1996 GMC K3500 DRW, Extended Cab, Flatbed, 454, NV-4500... DAILY DRIVER

[83GMCK2500]

Got parts?

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Took the '97 to a wrecking yard, got a couple Benjamins out of it. The engine and trans went to another friend, picture a bagged '70 C10 as the recipient.

Pecked away at various little things on the flatbed in the evenings for a couple weeks (to this day, still not done.) and then one weekend I decided to clean up the outside. Clay bar, rubbing compound, polish, wax.

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[MYT HI]

Wow that's awesome

 

[SwampHound]

This truck is probably one of the baddest, if not the baddest K3500 ever.

 

[83GMCK2500]

Prior to the accident, I accomplished one of the tasks I've had on the back burner. BRAKE UPGRADE! Anyone watch that Alaska Off-Road Warriors show? The lower 48 team? I've had the pleasure of talking with both of them on multiple occasions. Carl owns/runs Jantz Engineering near where I used to live & work, I had him machine the upper and lower ball joint tapers in a set of GMT-800 knuckles for me to the correct diameter for the -400 ball joints. During the brake upgrade I installed new upper and lower ball joints, lower control arm bushings, sway bar bushings, and sway bar end links.

Good-bye...

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Hello

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Coming together

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So much bigger

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[83GMCK2500]

The one thing I didn't do with the brake upgrade was flush the brake fluid, I just topped it off and bled the fronts. I knew David wanted to flush the Black Fox with new fluid so I held off until then. He has a power bleeder, clamp a plate onto the top of the MC, pressurize to 12-15 psi and go around opening bleeders. It has a reservoir of fluid within it, maintains a level in the MC so you're (ideally) not introducing air into the system. I siphoned the old fluid out of mine first so I could clean the reservoir, it was nasty.

Before

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After

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As I worked my way around under the truck I was shocked at the lack of fluid flow. With the requisite 15 psi in the power bleeder I completely removed the bleeder from the right rear wheel cylinder and poked around with a probe looking for blockage. Nothing encountered so I put the bleeder back in, left it cracked, had David depress the brake...VOILA! I had fluid. I couple cycles of standard bleeding with the power bleeder and it started flowing well. Repeat procedure for the left rear, resulted in good flow. Fronts flowed well when I opened their bleeders. Truck stops very well now. The brake upgrade was a noticeable improvement, the new fluid helped as well.

 

[skylark]

Let an insurance company try to find you oun of those! It looks sexy!

 

[83GMCK2500]

Thus far in 2015 the flatbed got a brake upgrade, an E24 swap, DOT 4 brake fluid, various other little things then it was time for another big ticket item. Rubber. I have had a set of OEM steel wheels in storage that had been blasted and powder coated "speedboat aluminum w/clear". I may have a picture a page or two back of them when we picked them up. Here they are now.

Tires and wheels meeting for the first time, looks like it will go well.

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I think they'll get along well together.

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Closeup of the match.

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[83GMCK2500]

Yup, same Coopers as on the Black Fox, Cooper ST MAXX in LT255/85R16. For those of you that follow that build you know I need an altitude adjustment and spacers.

Quick trip to a wrecking yard secured me some GMT-800 blocks, they're about 1.75".

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New ubolts

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The WORST DAMNED DESIGNED PART ON THESE TRUCKS

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I'm tenacious

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High zinc primer

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No assembled pics, I was jonesing to get the new shoes on.

 

[83GMCK2500]

Rear coming together, spacers are 1.5" thick steel from Motorsport Tech CALL THEM FOR GMT-400 APPLICATION, at the time I ordered them they did not have them listed on their site. The clearances are very close when keeping a stock wheel. In my picture you can see how much material they left in the center to maintain hub centricity. 88GMCtruck is running a custom set on The Black Fox from the same source.

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One side done

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Couple close-ups

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Flatbed clearance

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Done, picture taken at work later in the week

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Washed it again, now with cab lights again!

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[83GMCK2500]

Random work photos.

Catching some air

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Load of sound wall panels to go to jobsite

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Load of pumps returning from jobsite

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Last weekend I moved an S10 crew cab cab for a friend.

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