73-87chevytrucks.com
General Site Info => Welcome => Topic started by: 1979C20 on February 27, 2011, 02:43:58 am
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Well, kind of new. I just hadnt gotten around to actually posting. Whats going on everyone? The forum has been really helpful already and I wanted to share my story with someone who would probably listen. Bought a 1979 C20 for $300. It has a 350, 4spd mantrans, qjet carb. It had been sitting for ten years, the owner said it needed a fuel pump and a starter and it would run, but when I started her up it had a spun bearing. So I pulled the engine and tore it down and took it to the machine shop. When I got it back, I rented a hone from Checker and went to town on the cylinders. Got them all honed out to get rid of the slight taper and started with the crank torquing. Bought the biggest cam I could use with stock springs and continued on with the building. Sadly, after I got the engine in the truck, I spun the oil pump with a drill and I got no oil pressure. I ended up having to pull my engine out again, pull my driver head off, and plug an oil passage underneath the edge of the head that I had missed when building. I looped my oil cooler lines with hose and spun the pump again, still no pressure. I called the machine shop and the guys came down to my house and took a look. They ended up putting a metric sized plug into the oil passage and it went too far and block my oil flow. So, they gave me more break in oil and oil pan gaskets and I put it back together and put her back in the truck, with oil pressure. Started her up to make sure everything was in working order, shut it off and checked my oil. Water in it. I ended up reusing the same head gasket when I pulled it off. So, I drained all of the oil-water and I pulled everything apart again and replaced the head gasket. Put it back together and flushed 15 quarts of oil through my engine and put break in oil back in it. Started it, shut it off, water in my oil again! Intake gaskets. So I pulled my intake off and resealed it. I had ended up not putting enough silicone around the water ports. So I finally got it all sealed and flushed another 15 quarts of oil through it. Couldn't start it. I ended up putting my distributor in with the crank 180deg off. Finally got it all figured out and started it and everything was fine. After that, I fought with vacuum leaks, exhaust leaks, and my transmission front seal was leaking BAD. So I had to unbolt my trans from my bell housing and pull it out. replaced the side plate gaskets, input shaft seal, front plate seal, and top plate gasket. I want sure how to pull the plate off, so I just lifted it up and slipped the gasket under. I had to pull my carpet up and pull my transmission doghouse off to get the tranny back in. The side plates and the top plate leaked like a siv. My oil cooler leaks, my oil pressure sending unit line leaks, my carb leaks fuel into the vacuum lines, and my pinion seal leaks. I took my truck down to my friends dads shop and put it on the lift and resealed my side plates with silicone this time and they stopped leaking. I then went home and pulled my carpet up again and actually pulled my top plate off this time. The gasket had torn a couple of times, but I had all of the pieces. So I cleaned everything up with break cleaner and siliconed the gasket in place. I had to fight the top plate for like 2 hours to get it back in. Amidst the fighting, a chunk of gasket fell off and it leaked worse than before. So I went to checker and bought a roll of cork gasket maker and cut it out to shape and siliconed it in place and put the top plate back on. No more leaks!! But, all of the gear oil destroyed my tranny mount. And, then my power steering started leaking BAD. So I replaced the gear box and it leaks, but no where near as bad. Now all that is left if the pinion seal and the oil pressure sending unit line. Theres a lot more issues I've fixed and a few mods Ive done, but Ill get to the pictures now.
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(http://i1230.photobucket.com/albums/ee497/1979c20/IMG00149-20100604-1858.jpg)
(http://i1230.photobucket.com/albums/ee497/1979c20/IMG00153-20100604-2346.jpg)
(http://i1230.photobucket.com/albums/ee497/1979c20/IMG00158-20100609-1615.jpg)
(http://i1230.photobucket.com/albums/ee497/1979c20/IMG00164-20100621-1819.jpg)
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(http://i1230.photobucket.com/albums/ee497/1979c20/IMG00120-20100513-1509.jpg)
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Welcome from NW Indiana, sorry you had to go through all of that hassle but when it is all said and done there is a lot of satisfaction in getting it going.
