97 K1500 DD/Overlander

[mdnky]

02.14.2023
Worked on getting the remaining fuel out of the old tank. Had to scrape a ton of caulking/sealer from the top of the sending unit, then knocked the ring out using a brass punch. Inverted the tank over an old tote. Less than 1/2 gallon was in there. Dumped that into a container that already had a few quarts of old oil. Might be useful to remove an old stump or two later on. I'll leave the old tank outside for a few nights, then wash it out and knock a few holes in it. Then its off to a scrap yard.

Need to remember to paint the new tank before installing it.

I had to cut the strap holding the tank on the front support to remove the plastic shroud. Since the support is rusted mess, I ordered a new one from LMC Truck [$64.61].

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RUNNING TOTAL: $4421.45

 

[98BlackSierra]

When I replaced fuel lines on my '98, I ordered them from linestogo.com. They were pre-bent and installed with zero problems. I did like you and replaced the tank, sending unit, straps, tank support, fuel filter, and fuel filler neck and that took away the smell of gas I smelled.

I'd say you got yourself a solid truck minus the rear portion of the frame, but if you plan to keep it for a long time frame swapping it and fixing her up will make it a great buy. Should last longer than any new truck on the road. Love that color too! I remember when that color came out in '97, I was an instant fan.

 

[Will Fuller]

following

 

[missouritig]

Wow that rust in the rear frame is no joke, cant wait to see how this turns out.

I took a huge gamble on buying one site unseen and thankfully its in decent shape. Worst frame issue is a cracked leaf spring hanger and the fuel tank is held in by one strap hanger and one 2" ratchet strap

The heavy duty trucks have thicker frame metal so I think they fair a bit better from maintenance neglect.

 

[mdnky]

02.22.2023/2.23.2023
Picked up a cheap set of abrasive strip discs [$18.54] off Amazon. Started to remove the bulk of the remaining scale/rust, but the Ryobi cordless grinder I borrowed decided to move on to a better place only a few minutes in. Guess I owe my youngest brother a new one, or I need to fix it.

Ran to Harbor Freight and picked up the 8amp 4.5" rat tail Bauer. By the time I made it back to the house it was dark. Finished the outer part of the rails the next day, followed with a quick coat of [$16.94] Rust Oleum Rust Reformer. Still need to do the inner part of the railswith a wire wheel or such and thrown a coat on, but I need to order some more first. Probably wait to do that after welding the temporary supports.

Amazing on how just under the cab the frame is almost perfect, save for a very minor amount of very lift surface rust. Took 3 to 4 seconds to strip a ~1sq.ft. area to clean, shinny like new metal.

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RUNNING TOTAL: $4456.93

 

[mdnky]

02.27.2023
I was originally planning on doing the fuel lines with NiCopp or Aluminum tubbing, or possibly braided 6AN PTFE lines (or a combo of both). When I replace the frame, I'll redo it with the hard-lines and PTFE flex sections.

For now, I just need to get it movable under its own power. So I ordered the parts to fix the fuel lines from Rock Auto [$36.74] and Amazon [$46.05] using nylon lines. Everything should be in Thurs 03/02 or Friday 03/03. Decided to go this way so I could replace everything to the engine flex lines at a bit over 1/2 the cost of the premade kits [$83 vs $150]. Side benefit, probably will have a much better fuel filter than what comes in the kits. Still need to grab a small ~2' section of 1/4" rubber hose. Might have it laying around in the garage.

