Dually Hauler from Dallas

I missed having a real truck.

I've had a number of full sized GMs, and eventually started doing more offroad stuff that was easier in a smaller truck. I switched to a TJ Rubicon, and then when I needed something more reliable and had some truck capability, a new Toyota Tacoma 4x4. But, it has to do three jobs and it's not great at any of them. It has to be a commuter, a trail running 4x4, and a truck. And the truck part is about to get harder as I'm building another race car. So the truck will have to haul an enclosed race trailer, which the Tacoma isn't close to handling.

I've had more trucks with big blocks (4) than LS engines (1) and prefer big cubes. I've been using a gooseneck trailer at work the last few years and really like it, so I'll be looking for a dually. But I've never had a dually, and I've never had a GMT400.
So, I started looking for a late, 2WD dually with a 454, 4L80 and hopefully one of the unusual paint colors and a semi-deluxe trim level.

I looked about everywhere. And eventually found a '98 Silverado with leather. It has 200k miles. And it's not been treated the best, but it had one owner for 99.5% of it's life, and towed an RV with a fifth wheel and a boat with a rear hitch. It's got issues. Mostly cosmetic and interior trim issues, but it came with worn out tires, a worn front suspension, squeaky wipers, sagging body mounts, a dead stereo system and weak headlights. I bought it from the guy that bought it for his business that immediately failed. He only owned it a few months and had butchered the trailer brake wiring and the 7-pin connector. The good, the doors don't sag, the transmission had a performance rebuild a few years ago, it's got period alloys, has had some recent maintenance, it hasn't been wrecked, and the body has zero rust.

So, I'm pulling together parts to put it together and make it a reliable and somewhat comfortable truck that can haul my racecar in an enclosed trailer while I drive it to far flung locations for events. And, it has to do normal "truck stuff" like move engines, axles, trips to the dump with household junk, and provide utility for my family and friends when then need it. After it's built up enough to be reliable, I'll buy a sporty commuter, finish my LS swapped Range Rover Classic for 4x4 stuff and sell the Tacoma that feels like a rental car.

Nice looking dually, welcome to the 400 8 lug family!

So, I took a small chance on this truck. I'm in Texas and the truck was in Florida. The seller sent me lots of photos and answered every question I asked. The condition wasn't the greatest, but the price was low enough that the stuff that was good made it worth the price. So I sent a deposit and arranged for a local shop to install seven new tires. I bought a ticket on a flight that was ten days out and planned on driving it back to Dallas from Palm Beach. The seller volunteered to pick me up at the airport.

The seller had the local shop install the tires I paid for and had the oil changed ahead of time so everything would be ready to go when I arrived.

Seven new BFG tires, including the spare


Day of the flight and everything went smooth. I flew in. He picked me up. Drove me to his house. Introduced me to my truck. Cash and title changed hands. And I made it most of the way across Florida that evening. The next day I made it to central Louisiana by the afternoon, where I stocked up on smoked sausage, tasso, andouie, Cajun BBQ sauce, meat rub and some gumbo mix all from T-e-e-t-s Food Store in Ville Platte. My family is from there and they make the best smoked sausage. I had a shopping list from relatives back in Texas. Bought a cooler, filled it up and kept on trucking. Made it home that evening.

By the time I got home the long brake pedal turned into a long and soft brake pedal. So the first thing on the list was to check out the brakes. Though the front had seen some recent attention and looked good, the rears were pretty bad. An axle seal was leaking. The shoes were heavily worn. And both wheel cylinders were leaking.

So, first day back it got new wheel cylinders, new shoes, new bearings, seals, rear cover gasket and differential lube.

Ugh, neglect is the right word to describe this truck

That first weekend back I took a trip down to the local Pull-A-Part yard trying to find some trim pieces to replace the bad ones in the truck.

Found a good driver's side A-pillar trim to replace the one with the gauge pod screwed into it. It's got a transmission temperature gauge, but it doesn't work. And I don't like pillar gauges. So it's going away (I'll offer it to the forum) and I'll replace it with one that doesn't have screw and wire holes drilled into it.

It's a nice gauge pod, but the gauge is kaput and pods aren't my style


The visors in my truck are missing, so I picked up a set of visor mounts in anticipation of finding a set of visors or adapting a set from another truck. I also picked up an Astro roof console with the more fully featured DIC, a shift lever that doesn't have gouges out of the end, an ashtray that isn't cracked apart, a door buzzer to experiment with, an unrusted tweeter grill, a GM underhood storage box, and an 0411 out of a V8 Express van and ECM bracket from a late Astro.

Sub'd

I'm liking this so far! Sub'd as well

How much longer until you hook some weight up behind that beast?

Supercharged111 said:

How much longer until you hook some weight up behind that beast?

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I've got my eye on a local enclosed trailer for sale. I've got a B&W hideaway gooseneck hitch, Curt 7-pin wiring harness and Redarc Tow-Pro Liberty Brake Controller already in the garage. I'll try to pick the trailer up within the month, as soon as I can get the front end rebuilt and hitch installed. But the trailer will just be sitting in a warehouse carport until the racecar is done, which is most likely summer of 2024.

modernbeat said:

I've got my eye on a local enclosed trailer for sale. I've got a B&W hideaway gooseneck hitch, Curt 7-pin wiring harness and Redarc Tow-Pro Liberty Brake Controller already in the garage. I'll try to pick the trailer up within the month, as soon as I can get the front end rebuilt and hitch installed. But the trailer will just be sitting in a warehouse carport until the racecar is done, which is most likely summer of 2024.

Click to expand...

Gooseneck? You're after a big boy trailer. I actually have a gooseneck to install in mine as well, hoping this coming weekend. How big of a trailer are you looking at? One with living quarters?

Following! I prefer 4x4 trucks but I dig this one, if only it was a crew cab!
I feel your pain on butchered wiring, both my 96 K2500 had some janky wiring that I rewired, and my K3500 is waiting on a new 7/4 pole pigtail to replace the super jankum wiring done by the PO's.