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The Crew Cab!!!

33K views 378 replies 28 participants last post by  Bigboytoys 
#1 · (Edited)
Just acquired this 88 GMC K3500 Crew cab a few days ago.
Has a good running 6.2 N/A with supposedly 60k on it from a 83, the guy I got it from painted it and put it in.
He used the glow and fuel filter setups from the 83. Has a new radiator, a recently rebuilt th400 auto.
My plan is to redo the interior, put a quad headlight nose on it, turbo and maybe down the road a 2.5-3" lift.

This is the condition it was in when I went to look at it and bought it.







He did a lot of work on it, most of the frame has been wire brushed and repainted, I finished up the rear part a few days ago.

Getting hauled to my house...




Here are a bunch more pics I took today.




It is missing a few A/C parts, evaporator, condenser, compressor and lines so I will have to hunt all that stuff down,










R/S Rocker is shot.... L/S is fine



Rear half of the frame I started painting.




Cab has a few dents from when the previous owner hit it with a flat bed he was taking off the back, it also damaged the r/s rear door.




Drivers door has been cut for something, it is a square cut and not oval like for a speaker, just going to replace it.



Another interior shot..




Underneath it is in very good shape, a little wire brushing on the rust spots and paint it up.







It has new fender wells on both sides but needs a R/S fender, it is rotted around the lower front.

 
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#2 ·
Need to find a decent dually bed first.

Then find a whole suburban that I can swap the interior from and quad headlight nose.

This is the color scheme I going to use, with a maroon, black or gray interior (what ever I can find that is complete.

 
#27 ·
Need to find a decent dually bed first.

Then find a whole suburban that I can swap the interior from and quad headlight nose.

This is the color scheme I going to use, with a maroon, black or gray interior (what ever I can find that is complete.

Too bad you weren't closer to me.

Someone is parting out a complete (& very clean) '90 C-code SLE Suburban. It has the tan interior, but is very clean.

Dumbass owner ran the engine low on life blood, wiped out the basement. :banghead:



Cause me and big mirrors don't mix :hehe: :whistle:

Can't tell you how many passenger doors/mirror assemblies my Dad replaced on Goldie (his '76 C30 we had). Pretty sure it was 3 or 4 times that i remember - always during the Winter too, lol!



Don't feel bad. Those things will just pop up all of a sudden out of nowhere.
They move when you're not looking you know.

You know....just like the Weeping Angels in Dr. Who - and with just as dire consequences! :hehe:
 
#3 · (Edited)
Also did some more inspection today and found it has a non egr intake.
And absolutely no blow by when I take the oil fill cap off.
And it is missing the bracket for the gear reduction starter :eek: so ordered one.
($13 on epay with free shipping)
Also don't like the looks of the starter bolts so I am going to order new ones.

I need to find a few cheap exhaust pieces, don't want to sink a lot of money in a exhaust system
that is going to get removed when I put a turbo on it.

Plus it will be transformed from a GMC to a Chevrolet grill and rear gate panel.

Going to use this gate panel I had originally got for the K20..

 
#4 ·
Beauty...nice score. Mind if i ask what you paid?
 
#5 ·
$2000 plus $160 to haul it.

And just left a $200 deposit on a $300 dually bed that needs some work.
Gotta figure out how to get it home, I think taking the bed apart is the best bet. A buddy suggested a engine hoist but I don't think thats going to lift it high enough to flip over and set it on his bed rails.
Anybody take one of these beds apart?
 
#6 ·
maybe make a frame/jig out of 2x4's, so the 2x4's sit on the bed rails (maybe with extra supports in the middle), and then the dually bed sits on the 2x4s and then strap the whole thing down.

I think this would minimize the possibility of damage to either your friends truck bed and the dually bed.
 
#7 ·
Yea we have done this method before a couple times but always some machine around to pick the bed up.
His truck is a 04 2500 HD so it's pretty high up.
The guy I am getting the bed from has a wrecker but it doesn't run. :mad:
 
#8 ·
maybe use a ramp, either from the side or the rear, or do it in 2 stages (from the ground onto sawhorses, then sawhorses onto jig on truck) [or ramp from sawhorses to truck].

or maybe see if someone rents small flatbed trailers in your city, where the bed is just flat, over the wheels. that shouldn't be very expensive for a couple of hours rental.
 
#10 ·
Could you rent a small u haul trailer and somehow shore it up a bit and strap it down? They're only like $25 to $35 to rent.
I was checking over at 67-72 and it's easy to take them apart.
Some guys said about a half hour a side.
 
#9 · (Edited)
Could you rent a small u haul trailer and somehow shore it up a bit and strap it down? They're only like $25 to $35 to rent.
 
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#11 · (Edited)
While I was out and about tonight I saw one of those small U-haul trailers your talking about, it might be the ticket, I can slide it off the frame and onto the trailer, let it sit on top of the trailer rails and strap it down.
I am going to measure the width of one and use my K20 bed to compare and see if it will work.
I think it will a lot easier doing it this way might only have to lift it a few inches.

I think the smaller one would work better, it's 4 feet wide so the bed sides should clear the railings and sit on the bed crossmembers.



