79' GMC C15 - Spruce Caboose

[bix]

No new updates yet on the truck. Just been my daily driver until I have coin for another daily. Still just stockpiling some parts. Starting to look into 4/5 drop kits. Would rather not axle flip but I might. I'd still like to be able to put some weight in the back ( motorcycle and dirt bikes n what not, nothing crazy ) and don't want to have to knotch the frame ATM. Also noticing it's nearly impossible to find the upper control arms new. Gonna do 3 inch drop spindles in the front, see how it sits and lmaybe go another inch in springs. And the hopefully just shackles and maybe new leafs on the rear.

I did move in to my new spot and now have a million other projects but I want to get this truck done before having children lol. Also this shop is so inspiring. Needs new lights for sure and a hot water tank/pump installed for the heated floors.





House came with a few sea containers and this one's got a Onan gen set in it. Home owner ran power to the container and never used it but said the guy he got it from said there was only 46 hours on it. All filters are original and even has the tags on it. Spins freely by hand. Fuel is like varnish and def needs to get bled out, don't know much about diesels, but the mechanics at work do and this seems like the best thing to learn on. The rad is fish scaley inside but all there. Being hidden from the element in the compartment kinda preserved it.



I think the wire motor mounts are ****ing super cool. I have no clue what this container originated as but it sure made a good grow op..

 

[Truckman4life]

It's a diesel. Shot of ether and a fresh battery and it will probably fire right up. Hopefully no algae growing in the fuel or water but a little additive and it will be fine.

 

[max 02]

That’s a really exspesive gen set! Looks like a Orion. That’s what we have to run our farm if the power goes out.

Sweet!

 

[max 02]

Oops yup Spelt it wrong!
Looked at the pics and actually read it again! Lol!

Very cool!!

 

[bix]

It's a diesel. Shot of ether and a fresh battery and it will probably fire right up. Hopefully no algae growing in the fuel or water but a little additive and it will be fine.

Fuel bowl has no algea in it. Can't see into the water separator but I'll definitely drain it all. Cummins bought Onan out in the 90s and still sells servicing equipment so hopefully a few filter numbers and I can order some. I'll have to wire up a start , and kill switch. So much wiring... Maybe I can buy a service manual from cummins as well.

That’s a really exspesive gen set! Looks like a Orion. That’s what we have to run our farm if the power goes out.


Sweet!

They seem to be about 7-10 grand new. Not that you can buy this relic new anymore but still haha. It's a 15 kw gen set. Plan is to get it running and tied into the house eventually because we are pretty out there and I'm sure if the power goes out we won't be first on the list for reconnection.

 

[Truckman4life]

Yep I work on some Onan stuff here at work. Mostly welder engines. Just got a carb and some other stuff from Cummins in Henderson, CO.

 

[bix]

Yep I work on some Onan stuff here at work. Mostly welder engines. Just got a carb and some other stuff from Cummins in Henderson, CO.

Ah right on. Definitely happy to find out it won't be impossible to find service parts for. Not too sure the age. I'm assuming late 70s early 80s?

 

[bix]

This control unit seems to be missing. Hopefully I could rig something up first to see if it runs and if so invest in a proper control box.

Might have been relocated somewhere in the can though at one point. Good fun mysterys

 

[bix]

To continue derailing this thread, got the valve covers off the gen set. Looks pretty minty inside. Drained the fuel bowl and the hand primer works , one injector line was leaking but a simple tighten fixed that.

Turned the motor over by hand and everything seemed to move smooth and properly.

A buddy of mine is a diesel mech at work. Said he's given the VIN to his parts guys at the old shop so they are hunting down filters and what not.

Also he's gonna wire me up a simple start / stop, push button start pannel. If we get it running I'll call Cummins and see if they can sell me the electrical side of it all since this is missing most of the external electrical.



I also went LS shopping today as well.
Found a 5.3 with 285k on it and a 6L with 238k on it. Might make the call this week and get one of the trucks put aside so I can pull one.

No idea which route I'm gonna go, stock ecm, megasquirt , some other efi stuff or maybe even carb.. who knows but a motor is the first step.


Guess I didn't get a photo of the 5.3 but it's got the same vortec type cover on it. Not sure of the years but I'm assuming both are around the mid 2000s. The 5.3 was able to be started. Ran good and smooth. Good oil pressure, rev'd good.

Gonna throw it on the stand and get a refresh going on it, pull the heads, oil pan ECT.. it wouldn't be able to get into the spruce caboose until winter time anyway since it'll be my daily all summer, so I'd have the time.

 

[bix]

Also started sanding down my fenders a bit. Another one with quite a bit of Bondo. Not sure if I'll keep this brown one or not. The green one has a few dents it , but not nearly as bad .

 

[max 02]

A bit of bondo wouldn’t be a big deal unless it was covering rust or over 1/2 thick over dents.
Even then besides covering rust if it was a good job and GM fenders I’d use them.

 

[bix]

A bit of bondo wouldn’t be a big deal unless it was covering rust or over 1/2 thick over dents.
Even then besides covering rust if it was a good job and GM fenders I’d use them.

I think so too. the one brown one had a bunch but these two will be good enough. They are 100% rust free which is why i picked em up. Clean and dented is better than straight and crumbly..

