Making the best of the old work truck I have to work with / Project creep commencing (Same as it ever was)

[Road Trip]

You know it's getting bad when you have to take a break from listening to the news...

I'm not in a position to drop everything & take a much-needed mental health break...but if I was,
I think I'd head west & go see this one more time. It's been awhile.

My favorite shot to date that I've taken at the Grand Canyon:

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Note: Not hot-rodded w/software. Much better color fidelity this time around thanks to a quality polarized filter screwed onto the end of the lens. Finally, I took a photo that gives the viewer a better feel for what I remember seeing in person.

****

I've been to the Grand Canyon any time I could afford the detour. So over the years I've actually been there in all 4 seasons, and it never fails to humble yours truly.
(You should hear a thunderstorm at the big ditch...the big bass echoes & reverberations sound as layered & complex as the visuals are to the eyes. :0)

Anyway, mom says that we have to share. And especially if you haven't been there in awhile,
then maybe take your kids/grandkids to the Grand Canyon before school fires back up.

What a great excuse to make memories...which just happens to require a road trip to make it so.

"See the USA...in your Chevrolet"

xc_hide_links_from_guests_guests_error_hide_media

 

[CumminsFever]

That is one beautiful truck. I'd have bought it based on color alone! Welcome to the forum, you and your truck seem like a great addition to the community!

 

[South VA]

You know it's getting bad when you have to take a break from listening to the news...

I'm not in a position to drop everything & take a much-needed mental health break...but if I was,
I think I'd head west & go see this one more time. It's been awhile.

My favorite shot to date that I've taken at the Grand Canyon:

You must be registered for see images attach

Note: Not hot-rodded w/software. Much better color fidelity this time around thanks to a quality polarized filter screwed onto the end of the lens. Finally, I took a photo that gives the viewer a better feel for what I remember seeing in person.

****

I've been to the Grand Canyon any time I could afford the detour. So over the years I've actually been there in all 4 seasons, and it never fails to humble yours truly.
(You should hear a thunderstorm at the big ditch...the big bass echoes & reverberations sound as layered & complex as the visuals are to the eyes. :0)

Anyway, mom says that we have to share. And especially if you haven't been there in awhile,
then maybe take your kids/grandkids to the Grand Canyon before school fires back up.

What a great excuse to make memories...which just happens to require a road trip to make it so.

"See the USA...in your Chevrolet"

xc_hide_links_from_guests_guests_error_hide_media

That’s a beautiful shot of the Canyon - I can see why it’s your favorite!

The Colorado Plateau was my playground for years, and back in the mid 70s and early 80s I was fortunate enough to live in Flagstaff, less than 100 miles from the Canyon. Oddly enough, during that time I only hiked into it twice. One of those was to the river via the Kaibab Trail (the shortest, steepest trail), under a full moon. Epic.

However, then and after moving from Flagstaff, I‘ve spent many an hour on the rim. Mainly the South Rim, but a few times on the North Rim, simply taking it all in.

Watching a sunset with the rise of a full moon from Shoshoni Point was my best sunset/moonrise experience, bar none.

A few years ago I went there with a friend and my younger daughter. Here we are, hanging out.

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And here’s a sign you don’t see very often:

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Makes me want to take a road trip, Road Trip!

 

[Eveready]

Welcome to the forum. It sounds like you will be a really good person to have here when it comes to chasing down the really unusual problems.

 

[Boots97]

Late to the party, but Welcome from Minnesota! That's a beautiful truck! I'm surprised it sits up so high for a 2WD. Thank you for your service from a ARNG Soldier.

 

[Road Trip]

Late to the party, but Welcome from Minnesota! That's a beautiful truck! I'm surprised it sits up so high for a 2WD. Thank you for your service from a ARNG Soldier.

Boots97,

Sincere thanks for volunteering to serve & protect our country. Proud to make your acquaintance!

****

When I saw the truck for the first time I was also surprised by it's stance. The PO had upgraded
to the the P265/75R16 tires, and adding those in under the 8600 GVW suspension puts it right in
the sweet spot for me. (Stock appearing, but something doesn't look quite right...) Between
that and the big block soundtrack there was no way that this wasn't following me home.

And I also enjoy the camaraderie in this forum. Always fun to meet fellow civilian & military types
who independently came to the same conclusion about what was the best truck for them.

Thanks for stopping by. Safe travels --

 

[South VA]

It's been a minute. Any updates on your truck?

 

[someotherguy]

The Hula Girl -- the Queen of Vibration Analysis (video of a hula girl in action)

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Ya know, that picture cracks me up for the simple reason I had a mascot of similar function on the dash of my '92 C1500 ECLB. An "El Diablo" spring-loaded bobble head.

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He shook massively on acceleration because of a number of driveline issues on that truck. Pinion angle was all messed up from previous owner's halfassed drop job, and also a poor job of replacing the u-joints. I sorted all that out later but it took some learning as this was my first GMT400, bought in 1999.

