I got my first truck back…

[BigDogYJ]

Started cleaning the 20years of dirt off the hood.


Cleaned up pretty well from a distance


New headlight and marker light housings tomorrow. I’ll probably finish cleaning the dirt off tomorrow and install a Noco battery tender.

 

[JayTheCPA]

I recently took over a 20 year old vehicle from the parents which they bought new. The cabin filter was in the same condition. After a new filter, I no longer need the blower motor nearly as much as the vehicle's speed is enough to move air through the vents now that the old plugged filter is in the landfill. Also decided to go with a charcoal layered filter which eliminated the musky odor after a few thousand miles. Well, Ok, I also had to use one of those scented bombs to help get rid of the odor, but at least nobody is complaining about the smell any more.

For the battery, Noco is certainly a nice product. Am using one for my LiFePO4 battery packs.

For a few $$ more, might consider something like a 5 - 10W solar charger as there is less wiring to mess with. Only downside to the solar charger is forgetting to unplug the thing before starting the engine as the array does not like back-feeding. These devices usually come with a LED inline with the positive lead which also acts as a diode to prevent back-feeding, but I like to keep my risk factors at zero instead of low. I am using a 5W solar charger on the Ferd diesel with good results from when it sits for a while.

 

[BigDogYJ]

I like the idea of the solar option. I might look into that.
Got the new headlight and marker housings installed and cerakoted.


I got a thin bed of clear urethane on to seal up the top seal on Sunday. I checked the seal job I did yesterday with a garden hose on full blast. No more water inside.

I also found a can of wd-40 specialist rust release. I decided to soak the blower motor with this stuff for a bit and then spin it by hand for probably 10–5 minutes. It continued to get better to where it was pretty smooth when spinning it. I then cleaned it up with some electric motor cleaner. After it was dry I connected it to a battery and it worked! It smoked lightly at first but then cleared up and ran full speed. I did that a number of times and eventually let it run for 5 minutes or so. Decided to mount it back in the hvac box with a new Gm oe resistor (22807122) and it worked on all speeds but #5 Hmmm. Let it run on 4 for a while and put an amp clamp on it. The motor in the box pulls right around 13 amps. Not sure if that’s normal or not.

Sounds like I might need to check a fuse or two to figure out the #5 speed issue. That would be a bummer if the new resistor was bad. I’m tempted to just run this motor as it runs great now and smooth and quiet.

 

[dbrannon79]

iirc the max fan speed bypasses the resistor and goes through a relay mounted up on the air box. maybe that relay got wet too?

 

[BigDogYJ]

Searching for the blower motor issue every thread seems to point to a 40a fuse that feeds the blower motor for high speed only. Problem is I only have a 40a fuse for ign A or stud #1 (which I assume is working — since the truck starts and runs fine). I then found a wiring diagram which seems to match my setup. Uses a 30amp fuse under the hood to power a relay which is part of the resistor module.
The rest of the hvac and slower blower speeds are powered by a 25a fuse in the driver side dash fuse box. I found the 30a fuse under the hood was blown. Swapped it out and now I have all 5 speeds. Unfortunately the motor was making a terrible screeching sound as it was spinning. So maybe my wd-40 / electric motor cleaner trick wasn’t enough. Oh well I had ordered a replacement blower motor anyways so swapped that in today and all is good. Got the panels put back together. Also changed the flasher relay to solve the hyper flashing led turn signals.

 

[BigDogYJ]

 

[BigDogYJ]

Was out of town the last few weeks. Back now so time to dig back into this one. Headed back to my buddies shop next weekend.

First up gotta cycle the abs pump as I’m pretty sure I got some air in there when changing the brakes and lines last time. I’ll use the tech2 to cycle it and bleed it again.
Then gotta change the power steering pump, gearbox and lines and of course some new fluid. That should button up the steering and take care of the slop.
If I have enough time I’ll take care of the driveshaft ujoints and the rear center hanger.

 

[BigDogYJ]

Working on a few things this week before making the trip out of town to my buddies shop. Checked it out thoroughly today and no water anywhere. So my reseal job seemed to do the trick for now. The annoying thing is the sealant I used stayed really tacky on the surface so a bunch of dirt has stuck to it. Not sure what that’s about. Oh well.

