wire wheels and strip disks tonight.  Here's a video showing the Harbor Freight strip disk in action:

https://youtu.be/Kv3-3iPDQOo

The bed is about 2/3 stripped.  The floor is almost done, then I need to do the walls.  I will probably get the epoxy primer tomorrow at the local PPG store, and I need to ask them if they sell kind of metal prep stuff to treat any remaining rust that's lurking.  Normally I would use Klean Strip brand Phosphoric Prep & Etch, but maybe PPG has something that's guaranteed to work with their other products.
Title: Re: Project GoJo
Post by: ken4444 on May 05, 2018, 09:23:38 PM

The bed is 99% stripped.  I used a dual action sander and 80 grit sandpaper to do the sides and tailgate. I need to go back a steel wire wheel and hit a few select areas, but the bulk of the work is done:

(https://imgur.com/eWgh95i.jpg)

(https://imgur.com/4inTJxk.jpg)

The tailgate clearly had primer sprayed over rust.  I need to work harder to remove the rust.

(https://imgur.com/AQc3z7M.jpg)

(https://imgur.com/zBPm8nV.jpg)

(https://imgur.com/I7HW5cJ.jpg)

Tomorrow I will try to hammer out a few dents and then hit the whole thing with phosphoric acid Prep and Etch (http://www.kleanstrip.com/product/phosphoric-prep-etch).  PPG makes a couple of similar products with phosphoric acid but I see reason to use theirs since I already have some of this stuff.

The steel panel to cover the gas tank arrived the other day, so I need to cut that to fit and figure out where the screw holes will go because it will need to be primed when I spray the bed.

The local PPG auto paint store was out of quarts of epoxy primer on Friday, but I should have it Monday.

This morning was Houston Coffee and Cars which is an informal gathering of any kind of car and truck you can think of.  Here's a video detailing some of what showed up today:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9biLx5RZsYU
Title: Re: Project GoJo
Post by: ken4444 on May 06, 2018, 09:30:54 PM
Due to family things, I had almost no time to work on the truck today.  I got in maybe 25 minutes with the grinder and wire wheel to work on some rust spots on the bed but didn't make a lot of progress.

My truck has zero stereo equipment installed which makes it less enjoyable to drive. I ordered a Retrosound radio which I've never owned before. These radios are all modular:  The knob shafts, knobs, display, radio body, trim piece around the display, and brackets are all separate parts that have to be attached to the main body.  The idea is that you can both fit the thing into a given vehicle but also customize the look to a certain extent using the black or chrome knobs and trim pieces.

Here's the thing loosely assembled on my desk. The RJ-11 style wires from the knob shaft assemblies are not plugged into the main radio body:

(https://imgur.com/mHsndHP.jpg)

Top view:

(https://imgur.com/LdBgkTE.jpg)

Rear wires:

(https://imgur.com/TBNrnm1.jpg)

The radio itself is supposed to be pretty fully featured, so we'll see.  As long as it can pick up AM/FM radio and play music from a phone or memory card, I'm happy. I also ordered Retrosound's 4x10 dual tweeter and dual voice coil dash speaker to put in the stock speaker location.  This essentially lets you run both the left and right channels to the thing. This speaker isn't ideal but I'm curious to hear it.  I will add an amplifier, active crossover, subwoofer, and maybe an EQ.  All of that except the sub came out of my 1992 C1500 before I sold it about 12 years ago, so it's real vintage equipment :)  The sub was out for the trash a few years ago down the block and it looks (on paper) to be a good performer, so I have to build a cabinet for it.

But, I gotta paint the bed first.

If the 4x10 speaker doesn't stand up to the task, I'll have to devise a plan B.
Title: Re: Project GoJo
Post by: ken4444 on May 07, 2018, 09:02:50 PM
I treated the bed with phosphoric acid for 30 minutes then rinsed it out:

(https://imgur.com/RyfWquZ.jpg)

The acid did not cause a huge reaction which probably means most of the rust was already gone. There was some foaming in isolated areas:

(https://imgur.com/kx54tjE.jpg)

(https://imgur.com/0vI3ZqJ.jpg)

With the acid in place, there's not much visible difference:

(https://imgur.com/ExFRGVH.jpg)

This tailgate support clearly shows the purple paint of a former life:

(https://imgur.com/mjIGh8G.jpg)

The bed sheet metal piece has been here for a few days.  I measured for how it will fit and instantly realized that the corrugations go the wrong way. This means I'll have to cut two pieces and weld them together. No huge deal, luckily.  The other trick is that there are underlying supports before and behind the tank, and I don't want to drill screw holes into those, so I'll have to cut the panel big enough to reach past the supports.  Fortunately on the sides of the tank, I have plenty of room to work with.

