# My Plower



## DieselSlug

Hello, figured id post my rig.


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## EaTmYtAiLpIpEs

nice 6.5 turbo diesel?


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## 06HD BOSS

Looks good man. Nice job cleaning up the blade. I also like the new wheels on that truck.


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## DieselSlug

More, these ones were from last winter...


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## DieselSlug

Yes it a 6.5 TD, i actually just replaced the engine in it 2 months ago, so it has a fresh rebuild. Next summer it is getting a new body
Im saving up for a chip and a aftermarket turbo...
I paid 1k for the plow and the truck came with it, off my ex-gf's grandma..
I paid 300 for the tires and rims, they are my summer set.


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## EaTmYtAiLpIpEs

DieselSlug;881285 said:


> Yes it a 6.5 TD, i actually just replaced the engine in it 2 months ago, so it has a fresh rebuild. Next summer it is getting a new body
> Im saving up for a chip and a aftermarket turbo...
> I paid 1k for the plow and the truck came with it, off my ex-gf's grandma..
> I paid 300 for the tires and rims, they are my summer set.


good deal. where about is fabius?


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## DieselSlug

Some other pics. of the truck...


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## EaTmYtAiLpIpEs

hahaha nice someone put the newer style seat in it. what is that a 94?


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## DieselSlug

Syracuse is right in the center of NY state, and fabius is just 20 min south of that.
The steelies in the pic above used to be aluminum but i had a hankerin for black. I am taking my truck to an alighnment shop next friday, so i will install them next weekend. I just installed the temp-auto-dim-compass mirror, and the overhead console, and the 60/40 split bench seat out of a 99 tahoe. Im into cheap mods.


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## EaTmYtAiLpIpEs

DieselSlug;881308 said:


> Syracuse is right in the center of NY state, and fabius is just 20 min south of that.
> The steelies in the pic above used to be aluminum but i had a hankerin for black. I am taking my truck to an alighnment shop next friday, so i will install them next weekend. I just installed the temp-auto-dim-compass mirror, and the overhead console, and the 60/40 split bench seat out of a 99 tahoe. Im into cheap mods.


hey there's nothing wrong about cheap mods. best way sometimes. looks like a good truck. Just needs some panels a nice coat of paint. Make her look like new. I would change the dash over to the newer rounded style.


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## DieselSlug

Yeah, the truck is a 1994 VIN:F 2500 Silverado, 4L80E automatic (all original tranny with 208k on it and had the plow installed since it rolled off the dealer lot) The truck has a total of 28k miles on it, with the engine rebuild at about 205k miles. I love this truck soo much, i was contemplating on doing a cummins conversion, but i got a sick deal on a 599 6.5 diesel block...


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## SuperdutyShane

Nice truck. How do you like the Hydraulic Minute Mount 1? I have one and the plugs leak on the bumper..


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## SuperdutyShane

Forgot to mention Im missing some of the caps for the truck side lol.


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## DieselSlug

EaTmYtAiLpIpEs;881314 said:


> hey there's nothing wrong about cheap mods. best way sometimes. looks like a good truck. Just needs some panels a nice coat of paint. Make her look like new. I would change the dash over to the newer rounded style.


I am VERY seriously thinking about doing that, i have collected tons of info on the swap, not going to be easy due to the diesel... The dash is the only thing that makes the truck look like a 94, ive dont all subtle changes to make it look newer.Ive added the newer mirrors off a 98 tahoe, the floor 4wd shifter is from a 97 K-1500, and stuff like that..


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## pro50guy

nice mustang in the background


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## EaTmYtAiLpIpEs

ya chevy trucks are good. I guess the chevy diesels are ok. but thats what I have heard thru people. depends on who ya talk to I guess.


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## DieselSlug

Yeah, they did leak BAD! But i just replaced all the fitting when i rebuilt the engine, so now they dont leak at all. But i bought the expensive quick connects, there is a difference in quality. I love the hydraulic, my buddy has a ram with electric over hydraulic, and i just dont like hearing the pump whine so loud, He has the pump mounted on his passenger side fender.


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## EaTmYtAiLpIpEs

DieselSlug;881324 said:


> I am VERY seriously thinking about doing that, i have collected tons of info on the swap, not going to be easy due to the diesel... The dash is the only thing that makes the truck look like a 94, ive dont all subtle changes to make it look newer.Ive added the newer mirrors off a 98 tahoe, the floor 4wd shifter is from a 97 K-1500, and stuff like that..


ya do it, it will make it look so much newer.


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## DieselSlug

pro50guy;881325 said:


> nice mustang in the background


Its my summer car
GOing to drop a 351 roller out of a 94 lightning in it this winter.


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## DieselSlug

Pics of stang..


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## EaTmYtAiLpIpEs

nice stang I use to have a 72 mustang convertible.


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## DieselSlug

Forgot to add i did the Kodiak door handle conversion on it too...


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## SuperdutyShane

DieselSlug;881330 said:


> Yeah, they did leak BAD! But i just replaced all the fitting when i rebuilt the engine, so now they dont leak at all. But i bought the expensive quick connects, there is a difference in quality. I love the hydraulic, my buddy has a ram with electric over hydraulic, and i just dont like hearing the pump whine so loud, He has the pump mounted on his passenger side fender.


Where did you get the expensive quick connects? Online? Could you send me a link if so? My pump is mounted right behind the radiator, at the top of the engine of course. The belt drive is basically silent.


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## DieselSlug

I rodered them from a place called STS truck and trailer. They are a Fisher licensed dealer in central NY. THey might have a site they might not... I live about a 1/2 hour away from them...


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## SuperdutyShane

Okay, thanks DieselSlug.


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## doo-man

I would like to know more about the dash swap I have an 88 and would like the newer round style dash. Any info would be great.

Thanks


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## naturalgreen

I had that same truck same color was a dream loved it. I worked the hell out of it


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## DieselSlug

doo-man;881469 said:


> I would like to know more about the dash swap I have an 88 and would like the newer round style dash. Any info would be great.
> 
> Thanks


I learned most of what i know off a fullsize chevy forum. The difficult parts are the steering column, because out 94 and older columns attach to the front of the cab in a much different way than the 95 and up. So you need to cut the column bracket out of a 95 and up and weld it in your cab. You need all the ac stuff if you want yours to work, the ducts are different, you need the whole dash, you can either splice your harness in or get a whole new harness. Does your truck have the "ghost" gauges? If so you also need to instala another to even get the cluster from the 95 and up to work. Basically it is a TON of work, but it would be cool.


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## DieselSlug

naturalgreen;881474 said:


> I had that same truck same color was a dream loved it. I worked the hell out of it


Yeah, i like the color, when i re-do the body im going to keep it the same. It is called Dark Hunt Club Red Metallic.... Wow, yeah i know...


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## naturalgreen

yeah i was so sad when the camper shell I had that matched color perfect faded. I traded the old girl in for the cash for clunkers around 300 thousand miles. Would have kept it forever but had not driven it in a year and figured if I am gonna have a third truck I would get a new one. I never plowed with it but had so much weight in the back a few times I couldnt believe it. Towed great and put my new trucks to shame.


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## pro50guy

DieselSlug;881342 said:


> Pics of stang..


nice car i have a supercharged 88gt with some other goodies, looks like your not brand bias looks like a nice f150 too


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## KL&M Snow Div.

Looks good, man that truck has some serious rust.


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## DieselSlug

KL&M Snow Div.;881758 said:


> Looks good, man that truck has some serious rust.


Yah, it was ziebarted when it was brand new. THere isnt much left of the body, the rocker panels are about the only thing solid left on the truck. Next summer i am going to redo the whole body. I have everything to do it right now minus the weldable cab corners and a box...


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## JoeCool

DieselSlug;881485 said:


> I learned most of what i know off a fullsize chevy forum. The difficult parts are the steering column, because out 94 and older columns attach to the front of the cab in a much different way than the 95 and up. So you need to cut the column bracket out of a 95 and up and weld it in your cab. You need all the ac stuff if you want yours to work, the ducts are different, you need the whole dash, you can either splice your harness in or get a whole new harness. Does your truck have the "ghost" gauges? If so you also need to instala another to even get the cluster from the 95 and up to work. Basically it is a TON of work, but it would be cool.


Maybe I am just lazy... I have a 95 GMC diesel myself. I like the dash compared to the older style as well. But hearing the amount of work involved and the fact your cab needs rust repair, would you not be further ahead to find a rust free 95+ cab and swap it on?


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## THE-BOSS-PLOWS

dieselslug;881296 said:


> some other pics. Of the truck...


power windows!


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## DieselSlug

JoeCool;882006 said:


> Maybe I am just lazy... I have a 95 GMC diesel myself. I like the dash compared to the older style as well. But hearing the amount of work involved and the fact your cab needs rust repair, would you not be further ahead to find a rust free 95+ cab and swap it on?


Yes, that prolly would be the thing to do, but if i found one i want it to have the complete interior in it and be rust free, those are hard to find... Ive ran into one cab but it is all blue int. I want to stay red.. All depends what i find...


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## DieselSlug

THE-BOSS-PLOWS;882244 said:


> power windows!


Heck yeah!


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## mercer_me

Nice truck looks alot like mine. What year is it?


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## DieselSlug

mercer_me;882515 said:


> Nice truck looks alot like mine. What year is it?


Its a 94 unfortunately, i wish it was a 95.....


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## mercer_me

DieselSlug;882681 said:


> Its a 94 unfortunately, i wish it was a 95.....


Why? Is that when they changed the style?


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## DieselSlug

mercer_me;882689 said:


> Why? Is that when they changed the style?


Wow, sorry it took me 2 years to get back to you. Yeah, they went from the square interior to the rounded interior in 95. Looks so much nicer IMHO.

Couple pics. My current interior and a 95 interior i have sitting in my garage dis-assembled.


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## mossman381

I like the older interior myself. Looks like a ton of work to convert it. Did you get any of the body done yet?


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## DieselSlug

Was replacing the idler arm and bracket on my truck the other day when i found this.


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## DieselSlug

mossman381;1364083 said:


> I like the older interior myself. Looks like a ton of work to convert it. Did you get any of the body done yet?


