The GMT400 thread (88-98 GM full-size trucks)

Doing a bit of repair/maintenance/and lifting to 4/6 on the stepside. Keeping the load bags and bilstein shocks off it for my black truck. 

bearmtnmartin (Forum Supporter) said:

 

 

I like working in shops like that. A slight breeze makes it pleasant and any fumes dissipate. But...Texas...damn scorpions and fire ants, so that's not a good option. Instead I wind up in a hot shop with a fan blowing hot air on me. 

In reply to Cousin_Eddie (Forum Supporter) :

I like that look. 
 

This is our apprentice's new-to-her 1992 Chevy C1500.  We believe its lowered 2/4.  Has 255/60r17s on centerlines.

Nice truck! Looks like about 2/4 at that size tire. Likely spindles and shackles/hangers.

mjrj (Forum Supporter) said:

This is our apprentice's new-to-her 1992 Chevy C1500.  We believe its lowered 2/4.  Has 255/60r17s on centerlines.

Thank you for this! Thats exactly the size ive been thinking about.....

In reply to Dusterbd13-michael :

Here's a side pic.  The fronts run on the tops of the fenders under compression (driveways etc).  Been told they will be rolled.  Don't know wheel dimensions.

pages (gmheritagecenter.com)

Update to earlier, I went with a Spectra Premium radiator from Amazon. First one arrived so bent, I couldn't install my fan shroud. Rad was shaped like a parallelogram. The second replacement was also a bit bent, but useable.

I've been having HVAC issues, namely the face vents are always on, and the blend options seem to be hot or cold, no in between. Fine for around town, but for longer drives you ended up either freezing or sweaty. I loaded up the parts cannon with both blend and mode actuators.

The blend actuator is kinda a pain, you're supposed to partially remove the dash and tilt it forward to gain access. I opted to drill a hole both in the dash and the support bar. The hole is only visible with the glove box open, a sacrifice I was willing to make. It's just the one 5.5mm screw that's blocked, the other is accessible with the ashtray/power socket assembly removed.

For the mode door I found the linkage had come apart.

I found the spring and one of the plastic retainers but the other was gone. Bought a new link that ended up being the wrong one, but I used the spring and retainers on the new link to fix the old. Pretty sure I put it back together right, works like this now:

It also just ate it's second blower resistor in about a week, so I think the blower motor is drawing too much amperage.

The motor in it now is a VDO brand unit I installed in 2018 about 22,000kms ago.

RockAuto options are SKP for $31, Four Seasons for $43, TYC for $52, and Ac Delco for $88.

Think it's worth going for AC Delco, or are they all likely to have the same lifespan as my VDO blower?

Id go 4 seasons or tyc. That Delco is probably no better anymore 

Bought a 95 RCSB roller this week. Going to be a long term project but eventually it will get an LS swap, 4L80, lowered, painted, etc. 

Somebody spray-bombed the wheels and then decided the project was too much for them?  Or was that their, "I'm going to sell this thing.  I'd better spiff it up a bit first" strategy?

Looks like a good project.  I'd totally drag that home!

In reply to ClemSparks :

I think the PO bought it super cheap and just wanted to flip it. Fairly certain he didn't take the time to paint the wheels. I figure he had maybe $500 in it, I got it for $750 including an extra bed so I'm happy. Only serious rust is the passenger cab corner, otherwise it's just some surface rust here and there.

He also has a 94 extended cab 2wd that he is taking the drivetrain out of and I'm supposed to buy it for basically scrap price ($300 or so). It is super solid with zero rust at all.

Let us know when you start the build and I'll follow along for sure!

Was looking for some inspiration on a '94 GMC Suburban, and ended up here.

Go figure. 

Had a big dump of snow yesterday and got the unpleasant surprise of finding out my 4wd doesn't work and promptly got stock about a block after leaving the driveway.

I did front axle seals during the summer, and apparently removing the right side axle stub will cause a washer to drop and prevent the actuator from engaging. I've already confirmed the actuator is good, and I can't manually engage the front diff so I'm going to drop the diff and tear it open in a couple hours.

Just a heads up if youre doing front axle seals

Also, thoughts on regearing from 3.42 to 3.73?

I have the 3.42:1 now, have spare 3.73 diffs in unknown condition. Running 32-33" tires in summer and stock 31" size in winter. More city driving than highway. Have an Eaton clutch type rear carrier to install. Worth the effort to go 3.73? Not much of a jump

I converted to the 1 ton calipers and put fresh pads and rotors on my half ton today, made a huge difference in pedal feel and stopping power

In reply to Run_Away :

If you don't mind doing the work, I think it's worth it, especially if you already have the parts.

My gmt400 came with 3.73, I'm running 31.5s. I think it's a good gear for my setup.

I went 3.42s to 3.73s back to 3.42s when I nuked my rear in my 4th gen camaro and it was noticeable each time.

I bought a real decent one owner 97 C1500 from my neighbor two days ago. It's got 113k miles on it. When I get off work next week I'll get it cleaned up and snap a few rolls of film.

I really should be working on my 94 C1500 but this truck needed to be bought.

I berkeleyed up. Washer definitely dropped as predicted. Straightened it in the press, stuck it to a 32mm socket and sanded it down on some sandpaper.

Few thou shouldn't make a difference, it's all located by snap ring.

I have 4wd again!

In reply to Run_Away :

How are you supposed to prevent this from happening

In reply to Opti :

I think technically you're supposed to take apart the diff and remove the right side of the housing like I did there to fix my mistake. I've read a couple guys online say shifting the truck into 4WD before removing the diff (or jamming a 1" spacer in front of the actuator to manually move the shift sleeve) also works. I can see that working, as long as the washer doesn't fall forward and the oil "sticktion" keeps it stuck to the stub. I guess it also depends if you're pulling the RF axle and swapping the seal with the diff in place, or dropping the diff. I dropped the diff since I did both axle seals at the same time.

Thanks for chiming in about the re-gear, I'll should give my spare 3.73 rear axle a closer look to see what shape it's in. Also like the brake upgrade, I wish I had done that before getting new pads/rotors and one caliper for mine. Probably still a pretty cheap upgrade. Just priced it out, about $170 CAD shipped for both calipers with PowerStop Z36 pads. Not bad.

I've got a neighbor who apparently buys a new Chevy pickup every 25 years. So when she showed up with a 2022 Silverado I snatched up his old truck.

113k miles on it. Original owner. Window sticker folded up in the glovebox.

In reply to Run_Away :

I used the 1500 pads on mine and spread the retainers a little, I think the 1 ton pads hit the rotor. So really all you'd NEED is the calipers. Mine were 29 each