(https://imgur.com/mMibCk2.jpg)

Final problem:  The fuel pickup line sits above the bed floor by about 3/8".  Does anyone know if I can get a fitting that doesn't stick up as high?  I also have no idea what size this fitting is.   If I can't find a low profile fitting, I will have to make a raised area or some kind of cap to allow this fitting to clear.  Alternatively I could drop the gas tank down a half inch, but I'll have to see if that's even viable.

(https://imgur.com/physCVm.jpg)

Maybe something like this?  Holy moly it's 60 bucks...

https://www.jegs.com/i/Aeroquip/023/FBM2263/10002/-1




Title: Re: Project GoJo
Post by: ken4444 on May 07, 2018, 09:09:00 PM
Here's another low profile 90* fitting but geeez, it's 74 bucks!

https://pitstopusa.com/i-23943706-xrp-adapter-fitting-90-degree-16-an-male-to-16-an-male-o-ring-ultra-low-profile-aluminum.html
Title: Re: Project GoJo
Post by: ken4444 on May 08, 2018, 08:53:44 PM
I sliced up the sheet metal to cover the gas tank.  Here's what I started with:

(https://imgur.com/ylI66IH.jpg)

One piece:

(https://imgur.com/gnfePSy.jpg)

The dang fuel line is very much in the way:

(https://imgur.com/j1mn6k1.jpg)

Two pieces, side by side, not yet connected together:

(https://imgur.com/8epD7C6.jpg)

To try to make the fuel line a bit lower, I ordered this 90* "low profile" adapter from Summit:

https://www.summitracing.com/parts/ear-at934108erl

That one is female to female, so I had to get a male to male adapter:

https://www.summitracing.com/parts/ear-at934108erl

I'm not 100% sure this is going to be any lower, but we shall see.  I can lower the gas tank if I really need to.

I don't want to weld together the 2 sheet metal pieces until I can get them to lay flat so that I can get a good fit-up   I don't want to disconnect the fuel line and run the welder anywhere near the gas tank, so I'll have to wait for the parts to get here, and/or lower the tank.

I used a thread gauge on the gas tank fitting and it's 16 threads per inch, which should be an 8AN size. We'll see.

(https://imgur.com/BP1dm3T.jpg)

Finally, I picked up the epoxy and 2K primer today at the PPG store. I will paint on Thursday if all goes well.

(https://imgur.com/LHCdlBc.jpg)




Title: Re: Project GoJo
Post by: ken4444 on May 09, 2018, 08:49:28 AM
I woke up this morning and realized that doing this gas tank panel might not be the best design.  I think it would look much cleaner to make a panel that sits into the existing cutout. Yes, this would leave a slight gap around the perimeter, but I don't think that's horrible.  It has the benefit of not trapping water between 2 layers of sheet metal, like the original design would.  This new plan will require more work because I'll have to weld in tabs to support the metal panel from underneath the existing floor, but I can use pocket welds though the floor.  The only problem I can see is that the current cutout/hole goes very close to one of the support members underneath the bed, and I don't know if there's enough area to cleanly weld in a lip to hold the new panel.  Maybe I could do a series of tiny 1/8" holes and pocket weld though those.
Title: Re: Project GoJo
Post by: VileZambonie on May 09, 2018, 06:31:25 PM
it would look better flush. Are you going to make it open with fasteners?
Title: Re: Project GoJo
Post by: ken4444 on May 10, 2018, 01:04:57 PM
it would look better flush. Are you going to make it open with fasteners?