Yeah, its a lot of work for sure. Even harder with a diesel. I didnt end up doing any body work this year sadly. Ended up taking the plunge and moving out of my dads house. Am now renting and will be moving to a new apartment just shy of 2 weeks from now. So rent has killed the fund for the truck. I last left off saving for a welder so i could start this project. But the welder fund went into the security deposit

Will post some pics as it sits in a few minutes.


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## mossman381

DieselSlug;1364094 said:


> Yeah, its a lot of work for sure. Even harder with a diesel. I didnt end up doing any body work this year sadly. Ended up taking the plunge and moving out of my dads house. Am now renting and will be moving to a new apartment just shy of 2 weeks from now. So rent has killed the fund for the truck. I last left off saving for a welder so i could start this project. But the welder fund went into the security deposit
> 
> Will post some pics as it sits in a few minutes.


Thats to bad. You need to check the rest of the frame really good before you put too much money into the truck. I changed out a front clip on my 97 and the job was not that bad.


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## DieselSlug

Here are a few pics of the worst spots getting worse... The one pic shows the front crossmember behind the cab cracked/rotted! It needs to be replaced badly, i worry everyday hitting bumps and my fuel tank falling out. It cracked from the rear tank strap breaking and putting a lot of torsional force on the front support.


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## DieselSlug

Found some old pics i figured some would like too see..

First start of the new engine:
http://www.youtube.com/user/DieselSlug#p/a


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## DieselSlug

Last two pictures.

The one was a manifold patch job. Was loosing boost because the leak was pre-turbo.


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## big_stroker

I have a old 6.5 sitting at my house with what i think is a blown motor (havent pulled it yet) and it has NO rust on it. How much work was the rebuilding the engine? I have done my 7.3 powerstroke but dont know much about the 6.5's


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## Rusty Silence

Chevy has a couple of extra clearance lights, weird.


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## DieselSlug

big_stroker;1387504 said:


> I have a old 6.5 sitting at my house with what i think is a blown motor (havent pulled it yet) and it has NO rust on it. How much work was the rebuilding the engine? I have done my 7.3 powerstroke but dont know much about the 6.5's


WOW! That truck is identical to mine! Red interior?

It was a lot of work to do the engine, and a lot of money. But if you can handle the 7.3 the 6.5 wont be any worse. They are just a little different. If you need any help with it in any reason let me know. Ive learned a lot about them in the past 5 years. Ill PM you to show you more.


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## DieselSlug

The one pic is of the truck right after i towed it home (not running, had sat for 3-4 years) I added my tonneau cover to the back of it.Thumbs Up

The next one is of the engine i bought off of c list to replace the rotted up one. Sorry its tiny, only pic i had. It looks like a rats nest covered with wires.


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## big_stroker

Rusty Silence;1387534 said:


> Chevy has a couple of extra clearance lights, weird.


Yeah It didnt have them so we added them and it ended up with 7 :laughing:



DieselSlug;1387536 said:


> WOW! That truck is identical to mine! Red interior?
> 
> It was a lot of work to do the engine, and a lot of money. But if you can handle the 7.3 the 6.5 wont be any worse. They are just a little different. If you need any help with it in any reason let me know. Ive learned a lot about them in the past 5 years. Ill PM you to show you more.


Thanks for the PM. It is probably going to be a winter project after the 1st of the year.


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## DieselSlug

Some progress going on here. Currently replacing the transmission as it has 242k of plow life, brown burnt fluid and is now not wanting to shift when cold. Got it ripped out. I broke 1 stud off in the manifold, yay me. Took a shot of my tailpipe, that is 3 years old. I wiped the pipe down with paint thinner, then sainded then painted 4 coats on and still rotted through. Will also be replacing some body panels, and adding a HX-35 setup. After i get the truck done i need to get a little work done on the plow.


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## DieselSlug

Last picture.


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## DieselSlug

More Work.


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## DieselSlug

More pictures.


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## DieselSlug

More Pictures..


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## DieselSlug

Basically doing a turbo swap with a Holset WH1C (Basically an HX-35), replacing front fenders, and a few other things. Grainy pictures are off of my cell phone.


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## mossman381

Surprised the inner fenders are still there.


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## DieselSlug

mossman381;1483861 said:


> Surprised the inner fenders are still there.


They werent 3 years ago. Came off in pieces. THey were so bad i had to install the inners from the new clip i bought. i decided my outer fenders were could lose a little more metal for another season or two before i install the new ones.


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## mossman381

DieselSlug;1483867 said:


> They werent 3 years ago. Came off in pieces. THey were so bad i had to install the inners from the new clip i bought. i decided my outer fenders were could lose a little more metal for another season or two before i install the new ones.


I had a 97 chevy that I replaced both front fenders on. I thought the job was going to be harder than it was. I replaced mine with oem fenders because you just can't beat the way an oem fender fits.


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## DieselSlug

mossman381;1483868 said:


> I had a 97 chevy that I replaced both front fenders on. I thought the job was going to be harder than it was. I replaced mine with oem fenders because you just can't beat the way an oem fender fits.


I got lucky, this clip i bought came from a 98' 6.5 diesel truck, so most of it works well with my 94' diesel. Its gonna be real rough having so many different color body panels on this truck till i can get all new sheet metal on the truck and afford to repaint it. Will keep progress posted up here.


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## mossman381

DieselSlug;1483869 said:


> I got lucky, this clip i bought came from a 98' 6.5 diesel truck, so most of it works well with my 94' diesel. Its gonna be real rough having so many different color body panels on this truck till i can get all new sheet metal on the truck and afford to repaint it. Will keep progress posted up here.


I know how that feels, I drove around with a primered fender for too long.


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## Stik208

Gotta love NY winters.


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## DieselSlug

Some pictures of todays lunch hour work. Sanded the inner fenders a bit and put some coating on them.


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## DieselSlug

Some pictures.


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## DieselSlug

A few more. Progress of this past weekend. Merry Christmas.


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## mossman381

Lookin good. 

A quick coat of primer would have kept the christmas look down.


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## DieselSlug

mossman381;1485194 said:


> Lookin good.
> 
> A quick coat of primer would have kept the christmas look down.


Very true, if i have time i might mask them off at the end and paint them with a near match spray can.


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## DieselSlug

Just got the rebuild kit, service manual and spec sheet for my Holset WH1C turbo.


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## DieselSlug

Trans is done! $950 out the door. Picking it up tomorrow.


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## DieselSlug

Got the trans, got the in/lb torque wrench. Got some work done over the weekend. Drilled the manifolt to crossover bolt out, tried easy out again. (3 different bolts ive tried this tool on, sucks!) So i ended up drilling out and re-threading. Chased all the other threads out with the tap also. Minus the turbio oil return/intake everything else is bolt in. 

The trans currently resides under the truck again! My brother helped me get the trans hooked back up to the engine, transfer case bolted on and sealed, new trans mount and cross over back on. Took some pictures but forgot my camera in the garage.

I am going to put Dex 6 in instead of 3. Filled the torque converter with it already before sliding it on the trans shaft.


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## Glenn Lawn Care

Looks good!


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## pennsylvaniaboy

Im curious to see how your HX35 swap goes, I am pondering doing that to my IDI.


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## DieselSlug

Some pictures.


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## DieselSlug

More pictures.


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## DieselSlug

More pictures..


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## DieselSlug

More pictures...


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## DieselSlug

More pictures....


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## DieselSlug

More pictures.....


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## DieselSlug

Last few for now. I rebuilt this Holset with a kit from ebay. Much less end play now, but not perfect. The last is of a kit i bought to install an HX Holset on a 6.5 truck. bought from a guy on another forum. Hope to work on this more tomorrow and get more pictures. Had to order a new exhaust cross over as my brother scrapped my old one, grrr. payup


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## DieselSlug

Few pictures of the turbo install starting.


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## DieselSlug

Tried to fab a turbo drain pipe. Was a failure. I didnt like it at all splurged and bought a universal kit with braided lknes and an fittings. Should be here within the next week. Turbo to engine intake is.all finished.


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## DieselSlug

Pictures from last weekend.


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## mossman381

What kind of power will that 6.5 make when you are done? I don't have any idea what a stock 6.5 puts out.


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## DieselSlug

mossman381;1489151 said:


> What kind of power will that 6.5 make when you are done? I don't have any idea what a stock 6.5 puts out.


Tell you the truth I have no idea what power this thing will make when I am done. Stock the power ratings are [email protected] RPM 385 [email protected] RPM. This engine makes power off of compression, 21.5:1. So you really cant boost these engines much. It is also indirect injection, so combustion happens in a small pre-cup. This is opposed to direct like your D-max which is capable of making a lot more power with some mods.

I have upgraded a slew of things on this engine. I rebuilt it about 3 years ago and purchased brand new heads, used ARP head-studs to allow me to boost up to about 15 PSI. I have installed a carter lift pump so i can run about 12 PSI lift pressure. Also put in larger fuel lines, and drilled out the ports in the injection pump for more flow. Straight 4'' exhaust, K47 air-box and modded the intake for the best outside cool air flow possible. It also has a custom 4-banger chip which a friend has been tuning for me.

My old trans felt like it sucked a lot of life from my truck, so this new one I am sure will help also. Another issue i have is my limited slip is shot. It one wheel peels like a mofo. Will have to rebuild or get some type of Detroit in the future.

Basically from here on out, there are only a few other things i could do to get more out of it. One is i can go to a slightly larger turbo, the HX-40II, the one im putting on is a HX-35 equivalent. This will relieve even more back pressure up high RPM. I also have a dodge inter-cooler which I am going to install at a later time, that will make the charged air cooler for better combustion increasing power. Another thing is to drop the compression down to 18, that will allow more boost. But lowering the compression has negative effects in cold climates. Makes for very hard cold starts. So that's not an option for me now.

I really want to dyno this rig when I am done. I just haven't had the time to do it or find a dyno who can handle a diesel local. (diesel smoke). I hope for a bit over 300. But i don't want to put my expectations high. These trucks just aren't meant to compete with the newer trucks. With some mods these trucks can be very reliable, and are one of the cheapest diesels to own.

