1994 Chev K1500 6.5 TD ECSB - Junkyard Rescue!

[gstubbz]

This weekend has the biggest update since when I bought the truck back!

Well first is the interior, I swapped in the brown bucket seats from the parts truck and the brown back seat as well. I would have liked to keep the grey bench seat but I snapped off the seat release lever (was already broken) and made it so no lever could be used, resulting in swapping the rear seats as well. Driver side seat bolted up in the existing holes, but the passenger seat needs 3 more holes drilled for the buckets. For now it's held in by only one

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On the next day (Sunday, today) I woke up and started painting a few pieces. Painted the glove box cover that I pulled from the brown truck since it wasn't broken and painted it black. Also painted the uncracked dashboard bezel black, as well as the grille. Everything looks much better for a truck that doesn't move under its own power!

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Then I finally stripped down the front end from the parts truck. Took off fenders, bumper brackets, core support (which I ended up cutting the A/C lines since I didn't have wrenches big enough to remove the fitting from the radiator, also cut the power steering radiator lines) so I could remove the core support. Also dropped the core support on my finger ******* it up pretty good and making this stuff hard to type! On the other truck I have no plans to cut the lines let alone remove the core support, I'm only doing it on this truck since I'm pulling the engine and transmission out as one (and it's now a parts truck for sure).

Removed the driveshaft, unbolted the transmission, removed some stuff from the engine (alternator, PS pump, etc) so all I have to do next weekend is unbolt the engine mounts then lift out the entire thing with a bobcat. Bummer thing is I have yet to remove anything engine wise from the grey truck yet. I did spin the good 6.5 over with a wrench today and it spun nicely! Tried spinning the bad 6.5 and it was seized pretty good. Can't wait to rip it apart when it is out!

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Also did a few little other things to the truck I can't think of right now, I'd love to get the engines swapped this next coming weekend and actually drive the truck again (has a full tank of diesel) but that probably won't happen! We shall see. Took three 20oz red bulls to get as far as I did, takes forever when you're by yourself and nobody wants to help!!

Smoked a deer with my white truck last week, it cracked my GMC grille in half so I stole the chevy grille from the brown truck and the red/black bowtie from the grey truck for the meantime.

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[gstubbz]

Well...

My 98 was rear ended by a friend in a K5 at about 50MPH, and I had a trailer ball sticking out and when he hit that my frame bent before the rear leaf spring shackle. Truck is going to be totaled so I'll be buying it back and gutting the interior, tires, and front clip to be swapped on the 94. Piece of my diesel and piece of my gasser.

So what new vehicle did I purchase? A 2003 Ram 2500 5.7L Hemi QCSB. Has 137k on the clock, and my father is the original owner. He bought it new in August of 2003. He went out and bought a CCSB 2016 Ram 2500 with the Cummins the day after my accident. Happy with the Dodge and it's solid front axle. Is a stripper model with manual windows. Options are cruise control, A/C, and an Automatic (would have loved if it was a 5 speed!). He custom built the side steps and front bumper since his main business is rocksliders for Toyotas.

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[BowtieBrody]

Ouch everyone ok in the wreck?
I like to give my friends little love taps at rural or side street stop-signs but your friend took it to a whole different level!

New truck looks great! Love the bumper and side steps!

 

[gstubbz]

Ouch everyone ok in the wreck?
I like to give my friends little love taps at rural or side street stop-signs but your friend took it to a whole different level!

New truck looks great! Love the bumper and side steps!

Yeah, I had some whiplash but I'm fine now. For a second the day after my lower back was aching and on Sunday I didn't want to stand up much. All good now! My friend ended up bending his steering wheel, knees went into the dash, and had a tire in the back of the blazer (didn't have the top on it) fly up and hit him. His blazer also had 95 seats installed and the rails broke so he slid forward. Luckily he is okay now too! Little sore the past couple of days.

And thank you! It's nice having it. I miss the chevy but at least I still have the 94!

 

[drewcrew]

Yeah, I had some whiplash but I'm fine now. For a second the day after my lower back was aching and on Sunday I didn't want to stand up much. All good now! My friend ended up bending his steering wheel, knees went into the dash, and had a tire in the back of the blazer (didn't have the top on it) fly up and hit him. His blazer also had 95 seats installed and the rails broke so he slid forward. Luckily he is okay now too! Little sore the past couple of days.

And thank you! It's nice having it. I miss the chevy but at least I still have the 94!

Glad no one got seriously hurt. Could have been a lot worse.

 

[gstubbz]

Glad no one got seriously hurt. Could have been a lot worse.

I was extremely lucky, had my seat not of had a headrest, I think I could have messed my neck up pretty good!

 

[gstubbz]

So this weekend... still waiting on insurance and cost of the buyback, etc. but I am going to see if I can finally get the engines swapped. Going to borrow an engine hoist from a friend, only thing I'm not looking forward to is dragging it around in sand. All of my friends decided to go camping this weekend but all I want is my Chevy back and running!

 

[gstubbz]

I did grab something the other day out of a 97 k2500 ECLB. A diesel gauge cluster for an automatic. Assuming I ever get to do the interior swap from my 98, it'll be nice to have the right cluster!

The ironic part is that my 98 has 198,*** something and this new cluster has 198,4xx.

I managed to spell gauge wrong on the snapchat, my bad!

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[1500z71]

Looks like it was a good thing you kept the '94 glad everyone was okay

 

[gstubbz]

Thanks 1500z71!

So an update for this weekend. I finally had time to mess around with this project, so I did. Started by pulling the engine/transmission from the parts truck and removed pretty much everything on the grey truck outside of the bell housing bolts and a few leftover wires. I didn't have enough time today to yank the engine from the grey truck so that will be next weekends project. Then I have to change the torque converter, flexplate, and oil filter adapter (2wd drops straight down while 4wd is at an angle because of the front drive shaft) and reassemble, then hopefully be putting around in it next Sunday night!

Rolling an engine hoist around in sand blows, didn't have plywood or anything to make it easier. To pull it back far enough I used a tow strap and my truck since the thing was digging into the dirt beyond what I could pull. I have a source to a bobcat possibly, and if so, I want that ***** for next weekend!!

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I drained the oil on the bad 6.5 out of curiosity, and the oil was goopy and smelled like ****. This poor 6.5 died because my friend added additive to it, and I don't want to do another engine swap in this truck (and if I have to it's going to be a 350 or 454 next time).

This is the reason the brown truck was parked, flexplates kept cracking and it leads me to believe (since the drivers side engine mount was worn out) that stress and the angle of the engine created a bind that snapped the flex plate, the PO replaced it twice then parked it in 2005. Brown truck engine still spins extremely well with no clunks, so I think it's safe to say this engine is in good shape. Turbo and intake has little oil residue where the bad 6.5 had everything coated in oil.

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The grey truck also had a leaking oil cooler radiator, so it's a good thing I have a spare! I am now done with the brown truck, I'll probably scrap it or give it to a friend who may want leftover parts. I still may take the 4.10 ff rear axle for my future 8 lug plans.

The other nice thing is that I can finally fix the stupid fuel line leak under the grey truck when the engine was out, it loved to leak fuel, but nothing else!!

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First time doing an engine swap, pretty proud of myself since I've done 98% of the work by myself. Only ***** is the bell housing bolts on the grey truck, certainly not looking forward to removing those.