87 V20 D/D and Road trip Burb

[Dieselwrencher]

Nice burb, and nice upgrades you have done to it. That water pump looks pretty trick.

[Jsfucttruck]

Everything was going well until I was warming up my Burb the other morning. Radiator sprung a leak. It was a brand new brass unit less than 3 yrs old. I only ever ran distilled water and green coolant at a 60/40 ratio, with Wixcool and diesel water wetter. It looks as the top of the core by the tank is bulging.

This is the second new brass unit failure. Last one failed in a similar way. Thanks were separating from the core.

[Jsfucttruck]

I went through a phase. When the first one failed, I came across a few used units. They were cheap, but shot. They lasted a few months. I eventually ended up going through the entire cooling system. A new brass rad was put in.

A few months later, it sprung a leak on the way to Las Vegas for Monster Jam, and I had a replacement shipped to my friends house in Vegas. I literally changed it out in the desert. It had bulged tanks and when layed flat on the ground. It was not flat anymore.
I run 13lb rad caps. New rad support bushings. The rad is not pinched in the mounts when installed either.


I am taking a pile of rads to the radiator shop Monday morning.

[Jsfucttruck]

I wonder if I have too much chassis flex. I drive this thing on backcountry roads in various conditions. Vibration?
Am I over analyizing the whole thing? Maybe I should replace all the body mounts.

[Jsfucttruck]

Amongst my search for a rad, I finally scored a sweet vintage 14bff Hickey diff cover. I got a killer deal from a bud.
I had been bugging him to part with it for the past 2yrs. He was using it on his blazer with a 3/4 ton swap. He was going to ruin it on a rock or something so he parted it for $80, a gallon of 80/90,tube of rtv and a stock diff cover.
Score.
I am going to just clean it up and run it.

Did they ever make a Dana 60 Hickey cover?

[Edahall]

You might check out those 4 core aluminum with welded aluminum tanks made by Champion. I installed one if these in my Suburban and it has been good.

[68Timber]

Nice score on the Hickey diff cover.

Originally Posted by Edahall

You might check out those 4 core aluminum with welded aluminum tanks made by Champion. I installed one if these in my Suburban and it has been good.

That or if you still have the original radiator, take it to the radiator shop and let them rework it.

[Jsfucttruck]

Originally Posted by Edahall

You might check out those 4 core aluminum with welded aluminum tanks made by Champion. I installed one if these in my Suburban and it has been good.

I have been going back and forth with Champion. The closest they get for my application is their cc1696. It is for a 94-00 c/k with a 454. It would need the hose connections changed out to 1 3/4" and a additional 1/4 npt bung on the pass side near the top.
Here is my old one.

[Dieselwrencher]

From what I've seen, these newer brass radiators are thinner in the tank areas than the old ones. I've replaced a few BBC trucks over to plastic tanked radiators and these guys have had better luck than the brass ones. You sure wouldn't think it would be that way but it is.

[Edahall]

I used a Champion MC716. Although not quite as wide as the original, it still worked fine.

[Jsfucttruck]

Since I run a external oil cooler. I was looking at this as a possible option too. I got a guy that could add a fill neck and a few bungs for a coolant level sensor and a water temp gauge.
If course the trans cooler lines would have to switch sides too.

[Jsfucttruck]

Originally Posted by 68Timber

Nice score on the Hickey diff cover.



That or if you still have the original radiator, take it to the radiator shop and let them rework it.

I have been looking for over 10yrs. Not very hard. Just never came across one.
The dilemma now is to.
A. Leave it raw.
B. Paint it, maybe cast iron engine paint.
C. Clean it and clear coat it.

[Dieselwrencher]

Bead blast it then clear coat it or have it PC'd clear is my vote.

[68Timber]

Originally Posted by Dieselwrencher

Bead blast it then clear coat it or have it PC'd clear is my vote.

Yep. Either one would be great.

[Jsfucttruck]

The more I clean it, the less patience I have for PC...
It is the route I want to go. It will be more resistant to the pressure washer and leaky fluids.
But...... I am going to put it on as is, and send it out for PC after I clean up the rear axle.


This thing is beautiful.

The bud I got it from had it on his K5 wheeler. He knew they are hard to come by, and even mentioned that he might have ended up ruining it. He put a small scrape on the bottom side. No big deal. In addition to cash, I tossed in a fresh bead blasted stock cover, a gallon of 80-90, and the gear oil resistant rtv.

[Jsfucttruck]

After much overthought. Wasted time. Many long and drawn out conversations with different manufactures of radiators. I went with a cheap lifetime radiator.

It came down to this. Cost/Warranty. I have spent over $800 in brass radiator replacements and repairs. I spent $400-500 for a brass unit to only fail just outside the warranty period. Now, a decent brass rad is $800. That's custom aluminum high dollar status. Not in the budjet for a truck I bought for $750, or my style.