El Diablo later re-appeared in that truck's replacement, my '94 C2500LD ECSB. Second time around I made a custom aluminum plate mount for him as his base was warping previously.

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I'm thinking my current '93 dually could use an El Diablo of its own, but the Texas sun sure does wreak havoc on these little dudes. He currently guards the bookcase in my home office.

Richard

 

[Road Trip]

It's been a minute. Any updates on your truck?

Good news - the truck has drawn little/no undue attention to itself. It feels like money in the bank,
there if I need it, there if I don't. If you can end up with something in the driveway that provides
a calming effect whenever you look at it, that's a win in my book.

Short term, at some point after the holidays the truck will pull a large U-Haul trailer full of my
accumulation of tools & test equipment from upstate NY to southern NH. ~330 miles total, will no
doubt start the journey at o-dark thirty on a Sunday morning in order to avoid traffic/deconflict.
The goal is to make the truck 'earning it's keep' photos celebratory & the rest of the trip report as
uneventful as humanly possible. :0)

Near term, my next planned upgrade will be to add a pair of quality transmission oil temp and oil pressure
gauges to the 4L80-E. The chances of me wounding the HD trans as-is (ie: blindly trusting that this aging
installation is still working per design) while using the truck are slim; with the added Situational Awareness those
transmission gauges will give me my goal is to change that to none.

****

Down the road, my plans for the truck have evolved. Given just how original the truck has remained thanks
to the previous owners, I'd like to capitalize on a rare opportunity 24+ years after the fact to use this vehicle
to validate/update the maintenance/repair procedures documented in the matching '99 Service Manuals.
(For example, when I wrote up using what's available in 2023 to seal the differential cover for zero leaks
while also sharing tips on where we can minimize the associated cost. LINK)

In addition, I know that during both my civilian & military careers having a 'known good' machine that I could
use to compare/contrast against a malfunctioning twin provided invaluable insight, allowing me to come up
with specific ad-hoc tests that weren't forseen when the original support manuals were written.

At the same time, my frugal side has learned from hard-won experience that refreshing a well-running
drivetrain at around the 90-95% service life mark is far easier/cheaper than troubleshooting/rebuilding the
same drivetrain pushed into the 105-110% point in it's service life. (A clutch is a perfect example. Changing
out the wear items no later than the very first sign of slippage allows you to inspect/reuse all the hard/spendy parts.
Conversely, driving that same clutch until it won't move the truck another inch usually means also changing
all the associated spendy parts that were damaged/deformed by the excess heat/stress/vibration generated during
the failure phase.)

Pulling this all together, my new plan is to eventually pull & refresh both the engine & transmission while they are
still running quiet, smooth, & cool. Clean, inspect, document, & re-use all that I can. (For example, IF
the valvetrain looks as good as it currently sounds, remachine the valves/seats, verify/renew as needed
guide/valvestem clearances, replace the timing chain, but re-use all the quiet-running factory cam/roller lifters/etc.)
Let the cylinder walls guide me if a re-ring will be sufficient, or is an overbore the only quality solution? Finally,
pay close attention to any deck height variations & get the quench optimized across all 8 cylinders.

As for the 4L80-E, after successfully repairing manual transmissions since forever, rebuilding an automatic
(cheating by starting with the inherent quality of something like the Turbo 400) has been on my personal
bucket list for quite awhile...and I ain't getting any younger. :0)

Of course having a trusted mentor for your first foray into anything this complex is the best way to go...and
although I haven't broached the subject with him yet, if I can get @NickTransmissions
to be my remote mentor I'm going to take the plunge and give my 24+ year old 4L80-E a quality-oriented refresh.
(Plenty of sharp photos interspersed with novice questions that I can't suss on my own after reading the
manuals & watching the videos.)

****

Once I get this all put back together my hope is to have a documented, 'known-good' drivetrain that we can
instrument as needed in order to help others figure out what's the root cause of the malfunction under their hood.
Personally this would expand the amount of real world 1st-person hands-on experience on my first GMT400
vehicle, which for me translates directly to a more relaxed ownership experience. And at the same time this
will give me some much-needed practice with documenting via Hi-Fi videos in addition to photos.

Anyway, that's the plan I've settled upon. The truck will provide me with a lot of upgrade training in
addition to occasionally hauling home bits of unobtanium from the treasure yards & fellow old vehicle
enthusiasts.

Going to be enlightening, for both mind & wallet. But looking forward to the experience.

Thanks for asking! Cheers --

 

[South VA]

Good news - the truck has drawn little/no undue attention to itself. It feels like money in the bank,
there if I need it, there if I don't. If you can end up with something in the driveway that provides
a calming effect whenever you look at it, that's a win in my book.

That is a win indeed!

