1992 k2500 overland work truck

[duckarolltape]

I just picked up a new to me 1992 k2500 with a NV4500 transmission and SBC 350, so i figured that i should start a build thread to keep me motivated and maybe learn something from all of you. I don’t have any good photos of it yet… sorry. Tomorrow when i get the new 255/85r16 KM2s installed ill make sure that i share the love.

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Old truck by kyle mccarty



My whole goal with this truck is to have something reliable that i can use as a pickup and explore all the trails possible without having to worry about being stranded or scratching the paint!



My first reliable wheeler i had was a 2006 LJ Jeep. It was a lot of fun but i couldn’t haul much around. I went of a 1500 mile dirt road trip from the bay area thru Nevada, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, Utah and Arizona. That kinda gave me a kick and then the Overland bug bit me.

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DSC_1810 by kyle mccarty

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DSC_2371 by kyle mccarty



Then about two years ago I traded my Jeep in for a 2014 Silverado. I was able to haul **** but every time i scratched the paint id get sick to my stomach and those truck payments could have been a mortgage payment. So about 2 months ago i sold the truck and went on the search for something that was already beat up, a manual transmission and CHEAP!!!

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DSC_6913 by kyle mccarty

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DSC_6900 by kyle mccarty



Those two pictures are in the Eastern Sierras off of 395 just south of mono lake. I think it was Laurel Lakes trail. Anyways those rocks chipped lots of paint off some fancy rims and i was praying that i didn’t smash a rocker panel!



So anyway back to my Turd.

• 1992 chevy k2500 old PG&E truck 187k miles
• NV4500/NP241c
• 14 bolt semi float with 3.73 gears
• small block 350 replaced around 137k miles

Future plans to get it drivable and comfortable

• replace all radiator and oil cooler lines
• new serpentine belt
• 195* thermostat
• new temp sending unit
• flush and replace fluids
• replace door hinges and handles
• convert AC to R134a
• replace headliner
• new windshield
• figure out the misfire around 2500 RPMs in 3rd gear
• 255/85r16 tires with full-size spare
• alignment (lifetime guarantee from firestone)
• odyssey battery
• weather stripping
• 120 amp alternator

Actual build goals

• factory black fender flares
• black mirrors off silverado or sierra
• Dana 44HP or ball joint Dana 60HP SAS on coilovers
• flat belly skid plate
• hidden winch behind factory bumper
• tall skinny 35s
• tool box with inverter mounted inside
• 110v outlet in cab/truck bed
• cargo basket mounted above bed
• raspberry pi multimedia stereo/navigation
• USB ports in cab clean factory install like my 2014 truck
• LS 6.0 swap
• projector headlights

Anyways thats where my head is at. I’ve been a long time lurker on your website and I’m hoping that i can contribute and get some help also.

 

[duckarolltape]

Today has been a good for the k2500 and bad for my wallet.

I got some tires on this rig!!! They are 255/85r16 BFgoodrich KM2's. TALL AND SKINNY. I think they fit just rite after I cranked the torsion bars 5 times before heading to the tire shop.

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I also bought the lifetime alignment from firestone for $180. I can bring the truck back every 6000 miles and get it aligned for free. That will help out a lot with this IFS and 4wheeling it, or when I do my SAS swap.

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While waiting for the tires and alignment I walked over to a stereo shop to get some ideas for a decent setup. Because I won't be using a typical stereo deck I'll need a 4channel amp with equalizer to run USB to RCA into the equalizer. So for the time being I can just plug my phone into the equalizer and have a good stereo while I build my CarPuter.

Also last night I unboxed my Raspberry Pi and played around with writing code in Linux and trying to install Kodi so I can have a multimedia operating system on the computer for a touch screen. Let's just say I need practice at programming and maybe some more patience. Hopefully I can figure this out!

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On the way home from firestone I stopped by another stereo shop and left with a full Alpine system.... DAMNIT!!!

