The RedBurb

[campfire]

Started working on these doors that I picked up for the burb, one window in one of the barn doors was cracked so I took it out because I knew it was going to be replaced anyways. Got it out and discovered the whole bottom lip of the window frame is rusted out. Now I have to decide if this door is even worth saving.

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How rare are good doors in your area? I'd patch the door and keep rolling. But our standards are a lot lower here in the rust belt.

My truck counts as "rust free," and my 3yo had no problem kicking through the rockers last summer.



On the plus side, the foot holes did help her climb up into the truck. At least, until she ran out of places to kick.

 

[campfire]

Finally got it to a pressure washer and cleaned off as much as I could.

The frame is in good shape I think. Just surface rust which a wire wheel should deal with pretty decently. Parts of the body though are eaten away. That was obvious. The tail pan and tail pan support both are pretty much gone. Fortunately LMC has replacements for both. The passenger rear quarter is still in decent shape. The driver rear quarter is gone. And the floor board (the supports at least) will need replacing (not anytime soon). At least I have a decent idea of what I’m dealing with. Pretty much everything I already knew.

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What rear springs are you running?

 

[AugustDiesel]

How rare are good doors in your area? I'd patch the door and keep rolling. But our standards are a lot lower here in the rust belt.

My truck counts as "rust free," and my 3yo had no problem kicking through the rockers last summer.

View attachment 300502

On the plus side, the foot holes did help her climb up into the truck. At least, until she ran out of places to kick.

Right now kinda hard to find. I picked these two barn doors and two side doors up for $200 out the door, knowing they would need some work (the rust on this one was hidden). There are guys around here parting out suburbans and asking $225 PER door. That of course is advertised as rust and dent free. Kind of a get-what-you-pay-for kind of deal.

I’ve thought about cutting out the lower window channel from my current door and welding it in to this one. I was already planning on using the window from it anyways. I might do that. At the very least, I’ve got some good parts off of it. Like the upholstery/hard plastic coverings and the door strap, which sells for a whopping $105 at LMC! So I figure I’m saving some money some how.

What rear springs are you running?

Beats me. Literally. As I’m driving down the road. They beat me.

They were on the truck when I got them. Best I can figure is maybe stock springs with add-a-leafs/helper springs. They’re stiff as they can be and really make for some interesting pothole jumps when paired with the newer 4” procomp springs in front.

They’re on my list of things to replace. I just haven’t gotten around to it yet. Trying to keep my focus on the front axle, which has proven more difficult than anticipated since I like to chase rabbits.

 

[campfire]

Beats me. Literally. As I’m driving down the road. They beat me.

I was counting leaves and wondering how stiff they were.

You think they're stock height?

 

[AugustDiesel]

I was counting leaves and wondering how stiff they were.

You think they're stock height?

So here’s how I figured out the relative height of those springs:

When I first got the truck, the front had 6” springs and about 1.5” blocks, and the rear had the springs you see with 6” blocks. I wager the truck had roughly an 8” lift, because I ditched the front setup completely and replaced with 4” springs alone, and kept the rear springs as-is replacing the 6” block with a 2” block. The truck sits pretty darn level so I figure, via an extreme SWAG method, that the rear springs are somehow accomplishing a 2” lift (add-a-leaves?). Add the 2” blocks and you have a 4” lift matching the front. The rear pack is super stiff though. I counted a total of 9 leaves in each pack. Just 1 shy of @AgDieseler but not nearly as flexy (ORDs are a totally different ballgame). Rusty rides like a school bus. The Bluejay has only 5 in the rear. Rides like a boat.

ORDs are on my wish list, but I may end up just getting a matching set of 4” Procomps to match the front. We will see.

 

[AugustDiesel]

I was counting leaves and wondering how stiff they were.

You think they're stock height?

Depending on the slope it’s parked on, the back looks slightly higher than the front. But I’m pretty sure it’s level.

 

[AugustDiesel]

Finally put the new fuel return lines on.



My question is: these two clamps that clamp the rubber hose to the hard line, are they really necessary? Pretty difficult to get on, and the one on the passenger side under the alternator didn’t even have a clamp. If the lines can push on to the injectors, why can’t they just push on to the hard line?



I know, I’m probably over thinking this.

 

[AugustDiesel]

And, that claim I made a while back about my engine getting up to temp within 5 minutes ... yeah that was wrong. Not sure where my head was at when I said that.

Swapped in a 195* tstat and let it idle and it took 17 minutes of idling to get up to temp.

 

[campfire]

And, that claim I made a while back about my engine getting up to temp within 5 minutes ... yeah that was wrong. Not sure where my head was at when I said that.

Swapped in a 195* tstat and let it idle and it took 17 minutes of idling to get up to temp.

That's more like it...

 

[campfire]

Finally put the new fuel return lines on.

View attachment 300548

My question is: these two clamps that clamp the rubber hose to the hard line, are they really necessary? Pretty difficult to get on, and the one on the passenger side under the alternator didn’t even have a clamp. If the lines can push on to the injectors, why can’t they just push on to the hard line?

View attachment 300547

I know, I’m probably over thinking this.

Yes you're overthinking this.

It will be fine without the clamps (That's how I run mine). Factory setup uses clamps on every injector nipple. Kinda painful to install. The new stretchy hose does a better job of sealing itself.

 

[campfire]

Standard Campy disclaimer...I am a Roadkill fan. I used a bent nail to clamp my clutch hydraulic line together. I still have a few single flares on my brake lines. I stacked two transmission mounts onto an old throw out arm rather than building a 'proper' crossmember spacer.


Mine isn't necessarily the tidiest advice you'll find out there.

 

[AugustDiesel]

Yes you're overthinking this.

