best swap ever!! hi all :) new guy here.

[metalbender]

Im a knifemaker/blacksmith in upstate NY. a fella swapped me a couple of knives for this!!

drove down to sparta NJ about 250 miles away and drove it home, STRONG runner

its a g-20 6.2 deisel. 1983. has 130k on the van and only 73k on the block ( was swapped out at about 60k !!! )
some wear and tear on the hood finish, a nasty neighbor kid broke the power antenna and slashed one of the tires so its on it's spare, and it needs a new exhaust, although oddly the undercarrage itself shows little to no rust.
the ebrake line should prolly be replaced
the cruise control was disabled by the previous owner
and the coolant resevoir is cracked,
has a cb, color tv, ac and rear ac, a sink, folding bed, cloths rack, battery powered cooler, am/fm cassette with a ton o speakers
tow package etcetc
some other things i gotta fix, either a vacumline or pump that controls the blower gate is wonky and the radios need some rewiring, was fairly amaturish job there *shudders*
picked up some new tires so i can have the nice matching mags etc.

now I just wish i had a diagram for the exhaust, going to replace it from the manifold back....this is going to be a learning experience, never owned a diesel before...
oh and um hi all!
Shane

 

[badmix]

Ya do know thats not a K5 Blazer dont ya? LoL,,jus checking.

Looks like a nice mall wagon. Put 4x4 under it, some 33-35s and youll be good to go.

 

[metalbender]

yep lol, unfortunately I cant post to the gmc diesel section as a basic member hehe.

 

[sweetk30]

where you at in upstate ny?

and just find a good quality exaust shop and have them do it all. i can get a duel exaust done with mufflers for 175-250 as to size pipe and length of vehicle. thick wall aluminized pipes and name brand mufflers.

 

[tRustyK5]

Welcome to CK5! Even though it's not a K5 or 4WD you will find some good info in our diesel forum. You should be able to read through it, even if you can't reply or start a thread of your own.

Some other sites that might help you are:

www.gm-diesel.com
http://www.dieselplace.com/forum/index.php

Rene

 

[metalbender]

sweetk30 Im in the saratoga springs area, called midas and pre-bent itll run me about 500, in shop bending their saying 300 - 350. where ya getting yours done at that price? heck Ill drive there! lol
rusty thanks ya Ive been poking about in there, wish i could access the tech specs that are stickied there heh.
guess i need to upgrade my membership!
thanks again for advice all
Shane

 

[70jimmy]

Welcome,

Definately a lot of good info here even if you're not 4x4 or a K5. Anything chevy has lots of things to learn here. Seems like a good trade.

If nothing else it makes a great RV/camping rig or take a few friends somewhere in comfort.

 

[metalbender]

im seriously considering swapping it for a good solid worktruck once i fix it up, that whole " getting to a engine in a van" thing really annoys me lol.

 

[ankarback]

that whole " getting to a engine in a van" thing really annoys me lol.

It´s not hard to get to the engine if you remove the centerconsole. It´s only four bolts to remove it. Two behind the ashtray and two way down almost under the floor carpet. The best thing is you can be inside the van wrenching even if it rains outside

 

[metalbender]

nope, been there done that, the 6.2l was obviously put in there with a shoehorn and alot of prayer, 1.3 of motor exposed via the doghouse (center console) 1/3 hidden by the frame, 1/6 available via the hood, etcetcetc like i said, i HATE working on vans lol. once this bad boy has a new exhaust and all the other sundry stuff im trading it for a nice fat 2500

 

[darkshadow]

nice score.

Do you have any examples of your knife craft? site?

I have wanted to make for a few years now but as always i have too many hobbys and have not set up my shop, one day thought.

dave

 

[metalbender]

sure!

and my knife site is
http://www.forgedknives.net
thanks for the chance to plug my stuff lol

 

[sweetk30]

my zip is 14845. look it up on mapquest for time and milage from you.

 

[darkshadow]

ABsofreekinglutly awesome!

that is exactly how i wanted to set my self up, old school.

You do some nice pieces, are you mostly commissioned, or do the pieces as they come to you and then sell them?

 

[metalbender]

thanks
id say about 1/3 of my work is custom order and i keep about 5-10 blades standing stock at any given time..although this winter after the holiday season Im going to build up about 50 pieces so I can concentrate on other work, ie making wootz steel, some mokume,etc along with some research on 18th and 19th century blade styles.

 

[metalbender]

heck sweetk30 yer about 4 hours away
ie the money I saved would be spent on fuel lol
oh well it was a thought

 

[darkshadow]

where abouts are you? further away from Canada?

 

[metalbender]

im near saratoga springs NY google my zip 12074