highspeed
I'm Awesome
- Joined
- Apr 23, 2013
- Messages
- 167
- Reaction score
- 0
Hello everyone, I have been lurking since April......mostly because I was reading as much as I could in order to get smart on the gmt400. I currently have a '96 z71 ECSB that I got from a pastor. The chassis has 266xxx miles but have paperwork of 90k mile motor and 10k mile trans. This was a one owner farm truck that was in decent shape. I traded my 96 Jeep Cherokee with 6.5" lift, locked, 33", etc. The reason was because I needed a truck more so than a crawler.
Anyways, I got the truck in Feb and knew that it needed some help, but nothing I can't handle since I have been building my own vehicles since i was 15. The only issue is that this is my first GMT400 so most of this is all new to me.
Here are the known issues that I know must be fixed:
- squeaky front suspension parts, haven't really looked into it yet
- weird vibration under certain conditions while braking, not like warped rotors.....but like bad shocks in the rear causing the rear to dance alittle when braking downhill
- The previous owner installed the new engine and tried to set the timing using the distributor cap..........on a Vortec motor...........so the CEL is with a Crank/Cam signal code(can't remember the number). Having trouble finding anyone who can set it up around here. Also idles like crap because of this.......but evens out when driving
- Needs o2 sensor after cat replaced
- Drivers door pins replaced again, the new ones I put in only lasted about 2 months
- Previous owner did not tighten the trans up on the motor before install, so about 3 weeks after I got it I found out the trans had seperated from the block about 1/4", which broke an ear off the bellhousing. I tightened it all up and haven't had an issue but would like a new bell housing
- Previous owner forgot to install one of the trans mount bolts, so only one is in there right now. Easy fix, but no time yet to do it.
- RPO code suggests 3.73s and G80, G80 seems to not work extremely well when going uphill on slippery ground. It will engage initially, but then slip to open diff under light throttle and 5mph or so. Not sure what to make of it yet, hoping that some new fluid will help. If not, found a 14b SF in the junk yard for $100, with open carrier.
- There are other things as well.
Other Plans
This truck is completely stock)
- Level it out
- 33"
- custom front and rear functional bumpers
- winch
- switch chrome molding for rhino-lining
- open up the exhaust and intake
- Switch the G80 10 bolt for something slightly stronger
So basically I want to keep it DD'able for the forseeable future because my wife is in college for the next year and I don't have too much extra cash floating around. I have alot of my own tools (two welders, air compressor, and many tools) so I have no problem doing my own work, and I have been a mechanic before. I like to hunt and fish, and that is basically as extreme as I want to build it right now. Being a Jeep guy in the past, I miss being able to go to one of the 3 ORV parks and doing some mild wheeling and crawling, so once the wife is out of school, this will be my offroad toy, and SAS will be first on my list.
I have spent the last 5 months just reading through the posts and looking up issues on here so that I can know more about my truck before I start posting. Looks like a good group of people and I hope that I can learn more from everyone as well as help people with my existing knowledge from years of my own experience.
I will post pics when I get back home. I am traveling now and the truck is at the house. In the meantime, here is an action picture of my cherokee.
Anyways, I got the truck in Feb and knew that it needed some help, but nothing I can't handle since I have been building my own vehicles since i was 15. The only issue is that this is my first GMT400 so most of this is all new to me.
Here are the known issues that I know must be fixed:
- squeaky front suspension parts, haven't really looked into it yet
- weird vibration under certain conditions while braking, not like warped rotors.....but like bad shocks in the rear causing the rear to dance alittle when braking downhill
- The previous owner installed the new engine and tried to set the timing using the distributor cap..........on a Vortec motor...........so the CEL is with a Crank/Cam signal code(can't remember the number). Having trouble finding anyone who can set it up around here. Also idles like crap because of this.......but evens out when driving
- Needs o2 sensor after cat replaced
- Drivers door pins replaced again, the new ones I put in only lasted about 2 months
- Previous owner did not tighten the trans up on the motor before install, so about 3 weeks after I got it I found out the trans had seperated from the block about 1/4", which broke an ear off the bellhousing. I tightened it all up and haven't had an issue but would like a new bell housing
- Previous owner forgot to install one of the trans mount bolts, so only one is in there right now. Easy fix, but no time yet to do it.
- RPO code suggests 3.73s and G80, G80 seems to not work extremely well when going uphill on slippery ground. It will engage initially, but then slip to open diff under light throttle and 5mph or so. Not sure what to make of it yet, hoping that some new fluid will help. If not, found a 14b SF in the junk yard for $100, with open carrier.
- There are other things as well.
Other Plans
This truck is completely stock)- Level it out
- 33"
- custom front and rear functional bumpers
- winch
- switch chrome molding for rhino-lining
- open up the exhaust and intake
- Switch the G80 10 bolt for something slightly stronger
So basically I want to keep it DD'able for the forseeable future because my wife is in college for the next year and I don't have too much extra cash floating around. I have alot of my own tools (two welders, air compressor, and many tools) so I have no problem doing my own work, and I have been a mechanic before. I like to hunt and fish, and that is basically as extreme as I want to build it right now. Being a Jeep guy in the past, I miss being able to go to one of the 3 ORV parks and doing some mild wheeling and crawling, so once the wife is out of school, this will be my offroad toy, and SAS will be first on my list.
I have spent the last 5 months just reading through the posts and looking up issues on here so that I can know more about my truck before I start posting. Looks like a good group of people and I hope that I can learn more from everyone as well as help people with my existing knowledge from years of my own experience.
I will post pics when I get back home. I am traveling now and the truck is at the house. In the meantime, here is an action picture of my cherokee.
I build thread can be started whenever. Hell if you want to be really detailed you can post oil changes 
