What did you do with your GMT400 today...or yesterday....

[Big T]

We weren't talking about climbing, we were talking about driving at altitude. As far a climbing altitude goes, I have a couple of good friends who beat you by nearly a mile in elevation, 19,341' at the summit, when they ascended Mt. Kilimanjaro a couple of months ago. One, Anna Wishart, is my State Senator and we've been friends for over a decade. The other, State Senator Tom Brewer, is a retired Army Special Forces Colonel who earned a Silver Star (should have been a Congressional Medal of Honor) and another Purple Heart when ambushed by a platoon-sized element of Taliban as his Team was on a recon patrol. Pinned down and shot six times, he managed to maneuver to higher ground, engage and kill several Taliban and keep them so occupied that the rest of the Team was able to maneuver to cover, then provide covering fire for him to maneuver back to them and then all of them retrograde back to base camp. He medically retired shortly after that (five years ago at age 58!) and returned back home to Nebraska, underwent a couple more surgeries for his wounds and did about six months rehab here in Lincoln at Nationally renowned Madonna Rehabilitation Hospital where my best friend since childhood was on of the Doctors of Physical Therapy who helped him in his post-surgical rehabilitation. Tom and I have known each other since we were young Infantry Second Lieutenants shortly after we Commissioned way back in the day.

Nebraska senators reach the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro

"Summit," read a one-word text message from Sen. Tom Brewer of Gordon that was received in Lincoln at 12:16 a.m. Wednesday.

journalstar.com

Thank you for your service. I almost posted that friends of AK Diesel (Denali) would be the ones who could surpass Mt. Whitney in height.

Once upon a time, I wanted to climb almost everything, including Denali, but no more. I have a foot damaged from sports that is serviceable, but not suited for extreme use. Staring at additional surgery where I will have two surgeons working on it. Orthopedic will remove some or all of the hardware in the heel from prior surgery, as it is a source of chronic pain (this has good odds of success). Hand surgeon will do exploratory work on other side to see if he can repair the nerve damage (this unknown odds of success, but little downside risk). They are trying to coordinate schedules to pull this off and the earliest is looking like July. This will take place at the University of Utah orthopedic facility.

 

[Husker6.5]

@Husker6.5

Thank You for Your service and if You see Colonel Tom Brewer thank Him too.

Our paths cross upon occasion when he's here in Lincoln when the Unicameral (one house legislature) is in session. Otherwise, he lives clear out by Gordon, NE up in NW Nebraska near the SD border near Pine Ridge Reservation. Oh, interesting bit of trivia, Tom is Oglala Lakota Sioux and the first Native American State Senator in the history of our State.

 

[Big T]

Drove the '99 around running errands and did close to 100 miles. With all the work that's been done, this is a much more civilized truck. Quieter with minimal vibration. Transmission shifting is good. No wheel hop in the front end. Waiting for the NBSS switch that I hope will address 4Lo and I'll install that plus the passenger side valve cover next weekend. Would be nice to get rid of the blood trail.

 

[MrMarty51]

Drove the '99 around running errands and did close to 100 miles. With all the work that's been done, this is a much more civilized truck. Quieter with minimal vibration. Transmission shifting is good. No wheel hop in the front end. Waiting for the NBSS switch that I hope will address 4Lo and I'll install that plus the passenger side valve cover next weekend. Would be nice to get rid of the blood trail.

Leroy and Quadstar both sells the valve cover girdle kit. That might help to put more support between the bolting holes.

 

[dbrannon79]

Yes Thank you for your service @Husker6.5

 

[Big T]

Leroy and Quadstar both sells the valve cover girdle kit. That might help to put more support between the bolting holes.

I bought a new GM Valve cover. Hoping this will do it.

 

[dbrannon79]

I finely got around to buying a diesel transfer pump for my aux tank so I can start using the fuel in it. got one from Harbor Freight for $150, it's more of a portable type setup so I have some plumbing to do if I want to set it up as a permanent mount with a pickup tube in the tank. I set it up as it was with the rubber hoses it came with and filled my main tank today

Still need to install a filler neck to the drivers side so I don't have to climb into the bed of the truck at the station to fill it too.

