Oh and the other funny thing is there's a mid-sized SUV parked on the other side of the truck in the Christmas tree picture. It's about 8ft from the truck but it's completely obscured by our crew cab. I thought that was funny. 
CK5
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'89 R3500 Crew Cab 2wd to 4wd conversion & beyond
- Thread starter mrk5
- Start date
Started out with 2wd TBI350 with SM465 to current 4wd with 454, 700r4, NP241
- Joined
- Mar 3, 2000
- Posts
- 9,126
- Reaction score
- 7,090
The sledge hammer is now the sledge mallet.
Baby ball peen
- Joined
- Mar 3, 2000
- Posts
- 9,126
- Reaction score
- 7,090
Even better!
mckustomfab
1/2 ton status
Good info, I have semi limited up travel in the front but i do plan on opening up the wheel wells "some".
Did some minor things this weekend. Mounted the CB antenna on the fender.
This was a transplant from my old K5. It was the best place I found to mount the antenna without having it get ripped or knocked off. I had tried a magnetic base antenna on the roof of the cab for while since the huge roof offers such an awesome grounding plane. However on a trail run it got knocked off by a branch and managed to fall between under the truck and get run over.
I also mounted a couple of fire extinguishers in the cab. This spot next to the front seats is a perfect location.
I was doing all this in preparation of a snow run with the local 4x4 club. It was pretty easy going til we got to the first 4' drift. We got past it but then got sucked into the ditch where all we could do was go back and forth in one spot.
We had to use a snatch block to pull my rearend over out of the ditch and that drift. Here we are getting unhooked after getting past the drift.
The truck in front of me in the second picture above is a Scout that I was pulling out when I got stuck in the ditch. He ended up breaking the tail shaft off his transfer case. He pulled the rear driveshaft by unbolting it from the axle and the transfer case end just fell out.
All the little trees along the side of the road broke my side mirror and made marks all along the side of the truck.
During the run I had a horrible noise from from the frontish area of the truck. One of the guys crawled under and looked. Somehow the exhaust heat shield was hitting the transfercase output. It would only do it in reverse.
None of the mounts seem to be bad. Not sure why it is moving enough to hit all of a sudden. Can't think of anything I changed that would cause this now.
On a side note I noticed my plastic skid plate has seem some action and is holding up.
This was a transplant from my old K5. It was the best place I found to mount the antenna without having it get ripped or knocked off. I had tried a magnetic base antenna on the roof of the cab for while since the huge roof offers such an awesome grounding plane. However on a trail run it got knocked off by a branch and managed to fall between under the truck and get run over.
I also mounted a couple of fire extinguishers in the cab. This spot next to the front seats is a perfect location.
I was doing all this in preparation of a snow run with the local 4x4 club. It was pretty easy going til we got to the first 4' drift. We got past it but then got sucked into the ditch where all we could do was go back and forth in one spot.
We had to use a snatch block to pull my rearend over out of the ditch and that drift. Here we are getting unhooked after getting past the drift.
The truck in front of me in the second picture above is a Scout that I was pulling out when I got stuck in the ditch. He ended up breaking the tail shaft off his transfer case. He pulled the rear driveshaft by unbolting it from the axle and the transfer case end just fell out.
All the little trees along the side of the road broke my side mirror and made marks all along the side of the truck.
During the run I had a horrible noise from from the frontish area of the truck. One of the guys crawled under and looked. Somehow the exhaust heat shield was hitting the transfercase output. It would only do it in reverse.
None of the mounts seem to be bad. Not sure why it is moving enough to hit all of a sudden. Can't think of anything I changed that would cause this now.
On a side note I noticed my plastic skid plate has seem some action and is holding up.
y5mgisi
1 ton status
Still looks like fun!
DickeysK5
1/2 ton status
Gotta love the "pin striping". Send some of that white stuff south!
I miss the snow. Middle North TN doesn't get much of anything anymore. Have them dog leg that snow East before it heads to NM!
Looking good!
Looking good!
Yeah it about has to be something like that because it had never been a hint of an issue before.
I don't know, we might have selfish with any snow; we're not getting as much as I'd like.
As for the pinstripes, I particularly liked the green streaks.
In the end it was a fun experience.
Very cool. I find it so cool that you drive several hundred miles, wheel then drive back home.
This trip wasn't that far. 140 miles round trip. Including the trail.
About the closest trail to me.
About the closest trail to me.
.
Luckily the guy in the Scout that busted his tcase had trailered it in. I had to pull him onto his trailer.