The main reason I am doing the turbo swap is to gain MPG, more than power. My truck currently averages 17-18 MPG in the country/hilly setting. On the highway i get about 19-20MPG. Adding a turbo of this size is know to increase MPG's by 1 or 2. We will see if that's true!

This will give me a very good excuse to find a dyno and do it.


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## mossman381

Interesting, you need to get some video of it when your done. I would like to hear it run and see a hard take off


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## DieselSlug

Well worked on the truck for a few minutes today. The crossover proved to be a bear still! The studs are a PAIN to use! I couldnt get the springs on and the nuts started to save my life. So im junking all those parts and going bolts again. Will pick them up tomorrow. The cross over looks very cheap to me. When hooked up to both manifolds where it crosses underneath the transmission its not even perpendicular to the truck! It goes at a strange looking angle. Tell you the truth so far i miss my 1 piece cross over!


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## DieselSlug

Pictures of the inlet i got and the missing lap joint for the exhaust. Also got some pictures of the fuel blockoff plate and a new flat one i bought in case we cant make the stock one work. Waiting on a steel 10an fitting because the aluminum wont wont weld too hot to the steel plates.


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## DieselSlug

Forgot the pictures on the last post...


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## DieselSlug

Last few for now.


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## DieselSlug

This is the fuel blockoff plate with a tig welded bung and a 60 something degree fitting. I think tomorrow im going to return the fitting and get a 90. Will give me more space.


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## DieselSlug

Forgot the picture....


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## DieselSlug

Pictures from the other day.


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## DieselSlug

Here is up to date. ETA for start is tomorrow. All the hard work is done, its all the little things now.


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## DieselSlug

Pictures from today, made an ad on c-list for the fuel tank crossover, i need one bad if anyone is parting out a truck. And when i got to work today noticed my exhaust rotted off. 3 years old, sanded, wiped with acetone and painted 5 coats of high temp before installation. I hate rot..


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## plowguy43

I'm loving this thread, I've made a few detailed threads such as this on other forums. I think it makes for great reading and information for those who attempt to tackle such projects. My big one was converting a Gas Ram 2500 from auto to manual which was a bunch of fun.

I got to say, you really need to invest in something like Rust Bullet or POR15. Wiping with acetone and painting isn't going to keep the rust from coming back. These paints will stop the rust (remove oxygen) and harden up. 

keep up the work, I love it.


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## mossman381

I don't think painting the outside of the exhaust is going to help. They rust from the inside out and usually on the welds.


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## plowguy43

Updates? Anything new


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## DieselSlug

Today i called hiawatha auto parts seeing if they could help me with the crossover. He says he has a chevy tow truck that may have the part. Going to look at the rig monday morning. Hopefully we can work something out. I have a few tuning issues i need to have my tu.er straighten out. But man this truck wants to 1 wheel peel. I think one of the next mods is rebuild the posi or install a detroit. I do need to spend more time on rust protection. Ive been spending all my money on mechanicals. My plan is to next year get the truck stripped a bit and get more new body panels installed.


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## DieselSlug

mossman381;1499000 said:


> I don't think painting the outside of the exhaust is going to help. They rust from the inside out and usually on the welds.


Yeah our right. Just sucks this junk doesnt last longer. 4 inch exhaust aint cheap. I really want to try to go stainless this time. Id like to do a simple set of stacks. But this new turbo drones a lot and i think it would get very obnoxious fast!!!


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## mossman381

DieselSlug;1499979 said:


> Yeah our right. Just sucks this junk doesnt last longer. 4 inch exhaust aint cheap. I really want to try to go stainless this time. Id like to do a simple set of stacks. But this new turbo drones a lot and i think it would get very obnoxious fast!!!


Stainless will probably last longer but I like the look of chrome better.


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## Stik208

DieselSlug;1499979 said:


> Yeah our right. Just sucks this junk doesnt last longer. 4 inch exhaust aint cheap. I really want to try to go stainless this time. Id like to do a simple set of stacks. But this new turbo drones a lot and i think it would get very obnoxious fast!!!


Please dont do stacks they are the worst.


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## DieselSlug

mossman381;1500000 said:


> Stainless will probably last longer but I like the look of chrome better.


I like chrome, but not a lot of it. I have a 5'' chrome tip that dresses it up well. Im going to limp this exhaust till next spring. Then splurge on SS kit out the back.


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## DieselSlug

Stik208;1500030 said:


> Please dont do stacks they are the worst.


Im on the fence with them, i like super simple ones but thats it. It would be on the edge of making the truck less preactical to drive daily. Plus i want my tonneau cover installed behind my tool box, so i will prolly go with another exhaust out the back.


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## DieselSlug

Picked up a fuel tank crossover from justchevytrucks.com; was $110 total. This place is a pure chevy junkyard. Should be expecting it within the next few days.


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## DieselSlug

Pictures of my temporary pipe repair. The exhaust was starting to melt my mudflap after it broke. I need to get one more lap clamp to replace the regular exhaust clap, i did not realize the rust expanded the tip and cracked it!


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## DieselSlug

Last picture


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## DieselSlug

Oh i forgot one...


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## DieselSlug

Well got the long expecting package at work today. My fuel tank crossover is here! I was psyched until i opened the box. Didn't resemble my crossover. Investigating further looks as if they sent me the rear crossover instead of the front i asked for and needed. Waiting for their side to make a decision on what to do, sounds as if they made a mistake on their side.


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## plowguy43

Thats too funny, I literally drove by that place yesterday on my way to NH. Funny thing was, there are a bunch of Fords parked out front for sale as well.

Either way, good progress on your truck. Hopefully they make things right with that part.


----------



## mossman381

I hate screw ups, but seems like it is common now a days. Everybody is in to much of a hurry.


----------



## DieselSlug

The place i ordered it from admitted total mistake and are sending out the correct one ans letting me keep the other cross member free. Just be a week behind but i made out. Now when tbe rear rots i have a replacement!


----------



## DieselSlug

Got the correct cross-member from UPS today! Hopefully i can get it replaced next Tuesday. Need to start getting the truck ready for winter months. Time is running out.


----------



## DieselSlug

Did some work on the truck this weekend while i had some free time. Did an oil change, replaced what was left of the broken passenger side sway bar link.

Also did some test fitting with my rotating plow light. I moved the magnest so they are in the center of the plow light and connect it to the Pro-Rack, but the magnets aren't enough at 70 MPH. Going to add a bolt or two today before the Sandy the storm tries to rip it off.


----------



## DieselSlug

Had a friend replace the cross member for me due to not having the tool to make this job even some what possible. The old cross member came out like swiss cheese and was way worse than i thought. This truck needs some serious frame coating due to heavy scale. I need to get it trhough 1 more winter so i can do it next year. My sending unit is shot also, hope it last through the winter...


----------



## DieselSlug

Last 2. I can fill my fuel tank now, if only i could afford too now that i had to pay someone to do the work.


----------



## DieselSlug

Finally took my siezed front driveshaft to Fleet pride, said the only thing they can do is to rebuild it. The rebuild would be around $250... I cant afford that right now. Looking for other options.. Are the front drive shafts the same on all K2500-3500 with automatic transmissions between gas jobs and the 6.5 diesel? I know manuals would be different. Thinking about trying my local u pull yard...


----------



## mossman381

DieselSlug;1508092 said:


> Finally took my siezed front driveshaft to Fleet pride, said the only thing they can do is to rebuild it. The rebuild would be around $250... I cant afford that right now. Looking for other options.. Are the front drive shafts the same on all K2500-3500 with automatic transmissions between gas jobs and the 6.5 diesel? I know manuals would be different. Thinking about trying my local u pull yard...


The salvage yard should be able to tell you if they are the same. I would think they would be because they used the same trans/transfer case as the gas trucks.


----------



## DieselSlug

Well ive been adding blaster to the slip joint and went at it with a sledge with no luck. Its shot. Trying to get to the junyard this week to get a replacement for $40 instead of $250. I am getting anxious to get this crap done and just drive my truck!


----------



## BPS#1

Dang dude, that is some rust bite.



I'd plow gently this winter and don't hit any curbs at speed.
With that much missing and damaged frame parts it'd just fold up.

Thats gotta be tough to deal with living in salt country.
Glad I don't have to worry about it. 






Now all that being said.......... on a quiet night can you hear a cheby rust? lol


----------



## DieselSlug

BPS#1;1510219 said:


> Dang dude, that is some rust bite.
> 
> I'd plow gently this winter and don't hit any curbs at speed.
> With that much missing and damaged frame parts it'd just fold up.
> 
> Thats gotta be tough to deal with living in salt country.
> Glad I don't have to worry about it.
> 
> Now all that being said.......... on a quiet night can you hear a cheby rust? lol


Ain't that the truth. It sucks big time. You either need to buy new and trade in every few years, which i can't afford. Or you need to buy and older rig, drive it till it falls apart then walk away and buy another, which i can't afford either.


----------



## DieselSlug

Well crap. Here we go again. The local junkyards system says the driveshaft needs to come out of a 89' to 95 silverado or gmc 2500 or 3500. Which the oldest one they has was a 98' which is different because they changed the t case. On the hunt for a used model, trying to avoid dumping $250 into mine... if anyone has one.or knows of one please.let me know!


----------



## mossman381

Try craigslist. There should be lots of guys parting out 89-95 trucks.


----------



## DieselSlug

Picked up a shaft today from a local yard. Realized once at home that either there are different shafts or someone put this together wrong when they replaced the u joints? New one is on the bottom, my old one on the top.. Which is right? Should i run it this way?


----------



## mossman381

DieselSlug;1511412 said:


> Picked up a shaft today from a local yard. Realized once at home that either there are different shafts or someone put this together wrong when they replaced the u joints? New one is on the bottom, my old one on the top.. Which is right? Should i run it this way?


The one on the bottom is the way it should be.


----------



## DieselSlug

How the heck did mine end up backwords? Very interesting!


----------



## mossman381

Somebody probably was not paying attention to what they were doing


----------



## DieselSlug

So hopefully the u joints are interchangeable? Was hoping to reuse mine as im low on cash and 1 is almoat new!


----------



## mossman381

They must be if someone put yours on backwards and it worked.