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-ported alpine 8" sub/box
-45w x 4 little Alpine amp
-4 x 4" Alpine speakers

Ill run my JL 500/1 amp for the sub

 

[duckarolltape]

Got a little bit of this stereo stuff done today. I ran my power cable into the cab threw an existing grommet next to the AC thingymajigger. some people route it to the drivers side, but that seems like a lot of cable running all over the place. anyways here are some photos of the progress. I should have it all buttoned up tomorrow.

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I mounted all of my amps and the equalizer on a piece of wood about 16”x11” to keep the install nice and clean. once i know everything is working ill probably wrap it in some carpet.

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so when i find a secure clever way to mount this behind my seat i should only have to tie it into the power wire i ran, run a ground to the frame and then find a good remote wire to use because I’m deleting the factory stereo, then on the equalizer ill have a headphone jack running up between the seat, but I’m thinking of using a bluetooth module for streaming my media. and i will just control the volume from my phone.

And to make it clear I'm not some car audio guy. Just killing time and waiting on all my parts from rock auto to show up. but a man needs his music and i refuse to mount a deck on this funky dash board.

Anyways Thanks for looking.

 

[duckarolltape]

Today I got the stereo roughed in, but I'm not finished with it. Just gonna listen to it for a while before I go even further with the CarPuter.

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The amp mount still needs Capet so the MDF board isn't exposed. But I'm gonna do that another time. I've pulled it out and reinstalled it one to many times. Another time would kill me lol. but its cool only having a headphone jack. its pretty simple and not flashy.

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I'm also only running rear 4x6 speakers. I couldn't get them into the dash and when I listened to it it's good enough, so I'll go get some money back for those.

But it sounds great!!! Lots of bass for a little 8 inch sub, and it doesn't take up 'too much space' I think I can live with it and still be able to put gear behind the drivers side. 12v charging streamlight, first ad kit, axe, shovel, maybe some other odds and ends.

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I also ran a RCA cable to the dash so I can use a ISimple RCA to lightening adapter with 12v wires to hook into the fuse block so it will charge my phone while I play music threw my equalizer without a head unit.

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overall i think i have like $350 dollars in this stereo system and i could saved money if i bought it all online. and i already had the JL audio amp laying around. but most head units cost that much

And I got some parts from rock auto while I was doing all of that stuff. It's not everything I'm waiting on but it's a start.

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[duckarolltape]

I didn't get much done today. Just cleaning up the garage after my stereo install.

But I did dig threw my old knaack box and realized it would be the perfect candidate for a truck box. While going threw it I found lots of LED lights I bought years ago for another truck ( footwell lighting, truck bed lights under bed rails and a light strip for under the hood) FREEBY.... ZIP, ZERO, NADA!!!!

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So I tossed it into the truck, made sure everything fit and drilled some holes into the bed (after fighting with dull bits I finally got to use my new drill doctor) and locked it down with some 3/8" bolts.

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Then I started test fitting my hi-jack in the bed thinking of a cleaver way to mount them.

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I also need to make some brackets for my chainsaw to be supported inside of tool box.

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Thanks for reading along, I should have lots of work to do when more stuff shows up from rock auto.

I need to flush all the fluids and replace belts, hoses and the thermostat before this weekend. It's gonna be this things maiden voyage into the woods for my buddies bachelor party.

 

[duckarolltape]

So do start replacing all my rear main seal, intake gasket, oil cooler lines, new radiator, etc..... or just keep feeding this leaky ***** fluids and save for a LS swap? The leaks aren't anything horrible. Just more annoying than anything. And the repairs won't cost that much, just time consuming and fixing something that won't be there for that long.

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[duckarolltape]

I finally got around to building a Hi-Lift mount…

I used the old brackets that where left over from my LJ, and welded them to a piece of 1/8”x2” bar stock that was laying around. That will then mount to the bed steak pockets on the side of the bed.

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It should work out well and keep it up and out of the way.

