Well, I'm actually a chevy guy..

Yesterday I got an email that I had ended up winning a truck I bid on a couple weeks ago. Score! It should have everything I need to spruce up my old girl.

Here is the parts truck I got yesterday:


I originally bought 2 98 pickups out of a field in Southey. The brown one and a white extended cab longbox. I had a 2003 5.3L sitting at home with 80k on it so I set out to swap the 5.3 into the brown 98 to replace the 350. 5.3 liter engines never happened in a Chevy truck until 99 so this wouldn't be a simple bolt it. The engine bolts right up to the trans but since the truck was a 2500, the 5.3 PCM wasn't able to control it. We had to find an operating system for the PCM with the same operating system ID# from a 99+ 1500HD (6L 4l80e) and then swap the transmission segment into my PCM. The wiring also had to be modified slightly because the 4l80 has an extra VSS (if I recall correctly).

Here is the ecab longbox that got stripped for parts/transmission.


Here is the "champagne" colored truck on day one.


Once all the wiring and computer work was done, everything worked quite well. The 5.3 mated to 3/4 ton running gear is ideal for me. I love the combination. When everything was all running great I drove out to Birch Hills and we did an all night whiskey fueled exhaust build. The truck has two 2.25" leading to a FloPro dual chamber muffler with a 3" tailpipe. It is a little loud for my liking, I will probably get a muffler shop to add in a couple resonators before the muffler. Bolting in the engine required some motor mounts I bought for $100 rather than building my own (did the swap in my dad's shop without my welder because at the time I only had a 20x24 garage) I used some AN fittings to mate up the fuel lines, and had to get the a flexplate and spacer from a 6l engine. The 2003 engine was also a drive by wire, so I had to swap over the gas pedal and TAC module.




Once I had exhaust I decided to fix the brakes. GMT400 brakes are known to be spongy to begin with, and my vacuum booster had a hole in the diaphragm. I grabbed a hydroboost setup out of an 05 Tahoe 1500 at the wrecker and swapped it in. The hoses were easy because they were intended to work with the engine that I had in the 98 at the time. I used a brass tee for the low pressure side and took the pressure lines from the Tahoe.

I rebuilt the front suspension and steering, resealed the front and rear diff somewhere along the way. Cranked up the torsion bars so it didn't look like a sagged out 360k truck anymore. Did I mention it had 360k on it? I bought it from a drilling company so it didn't have the easiest life prior to my purchase.

So now we've got a 360k km 1998 truck with an 80k km 2003 engine mated to a rebuilt 4l80e that was originally behind a 1999+ 6L truck with hydroboost from a 2005 SUV..

I also got Maaco to do a spray in boxliner and do the rockers as well. It was supposed to be a color match but ended up 2 tone. I like it.

It also got a DVD player (moved HVAC controls down to fit 2din) with a backup camera pointed right over the receiver hitch. When the hitch is in you can see the top of the ball. 10 second trailer hookup!



The combo worked great. Here it is pulling 10k lbs.

 

The wheels were a Kijiji buy off of a newer Duramax truck. The headlights and mirrors and a few other things are new off Rockauto.

I put a switch on the front actuator so I could use 2wd low range if I need/wanted.


Now the plans for the parts truck. Rob the windshield wiper motor, the VSS from the tailshaft housing of the Tcase, the interior to replace a bunch of busted pieces in my interior (remember, rig truck = beat up), rob the heater box because my deflector doors don't work anymore, potentially rob the power steering box, interior door panels (and switch to power windows from the crank windows), take the horn/steering column or whatever is required to fix my horn. Maybe even the headliner, but the donor truck has a 3rd door and mine doesn't, so that might not work.

Thats all I can remember right now! Lots of work into that old truck but now I have a cheap reliable work horse with a touch of custom/uniqueness.


You guys said you like pics:
Here it is when I had 15x8 steel wheels on it pulling my Yota at Nisbet forest.


My KTM250 and my friend's cr500 aluminum frame at Nisbet.


Pulling a wrecked Jimmy I bought to fix my POS before selling it


My yota on a bud's trailer


This photobucket album has more chevy pics (more pics of everything if you look around):
http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v3...500/?start=all

 

Wow! That sounds like a lot of work, well done.

 

Scary to think that every small step I describe took hours and hours of research and execution! Oh well its a fun/useful project and truck.

 

A chevy thread on a Ford forum went flat! Who'da thunk


I finished the majority of the pulling of parts on the 98 parts truck. Would like to sell the box and cab because they're in 95% perfect condition. Oh well if nobody takes them soon, off to the crusher.





Bought an 09 GMC (actually my girlfriend did) that had a bad trans, so that is priority right now.

 

There are not too many GM fans here, for obvious reasons.

I am definitely not a GM fan too, but I like to see projects of all sorts.

Your tread canʻt be any worse than someone installing a SBC in an old Ford car or truck.

Wait, that IS worse than your thread.

Have fun with your projects.

 

Snowking/Ryan is working on an older GM half ton as well.
As nice as this turned out I still like your 53 better!

 

I'm not offended no worries.

The 53 is going to be one helluva truck someday! Big stinky diesel and modern axles of some sort.. Or maybe a 6L chevy gas engine!

I need to find a rebuild kit for that old piston hydraulic pump or buy a new one.

 

I talked to Len at Beck industries and apparently he still has parts for your pump. I may have one or two 2 piston pumps but you`d be much better off with a 4 or 6 piston pump.

 

Yes I got a 88 chevy halfton..... in spring its gonna loose its engine, wirining and few more bits

 

i'd rather have a ford or chyrsler then a GENERIC MOTORS. i don't like GM..... my wife raced a chevy that i built. she came in 5th in the womans division. in her car that she bought 73 firebird. 525hp. w/powerglide 2 spd. 6.50 gears.

 

Ripped the dash all to hell to wire the power windows and mirrors. I had no interest in having power mirrors, I just wanted nicer door panels!

Before (but the inside arm rest had been ripped off as well):


After


In between



I replaced the steering column with the nicer one from the low miles Silverado while I was in that deep.

I also wanted to make a bracket to properly hold my PCM. In order to clean up that fender, I took out the ABS pump and replaced it with a simple proportioning valve



Threw together a quick bracket and clamp




This weekend I bought some helper bags so I want to put put those in, put in some auxiliary reverse lights and I am thinking about towing mirrors. That will probably be all the lovin this truck sees in a long time.. Its pretty good about seeing a lot of abuse and not complaining.

 

Looks pretty nice man! Looks like you do a pretty nice well thought out job when ya do things, its nice to see.