----------



## DieselSlug

Went on ebay and just "looked" at all the front driveshafts for sale. There is a pretty good mix of both ways. But from what i counted more of them were in my original fashion. Im gonna swap my joints over and run it for now, hopefully i can get this done this afternoon!


----------



## mossman381

I have had quite a few 88-98 chevy trucks and on all of them the slip yoke was closer to the axle than the transfer case.


----------



## DieselSlug

mossman381;1512202 said:


> I have had quite a few 88-98 chevy trucks and on all of them the slip yoke was closer to the axle than the transfer case.


Going to replace one of the joints and stick it in the way it looks. I greased up the joint by the axle and it feels good, so no sense in replacing now. Also greased the slip joint area and it slided very easy. But the joint at the t-case end is shot. Going to get a new one today, i was going to swap mine in but realized the grease fitting is broken off.


----------



## mossman381

That joint shouldn't cost you much.


----------



## DieselSlug

Went to advance and got both u joints. They are both wrong... So im taking the joints back and dropping the shaft off at Fleet pride for them to replace and me to just bolt in. I had issues before getting the correct front u joint, fleet pride solved it.
Gun is opening this Saturday and i need 4wd. Got whats left of the snow tires on today also.


----------



## plowguy43

DieselSlug;1514550 said:


> Went to advance and got both u joints. They are both wrong... So im taking the joints back and dropping the shaft off at Fleet pride for them to replace and me to just bolt in. I had issues before getting the correct front u joint, fleet pride solved it.
> Gun is opening this Saturday and i need 4wd. Got whats left of the snow tires on today also.


I had the same problem with advance, went next door to Napa and they found it right away.


----------



## DieselSlug

$72 to put new u joints in. They said the correct orientation of the shaft is slip joint towards the axle as mossman said. Picking it up tomorrow.


----------



## DieselSlug

Picture of the goodies from last week. Some stakes for my newly acquired drives this season, almost new plow shoes from Pete0, frame gussets from bizzo and the newly jointed shaft.


----------



## DieselSlug

Got the shaft in this am. Was about 20 degrees out on pavement. The slip jiint is twoards the front axle. Clearence is tighter next to the trans due to thick part of shaft. But is over and inch. Should be ok.


----------



## mossman381

That is the way the driveshaft goes so you should be fine.


----------



## DieselSlug

Since we are getting closer to the season i decided to install the hydraulic plow belt for the season (usually take it off during summer). Last summer my idler pulley went and shredded the serpentine belt and chewed a small spot in the plow belt. So i opted for the fancy Napa green unit (supposed to last longer?). We will see. Also snapped a quick picture at work with the snows on, might look into getting some Cooper Discoverer M&S. My Wrangler TD's have about 40K and are showing. Can't quite swallow the pill yet on the cost, school has drained me.


----------



## durafish

minus the cosmetics that trucks seems pretty nice


----------



## DieselSlug

Thanks. It's definitely a work in progress. Right now it's set up to be a reliable comfy work truck that will tow a house. Slowly will keep replacing the panels until the whole thing is solid, then it will get repainted. I love the power lumbar in the seats out of a 99 Tahoe I installed. And the home link is awesome!


----------



## mossman381

I would stay away from mud tires. They just don't last. Get yourself a good set of AT tires and save yourself some money.


----------



## DieselSlug

mossman381;1518856 said:


> I would stay away from mud tires. They just don't last. Get yourself a good set of AT tires and save yourself some money.


Yeah, that was my issue when i bought the Wrangler T/D's. I got a sick deal on them, $430 installed. They were awesome till half tread. This is because they have the M/T tread pattern. Currently still good in the mud and grass but suck on ice.

I want to get a set of true dedicated snows since i have two sets of rims. I need something better in icy conditions, these Coopers are $168 each.

(Ones in the pics are studded, prolly wont need that)


----------



## durafish

Are they used that wicked cheap for a truck tire? Or are they not load range e.


----------



## DieselSlug

durafish;1518918 said:


> Are they used that wicked cheap for a truck tire? Or are they not load range e.


Whoops, my bad on that typo. I meant to say $168 per tire. I want at least the C rating.

Cooper has load ratings on the 265-75-R16 Discoverer M&S

Standard Load <----(What the heck does this mean??)
Load Range C: 6 Ply
Load Range E: 10 Ply

I don't tow at all in the winter, only in the summer if i ever rarely do. My summer tires are all load range E's but in the winter i suffice with C's.

This is all online, if i really decide i want to get them (aka can afford to) ill check with a few locals to see if they can come close to these prices to give them the business instead..


----------



## durafish

Oh yea that sound more like it. I will only run e's due to the weight and stuff I haul.


----------



## DieselSlug

Uncovered the plow and brought it up last weekend. Seemed to function good. The hydraulic hoses are getting very weathered, the rams are due for replacements and the blade needs some holes patched. Hopefully i can push through this winter.


----------



## mossman381

I wouldn't waste my money on two sets of tires for summer/winter. Just get good set of A/T tires and run them all year.


----------



## DieselSlug

I was that way until last winter. A friend of mine who also plows got a new set last winter of Master craft snow tires and his truck did circles around mine on the icy paved hill driveways. I more need something for ice. I have a few steep paved drives that are real tough to maneuver. I like to stick with the highway tread in the summer so I can get the best mileage possible. Might not happen though. Just can't afford it currently.


----------



## mossman381

DieselSlug;1525750 said:


> I was that way until last winter. A friend of mine who also plows got a new set last winter of Master craft snow tires and his truck did circles around mine on the icy paved hill driveways. I more need something for ice. I have a few steep paved drives that are real tough to maneuver. I like to stick with the highway tread in the summer so I can get the best mileage possible. Might not happen though. Just can't afford it currently.


What kind of truck did he have? Maybe he had more weight than you. Unless he had the same truck you have it would be hard to compare them.


----------



## DieselSlug

True. The trucks are different makes. He has a Cummins ram same body style as mine. But I had more weight in the rear of my truck. He also has an 8 foot Fisher mm1 and mine is 7.5 feet.


----------



## mossman381

DieselSlug;1525827 said:


> True. The trucks are different makes. He has a Cummins ram same body style as mine. But I had more weight in the rear of my truck. He also has an 8 foot Fisher mm1 and mine is 7.5 feet.


Is your locking diff working. I know I had a 1500 with an open rear diff and that did not want to plow very good at all. Power always went to the tire with no traction.


----------



## DieselSlug

No the position is shot. It's got a Detroit true track coming next summer. Not sure if his position worked. Both our trucks had over 200k miles. But I could see how that would help!


----------



## mossman381

DieselSlug;1525844 said:


> No the position is shot. It's got a Detroit true track coming next summer. Not sure if his position worked. Both our trucks had over 200k miles. But I could see how that would help!


I would put my money in a locking diff before I bought snow tires


----------



## DieselSlug

Stupid auto correct ^^^^


----------



## mossman381

I knew what you meant.


----------



## DieselSlug

Finally finished with my amber light. Wired it up and gave it a test run. I got this unit for free a few years back. Sat in my basement mainly due to the fact my truck cant fit in the garage with it on. But i have so many plow jobs now to warrant the safety factor.


----------



## IA Farmer

Looks good. Did you add pull type door handles or are those oem?


----------



## DieselSlug

RAM_ON97;1532427 said:


> Looks good. Did you add pull type door handles or are those oem?


Thank you. Those handles were never offered on these rigs per say. They were available on Kodiak and 3500 hd trucks. But the bolt directly on with the linkage hardware for the Kodiak or 3500hd. My stock handle cracked one winter day. I got a set of used Kodiak handles at my local junkyard for 40 bucks. Installed and never looked back.


----------



## DieselSlug

Had some time to try and figure out my plow lights. The marker lights worked but the high and low beams didnt. Ended up running a ground, which the plow needed. The lights still didn't work. Checked the relays behind the drivers parking light and they were corroded badly. Luckily last time i went to the junkyard i grabbed 2 relays from a Dodge van. They happen to be the exact number and everything! Swapped one in and the low beams worked. Swapped the other and now the high beams work. So i have working plow lights again, but the headlight on the drivers side is very dim, i am thinking it needs to be replaced. I am also soaking the studs in penetrant so i can carefully loosen them without ruining the housing so i can re point the beams.

Also included a picture of my shot rotor, had metal on metal the other day.


----------



## DieselSlug

Well the snow has seem to slow down for the next week or so. Its going to be time to get some work done on my truck. Ive had several issues come up over the past few weeks, plus others that have been ongoing. I got an appointment Monday to get my sway bar end links replaced (1 is broke), an oil change and an inspection.

Ive also been starting to have issues with the flapper door in the heater box. When i shut the truck off the flapper door flapps uncontrollably. I have to play with the heater/blower settings to get it to calm down. Does anyone know how the flapper is operated? Vacuum or electronics? What are the relays for on the top of the heater box behind the glove compartment?

My drivers door Kodiak handle i think may have bit the dust. The spring release function that holds the paddle out isnt working and my door really doesn't like to shut now.

On the cold morning i have problems getting my parking lights to function. The headlights will turn on, but nothing else. I have to play with the switch/get the truck warmed up before it will decide to light up.

Just a bunch of crazy nickle-and-dime stuff.


----------



## BPS#1

Your lights are probably still ground issues. Or more relays.



My plow right side headlight went real dim on me. I had to triple check the ground before finally finding exactly which connection wasn't make a good connection.


----------



## DieselSlug

BPS#1;1556965 said:


> Your lights are probably still ground issues. Or more relays.
> 
> My plow right side headlight went real dim on me. I had to triple check the ground before finally finding exactly which connection wasn't make a good connection.


I was thinking the same thing on the grounds. I have an extra headlight switch in the basement. So i might try that first. I ended up replacing the two relays, i think those are the only two involved with lighting? This happens with the plow on or off.


----------



## BPS#1

This is why I HATE HATE HATE wiring.

Diagnostics/trouble shooting take soooooooo much time. 
Then when you do find it its usually a fairly simple fix.



edit....... after re-reading your comment about the cold and working the switch a few times.... 
yeah I'd give changing the switch a try next.


