Ev's 98 GMC C1500

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evsnova74

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Finally thought to snap a pic of this heap. It's clearly very rough and beat up. But I do want to at least make it mechanically sound. I hate these stupid aftermarket wheels though, I've been looking for a set of any OEM wheels that came on these so eventually I'll get rid of these and get some new tires.
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I've already installed all new rear brakes- shoes, hardware, drums, cyls, even the hard lines all the way up to the abs module. I had done the fronts including bearings 4 years ago when my granddad still owned it so the brakes are solid despite having a pulsating brake pedal now. I checked the runout the other day and it was only .003" but I'm guessing it doesn't take much. There's so much thickness left I may get them turned at some point. At least the pedal is firm now.
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I'm going to turn my attention onto the front suspension/steering next. Looks like it's gonna be 600$ for inner and outer tie rod ends, pitman and idler arms, and I'm just gonna do the bit where you get new control arms with ball joints already installed. Everything is so rusty it's not going to be fun.
 

454cid

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Finally thought to snap a pic of this heap. It's clearly very rough and beat up. But I do want to at least make it mechanically sound. I hate these stupid aftermarket wheels though, I've been looking for a set of any OEM wheels that came on these so eventually I'll get rid of these and get some new tires.

The rims are a bit dated looking, but they could be worse. I think I might try to strip and polish, or strip and give them some sort of matte finish. I completly understand wanting something stock, Though. I still run OEM steel wheels, although right now I've got two gmt-400 rims and two gmt-800 rims!

It's a really nice looking truck.
 

evsnova74

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I agree. Those wheels were cool for about a week after they came out, and then everyone had them on their truck.
I don't know the first thing about them. I'm generally not a fan of any aftermarket wheels to begin with. The design isn't the worst thing I've ever seen but I don't like how they stick out past the body. I keep checking craigslist (yes that's still a thing lol) for parts trucks with OEM wheels that I can just trade for but nothing local has popped up.
 

Erik the Awful

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Keep an eye out for Jeep wheels as well. They have the same bolt pattern and Jeep guys are ditching them for beadlock-style wheels all the time. The factory Jeep wheels have a nice, clean look.
 

evsnova74

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My aunt and uncle were in town so I let them borrow the truck. Of course I get the call mid week that they're at the grocery and it won't start. I asked if they heard any humming when turning the key to the on position and they said nothing. Before this it was really a loud hum actually, you could hear it over that loud buzzer when you have the key in the ign. Anyway the fuel pump wasn't working, and it wasn't the relay- no way I was going to get that lucky.

So today I got the new pump in and dropped the tank to get it over with. The new pump came with the "flat 4" wiring connector and harness so I had to splice that in. I hate using crimp connectors so I soldered them all, tucked them neatly back into the loom and wrapped it with fresh vinyl tape.
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So glad my phone focused on the background, well you get the idea.

It was a nightmare getting the pump in with the new o ring. Eventually I decided it wasn't going to fit and just used the old one, which wasn't exactly easy but did work. My bad luck wasn't over yet- there was over half a tank of gas in the tank so it weighed a lot. I had to use a shovel and a block of wood to wedge each side up little at a time until I could get my atv Jack under it. Everything else was pretty straightforward.

And here's a video of the first start:
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TCBRacer77

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I recommend the moog master kit for front suspension, spend the money and replace everything and you won’t regret it. I did on mine and it drives like a brand new truck. Some might have spared purchasing a couple of the items I replaced but when you have it all apart you might as well do 100%. I’m sure there are other brands that fare well but just passing along my good experience! Btw no matter how “rough” the trucks are it’s always cool to see someone give the attention these trucks deserve… no matter how far gone. It’s a nice looking truck with a lot of potential!
 

evsnova74

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I recommend the moog master kit for front suspension, spend the money and replace everything and you won’t regret it. I did on mine and it drives like a brand new truck. Some might have spared purchasing a couple of the items I replaced but when you have it all apart you might as well do 100%. I’m sure there are other brands that fare well but just passing along my good experience! Btw no matter how “rough” the trucks are it’s always cool to see someone give the attention these trucks deserve… no matter how far gone. It’s a nice looking truck with a lot of potential!
I pieced together a full kit with mostly moog stuff. I think the only parts that aren't moog are SKP idler arm and bracket. New control arms, all the tie rod ends and sleeves, pitman arm, etc. Not sure when I'll get around to it, seems like a pretty big undertaking. Especially with a rusty truck.
 
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