Well WTF, do I post my 3500HD project here or not

The HD is getting closer and closer to being able to start the engine. Tonight I dropped the tank from the donor truck so I could rob the sender and pump, and also grab the fuel lines and frame harness. It was just a few months ago I put a brand new Delphi pump in there because I was going to use that truck, but plans changed. Here's the donor truck's tank next to the tank I robbed from a '92 cab & chassis (non-HD.)


I swapped the sender & pump (the donor truck being a '96 it still has the separate pump that looks like the TBI pump) to the narrow C&C tank. It's going to take some creativity to hook up the filler and vent since I don't have those hoses and the donor truck's are different bends.

Got the tank mocked up with a strap so I can see how things are going to line up. The fuel lines are installed on the frame and so is the complete frame harness. I still need to bend the cannister line a little bit to fit since the HD's frame is shaped different, and I'll need to carefully bend the sender lines a little too, for frame clearance.


Anyway it's just more of that "have to modify everything before I can use it" routine. Once I get the lines bent, hooked up and the tank secured, hook a few more connections up on the engine harness and install the starter...should be ready to crank! Once it runs I'll start building the front clip around it, then onto the interior and doors.

Richard

On the subject of the syntorq, is it not the same as penzoil's synchromesh? I was under the impression that synchromesh was the oe oil in the 4500s...?

No, Synchromesh is what is used in the NV3500/5LM60/HM290/Getrag light duty pos 5 speed. Syntorq LT is used in the NV4500. It was made by Castrol but they only OEM it out to GM and Chrysler, who sell it under their own labeling for big bucks. I have ONCE seen a bottle of it with the Castrol label, on the net, and have never seen it in person. Nowhere I've called has ever seen it that way. There's one place I found that sells it in 2 quart jugs but they're buying it in larger containers and putting it in the jugs themselves, I don't think I trust them, plus it was no cheaper than just going down to Chevy and buying it.

There's been a lot of people said you can use any synthetic gear oil in an NV4500 but I don't trust them. Anybody that says you can use "any" is ignoring the GL-4 requirement (GL-5 will screw it up), so it makes me wonder what else they might be ignoring. Same kind of people that write reviews on Tire Rack.com saying how great their tires are, how long they last, etc., and you can see in the form they just bought them and maybe have 100 miles on them, right?

NV4500's cost too much to rebuild and a lot of the parts are becoming hard to find since NV is out of business, and the aftermarket parts suck...so I'd rather spend too much on gear oil than spend even more later on fixing my trans again.



Richard

Oh, Okay thanks. Btw, awesome wrecker you're building and you've got a pretty sweet "collection" of 88-98s. I've been looking for a good deal on an HD that I can put my 12V cummins in and do something similar to what you're building. Good luck, anxious to see the final product.

IT'S ALIVE!!!

Sound on please...



Still needs a ton more work, but it's real close to moving under its own power. Once I get the computer and battery out of the way, install the driveshaft, and make the intermediate steering shaft - it'll be moveable! NEXT.

Richard

I got so fired up about starting the engine I left out details. To get to that point I got the tank mounted up firmly, had to re-bend one of the brackets and make an insulator pad. Had to bend the lines to clear the frame, then hook them up to the fuel rail. Plugged up the rest of the sensors, installed the starter, shorted the oil cooler lines with a piece of heater hose, hooked the column back up, dumped $87 of Castrol Syntorq into the trans and hooked up the shifter, threw a battery and some gasoline at it...and it started on the first try.

Since I'm mixing the '96 column with the '94 lower steering shaft, and there's a length difference anyway with the HD application, I made my own intermediate shaft. Cut the old '94 intermediate shaft to use as the lower part, the '96 as the upper, and used the larger piece of a spare '95-up lower shaft to make a sleeve for the two halves.

Before...



After a little sawzall and grinder work...they're just shoved together for the moment and holding fine for moving it around the shop, but it will get welded up soon.


After the steering shaft was installed, I threw the core support on, threw a mercy coat of paint on the core support to protect it since it's an HD-specific item. Put the power steering cooler in place. Installed the driver's fenderwell and bolted down the computer and electrical center brackets.


Tomorrow I'll dig up a good passenger fenderwell so I can get the battery in place, maybe install the driveshaft and throw a milk crate on the floor so I can see if it'll move around the yard for a second, and keep building the front clip.

Richard

ah the fruits of your labor.

Killer!

How y'all diggin them drive tires in the steer position.

(I sold the set of tires off my '93 HD parts truck so I had to do some swapping around to keep both trucks as rollers, grabbed the rear inside tires off this one and put 'em up front temporarily.)

Richard

IT'S ALIVE...AND MOVING!



Installed the passenger fenderwell so I could hang the battery, flushed and bled the power steering, bled the brakes, installed the driveshafts, I think that's about it. The two loud pops in the video are screwups from my camera, not the truck.

Richard