 

[dbrannon79]

placed an order for all the parts needed to hopefully fix my ac in the truck. it finally leaked down to the point the compressor doesn't turn on anymore! I am thinking the schrader valves are leaking. ended up ordering through amazon since I had compared prices on the same exact brand parts though RA and found shipping would make it all cost more. have the purple compressor mount fan switch with connector, replacement schrader valve kit, and variable orifice (105+deg) all should arrive by Friday so I'll have something to do for the weekend! Both sites didn't show delco parts for these items so I went with four seasons brand on everything.

going to install the condenser I scored from the pick a part yard and wire up the ev fan clutch so it's controlled by the new fan switch. I'm still up in the air about keeping one of the electric condenser fans in front or just leaving it out and run with just the ev fan clutch only. also not sure if I can manipulate the trans cooler lines on the factory cooler so that it can be mounted behind the condenser or if I will need to get an aftermarket cooler. I guess I will see once I get in there with the grill and old condenser removed.

 

[Stoney]

@dbrannon79 you kinda lost me. What does trans cooler have to do with a/c . Are the connected some how or are you just mentioning 2 different projects you doing at the same time?

 

[dbrannon79]

in a sense it's two projects. I remember I think Ak diesel driver who was talking about moving it behind the condenser so to have better cooling on the ac condenser plus having more room to mount a electric fan there to help with the hot summer days for better ac function.

all if the 454 gassers have that area open and some have a factory condenser fan mounted there.

 

[Stoney]

Not work on truck but this weekend I plan to work on finally finishing my Frankenstein dump trailer...
I bought a 6x10 dump trailer frame from a friend awhile back. With no bed on it..just the frame , axels , hydrolic pump and ram..
I already had a 5x10 utility trailer with no Axels under it..so I cut the tongue off it and it sits on the dump frame. Gonna cut it down the model and weld 2" angel iron across underneath to make it the same size as the dump frame. Then weld the eyelet that's on end of the hydraulic ram to one of the new cross members. Hopefully it will raise correctly.
With the price of dump trailers around here I know I can't buy a new one or even used really so I figured why not combine 2things I already have to make something useful. Might look a little strange but if it serves the purpose who cares

 

[dbrannon79]

@Stoney that sounds like a neat project! maybe post some pics on your progress

 

[Stoney]

I will. Im just worried about the ram pushing up properly.

 

[dbrannon79]

Well one of the parts I ordered from Amazon arrived this evening! And I’m a bit surprised to see the packaging. The downside is the high side replacement schrader has the dreaded rubber ball in it that’s known to leak after a couple times of using a set of gauges on! My current one has a normal schrader valve in it.

 

[dbrannon79]

Oh yeah almost forgot lol. Still got my purr-o-later fuzzy filter with my Amazon order!!

 

[ak diesel driver]

Wasn't me I'm moving the temp sender

 

[Big T]

Tomorrow: operation stop blood trail 6.5

 

[dbrannon79]

Well I started tearing into the ac. Discovered that the PO had welded a different fitting on the liquid line preventing me from using the condenser I scored from the salvage yard! Since it wasn’t leaking I modified the orifice tube repair that was installed so it would accept the variable orifice tube, and got it drawing a vacuum for the night. Forgot to take a photo after I reinstalled the condenser. I’ll get that in the morning, but I think I found the leak. When I started this, the system had absolutely no pressure left and replacing the schrader valves the one on the high side was loose in the port.
I don’t think I’ll be able to move the trans cooler at least on this round anyway. I’ll save that project for another day. Don’t think I’m gonna use the electric fans in there ether, both were still mounted since doing the cooling upgrades as I was too lazy to pull the brush guard off then. At least hopefully I’ll have a working ac after this weekend

 

[Big T]

At the put it back together stage and took a lunch break as it is snowing. I had previously reused two of the old valve rocker buttons as I screwed up two of the new ones on install. Older ones are easily visible as the darker yellow. They will get replaced. Looks like it was leaking at the rear lower corner again.

 

[dbrannon79]

Anyone know why this fan switch isn’t cycling on with high pressure a hair under 300 psi? Already pulled the connector and crossed the terminals and my ev fan clutch engaged.