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'89 R3500 Crew Cab 2wd to 4wd conversion & beyond

Started out with 2wd TBI350 with SM465 to current 4wd with 454, 700r4, NP241
Overview Gallery Discussion
I used a flap disc and took some off the bottom of the bracket so I can get the jam nut on the bolt.

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I had to add the washers to get the bolt far enough from the Magnum. As tight as the fit is, I didn't want to cut the bolt and then have to mess with trying to get the threads started on the nut. My experience is the threads on a cut bolt never quite turn out right even after running a die over them.

You can see the washer leaving a little mark on the Magnum but it doesn't hinder the movement.

I received the Quick 4 controller. It has 3 harnesses; 1 for vehicle connections, 1 for the speed sensors (2 in the case of a 4l80e), and the third for the harness the plus into the big cannon plug on the transmission.

The wires for the "vehicle" harness are all well labeled. These are the wires that will be unique wired to your vehicle and how you want to set it up.

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The length of this harness is 60" plus there's an extra 19" of length on the power lead. You need a 1/2" loom to cover it.

For what it's worth, this is the harness for the 2 speed sensors.

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This harness is 10' long and you'd only need a 1/4" loom. The plugs match the transmission mounted speed sensors, I will have to cut one off and add the pigtail with the plug that matches the transfer case output sensor which is bigger.

The harness that plugs into the transmission for the solenoids and PRNDL is not labeled because it can only go one place. This harness is 8' long and you'd need a 1/2" loom. I plan to bundle the transmission and speed sensor harnesses together so I'll need a 3/4" loom and then I'll drop to the smaller looms when the speed sensor harness parts company.

Here's a picture of the controller itself with a ruler for scale.

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yep that little controller fits in your hand with room to spare . . . . and also has all those functions packed in to it . :saweet:

and tip for cut bolt threads . hit them on a grinding stone / flap wheel at a 45* angle and then a quick buff on a wire wheel and your good to go . I have a bench grinder just for this job .
 
On Friday I used the CNC router to make some pieces for weekend work.

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The pieces with the slots are for the triple stick shifter. I wasn't sure if I could get the full plate over the stickers because they are bent away from each other at the top. I was able to get the levers lined up and squeeze them by hand enough to get the full plate on.

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The larger pieces are for mounting the 4l80e controller and associated switches. I made 2 because I wasn't sure which angle I would like better. I'm happy with how it turned out except the holes for the switches are a bit too tight. I'm going to re-cut the face piece that holds the switches because of the holes and the aluminum I used is thinner than I'd like.

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You can see the switches sticking out.

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I'll post more detailed pictures when I start wiring it up.
 
shifter plate look pretty slick. Is there enough clearance so the shifters dont't rattle against it?
 
skunked said:
shifter plate look pretty slick. Is there enough clearance so the shifters dont't rattle against it?
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I think so. I did keep them kinda tight because I wanted enough space for the labels to be readable. The trick will be when I bolt the plate down getting it centered up just right.

LNielson said:
What does the coffee switch do?

Love that dash. Nice work as always.

View attachment 257878
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Thanks. Originally it was an unused switch, but now it's the backup camera.
 
I have a recurring leak issue between the adapter and 700r4 due to the bolts repeatedly loosening up. I was thinking I would look at the 4l80e to see if I could improve the mating area. I was happy to see the 4l80e adapter uses 6 bolts instead of 4, so I'm not going to worry about it now.

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I also finished securing the plate for the shifters. Nothing too special. The first picture is with all the levers in their furthest back positions.

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The next picture is with them furthest forward.

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I have a little room for adjustment. I can't do much more until they are mounted in the truck and I know where the levers need to start and stop to clear the dash and the console. Then I can mark the positions.

I also did the exiting project of adding the vent lines. I tee'd the magnum and NP205 together since they'll both use ATF. I think I will add another tee upstream and pickup the transmission vent too. I purchased a few of the vent valve cap things for the end of the hose.

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FWIW I’ve seen most people with magnums and other crawl boxes keep them separate and let them burp into containers. I chose to do this as well so I can keep an eye on the amount of fluid burped up the line. IIRC it was @r3dd0g S10 that discussed this topic in his S10 build thread.

Just something to think about......
 
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skunked said:
FWIW I’ve seen most people with magnums and other crawl boxes keep them separate and let them burp into containers. I chose to do this as well so I can keep an eye on the amount of fluid burped up the line. IIRC it was @r3dd0g S10 that discussed this topic with his S10 build.

Just something to think about......
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Yep, be very careful about allowing any kind of low spot or even flat spot in the lines. Don't know about the magnum, but the 205 has a way of pushing up oil pretty far up the line. Mine were routed all the way up near the air cleaner and I got some oil pushed out there. My trans uses the special oil so I couldn't risk tieng them together.
 
Interesting. I was planning to run the vent up on the firewall in the engine bay. The idea of running 3 separate lines felt kinda silly but maybe it's not. I can look into some sort of catch can and run the vents to that. Then it looks like I'm being environmentally conscious and preventing fluids from spilling out in the event of a flop/rollover.
 
mrk5 said:
Interesting. I was planning to run the vent up on the firewall in the engine bay. The idea of running 3 separate lines felt kinda silly but maybe it's not. I can look into some sort of catch can and run the vents to that. Then it looks like I'm being environmentally conscious and preventing fluids from spilling out in the event of a flop/rollover.
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I used 16oz soda bottles as a temporary overflows. I bought AL water bottles, fittings and filters for a long term solution but I haven’t had a chance to mount them.
 
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