I won't make it hinged or anything fancy, however I'm not going to weld it into place. I think it's super helpful to have an access panel over the gas tank.  Based on the work I have going on now, I will use short 1/4-20 screws to hold it in place.  I have ordered a good rubber bed mat that I will keep back there full time, so this will cover the access panel and give it and the screws some protection.
Title: Re: Project GoJo
Post by: ken4444 on May 10, 2018, 01:28:36 PM


I picked  up some 1/8" thick by 1.5" steel flat bar and pocket welded this underneath the lip of the gas tank opening. Here's one side:

(https://imgur.com/bBGRiAL.jpg)

Welds ground smooth:

(https://imgur.com/8LoO6eh.jpg)

The front and back edges have a layer of metal that will cause the new steel to sit slightly lower.  The sides don't have this problem. Here I am pointing to the metal in question:

(https://imgur.com/8HndJs0.jpg)

Because I sliced  up the original new metal panel to fit a different design, I'm having to work with 2 pieces and weld them together. Here are the 2 panels test fitting:

(https://imgur.com/t7TLcvs.jpg)

Here are the 2 panels fit up for welding:

(https://imgur.com/uzgzDbU.jpg)

A few more welds. You can see one of the copper backing plates that I'm using to draw heat out of the steel. I have several of these and they're CPU heat sinks from old servers.

(https://imgur.com/tlnSS8b.jpg)

I'm letting the metal cool right now before I add any more tack welds.  Plus I'm welding this with .030 wire instead of .024 wire which would be ideal for metal this thin, so I feel like I'm pushing my luck.

Back to work...
Title: Re: Project GoJo
Post by: VileZambonie on May 10, 2018, 07:10:35 PM
.030" is better for structural repair and high heat. What is the panel you are using from?
Title: Re: Project GoJo
Post by: ken4444 on May 10, 2018, 07:45:16 PM
I was originally going to use stainless steel sheet metal screws but after realizing they'd have to screw into 1/8" thick steel, I knew that was not going to work. So I drilled 13/64" holes and tapped them for 1/4-20 screws.  I found this combo drill/tap which was a huge time saver.  Tapping 12 holes would have taken an hour the old way.  I did use a separate drill bit to make the holes, instead of relying on the combo deal.

(https://imgur.com/YS6YiAG.jpg)

Here's the metal panel in place:

(https://imgur.com/olxBQty.jpg)

The big problem was the fuel line.  I lowered the tank but that only bought me about 1/4" of actual relief so that wasn't worth it.  In the end, I went low tech and I got out the body hammers and beat a bulge in the panel.

The panel looks OK.  It will be better after painting.  The new sheet metal isn't a good match for the original bed floor. The new stuff has much less sharp lines in the corrugations.  It basically lines up, but it's sloppy.  That's disappointing because how hard could that be to get right?

As usual what I thought would take half my day ended up taking all day. So no paint today.
Title: Re: Project GoJo
Post by: ken4444 on May 10, 2018, 07:53:21 PM
.030" is better for structural repair and high heat. What is the panel you are using from?

It's brand new from a place called "Raybuck Auto Body Parts". Here's the sticker that was on the panel. Unfortunately something is distorting the photo.

(https://i.imgur.com/HZUxyFd.jpg)
Title: Re: Project GoJo
Post by: ken4444 on May 11, 2018, 08:26:59 PM
So frustrated right now.

I got the trucked masked and the epoxy primer went on beautifully.  Everything was working right: The air system, gun, and painter (me).  I laid down 2 coats without any problems.

I went to spray the 2K primer and it all went to crap.

A brass air fitting crapped out and fell apart so I had to re-work the whole air line deal.  Keep in mind this is a totally ghetto air system.  I'm winging it here.  I get that going and then I start having problems with the gun spraying.  It's not getting air, or the air is inconsistent.   I'll get 100 PSI at the regulator, then nothing.  I fiddle with it and it comes and goes.  Then I notice the lights are out in the garage.  Get key to breaker box.  Open breaker box.  Breaker is tripped.  Reset it.  Do this 3 times before I realize the air compressor has seized up or something.  It's dead.  Primer wasted.

(https://imgur.com/pPSXB75.jpg)

(https://imgur.com/588jHAI.jpg)

(https://imgur.com/PuHLtvp.jpg)

(https://imgur.com/GX2Pmf8.jpg)

(https://imgur.com/7wpeagl.jpg)

Here's the borrowed (from my uncle) air compressor.  I've had this thing like 3 years. I painted my Jeep with it.  It has filled my tires. It's been really useful.  Now it's dead.  He didn't want it back because he would have to, "make space in his garage".  It's barely enough for a job like this, but workable if you let it catch up and use a lot of in-line desiccant to dry the air.

