New here, with some questions..

[Albatrossian]

Hey all.. I just aquired a 81 GMC Sierra that my father-in-law gave me. It originally came with a 250 straight six with a TH350C. Now it has a brand new 350/TH350. The truck sat for 4 years before I got it, only being started occasionally. Drove it 40 miles to my house and found a few problems.
First, it has manual brakes.. no brake booster. Gotta pump the pedal a few times to get good stopping power. Also, it darts to the right. Secondly, it has ALOT of play in the steering. It wanders alot. It's got brand new BFGs on it, so that eliminates one cause..
Any help, suggestions?
I'll have pics of it up soon.
Thanks.

[S10Fan]

Originally Posted by Albatrossian

Hey all.. I just aquired a 81 GMC Sierra that my father-in-law gave me. It originally came with a 250 straight six with a TH350C. Now it has a brand new 350/TH350. The truck sat for 4 years before I got it, only being started occasionally. Drove it 40 miles to my house and found a few problems.
First, it has manual brakes.. no brake booster. Gotta pump the pedal a few times to get good stopping power. Also, it darts to the right. Secondly, it has ALOT of play in the steering. It wanders alot. It's got brand new BFGs on it, so that eliminates one cause..
Any help, suggestions?
I'll have pics of it up soon.
Thanks.

Welcome from Virginia!

Brakes...... I'd bleed them and check for leaking calipers or rear wheel cylinders. You may have a bad caliper on the LF causing the truck to pull to the right. I have manual brakes on my '80, they work fine. You will have to push harder on the pedal but they will stop you just as well as power brakes.

Steering....... Make sure all the links are good, ie: tie rods, rag joint, basically all the parts of the steering system. You could have a bad-worn out steering box. I was able to adjust the worm gear in my steering box and it made a big improvement. But, if you've never messed with something like that find someone that knows what they're doing.

Good Luck!

[S10Fan]

Brakes............ On second thought, since the truck sat for 4 years I'd replace the calipers and pads. Calipers for the 73-87 trucks are very inexpensive, it would be good insurance to just replace them.

Also, be sure to pull the rear wheels and drums to check the wheel cylinder and shoes. Again, these parts are cheap. Be SAFE!

[LONGHAIR]

Having to pump the pedal generally indicates an adjustment issue on the rear shoes. The adjuster wheels stick and the "self-adjusting" stops. A few pumps, you push the shoes out, and they work ok....until you let off for a few seconds. The wheel cylinders work sort of like a hydraulic jack...you only get so much movement per pump. Pump it up and it works, leave it and it bleeds back down. You will probably have to take the drums off and have a look inside. After 4 years of sitting, that's not a bad idea anyway.
It is possible to have an issue with low pedal from the front, but you would probably have a pulsing pedal too.
Brake issues can definately cause darting and pulling, sloppy steering makes it worse.

[killthewabbit]

I second the wheel cylinder. Every time I've had a hard pull during braking, it's always been either a wheel cylinder or a collapsed brake hose on one of the wheels. Both parts are cheap, and I would recommend a preventative brake job anyway.

[Albatrossian]

Originally Posted by killthewabbit

I second the wheel cylinder. Every time I've had a hard pull during braking, it's always been either a wheel cylinder or a collapsed brake hose on one of the wheels. Both parts are cheap, and I would recommend a preventative brake job anyway.

I did find out one problem.. the pittman arm has a bunch of play in it.. the caliper on the drivers side front is sticking.. so next weekend is already planned out for me. New brakes all around anyone? Anyone want to help?

[old Rusty C10]

id check the wheel cylinders too and pop apart the rear brakes and make sure there is lube in the adjusters.. id also change out the calipers in front and the rubber hoses its cheap enough.. id check the front end and repack the wheel bearings and that should give you a good idea as to where youre at

[79gmcsierragrande]

Sounds like the father-in-law is trying to get rid of you.


S10fan is right about the calipers being inexpensive; I replaced mine for $20 ea about a year ago. A friend of mine had a bug that you had to pump the breaks to stop, he swore it was air in the lines but it ended up being a leak. You might look over the lines see if you can find any fluid, even a small leak can steal your power and doesn’t drain you master too fast so it’s hard to detect. If it’s been sitting for four years I’d check all steering and break components and lube the chassis real good.