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The Green Grendel

Overview Gallery Discussion
The Carter fuel pump finally had its first issue.

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The loose friction fit isn't a great design. Both wires came loose and filled with ice. I reamed them out as well as I could and put them back on, but a long-term solution is needed. I kinda want to tear the pump out and go back to the original 6.5 Delphi pump. I do not like this arrangement at all. It's one rock-smash away from getting me stranded.
 
But on the bright side...I have again proven that a DB2 is capable of pulling fuel through a dead lift pump. Don't know how long it was like that, but the truck saw at least 30 miles today.


@AgDieseler... Because Science! :thumb:
 
campfire said:
Woke up to 14" of fresh snowfall today, with a promise of much more to come.

It was time to have some fun. :burnout: :burnout:



Overall I was impressed. It didn't slip or falter, it just drove smoothly. I know exactly how useless the stepside is when buried to its hubs in snow, so I was happy.


:saweet: :saweet:
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True snow tires? The siping looks it. Wondering what make/model you run and if they're stock size.

I have oddball Mastercraft Courser LTRs as that's all I could find locally in stock size. I couldn't wait to drive my truck when I got it, so I had to settle for the tires I could get fastest. The tires that came on it were so dry rotted they literally crumbled to dust when they were taken off the wheels.

I need to have hardcore true chains to get anywhere reliably in the snow with the tires I have. But I've given thought to real snow tires for it.
 
GoGoGirl said:
True snow tires? The siping looks it. Wondering what make/model you run and if they're stock size.

I have oddball Mastercraft Courser LTRs as that's all I could find locally in stock size. I couldn't wait to drive my truck when I got it, so I had to settle for the tires I could get fastest. The tires that came on it were so dry rotted they literally crumbled to dust when they were taken off the wheels.

I need to have hardcore true chains to get anywhere reliably in the snow with the tires I have. But I've given thought to real snow tires for it.
Click to expand...

No, these are basic highway tread tires. That's why I was surprised. Both of my 2WD cars have good snow tires, and they'll kick the truck's tail until the snow gets deep.

They're Goodyear Wrangler SR-A tires in 245/75R16 size (pretty close to the stock 31" tires).

https://www.goodyear.com/en-US/tires/wrangler-sr-a
 
Blew another fuel injector return line cap today. I'm not a fan. IIRC it's been 7 or 8 years since I eliminated the caps on the step side (by connecting the two dead ends with a piece of hose). Problem solved.

But for today, the Blazer is a-smoking. @78K30, it's gushing a bunch more fuel than before, so I think that lift pump is moving more fuel than the old one. Makes me want to double check the pressure. The cap that blew was newly replaced last summer. :thinking:
 
New mufflers are in, and the forward cab floor is now covered in foam insulation and disposable vinyl flooring. I think hacked-up vinyl flooring looks stupid, but it's probably less stupid than running a bare-metal floor. :rolleyes:

The peel-n-stick insulation was easy & fun. @F.S.F.W,no forks were harmed in the unwrapping of this burrito. :wink1:

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Though a fair quantity of Lake Superior silt is now entombed.

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And then the protective vinyl covering. It started out nice and neat and straight.

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I didn't quite get the last wrinkle out, but I was pretty happy with it.

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But it all fell apart on the driver's side. I was not able to follow the hump at all. And I wound up with a dorky patch between the shifters.

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Oh well. I learned a few things not to do. After the test drive I do think it's a big improvement over the bare metal. The drivetrain noise is nearly gone now, so it's that much more pleasant to the ears. It still whistles from all sorts of bodily openings, but one source of noise has been greatly mitigated.

I call that a win. :thumb: :saweet: :burnout:
 
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The old mufflers were weight-saving models. :rolleyes:


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New ones are shorter cases, but same overall length. By the time I welded adapters on they were just a touch longer (which was good since I had to cut flanges off of the old pipes).

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The band clamp was really nice. I should have bought them for both ends, rather than using the strap clamp on the tail end. And I wish I could have reused the bolt-on mounts from the old mufflers. But it was still a fairly good swap.

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The truck looks weird with the tailpipe connected and properly supported. :blush: :haha:

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I will say this...electrical wiring is lots more fun than hacking and splicing old rusty exhaust. :doah:

Kinda glad the 'burb is getting new pipe all the way back.
 
Update time.

The Grendel has been on daily driver duty, and I took it on one wheeling trip in June. I had to reattach the exhaust afterwards, but no other damage. The rear brakes are consistently inconsistent. Sometimes one or the other will lock up abruptly. Other times they're just fine. They've been like that ever since they were submerged. I'm assuming they never got clean afterwards, but haven't taken the hub apart to verify. Neither side appears to be leaking gear oil. At least, not until I take it apart for inspection. :rolleyes:

I have a pickup tailgate coming to complete the rear swap. The color won't match, so I think I'm going to rattle-can the whole truck (after it arrives).

I have ample cheap access to cans of Rustoleum Army Green. I'm looking around for a supplier of CARC 383 green, as I prefer that shade. And it appears to be the original color of the truck. But the difference is minor enough that I may just use what I already have. :thinking:

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The top coat is a different shade from what's underneath.

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and on this corner it's a whole different color.



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The topper appears to be sealed with silicone.

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The back is definitely sealed with silicone.

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I've had dismal success getting paint to stick to silicone. Are there any tricks to making this work? The bar is set pretty low right now, but I don't want it to look worse after I'm done messing it up. :rolleyes:
 
The way to get paint to stick is to remove the silicone. Don't know of it's worth trying on a car, but in the house you can paint over silicone by hitting the paint with a hair dryer as you go. Adhesion is not optimal, as you can imagine. So yeah, remove the silicone and then clean with denatured, prime and paint.
 
Your new tailgate does need paint, but you should also think about what to do with this bow in it. The latches may be bent, but I also may have extras.

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Blue85 said:
The way to get paint to stick is to remove the silicone. Don't know of it's worth trying on a car, but in the house you can paint over silicone by hitting the paint with a hair dryer as you go. Adhesion is not optimal, as you can imagine. So yeah, remove the silicone and then clean with denatured, prime and paint.
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But...but...it's actually waterproof this way! :rolleyes:
 
If it's too badly bent I may put it on the trailer and snatch that one for the truck. That one has about 3/8" deflection in the center, and it needs latch work. And it has some rust. The seal is the only issue I'd have with a bowed tailgate, and the crummy seal hasn't bothered the trailer. But I have higher goals for the truck.

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I think I’ve got a can of my CARC touch up paint from Big Ugly still. I’ll try to find it this weekend and let you know the maker.
 
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