(https://imgur.com/7XW1a31.jpg)

At this point I'm tempted to go down to Maaco and see what they'll charge to spray the bed.

So frustrated.  At least the b---- didn't quit before the epoxy primer was done. Thank God for the small things.
Title: Re: Project GoJo
Post by: ken4444 on May 16, 2018, 08:57:06 AM
The bed is finished and looks great.  I will get some photos soon.   Next I need to get the gas gauge working. Then the stereo goes in.  I built a subwoofer cabinet to go behind the seat and it fits well and looks good.  The cabinet is designed around a 10" Kenwood woofer I got from a neighbor a couple of years ago.  I researched the woofer to figure out what design of cabinet to put it in, and apparently it's a decent quality speaker.  I made a sealed box with .64 cubic foot inside volume and the initial sound testing is very good.  Or course it may sound like crap inside the truck. We'll see.

I also got new carpet.  I don't know what direction I will go after that, but one possibility is to raise the suspension 3 or 4 inches and probably put on slightly taller tires.  I'm not sure about the wheels.  Black wheels are not my favorite but I'm at a real loss about what would look good on this truck.  Of course, that's all big money and a lot of work so it will be easy to put off.
Title: Re: Project GoJo
Post by: ken4444 on May 17, 2018, 08:06:27 PM
I did some more troubleshooting and man, the factory GM gauge cluster is junk.  What a pile of crap.  It's about the quality of a kid's cheap toy! Between the screws of different sizes, the 4 kinds of cheap plastic, and the lousy "circuit board" on the back with its half-way connector, I am surprised it all still works.  Anyhow, using the same grounding point, I'm getting the same ohm reading at the connector to the instrument panel as I'm getting from the sender itself, so that's good.  That rules out the sender wire being bad somewhere.  It didn't occur to me to check the ground that the gauges are using, as that's clearly a possible problem area.  I also have no idea how much gas in the tank but I'll keep assuming that the gauge didn't magically fix itself and is still reading wrong.  So I think the gauge grounding is the next thing to check.

I pulled off the dash pad for the first time and that wasn't too bad.  I got a peek at some of the disconnected wires under there.  I swapped out the "Travel Quest"dash  badge with a Silverado one that I got on Ebay.
Title: Re: Project GoJo
Post by: VileZambonie on May 18, 2018, 06:07:45 AM
lol, yes it is! Dakota makes the best aftermarket cluster imo. Despite being meticulous with a refurbishing it is almost guaranteed the cluster will still exhibit the design flaws. It's part of the character :)

To the left of the dash vent under the dash is a grounding bus. Check the connections and ground there
Title: Re: Project GoJo
Post by: ken4444 on May 18, 2018, 10:26:53 AM
... Despite being meticulous with a refurbishing it is almost guaranteed the cluster will still exhibit the design flaws. It's part of the character :)

It occurred to me that the crappy design of the square body gauge cluster is probably not much different than any gauge cluster of the era or maybe even today.

To the left of the dash vent under the dash is a grounding bus. Check the connections and ground there

Fantastic.  Great to know.  I was going to install a dedicated ground  bus anyhow, but if GM put one in, then I need to look at that.  Where exactly is it located?
Title: Re: Project GoJo
Post by: ken4444 on May 18, 2018, 05:02:10 PM
A few pics of the inside bed paint job. I am very happy with the results.  I took these photos in the garage so they're not brightly lit. One flaw is the number of small dents. Not a show truck but the bed is hugely improved.

(https://imgur.com/IxExEEu.jpg)

(https://imgur.com/VH93hqo.jpg)

(https://imgur.com/JEXm4I9.jpg)

(https://imgur.com/cBN7Qc3.jpg)

I'm still waiting on the delivery of a rubber bed mat which may show up today.  We'll see.  I'm out of town for a week so don't look for any new posts for a while.
Title: Re: Project GoJo
Post by: ken4444 on May 30, 2018, 09:02:55 PM
The bed mat is still back ordered via Amazon.  I talked to Brother's Trucks who seems to sell the same mat that Amazon has and they're back ordered 4 to 5 weeks.

