1994 K3500 extended cab dually

[Will L.]

I would suggest using Anderson powerpole connectors being added somewhere that makes sense to you. Then make jumper cables with them on one end, or cut the clamps off one end of the set you keep for that truck and install one there. Not just for you to jump start others but if you need a jump. Did that to the front and rear of the hummer. Convenient to jumpstart and if you have a drawbar mounted (or permanent mounted winch too. They make covers for those that are worried about keeping out mud and debris.

 

[n8in8or]

I would suggest using Anderson powerpole connectors being added somewhere that makes sense to you. Then make jumper cables with them on one end, or cut the clamps off one end of the set you keep for that truck and install one there. Not just for you to jump start others but if you need a jump. Did that to the front and rear of the hummer. Convenient to jumpstart and if you have a drawbar mounted (or permanent mounted winch too. They make covers for those that are worried about keeping out mud and debris.

I will look into that. I was planning on having a pair of remote power posts in the engine bay for jump starting, but maybe this makes more sense..... I'll take a look, thanks.

 

[n8in8or]

I received the disconnect switch today. It was a bit bigger than I expected, but I guess a switch rated for 350 amps continuous isn’t going to be teeny. The other surprise is that the handle disconnects. I was planning on mounting it somewhere remote and actuating it with a push-pull cable, but I’m not sure that will work so well with the handle being removable.....plus the large size is a little limiting.



On the way out to the barn I thought I had a great location in mind: having the switch pop into the outer cavity of the extended cab and run a push-pull cable out of there to actuate it. Unfortunately, there isn’t enough horizontal floor space under there to access underneath.



I’m pretty sure I have figured out where I’m going to put it.....which is under/behind the back seat - it’s close to the batteries (the reason I wanted the disconnect switch was so I could kill the power to the battery cable if it gets damaged and starts arcing to the frame) and it’s also accessible without too much trouble. I can also add a tether to the handle so I can just reach in the door and yank it to kill the power and not have to climb into the cab if time is of the essence. I think it will work fine, but I’m going to let it marinate overnight.



With my progress on the switch done for now I moved on to installing the transmission thermostat and sensor on the bracket I fabbed up this weekend.

 

[FellowTraveler]

What temps does that thermostat work within?

 

[n8in8or]

What temps does that thermostat work within?

It opens at 180. I’ll be running the cooler in the radiator as my primary and a remote cooler with a fan as my supplemental cooler. The thermostat will help me warm up in the cold, but give me expanded cooling in the heat.....or at least that’s the plan.

 

[Duvall]

It opens at 180. I’ll be running the cooler in the radiator as my primary and a remote cooler with a fan as my supplemental cooler. The thermostat will help me warm up in the cold, but give me expanded cooling in the heat.....or at least that’s the plan.

Do you have a trans temp gauge to keep an eye on this? You probably have 25 gauges and somehow I missed it.
If that thermostat fails and you don't know it, you'll get the browns.

I'm curious as to how much this helps.

 

[ak diesel driver]

So you'll be bypassing the radiator cooler until it warms up. I know up here in the ultra cold I was always told it would help it warm up as well. I guess it depends on which gets warm faster.

 

[n8in8or]

Do you have a trans temp gauge to keep an eye on this? You probably have 25 gauges and somehow I missed it.
If that thermostat fails and you don't know it, you'll get the browns.

I'm curious as to how much this helps.

Yeah I have a trans temp gauge. The sender for it is in that black block between the thermostat and the return fitting in the transmission. Yeah, I’ll be monitoring it for sure.

So you'll be bypassing the radiator cooler until it warms up. I know up here in the ultra cold I was always told it would help it warm up as well. I guess it depends on which gets warm faster.

I’m bypassing the remote cooler I haven’t shown yet because I’m still working on mounting it. The trans fluid will always flow through the radiator cooler, but when that can’t keep up then the thermostat will open and expand the loop to include the remote cooler. And then there’s a second electrical thermostat in the return line from the remote cooler so when that can’t keep up from passing air, then an electric fan will kick on to draw air through it.

 

[n8in8or]

Do you have a trans temp gauge to keep an eye on this? You probably have 25 gauges and somehow I missed it.
If that thermostat fails and you don't know it, you'll get the browns.

I'm curious as to how much this helps.

I just looked at the pics again and realized the easier explanation would have been that the orange wire is connected to the trans temp sensor for the gauge.