Got a factory reconditioned radio off eBay but they added a Bluetooth receiver into it with a button. I’ve always been skeptical of these mods but decided to try it as I’m not a fan of aftermarket stereos. To my surprise other than the long shipping time, it works perfect. Now I just need to replace the speakers as these stock ones are all blown out.

Also got the bulbs replaced on my gauge cluster and re oiled a couple of the air core motors for the oil pressure and fuel gauge as they were a bit loose (“helicoptery”). Seems much better now. I don’t remember before but the lower right corner of the cluster still seems dark to me but I don’t see a bulb down there so maybe that’s just how it was. ‍ I’ll get some pics later.

Got the dash back together still need to get cargo light and fog flight switches operational. But for now the important stuff is working. And hvac is still good too. Planning to get the rear seat cover installed finally and clean out the stuff under the back seat I no longer need in there. Also hoping to get the power mirrors working again. Both inop so starting with switch and seeing if there’s power in/out of the switch.
Also hoping to get front speakers installed before the trip this weekend. Hope to make the drive a bit more enjoyable.

 

[BigDogYJ]

Not a huge fan of the blueish led backlighting on the hvac controls. I’ll fix that eventually.


Cluster actually looks pretty good in this pic. Bottom right doesn’t look as bad as I thought.


Bluetooth button on the factory modded stereo.

 

[BigDogYJ]

Well got the steering gear box replaced with a bluetop unit, new Napa power steering pump and high pressure line. Got it all bled out but steering still feels pretty heavy. Definitely got rid of the sloppy dead center feeling. but compared to others it definitely seems to take a lot more effort to keep the wheel centered as it doesn't return to center completely. It will return to center about 80% of the way. needs help to get completely back to center. Overall drove nice just a but heavy on the steering for comfort. I'm planning to pull the tie rod ends off the knuckles and see if they turn tight on their own. if so I may have got too tight on the ball joints. will check tonight or tomorrow before the rain returns.


Aside from that, replaced all 3 joints and the center support bearing hanger on the rear driveshaft. 300k miles, the u-joints were actually in really good shape. the bearing was actually good too just the rubber surround was trashed. got that all back together runs smooth down the highway so im happy. no more shudder feel on takeoff.

Finally changed out the oxygen sensors due to P0420 CEL that came up last week. Hopefully that keeps it happy until I really need to replace the cats. No CEL yet. I'll report back on the findings of the steering.

 

[dbrannon79]

compare the new blue top box to the old one mainly looking at the end cap size. you should have a "large bore" steering box. also on your steering pump. check the orifice size on the fitting where the hose connects. if the old pump is the original one, compare to see if the new one doesn't have a smaller "one size fits all" orifice. That is unless you had to remove it from the old pump to install into the new one.

 

[JayTheCPA]

Make sure to get some miles on the truck before the blue top's warranty expires. Had to replace one under warranty a few years ago and I did not drive it all that much. Perhaps it was from issues during the Chinese flue, perhaps not. Replacement is holding up, but I am driving that vehicle even less at the moment.

 

[BigDogYJ]

Yeah hoping to start racking up some miles on it. Bummer to hear about BlueTop sounds like no one is immune to shitty rebuilds. I was hoping to have a better experience than what most have with the parts store duds.

Pulled off tie rods from the knuckles tonight and the knuckles turn with some resistance but not what I would think is excessive. Started the truck and turned the wheel without the knuckles connected and there’s definitely still some heaviness when turning but noticeably less then when it’s all connected. I wonder if the idler/pitman or idler bracket is binding or just stiff. To be honest the more I drive it starts to feel less “heavy”. At this point there’s no slop anywhere and generally the steering feels good. I think I’m going to put some more miles on it and see if it loosens up a bit. It’s definitely not as heavy and sloppy as it was before I changed the box and pump. That was a bit of a handle at times.

I think that about does it for suspension, driveline, steering and brakes for now. Now I need to work a bit on the interior cleaning and get those speakers changed out. I’ll see how much time I get over the next week with the rain coming in.