The AC quit blowing cold air the last couple of weeks.  Today I replaced the Schrader valves, re-evacuated the system, and refilled with 134a.  It's blowing cold but my neighbor is convinced it's not as cold as it could be, which seems right.  One of the Freon fittings is an old R12 fitting so I have to wonder if the AC system is as much of a Frankenstein's monster as the truck in general.

This weekend I will put the stereo system and new carpet in.

Finally, the turn signals stopped flashing.  I put in a "heavy duty" flasher module and they're working again.

The tranny continues to leak fluid somewhere near the pan.
Title: Re: Project GoJo
Post by: ken4444 on June 02, 2018, 04:03:28 PM
Took one last crack at the AC system this morning:  Replaced the orifice tube, installed the R12 to 134a screw-on adapter to the  high side service port, and evac'd and re-filled the system with 3 ounces of oil and around 3 pounds of 134a.

One big problem was the orifice tube had metal shavings on it, so that's not good. See pic below.

The whole ordeal is a reminder of what I aready know: When dealing with an unknown system, it's best to start from the ground up and assume the worst.  In retrospect, maybe I should have cleaned out the system (is that even possible?) and started, a new compressor and all new seals and valves.

The metal shavings could have been from some previous failure, or the compressor could be eating itself right now. :)

Anyhow, it blew cool air in testing so we'll see how it does over the new few days. It's hot as heck in Houston, as expected this time of year.

(https://imgur.com/Ot6d4eF.jpg)
Title: Re: Project GoJo
Post by: bd on June 02, 2018, 06:40:16 PM
The chunky debris is metal and Teflon seal fragments from the compressor.  The brown mud is disintegrating desiccant washed out of the accumulator.  A minute accumulation of chunky debris is somewhat normal and no reason for concern, unless the compressor is noisy.  However, if you did not flush the condenser, hoses and evaporator, and then replace the accumulator, system performance will not be up to par and residual debris will wash into and clog the orifice screen again.  Next time you open the system for service, plan on flushing the condenser, evaporator and interconnecting hoses, installing another orifice tube and draining the old oil out of the compressor, before adding the proper amount of oil to the system, evacuating and recharging with SUVA.  Avoid flushing the compressor!

The truck is coming along nicely!
Title: Re: Project GoJo
Post by: ken4444 on June 04, 2018, 09:04:38 AM
...Next time you open the system for service, plan on flushing the condenser, evaporator and interconnecting hoses...

Thanks for the details. Those are helpful.

Can you provide any guidance on what equipment to use to flush the system?  I assume that some kind of pressurized gas and solvent are sprayed into one tube to push out whatever is in the lines? Or is each piece removed or disconnected and flushed individually?  I guess the major parts are the condenser, evaporator, and metal and rubber lines connecting everything.  Clearly the dryer/accumulator should be replaced and you said the compressor should not be flushed which makes sense.

This weekend I started on the stereo install but only got about 3 hours of actual work in.  I got the seat, carpet, rubber floor liner, and dash removed.  I installed  the 4x10 (dual voice coil, dual tweeter) speaker in the center dash location, under-mounted, so it won't interfere with the dash pad.  I am not convinced this speaker will  sound great, but it will be better than nothing. The factory connector for the stereo power wires was cut off, but I was able to identify the wires by color (yellow, orange, black, brown, grey).  I soldered on bullet connectors to the necessary wires (ground, 12v constant, and 12v ignition) and soldered the mating connectors to the wiring harness for the stereo head unit.  Using a multimeter I tested the wires to make sure that, yes, they do provide what they should at the right times.  I also prepared a wire for the amplifier remote turn-on. Normally I would run new power and ground wires for a stereo system to help ensure a noise-free system,  but took the lazy route here.

So not a lot was accomplished but small steps forward.

