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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
The NP205 vent line is clear. I have it routed pretty long going up to a catch can in the engine bay. I went ahead and put a shorter hose on just to see if that makes any difference.

I'm happy with how the rear springs have settled in.

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I wanted the springs settled in before I spent some more time dialing in my drive shaft angles. I found my cobbled together carrier bearing crossmember was a little less than rigid so I made a new one. After that I was able to get the lower section at 2 degrees from the pinion and the intermediate shaft is at just 1 degree angle. About as good as you can get it. Hopefully that will smooth things out. I also suspect the wiggly crossmember was contributing to some of what I was feeling as well.

I know the thread about re-torquing u-bolts has been derailed, but I'm glad that I always retorque mine. I discovered I was nearing catastrophe.

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Something missing.....

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There's supposed to be a 4 degree shim in there. The other side has a piece broken out.

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I guess this is why people say not to use aluminum degree shims. I had retorqued the u-bolts before the 2nd day of wheeling and I'm pretty sure the shims were fine then because I'm sure I would have noticed them like I did today. I'm trying not to think of all the curvy mountain roads I was driving 65mph on for the drive home. I will pretend the shim pieces must have fallen out right before I parked it....

I'll be ordering up some steel shims. Hopefully all of my work on the driveshaft angles wasn't for naught. I think they'll still be good since the one shim was still mostly intact.
 
All the bolts, an exhaust hanger, and a few other odds and ends I removed from the frame during the project. Weighed 11 pounds.

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Found a spot for the air tank mounted to the underside of the cargo area.

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The frame is unmodified but it looks like it was cut just for this purpose.
 
mrk5 said:
All the bolts, an exhaust hanger, and a few other odds and ends I removed from the frame during the project. Weighed 11 pounds.

View attachment 385340

Found a spot for the air tank mounted to the underside of the cargo area.

View attachment 385339

The frame is unmodified but it looks like it was cut just for this purpose.
Click to expand...
Slick spot for the tank!
 
fourwheelerjeff said:
I concur, :waytogo:
Click to expand...
Best part about your stuff Scott is that the effort involved is above and beyond the level of commitment. Some might take that as an insult but you shouldn't.

You execute the mods that you do to a level higher than most. You aren't the most extreme, but your execution is above what most would do.

Excellent work sir.
 
I figured out why my tailgate latches weren't working like I'd thought. Kind of a brain duh really. I need to notch the tailgate to clear the top tube on the bed. Then it would set flush.

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However, no I'm debating about leaving it alone since it works and it's not really noticeable - hence why it took me so long to realize.

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Good grief, just saw another little spot I missed the weld on right there above on the tailgate! :doah:
 
New shims are in. Steel shims by Rubicon Express; was the cheapest from Summit, but they are painted black. Here's what was left of the aluminum shims.

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I thought I would share a quick overview of how I swapped then in case it could help someone in the future.

I lifted the truck up to put jack stands under the frame. Removed the u-bolts and dropped the axle back down on the tires. Added a jack under the pinion to keep it up. Then unbolted the spring from the shackle. Then I could lift the springs up enough to get the center pin and shims out. You can also roll the axle forward for more room too. Make sure to clamp the springs together before undoing the center pin. Reverse the procedure to install. That's how I do it without removing tires, shocks, or driveshaft.

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Of course the driveshaft angles weren't perfect anymore. Had to space the carrier bearing up some.

The other thing I did was work on the tool box latches. They hit the lip and I had to bang them past it.

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I cut slices into the lip.

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Then bent that flat-ish.

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And bent that down flat against the box side using pliers and a piece of aluminum to make sure the inside piece bent down without bending the outside of the box.

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Now it opens and closes easily.

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This isn't good. You said his name 3 times! Didn't the movie Beetlejuice teach you not to do that?
:sign15:
 
Ran Wheeler Lake this weekend. Last time was about 10 years ago in the K5. There are a couple more challenging spots than I remembered. We camped at the lake and did lots of

I have to say I like the electric fans way better. Fuel mileage is back where it should be. Also much quieter on the trail. I did notice when we were driving up to the big pass on I70 coolant temps were about 5 degrees higher than I ever saw it with the mechanical fan. So there may be something to the benefits when towing. Now that I've swapped back to electric fans, I know I can easily swap back and forth in an hour or 2 tops. So I'm planning to put the mechanical fan back the next time we tow the camper.

Can anyone spot any serious damage?

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Would it surprise you to know that this had happened about 7 hours before the picture above?37216.jpeg

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Here's the damage that's not readily apparent in the first photo:

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The rear door handle and back of cab dented in, a little denting on the front fender, and a tote cracked the window. On the factor tinted windows with 2 pieces of glass, you don't see the damage from the outside. The new bed wasn't even touched. I can't believe the damage is so minimal.

It was complete driver error. I climbed to high up the rock on the right, then the left front dropped in a hole. It was one of those slow motion flops. I was just watching the rock keep getting closer and closer and then we came to rest on it.

I like this picture with my youngest son peeking out the window of his door.


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I'm glad we had seatbelts on or he would have been tossed right onto me. I would have been laying on the rock.

The only fluid I lost was some out of the little temporary vent hose I put on the NP205.

Thanks to Jason and Nate for quick action to get us back on all 4 tires.
 
Glad y’all are okay. Truck looks fantastic.

David
 
Was that coming down the v-notch at the 2nd obstacle? I went down the middle section right there and it was much more predictable. Glad the damage was minimal.

How much traffic was up there?
 
Sad your so far away . . I got a pair of rear doors with 20k miles on them .

Its missing a foot step also on LR if i had to guess .
 
If only you had a set of doors stashed a few miles to the south...... oh wait....... :D
 
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