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Welcome from South Carolina.
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Welcome from NW Indiana, sorry you had to go through all of that hassle but when it is all said and done there is a lot of satisfaction in getting it going.
Yeah, I can agree totally. I love this truck now. And having the locker in the rear, she does awesome off road. Shes got quite a bit of torque and I out performed my buddies 4x4 grand wagoneer on the spider hill out at butcher jones to cove one. It a gnarly hill. And I popped right up it first try(3rd time taking my truck to cove 1) and he was fartin around trying to.show off up one of the harder spots and full of mud spots (the weekend it rained and snowed at sycamore creek and butcher jones) and he ended up slamming his front fender into the wall of the hill.
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Welcome from Surprise,Arizona.
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Welcome from Tempe. We've got a small posse runnin around here now. ;D
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Yes we do there several 73 to 87 Chevy's in my area alone.Often thought about forming a club if there was enough interest.
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Still sounds like you got a good deal. Welcome from NH.
Looks like you had plenty of liquid enthusiasm to get it to this point.... ;D
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It's good to finally see the truck. All of those been there/done that issues you had will make you an expert on the subject. I really dig the roof rack too.
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Thanks guys. Us az members oughta meet up sometime haha! Grim, the ladder rack is off of a vehichle me and my dad snagged that was up for repo when he was running a few months back. While my truck was sittong, we threw the rack on it for storage and it ended up staying. Its 350 retail.
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Ya know, the guy in the first pic standing next to the truck looks like my sisters ex. His name isn't Ron is it?
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No sir, thats my dad, Duke. Hes been married for almost 24 years. Haha.
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Welcome from California.
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Oh, and ive got just over 3000 invested in her since the end of march last year. Oh, and it has 61k original, documented miles.
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glad you got her going... Welcome from OH...
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Just adding to my projects list, This is what started happening to my Carrier bearing
(http://i1230.photobucket.com/albums/ee497/1979c20/2011-03-11170933.jpg)
And this is What I ended with, the rubber is gone, and the bearing fell infront of the bearing housing and the skinny part of the drive line
wore its way almost all of the way through, another 4 miles or so And I would have lost my drive line.
(http://i1230.photobucket.com/albums/ee497/1979c20/2011-03-15173513.jpg)
and here is the new one. I couldnt figure out where the 2 small round bushings go, my old one didnt have them
(http://i1230.photobucket.com/albums/ee497/1979c20/2011-03-15152611.jpg)
I'll get a picture of it installed soon.
I installed a chrome air cleaner because I didnt feel like buying a new element for my old one and this was laying in the garage.
(http://i1230.photobucket.com/albums/ee497/1979c20/2011-03-15174411.jpg)
I painted my grille black, before
(http://i1230.photobucket.com/albums/ee497/1979c20/2011-02-22155412.jpg)
After
(http://i1230.photobucket.com/albums/ee497/1979c20/2011-02-22182427.jpg)
Anyone know where I can get this style horn button cheap?
(http://i1230.photobucket.com/albums/ee497/1979c20/2011-02-23121030.jpg)
I installed purple HIDS
(http://i1230.photobucket.com/albums/ee497/1979c20/2011-03-16001613.jpg)
My truck at the bottom of Widow Maker at sycamore creek
(http://i1230.photobucket.com/albums/ee497/1979c20/2011-03-18152333.jpg)
We took one of my buddy's jeeps up to the top, my other buddy's is at the bottom with my truck. I couldnt get more than half way without spinning out. And, I have a gov lock in the rear. So both wheels are locked together until 20mph then it unlocks to just one wheel.
This is my truck at Squeeze Rock, Sycamore Creek.
(http://i1230.photobucket.com/albums/ee497/1979c20/2011-03-18165156.jpg)
I figure I might as well post a pic of me, just for consistency sake. Dont want to seem like a liar, as I have been accused before.
Someone tried to say I didnt do the work on my truck, that I was just taking the credit. This is right after a hair cut, and I'm not
proud of the way it looked. See the Oooga horn to the right of the master cylinder?