----------



## DieselSlug

BPS#1;1556997 said:


> This is why I HATE HATE HATE wiring.
> 
> Diagnostics/trouble shooting take soooooooo much time.
> Then when you do find it its usually a fairly simple fix.
> 
> edit....... after re-reading your comment about the cold and working the switch a few times....
> yeah I'd give changing the switch a try next.


I actually did some searching and found out the bunch of relays behind the glove box on older GM trucks are for headlights/parking/(something else). I wonder if one of these relays is going? When i warms up it works better? Will have to look into this.

Another thing i was pointed to by a friend about my flapper door:
http://www.thetruckstop.us/forum/showthread.php?33272-Recirculation-Actuator

Sorry if i shouldn't post the link, but may be helpful to others.

EDIT: Now i found some info that the relays are blower High/med/low relays. One thing that sucks about the internet, not always right..


----------



## mossman381

I am pretty sure the heater is not vacuum controlled. On our 90 the flap that controlled where the heat went stopped working. The heat was stuck blowing on the floor. I found the cable that controlled the flapper fell off. I had to rig it to stay on.

The lights there are grounds on the fenders for them. On our 90 these grounds rusted and I had to move them to better sheet metal.

The sway bars are a an easy fix. I wouldn't pay anybody to replace them.


----------



## DieselSlug

mossman381;1557076 said:


> I am pretty sure the heater is not vacuum controlled. On our 90 the flap that controlled where the heat went stopped working. The heat was stuck blowing on the floor. I found the cable that controlled the flapper fell off. I had to rig it to stay on.
> 
> The lights there are grounds on the fenders for them. On our 90 these grounds rusted and I had to move them to better sheet metal.
> 
> The sway bars are a an easy fix. I wouldn't pay anybody to replace them.


I looked over some more stuff on the internet, appears the 88-91 trucks had cables. Then they went to the fancy heater control box. So the flapper is electronically operated in my 94. Im going to see if NAPA has a new flapper motor. I think its called a blend door motor. I can hear the flapping in the cowl area on the outside so that leads me to think its the outside/inside air flap.

If the switch swap doesnt fix it i will look into the grounds. I know there is one on the passenger fender, and drivers front corner of the core support.

I would do the sway bars but i have an appointment for monday for inspection, which i am thinking they will fail it for one link being broke. My boss has been out sick and ive been working way over time with normal work and plowing and currently dealing with the stomach bug. Unfortunately to the point where i just need things done now.

Moss i wish i had your garage, someday i will build a good one.


----------



## DieselSlug

Well i went to NAPA, and they said they have 4-5 different types of door motors. Depends on A/C, automatic A/C, auto recirc, manual, automatic and a bunch of other stuff i can't remember. They ranged from $45-100. WOW! I mainly just wanted to buy one new, know its good and i don't have to come up with time to go to the junkyard and really freeze my bottom off.


----------



## DieselSlug

Well had some more issues pop up with the truck lately. My drivers door has been getting very tough to latch. After dis-assemble come to find out the tiny return spring on the striker latch is broken. Since i was working for the moment i put it back together well lubed. Test closed the door without the panel on 3 times. Put the panel on and now the door is stuck closed! I can look down with the weather stripping removed and all rods move freely clear to the latch mechanism. I know the unlock rod is in the unlocked position. But it seems as the latch itself is way gone. Anyone know of a trick to popping the latch? I stopped at the junkyard today and got a new-er latch. just need to get my door open again to replace. Thanks for any ideas.


----------



## mossman381

That sucks. I have heard of this happening to guys after they replace door handles but it has never happened to me. I have no idea how you are going to get to the inside of the door without taking off the panel.


----------



## DieselSlug

mossman381;1560261 said:


> That sucks. I have heard of this happening to guys after they replace door handles but it has never happened to me. I have no idea how you are going to get to the inside of the door without taking off the panel.


Yeah, ive heard of horror stories too Moss. Just never me, till now:realmad:. I was seriously ready to throw in the towel last night and start thinking about something else. (20 degree weather outside trying to get a door open at 5 PM gets you thinking if you would rather make a payment). When i roll the window down and take off the outer weather stripping i can see down into the door at the latch. Wondering if there is any lever i can hit with a screw driver to help the process. I really dont know how i am going to remove the panel with the door shut and not ruin it. Getting hard to find the 17 year old plow truck parts in good shape!

I might play with it a little tonight after work. This sliding over the passenger seat is getting way old fast.


----------



## mossman381

DieselSlug;1560264 said:


> Yeah, ive heard of horror stories too Moss. Just never me, till now:realmad:. I was seriously ready to throw in the towel last night and start thinking about something else. (20 degree weather outside trying to get a door open at 5 PM gets you thinking if you would rather make a payment). When i roll the window down and take off the outer weather stripping i can see down into the door at the latch. Wondering if there is any lever i can hit with a screw driver to help the process. I really dont know how i am going to remove the panel with the door shut and not ruin it. Getting hard to find the 17 year old plow truck parts in good shape!
> 
> I might play with it a little tonight after work. This sliding over the passenger seat is getting way old fast.


When I painted my door on my 02 and the door handle was off I used a screwdriver to push down on the latch to open my door. I don't remember how the 88-98 latches work. They are probably similar.


----------



## scott3430

Wow! This is a thread of blood, sweat, and tears for your truck, Awesome!


----------



## DieselSlug

scott3430;1560458 said:


> Wow! This is a thread of blood, sweat, and tears for your truck, Awesome!


Thanks! Its been a long rough expensive road for sure, but what older vehicle isn't. This thread is actually real short on the stuff ive been through with it. I have a real detailed thread on the truckstop forum (6.5 diesel forum) of the engine build and front end rebuild if you interested.


----------



## DieselSlug

I really think im down to trying to remove the door panel while the door is shut, my panels are very nice though, i dont want to ruin them. Maybe some work at lunch today...

Also was firing up the truck this am, and sliding across the passenger seat when i heard a pop/click. My interior lights went out and my radio went out. Thinking i also blew a fuse now. Just before the door stuck shut i replaced the drivers door light switch, mine was broken. I replaced it with a junkyard unit and am thinking it shorted or something. Thats the only electrical change ive done since its blown. I also got a new headlight switch that may be the culprit, but still havent installed yet. Time is killing me with starting back at school next Monday.


----------



## DieselSlug

Well i ended up carefully pulling the door panel off without damaging it. Loostened a bunch of screws on the guts part of the door and got a screw driver in there. Played with the latch and finally got it to open! Of course as soon as i closed it the door stuck again, but i now know i can at least get it open!


----------



## DareDog

DieselSlug;1560962 said:


> I really think im down to trying to remove the door panel while the door is shut, my panels are very nice though, i dont want to ruin them. Maybe some work at lunch today...
> 
> Also was firing up the truck this am, and sliding across the passenger seat when i heard a pop/click. My interior lights went out and my radio went out. Thinking i also blew a fuse now. Just before the door stuck shut i replaced the drivers door light switch, mine was broken. I replaced it with a junkyard unit and am thinking it shorted or something. Thats the only electrical change ive done since its blown. I also got a new headlight switch that may be the culprit, but still havent installed yet. Time is killing me with starting back at school next Monday.


where are you going to school?


----------



## Banksy

It does get to the point sometimes when you really just wonder is it worth putting any more aggravation into it.


----------



## DieselSlug

DareDog;1561299 said:


> where are you going to school?


Currently at ESF, part of SU. Graduated from Morrisville College a while back and transferred to OCC then back to Morrisville and then to ESF. lol


----------



## DieselSlug

Banksy;1561311 said:


> It does get to the point sometimes when you really just wonder is it worth putting any more aggravation into it.


This is true, and i have been thinking a lot about possibly moving on. But when i look at other trucks out there they make me think mine is better. Seems like a truck here is a rot box even at $5K!


----------



## DieselSlug

Well got the new-used latch in from the junkyard. Was 5 bucks. Looks like the two operation springs both were broken, which caused the failure. Almost looks as if they have been broken for a while though.

Side note, while installing my Kodiak handle back in i noticed the threads were real light on one side. While tightening it in i ended up stripping the other side, and the first pull stripped the light threaded side. Luckily i happen to have a spare Kodiak handle in my basement, im almost 99% sure its the drivers too.. When i get home tonight i will install the other handle.


----------



## DareDog

whos truck is next? ha my dad had to fix the ground on plow lights and the door handle broke and i did not break it this time  on his obs chevy, they are popular at junk yards only one left out of bunch of trucks. only issue is its blue handle in a grey interior


----------



## DareDog

opps double post.......


----------



## DieselSlug

The light issue ended up being a bad headlight switch got that at the junkyard also.


----------



## DieselSlug

Got the new latch installed, while i was at the junkyard i picked up these door piece from a '94 burb. Planning to install on my truck to make it accommodate eventual power towing mirrors!

And a wash while it was in the 40's!


----------



## DieselSlug

Got this package deal off Ebay. Two new headlights and two new parking lights. This will brighten my front end up big time! The head lights even came with HB3 & 4 bulbs installed! $58 dollars free shipping.


----------



## scott3430

$58.00 for all those with bulbs sounds like you found a good deal! HB3?


----------



## DieselSlug

scott3430;1568802 said:


> $58.00 for all those with bulbs sounds like you found a good deal! HB3?


Thats what i thought! I can post the link if others are interested. I think they are out of NY so, i got them in 2 days. The high beams have the HB3 9005 bulbs installed and the lows are HB4 9006 bulbs.


----------



## mossman381

New lights make a truck look better and you can see better too.


----------



## DieselSlug

Got the new headlights and parking lights in! I still need to fine tune the aiming of the headlights as they favor the passenger side of the road. But man they are definitely brighter! They look a ton better too! Cant wait to clean it next time and see how much it brightened the front end up.

The old parking lights were bought about 5 years ago. They have been on 3 different trucks I have owned. One tab was cracked off and the light actually broke in half (i glued it back together for a temporary fix).


----------



## DieselSlug

Last one...


----------



## scott3430

Nice pics of the new lights! I bet your eyes will be happy with them too - especially during a snow storm. So the last parking lights lasted about 5 years?