The radio head unit has to be supported by a rear strap because the knobs are not strong enough to hold it in place.  The stereo manual makes this clear, and it's obvious from assembling the thing that it does need rear support.  However there's no great way to hang the metal strap from above, behind the radio.  The AC controls are in the way so I can't run anything from there. The only other thing above the rear of the radio is a plastic air duct and I refuse to screw into that.  I will weld up an adjustable rod that will run from the back of the radio to the metal dash under the radio.  That should be plenty strong to support the it, but it's another hour or two of work to fit and fabricate that.
Title: Re: Project GoJo
Post by: bd on June 04, 2018, 12:42:50 PM
To effectively flush the A/C system use a specialized tool (image) or pay a professional.  The process is rather messy because it involves using compressed shop air to force a specialized liquid solvent through the individual system components (condenser, evaporator, lines and hoses).  Oily effluent blows everywhere.  The A/C compatible solvent won't chemically react with the components, refrigerant oil or the refrigerant and will boil off and completely purge during system evacuation just prior to recharging.  Separating the hose connections is recommended to install new HNBR (green) o-rings coated with A/C mineral oil.  Don't use PAG oil to lubricate the o-rings.  If the orifice tube screen is not heavily impacted by debris, it can be rinsed with some engine starting fluid and the o-rings relubricated with A/C mineral oil.  The compressor should be drained and then refilled with an appropriate type and volume of oil.  If the compressor is noisy, now is a great opportunity to replace it.  The balance of oil to be added to the system can be poured directly into the accumulator just prior to installation.  Avoid using the 2 oz cans of oil charge to add oil to the system.

The support strap attaching to the rear of the radio generally comes upward from the lower dash panel, just as you have in mind.
Title: Re: Project GoJo
Post by: ken4444 on June 10, 2018, 06:21:43 PM
Slow but steady process.  I got the radio mounted and plugged into the wiring harness.  The previous owner relocated the battery to under the cab and put a large positive battery terminal on the frame near the right front control arm. I ran power wires for the amp from this terminal and the battery negative terminal into the cab through an existing firewall grommet and along the floor to the rear of the cab.  In the past I have always run all power wires for a stereo directly from the battery terminals because when the power for the different components is all tied to the same pair of terminals, it's supposed to eliminate noise in the system.  The positive power wire has an inline fuse near where it connects to the binding post.  I cut a small flat 1/4" thick plywood board, put some grey felt on it,  screwed it to the back of the cab, and screwed the amp to that.   I did notice when I fired up the truck that the stereo front panel was displaying the (incorrect) time, so that was good because it's getting power.  That was 3 hours of work and it's about all I can do tonight.
 
One step forward, 2 steps back:  The key is stuck in the ignition cylinder.  Great.  Probably I will have to replace the ignition cylinder but that's what, another hour of work  on the GM tilt steering column?  That's like a 15 step procedure to get in that deep :)  Fun.  Fortunately I have the tools to work on a GM tilt column like a steering wheel puller, lock plate tool, and pivot pin puller.
Title: Re: Project GoJo
Post by: ken4444 on June 25, 2018, 08:29:43 PM
Can anyone tell me which wires are which here on the windshield wiper assembly?  All I know for sure is that #5 (which is supposed to be purple) turns on the high speed wipers. I'm hoping to find a good way to ground the thing.  The thing looks to be mounted using rubber vibration pads so I don't know if it's supposed to ground using those bolts are not.

Wire #2 is black with a blue tracer but I'm not convinced that's ground.  The other wires are all not black.

(https://i.imgur.com/9JRRXmf.jpg)
Title: Re: Project GoJo
Post by: bd on June 25, 2018, 11:30:49 PM
The wiper motor grounds through the wiper switch.  That is, the wiper switch controls the motor ground rather than power to the motor.
Original colors, circuit numbers and functions:

1 - (gray #91B) low-speed motor winding ground to cam operated park switch inside the w/wiper motor assembly
2 - (black/blue #97) park function ground through the w/wiper switch

3 - (white #93) I+ into the w/wiper motor directly from the Wiper fuse
4 - (gray #91A) low-speed motor winding ground through the w/wiper switch
5 - (purple #92) high-speed motor winding ground through the w/wiper switch

Reference: 1983 Wiring Manual (http://www.73-87chevytrucks.com/techinfo/7387CKMans//Wiring/ST386_83_1983_GM_Wiring_Manual_CK_P_G_10_to_30_and_ST.pdf#page=9)
Title: Re: Project GoJo
Post by: ken4444 on July 17, 2018, 06:52:19 PM
The wiper motor grounds through the wiper switch. 

Thanks for the details. It looks like I'll have to disassemble the steering column to at least check that switch and possibly replace it.  I need to replace that plastic tube at the lower part of the column anyhow.

