I've been soaking all of the flare nuts and fasteners with penetrating oil for a day now. I'm going to soak them some more tomorrow morning and then try to replace the lines after work.
I'm kind of irritated that the truck will have to get an inspection before I'm able to register it, and I don't want to give them any reason to fail it.
The passenger side front swaybar link is GONE. I think that might have been the squeak-clunk-bang I heard when I hit a bump trying to drive it home before it died.
I'd looked in that area more than a few times, but this is the first time I actually noticed it was missing.
A junkyard trip is looking to be required before too long.
Despite being dry rotted, the rubber brake lines were apparently changed at some point, because the flare nuts are all stripped and borked up.
I got the back line done, but the front two are being aggravating, to say the least. I'll work on it more tomorrow or over the weekend.
I got three of the flare nuts off- the passenger side front is well and truly stripped now. I don't have a flare tool or any means to bend new lines, but the local LKQ has some trucks in the right year range. So, it looks like the "easy button" is to cut out the hard line and replace it.
Yay.
I once had a shop make a short flared section of tube, because I did not have an ISO flare kit.
It cost as much as buying an ISO flare kit.
Now I have an ISO flare kit.
I had to use a few passes with the torch, a masonry hammer, a chisel, a part of a brick, big vice grips, channel lock pliers, a 14mm crow's foot and a breaker bar, but I GOT THE LAST FLARE NUT OUT.
The new brake lines are installed, a junkyard hard line is installed and everything is bled. Operating the brakes while the truck is still on the stands showed improved pedal feel, but the brand new brake fluid was looking a bit dirty after about 50 cycles of the pedal. A closer inspection showed it to be fine black particulate matter, so even though the rubber lines on there were "working" it seems as though they were deteriorating from the inside out. I'm going to bleed everything again in a couple of hundred miles.
Things to do:
Put the junkyard end-links on the swaybar.
Check timing
Get new caps for the bleeders, I had to clean them out a bit with some wire to finish the job today.
Put transmission/torque converter cover back on
Wash everything, including the underbody so I can ID any new leaks
Get it inspected
Vacuum everything, twice. Maybe three times
Take a bunch of junk to the dump in the pickup truck.
Flush the radiator after driving it a bit more
Repaint some areas on the frame, just to slow down the surface rust it has.
See what else rears its ugly head after driving it a bit more
Working from home today, so I checked the timing at lunch time. It's about 1 millimeter retarded (to the left) from 0 with the timing wire disconnected. I'm wondering if I should mess with it or not.
In reply to Brett_Murphy :
Off topic but my biggest disappointment at the Challenge was asking where you were only to find out you couldn’t make it
In reply to Stampie :
Thanks, man. I'll make it someday. The goal is to get my FIL's Belvedere down there, and it's still a non-runner at the moment. I've been working on this truck and *his* truck whenever I get a minute.
The Terrible Truck is now road legal! Let's see how many issues crop up now that I'm able to drive it.
In reply to Brett_Murphy :
I have a SC education so reading is difficult. Can we get current pictures of the truck?
Yes, I'll post some up once it gets a really good bath.
Going up a hill with less than a full tank of gas makes the truck surge a bit. This reminded me that I didn't change the fuel filter (it is sitting in the seat) but also makes me wonder if the fuel pickup isn't right somehow.
Brett_Murphy said:Going up a hill with less than a full tank of gas makes the truck surge a bit. This reminded me that I didn't change the fuel filter (it is sitting in the seat) but also makes me wonder if the fuel pickup isn't right somehow.
Congratulations on getting the truck on the road!
Change the fuel filter first. Maybe it'll be finger tight like the one in my GMT 400 was.
It was back on the road for a few hours, anyhow. Today, I went to put it on ramps to do the fuel filter and I got one pump of brakes and then nothing. I gently dinged into a trailer hitch hard enough to crack one of the lenses in the grill and scuff up the paint a bit.
I swear.
I found this:
That's a reservoir full of brake fluid on the ground. Apparently the connection to the driver's side front rubber line came a bit loose. It's a PITA. I don't want to over tighten them, but I used the right torque on that and it loosened back up. I've tightened it down again. Let's see what happens now.
Revised list of things to do:
GMT800 Master from the junkyard
Get a new passenger side lower amber marker at the junkyard.
Vents? Maybe I can find vents in a junkyard that aren't torn up.
Put the junkyard end-links on the swaybar.
