1993 Chevrolet C3500 Crew Cab Restoration/Cummins Build

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JScott23

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Okay, so this project has gone nowhere lately... haven't had the money to buy some of the expensive things, like having the transmission rebuilt.

Figured i'd do some of the cheaper chassis oriented things, that i've dreaded and put off. Want to get the chassis portion done so when I am finally ready to drop the engine/transmission in, i can just do so without having to worry about finishing other things..

Some of those things...

- Paint Frame
- Undercoat Body
- Plumb Fuel System
- Replace Brake Lines
- Fix Rust/Prep Body For Paint

First off, not even tackling the rockers at this point, they're not salvageable. The doors however were solid. So i i grinded all the rust off, and started knocking down the frame and underbody while i was at it.

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Coated both sides of all four doors, then the passenger side of the body, and passenger side of the frame (inside and out) using KBS Rust Seal.

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Next up is the same thing on the drivers side.... Then i'll have to pull the bed off and finish the entire back half of the frame. Once everything is done, i'll go back through and add a top coat for extra protection.

Then finally, that i can begin to replace the brake lines and plumb the fuel system so the chassis is ready to go for when I have the money for the transmission rebuild/paint work.
 
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JScott23

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So as progress has been stalled lately, I've been doing a lot of thinking. And I'm really considering a 5 speed for this project.

Ultimately It's not entirely what I wanted, but the more I think about it. the more it makes sense...

Pro's of the 5 speed:
- Cheaper, probably would knock $1-2k off this build.
- More durable, much more suitable for the Cummins.
- No trans cooler to mess around with. (really lacking a lot of room up front anyways)
- Better for towing.
- No electronic components to make it shift. I had one splice come undone in my aftermarket 4L80E controller in my 94. While rare that i'll have issues with the electronic components of the automatic, the 4L80E's do tend to have overdrive issues and all of the earlier 93-94 years have always shifted hard, even after rebuilds. Obviously the manual would relieve me of concerns with getting stranded, whether it be via trans cooler lines, electronic issues, or overdrive problems.

Con's of the 5 speed
- Shifting all the time gets old
- Cutting a hole in the floor of the otherwise mint interior. (no going back)

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Just really unsure on what to do, obviously the 5 speed would cut the build time down significantly, meaning I could probably get it drivable by the end of the year. And, I don't plan to drive this daily, but having the crew cab, I certainly don't want to have it sitting and rarely drive it because I don't feel like shifting.

However considering I'm building it to work, and take on long trips, the reliability of the 5 speed certainly is a plus.

Any thoughts?
 

rolla711

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I drive a manual car for a daily, I'll tell you this, yea it may be annoying to drive every once in a while but I wouldn't give it up. I have my burb which is auto. Whenever I get mad I go throw some gears in my car.

Besides have you listened to manual Cummins vs autos??? I'll take a manual any day. Also for the towing you will see a whole lot more mpg from the manual than the auto due to you're in control of the gears not an auto. That's my 2 cents which is always an opinion....

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JScott23

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I drive a manual car for a daily, I'll tell you this, yea it may be annoying to drive every once in a while but I wouldn't give it up. I have my burb which is auto. Whenever I get mad I go throw some gears in my car.

Besides have you listened to manual Cummins vs autos??? I'll take a manual any day. Also for the towing you will see a whole lot more mpg from the manual than the auto due to you're in control of the gears not an auto. That's my 2 cents which is always an opinion....

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yeah, I'm sure the mpg's are much better, I didn't think about that part of it. Manual cummins are pretty cool I will say that, you watch those things rip, you really unleash the potential of the cummins with them.

Idk, I just think of the little things, like boat ramps for example. parking on inclines. And just overall having to shift during city driving. As far as long trips go, I actually prefer the manual, less electronics to worry about and once you're on the highway, you're in 5th gear regardless.