It will be fine without the clamps (That's how I run mine). Factory setup uses clamps on every injector nipple. Kinda painful to install. The new stretchy hose does a better job of sealing itself.

I kinda figured they weren’t necessary. The kit cane with just two, clearly to be put on the hardline, but as I made my attempt, I kept thinking, “this seems unnecessarily difficult”.

Correction: the 2 clamps are for the two caps. No wonder I was having difficulty! I never said I knew what I was doing.

And I could tell I was overthinking it. I could feel it.

Standard Campy disclaimer...I am a Roadkill fan. I used a bent nail to clamp my clutch hydraulic line together. I still have a few single flares on my brake lines. I stacked two transmission mounts onto an old throw out arm rather than building a 'proper' crossmember spacer.


Mine isn't necessarily the tidiest advice you'll find out there.

While I strive hard to teach my sons that not everyone is a winner, sometimes there are losers, I also strive hard to teach them that sometimes it’s not about winning or losing. Sometimes it’s just about finishing. A very philosophical way of saying “whatever gets the job done”.

 

[campfire]

Correction: the 2 clamps are for the two caps. No wonder I was having difficulty! I never said I knew what I was doing.

Yes, the clamps are for the caps, if you run them. On one rig I just connected my two lonely injectors with an extra length of hose. Eight years later it had outlasted a couple sets of caps on the other rigs. For whatever that's worth.

 

[campfire]

A very philosophical way of saying “whatever gets the job done”.

All three of those examples work well, they just aren't normal ways of solving problems. They're not 'pretty.'

There's a happy balance between cutting corners and redoing things in pursuit of perfection. My happy point is whatever holds up reliably, regardless of how ugly it might be. Your way of working is a reflection of whatever you value. Your values will be different from mine.


So keep that in mind when asking for opinions. GM thought all the nipples needed clamps. The aftermarket disagreed and did away with them. I'd rather run good modern line than old stiff rubber with clamps.

But there's always a purist out there who wants to do it the "right" way, as GM intended it.

 

[AugustDiesel]

Yes, the clamps are for the caps, if you run them. On one rig I just connected my two lonely injectors with an extra length of hose. Eight years later it had outlasted a couple sets of caps on the other rigs. For whatever that's worth.

See the caps I pulled off didn’t even have clamps. But I might make a feeble attempt to put the clamps on.

All three of those examples work well, they just aren't normal ways of solving problems. They're not 'pretty.'

There's a happy balance between cutting corners and redoing things in pursuit of perfection. My happy point is whatever holds up reliably, regardless of how ugly it might be. Your way of working is a reflection of whatever you value. Your values will be different from mine.


So keep that in mind when asking for opinions. GM thought all the nipples needed clamps. The aftermarket disagreed and did away with them. I'd rather run good modern line than old stiff rubber with clamps.

But there's always a purist out there who wants to do it the "right" way, as GM intended it.

This truck has been a canvas of work done in whatever way works best for me. A purist would probably have a heart attack if they looked it over. BluJay is a different story. It won’t be 100% purist, but it’ll be much more than Rusty.

 

[campfire]

See the caps I pulled off didn’t even have clamps. But I might make a feeble attempt to put the clamps on.



This truck has been a canvas of work done in whatever way works best for me. A purist would probably have a heart attack if they looked it over. BluJay is a different story. It won’t be 100% purist, but it’ll be much more than Rusty.

It's not owned by a hypothetical purist. It's owned by a real guy with real constraints and a real family. Build it the way HE wants, not the way the peanut gallery wants...

 

[AugustDiesel]

It's not owned by a hypothetical purist. It's owned by a real guy with real constraints and a real family. Build it the way HE wants, not the way the peanut gallery wants...

“Build it the way HE wants” is a philosophy that has taken me some time in the beginning to come around to. Mostly because of know-how limitations from the start, thus being driven in directions preferred by others but not necessarily myself. The transmission is a good example. When I knew I had to replace it, I much preferred to swap in a 365 or a 4500, for the manual control over the shift points. But I was persuaded to replace the 700 with another 700, because it would be “cheaper” in the long run. In theory that’s correct, but when you add rebuilding the cooling lines, adding two aux coolers, and two temp gauges and sensors, to the already-higher cost of a built 700, there probably wasn’t any cost savings in the end. And at some point I’ll probably end up installing a manual valve body and floor shifter - because - afterall - I want that manual control over the shift points - so I’m gonna end up with a manual transmission anyways. Lol.

Build it the way I want it. Yessir.

I have been super blessed though, to be surrounded by some local guys that are experts in every area of knowledge where I am lacking ... which is pretty much everywhere. So the learning curve is curving less.

 

[campfire]

But I was persuaded to replace the 700 with another 700, because it would be “cheaper” in the long run.

Having done two 5-speed conversions and hired out a 700R4 rebuild, the rebuild was the most expensive of the three, by a fairly wide margin.

But, it was by far the *easiest* option, and it was probably the best fit for me given the circumstances of that build. I say probably because I still wanted a 5-speed at that time, I just didn't do it until later.

 

[AugustDiesel]

You're forgetting the starter gets heat soaked and is hard to start then it cools off and it is fine.
You can shield the starter and you can put a relay to get more juice to the solenoid and help with hot start

Going to be adding a relay here soon.

Little bit of confusion/overthinking ...

This is a diagram I found for wiring the relay to the solenoid:


This is the diagram advertised with the relay:



This diagram shows installing a 30amp fuse between the relay and the battery whereas the starter diagram does not. So is a fuse not needed or is the first diagram just lacking?

That first diagram may not be the best ...

 

[AugustDiesel]

This one seems better and matches the one above, although not vehicle/engine specific ...