Hey there! I just came in mid-thread because of your t-case cable shifter. I have a '91 V2500 Sub and I'm planning a big center console. Your floormounted setup seemed a little on the long side at 60", do you believe it would be a decent length if it had to go up about a foot or so and backwards about the same? Looking at the JB 241 kit now and it's either 60" or 96" for me I think... I'm feeling a little lost as to how to measure out the ideal cable length myself, but I haven't really torn into that part of my project yet either.
Also, now I *really* want a crewcab
Too bad they are next to nonexistent here in Norway 
Also, now I *really* want a crewcab
Too bad they are next to nonexistent here in Norway
In my opinion you would be fine with 60". It would be hard to measure for length without having the shifter. You could use an old emergency/parking brake cable to substitute for the shifter cable. You'd have to drill a hole in the floor for the cable to pass through. I could get some measurements of the shifter if that will help.
Crew cabs of this vintage are getting harder to find here too.
Crew cabs of this vintage are getting harder to find here too.
White Christmas at home this year!
Another snow run. Only thing I have is a short video clip: https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=923858727654315
On this trip I melted the shifter cable for the Art Carr. I've had that thing for 4 or 5 years and this was the first trouble I've had. Apparently the heat shield that was hitting the rear output was also shielding the shifter cable. I could smell it during the day but it was just a faint hot rubber smell and I dismissed it as a random odor. I actually thought it was the guy in front of me that had his exhaust exit right below the spare tire.
I also found the bottom of the fuel tank in terms of fuel usage. We made it almost to the end of our journey and we got denied by huge snow drifts so we had to drive all the way back. With only one 20gal saddle tank, I didn't have enough for the full journey. I was amazed how long the truck did run once it started running very badly. Ran just like when the rubber hose on the fuel pump was cracked. Time to put a jerry can in the bed. All it took was 3 gallons from another club member to get me to a gas station.
On this trip I melted the shifter cable for the Art Carr. I've had that thing for 4 or 5 years and this was the first trouble I've had. Apparently the heat shield that was hitting the rear output was also shielding the shifter cable. I could smell it during the day but it was just a faint hot rubber smell and I dismissed it as a random odor. I actually thought it was the guy in front of me that had his exhaust exit right below the spare tire.
I also found the bottom of the fuel tank in terms of fuel usage. We made it almost to the end of our journey and we got denied by huge snow drifts so we had to drive all the way back. With only one 20gal saddle tank, I didn't have enough for the full journey. I was amazed how long the truck did run once it started running very badly. Ran just like when the rubber hose on the fuel pump was cracked. Time to put a jerry can in the bed. All it took was 3 gallons from another club member to get me to a gas station.
So by fixing the heat shield hitting the rear output I created a new problem and the trans shifter cable got too close to the exhaust. When I removed the heat shield I didn't notice it was holding the cable up away from the exhaust.
At the end of the last snow run I could barely move the shifter. I realized the cable must be melted. It wasn't as bad as I thought; I figured the cable was laying on the exhaust, but it wasn't.
Bought a new cable and a heat shield to put over it. I thought I would have to disassemble the shirfter to get the cable out of that end, but all I had to do was unbolt the clamp.
Then I could spin the cable to thread it out of the shifter here:
The clamp was a bit of a pain in the arse because it has 2 pieces, the bottom part made it difficult:
The heat sleeve I got was for 3/4" diameter, but 1/2" would probably have worked. The heat shield is fireproof and will withstand 500°F direct continuous temps and 2000°F radiant heat. That should protect the cable well enough.
Here's the damage to the cable.
The spot on the left is where the cable was chaffing though where it goes through the floorboard. I added a piece of rubber to keep that from happening again.
I also added a heat shield to the transfer case shifter cable too. Figured I should try to be a little proactive there.
At the end of the last snow run I could barely move the shifter. I realized the cable must be melted. It wasn't as bad as I thought; I figured the cable was laying on the exhaust, but it wasn't.
Bought a new cable and a heat shield to put over it. I thought I would have to disassemble the shirfter to get the cable out of that end, but all I had to do was unbolt the clamp.
Then I could spin the cable to thread it out of the shifter here:
The clamp was a bit of a pain in the arse because it has 2 pieces, the bottom part made it difficult:
The heat sleeve I got was for 3/4" diameter, but 1/2" would probably have worked. The heat shield is fireproof and will withstand 500°F direct continuous temps and 2000°F radiant heat. That should protect the cable well enough.
Here's the damage to the cable.
The spot on the left is where the cable was chaffing though where it goes through the floorboard. I added a piece of rubber to keep that from happening again.
I also added a heat shield to the transfer case shifter cable too. Figured I should try to be a little proactive there.
