92 K2500 Revival

[Komet]

The time has come to bring the truck within welding distance. Displacing such a beast 100ft doesn't seem like such a big deal, but it's nearly impossible to push the truck over this gravel as you'll lose your footing just trying to keep it still.

I faced three main challenges in the move operation; I needed to rotate the truck 90 degrees, the approach to the shop is slightly uphill, and I'm doing this by myself as I have no local friends of significant girth.

Fortunately the truck's first resting spot was also slightly uphill, so I got it reversed and rotated 45 degrees just by taking advantage of momentum. I then hooked a ratchet strap to the back of the riding lawnmower, but even when I braced the lawnmower with my body so it wouldn't move, I got maybe two inches of ratchet before I needed to reset the strap so it wasn't a viable solution. I pulled the truck the remaining 45 degrees using the D-ring on my Jeep, but it was still too far away since I needed room to get the Jeep out between the shop and truck.

I enlisted my wife to help push, but we weren't able to get enough footing to push it up the hill. I turned to the internet for ways to move vehicles up hills, and discovered the parallel pull technique:

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Simply hook the frames together in an N pattern with the pull vehicle using the leading edge, and you can tug things along very nicely. I also swapped the tires around so my flats are on the rear axle. I previously had the flats on the passenger side so the driver's side would be angled up for the gas tank install. Progress.

 

[Komet]

My next task was to prep the frame for welding. I disconnected the battery cables and made sure none of my grounds were touching the frame, so I think all the electricity has nowhere else to go but through the welder.

I have already done some basic fitting in terms of the surfaces to be fused, but I was concerned about lighting the greasy frame on fire while welding. So, two days of scraping the goop off:

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Followed by pressure washer, simple green and stiff brush, then pressure washer again, and I have enough clean metal that it seems as though I should be able to preheat it to 500F without risking combustion:

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I then converted the tire crib / transfer case assembly station into welding mode so I can do some vertical practice tomorrow:

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I'd like to do a few competent welds before going at it for real.

 

[Komet]

It has been done.

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First weld went pretty good, I didn't hit this with the grinder much:

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Second weld was vertical with too much of a gap, even after I buttered the piece. Many weld crimes were committed. Heavy grinding hides my terrible job:

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Third weld went ok, the gap was a little much and I had to jump around, maybe preheated too much. I did a little grinding just to make sure I was getting a flush fit because the weld ended up being on the corner:

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Engine mount fitup is excellent:

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I think the best advice I got was to get a quality welder so the problem will be your technique and not the machine. This little Miller is extremely good, hardly spatters at all with the right settings.

 

[Komet]

I picked up a transmission jack and got to work unhooking everything attached to the transmission. I had to take a couple pictures of some of the high quality conversion work:

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Whole lot going on there. The random haphazard stack of steel trans mount is very choice. I also really like the custom drilled trans to transfer case bolts and extreme rtv goopage.

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Shift linkage was secured with a hose clamp. I can't make this stuff up.

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Anyway, the Dodge delete is complete. I'm considering reinstalling the trans and transfer case without the engine attached, as getting this out was actually quite easy and I could have good access to route wiring with the engine out. Running out of room in the shop, might have to park a trans in the machine pit.

 

[Komet]

Well a guy got back in to inspect the void he created, when... What in tarnation?

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These fellers gotta stop chopping stuff outta my truck. The best I can figure is that's an access hole for the transfer case fill. As you can see here, the Cummins driveline sat approximately 7 inches further back than the L31 / 4L60E combo:

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Let's take a closer look at that slip yoke:

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Mmhmm. Not ideal. I dunno if that one is coming back around.

Anyways, I busted out the Millermatic and got busy:

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I don't think that looks half bad for an amateur working underneath a rig. I painted it with semigloss black after it cooled down. I should probably get some actual mig welding gloves instead of just using mechanix style gloves. The back of my guide hand got a little spicy at the end of those 4" horizontal beads. You can sorta see me pick up the pace on the far right side.

 

[Orpedcrow]

Good lorhamercy! At least they drilled the corners. I’m a big proponent of “there’s always a right way of doing something the wrong way”

You’re doing a good job un-fu….g this pig

 

[Supercharged111]

You’re doing a good job un-fu….g this pig

Yeah, the truck will be a bit of a paradox when it's running.

