Well, my annual search for a winter vehicle has resulted in another bad decision. I've been looking for a 90's or earlier truck with some towing capability to drive this winter and as a bit of a project. Being in New England, I don't want to drive my 128i in the winter. My search ended with this, very rough, 3500. I've wanted a GMT400, or OBS, dually for a while. This just wasn't what I imagined.
Its been spray bombed flat black. Its got a single rear wheel bed. The interior is in good shape but filthy. The glow plug light isn't even coming on. The obnoxious exhaust is hung with wire. And the previous owner claimed it had a fuel delivery issue. The two hour drive home (yes, I'm dumb enough to try drive this home) proved that the "fuel issue" was in fact the transmission. I couldn't replicate it on the test drive but it won't shift into overdrive. It needs a lot of help. But, to try justify my bad decision, it is nearly rust free. It actually seems to run pretty well. And it was cheap. I will try to update with my efforts to making this slightly less rough.
My OBS adventure is similar but mine ride a trailer. It too was very neglected. I had to have a 2WD stepside, which I now own. It will be a long process to get it where I want it, but I will do it.
759NRNG
PowerDork
10/17/22 9:19 p.m.
Yo this rig is in NUw Hampshere looking like this ?!?!???!!!! Dude the sheet metal alone is major scoreboard. Here's hoping the mechanicals are not a NIGHTMARE. will be watching closely as I retrieve my 03 DMaxx after being in the "shop" later this week.
Good luck!
Im really hoping to see this thing dropped 5/7 and being a throwback street truck.
I don't know what it is but I just love duallies.
And a single wheel bed on a dually looks far superior to a dually bed on a single wheel truck :-)
And I'm still really wishing diesels / tow pigs could get their very own forum on this site.
After many years of "Old Body Style" being a slang term used by ferd guys, to describe the 80 to 97 trucks after the major change to the S. D., it always gives me a slight pause when used for chebby trucks. First heard that here on GRM in the last year or so.
That sounds like a great score! And like 401, I've always had a thing for duallys. I think the dually poking out of the SRW bed looks cool! Even better is a narrow dually, but that's some work on the wider frame truck.
A 401 CJ said:
I don't know what it is but I just love duallies.
Me too and I know exactly what it is for me. This truck, sorry for the terrible pic. When I was in high school my friend and I used to walk up to the local pizza place, there was a body shop next to it and they ran a big block modfieds. This was their tow rig and back ~1990 that was as bad as it got. I have had a thing for them ever since.
In reply to 759NRNG :
Right? It is incredibly clean for New England. We would call it rust free up here.
In reply to Dusterbd13-michael :
Thanks! If I can get it driving and looking a little nicer a drop is likely in its future. I've wanted a dually specifically for that.
In reply to 03Panther :
Interestingly, I knew them as OBS, or before that as just "90's Chevys," before I ever heard GMT400.
My cousin was joking that it looked like the kids with their ridiculously offset truck wheels only got ahold of back of the truck.
I'd heard the 400 before here, but I always just knew 'em as '90s chevys, as ya say.
Oh, and another up vote for 401's suggestion for a tow pig section! I'm in.
I started my project by not looking into why my truck wasn't running great and instead cleaning.
The interior was filthy. So much dog hair...
I actually managed to get some of the stains out. Or just scrubbed them in deeper. Looks cleaner anyway. I'm not a dog person so I'm sorry to those that are but I just can't understand why you would want a dog in your vehicle.
Much cleaner. Doesn't feel gross inside at least. I'm going to vacuum the stuff the scrubbing pulled out and call it for now.
Now that I finished the part that wasn't solving my problems I pulled the codes from the OBD1 port. I got DTC 17, 18, 35, 78, and 88. 17 and 18 both relate to the optical sensor. 35 is the waste gate solenoid. 78 is the fuel solenoid. And, most concerning, 88 is the injection pump timing. I have to dig into it more but the first thing is checking grounds which could contribute to all of them. There is also lots of wiring hackery going on.
When I pulled the truck into the shop it started stumbling. It ran fine for a two hour drive but now its having issues. Admittedly, that got me thinking about the fact that I could swap in a 6.0 LS and be in under my truck budget. Its financially viable I'm just not sure I have the skill to get it done before winter.
Why not look for an 8.1 if you're going to swap to gas? It'd be perfect for a dually.
Went through all that last year with a 6-5 that I bought for my son. It also would not shift into overdrive and it turned out to be the temperature sensor on top of the thermostat. If the computer thinks the transmission is too cold it will not shift out of the lower gears. And after endless screwing with the injection pump, including a new optic sensor I finally had to bite the bullet and buy a new pump. I got one from a shop in Florida. Peninsula diesel I think. It was $800. It was not completely rebuilt but they go through them and bring everything back to factory spec and it has been running just fine for a year now. Most of them are two or three times that much money. The truck runs really well now.
Regarding the interior, whenever I buy a new old vehicle I completely remove the interior and scrub everything. You can have the front and back seats and carpet out in probably less than a couple of hours. Then you can get your pressure washer and scrub brushes out and go to town on it.
In reply to A 401 CJ :
I assume cost would be a part...
I don't really know, since what folks on here think is a "cheap" LS swap, is WAY beyond my means.
I would think that for most truck needs the big LS has ok power, and a hair better mpg.
disclaimer: have not owned a 8.1, but know it's a strong engine!!!
In reply to A 401 CJ :
A big block probably makes more sense, I'm just more familiar with the LS platform.
In reply to bearmtnmartin (Forum Supporter) :
Thanks for the temp sensor tip, I think that is part of the glow plug system which also isn't working. I really hope I don't need an injection pump but I bought at a price that I felt prepared to pay for one. I probably should pull the interior out but I want to confirm I can get this thing running. My track record with completing projects is very poor...
In reply to 03Panther :
Possibly the only good part of being in the rust belt is you can pick up running, driving donor vehicles that have rusted away for reasonably cheap. Admittedly I have already found both a 6.0 and 8.1 donor nearby for fairly cheap. I've never done a swap myself so I am likely underestimating both the financial and time commitment. But at the moment I'm feeling committed to getting the 6.5 running right.
In reply to white_averson :
Glow plugs are easy to check. Put your amp clamp on the main battery cable and turn the key. You should get a pretty good amp draw, I think its around 1.5 or 2 amps per glow plug. If even 4 or 5 are working (most likely) that will not be a starting issue unless its pretty cold. At the very least it will hit and miss for a while but then start. The temp sensor is a cheap little thing you can get at NAPA so easy to try.
Solution: go buy the 4-53 driptroit suburban recently listed here!!!!
In reply to 03Panther :
I thought about buying that Suburban before I got this. Probably would have a better decision too. Though the drive from Texas to NH would have been an adventure.
In reply to bearmtnmartin (Forum Supporter) :
The glow plug light just isn't coming on. It actually cold starts pretty well. I've gotta dig into it.
In reply to 03Panther :
Just realized you were not talking about the Detroit V8 from a few weeks ago. The squarebody 4-53 swap is ridiculously cool.
You might just get away with that ten dollar sensor then. Wouldn't that be nice.
In reply to white_averson :
Don't remember if I saw a "fuel miser" V8 discussion, or not. Most don't consider it a Driptroit, anyway! Nothing like that 2 stroke howl! Or was it a 8V71 (or 92)?
That V8 detroit built for a bit was a huge engine. Course so is a 8V92,but they really should not be mentioned in the same paragraph. 
Neither is gonna fit in a light duty truck platform. (1/2, 3/4 or 1 ton)