 
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#12 ·
The real question here. Is your other half just as or more "excited" as you are about this latest purchase :whistle: If you sell that k20 let us know:boxing:
 
#14 ·
She knows, I drove it in the driveway with no exhaust on it, pretty sure the whole neighborhood knows. :HiHi:
But I did get rid of one truck before I got the crew cab so technically nothing changed.

I really like this idea. It appeals to my lack of interest in lifting things.
I don't mind lifting things if I have a machine to do it...:bigglasse
 
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#15 ·
Repainted the grill, didn't like the black.






Used some wheel paint I had kicking around, little too shiny but this will work till I find a quad head light grill setup.
 
#16 ·
if you are still thinking about taking the bed apart you will need a 1/2" socket or wrench and an angle grinder. there are a couple dozen bolts that hold the sides on and there is one spot weld in the back by the tailgate, other than that is just breaking the body putty seal so maybe a screwdriver would be nice also. just remembered, if the tail lights are still there and the wiring is also there you will need to bring torx bits to take the tail light covers off and possibly a philips screwdriver.
 
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#18 · (Edited)
:thumb: on the cab lights, but those mirrors might be going bye-bye.
They are aftermarket for sure, no way they are factory west coast mirrors.
There a few extra holes in the doors were the old mirrors were, I might go with the standard mirror or one the types with the 3 legs.
Gotta replace the drivers door anyway and chances are I am not going find a door setup for west coast mirrors.

Something like this...



So this but stainless



Standard mirror on a dually, looks kinda small on a big dually

 
#22 ·
Did the bicyclist survive?
 
#20 ·
Oops been there, but I can't stand small mirrors.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G900A using Tapatalk
 
#21 ·
I'd try to go with the tripod type mirrors. i hate my factory ones. I use them for backing up more than I do looking through the back window and i like to see as much as I can. Plus then you don;t need tow mirrors if you're towing a large trailer
 
#25 ·
#28 ·
I think y'all are talking about the wrong kind of trees. These are the only ones that I know move and if they can take out your mirror, you are a talented man!


 
#30 ·
If you were in GA i know of a Salvage yard with a regular cab that looks to have good doors with west coasts on it. Shocked me to see it was a Monroe Conversion truck.

Guess if it came to it they might ship them to you. Pm me if you need there contact info.
 
#32 · (Edited)
Thanks!

My starter saving devices came in and I promptly put them on.





Need a rear brake line, like 9 foot long...
Noticed the frame was wet in the inside when I bought it and sure enough pedal goes to the floor and master cylinder is empty.
But I had to replace it anyway someone used compression fittings to make a repair and that's a big no no.
It came right apart when I got the line out, imagine what would have happened on a panic stop :eek:

Also there is no proportioning valve on the rear brakes...not sure of it was removed or didn't come with it.

 
#33 ·
Compression fittings to make a joint? Like press hard enough and pressure separates the fitting? That's terrifying.
 
#35 ·
There are compression sleeves that you can buy that are rated for line repairs but they are designed differently than that. You can just cut back to a good spot and reflare the line then add another section to the back with a double flare joiner.

So is the load valve missing off the diff? No worry there. If there is no proportion valve at all, that's not good ....
 
#39 ·
Got some :bling:

A pair of Alcoa's in good shape $200
And a cherry chrome rear bumper for $100.
Also scored a brand new Kumho 215/85-16 tire and one to go with it that has maybe a thousand miles on it.

 
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#42 ·
ya, T, Y.. same thing, depends how fat your fingers are and which key you hit. LOL
 
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#43 ·
Exhaust for the most part is done, just need a couple clamps.
Exit in front of the rear wheels for now until I put a turbo on it and run monster 4" pipe :bigglasse

New rear brake line is on, gotta bleed it now, hopefully the bleeders will loosen up.



 
#53 ·
Exhaust for the most part is done, just need a couple clamps.
Exit in front of the rear wheels for now until I put a turbo on it and run monster 4" pipe :bigglasse

New rear brake line is on, gotta bleed it now, hopefully the bleeders will loosen up.
STRAIGHT PIPE :evillol:

Yeah, without the vacuum line it shifts like crap. You have to rev the hell out of it.
auto´s
 
#44 ·
Nice and clean Bob. :thumb:
 
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#45 ·
Tried to take it for ride, I don't think it's shifting
Does a turbo 400 need vacuum to shift?

Guess I will have to change the vacuum pump, I can't feel any vacuum right at the pump even when I rev it up.

But hey at least the brakes work better.
 
#47 ·
I found this in the student manual, so I guess it needs vacuum to shift.

LL4 Model—Vacuum Regulator Valve (VRV)
When using the M40 THM 400 Transmission, with an LL4-Model, a vacuum regulator valve is used (Figure 5-16). This
valve supplies an engine load vacuum signal to the transmission vacuum modulator, which is proportional to
throttle travel (e.g. at idle maximum vacuum, at W.OT. minimum or “0” vacuum). This allows the vacuum modulator
to regulate transmission shift points and line pressure.
 
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