new to the club UPDATE : new question post 39

[diesel4me]

I'd swap a 2wd cab on a 4x4 frame before trying to convert a 2wd frame to 4wd..there is a lot of differences,you'll be chopping rivets and swapping spring hangers,drilling holes for front shackles,etc...in your case since the 2wd frame is junk at the steering box,I would say the 4x4 frame would be a better option..

The cab swap would require a small body lift or the center hump modified possibly to clear the transfer case,that's about it...my '77 GMC had an '85 2wd cab on it,they put a 3" body lift and also raised up the floor hump to clear the NP-203 it had originally--I put a NP-205 in it and it probably would have cleared the floor even with no body lift..

I like divorced transfer cases--with one you can put any transmission you want in front of it easily,and use cheaper car or 2wd ones instead of the costlier and harder to find 4x4 ones...manual or automatic...

I dont know why they decided to marry the transfer cases and transmissions,I never saw any real issues with having a third stubby driveshaft and 2 more u-joints..

I'd go for it if I were you--use the 4x4 frame,the 2wd cab,divorced transfer case--you'll have a nice truck when its all assembled..

 

[sweetk30]

well after being sick to the point of missing few days work over the last 2 weeks I am getting back to normal .

so I went out in the COLD shop today . started out at around 5-10* inside temps. my 5gal bucket to wash hands in was a solid 4.5 gal block of ice.

I got to sell some goodys to fund the insulation job for this nice shop . then reconnect the heat out there .

but I fired up the wood furnace and cramed some wood down its mouth and cranked some heat out . got it warm to the point of semi comfy working shop in few hr's .

used the time to lop off the front frame sections . make more work room in shop bay . also L side for repair plate use on the diesel 2wd c10 .

then finished the rest of the parts off the truck I wanted and prepped the rear axle and front tires for easy pop off at the junk yard on Monday I hope.

also drained off the diesel fuel in the tank and removed it . it was a aftermarket plastic tank . and I hd my electric pump to the suction line but it wouldn't flow fuel worth a darn . itan fine before I parted it out .

cold temps here last few weeks lead me to this ( pic ) after I removed the fuel from the filler neck inlet hole. huge dam of ice all around the pickup tube and drain tube .

well good day in shop and ready to send this one off to become a new Honda or 2

 

[sweetk30]

took it in to the scrap yard today .

they got front suspension minus calipers and steering box and front rails to suspension .

removed all guts from cab so bare cab what was left of it . core support and inner fenders .

headboard off flatbed cut up in cab . and flatbed around 12ft long build like a tank .

the frame 165" wheel base length and rear suspension and springs . I kept the axle and tires.

got me just over the 3500lbs mark in weight . I didn't have to cut up the whole thing so I saved time and cutting gas . I got 225 bucks back . I don't think that was to bad .

now I got room in the shop again to clean up and repan the 6.2 that come out and get it ready to drop in the c-10 with bad 6.2 engine.

 

[diesel4me]

Sad that some stuff has to be scrapped--that came to 15.5 cents a pound I think?....165" frame,would have been long enough for a ramp truck ?.

It's been pretty cold here except for yesterday and today,especially at night..not surprised you found ice in the fuel tank,but freezing temps do make it easier to separate water from fuel or oil!...(and its easier to remove ice from tires than water too,that were left outside in the rain!)..

I got about 6 quarts of "new-used" ATF from a shop last winter when the guy drained a transmission they put in that turned out to be NFG from a salvage yard,and the drain pan got about a quart of water spilled in it..the fluid had just been put in too...

I took the drain pan outside,where it was about 15 degrees,and an hour later,I was able to pull a chunk of ice out,leaving only the ATF behind,and I put it in the empty ATF jug...I filtered it before adding it to things with a cotton T-shirt just in case any dirt got in it..mostly I used it to top off my plow pump and some hydraulics on my equipment..the rest went in my wood stove for heat!..

I should have kept the 8 lug 4.10 axles off my '77 GMC when I scrapped it,but it was hard enough getting it hauled away with axles and tires on it..in a way I should have kept it period--the frame wasn't rotted thru yet or broken,the 400 SB still ran decent,only the TH350 losing reverse was what made me decide to give up on it...but it still could have been driven several more years probably if I had put a tranny in it..I kept just about everything else off it that unbolted though...sold the 400 for 150 bucks when I was hard up for cash,that was stupid,but I didn't have much choice..

 

[campfire]

Sad that some stuff has to be scrapped--that came to 15.5 cents a pound I think?....

$225/3500# ~= 6.4 cents/pound, no? I was actually thinking that was several cents lower than my selling price last summer.

 

[diesel4me]

Your figures are probably correct,I suck at math--my calculator is in the other room,and I just did it in my head...lately,scrap prices suck,around here junk cars are bringing only 120-130 a ton,way down from 250 a ton about 8 months ago...

I hear from the scrap dealers ,when gas prices go down,so does scrap metals,and it appears there wont be any big recovery in either in the near future..(but I bet gas goes back up soon,it is too good to be true,having 1.95 gasoline here for long)..