The 'Burb

[Darkrider]

Received my new trans cooler in the mail today. Went ahead and installed it, and posted a write up in the transmission section. It was really nice being able to put a cooler with twice the cooling capacity in place of the stock unit with very little modification.

Nice! Def gonna need to check out the thread on the install

 

[SAATR]

Just finished test driving after installing the trans. Wow..... BIG difference. Shifts are much more positive, but definitely not violent or neck snapping. You can definitely tell it has a higher stall converter, as it flashes to 2k with light throttle vs 1500 before. Flat footing it from a standstill yields tire smoke, and lots of it! Wouldn't even turn the tires over before. Mileage is still a big question mark, though I know it will still get the same old 15 - 17 on the highway.

In other news, I went ahead and swapped my stock replacement radiator for the 454SS unit. It bolted right in, and the Vista Pro that O'Reilly's carries even has the vertical filler neck, so it looks just like a stock unit except for the core being twice as thick. Oddly enough, it's cheaper, so I actually got a little money back out of the deal. I also removed the factory running boards and front license plate mount. Looks much cleaner and less like a grandpa mobile. Progress .

 

[SAATR]

Not a lot to report this week. Just been taking care of a few small bugs that have been nagging me, and fixing post trans install drips and leaks. One of my heater tees is cracked and dripping coolant under pressure, so I went by Autozone and ordered one to replace it. Bought a new belt tensioner assembly at O'Reilly's to replace the squeaking/ticking unit that's been on it since I bought it. I put a different battery in because the Superstart I have had in it for the past 2 years is dripping a teeny tiny bit of acid on my AC line, turning it dark grey. It's been a little slower starting up since I put the battery in, so had it tested and was told that the battery was fine. Got home and checked my connections and found the ground cable loose at the battery. Went ahead and cleaned/greased both the battery and block end of the ground wire and the battery end of the hot wire. Also ran a dedicated ground from the battery to the alternator, to alleviate any poor grounding issues. Alternator still gets quite warm, but it seems a little cooler (with all loads on, mind you) than it did before. I'll do the Big 3 one day, just have other, more pressing issues to handle.

 

[SAATR]

A year later...

I finally got around to putting some more time and money into the old girl. The trans and converter are still doing well, though the converter slips sometimes at highway speeds, which makes me think the lockup clutch ain't all it's cracked up to be. Probably be going with a Circle D unit in the near future, as well as an SFI flexplate, as mine is clicking/ticking . I have, however, finally gotten around to fixing up the brakes. After years of Fred Flintstoning my practically manual brakes, I finally threw some money at Rockauto and got this:

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A nice reman booster from ACDelco and a new Raybestos master cylinder. The master cylinder is dirt simple to remove and install. The booster, however, isn't. After an hour with a stubby box end 15mm and a 1/4" ratchet, I finally got the bolts out... only to be confronted with the &*$&#@!(@ clip that holds the brake switch and brake rod to the pedal. Thirty minutes and a couple of nice gashes later, I got that off and popped the old booster out. And of course, installation is the reverse of removal, so I fought the clip, fought the quarter-turn-at-a-time-on-lock-nuts-on-two-inch-studs, and got the thing back together. After that ordeal, I cracked a fresh bottle of this:

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And proceeded to bench bleed the master cylinder. Now those of you that have put a new master cylinder on a GMT400 with 4WAL know that I wasn't even close to being out of the woods, because it can be a royal pain to get the air out of the system once it's in there. Well, brethren, I had anticipated this and nipped it in the proverbial bud. My secret weapon:

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A pressure bleeding adapter. If you have one, you know what a godsend it is. If you don't, buy one! It is the bar none best $40 I have ever spent on a tool. The pressure gauge and vinyl tubing are my own custom rig, so I could use it with my existing pressure tank:

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This is the actual adapter that I bought:

http://www.amazon.com/Power-Bleeder...bs_auto_8?ie=UTF8&refRID=0FXRH65YZHXN5Q0G3R2W

I didn't fill the tank with fluid, rather, I followed one of the other user's advice and filled the master cylinder while leaving the tank dry. No mess to deal with when the tank is dry, and no chance of contamination. I added the pressure gauge and bought my own tubing, so I spent about another $20 bucks beyond the price of the adapter. You can get the adapter with the tank and line for about $70, so if you don't already have a tank, that's the route to go. After I had it all hooked up, it only took about 15 minutes and two refills of the master to bleed all the air and old fluid out, leaving me with this:

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Beautiful, pristine brake fluid. And now a little pressure with my big toe will bring this two and a half ton beast to a screeching halt. Next weekend, I have new pads, rubber lines, wheel cylinders, shoes, seals, and hardware to add. Hopefully that will be it for the brakes, for a at least four or five years. The only hiccup is that I have to replace the right rear axle shaft, as it is bent. I went junkyard cruising after work today, scoping for a nice donor axle, and LO and BEHOLD found this:

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I couldn't believe it. I had to slap myself and look again! I crawled into the truck, opened the lid, and... NO INSERT! What rotten luck! So I scoured the back of the cab, under the pile of door skins and dash parts, dug through the bed, and FINALLY found it! Full of water and mosquito larvae, but intact. The only thing missing was the cupholder at the front. So I decided to press my luck, and walked on down the line. After coming up empty on several more 400's, I finally hit paydirt in a tan interior Tahoe. With my Frankenconsole and sundry trim pieces in hand, I rolled up to the counter like a '49er with a sack o gold. A little Windex and elbow grease and you get what's in the picture above. My search for a console is over, at long, long last.