(http://i1230.photobucket.com/albums/ee497/1979c20/IMG00104-20100430-1916.jpg)
And this is my truck on top of The Playground hill at Cove one at Butcher Jones, az. Right after I got back to the top when leaving,
before I painted it! And thats my buddy's Wagoneer that he traded 2 of for a 95 YJ.
(http://i1230.photobucket.com/albums/ee497/1979c20/1296254781400.jpg)
Here is my Options page, I'll get a better pic soon.
(http://i1230.photobucket.com/albums/ee497/1979c20/2011-02-24210233.jpg)
The vacuum diagram sticker on my core support
(http://i1230.photobucket.com/albums/ee497/1979c20/2011-02-20151735.jpg)
I blocked off my EGR with a Putty knife blade and the base plate for my EGR. It was sticking and made my truck run like crap. Havent
had any problems with it. I just coated the bottom side of it in black RTV and used the stock EGR bolts and base plate to hold
it down. The fluids next to the intake is fuel, and WD40. My dad covered my intake with WD checking the base gasket for vacuum
leaks. And then I had to fill the bowl on my carb because I accidentally switched to the empty tank and ran it empty.
(http://i1230.photobucket.com/albums/ee497/1979c20/2011-03-09172242.jpg)
My bed is in GREAT condition. There was a plastic bed liner on it since it was bought, and theres just slight surface rust from where the
paint rubbed away and condensation rusted away at it.
(http://i1230.photobucket.com/albums/ee497/1979c20/IMG00211-20100911-0147-1.jpg)
This is how I mounted my CB antennas. I just cut and bent down the upper mounting hole, since I use the lowers
(http://i1230.photobucket.com/albums/ee497/1979c20/IMG00207-20100827-1610-1.jpg)
One of my 3 great danes, Dairy
(http://i1230.photobucket.com/albums/ee497/1979c20/IMG00049-20100110-1424.jpg)
Second of my 3 great danes, Dozer. And for some reason I dont have a picture of the 3rd, Demo
(http://i1230.photobucket.com/albums/ee497/1979c20/IMG00002-20101029-1015.jpg)
I was helping my brother move some furniture from his fiance's moms house, And I got the bear to transport. That was a fun trip, I got
a LOT of strange looks. Haha.
(http://i1230.photobucket.com/albums/ee497/1979c20/IMG00010-20101203-1608.jpg)
And this is my Girlfriend, Megan. She if the reason my HIDS are purple. I like purple, but she wanted them. This is before our first date.
We went to the Mud bogs. Her idea!
(http://i1230.photobucket.com/albums/ee497/1979c20/cid_544.jpg)
Does anyone have any suggestion on how to clean one of these old engines. It is covered in oil, WD40, coolant, DUST, grime, and fuel. It disgusts me to look at. I have a crap ton of Engine Brite in the garage. Thanks for reading. Its nice to know somebody is listening. And, just FYI, These pictures are in NO way in chronological order. Haha. I just posted them as they came up.
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There are a ton of products out there for cleaning engines. All I would say is pick one you are comfortable with, when you spray it on your engine let it sit for 5 10 min to dwell and soak into the grease and grime, use a low pressure hot water washer to rinse it all off, and please find the apprioate place to do it so you don't get into trouble for dumping hazardous material on the ground. In my opion, engine bright works ok, if you can get ahold of industrial grade cleaners they work alot better.
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Okay, ill just use the engine bright since I have it available. Now, how do I go about doing this withough getting things wet that should not be wet? Like, I have a feeling I shouldnt get water in the intake (haha). What about the distrubutor cap, plug wires, breather cap on valve cover, and how do I avoid getting water in the carb?
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It depends on if you are going to do it while it is running or off. If you have alot of open areas that you are not wanting to get wet, I say let your engine cool, bag with plastic everything that could get water in it and then clean, taking care not to blow off or apart the plastic bags. Good luck.
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Okay, that helps. but, I believe the engine brite can say to heat the engine up, spray it on, then hose it off. So, how can I do it with the engine warm? Sorry for so many questions