I was looking into flushing an AC system and it doesn't look difficult at all. My Local O'Reiley may have a loaner flush tool. I am tempted to throw more money at this thing and replace the AC compressor and flush the various parts of the system while I have it apart.  Two questions:

1) Can this type of condenser be flushed?  I am reading that some condensers in newer vehicles can't be flushed because the particles stay trapped inside.
2) Can anyone recommend a correct compressor part number or brand?  This one has a serpentine belt.  The original label is too faded to read.  Rockauto shows a Delco 15-20185 but these have poor reviews, but it has a 2 year warranty.
Title: Re: Project GoJo
Post by: bd on July 17, 2018, 07:35:51 PM
Don't expect the factory A/C to blow much cooler than ~54° F in a hot and humid climate.  The OEM tube & fin condenser can be reverse flushed effectively without concern.  Some of the newer serpentine condensers can be a problem using carport techniques. 


(https://i.imgur.com/Ot6d4eF.jpg)

If this ^^^^ is the extent of shavings that you discovered in the original orifice tube screen and the new orifice screen is still clean, the risk is minimal and I wouldn't be too concerned over it.  Was the old compressor making noise or leaking refrigerant?  Is the clutch face worn from slippage?  If your answers are no and the orifice tube is clear, the compressor should be okay to reuse.
Title: Re: Project GoJo
Post by: ken4444 on January 27, 2019, 10:31:39 AM
Over the winter the truck hasn't been driven much, but there has been some activity. You'll love this story that played out over the last 3 or4 months:

The truck would not start, so I knew that it would either be a fuel or spark issue.

I pulled the fuel line from the carb to check that it was supplying fuel, and it was: I could crank the engine and fuel was delivered from the fuel line.   I banged on the carb with a rubber hammer to see if that would un-stick a possibly stuck needle and seat, and sure enough, the truck started.  Great!

But then the next day it would not start.  This repeated a couple of times.  I then removed the front carburetor bowl (and metering block) to check the float itself and it was moving freely and looked OK.  I re-attached the bowl and metering block with the same gaskets which, looking back on it, was a mistake.

I also used a spark tester to ensure that when the truck wouldn't start, that I was at least getting spark on one cylinder, which I was.  The wire connections to the HEI distributor looked OK.

I needed a new needle and seat assembly.  I called Quickfuel (Holley) to help determine which model of Quickfuel carb I had because this has no numbers stamped into the air horn. After 5 minutes of discussion with their tech support, they could only determine that it's a 4150 or 4160 clone, but it didn't matter because they all use the same float needle assembly part number.  Rather than dumping money into the carb for another needle and seat assembly, I cleaned this one with carb cleaner and reinstalled it.  That was the Quickfuel tech's idea, which makes sense.

At this point, the engine would start fine but was not running right, probably mostly due to me having never replaced the gaskets which probably caused all manner of vacuum leaks.  Removing the needle and seat assembly of course means that the fuel bowl level has to be re-adjusted. This carb has sight windows so it's fairly easy to do.  Ultimately I could see fuel in the bowls and adjusting the level was possible.

I adjusted the idle air mixture screws and idle speed screws with no great improvement.  The most telling sign of a problem was that a manifold vacuum gauge needle would bounce wildly, fluctuating by maybe 5 or 8 PSI.  I thought this might be a sign of a broken valve spring, stuck valve, or bad rings.  Uh-oh.

At the same time this was going on, it was getting more and more difficult to start the truck.  I had been cranking it a lot, but the engine was not running or not running for any length of time.  The battery was basically dead and would not take a charge.  I finally put in a new battery and now finally I could crank the engine, however if did get the engine running, it was not happy.

Because I had never checked any of it before, I went over the ignition system.  I tested all of the spark plug wires for resistance and they were all between 6.3K and 11.1K ohms each (not per foot, but the whole wire). This generally seemed in spec with what I was reading elsewhere.  I removed the Delco distributor cap to get a look in there.  The cap terminals looked un-worn and clean.  The rotor, which is an MSD, looked fine.   The wired terminals in the unit looked OK.   I did not remove the rotor or go any deeper.