----------



## DieselSlug

scott3430;1573479 said:


> Nice pics of the new lights! I bet your eyes will be happy with them too - especially during a snow storm. So the last parking lights lasted about 5 years?


Thanks. I just wish i could get my fisher head mm1 headlights to work this well. Really got about 4 years with the parking lights before they fogged bad. Iirc i paid 32 bucks back thrn from lmc.


----------



## DieselSlug

Well got some work to do on the truck again, putting aside the Mustang for this weekend. On March 3rd i will be going to Bel Air MD. My brother is going to buy a 1986 Mustang GT. Since its still winter we are going to trailer the car to reduce salt exposure. 

Truck needs front brakes bad, and has a loud clunking in the steering system. So far i have purchased 2 new front wheel bearing assemblies, rotors, calipers and pads. Also picked up an oil change since I am almost due. So hopefully weather permitting i can polish this off this weekend and find out whats clunking in the front end. Im sure the backs will need attention also this year, but i cant swing it at the moment.


----------



## mossman381

Our 90 had a clunk in the steering, we thought but it turned out to be upper ball joints. The ball joints were so bad when we changed them they had almost beaten themselves apart. Luckily they didn't come apart going down the road.


----------



## DieselSlug

mossman381;1604335 said:


> Our 90 had a clunk in the steering, we thought but it turned out to be upper ball joints. The ball joints were so bad when we changed them they had almost beaten themselves apart. Luckily they didn't come apart going down the road.


I will look into that this weekend. When i rebuilt the engine i replaced every steering component from the steering column to the spindles. Lats year i needed to replace the idler arm, and ive noticed that it wanders more now. When i replaced everything it felt real tight, not anymore. I have replaced 1 ball joint, all the rest are original, guess now that i think about it thats a long time!


----------



## DieselSlug

Mile marker: Quarter Million.


----------



## DieselSlug

Got some work done over the weekend. Replaced the hub assemblies, rotors, pads and calipers. Also found out where the clunking/play is in the steering system. The idler arm to the tie rod link. Going to have to replace those again, not to far back in this thread i replaced both already, after i replaced them when i rebuilt the engine.


----------



## DieselSlug

Well i did some more work on the truck Tuesday afternoon (got lucky with a cancelled class). Replaced the idler arm and bracket and changed the oil. I pulled off the elbow to the turbo to see how much oil was pooling from the CDR (I am due for a replacement).

I also took it upon myself to wiggle the shaft of the turbo... All went down hill from there. The turbo had a serious amount of play in it, this is the WH1C i installed a few months back. So either the main shaft is so worn the rebuild bought me some time, or i still did something wrong, which i had double checked my self the second time i took it apart. Its now bad enough that if you spin the shaft and press down the blades just scrape the housing! I took it all apart and the blades look good, and the housing has no score marks. I caught this just in time. When oil pressure i built up there must be enough oil between the bearings and shaft that it floats higher as to not touch the housing yet. 

Im supposed to be towing with my truck this weekend on an 8 hr trip! So i went into high gear looking for a replacement turbo. Nothing within 200 miles, and i need it by tomorrow! Found a shop called Naples Turbo (In FL). They hooked me up with a new CHRA, I splurged and spent serious money to keep my turbo all OEM. You can get a chinese unit for $185, but the genuine one was $399. Then i spent the cash to 2 day ship it, so it will arrive tomorrow before the trip. I know i could have bought an HX40 for that cost, but i needed a solution ASAP. Plus after this weekend there is snow in the schedule. SO plowing will need to be done. Will post some pictures this weekend.

We are going to Bel Air MD to pick up a 1986 Mustang GT for my brother. While we are down there we are going to visit Assateague island in Ocean City. I hope it all works out..


----------



## mossman381

Better to have found this out now than on the road. Would have cost you a lot more than $399 plus shipping to fix it in the middle of nowhere.


----------



## DieselSlug

mossman381;1610870 said:


> Better to have found this out now than on the road. Would have cost you a lot more than $399 plus shipping to fix it in the middle of nowhere.


Very true, i have handled the situation well mainly because of that lol.


----------



## DieselSlug

Got the CHRA. Kinda disappointing, but not sure if i should be. The turbo shaft does have a small amount of play. I know it can have up to a said amount, but i cant remember that. Also the CHRA housing doesn't say Holset on it, just a big R as seen in pictures. I asked the person if this was an OEM Holset unit and they said yes. I also didn't get a receipt with the package which i am going to email about. I think it has a 1 year warranty and im going to get screwed on the warranty because you have to have paper proof of a certified mechanic, and i can't afford that crap.

Whats your opinions?


----------



## DieselSlug

Made the trip with no issues. Visited Assateague Island while we were there.


----------



## DieselSlug

Some more pictures.


----------



## DieselSlug

A few more..


----------



## DieselSlug

Last few pictures.


----------



## durafish

Hey could you post the link for the lights, please?


----------



## DieselSlug

durafish;1618788 said:


> Hey could you post the link for the lights, please?


Wow, something must have happened, I purchased them so long ago they aren't on my recent wall of EBay. I went into my feedback (cant remember buyer name, but they were in NY state). I cant find a single listing of the headlight set! I went on EBay and typed it in also and nothing pops up. Weird! Apparently it was an insane deal..


----------



## durafish

Ok oh well ill just find another set. The truck we got is missing the bottom lights so I figured it would look better with all four that are clear.


----------



## DieselSlug

Might have found the next modification. My Goodyear Wrangler T/D's were a great tire for the price, but are now shot and do horribly in the traction aspect. My 1994 steel rims have been sanded and painted many times and the rust is getting so extreme that they are almost scrap worthy. I picked up a set of chrome hubcaps to look for a newer style of steel rim for my winter set. 

Now that i bought the caps my boss came to me today asking me if i would want anything off his girlfriends truck. Its a 1998 K2500 454 ext cab short box. The transmission is shot, and they don't have the money to replace it, so i was offered parts before scrapping. Its got a set of fairly new tires on it will very low miles. Current plan is to buy the rims and tires and run them on mine in the winter, ill put mine on the truck and then it can go to scrap. The rims are aftermarket, alcoa type jobs. Not sure if im going to like them. I cant really remember what shape they are in, but i don't really care for the price. Hopefully we can work something out, agreed price was $150. They are either 265-75-R16, or 285-75-R16's.

I also found out what my mysterious front end clunking is. Its the drivers side shock, the hole is ovaled out and it flops around on the A arm. The shocks are shot, but i had a fiasco finding them last time. Stock shocks don't fit this truck due to the bars being cranked, i need a shock a tad bit longer than stock.


----------



## 2006Sierra1500

Should pick up some other parts from that 98 while you're at it. Front end parts, etc. Stuff like that.


----------



## DieselSlug

2006Sierra1500;1620790 said:


> Should pick up some other parts from that 98 while you're at it. Front end parts, etc. Stuff like that.


I would but the truck has sat many years, barely driven and most of the time broken. The body is mangled from this crazy lady owner 4 wheeling into trees and hitting guardrails. The truck is rough for sure.


----------



## DieselSlug

Just hit 253,000 miles and its time to change the oil ASAP (stinking rain/cold). 

Contemplating on my next move of what to work on. My bed and cab don't line up well anymore, so i believe my truck needs body mounts. None a rotted off or anything but they look very squished. I think im going to get an energy suspension bushing kit and replace them. Also working on finding a suitable shop to do the cab corners and possibly the rockers (since im doing the corners might as well do the rockers). Im also working on cleaning up a set of bumper guides i got.


----------



## DieselSlug

This week is the start of the local fireman's field days and i have been helping setup for this event and do various activities throughout the week there. Today we are supposed to get hammered with rain 2-3"! I've been driving my car around lately and we have to park in a field for the events. Stopped up at my dads to pick up the truck last night. Started right up and ran well for about 1 minute, then i picked up a very loud squeal from under the hood. Thought the idler pulley or alternator was going again. Shut it off to find the serpentine belt was loose. The tensioner had no spring too it. So i removed it to find this.








[/URL]

I used to have an extra tensioner but my dad has been getting on my case to get rid of my large lot of spare parts. Needless to say this was one part that got tossed a few months ago. (You think its bad when you don't have the part, its way worse when you know you did and threw it out!) I've never had one of these spring type tensioners fail on me before, that's why i felt the need to scrap the old one.


----------



## DieselSlug

Am in the process of swapping out my silverado switches for suburban switches. A few pictures of the wires today at lunch. Have to go from the the round style to square.

A friend on another forum did this swap a while back and kindly let me use his wiring diagram to go off of.


----------



## KL&M Snow Div.

You oughta look at water methanol injection. I think that will be my next upgrade. I have bigger injectors in the truck now, but I think those should be bigger yet haha


----------



## 04hd

Very nice work man!!!!!! How is your mileage with this truck. My uncle has a 94 dually ext cab long box if he keeps his foot out of it he can get 18 pulling a 8x24 enclosed car trailer. His has never seen salt it's parked nov 1 thru may 1.


----------



## DieselSlug

KL&M Snow Div.;1638693 said:


> You oughta look at water methanol injection. I think that will be my next upgrade. I have bigger injectors in the truck now, but I think those should be bigger yet haha


I was looking into this at one point, would this setup work good in the cold winter months though?


----------



## DieselSlug

04hd;1638915 said:


> Very nice work man!!!!!! How is your mileage with this truck. My uncle has a 94 dually ext cab long box if he keeps his foot out of it he can get 18 pulling a 8x24 enclosed car trailer. His has never seen salt it's parked nov 1 thru may 1.


Thanks! The reason i bought this truck in the first place was to yank the plow off and put it on my Tahoe. But i ended up getting the truck running (bought it dead) and at this point in time diesel was about 20 cents cheaper than gas. So i sold the Tahoe and started daily driving the diesel. I first got 14 MPG's with it stone stock. Currently now i get about 18 MPG daily country driving, and can break 20 MPG on the highway. In the winter due to fuel blend it goes down to 12 MPG to around 15 MPG depending on travel and if i'm plowing.

The body on this truck is in very poor condition and if this next winter is as eventful as the past two i may call it quits on plowing. Not worth my time anymore. The only thing i wish this truck had was an extended cab as i'm finding i need the people room a lot more than i used to when i was younger (since the truck is a daily driver and not just a plow truck).

