It's decided: Trimmy (Trazer) build

[MrSchaeferPants]

Ya Trimmy sounds a lot like Shimmy.. so kinda gross, but hey, it's a GMC

Putting all the interior in the rear up for sale. Going to get this trans rebuilt and have at it. Step 1. Suckering in a few friends to help me remove this topper. Not sure on my method for building yet, if you read my other thread. But first this tranny needs to get fixed, or find a new one, and my interior needs to sell.

EDIT: oh ya a little excied, forgot there's a build thread area. And I can't delete threads I started huh. Can this get moved?

 

[MrSchaeferPants]

So my buddies 76 Jimmy didn't sell last night like he though. And I've been mulling around the idea of buying it off of him and taking everything I want and parting out the rest. But I gotta decide if doing an automatic to manual swap is worth my time and effort. But there's a lot of goodies also like a stock Qjet from the year range I want, headers, tach gauge cluster, lift, 4.xx gears, winch bumper, and another tailgate. It's a completely working rig, minus needing calipers, tires, and a little brake and ps bleeding. It's a frankenstein, and won't die. But he wants too much for it, prolly let it go for $800. Unfortuantly I can't part it out on post in the parking lot. Just painted the doors on it last week though, look pretty nice. But the rest is pretty rough, definitly a wheeler, and does a damn good job at it.

 

[496truck]

Since your truck looks very much like mine, here's what yours will look like with 4" lift and 35s.

Maybe that'll put a build idea in your head.

 

[MrSchaeferPants]

Ya I was searching auto>manual conversions among other stuff and saw your avatar. Figure you'd chime in some time. Is your rig full time top off?

 

[big dan]

Isnt your k5 in fairly good condition? If it is why not buy your friends to make into a wheeling rig and keep yours nice?

 

[MrSchaeferPants]

Isnt your k5 in fairly good condition? If it is why not buy your friends to make into a wheeling rig and keep yours nice?

Ya mine will still be a DD/pavement pounder. Tops comming off because I think they look seksy. Saw that one with the lightbar, hard bed cover think it was red.

Basically I can't afford a 700r4 rebuild right now, which was why I was going to sell the Jimmy. But if I get his, and he'll let me make payments, I can fix mine, put in a bunch of goodies from his, and be driving again. Plus part out a bit from his and get half my money back. But again, not sure what I'll do. Might suck it up and wait to get the 700r4 built up. But until then, I can piece together my plan on the cab conversion.

 

[496truck]

Ya I was searching auto>manual conversions among other stuff and saw your avatar. Figure you'd chime in some time. Is your rig full time top off?

Pretty much. Top comes off in April, goes back on around Thanksgiving weekend. Or if it snows, whichever comes first. I drive it rain or shine, warm or cold. I just enjoy the hell out of having the top off.

 

[gonefishin]

just my opinion i don't like the 700r4 i had mine done 3 times and out not telling how much $ if you like overdrive go nv4500 you can do that for about the same as a well built 700 and will last longer or 4l80e but thats got a little more involved with the electronics

 

[MrSchaeferPants]

What it'll boil down to is money and quickest up and running time. I checked CL for nv4500, cause I would like the 5th gear. And in all honesty I could probably get the 700r4 working myself cause I bet it's the valve body. Thinking about doing that today, or at least checking it out. Don't know much about transmissions. Think I should learn transmissions and carbs and open a rebuild shop for the two. It's what everyone needs.

Took the rustingboards out yesterday, mebe I can find someone who wants them. Down the road I'll get some rock sliders from Kert. Don't need something like that but for the price of nerf bars, might as well get the sliders, and support our vendors.

I'll start stripping the interior later on today, just gotta find some place to keep it clean and dry. Everyone's off work today and tomorrow, so I gotta make some phone calls to get a few guys to help me with the top. Could rig something up with the carport but I bet the neighboors wouldn't like that. I may end up fabbing an enclosure outa plywood until I have the time and material for the conversion.

 

[MrSchaeferPants]

Before:

After:

Good stopping point for the rear today. Time to take that tranny pan off and see whats up. Buddy of mine was a transmission mechanic for a while, hopefully he'll have some insight.