 

[Komet]

Disassembled my driveshafts and measured the u-joints. Seems like the K1500 stuff used Spicer 1330 u-joints with an unknown internal c-clip conversion u-joint for the 10 bolt. The K2500 gear were both Spicer 1350 u-joints, but other than the bearing size the slip yokes were identical. I confirmed the fit of the clean K2500 slip yoke into my junkyard NP241C, and ordered a pair of 1330 to 1350 conversion u-joints so I can use my good yoke on my correct length shaft and it should fit right into the 14 bolt rear.

I hit a snag in my build; jegs won't ship their cat delete vortec y-pipe to my state. Something about the EPA cracking down on sales of emissions deleting equipment. So I did the right thing and ordered a Walker 40295 y-pipe that merges the pipes to a 3" single pipe, and a 3 foot long 3" glasspack from summit with a few other goodies. Have welder, will travel. Should end up being a better flowing system and I did save $40 this way.

Gearing up now to swap the transfer cases. Simple enough in theory but it took some rigging to get the Dodge trans on a dolly and tucked away and then a bit more to get the 4L60E level at the right height so I can use the trans jack under the transfer case to disconnect and wheel it out. Certainly could use more space but I'm getting it done:

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[Komet]

Transfer case swapped, it was drama free with the transmission jack to get the shaft alignment just right. Well, ATF puked everywhere the second I uncoupled them but that's the way she goes.

I moved on to FiTech harness and ecm install, doubling the value of the truck. The block off plate fit okay and more importantly my hole was the right size:

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The plate cracked along one of the letters I pounded flat. Learn from my mistakes; leave the letters alone when chopping up license plates. It's good enough for now, I might revisit it with some kind of sealant later on.

I mounted the ecm to the factory tray with rivnuts. Sort of a catch 22 when it comes to installing this, as I can't access the top down tray bolts with the ecm on, and I probably can't access the deep corner ecm bolt with the tray installed, but each connection is very solid so 3/4 bolts installed will probably be fine:

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The ecm and fuse block tuck nicely into the dash:

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I'll probably do a bit more electrical before the trans goes in. I want to take full advantage of all that open space while I have it.

 

[Komet]

I've done a lot of little jobs on the approach to engine install. I raided the vortec harness for engine bay wire extensions, and added an extra pink wire that comes off the ignition +12v to feed the FiTech ecm. Needs to be hot during crank and obviously that one is:

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Got the 4wd harness reattached, ran and then reran the fuel pump +12v alongside the trailer wiring harness. Ran out of wire length, needs to be extended. Checked continuity on trailer harness, I got 4 wires that go all the way back. One of them is 8 awg, I asked my buddy what on earth needs 8 awg juice going to the trailer and he said the guy before us was towing a skid steer on a pintle hitch trailer. Apparently he was pulled over frequently for this activity. I can believe it, considering the skid steer alone was likely over the gvwr.

I swapped the factory exhaust hangers for the round bar style that were on the green truck. I figure they're more universal and should match up pretty close to the tailpipe section I already have. Seems like the bolt holes were a bit different between the two trucks so I'm sure something has gone wrong in translation but I'm hoping it can be fixed with fire and violence. The back hanger bolts started spinning on their threads and turned into loose rivets, hackzall fixed that up. Not a fun job.

I started prepping the engine for install configuration. The plenum and runners have to come off so I have access to create the rail to body fuel lines. Turns out the passenger side runner can't come off with the L31 accessory drive installed, so more weight reduction was performed:

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I blocked the intake holes in the manifold and also swapped in a new rear main seal and flexplate with no broken teeth. Decided I wanted to install it attached to the transmission, so it's ready to be mated but I wanted to install the front differential first since there's more room.

I was swiftly reminded of how frustrating the front diff area is. There's no way it's going in with the axles installed, but the fun doesn't end there, because they can't go back in with the sway bar installed. The service manual even has a bolded notice saying 'yes actually you are going to have to do this', so out it came.

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Also not a fun job, especially with a quarter inch of cummins grease all over everything. Bushings are marginal, end links are rusty but not horrifying. I'm probably going to do some extra scraping and cleaning since I unlocked new grime pockets.

Service manual wants me to disconnect some steering stuff as well. We'll see.

Oh, I got the Walker 40295 y-pipe in, it fits up perfectly with the vortec manifolds. Nice mandrel bends too. The enormity of this project weighs on me sometimes. I thought I was turning a corner but I'm very much still down in it. It's coming together though. Just not as fast as I wanted.