Tomorrow, I return to the yard for my axle. I'll put up a thread for anybody that would like me to search for something while I'm there.

Next time:

Front and rear brakes

In the near future:

Sanden 4440 install

 

[96twodoor]

Love reading your posts.... Keep that big girl going man.

 

[DroppedAsAChild]

Glad to see your back workin on her

 

[SAATR]

Let's do the time warp again!

Nearly 18 months later, I'm back at it with the 'Burb. Didn't drive the old girl for nearly a year after I fell into a Sierra 3500 CC DMax. One of those family deals where "You can have it" turned into "We need it back". It's for the best, as it needed injectors and several thousand dollars worth of love that I just couldn't afford, and wasn't going to do without my name on the title.

First on the agenda is the AC. I'm doing a full system flush, replacing the serpentine flow condenser with a new Denso parallel flow unit, and changing over to a Sanden 4440 style compressor manufactured by Denso. The Sanden compressors go for 250ish, and after some diligent research I found that Denso manufactures one just like it. These are available at rockauto for a touch over 200. You can get the no name Chinese knockoffs for about 150 off eBay, or go with the GPD version for less money than that. I have found that you generally get what you pay for with AC parts, so a well respected name like Denso for less money was a no brainer. Part number is 4717044, for those interested. I will also be installing an aux condenser fan from a Suburban 2500 that I snagged at the salvage yard. I'm going to splice into the low pressure switch to activate a relay to control the fan, and may add a temp switch to cut the fan on when coolant temp is high down the road. It will be nice to have working AC, no matter what.

Next on the list is the torque converter. The Revmax has been.... less than spectacular. It started making a ticking sound not long after it was installed, which is either cracked flexplate or something internal to the converter. I wasn't pulling the trans out to make the determination unless it got worse, which it hasn't. The lockup clutch has never functioned properly, and has always slipped under moderate throttle or load. In all, it's what I get for not just getting an S10 converter or a QUALITY aftermarket unit. I am presently debating those two options. Leaning toward a Circle D, but the S10 unit is 200 cheaper... Decisions, decisions. Lots to do, and it will all be happening very, very soon, as I'm going on vacation in April and need the tank in top condition.

Until next time...

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[slowburb]

Sometimes another's experience can sway a decision. I am completely happy with the S10 converter in my lifted 4x4 Suburban with warm 350 and 34" tires. The majority of my driving is in the greater BR area on city streets, with the occasional trip to NOLA, and have logged one 3500 mile trip to the northeast. No issues, and this is a reman Dayco B29/S10 converter, a TBG built 4L60, and a factory cooler.

 

[SAATR]

Sometimes another's experience can sway a decision. I am completely happy with the S10 converter in my lifted 4x4 Suburban with warm 350 and 34" tires. The majority of my driving is in the greater BR area on city streets, with the occasional trip to NOLA, and have logged one 3500 mile trip to the northeast. No issues, and this is a reman Dayco B29/S10 converter, a TBG built 4L60, and a factory cooler.

Sounds like a winner. I went ahead and bought the S10 unit last night from GMPartsDirect. Couldn't justify the price difference between it and the Circle D for my intended usage. Good to know that it works fine in something even heavier than mine! Thanks!

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[SAATR]

Finished the AC installation yesterday. Lines were very clean and free of debris, thankfully. Orifice tube had a few tiny pieces of metal in it, but only a couple. Was replacing the condenser anyway, so it was a non issue. The Denso condenser ended up being a serpentine flow instead of parallel, do that was a bit of a disappointment, but we will see how well it keeps head pressure under control once the weather warms up. I'll get a parallel flow unit if it does poorly. The Denso compressor actually IS a Sanden 4440. Made in USA, specs Sanden SP-15 PAG oil. Pretty good deal given the cost of actual Sanden branded compressors. I flushed all the lines with AC flush, but stayed out of the rear unit due to the heater lines. Those quick connects are a pain when New, and 19 year old plastic breaking isn't something I wanted to risk on the rear heater lines. Pulled it down to around 1600 microns for about and hour and it held that for 12 hours, so it was definitely well sealed. Charged with virgin DuPont 134A and let her rip. Was blowing cold, but given the 60 degree ambient temp that doesn't mean much. Will be testing to see what sort of temp differential it will push one we have some actual AC worthy weather.

The torque converter arrived from GMPartsDirect and will be installed as soon as I'm feeling froggy.

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