I was just about to have a champion rad modified to the spec I need, but I was told it would void any warranty. Even if modded in house. That was going to be around $500

The lifetime unit is a plastic/aluminum unit. Fingers crossed.

[Jsfucttruck]

While I wait to fix my Burb.... I have been driving my wife's secondary truck. It is a 91 V1500 Burb. The tbi 350 has every bolt on mod, minus headers, and heads. 700r4 has a funky no engine braking in any gear issue, but other wise works great.

We only use this Burb a few times a yr. It sits alot. My wife decided she wanted to take the Burb to a b-day party for a friends 4 yr old. She wanted to to take a few friends and their kids. Full load. 8 bodies, full tank of fuel.

A few hours later she gets back and mentions that she took the steep mountain roads to our friends house and overheated the brakes 3 times and stopped to let them cool. She said it was smoking bad, but never lost brakes completely.
Scary.
Today the caliper started leaking and pulling. The truck has been converted to 8 lug outers in the front end with 1/2 calipers,1/2 ton master cylinder, 14bff.

I got a bunch of goodies today. Great price too.

Looks like since the kids got sick. No thanksgiving travels. I predict a Burb on jackstands tomorrow.

[Jsfucttruck]

Has any have experience with Lubelocker diff covers and transmission pan gaskets? I love them. I for some reason am always breaking or doing fluid changes and I have yet to have a leak in any of the ones I have. I am going to install another on this 14bff cover.

[Jsfucttruck]

I got my Hickey cover on!
Looks great.

[68Timber]

Looks great! Did you clear coat? It looks like it's still original finish.

[Jsfucttruck]

No. I was impatient. My powder coat guy is out of town and the other place that is local, does not have the best reveiw.

I have to do a gear ratio change. When I do that, I am going to have the whole housing powder coated black and the cover cleared.

[Jsfucttruck]

Well everything has gone to hell, but I am slowly getting a handle of it all.
Kids have been sick with a fever and cough since Thanksgiving. This morning my wife called me as she got off her 12hr night shift, that her 00 3.4 4runner quit running on her way home.

We get it home, and inspected everything. Timing belt let loose. Thankfully it is not a interference motor. I guess I got something else to do now. Truck has 245k on it. I was told it was changed at 150k.




Any way. Back into the Burb repair. All of the options I wanted to go with were either too $$$ or I was going to void any warranty on modding one.

Lifetime warranty and the price was right.


I already regret it.
I got a spectre 850 unit
Aluminum and plastic.
I stood it up next to the old unit and it looked good. Until I went to install it.

The saddle mount area is slightly shorter and narrower. Rad was loose in the mounts.

Fitting for the coolant temp sensor was the wrong size. Same fitting was missing the o-ring and leaked. Went to reinstall the adapter and it broke off in rad fitting.

Oulet for heater core hose is very short. I am worried it might pop off.

Upper trans cooler line fitting is loose fitting and weaps through the threads of the inverted flare fitting.



But. It is back for now.

[Jsfucttruck]

Ahh. That pic reminded me. The repair on the Wife's burb required a new wheel hub, and a spindle. What was left of the inner bearing came out in pieces. The race fell out and a new one was loose. I had a spare 8 lug 10 bolt front axle, so I tore into it for donor parts.

On another note. Has anyone upgraded a plastic 1/2 master cylinder to a metal 3/4 ton version? This unit is for a vacuum brake, same yr, but 3/4 ton. I needed a adapter to get the same line size, but it almost looks as if the plastic unit has a larger piston bore.

I was hoping to swap it in and get rid of the slow responsive and squishy brakes.

[Irish1941]

Just saw you're in Aptos. There's a shop in Watsonville my hot rod pals from Santa Cruz use for rads. Let me ask.
Orig Harrison rads are the best hands down.
Never give up a brass Harrison if you can avoid it.
Fix the tanks and get core rodded out
My 454 trucks hate anything but Harrison 4 core brass rads.

And I feel your pain...sick kid, sick wife, broken truck,
take it off, new crap part back on, broken again, back off, replacement crap back on, broken again....ugh...
PM me for your brake troubles. Easier than you think

[Jsfucttruck]

Originally Posted by Irish1941

Just saw you're in Aptos. There's a shop in Watsonville my hot rod pals from Santa Cruz use for rads. Let me ask.
Orig Harrison rads are the best hands down.
Never give up a brass Harrison if you can avoid it.
Fix the tanks and get core rodded out
My 454 trucks hate anything but Harrison 4 core brass rads.

And I feel your pain...sick kid, sick wife, broken truck,
take it off, new crap part back on, broken again, back off, replacement crap back on, broken again....ugh...
PM me for your brake troubles. Easier than you think

Original was long gone. I had one I got from a parts truck but it was too rotted.



The rad shop, Polar Radiator, only recommends this company. It was too steeply priced at almost $800.

Life keeps moving. Kids keep growing. Bills keep coming.


Master Cylinder swap answer? I put that on the back burner for now.