DORMAN 800078 - 1 pair - M16x1.5 female to 3/8 nylon barb
DORMAN 800079 - 1 pair - M14x1.5 female to 5/16 nylon barb
DORMAN 800135 - 1 set - Steel to Nylon compression fittings (1x3/8, 1x5/16, 1x1/4)
DORMAN 800170 - 2 - M16x1.5 male 3/8 x 4" steel line to hose connector
DORMAN 800074 - 10 feet - 5/16 Nylon Fuel Line
DORMAN 800075 - 10 feet - 3/8 Nylon Fuel Line
WIX 33481 - 1 - Fuel Filter


RUNNING TOTAL: $4539.72

 

[mdnky]

03.1.2023
My father has the tendency to forget to clean the 3pt finish mower behind he runs behind his 8N after each use. He also seems to be more prone to hitting trees and curbs lately...going to blame that on advanced age and bad eyes. Due to this, he tends to buy a new one every ten years or so after something rots out and/or breaks. This means there's plenty of old decks laying around with some decent scrap steel for free (9ga main deck section, 12ga covers, lots of 1/4" and 3/8" supports / bars).

Took the belt covers off one of the units. Little to no rust and decently thick material (12ga). Since I have it laying around and the price is right [$0.00], I'll use parts of the covers on the rear rails where they're a bit thin. Since I had already grabbed a piece of 1/8 x 3 x 36 steel flat bar from Menards [$15.89] last week, might as well use it too. Cut it down to about 14" to fit inside the passengers rail and rounded the corners. Should be enough to support that nasty crack for now. Might add something to the bottom as well just for kicks.

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WARNING: The following pictures may contain images of nasty welds. View discretion is advised.

Sadly, a bunch of things came together to make things more interesting. I could only run the little multi-process welder off a 20a 120 outlet. I had to use a 40' 8ga extension cord. I only had 0.030 flux core on hand. Even with a lot of cleaning, the frame is less than stellar metal. Also, I was racing a thunderstorm due in a few hours (beat it by 20 minutes). Due to the time crunch, I forgot to drill holes / cut slots for spot welds. DOH!

I managed to get the passenger's side done with one cover today. I still have one cover to do the drivers side, although it may only need one section. Might just use a bit of the center section that remains from the first cover for that side instead.

It should also be noted that I'm not a welder, and have little to no experience with one. If this was for anything more than just shoring things up temporarily (non-highway use) to move around the yard, I'd get someone that knows what they're doing to do it correctly.

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RUNNING TOTAL: $4472.82

 

[mdnky]

03.05.2023
Drilled a bunch of holes in those covers for plug welds. Also put a few more on both ends of the main patch from the frame side.

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[mdnky]

03.06.2023
Time for the driver's side. Ended up using even more steel from a 2nd cover, as there were some studs to work (brake hose hangers) around. Bridged the gap between the parts with an off-cut from the cover's end. Pounded it flat with a BFH, then used some clamps and the hammer to re-bend it 90deg bend perpendicular to the original. Already had the holes in just the right place...minor labour savings.

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Seemed like it welded a bit better this time...might be the weather being nicer, or maybe I was more comfortable. Sadly, I didn't get to finish it this evening as I thought I ran out of wire towards the end of the second cover. Note to self: leather welding gloves really reduce the ability to feel 0.030 wire on the spool...should probably visually check it next time.

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Ran to Tractor Supply [$63.55] to grab some more flux core wire. Initially I could only find the Hobart stuff in the welding aisle, but after checking with the guy at the counter we managed to find a roll of 0.030 and 0.035 Forney on the top shelf of the adiacent aisle. Bought both rolls, plus another can of the rust reformer, a can of self-etching primer, and a can of their Majic Light Ford Grey spray enamel (gas tank). Original plan was for a quart, but my spray equipment is in Louisiana and we're not 100% certain this is the colour we want for this summer's 8N redo. Figure this was a good test.

Didn't make it back before dark.


RUNNING TOTAL: $4536.37

 

[mdnky]

03.07.2023
Finished welding the drivers side sections. Didn't need to replace the spool of wire after all...not quite sure what I was thinking yesterday, so I'll blame it on the gloves and leave it at that. Cut and shaped a small filler piece for the section above that hanger area as well. Then hit everything with the 4" knotted wire cup and applied a liberal coating of self-etching primer.

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