I've already found a 3:42 axle so i'll be set up for lower RPM's on the highway anyways. A 5 speed would surely help makeup for any loss in power from that that ring/pinion selection. With 4gsk, boost elbow, valve springs, headstuds and possibly new injectors/turbo, it'll have enough power not really worried about that haha. Definitely just want to keep it mild and reliable though.
 

rolla711

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yeah, I'm sure the mpg's are much better, I didn't think about that part of it. Manual cummins are pretty cool I will say that, you watch those things rip, you really unleash the potential of the cummins with them.

Idk, I just think of the little things, like boat ramps for example. parking on inclines. And just overall having to shift during city driving. As far as long trips go, I actually prefer the manual, less electronics to worry about and once you're on the highway, you're in 5th gear regardless.

I've already found a 3:42 axle so i'll be set up for lower RPM's on the highway anyways. A 5 speed would surely help makeup for any loss in power from that that ring/pinion selection. With 4gsk, boost elbow, valve springs, headstuds and possibly new injectors/turbo, it'll have enough power not really worried about that haha. Definitely just want to keep it mild and reliable though.
Ok so I have to say this, first I'm sorry if I offend anyone....

Now, parking on hills, inclines, or anything like that manual is going to be better. Why you say? Because you're not supposed to rest your vehicle, all 4k-6k lbs of it, on the gears. When you park your car on a hill you are supposed to utilize the parking brake. Leaving the car in gear actually stresses out the transmission. They weren't built to be used as anchors. I hate when I see people leave manuals in gear when they park them.

Rule of thumbs if when you put your car in park and it rocks back than the parking brake should've been applied.

Which is cheaper to repair??
Rear brakes
Or
Transmission

Food for thought


PS.. I suck at spell check

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JScott23

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Ok so I have to say this, first I'm sorry if I offend anyone....

Now, parking on hills, inclines, or anything like that manual is going to be better. Why you say? Because you're not supposed to rest your vehicle, all 4k-6k lbs of it, on the gears. When you park your car on a hill you are supposed to utilize the parking brake. Leaving the car in gear actually stresses out the transmission. They weren't built to be used as anchors. I hate when I see people leave manuals in gear when they park them.

Rule of thumbs if when you put your car in park and it rocks back than the parking brake should've been applied.

Which is cheaper to repair??
Rear brakes
Or
Transmission

Food for thought


PS.. I suck at spell check

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So I get that 100%. Only incline I'd be worried about is a boat ramp. Definitely something that's in the plans for down the road. I live in IL, flat as can be, never park on an incline, so I'm not really worried about that. Just boat ramps, especially if you have to get out, kinda makes it difficult.
 

rolla711

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So I get that 100%. Only incline I'd be worried about is a boat ramp. Definitely something that's in the plans for down the road. I live in IL, flat as can be, never park on an incline, so I'm not really worried about that. Just boat ramps, especially if you have to get out, kinda makes it difficult.
I've never had to pull a boat up and down the ramp. I gather brakes are useless due to the truck being in the water.

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JScott23

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I've never had to pull a boat up and down the ramp. I gather brakes are useless due to the truck being in the water.

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So it's not really the water it's the weight. for about 5 years I daily drove a NV4500 dump truck... I've always found you have to put it in gear in addition to the parking brake otherwise they do keep rolling. I found this out when we parked on a driveway, and loaded things into the truck throughout the day. By lunch it had slowly crept down the driveway about 6-7 feet. Ever since we've always kept a tire chuck in there with the truck. That helps bigtime take the stress of things. I'm sure I could do the same with a boat ramp, but still lol
 

cool_as_crap

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I would pick manual just because thats what I like to drive, preferably.
Boat ramps, hills, daily driving in cities; you just get better at it the more you do it, then you don't even think of it as being out of the ordinary.

For you it makes sense because it would simplify and quicken up the build. And if you're concerned enough about MPG to lower the gear ratio, you would definitely appreciate the mpg savings at the tranny.

If you don't like it you can always swap it to auto; cover up the hole in the floor with a welded piece of metal. No one will ever know it was there, you have carpet right?
 
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