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1965truckrod

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Hello GMT400! I'm the owner of this lovely girl we lovingly call Black Betty. I would be considered the 3rd owner, my dad owned it for a few years and he bought it as a Lease Return IIRC. 1999 GMC K2500 Suburban LTZ. 7.4L all running gear is factory, haven't changed anything out as it was primarily our towing/ road trip vehicle so it's under 150k mileage.

Leather interior has held up well. Drivers seat has it's usual wear. The dash of course split into several sections, but for now covered to hide the holes. The only issue I know that it had other than the usual in tank fuel pump failure is that the injectors had to be replaced not long after we got it as they were not firing right and causing all kinds of problems.

I don't intend on making it useless by lifting it up to the sky, but I'd like to get it to a height that will allow for 35" tires to clear lock out to lock out. The current 265/75/17's are great, but a vehicle this size would (IMHO) do better with a wider and taller tire. I'm thinking maybe a 305 width with a taller sidewall. I'm likely going to look at some of the higher end rims as this girl is heavy and I don't want them failing on me. The ones it has now are a bit dated and starting to show corrosion cracking.

I have plans on doing a dual battery system, but a bit different than the usual setup. I have an inverter wired in currently, but want to Isolate the inverter and starting duties to one battery, and then the other does the normal work. The charging system will be the only thing that I'll have to modify to work with the isolated batteries. I recently had a water pump seal go out, so while I was in there, I changed out the timing chain and gear and went to a GM Performance timing cover. Being that this engine uses a Crank driven reluctor ring, you are quite limited on available covers. I'd love to go to a double roller, but there are no covers that I know of that will support the reluctor ring (Crankshaft Position Sensor). I did a Stewart Performance Aluminum water pump, sprayed it in my favorite Wrinkle Black which is also on the intake manifold and valve covers. Since I beat up the radiator getting the Crank Bolt and pulley off, I'd like to go to a heavy duty radiator... all aluminum and then ditch the clutch fan for a pair of 16" electric fans with shroud. Should quiet up things a bit and allow cooler idle temps.

Performance wise I recently did a K&N Typhoon 2 intake system, but was done when the reluctor ring issue occurred so I haven't tested it. It is my understanding that these bad boys sounds awesome without all of the silencers and expansion tanks on the intake tract. I added a sand screen to the filter as well. That also includes a BBK 80mm Throttle body, but hasn't been installed yet as I need to get an adapter for one of the sensors. Eventually I'd like to pull the cam and heads, replace the lifters, pushrods, and rockers. Do the proper Stud conversion on the heads so I can run a good set of rockers. I'm hoping to fit everything under the stock covers, but I'm not opposed to doing aftermarket covers if necessary. I don't have any other performance mods planned as she has plenty of power. I intend on getting a tune to accommodate for the mods, but nothing extreme. I'd like to see a bit more top end, but I have a feeling I won't see much of that until I finally do a Pro Charger setup... which of course would be when I make a lot more money than I do now lol.

Next big item will be getting he body straightened back out and painted. Currently the clear coat is holding on for dear life in the form of giant flakes of "skin" on the surface of the paint. The roof is down to primer and there is a bit of corrosion above the drivers side rear door. Once she's painted, I'll get a proper roof cage and switch up the light mounting situation.

I think I've word vomited enough for the time being.
 

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618 Syndicate

You won't...
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Yep Lower Sierra's Near Mammoth Mountain and the associated lakes throughout the area. Fly Fishermans Wet Dream... which my father and I are avidly.
Fly fishing has always fascinated me. I'm not an outdoorsy person, and I have no desire to go do it, but I have a couple buddies who are into it, and honestly it looks pretty difficult.
 

1965truckrod

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Lakeside, California
Thanks for the warm welcome. The Northern Sierras is also well known for it's fire trails and hidden spots atop the mountains that were all at one point Volcanoes. Usually a crystal clear lake in the center.

One of the first things I'd like to take care of is getting the ECU Tuned so I can take advantage of the upgrades that I've been adding and will be adding. I'll start digging around on the forum for posts about tunes. I'd like to find a tuner in Southern California if possible, although due to our garbage smog regulations here, that might not be an option. If one comes to you, feel free to post a reply about it, but don't go out of your way to do it. I'll figure it out. I have a background in Software Engineering and I have managed several Forums throughout my life.
 

1965truckrod

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Lakeside, California
How’s the fire danger there now? I haven’t followed very closely but the “news” coverage in the East would lead you to believe every hectare west of the Mississippi is up in flames right now
There is always a fire somewhere, without fail. The Sierras just got done with a decent size fire, and closer to me near Fallbrook there is a fire brewing. Thunderstorms all week so we'll likely have another fire once they hit some dry foliage.
 
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