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

Installed a temporary shorty filler neck hose until I get the bed installed and run a permanent one (yes, that was a spray can cap you saw in the previous pictures) and hooked up the vent hose, so now the fuel system is completely sealed.



Installed the passenger door panel...



...and a set of stainless Dumbo ears mirrors, inside rear view mirror too, and a set of turn signals. Threw a junk bucket seat in there so I'm not sitting on a milk crate. Zip tied the dash harness up off the floor until I can fix and paint a dash to install.



But the most important update of the day is...this afternoon I called up and put the HD on my insurance, so I can drive it now! Still plenty of work to do but I needed it streetable so I can run to the parts house, errands, etc. while fixing the crash damage to my extended cab. Today marks the day the HD turned from a "shop" project to a "driving" project!

Richard

No real update today except I called and drove around all damn day looking for a passenger side external door handle, finally found a yard that had ONE HD, and it had a good passenger handle. So it's installed. Also flushed the power steering system once again because it was still looking contaminated and pink. I removed the return line from the cooler and wired it to a drain pain, then plugged its fitting on the reservoir with a section of hose that I clamped an old door hinge pin into. Took about 6 quarts of fluid but it's finally red again. I also put the crappy 8R19.5's back on the front so I could put the others back on the rear for duals, just seemed ridiculous to run it around without them. These tires are temporary anyway.



One thing I have decided is there's no way the 1 ton exhaust is going to fit. It's about 28" wide and drops about 15" from the manifolds, that puts it smack in the middle of the sway bar end link rods, which are behind the axle on the HD. So I guess it's off to the muffler shop tomorrow and see how badly they're gonna treat me.

Richard

Got sidetracked by a bunch of other stuff but got the exhaust done. Spent way more than I wanted to but it needed to be done. New pipe run using the top part of the old downtubes, new Flowmaster Delta Flow 40's 3" single in/out, dumped way ahead of the rear axle. Sounds pretty tough!





Also had the steering shaft welded up while I was at the muffler shop and the guy had the mig handy.

I replaced plugs and wires, truck needed them badly. Took it out on the freeway for the first time tonight and it did really well! I do need to troubleshoot a clattering noise that so far I can't tell if it's valvetrain, exhaust leak, or something else.

Then, hack a fan shroud and start installing A/C components, carpet, interior...

Richard

I am *WAY* into this build.

I've always thought it would be cool to do a C60.

I've got that longer wheelbase (84" cab-to-axle) HD here as a parts truck for you. Actually J/K, my little bro wants to use it to put his '58 extended cab conversion onto. I already warned him he's gonna have to pay through the ass to get that spare Dana 80 ten lug C&C rear end away from me. That thing is supposed to be the parts truck for MY ride!

Or lookit this sumbitch here:

Wants too much for a non-running 6.5 turdo-diesel, but you could throw a crew cab body on there and do all kinds of crazy shit with that long frame. I guess that big shield on it was to keep the exhaust heat away from the ambulance box. EDIT - huh, just looked a little harder at it, it's got some kind of weird bag setup on the rear! See the tank in the rear of the frame, and the (flat) bags at the rear mounts?

Richard

I cut the front section of carpet & pad out of a Suburban, took it to the car wash and blasted it as clean as I could get it, draped over an engine hoist for 2 days out in the sun finally dried it out. Hacked a fan shroud from the '93 3500HD 6.5TD to fit; it's a little close to the A/C compressor clutch but it looks like it'll be OK. Threw on one of the horns and peeled the horn button apart to re-bend the contacts so it wasn't stuck on. Managed to put together a pair of gray '95-up buckets out of a pile of really ragged seats; the seat frame under the driver's side is mangled but I've got it together for now and have spares to make a better one later, I hope. Yes; everything is pretty nasty dirty and the camera flash really brings it out, but the main goal is to get this truck on the road and useful first!





Richard

Man you get more done in one day then I have in the last year.

Don't look too bad...hell...it looks better than my rig.

Y'all may notice I re-took those last two interior pictures in daylight, so the flash isn't showing how nasty everything is. Plus, I scrubbed up a pair of floor mats from another Suburban and threw them in; they came out pretty clean.

My buddy down at the wrecker shop painted up another grille (I'm using the one in previous pics to repair accident damage on my '94 extended cab) and the grille filler panel, along with some diesel style front bumpers. Here's pics with the filler and grille installed.



I also ordered some Recon clear cab lights, not in yet. Guy at the inspection station didn't like my magnetic tow lights so I hit up my other bud at the wrecker shop and he had some nice bracketed lamps off trucks they'd built into wreckers. Two holes in the frame later and they're on, wired up, even reverse lights working!



Paint on the bumpers is curing; when it's had about a week I'll test-fit it so I can weld the bracket back on to the frame.

Richard

You need new tires.