At this point I suspected the carburetor was my problem, because it had a possibly flakey needle and seat valve and it probably also needed love after I had removed the bowl, re-used the gasket, and jacked with the mixture and idle screws.  I talked to Holley (Quickfuel) support and they recommended the "HR" (Hotrod) series carburetors.  I wanted a vacuum secondary. That model doesn't have a 650 CFM with vacuum secondary, so they recommended the next larger CFM.  Finally, I bit the bullet and ordered a new Quickfuel 680 (model HR-680-VS) with a vacuum secondary. JEGS had a $10 off coupon which made a lower price than Summit Racing.

The new carb at arrived last week and I got it installed yesterday:  The bracket to attach 700r4 cable to the carburetor throttle assembly took a while to transfer over.  The stud for the throttle cable had the wrong nut from the previous owner (1/4-20 instead of 1/4-28) which also had red Locktite on it, and the Quickfuel 680 throttle lever assembly was slightly different than the old one which meant that I didn't need one of the same spacers, but I had to get a bronze (or any material) bushing and trim it down to basically make a spacer/washer.  I could not find the right parts in my bins of old fasteners.  These were small problems but I did not want to cut corners. So I went to the hardware store to get the correct stainless steel nuts and the spacer.  I finally got the bracket moved over to the new carb with the correct hardware.  At this point I'm probably 3 hours into it.

The new carb installed OK and the throttle cable, transmission cable,  vacuum lines, and choke power cable all attached OK.  I used a new gasket and tightened things down according to the directions that came with the carb.  I cranked the engine to fill the float bowls for 10 then 20 seconds and got... nothing.

I pulled the fuel line from the carb and, no surprise, no fuel was pumping.   I was working on removing the fuel pump and first disconnected the fuel tank line from the pump.  No gas ran out when the line was disconnected.  This seemed bad.    At this point now I'm thinking the tank is empty.  Doh!!  Son of a....

I put in 1 gallon of lawnmower gas and 1 gallon of gas from a neighbor.  I then drove those empty cans to the nearest gas station and filled them up with 4 more gallons.  I put all that into the C10 which would have given it maybe 6 gallons total.  If that didn't help, then I would replace the fuel pump.

I cranked it again and finally started getting gas from the line to the carb, into an old paint can. Thank goodness.  Now at least I know the tank was empty.  I reconnected the fuel line to the carb and cranked the engine again.  Finally, it started after a few seconds. Success at last!

Of course now I'm wondering how much grief I had because the dang tank was empty.  The last time I drove it any distance, I know (or thought) I had roughly half a tank.  So either I was wrong, or there was enough evaporation to lose several gallons, or there's a fuel system leak I don't know about. 

Anyhow,  the new Quickfuel 680 VS ran great on the first try with no absolutely tuning.  My neighbor hopped in and I drove around the neighborhood.  The 454 has greatly improved performance and is even speedier than before. A real demon.   I stopped by the gas station again and filled it up within 10 gallons. This confirmed that yes, the tank was technically empty when I started out the day, and probably had contributed to the problems and frustrations in the last 3 months.

Now that it was warmed up, I put on a vacuum gauge and had a stable needle with no fluctuation, with about 15 PSI.  That was good news and a relief to know there was no horrible valve or ring problem.   I ended opening up the idle air bleeds 1/2 turn out/open and got about 1 or 2 more PSI.  I tweaked the idle.   That was it.  I drove it around a bit more and it still ran great.

Looking back on this whole story, I had enough fuel (barely) at the beginning of all this 3 or 4 months ago, but at some point that fuel ran out and I was battling an empty fuel tank.  My initial troubleshooting a few months ago confirmed I had fuel, but I didn't know how little I had to work with.  I assumed it had a half tank, or a quarter tank at least.

So, I have a renewed vigor.  I ordered a new factory style fuel gauge because now I've been bit twice by an empty tank which is stupid considering it's only a $50 part.  Live and learn.
Title: Re: Project GoJo
Post by: JohnnyPopper on February 02, 2019, 07:59:28 PM
Cue  'Take the long way home' Supertramp c. 1979

Thanks for sharing, now you have a screaming beast! Congrats!

BTW, on your first posts, where you used a big a-- wire wheel to clean up-

I found at Harbor Freight a 20 lb media blaster, use non toxic baking soda and I get to donate my big a-- wire wheel to charity.

I've heard guys talk about them for years, but stuck with my old ways, but buddy, NO more!

And no more strawberries either... ;)