'88 RCLB C3500 "Roscoe P. Coltrane"

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Erik the Awful

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Page 6 of this PDF says 3.42 with the manual transmission.
Thanks for the .pdf! Unfortunately, page 6 says "5.7L". The previous owner, who's been pretty reliable on the info so far, said it originally had a 454. Page 23 lists ratios for the 7.4L, and it lists 3.42, 3.73, 4.10, and 4.56. Seeing as it's SRW and not DRW, I can probably eliminate the 4.56 which was only an option on the 10K GVWR trucks. That does get me closer, and the more I look at it, the more a 6L80 looks like my goal.

I got the truck in the shop on Tuesday, got the Caddy frame and trailer put away yesterday, and today I was able to focus on cleaning out the bed.

If you find your horseshoe facing up like this you catch good luck, like finding a gooseneck hitch under all that garbage!

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I filled Way Cool Jr's bed with scrap metal, and refilled my trash bin halfway with debris and mouse poop.

The other day another of my co-workers stated, "I don't understand why he has such a mouse problem, with all them big, fat copperheads he's killed."

Umm... I'm guessing the mouse problem is why he has such a big, fat copperhead problem.

The bed's not clean, but it is cleaned out. It's not pretty, it's dented, but it doesn't have any rust holes. It's going to get the same cheap rattle-can bed liner treatment that Way Cool Jr got. Buy the cheap stuff, keep a couple cans on hand, and touch up is a breeze. I do want to crawl under the truck and see if the gooseneck fixture has loose nuts underneath or if they're welded to the bed, because I'd really like to pull it off and clean whatever is under there, be it mouse poop or hungry copperheads.

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The tailgate was a bit dorked and I had to use a long, flat screwdriver to open it, but WCJr's was dorked when I got it, and now I know how to get the tailgate working smooth. I'll tackle that and getting the last seatbelt out tomorrow. I already have my shopping lists made, and I might hit Pull-A-Part for a few essentials, even though I don't have the title yet.

Pull-A-Part Shopping List
hood hinges *
engine wiring harness *
rear wiring harness *
hydroboost setup *
radiator
6L80 transmission
Jeep steering shaft

dash harness *
rearview mirror w/ compass & sensor *
glovebox *
carpet *
door sill trim *
seatbelts
headliner
gauge glass
dash cubby
single din trim

SRW front brake rotors *
3 SRW wheels *
rear bumper *
tow receiver
front left fender

Rock Auto Shopping List
tailgate handle surround
outside door handles
lock set
side marker lights
parking lights
tail lights
fuel sending unit
fuel pump
air dam
 

Erik the Awful

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Took the motor out with the flame wrench?!
Yup.

Oh damn thats a hack job, wtf????
Ten years ago when the truck was parked, a beat up GMT400 farm truck was utterly worthless. The only thing of value was the motor. He never intended to get it back on the road. Instead he filled it with scrap metal and trash and intended to roll it off into a ditch somewhere. It's pretty common around here. Another guy I knew bought 10 acres near me and discovered two cars on the property with no documentation. He had a ditch that needed filled. I can guess where those two cars went.

I have another coworker with a 3/4 ton frame, engine, transmission, and suspension that he's offering me. I was already interested because I'll need a motor, but now I'm more interested. My only concern is that I think that's a 4wd frame, and for a long-haul truck I'd prefer 2wd for fuel economy and simplicity. I'm also not set up for a cab swap; I'd have to borrow an a-frame. If I get the 3/4 frame, it might become a crossmember donor, but then my problem is that I don't have the shop wired for 220v yet. I think I found my driving motivator for that!

Ugh. Frustrating, but all this typing is helping me sort the problem and come up with a plan. I'm going to go ahead with disassembling the dash and cleaning that mess up. It's something I can tackle this weekend and it's going to need done eventually anyways.
 

letitsnow

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I would view this as an opportunity to build/weld on your own heavy duty/adjustable motor mounts.
 

stutaeng

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I think I would try to find a doner crossmember. Cut the hole out using straight lines around the perimeter. Then use that piece as a template on the doner. Grind a bevel on each piece.

If the bottom is open you can probably even weld some gusset plates across both pieces.

Weld some thin strips around the perimeter of the truck piece, maybe 3/4" wide, centered on the splice. That will act like backing plates.

Weld all around. I'm guessing that crossmember is no more than 3/16. A basic 120V welder should be plenty fine, with Flux cored wire.

I don't really see any issues with that.
 
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