Project Frankensquare

[n8in8or]

Well…..I thought I was done fixing rust on this project, but apparently I was wrong. I started looking at the hood closer and found some very small rust blisters starting on the front of the hood from the inside out that needed to be addressed. I cut the bad metal out from both the skin and the inner structure of the hood.



After that I made patches to fill the holes I made.



With that done it was time to mockup the panels on the truck. I’m glad I did that before spraying primer on everything because there’s some tweaking I need to do to make everything fit better, so that will be the next order of business. It was cool seeing it starting to look like a truck.

 

[n8in8or]

Got a delivery today. Can’t wait to get the truck together enough to put it to use!

 

[dbrannon79]

Nice!

 

[Husker6.5]

It has a heart! Now, as long as you don't get a brain from AB Normal for it!

 

[n8in8or]

I stole the transmission I built for this truck to put in my 94 Dually. I reasoned it made more sense for the way overbuilt trans to be in my primary tow pig, rather than this rig, especially considering the build levels of the engines that each will have, at least to start. This is the trans from the 94, which was actually the original trans from the 97 Tahoe. It had been rebuilt locally in the past and then I later installed a Transgo HD2 kit in it. I never liked the 1-2 shift so I decided to remove the Transgo sandwich separator plate and pressure relief mechanism and do an internal dual feed instead. I ended up replacing all pistons, frictions and steels while I was in there based on some things I found. I also upgraded the direct and intermediate spring retainers. This trans also got some recommended lube upgrades for 97+ units. Hopefully I’m happier with how this performs. I’m installing the Hughes low stall converter that was in the 94. I didn't love it in that application, but I’m hoping I like it better in this one…..or at least don’t dislike it as much, since it won’t matter as much in this rig.



Once the black 94 is back on the road, I’ll be back to working on this project. Hopefully just a couple months from now.

 

[ak diesel driver]

Care to share those lube upgrades?

 

[n8in8or]

Care to share those lube upgrades?

Sure. The mods are in this PDF.

 

[MrMarty51]

I stole the transmission I built for this truck to put in my 94 Dually. I reasoned it made more sense for the way overbuilt trans to be in my primary tow pig, rather than this rig, especially considering the build levels of the engines that each will have, at least to start. This is the trans from the 94, which was actually the original trans from the 97 Tahoe. It had been rebuilt locally in the past and then I later installed a Transgo HD2 kit in it. I never liked the 1-2 shift so I decided to remove the Transgo sandwich separator plate and pressure relief mechanism and do an internal dual feed instead. I ended up replacing all pistons, frictions and steels while I was in there based on some things I found. I also upgraded the direct and intermediate spring retainers. This trans also got some recommended lube upgrades for 97+ units. Hopefully I’m happier with how this performs. I’m installing the Hughes low stall converter that was in the 94. I didn't love it in that application, but I’m hoping I like it better in this one…..or at least don’t dislike it as much, since it won’t matter as much in this rig.

View attachment 91760

Once the black 94 is back on the road, I’ll be back to working on this project. Hopefully just a couple months from now.

Is that still the 4L80E transmission ?
Just curious in case I ever need to go through the transmission in My truck, then I can come back here a review them lube mods.

 

[n8in8or]

Is that still the 4L80E transmission ?
Just curious in case I ever need to go through the transmission in My truck, then I can come back here a review them lube mods.

Yeah, it's a 4L80e. There's so much info out there, and most of it is for racing, not low RPM diesels, so it's a lot to wade through. I don't even know if these lube mods are necessary for what we're doing, they just seemed like a good idea while I was in there. From what I gather, things that are almost no-brainers to do are the rollerized output and the dual-fed direct, as well as the stronger intermediate snap ring. You also need to address the pressure regulator valve in the pump. Lots of other things you can do, but I'm not going to be a guide for anyone.....I only want to be liable for my own vehicles.

One thing that has helped me tremendously is I bought the video series put out by The Transmission Bench.

Here's the link to the videos you can buy on his site:

videos page

Super easy to follow and he gives some good tips. He also shows you how to do the job with tools you already have or can make yourself.

I first used his videos to build the 4L60e for my Envoy, and those are free on YouTube:

 

[MrMarty51]

Yeah, it's a 4L80e. There's so much info out there, and most of it is for racing, not low RPM diesels, so it's a lot to wade through. I don't even know if these lube mods are necessary for what we're doing, they just seemed like a good idea while I was in there. From what I gather, things that are almost no-brainers to do are the rollerized output and the dual-fed direct, as well as the stronger intermediate snap ring. You also need to address the pressure regulator valve in the pump. Lots of other things you can do, but I'm not going to be a guide for anyone.....I only want to be liable for my own vehicles.

One thing that has helped me tremendously is I bought the video series put out by The Transmission Bench.

Here's the link to the videos you can buy on his site:

videos page

Super easy to follow and he gives some good tips. He also shows you how to do the job with tools you already have or can make yourself.

I first used his videos to build the 4L60e for my Envoy, and those are free on YouTube:

Thank You very much.
I’ll be checking out those Transmission Bench videos.