 

[bix]

I got the fenders pretty roughed in. Did a coat of evercoat gold to fill some small dings and dents, went over that with some evercoat extreme which is definitely nice for a top coat, as it's pretty runny. It's nice to have some good products as before my little bit of body work was always done with Bondo brand this and that. This evercoat is so much nicer to work with. Definitely have more sanding to do, and primer before they get set aside for spraying. I have laid a few coats of 1k build up primer, will sand and get good and then go over with some other primer or sealer. It always feels so good until you prime it and all the mistakes come to life..

Also shopping around to buy an air compressor and a gun over winter time. It'll give me time to keep reading ryokens guide to body repair and paint.. although the more I read, the more i realize I have no real clue what I'm doing haha

Also hacked off the old shitty nine wired exhaust I've been neglecting since I bought the thing. Just tacked an exhaust clamp to the frame and cut the exhaust off. It'll all need to be redone when I motor swap anyway and there's a hole in the top of the y pipe connecting piece,so it still sounds crappy but looks alot cleaner now. My cut was also too close to frame and couldn't get my die grinder around it so it's quite hacked but it's all about functionality at the moment.

 

[bix]

That time you opened up your rear end and found 2.56 gears... Was going to tackle the rear brakes on this tomorrow and figured why not just take a peak into the diff and change the oil ect.. Im not 100% but the 16 and 41 stamping make me pretty sure.

oil was definetly dark dark and runny. Also strange to find yellow dye on the ring and pinion. My buddy owned this truck for 3 years and he wouldnt even open the hood if it was on fire basically, so im guessing his grandpa had it done on the farm before my friend scott took posession of it. Strange its lasted so long..

Ill be on the hunt for a ten bolt with some different gears for sure once this truck has some power behind it. Rear brake lines also look like they will brake coming out, to order SS tubes from inline tube or not.. that is the current question. Its definitely something ill do this winter when the truck is stripped down for body work and LS swap, but maybe ill just leave my rear wheel cylinders alone if they are fine. Nothing too exciting except boring maintenance stuff for now. Might have found a little chevy canyon for sale as a DD, the sooner the better because i can start taking this thing down once that happens. Hopefully get the fenders sanded again, primed, and then glazed, sanded and blah blah now that i picked up some putty.




Ordered up all new front end parts, tie rods, ball joints and bushings for the control arms. Thought about buying uppers and re doing the lowers, definitely cheaper to go the route of buying bushings. I got some polyurethane ones from energy suspension, people say they will squeek after awhile but meh.. i hope to not hear it over the motor

It may turn into a @mrk5 situation if i cant torch them out, and maybe ill screw myself but since you cant buy lowers unless, tubular and expensive haha, i figured ill go this route for now. Next on the list is to buy some drop spindles. I was going to do 3 inch in the front and see how it sat compared to the rear at 4 or 5, but ive read that if i go 3inches on the spindle it may interefer using a 15 inch stock rally, so ill do some more research but i want to do a 4/4 or 4/5 drop. Basically just trying to stock pile parts as time goes so that come the winter i wont be bleeding so much green... or so i think

 

[fastazz81]

I’ve got the energy suspension bushings in mine , they make some noise every now and again but nothing that would keep me from putting them in. Red truck has 3 inch drop spindle and 1 inch lowering springs. Rear is shackle and hangers . Blue truck is just drop spindles up front ,and same shackled and hangers out back. You do have to take a grinder to the lower control arms in the outside area around the ball joints to put the stock 15 inch wheels back on.the red truck does have bigger spring pack in the back so it takes a little more weight then the blue one does before it bottoms out , I still haul stuff with both.

 

[bix]

View attachment 344793 View attachment 344794 View attachment 344795 View attachment 344796 I’ve got the energy suspension bushings in mine , they make some noise every now and again but nothing that would keep me from putting them in. Red truck has 3 inch drop spindle and 1 inch lowering springs. Rear is shackle and hangers . Blue truck is just drop spindles up front ,and same shackled and hangers out back. You do have to take a grinder to the lower control arms in the outside area around the ball joints to put the stock 15 inch wheels back on.the red truck does have bigger spring pack in the back so it takes a little more weight then the blue one does before it bottoms out , I still haul stuff with both.

Sweet thanks for the info and reference photos. I didn't want to really go through a spring under axle flip but would rather keep the springs on top. I'd still like to use the truck for hauling some stuff. Don't want to notch my frame if I don't have to, how much do ya think you got out of the shackles and hangers. 4 inches or so?

Happy to know 3 inch drop spindles will work with my Rally's, some minor grinding of the lowers doesn't scare me. I'd like to have as little as possible of the lift, in the spring, to keep the travel and geometry more similar to stock.

 

[fastazz81]

5 or so inches with the shackles and hangers out back.I didn’t notch the frame on either of them . Did have to shorten the drive shafts an inch though.

 

[max 02]

View attachment 344793 View attachment 344794 View attachment 344795 View attachment 344796 I’ve got the energy suspension bushings in mine , they make some noise every now and again but nothing that would keep me from putting them in. Red truck has 3 inch drop spindle and 1 inch lowering springs. Rear is shackle and hangers . Blue truck is just drop spindles up front ,and same shackled and hangers out back. You do have to take a grinder to the lower control arms in the outside area around the ball joints to put the stock 15 inch wheels back on.the red truck does have bigger spring pack in the back so it takes a little more weight then the blue one does before it bottoms out , I still haul stuff with both.

You have Corvette wheels on the back of the blue one... redrill for car pattern?

 

[fastazz81]

No they are 5x5

 

[max 02]

No they are 5x5

Aftermarket wheels then?