 

[MrSchaeferPants]

1 checkball, 2 checkball, 3 checkball, 4...

Figured why not, what's the worst that can happen? ... famous last words.

Gunna order a transgo kit and book on Friday. Till then I'll take it apart and clean. Was going to hold off until my buddy showed up to give me some pointers, but he's in the middle of moving, and I can't do anything for the pickup conversion till that topper and tailgate sell.

Right now I'm trying to decide how I want to enclose the cab. Flat against the back where the topper bolts up, or back a few inches, so the forward 'bed' stops where the floor does. It'd be a lot easier if it was an earlier model with the full length floor. Looking up info for conversions, I saw an old thread about Kerts where he pretty much did exactly what I am thinking of doing. But I'm not sure if I wanna go the route of chopping up the topper. But his did look sweet.

 

[MrSchaeferPants]

So I did a 180 and I'm buying my buddies rig and putting his sm465/205 in the Yimmy. Plan is to tow his K5 to the auto skill center on post, drop the tranny/transfer. Drain everything out of the truck except the axles. Pull the motor, sell it as a whole minus the Qjet and snorkel, and headers. Bring it back, do the same to mine, trailer it to the shop, drop the trans/tranny and drain my coolant (swapping radiators too if his is in good condition). Bring it back, then start doing the clutch swap, trying to decide what I want to do about my steering column. His is a 76.

Then swap the new doors I just painted and put the beaters back on and sell the good ones. Taking his tach gauge cluster, selling the rear bench, any trim, seats..etc. and gut it.

So I think I'll keep my tailgate and gut it, seal the top with metal and chop my topper (or his, whichever doesn't sell first) and kinda going for what Kerts looked like. So now I don't have to buy anything to fabricate my front bed/rear cab. Might go with my idea of having my rear window operational

Time to plan.

 

[big dan]

Leave the auto column and shifter in it

I did on both of my trucks that I converted to four speeds, it really confuses people that try to drive my truck

 

[MrSchaeferPants]

Leave the auto column and shifter in it

I did on both of my trucks that I converted to four speeds, it really confuses people that try to drive my truck

That's all I need, let someone drive my truck and peel out because it was left in low.. ok so maybe they wouldn't peel out. I HATE it when people borrow my car and leave it in gear. I HAVE A WORKING PARKING BRAKE. Always happened in my Bug.

Only thing I'm uneasy about is the column. I've read the clutch/pedals are a major PITA, but there's just so many wires in/near the column. The trans is fine, but it likes to get stuck in whatever gear it's in ocassionally, shifter forks need some work? Not sure what they are/called.

 

[MrSchaeferPants]

Starting the part out on the 76, trying to decide if I want to put the tach in mine, or sell and put the money towards the 85. I do want a tach, but even a cheesy aftermarket one will work. Plus the long term plan is a diy4x aluminum dash with custom gauges anyway.

 

[1BEATK5]

2 things

1. sell the tach guage panel and get a cheap accurate aftermarket one. i see the autogage ones on craigslist for cheap

2. if you do the half-cab thing, make it about 6" back from the cab. i have a half-cab kit, and my seats are up against the window and they arent back all the way. in fact my stock passsenger's seat is out of the truck right now because of that.
when you take the top off, look and you wil see the seats stick back alot further than the shell mounting surface.

 

[MrSchaeferPants]

2 things

1. sell the tach guage panel and get a cheap accurate aftermarket one. i see the autogage ones on craigslist for cheap

2. if you do the half-cab thing, make it about 6" back from the cab. i have a half-cab kit, and my seats are up against the window and they arent back all the way. in fact my stock passsenger's seat is out of the truck right now because of that.
when you take the top off, look and you wil see the seats stick back alot further than the shell mounting surface.

I'm leaning towards selling it, at the same time I'm not interested in testing each gauge. I do believe I'm going with a half (or part) cab extention instead of flat against the B pillar. I like that extra bit of space. Think I'm going to modify my tailgate to run the full width of the truck, and weld it in place, insuring I can still access the inside and repair/modify as needed, and get a pickup tailgate for the back. So I'll still have my idea of a electric rear window I did notice in my scheming how the seats would touch the back if it were flat. At least the drivers does.