'83 gmc 4x4 rebuild

[chirim2003]

ok i bought this truck it has 350, turbo 350 trans and np205 with pto output. yes a pto winch bumper on front, it has to go. is there a way to remove the pto crap off the transfer case or what.  i want that crap gone.  or change cases. secondly i want to add a passanger side tank to it so i can have 2 tanks because i go on ling trips and dont want to stop much.  can i set them both up to fill from the driver side?  next my heater core is leaking.  how much of a pain to change that.  it currently has a 6 inch suspension lift with blocks in back i want to tear out but not sure what brand of lift to go back with i want all spring no blocks and 6".  i also will be removing a 3" body lift and going back to original mounts because the kit came complete with the truck.  and lastly i will also be redoing the interior and want to insulate it a little and bedliner it also.  whats the best bedliner i can do and spray in at home.  and is it possible to insulate the floor with like dynamat and bedliner over it?  or just recarpet it?  i got this truck a month ago and have had mostly jeeps till now. so any help is greatly appreciated.  also want to swap in a big block and overdrive trans down the road  any thoughts on the conversion on what would be best?  454 and 700r4/np205 or go 454 4l803/np205 with all the electronic crap i would like to eliminate.

thanks.

joe

[hilton850]

Does the winch work? why do you want to get rid of it?

Here we go...in order...

I believe you can take the PTO stuff off the side of the transfer case and just bolt the cover back on...but I've never done it.  I can't help you with the gas tank question...if it were me, I'd need to get out and stretch my legs after riding in one of these trucks for 4 hours (about how long it takes to run mine out of gas) so I'd leave it as is.  The heater core isn't much of a job.  My haynes manual has pretty good instructions for that.  Takes 20 min if your hoses aren't stuck and you know what you're doing.  I hear skyjacker makes good springs.  I'm not sure if they do relatively big lifts like that but you may check out Deaver for the rear springs too...they cost $$ but from what I hear they ride excellent.  When I get ready to do my truck I'm going to get a replacement rubber mat that comes with new floor insulation.  I think I saw one on this site that I liked...I'm not a big fan of carpet in a truck myself.  I like the idea of taking the body lift out.  As for the bedliner, I had very good luck with herculiner.  I rolled mine but have since found a gun on the eastwood website that should spray it for $9.88 that I would like to try.  I'm not a big fan of the 700R4 so I would go for the 4L80E if you really want overdrive and deal with the electronic crap.  The 4L80E is a MUCH better transmission in my opinion.

Sounds like a good score.  Good Luck with it!

[Captkaos]

If the PTO winch works, why get rid of it?
filling the tanks from one side, that is going to be custom plumbing work.  It can be done, but you still need a switching valve
If you have A/C it is a pain, but not difficult, just tedious getting all the bolts out.
I don't know if you can or would want to put roll on liner and then insulation mat over it.  It isn't very smooth.
454 4l803/np205  is the best strongest option, but you would have to go full manual valvebody on it to get rid of the electronic control....

[gold84gmc]

my truck has dual tanks from the factory....i dont use the second one because i dont drive the truck that much but since you go on long rides i would put dual tanks...i think all u need is a switch to change between the two tanks....with the filling the tanks both on one side....like captkaos said it can be done but they didnt come from the factory like that so youd have to make something of your own

[Russ130]

You could do like the big rigs do and put a hose that goes between the tanks that way you can fill both tanks from either side. You will need to let the other side catch up since the hose can't transfer as much fluid as the pump can. You also won't need a switch since both tanks will drain together. You can just rip the pto stuff off and put a cover on.

[werewolfx13]

I considered doing a bottom crossover like semi trucks run myself, HOWEVER, I'd be concerned with two things..one, getting an adequate seal on each tank where you'd tie in your crossover fitting, and two, these tanks are not in a very good spot for running a bottom crossover, fuel transfer will be incomplete since you'd have to tie the crossover up awfully high to keep it out of harms way, unless your truck is a lifted beast that spends most of its time on pavement.

[jwill226]

I know this is an old thread, I was searching around and wanted to correct some miss information.  

Semi trucks do not have a line between the tanks so that you only have to fill from one side.  A small line runs between the tanks to bypass the need for a tank splitting switch.  The engine only draws from one side (usually the drivers side).  The cross over line only keeps up with the engines fuel demands and not much more.  Never taken one apart but the OD of the line is only about 3/4 in and that was on a class 8 550hp turbo Cummings

If you where to fill one semi truck tank of 100 gallons or better it would take hours for the tanks to equalize the fuel level between them.  If you go to any truck stop you will see there is a pump for each side of the truck.  Some smaller straight trucks only have one tank so if you only see them filling one side that could be the reason.

I drove long haul for several years averaging 190k - 200k miles a year so I have filled my share of tanks.

[werewolfx13]

Bringing up an old post again, but I never implied thats what the crossover line on a semi was for, simply that they are there, what I implied was you could use a crossover line as a fill transfer on a pickup truck, with some success. I never said it had to be a small line. My dad drove a truck for 22 years, and I've filled my fair share of tanks when I went with him myself. Add to that, when he went to sell his '85 cab-over freightshaker after sitting for about 10 years, I was the one who drained all 120 gallons of 10 year old fuel still sitting in the tanks. The line on his was 5/8" ID, and yes, they tie into the trucks main line just to eliminate a switching valve, but a similar setup would be sufficient on a pickup as a crossover for filling, though I would use 1" ID hose for a filling station/transfer tank pump to allow for a faster transfer rate. Again, the biggest problem would be protecting the crossover.

[Irish_Alley]

let me join in lol but there was a truck once i forget what it was it was apart pretty sure it was a Chevy but it had dual tanks but only one filler neck and it would equalize the fuel that was being put in via a pump in between both tanks