Glad I found GMT400

[Pampo'sTruck]

My name is Joe I'm from NM. I'm 29, married, and have 2 English Mastiffs. I've always wanted to fix up my truck but never had the means to. I have very basic mechanical skills, even more basic hand tools. I'm getting older now and I realized I need to start working on my truck I love so much before it really falls to disrepair.

My grandfather bought this truck with 5 miles on it from a small town dealer. I've been looking for the photo but somewhere there is a photo of me, not much taller than the hood, on the day he brought it home. I've always called it my truck and have had great times and memories with my grandfather in this truck. Including hunting, fishing, and camping. Being chauffeured on my first "date" and learning how to drive (well before legal age).

My grandfather passed away almost 16 years ago when I was a freshman in highschool and left me this truck and a .308 rifle. All that I know about mechanics I learned from him. It's not nearly as much as I'd like, but I've found the internet to be a great learning tool. I don't have a lot of money, def not enough to pay someone to fix my truck up. I'm going to have to learn to do all the things I want to do myself and save up the money for the parts and tools I'll need as I go. Over the years my Pampo's truck has fallen to disrepair.

I've just recently gotten back into the workforce after 3yrs of being unemployed (I was a stay at home stepdaddy for our now 19yo daughter that is special needs). This truck had been sitting out in my backyard and had not run in about 1 year. I had some odd wiring issue with the charging system. I put alternators and tried my neighbors battery and couldn't figure it out. After my little brother (Owner of Monarch Diesel Performance LLC) emailed me a wiring diagram, I attacked it with a multimeter and figured out the issue with my charging system. I drove it around to the side of my house and almost immediately I blew the fitting on the back of the intake that goes to the heater core. I thought for sure I was going to have to get a new manifold but had no job or money to do so. My little brother saved the day and helped me get that fixed around Thanksgiving(he lives out of town). My mom bought me a tire and a battery as an early X-mas gift and I have now been working security for a local hardware store for about a month now.

I'm happy to be working again. I only have a 5 mile commute and my truck so far has been reliably getting me to work everyday and back home again. For sitting so long it's actually been running pretty good. So far, Thanks to youtube and stumbling upon this forum, I've flushed the cooling system. It's still pretty raunchy, the coolant despite being only 1 week old now, is still rust colored. Not even close to being green. I also changed the heater core out (it was plugged). So I have a heater now. I also changed the oil today and cleaned my K&N air filter (installed by my grandfather before he passed). I think the plug wires are okay but I bought a cap and rotor and spark plugs. I also bought a PCV valve cause it looked like it was puking oil all over my air filter. I haven't done the plugs or cap & rotor yet prob tomorrow or friday. I forgot to get a gap tool and not sure what the gap should be set at. Is it that important??

Anyways, I'm excited to have found this forum. I've learned quite a bit in the last few days of reading. It also ignited an old flame that I had as a young high school boy about making my truck something more than a stock daily driver. It's not had the TLC it deserves over the years but with my new found knowledge and reignited passion for my Pampo's truck, and a little help from this forum and youtube, I'm planning on wrenching my truck back to life.

Here are some photos I took of my truck today.

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[Rogue]

Welcome, glad to see things turning around for you! Hope they continue to go that way.

This forum has been a big help for me as well...save me lots of money and able to afford to keep up my truck.

 

[Horns]

 

[What?]

Welcome and a very cool story.

The story you have, I'd leave truck alone and just upkeep on the maintenance ready to give to the next generation.

 

[jkeaton]

Welcome.

 

[sewlow]

Welcome!

 

[Pampo'sTruck]

Thanks for all the warm welcomes! As far as the next generation goes, unless I get a divorce, I won't be having any more children. My wife is a vet and she has had a full hysterectomy. My stepdaughter now lives in a "special" community, like assisted living where they pretty much live on their own but they have help with finding and keeping a job and certain other things like cooking and cleaning. One of the problems she has is epilepsy and she will not be able to get a driver's license.

It's going to take time(mostly to get the $ for parts) and effort and I most likely won't wind up doing anything radical to my truck. But I want to either restore it or "spruce it up" a bit. I originally wanted to drop and bag it. But I don't want to cut into the frame and/or bed of the truck. Too permanent and although I can weld wrought iron, and sheet metal fairly well, I don't have a welder.

I guess my goals are to make it perform better and make it look like I didn't pull it out of a junk yard lol. I'd like to change all the bushing to poly and drop it to handle curves better, do what I can to make the engine run a little stronger(bolt ons, headers, TBI mod, etc.), change the bumpers, wheels, tires, and grill, to make it look a little better. I don't know what paint and body might cost but that's about the only thing I want to do that I wouldn't be able to do myself with basic hand tools. I'd love to have the handles shaved, and maybe french in some taillights. You know just make it look smooth.

It's my daily driver so w/e I do to it it would have to be done and drivable again before the beginning of the next work week. Come better weather though I have a motorcycle I can use to commute so around summer time is when I will have to get the larger projects done.

 

[twomanymontes]

Welcome Aboard!

This site has certainly helped me out and has cost me money with all the cool stuff these guys come up with, LOL! Good luck on your plans for the truck, looks like a good solid starting point.

And As for your daughter, My wife works with special needs individuals. And has been for 17 years now. I understand what your going through and hope for the best.

 

[mistaake]

Welcome! I would definitely recommend fixing it up and doing all the maintenance before modding. I have made that mistake myself a few times haha but anyway once the truck is in good condition you might not have as much of a desire to change it.

 

[Ironhead]

Very nice to read your story, and the family connection with the truck makes it very special. I second the suggestions that you take care of basic maintenance issues first, including brake fluid flush, fluid changes, and so on. Most of these tasks are very easy to do, and quite rewarding when you step back and tell yourself that you did it yourself.

Not sure why your coolant looks rusty. Maybe there was some old dexcool still in there, it's an orange color. Might be worth it to flush and fill again. I kind of like the garden hose fitting you put in the heater line. Makes things very simple. I think you can get them at any parts shop, mine happened to come from NAPA>