85 crew cab long bed project

[Wincks2]

A thread by one of the rest of us.

This thread would be to rebuild as chevette is to truck.

Many threads here are by people capable of taking a truck apart to its last bolt and then putting it back together.

This thread is by one whose accumulated automotive experience ends at having had a second key set made in case the first were lost.

But, I have recently purchased a great big beautiful old truck to ride my family along in style while pulling our house trailer to some of the lakes in Manitoba and to help my sons learn to maintain a truck.



Several photos are in my album at http://67-72chevytrucks.com/gallery/...y.php?cat=1016

Our truck was purchased from a Manitoba farmer. That means he had a fully equipped work shop. That means that if he wanted to he could take a truck apart to its last bolt and then put it back together. And he wanted to.

And that means he loves trucks. That means he did unusual things to them. Our truck was originally built with a 5.7 liter gas engine. Now it has a 1986 6.2 diesel engine supplemented with a Banks Sidewinder Turbo kit (said to increase horsepower and torque), a torque converter (said to help the transmission originally made for the lesser torque of the 5.7 gas engine handle the greater torque of the 6.2 diesel engine, and a shift kit (said to preserve the transmission by causing it to abruptly switch between gears rather than being simultaneously in two gears at once while slowly switching between gears), and a 1992 belt system.




But I don't really know whether any of what is said is true. In fact, as far as I really know, the 5.7 gas engine could still be in the truck. But Manitoba farmers tend to be good people, so I am confident in believing what has been said. Another thing in which I am confident is that the modifications from stock mean that when they falter I will not be able to rely on the original factory service manuals (which I have ordered).

A local garage has told me there are a number of repairs required to pass the Manitoba safety inspection so I can drive her:

Windshield washer wont spray

Dash lights don't work

Horn does not work.

Sway Bar bracket is bent.

Sway bar bushings need replacing.

Outer tie rods need replacing.

There are also a number of other things I have in mind:

Replace bucket seats with bench so we can drive a sixth person with us.

Replace the seat covers.

Attend to some rust that is present.

Check the trailer and electric brake wiring for pulling out trailer.

Add a missing dome light.

Remove some metal things from the bed that helped a prior owner pull a fifth wheel.

Rewire the truck and rebuild the engine.

Just kidding on those last two.

Probably other things as the need arises or they occur to me.

Folks with experience will probably see plenty of mistakes here as I muddle through. Don't be shy about offering suggestions.

So let the fun, and this thread, begin.