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

[ktmoutfront]

I figured you all would catch that quick. Admittedly when I went to install it I really had to think about, had to write a 3 with my finger to be sure. Then I thought it would be funny to just put it on wrong. Then later I still had to double check I actually did put it on wrong.

It will be correct, when the truck is on it's lid, someday.

 

[mrk5]

Planning ahead.

 

[mrk5]

Decided to paint after popping dents out. I really didn't like the rust along the fender edges, thanks to the shit CDOT sprays on the roads in winter. You can see before pics on the previous page.






Thanks to some encouragement from @obijuank5, I can make custom 3+3 badge colors.

 

[mrk5]

My fuel pump starts sounding pissed off on the hot days slow crawling on the trails. Been thinking the exhaust exiting under the tank probably doesn't help. Driving thru Nevada when it was 110°+ it really got pissed off. I think the heat radiating off the interstate was probably contributing.

I decided to make a heat shield using rivet nuts in the tank supports. You'll also note some fresh corrosion protection. The winter road treatments really attack the rear underside of the truck.





The material I used is a panel we use for signs, aluminum composite material or ACM for short. It has a thin aluminum skin on both sides bonded to a polyethylene core making the overall thickness 1/8". It's a cheap alternative to aluminum. Due to the way it's made, it can tear relatively easily which is why I used the big fender washers.

Be interesting to see if this helps with the pissed off sounding fuel pump.

 

[mrk5]

I hope @AgDieseler doesn't mind if I borrow a page from his play book. I decided I wanted to move on from the green diff cover. I used a stock cover to trace a cutout in a piece of cardboard.




Finished product.



Rear axle rebuilt!

 

[Fastereddie]

I hope @AgDieseler doesn't mind if I borrow a page from his play book. I decided I wanted to move on from the green diff cover. I used a stock cover to trace a cutout in a piece of cardboard.

View attachment 457899


Finished product.

View attachment 457898

Rear axle rebuilt!

Looks good but my ocd won’t let me paint the bolts.

 

[Chickntrk]

Looks good but my ocd won’t let me paint the bolts.

Glad I wasn’t the only one, I’d have to go back with a brush and touch all the bolt heads with black

 

[Chickntrk]

What did you use for rustproofing? I’ve been using a product called PFC last few winters on the stuff I have to drive, it’s like a wool wax. Rest of the trucks get parked

 

[82355]

Looks a lot better, painted bolts or not.

Martin

 

[doubletrouble]

Looks good but my ocd won’t let me paint the bolts.

If you drive like it was built to be driven there shouldn’t be any paint from all the rock scrapes.

 

[mrk5]

What did you use for rustproofing? I’ve been using a product called PFC last few winters on the stuff I have to drive, it’s like a wool wax. Rest of the trucks get parked

I try to not drive when the roads have been treated. Unfortunately it can be hard to avoid when we're doing snow runs. Usually we're fortunate around here it'll be warm enough within a week after a snow and I can get the truck washed off. Our average annual precipitation is only 11", but this past winter was unusually snowy and cold.

I've thought about some sort of undercoating spray but this isn't a forever truck. I figure it's got another 5 years tops and it won't rust away before that.

Looks good but my ocd won’t let me paint the bolts.

I'm just happy the bolts got paint too.

If you drive like it was built to be driven there shouldn’t be any paint from all the rock scrapes.

I'm slowly losing the bottom bolts. Between the crew cab and the K5 before it, I've run these axles 17 years. I wonder if some day I'll wear thru the 14 bolt.





Even wearing down the pinion support bolt.




The Dana 60 cover will get painted next. The head on the bottom bolt is half gone.

 

[Truckman4life]

Time for some portal boxes. No more dragging diffs.

 

[Fastereddie]

I try to not drive when the roads have been treated. Unfortunately it can be hard to avoid when we're doing snow runs. Usually we're fortunate around here it'll be warm enough within a week after a snow and I can get the truck washed off. Our average annual precipitation is only 11", but this past winter was unusually snowy and cold.

I've thought about some sort of undercoating spray but this isn't a forever truck. I figure it's got another 5 years tops and it won't rust away before that.



I'm just happy the bolts got paint too.



I'm slowly losing the bottom bolts. Between the crew cab and the K5 before it, I've run these axles 17 years. I wonder if some day I'll wear thru the 14 bolt.

View attachment 457949

View attachment 457947

Even wearing down the pinion support bolt.

View attachment 457948


The Dana 60 cover will get painted next. The head on the bottom bolt is half gone.

View attachment 457946

You got alongwaystogo before you wear through that sucker haha

 

[mrk5]

You got alongwaystogo before you wear through that sucker haha

I know, but I feel like I should make it a life goal.

 

[Babaganoosh]

I know, but I feel like I should make it a life goal.

Need more skinny pedal, maybe you can turn into a throttle jockey rock bouncer!!!!

 

[mrk5]

Or I just need shorter tires.

 

[Tnsejed]

My bolts are the same. Wearing through the bolt is the goal. "You gotta earn the 13 bolt shave": that was either @miniwally or @Hogback Fabrication who said that one year.

 

[mrk5]

Picked up some cheap LED side markers off Amzn. Now all my lighting is LED.

The old markers weren't working and fell apart once the screws were removed.

View attachment 20230920_144420.mp4

 

[miniwally]

My bolts are the same. Wearing through the bolt is the goal. "You gotta earn the 13 bolt shave": that was either @miniwally or @Hogback Fabrication who said that one year.

The "13 bolt" in my buggy has had the bottom added onto twice I think, we began "hardfacing" it with weld basically.

 

[Stephen]

Creating better 14 bolt ground clearance, .003" at a time. YMMV.


Wheeling Johnson Valley is the cheat code, for some reason the rocks there take a lot of iron off anything they touch. Of course, velocity factors in too. We actually dented the 14 bolt one time too. That was a new one.