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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
I think I have the final solution for the fuel tank filler. It should also make the truck faster because I used racecar looking stuff.

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Mounted the filler to a piece of 3" aluminum angle. The filler is made with billet aluminum. This fuel door doesn't have the big filler vent, so I drilled and tapped for an NPT to hose barb elbow.

The only other trick with this was going from 2" to 1-3/4" on the fuel hose. I used an exhaust pipe adapter to get that done. Here it is installed.

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sold more for brake pusher use . but yes i have used it for throttle and with todays no more cable its needed to do throttle stuff .
 
I don't remember if I mentioned, but I figured out the hip trouble I was having. It was all due to sleeping on that side. Stopped that and now I don't have any problem whatsoever with my hip.

I had started sleeping on my side because of my back. I'm an odd ball stomach sleeper which was aggravating my back. I don't like sleeping on my back, but I guess it would seem that's the only way I can sleep without doing myself more harm. It's just crazy side sleeping was causing me so much trouble for several years, and I had no idea the fix was that simple.
 
if i try and sleep on my right arm as i lay on my side i get a lot of lingering pain in the elbow area . but i think this is more to do with the plate and 4 screws in my head as i never had this problem before there install . :screwy:
 
I was thinking back on this year, and it has quietly been a very eventful year. Crossed some trails off my wheeling bucket list.

Started in April when the crew cab got hauled home on Nate's trailer when the distributor gear roll pin sheared.


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Then built the bed and shortened the wheelbase.

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Then we made a trip to southwestern Colorado to do some wheeling in a part of the state I hadn't ran trails before.

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Had the first crew cab flop on the Wheeler Lake trail.

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Went to Blazer Bash and ran a trail I never thought I would do in a vehicle I built, Pritchett Canyon.


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The last trip this year was a trail I have done several times, but it was the first time taking the crew cab thru the most difficult section of the trail. And @doubletrouble, Nate, and I earned the Kick Ass Trophy for rescuing a broke rig.


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I didn't realize how much I was getting done this year until I started thinking back on it. All in all seems like a pretty good year for me and the crew cab. :D
 
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So overall what is your feedback on the shorter whedlbase on crew cab ? . . . I know i miss mine even tho i never got to run it .
 
I was thinking back on this year, and it has quietly been a very eventful year. Crossed some trails off my wheeling bucket list.

Started in April when the crew cab got hauled home on Nate's trailer when the distributor gear roll pin sheared.


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Then built the bed and shortened the wheelbase.

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Then we made a trip to southwestern Colorado to do some wheeling in a part of the state I hadn't ran trails before.

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View attachment 398751


Had the first crew cab flop on the Wheeler Lake trail.

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Went to Blazer Bash and ran a trail I never thought I would do in a vehicle I built, Pritchett Canyon.


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The last trip this year was a trail I have done several times, but it was the first time taking the crew cab thru the most difficult section of the trail. And @doubletrouble, Nate, and I earned the Kick Ass Trophy for rescuing a broke rig.


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I didn't realize how much I was getting done this year until I started thinking back on it. All in all seems like a pretty good year for me and the crew cab. :D
All this cool shit and I haven’t had mine on the road long enough to break in the gears I installed in January. Jealous.
 
So overall what is your feedback on the shorter whedlbase on crew cab ? . . . I know i miss mine even tho i never got to run it .
I can't say I really notice the difference that much on the trail. The biggest thing I notice is looking in the side mirrors it's weird not to see the big white bedsides. I can barely see the upper rear corner of the fabricated bed.

There is one thing I can say was a definite improvement, losing 400 pounds. I can feel a performance difference pulling the mountain passes.

I sometimes feel like the rear of the truck wants to push over more going down hill. My first thought was it's due to the weight loss. However according to the weight ticket, both axles lost the same amount of weight. So it might be more about the change in the breakover point giving the truck a different feel. Also there isn't all of the overhang weight past the rear axle. The rear section of frame I cut off was 100 pounds and that doesn't include the bed. That's all weight removed from behind the rear axle.

There is also some change in my thinking about what I can do with the truck now. I certainly wouldn't have attempted Pritchett Canyon or that narrow obstacle on the local trail I mentioned above with the regular long bed.

I really like how it changed the look of the truck. It looks like a trail rig now. Not some dude that decided to see if his old tow rig could climb over some rocks.
 
You were definitely busy with working on the truck and wheeling this year. Nate and I were just saying the other day that we couldn’t believe how much work you put into it this last year. We had a blast running with you and look forward to next year.
 
I got to say kudos for not going nuts and disabling the truck long-term. Taking some bite-sized chunks of work out in between wheeling trips really maximizes the fun without getting bogged down in bigger projects that would stop the truck from being used. Plus it gives some instant feedback on the previous work to know how you did and what you want to do next.


Your ability to resist the dreaded "might as well" process is high. Way to go for a great year of changes and cool trips. Once I get up to the Denver area I'll be able to go explore more with you.
 
I got to say kudos for not going nuts and disabling the truck long-term. Taking some bite-sized chunks of work out in between wheeling trips really maximizes the fun without getting bogged down in bigger projects that would stop the truck from being used. Plus it gives some instant feedback on the previous work to know how you did and what you want to do next.


Your ability to resist the dreaded "might as well" process is high. Way to go for a great year of changes and cool trips. Once I get up to the Denver area I'll be able to go explore more with you.
That would be great!

I just can't stand not being able to drive it. I really hate parking it in a condition that won't allow another trip. I generally try to get it back to operational as quickly as I can. I noticed after the last trip I finally bashed the front diff enough times that it's leaking. So I really need to get that fixed before the next run.

This is also why I'm about ready to completely ditch the ProFlo on the C10 and put a carb back on it. I'm HATING not being able to drive it. I want to go back to looking forward to driving places. When I was driving the C10, I would make excuses to drive someplace.
 
You were definitely busy with working on the truck and wheeling this year. Nate and I were just saying the other day that we couldn’t believe how much work you put into it this last year. We had a blast running with you and look forward to next year.
It's definitely nice to have good wheelin buddies.
 
New rear springs installed. The set I took out was a set of 4" lift springs I bought from a member here 9 years ago and they were used then.

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I threaded holes into the spring plates where you can see 2 bolts on each end. I'm going to put the air bags on in the future and I'll use those to hold the plate for the air bag cradle.

Need to see how they settle out. I may want to swap the flip brackets to lay the shackles back a little.

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Found another broken center pin. You can see the other one has a good bend in it. I'm wondering if this if from the angle shims. I'm glad I make it habit to check the ubolt torque regularly.

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I noticed after the last trail run the front cover diff cover was leaking; finally hit enough rocks with it I guess. I found half the bolts were pretty much finger tight. Hoping that will stop the leak so I don't have to pull it off completely and reseal it.
 

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