Im trying to sell my Wrangler right now so i can buy my dads Buick century as a beater MPG saver. So the plan is to leave the plow on the truck all winter.


----------



## DieselSlug

Seeing as how its becoming the end of summer i'm going to start working on my truck to get it ready for this winter season. The most important thing I need is a new set of winter rims and tires. Jumped on craigslist and found a set of (5) star style 8-lug 2003 Silverado steelies with the chrome plating on them. Should be perfect for winter rims. They have a shot pair of tires on them, but the guy said if i get them all tonight $40 is the price. They are about 1 hour away.

I also see a deal going on at discounttiredirect for a set of 265/75/R16 Cooper M & S tires for $535 that ends the 20th of August. I'm going to try and save up for a set to go on these new rims.


----------



## durafish

Have a link for the tires?


----------



## DieselSlug

durafish;1641231 said:


> Have a link for the tires?


I just got off the phone with discount tire direct. The tires offered for that price are only 4 ply! On their website i couldn't find the load range but now i see it in small writing.
http://www.discounttiredirect.com/d....do?pc=27520&tmn=Discoverer+M+S&typ=Truck/SUV

Here are c ratings i believe for $174 EA:
http://www.discounttiredirect.com/d....do?pc=27412&tmn=Discoverer+M+S&typ=Truck/SUV

Summit racing shows e range cooper MS tires:
http://www.summitracing.com/parts/coo-50437/overview/

Id really like at least a c range as i wont tow with them at all, just plowing a few residential drives. Really need to keep cost around $600 also. I like the Cooper/Mastercraft tread pattern.

Mastercraft C:
http://www.summitracing.com/parts/mft-03735/overview/

My brother has a set of these and likes them a lot! Load range E too.
https://www.treadwright.com/p-59-265-75r16-warden-a-t-e.aspx
Do you know of any good snow tires?


----------



## durafish

Oh I knew there would be a catch. But even the ones for $178 is good.


----------



## DieselSlug

Ended up buying the rims and tires. 2 of the tires are in pretty good shape, i'm going to pick the best one to swap out with the 245 spare to get me back to 265 ratio.

If you look close some of the chrome skins have a few dents in them:







[/URL]

The wheel weights are clamped right over this skin to the rim. I wonder if these skins are removable? I want to try and pound out the big dents. I also have a plastic set of wheel skins that i could replace the metal ones if they do come off, but the metal ones don't look as cheap.

Summit Racing sells the MasterCraft Courser MSR (C's) for $171 each free shipping, thinking about buying these in the next month or so.


----------



## DieselSlug

Started up the truck last night since its been sitting for over a month. Fired right up. Got a possible interested buyer for my Jeep. If it goes through i will have some cash to start putting into my truck.


----------



## DieselSlug

Hooked the plow up today, getting ready to take it over to my dad's house so i can begin prepping it for the up-coming season.








[/URL]








[/URL]


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## dodgegmc1213

nooo! its still to early to be getting plows ready. I don't even wanna think about winter lol


----------



## jimv

I need to find a plow now


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## mossman381

It's a little early.


----------



## DieselSlug

I am far from wanting winter to come yet too. I'm currently working on getting a set of snow tires. Shopping around local stores and seeing if some friends can get a deal close or below the store. 

I also am going to buy a set of Pro Wings, i need to find the name of the Vendor here that sells them.

I also realized my low beams on my plow aren't working again. Seems to be i go through about 2 relays a year. They are in a bad spot behind the grille and corrode badly even with electric grease on them. Going to see if i can pull the wire up higher to get them to a safer spot, its a pretty good rats nest behind the drivers parking light.


----------



## DieselSlug

Got the truck and plow up to my dads. I took the air gun and putty knife to the plow to scrape the loose stuff off. Painted the front of the blade so far. Poked through a few more small holes. This blade will definitely need some work before next season. I was going to start looking over the brakes on the truck but we had to drop the 2010 Escape off to the Ford dealer for an emissions leak, so my gf is driving the truck now. Hopefully i will get it back this weekend.

Also pulled the trigger on the Cooper Discoverer M&S 265/75/R16's. Will be $750 all said and done. This will be my first winter plowing on true snow tires, i can wait to see how much better they will perform than my Wrangler TD's did. The tires will be in the end of this week.


----------



## DieselSlug

Got the new Cooper Discoverer M&S tires mounted last night. $760 all said and done. I can't wait to feel the difference plowing this year, i've always plowed on an M/T. Also upgraded my 245/75/R16 spare to a 265/75/R16, so now i have a true full size matching spare.







[/URL]


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## dodgegmc1213

Are you gonna be running studs or see how it does first?


----------



## DieselSlug

dodgegmc1213;1646583 said:


> Are you gonna be running studs or see how it does first?


I actually never have ran studs before. I don't plan on it because I also go these tires to use in the mud for hunting season. If i put them on for hunting season i may be illegal (running studs on the roads before your allowed to).


----------



## DieselSlug

Well working on getting an appointment with a friend. Crawled under the truck to check on my hole in the frame, well its gotten bigger since last spring! Its now about a 1/8'' gap in two areas. I cant seem to get a very good picture to show it, everything is real crusty.








[/URL]








[/URL]








[/URL]


----------



## DieselSlug

Finally got the frame looked at. He went at it with a screw driver and knocked the rotted parts back to some sturdy metal. The holes are definitely bigger, but not too bad. Looks like it will go in the end of next week to get metal cut out and new welded in.


----------



## DieselSlug

Ordered my pro wings from esi. Can't wait to see how much they help. Going to need to buy a big drill bit for mounting of the wings. Also ordered a u-pol undercoating air gun. Going to see what I can accomplish with it.


----------



## DieselSlug

Got the pro-wings today. ESI was a pleasure to deal with. The packaging on the other hand from Buyers was really light/weak. The box was broken open, and the wings rubbed against each other through their coating down to bare metal already. Will have to get some paint on them. Hopefully Friday night i can get a start on these. Tomorrow during lunch im going to get a new piece of angle iron to mount my rubber snow foil back on the truck.

I started driving my truck a little more last week and had to take the back rack off. The garage i have to park in is 6' 7'' clearance. The rack made the truck 3/4 taller, so i took it off for now along with the tool box and put my old tonneau cover back on. I will be parking in this garage through next April, so this will have to be the look till then.








[/URL]








[/URL]








[/URL]


----------



## seville009

DieselSlug;1646578 said:


> Got the new Cooper Discoverer M&S tires mounted last night. $760 all said and done. I can't wait to feel the difference plowing this year, i've always plowed on an M/T. Also upgraded my 245/75/R16 spare to a 265/75/R16, so now i have a true full size matching spare.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> [/URL]


You'll love the Coopers in the snow. I used to have them on a prior truck. Wanted to put thrm on my next truck, but the new truck had 18" wheels, and Cooper didn't make them over 17". Got Duratracs instead, which are also excellent in snow.


----------



## DieselSlug

I bet, i've always plowed on a M/T.


----------



## DieselSlug

Did some work on the plow the other day. Started installing the pro-wings. I have them all clamped on, went out and bought a step bit to drill the large 1 1/8'' hole in the board.
I clamped the brackets to the plow at said intervals of the manual, and the upper bracket is about 1/2'' too low for correct fitment, i moved it up and re-clamped and all seems to be ok. I took a pic of what it looks like so far but my phone isn't co-operating.


----------



## scott3430

The cooper tires are gonna be nice for plowing!


----------



## DieselSlug

I also have a set of center caps but they are built for the steel rims without the chrome cladding. I see tabs on the back of the caps and i think if I dremel the off the caps will work.
Got the plow wings, rubber snow foil and Cooper's on. Truck is currently at a friends house getting the frame repaired.


----------



## durafish

That truck would be one of the best obs Chevys with the body work done, nice stance and looks real tuff. It's still nice once you look past the paint. Gonna add markers to the wings?


----------



## DieselSlug

I ended up taking the back rack off and selling it along with the fancy 17'' rims as this truck has now turned into my pure work truck. I purchased a new 2011 F150 Fx4 about a month ago and love it. So the tool box has gone into the new f150 and i put the tonneau cover back on the Silverado. I would rather have the tonneau on the F150 but it doesnt fit.


----------



## durafish

Nice upgrade.


----------



## DieselSlug

durafish;1664481 said:


> That truck would be one of the best obs Chevys with the body work done, nice stance and looks real tuff. It's still nice once you look past the paint. Gonna add markers to the wings?


Thanks! I really wanted a 250, but the 150 came up for a great price and is loaded with black leather and navigation.

I do want to fix up the Chevy still. I need to find some one to do the bodywork that won't charge like a shop. This truck definitely is good proof of a hard working Silverado that had a plow on it since new, not many trucks last this long. 260k and counting.

I am in the process of looking for another set of markers for the wings. I think the ones on the plow are from tractor supply.


----------



## 2006Sierra1500

Is there a vocational high school in your area? I know some schools won't take cars older than 10 years or something that needs a lot of work, but some will. They usually only charge parts/materials plus like 10-15%


----------



## DieselSlug

2006Sierra1500;1664495 said:


> Is there a vocational high school in your area? I know some schools won't take cars older than 10 years or something that needs a lot of work, but some will. They usually only charge parts/materials plus like 10-15%


There is a college and I actually went there. But you were never guaranteed it was going to be finished and when. I was thinking about doing it when I got the truck 7 years ago but then it was my daily driver. Now that it isn't this may be a possibility.


----------



## mossman381

Looks like you are ready for snow. My plow is still in the shop. We don't need any snow right now. Trying to get other things done.


----------



## 2006Sierra1500

My plows are still in the garage covered in hoses and other crap that ends up hanging on them over the summer.


----------



## gallihersnow

Nice new 150. Like everyone else has said, that will be a really nice truck once the cancer is taken care of.


----------



## DieselSlug

mossman381;1664611 said:


> Looks like you are ready for snow. My plow is still in the shop. We don't need any snow right now. Trying to get other things done.