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Just need to shoot it with paint and be done with that, then build the chainsaw mount to go in my toolbox.

 

[duckarolltape]

Today I knocked a few things off my build list, but needed to be done before I head out to the sierras tomorrow morning.

I went to the chevy dealership and got the special plastic nut that adjusts the elevation of the bulb, so now one isn't pointed straight at the ground. As well as replaced the bulb that was already burned out. So being able to see at night while i drive should be pretty awesome.

Chopped my front bumper a little bit so the tires wont rub when I'm at full lock and bump.

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Here you can see the before, with that factory plastic fascia poking out, then I removed that and gave it a little trim.

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Cut off my exhaust at the muffler so I can run a full size spare in the factory location without it rubbing on the tailpipe. Once I figure out my finalized rear suspension though I'll be going back to a tailpipe. Just routed another way.

I mounted the Hi-Lift in my truck bed, but still haven't painted it due to a little rain we had this morning. So I'll need to remove it again and spray it. But it looks good and is secured with some carriage bolts so it can't be tampered with, the thief would need to be very patient to unbolt it from the bed stake pockets.

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I also bought a ALICE pack and mounted it behind my seat. This cleaned up the jacket that usually floats around on the bench seat. Plus now I got a first aid kit on hand, headlamp, and some other gear. And a bad ass backpack in case of a bug out situation, or my **** breaks down and I need to hike out of the woods.

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I also got some tie down hooks to mount on the bed floor for my jerry cans and water jug. That should keep the truck bed nice and organized and everything secure.

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[duckarolltape]

Well the trip was a success. The truck reliably went on a 400 mile trip this weekend around the "SlickRock" area by Arnold.

It didn't skip a beat, just sputtered the whole time under quarter throttle, 4wd didn't work at all and the factory Gov Locker doesn't engage until about 3k RPMs then sounds like a hand grenade went off in my truck bed.

I arrived to our campsite around 1am Saturday morning. After thinking every turn I made was wrong following the directions of signs tapped to trees from friends who came up earlier down the most washed out fire road I've ever seen. Plenty of 3'-4' deep ruts and boulders lining the road. Getting stuck and climbing out to evaluate my situation then back in to pick another line. But the truck made it. And the tire shop inflated my tires to 70psi. So the ride out was much smoother around 20 psi and I even had traction lol.

Anyways after that journey I learned that I need a tire deflator and get my little argon bottle filled with nitrogen and rig up a air chuck to it. I'm gonna get a manual 4x4 engage kit that is cable operated not electronic. And I need to swap out my thermostat ASAP because It runs around 150 degrees all the time.

Also my phone was dead for two days, so there is a serious lack of pictures. Sorry...

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[duckarolltape]

I'm still trying to work out all the kinks in this rig to make it a reliable trail rig and something I can trust on long trips. So far it hasn't left me stranded but also leaves me questioning what the hell is wrong with my idle problem and all the little noises I keep hearing. plus the truck runs at 150 degrees so maybe there is no thermostat and its just not advancing cause it doesn’t think its warm.

This week I got around to replacing my radiator, thermostat, temperature sending unit, radiator hoses, oil cooler lines, oil change, flushed the coolant, installed my Posi-Lok up front, changed the plugs, wires, Cap and rotor.

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well it had a 195 degree thermostat so maybe it was the sending unit or its just broken.

During the cap and rotor change I noticed my truck was a submarine at some point in its life. The distributor was a covered in surface rust, but still ran surprisingly. So maybe that is where my idle issue is coming from.

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Any ways I just picked up a new distributor from Napa, along with fluid to change my rear end and some spare U-Joints for the front and rear.

Tomorrow morning me and a friend will be heading out to bald mountain. So I gotta be prepared while I put the old girl threw the paces.

Just finished the distributor installation after writing the above and creating a post. Anyways with the correct timing and a new distributor it runs perfectly....

And I also found out where those noises are coming from. I blew out my factory muffler. Time to head to the exhaust shop before 5.

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