 

[n8in8or]

Finally got the remote trans cooler installed. The plumbing from the thermostat to the cooler is done, but I still have to do the wiring to the fan. I used braided nylon hose again, but I wanted to add an extra protection since I knew I was going to have trouble keeping it off the frame and stuff, so I covered it in Techflex Heavy Wall for that extra layer of protection. And then where it’s passing over the exhaust I added DEI Heat Sheath. The cooler itself is a Derale Hyper-Cool 13960 rated at 46,000 BTUs.



And here are the instructions that came with the thermostat for a little extra info.

 

[n8in8or]

Oh and I should mention something I learned. When I first cut the braided sleeve it frayed big time. I should have used a hot knife, so I got one of those. Not a huge deal, I decided to just wrap the end of the sleeve with heat shrink tubing. I looked at what Menards had and found some heavy wall 1-1/2” heat shrink with a 3:1 shrink ratio, that should be perfect I thought. Well not quite. It worked, but it wasn’t the result I was going for - it takes a crap ton of heat to get it to shrink and while doing that I accidentally started to melt some of the braided sleeve.....not a huge deal since the heat sealed the ends, but still not the result I was going for. Oh and the stuff shrinks to look like PVC pipe, which is what those big black chunks are at the end of the hoses by the fittings. Lesson learned, I’ll just use regular heat shrink in the future, and also use the hot knife to cut the braided sleeve.

 

[n8in8or]

Got the power steering cooler installed. I was shocked at how much a new, factory-style cooler was so I decided to install something aftermarket instead. I found a nice Derale one on Summit with 3/8” barbs for a good price and it even bolted right to the factory trans cooler brackets, which made the installation clean and easy. I found a 16mm adapter to convert the steering gear output to 3/8” barb....I was only able to get a partial bend on it with my tubing bender, but it was enough to get the hose heading in the correct direction. I also installed a magnetic filter and covered all the hoses with the Techflex braided sleeve.



With that done I moved back to the trans cooler plumbing - I made the lines that hook to the radiator. The plumbing for that is finally done now.

 

[MrMarty51]

When I cant have enough tube to make a proper bend, i will use a short piece of coupler hose and a 90* elbow.
But it seem You had quite satisfactory results with the way You did Your bend.

 

[n8in8or]

Earlier this week I got the master disconnect switch installed. I ended up choosing the location behind the back seat. I still need to add the tether to it for easy access.



Now I’m working on buttoning up the cooling system. Unfortunately I forgot to take a pic of it before, but the 3/4” line from the heater core was super close to the header tube. I could have slid a silicone 90 on the tube and had it fit, but it would have basically been touching the header. Even with the header wrapped and a heat sheath on the hose that felt no bueno. I was trying to think of how to safely bend the tube without destroying the rest of the heater core and then had an epiphany - cut the tube off and use a compression fitting. I did some Googling and other people have successfully done it so that was reassuring. So last night I got out the saw and cut the tube off. It’s a bit of a tight squeeze getting wrenches in there, but I did get it on and off successfully a few times, so it’s doable. Now I have plenty of clearance.



I also tried something else new for me - a couple years ago at Detroit Autorama, my brother and I noticed some cars had some really simple band hose clamps on their coolant hoses. A little searching and I found out Gates had heat shrink hose clamps. Cool! I kept that tucked away until I would need them, and now was that time. By using those at my splices, I could keep the connections low profile so I could use a tighter fitting heat sheath on the hose. I think it turned out pretty slick.

 

[n8in8or]

At the top of the 3/4” hose I installed a heavy duty pressure washer inlet filter to keep junk out of the heater core.



After the 3/4” hose was done I finished the rest of the hoses. And then they all got heat sheath on them where they were close to the header.



Now it’s on to battery cables. I was hoping to have this thing fired for the first time this weekend, but I had some outside tasks to take care of this week so I got behind schedule. Should be pretty soon though!

 

[ak diesel driver]

Man that's alot of heat shield under the hood. Looking good

 

[n8in8or]

Man that's alot of heat shield under the hood. Looking good

Thanks. It’s probably overkill, but I’d rather be safe than sorry, especially with anything that’s close to that header.

 

[FellowTraveler]

I see a Thermal Zero turbine blanket on your 6.5td, I am using their Cummins exhaust manifold blanket too...great products.
As always your skill-set and drive is awesome...

 

[n8in8or]

I see a Thermal Zero turbine blanket on your 6.5td, I am using their Cummins exhaust manifold blanket too...great products.
As always your skill-set and drive is awesome...

I got that blanket shortly after installing the HX40 on the Tahoe. It noticeably reduced the lag. It’s also held up well over time.

Thanks - I’m finally to a point where I have more money to spend on projects and it has really helped me to try new products and develop new skills. I try to keep improving and learning with each new thing I do.

 

[DieselAmateur]

You sir are an animal awesome as always!