You guys get any dustings or any flurries yet Mossman? Uphere it has definitely been colder earlier in the sseason this year. We had two nights in a row that were in the 20's and snowed about 2 inches each even sticking to the roads. Last year my first plowable event wasn't till 2nd week in January! Crazy.


----------



## mossman381

DieselSlug;1664703 said:


> You guys get any dustings or any flurries yet Mossman? Uphere it has definitely been colder earlier in the sseason this year. We had two nights in a row that were in the 20's and snowed about 2 inches each even sticking to the roads. Last year my first plowable event wasn't till 2nd week in January! Crazy.


Yeah we are in a cold spell right now. Hopefully tomorrow it will warm up some and maybe 50's by weekend. We have gotten a few dustings but that is it. Every year seems to bring a different extreme seems like. One year no snow. The next year record snow. I suppose this year the snow will come early. We haven't had snow for Thanksgiving since I was a kid so who knows.


----------



## KL&M Snow Div.

Excited to hear your thoughts after you get to plow with the pro wings. As I just ordered a set of them about ten minutes ago!


----------



## DieselSlug

KL&M Snow Div.;1664863 said:


> Excited to hear your thoughts after you get to plow with the pro wings. As I just ordered a set of them about ten minutes ago!


I can't wait to test them out. I have a few long winding driveways that turn into open spaces at the end. I always loose spill over. I have to make many passes after to get it fully cleared. I really bought these to cure some of that issue and time savings of an extra 20" of blade width. Really my 7.5' plow is too small for my truck being a 2500.


----------



## DieselSlug

Just got a call from my buddy, spot has been cut out, cleaned out and a new piece of metal welded in. 

Its official, I am prepared for snowfall.


----------



## DieselSlug

Finally made it to my local Tractor Supply yesterday. I picked up a second set of blade edge markers to mount on the wings like durafish was talking about.

Going to have to search for some pictures to exactly where to mount them so they are most functional. 

Also picked up two bottles of Power Service and a fancy little easy pour spout that screws right onto the PS bottle. No more pouring into separate smaller containers!


----------



## DieselSlug

Ran into a new issue today. Thought I had a parking/turn signal bulb out. Went to replace the bulb and found the wires where the plow harness is spliced into the truck harness behind the drivers headlight has rotted clean off. This season my plow lights don't seem to be working either. Wondering if they have anything to do with each other?

Going to have to cut some of the wire away as its corroded badly and re attach the three together. Hopefully this will solve both of my issues.


----------



## mossman381

DieselSlug;1671443 said:


> Ran into a new issue today. Thought I had a parking/turn signal bulb out. Went to replace the bulb and found the wires where the plow harness is spliced into the truck harness behind the drivers headlight has rotted clean off. This season my plow lights don't seem to be working either. Wondering if they have anything to do with each other?
> 
> Going to have to cut some of the wire away as its corroded badly and re attach the three together. Hopefully this will solve both of my issues.


On our 90 we had a prong on the plug harness rot off. Had to get a new plug. Forget now if it was truck side or plow.


----------



## DieselSlug

mossman381;1671561 said:


> On our 90 we had a prong on the plug harness rot off. Had to get a new plug. Forget now if it was truck side or plow.


I'm getting afraid of having wiring problems. My plow lights have been very intermittent to not working at all. The plow and truck are just shy of 20 years old. Looks as if in 94' it wasn't very plug and play, there are many spliced wires. The two relays seem to corrode badly each year even with electric grease. I usually have to replace them yearly. Hopefully I have some time Friday or this weekend to look into the system and let you know what I find.


----------



## dodgegmc1213

hey dieselslug wondering how you made out with those new tires? mine are getting bald alil bit and need new ones.


----------



## 2006Sierra1500

DieselSlug;1671592 said:


> I'm getting afraid of having wiring problems. My plow lights have been very intermittent to not working at all. The plow and truck are just shy of 20 years old. Looks as if in 94' it wasn't very plug and play, there are many spliced wires. The two relays seem to corrode badly each year even with electric grease. I usually have to replace them yearly. Hopefully I have some time Friday or this weekend to look into the system and let you know what I find.


I'd just replace the whole lighting harness so I wouldn't have to chase issues every other week.


----------



## DieselSlug

dodgegmc1213;1693914 said:


> hey dieselslug wondering how you made out with those new tires? mine are getting bald alil bit and need new ones.


I love these tires! They do awesome in all types of snow and are much better on ice than any of my M/T's.
The only thing I recommend is getting load range e. I got the D's, and they squat a little hard on the sidewall, and with a 35psi max you can't do much about it. That would be the only change I would do.


----------



## DieselSlug

2006Sierra1500;1693919 said:



> I'd just replace the whole lighting harness so I wouldn't have to chase issues every other week.


I think the main harness of the truck may be compromised also. The plow wiring is just spiced right in to the parking, turns and headlights with those stupid quick clip snaps. As I check them over I remove the snap clips and replace with heat shrink but connectors and another layer of heat shrink on top. Two connections down many to go. 
I'm sure these plows back then were not built to go this long.


----------



## dodgegmc1213

DieselSlug;1693994 said:


> I love these tires! They do awesome in all types of snow and are much better on ice than any of my M/T's.
> The only thing I recommend is getting load range e. I got the D's, and they squat a little hard on the sidewall, and with a 35psi max you can't do much about it. That would be the only change I would do.


that's what I need something that's good on ice and really slick areas. the 2 sites I run I have to slow down going up hills do to speed bumps or man hole covers and then when i go again the wheels spin alil even tho with the weight of the new bed and the 1.5 yd of salt


----------



## DieselSlug

Well saw my one angle ram is about shot after 20 years of service. Couldnt get a Fisher part local for under $200. So this Western unit seemed to be my best bet. Later i found out that it has SAE o-ring threads not NPT like my old Fisher. Currently have a spare ram on the truck that is about 2-3'' short off a Curtis plow. If i cant find an adapter i will order a new ram off of the net.


----------



## mossman381

Wow, you got the old fitting off. Mine just broke off when I tried to get it out to use it on the new cylinder.


----------



## DieselSlug

mossman381;1704713 said:


> Wow, you got the old fitting off. Mine just broke off when I tried to get it out to use it on the new cylinder.


I know I couldn't believe it either! I heated it up with my torch then sprayed PB blaster on it and slowly worked at it with a large crescent wrench. I had that exact thought in my head, oh crap if this snaps I'm screwed!


----------



## 2006Sierra1500

DieselSlug;1704718 said:


> I know I couldn't believe it either! I heated it up with my torch then sprayed PB blaster on it and slowly worked at it with a large crescent wrench. I had that exact thought in my head, oh crap if this snaps I'm screwed!


PB Blaster is a wonderful product isnt it


----------



## DieselSlug

2006Sierra1500;1704743 said:


> PB Blaster is a wonderful product isnt it


I go through that stuff like crazy, works most of the time. Some stuff just isn't salvageable.

I couldn't find the adapter I needed. So I just ordered two correct angle rams for $180 shipped. They will be here Monday. I will return the $150 Western unit.


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## KL&M Snow Div.

I'm not sure of your exact situation. But I know those 90 degree fittings that come out of the rams are replaceable. I would just buy a new fitting for the new ram, you can find them all over. And then you could have your auto parts store build you a new hose with the right fittings. And may as well replace the other side too while your at it. Then you know all the vulnerable points have been addressed. Just my 02


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## DieselSlug

KL&M Snow Div.;1704851 said:


> I'm not sure of your exact situation. But I know those 90 degree fittings that come out of the rams are replaceable. I would just buy a new fitting for the new ram, you can find them all over. And then you could have your auto parts store build you a new hose with the right fittings. And may as well replace the other side too while your at it. Then you know all the vulnerable points have been addressed. Just my 02


Your correct the 90's are. However the new ram I got is sae thread. My plow hoses are all npt thread. So I need a 90 degree adapter that converts sae o-ring thread to my old Fisher npt thread. Which I can't seem to find.

In the end since this happened it will work out better as I found 2 correct size and thread rams for my plow for $180 total. The one ram in the pic above was $150. So for $30 more bucks I got 2 rams that I know are correct. I ended up replacing all hoses last storm when I had a blow out. Hopefully I don't run into any more issues this season; granted this plow has been great for me for 7 years straight. I love simple plows.


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## DieselSlug

Well since it was 41 degrees here yesterday i decided to try and replace some of the lines before the storm coming. Looking like we are getting a good foot of heavy wet snow then plummeting down to below zero tonight. Just brutal....
I ended up getting the drivers side done, and the first line on the passenger side. Looks like i will have to remove the turbo to gain access to the lines on that side. For now will have to wait for a better day.
I replaced the lines when i rebuilt the engine about 5 years ago and i thought i bought the fancy clampless braided coat line. As i pulled them off they disintegrated. The broke right apart and left a small piece still attched to the injector nipples on almost each one. I dont see how the stock ones lasted as long as they did when i can only get 5 years out of aftermarket ones that are said to be superior?
I ended up buying the same set i believe and didnt realize it until after the fact.


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## DieselSlug

Figured id update this. Sold the truck this past summer unfortunately. I didn't have a good place to store the truck at my apartment, so it sat on the lawn for a good 2 years. That took a major toll on the horrible rust it already had. Ended up selling it to a local horse farmer to use it around the barn. 
Also ended up moving out of the apartment a few months later into a rental house. We got hit wit a 2' snow storm and that was it.
Ended up picking up this snowblower for nothing from my old work. It runs and blows, but didn't move. A friction disk later now it does. Also replacing the plastic engine output shaft cover and skids as well as an oil change for most likely the first time in its life.





































Also ended up getting a new job, this new job would have left me no time to run a reliable business on the side anymore. So the money from the plow truck bought me an econo box.
I would love to get a plow for my 2011 f150, but its loaded with the EPAS garbage and still under warranty.


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## DieselSlug

I figured I'd throw an update in here. I've now changed jobs yet again going into a career based on my college degree. Still got the little Snapper blower however its in dire need of a tune up. Got rid of my old F150, moved to an F250 but I unfortunately had to sell due to fuel expenses being unpractical.

Bought a 2016 RAM 1500 EcoDiesel, got over $11K off the sticker coming in just about $40K for the purchase price. Pictures of white stuff and other stuff.




























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