 

[BigDogYJ]

So the nice weather we’re having means time to do some more work outside. However had to do some much needed yard work on Saturday to prep the garden.

Yesterday got the seats out…


Found 25 years of yuck under there. It was a contractors work truck for 20 years of that. Got it vacuumed up as best I could then pulled the carpet and padding.




Did some more vacuuming and reverted to the Italian detailing tool (leaf blower)


Got to test fit the new center seat/console from a 2010 Silverado.

 

[BigDogYJ]

Soaked the carpet with a 50/50 mix of Super Clean and water. Scrubbed a few bad stains and let it soak in. Then hit it with the pressure washer for well over an hour and got all the dirty water and super clean rinsed out of the carpet. Physically the carpet was in excellent shape. No excessive wear or holes or anything. Just filthy and stunk.


Let it dry overnight and the +80F temps today dried it out nicely…


I’m happy with the results. Still waiting for the carpet padding to dry.

Hoping to get it all back together tomorrow then on to finally changing speakers.

 

[James R]

Well I have inherited my first truck back, a 2000 Silverado K1500 Z-71 Ext cab long bed.

I bought this truck new in 2000 with 7 miles on it because I was a dumb 18yo with a decent job. Lost said job a year later and my dad saved my butt and refinanced it in his name. He and my mom became the primary drivers of it and for the next 20-something years it was my dads work truck (painting/construction contractor). It hasn't been driven much the last 2 years but has had a pretty rough life in regards to deferred maintenance. I've done a handful of repairs over the years (water pump, wheel bearing, radiator, heater core, fuel pump). Currently has over 270k miles. Trans was replaced around 140k.
Currently it's being used as storage for my dad's work equipment. It's had its fair share of bumps and bruises over the years but still a pretty solid California truck.

My plan is to clean it out, clean it up and fix the broke. Then do a full maintenance job on it, new brakes, rotors, fluids, steering joints, ujoints, etc.
Then once it's a solid runner, I plan to do a nice level kit and put some new shoes on it. I'll get some pics up soon and a list of my tasks to accomplish first.

Overall hope to get a solid reliable runner for you-know truck stuff and give it a bit of a face lift... wish me luck.

That’s awesome you got your first truck back! With 270k miles, it’s definitely earned some TLC. A level kit and fresh shoes will give it a nice facelift. Can’t wait to see the pics—good luck with the build!

 

[BigDogYJ]

Good weather dried everything out nicely. Not as many pics today was busy getting it back together before dinner engagement.

Got the carpet padding back in as well as a bit of extra padding along the back wall And under the front floor pan and trans tunnel. Not that it needed it but I had extra from some other projects so why not. Got the padding, air ducts and carpet back in place.

Got the new console back in place. Unfortunately I didn’t have time to wire in the 12v aux plug for the lower storage area. I’ll deal with that later.

Got the seats back in along with the trim.

Oh finally got the rear seat cover installed. It was easier with the seat removed. So I was waiting for this project.

Front looks good with new console and cleaned carpet. Floor mats still in good shape but need a good cleaning.

Cooler weather on the horizon with possibility of rain. Maybe I’ll start with one door panel at a time and work on those speakers.

 

[dbrannon79]

Where did you get your seat covers from? they look nice!

 

[BigDogYJ]

Where did you get your seat covers from? they look nice!

Rough Country. Waterproof padded covers. I got them on Amazon. They are decent. Neoprene so my buddy who has a set in his work truck complains about them making his back sweaty in the summer. But we’ll see once the summer weather kicks up. Guess I’ll need to get the ac working. But so far I like them. They seem to stay on the seats. Not impressed with the condom looking cover on the original jump seat storage top.


It never stayed on. But the rest of the seats are good so far. It was easier to put the seat back portion for the rear bench on with the bench removed from the cab. Only 4 nuts to pull it.

 

[dbrannon79]

Sounds like having vinyl seats. after a long trip even with the AC, you get out and feel your back wet along with the feeling you peed you pants LOL

eventually I need to do something with the seat bottoms on the 93. cloth is not torn but is wearing thin. replacement seat fabric isn't available for them anymore so I was thinking about finding a decent seat cover and trying to sew them to the factory fabric. I haven't tried looking for ones that would match though.