Get new caps for the bleeders
Put transmission/torque converter cover back on
Wash everything, including the underbody so I can ID any new leaks
Vacuum everything even more
Take a bunch of junk to the dump in the pickup truck.
Flush the radiator after driving it a bit more
Repaint some areas on the frame, just to slow down the surface rust it has.
See what else happens. It'll be something.
I may wind up in Hillsboro tomorrow or Saturday. Need any help?
I appreciate the offer, but I've got no plans to work on it in the next few days. I might hit a junkyard over the weekend to get the parts I listed above, but that's if the family plans and chores shake out to the point I have a couple of hours free.
It hit the junkyard today (veterans got in free) and picked up a replacement torque converter shield (since it was laying on the ground) and bought a lens that won't fit.
I also realized that the lens was broken when I bought it- you can see the scuff on the passenger side grill and lens in the first post.
I'm going to take the lens back, because there *might* be a dash bezel surround that isn't cracked out there- I had it IN MY HAND TODAY, put it down and walked out without it.
I did a bit of cleaning around in the dashboard today after removing the radio. It's a mess under there- mystery wires, dirt and so on. I need to find a way to keep the glove compartment door attached- one of the plastic pin hinges is broken.
Every time I think I might be able to work on this, something else happens.
I hear ya.
Murphy's Law
If something can go wrong, it will. Anything that does go wrong will get worse before it gets better.
Osteman's Commentary on Murphy's Law
"Who said it was going to get any better?"
In reply to CJ :
Look at my forum handle again!
There is also this: Everything takes longer and costs more.
I'm seriously hoping I get an hour to get this thing road-worthy again. I have a dump run to make that will be 100x easier with the truck than it would be to use the trailer.
Roadworthy items:
Put exhaust back on (had to come off to get the torque converter shield on)
Bleed brakes again
Put the junkyard end-links on the sway bar.
Get new caps for the bleeders
Wash everything, including the underbody so I can ID any new leaks
Future items:
GMT800 Master from the junkyard
Get a new passenger side lower amber marker at the junkyard.
Vents? Maybe I can find vents in a junkyard that aren't torn up.
Vacuum everything even more
Flush the radiator after driving it a bit more
Repaint some areas on the frame, just to slow down the surface rust it has.
Done- Put exhaust back on (had to come off to get the torque converter shield on)
Done- Bleed brakes again
Considering I probably have less than 100 miles on the truck since I bought it, every drive is an opportunity for discovery on a 30 year old truck. Today was no different.
I loaded it up with some scrap lumber and headed out. It goes, stops and turns. It could probably turn *better* and it probably will once I get the endlinks on the swaybar. I was running out of time today, and I wanted to get to the dump, so that didn't happen. The heat works. The blender will move and send hot air to the floor, the vents or the defogger.
1. It really seems about two inches too low, especially with a bit of a load in the bed.
2. Both reverse lights quit working since I got it inspected a month ago. They were old, and I bet they just both need to be replaced.
3. There is a slow leak in the transmission where the speedometer cable goes in. I didn't need to wash it to find this one.
4. As low as it is, It doesn't like weight in the bed. There was a bit of tire scrubbing from the rear on sharp bumps and a bit from the front if I took a sharp turn at a bit of speed.
Still to do:
- Put the junkyard end-links on the sway bar.
- Go through all of the lights to see which just need bulbs and which ones need work
- Fix the tailgate. It doesn't open
- Decide what to do with the suspension overall.
- Get new caps for the bleeders
- Wash everything, including the underbody so I can ID any new leaks
- Get a radio
- GMT800 Master Cylinder
- Paint
- Change differential oil
- Change coolant
Total budget so far:
Truck: $750
Transmission: $350
Fluids: $50 (exempt)
Tires: $200 (exempt)
TBI rebuild: $17.89 (exempt)
Ignition Coil: $11.99 (exempt)
Fuel Filter: $8.66 (exempt)
Brake lines: $45 (exempt)
$1434 spent so far, $334 of which I think is exempt.
I'll get pictures in the daylight.
Its always an adventure resurrecting the ones which have sat but it looks like you are well on your way.
Now that we're "neighbors" holler if you ever need a hand, I can see if I can break away on a weekend. I'm working up in Clayton but living down in Mt Olive. It will be good to get to hang out with some of the Carolina GRM peeps now :)
And if I had been paying attention back when you had to move this I'd have offered to toss it on the trailer and get it there for you. I'm guessing AAA got you home after the breakdown?
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