Short term, at some point after the holidays the truck will pull a large U-Haul trailer full of my
accumulation of tools & test equipment from upstate NY to southern NH. ~330 miles total, will no
doubt start the journey at o-dark thirty on a Sunday morning in order to avoid traffic/deconflict.
The goal is to make the truck 'earning it's keep' photos celebratory & the rest of the trip report as
uneventful as humanly possible. :0)

It will be an epic road trip, I expect; and in very a good way. Not just because of being able to haul all of your stuff with your truck, as I'm sure it will perform as needed, and that you'll be well-prepared should the unforeseen occur. More importantly, because of the purpose of the trip. It will mark a milestone in a huge change in your life. I admire and even envy your moving to NH to be more directly involved in your family's - especially the grandbabies' - lives. What you are about to experience is, unfortunately, becoming increasingly rare. And I feel certain that you will give yourself to it 100%. What a fine and precious gift, for all of you!

Near term, my next planned upgrade will be to add a pair of quality transmission oil temp and oil pressure
gauges to the 4L80-E. The chances of me wounding the HD trans as-is (ie: blindly trusting that this aging
installation is still working per design) while using the truck are slim; with the added Situational Awareness those
transmission gauges will give me my goal is to change that to none.

I'm looking forward to hearing more about how you approach this, as I have thought seriously about adding at least a transmission oil temp gauge to my 4L80E. It hadn't occurred to me to consider a transmission oil pressure gauge.

Down the road, my plans for the truck have evolved. Given just how original the truck has remained thanks
to the previous owners, I'd like to capitalize on a rare opportunity 24+ years after the fact to use this vehicle
to validate/update the maintenance/repair procedures documented in the matching '99 Service Manuals.
(For example, when I wrote up using what's available in 2023 to seal the differential cover for zero leaks
while also sharing tips on where we can minimize the associated cost. LINK)

In addition, I know that during both my civilian & military careers having a 'known good' machine that I could
use to compare/contrast against a malfunctioning twin provided invaluable insight, allowing me to come up
with specific ad-hoc tests that weren't forseen when the original support manuals were written.

A great point.

At the same time, my frugal side has learned from hard-won experience that refreshing a well-running
drivetrain at around the 90-95% service life mark is far easier/cheaper than troubleshooting/rebuilding the
same drivetrain pushed into the 105-110% point in it's service life. (A clutch is a perfect example. Changing
out the wear items no later than the very first sign of slippage allows you to inspect/reuse all the hard/spendy parts.
Conversely, driving that same clutch until it won't move the truck another inch usually means also changing
all the associated spendy parts that were damaged/deformed by the excess heat/stress/vibration generated during
the failure phase.)

Also a great point, and one that was lost on me in my younger years. It's for that reason that I'm going back through mine, system by system, to replace components before they break. What a concept!

Pulling this all together, my new plan is to eventually pull & refresh both the engine & transmission while they are
still running quiet, smooth, & cool. Clean, inspect, document, & re-use all that I can. (For example, IF
the valvetrain looks as good as it currently sounds, remachine the valves/seats, verify/renew as needed
guide/valvestem clearances, replace the timing chain, but re-use all the quiet-running factory cam/roller lifters/etc.)
Let the cylinder walls guide me if a re-ring will be sufficient, or is an overbore the only quality solution? Finally,
pay close attention to any deck height variations & get the quench optimized across all 8 cylinders.

As for the 4L80-E, after successfully repairing manual transmissions since forever, rebuilding an automatic
(cheating by starting with the inherent quality of something like the Turbo 400) has been on my personal
bucket list for quite awhile...and I ain't getting any younger. :0)

My hat's off to you. I don't know that I'd have the wherewithal to tackle rebuilding an AT.

Of course having a trusted mentor for your first foray into anything this complex is the best way to go...and
although I haven't broached the subject with him yet, if I can get @NickTransmissions
to be my remote mentor I'm going to take the plunge and give my 24+ year old 4L80-E a quality-oriented refresh.
(Plenty of sharp photos interspersed with novice questions that I can't suss on my own after reading the
manuals & watching the videos.)

My guess is that he'll be glad to help.

****

Once I get this all put back together my hope is to have a documented, 'known-good' drivetrain that we can
instrument as needed in order to help others figure out what's the root cause of the malfunction under their hood.
Personally this would expand the amount of real world 1st-person hands-on experience on my first GMT400
vehicle, which for me translates directly to a more relaxed ownership experience. And at the same time this
will give me some much-needed practice with documenting via Hi-Fi videos in addition to photos.

A worthy endeavor, and yet another example of how your participation in this forum has been so helpful for so many of us.

Anyway, that's the plan I've settled upon. The truck will provide me with a lot of upgrade training in
addition to occasionally hauling home bits of unobtanium from the treasure yards & fellow old vehicle
enthusiasts.

Going to be enlightening, for both mind & wallet. But looking forward to the experience.

No doubt, on both counts!

Thanks for asking! Cheers --

You're welcome. And thanks for the update! Definitely looking forward to those celebratory pictures!