88GMCtruck's 98 Silverado Towpig Build: "Black Fox"

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DanteGTZ

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That is weird that it is so loud inside the cab. One of the things that I liked about my '06 cummins was how quiet it was compared to the powerstrokes that I had had in the past. Any surprise holes in the body?
These 12 valves are obnoxiously loud, especially when compared to their more modern counterparts. Aside from some uninsulated sheet metal around the shifter hole, I don't have any major holes where sound would be coming through. Even when I wrap a blanket around the shifter , it's still quite loud inside. It might not be terrible to some, but this truck is the family holler for camping trips, and none of the family is going to want to ride in it for hours on end without some sound deadening. I will probably end up using a Dynamat or equivalent and then couple layers of foam over top of that along with some new carpet. That should help things dramatically.

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Supercharged111

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These 12 valves are obnoxiously loud, especially when compared to their more modern counterparts. Aside from some uninsulated sheet metal around the shifter hole, I don't have any major holes where sound would be coming through. Even when I wrap a blanket around the shifter , it's still quite loud inside. It might not be terrible to some, but this truck is the family holler for camping trips, and none of the family is going to want to ride in it for hours on end without some sound deadening. I will probably end up using a Dynamat or equivalent and then couple layers of foam over top of that along with some new carpet. That should help things dramatically.

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Ya know the 6.5 trucks had a chunk of insulation on the firewall that was just like the one on the underside of the hood.
 

DanteGTZ

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It's not 100% but it's getting there. A few more wires to move/tuck/hide and it should be about done under the hood.

I need to figure out a fan shroud as well. I dont need it for cooling so much as I want it for safety. The GM shroud is a tiny bit too small for the Cummins fan and the Dodge shroud is a bit larger than I want in the bay. I'll likely cut the Dodge shroud apart and just use the upper portion.

My charging system is still giving me problems. I think my alternator from the donor truck is bad. I've had no luck with 3 different styles of voltage regulators. No matter what I've tried, it charges between 15-16.5 volts (and therefore isn't hooked up!). Interestingly enough, with 2 batteries and no ignition system, this truck can go days and days without running the batteries dead... haha! Probably going to bite the bullet and buy a 1wire unit from PAPerformance. My AC/alt bracket kit uses the Dodge/Denso alternator so switching back to the GM alternator isn't a good option.

Hooked up the camper tonight to lug it around town just to see how it would do. It did great. Tons of power on tap. The only complain is gearing. It definitely needs a numerically lower gear. To space out each gear's efficiency.

More to come. It's time to give the truck a thorough cleaning, put on some new front tires, replace the window tint and get it ready for towing duty again!


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bdubbz

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I need to figure out a fan shroud as well. I dont need it for cooling so much as I want it for safety. The GM shroud is a tiny bit too small for the Cummins fan and the Dodge shroud is a bit larger than I want in the bay. I'll likely cut the Dodge shroud apart and just use the upper portion.
I just trimmed up my Dodge shroud this weekend for the same 'fears'. Always thinking about a shirt getting sucked into the fan with out the shroud protection. I was able to trim the dodge one down enough to fit around the whole fan and still quite a bit of room all around the shroud. I was thinking of cutting it in half as well, but it fit in there pretty easy. Since the engine is biased toward the passenger side a bit I slotted the mounting holes to slide the shroud over as much as possible.

For my alternator I used the internal regulator option for the dodge and soldered a wire in for the tach. Charges at 14.2-14.5v. I would imagine your external would work just fine if connected properly and the alternator is good.
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skylark

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It's not 100% but it's getting there. A few more wires to move/tuck/hide and it should be about done under the hood.

I need to figure out a fan shroud as well. I dont need it for cooling so much as I want it for safety. The GM shroud is a tiny bit too small for the Cummins fan and the Dodge shroud is a bit larger than I want in the bay. I'll likely cut the Dodge shroud apart and just use the upper portion.

My charging system is still giving me problems. I think my alternator from the donor truck is bad. I've had no luck with 3 different styles of voltage regulators. No matter what I've tried, it charges between 15-16.5 volts (and therefore isn't hooked up!). Interestingly enough, with 2 batteries and no ignition system, this truck can go days and days without running the batteries dead... haha! Probably going to bite the bullet and buy a 1wire unit from PAPerformance. My AC/alt bracket kit uses the Dodge/Denso alternator so switching back to the GM alternator isn't a good option.

Hooked up the camper tonight to lug it around town just to see how it would do. It did great. Tons of power on tap. The only complain is gearing. It definitely needs a numerically lower gear. To space out each gear's efficiency.

More to come. It's time to give the truck a thorough cleaning, put on some new front tires, replace the window tint and get it ready for towing duty again!


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Does it still have the 255/85/16's on it?
 

DanteGTZ

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Yup. The backs are still doing ok but the fronts are very badly cupped. While working in the swap I noticed the idler/Pitman arms were in really bad shape, causing the loose steering feel. I swapped them out but I'll need at least a pair of front tires in the very near future.

Ultimately I'd like to go with a 22" semi-style wheel. $3000 for wheels and $2500 for tires seems insane at the moment, however.

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Thatlowchevy

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Does it still have the 255/85/16's on it?

Skylark, what do you think of what the Fox has become? Would you have done it the same way? I like to ask myself these questions whenever I see one of my old trucks pop up on marketplace and seeing what they’ve done to it


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Thatlowchevy

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Does it still have the 255/85/16's on it?

Skylark, what do you think of what the Fox has become? Would you have done it the same way? I like to ask myself these questions whenever I see one of my old trucks pop up on marketplace and seeing what they’ve done to it


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Thatlowchevy

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Does it still have the 255/85/16's on it?

Skylark, what do you think of what the Fox has become? Would you have done it the same way? I like to ask myself these questions whenever I see one of my old trucks pop up on marketplace and seeing what they’ve done to it


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skylark

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Skylark, what do you think of what the Fox has become? Would you have done it the same way? I like to ask myself these questions whenever I see one of my old trucks pop up on marketplace and seeing what they’ve done to it


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The Fox belonged to @88GMCtruck. Mine is darn similar but it is a 6.5/4L80E. @DanteGTZ is doing exactly what I would've liked to have done with Pearl but it just wasn't in the cards quite yet. That being said, I like the Fox in it's current configuration. The only change that I would've considered otherwise would be a NV5600 6 speed.
I've had a ridiculous number of vehicles and what is odd is that I rarely see them for sale or in person. I did recently see our old 00 Denali and was disappointed in how thrashed the interior was.
 
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