New to me plain jane HD

[DirtyLarry]

Well, here is my new used truck I picked up dirt cheap from a struggling contract company to the gas well industry in the four corners area (UT, CO, AZ, NM). They were pretty much giving these trucks away so I had to have one (thus the reason my ’72 is for sale). I always liked the plane jane rubber floor mat, standard cab trucks anyway. 2005 2500HD 4x4 6.0L, 4L80E with 103,000 miles for a less than $5500! I thought that was a pretty decent deal.

It didn’t come that cheap without problems though. The tires were bald, one mismatch wheel, missing spare tire, missing tire tools, missing receiver hitch, completely broken grill, the bumper was demolished, the hood and fenders are scratched as if someone drive it through a barb wire fence (how the grill and bumper got trashed), it also had a broken engine mount and the exhaust from the muffler back is broke to hell and needs replaced. It also has a bunch of little dents and dings but not to unexpected from work truck. Other than that….she is perfect. The interior was flawless though and the A/C blows cold!

Everything has been fixed except for the exhaust. It got a fresh set of 255/85R16 (33" x 10) Cooper Destination S/T’s today on freshly painted satin black stock wheels. I could not find a decent bumper so I was undecided on one of the redneck Ranchhand bumpers or go for the gusto and get an ARB bumper. I can’t stand the looks of the front of the 2003 later Chevrolet trucks so I wanted something to cover up that UGLY mug! Well, I also picked up an ARB bulbar/winch bumper from 4 Wheel Parts in Colorado Springs today while I was up there getting the tires so now I am waiting for the mounting kit to arrive so I can bolt the bumper on. Also have Superlift torsion bar keys on the way to bring that front end up in the air a bit. Later I plan on having black Rhino Liner sprayed down the side below the lower body line similar to how my ’78 is done. Should be pretty cool when it is done. Maybe a SFA swap someday as well





Here is bumper that it is getting.

[dan42]

Killer deal! keep us posted with the pictures.

[DirtyLarry]

Agh, what a drag. So, Friday afternoon I bolted on the new and improved upper intermediate steering shaft (GM pn 19153614) to remedy the common GM steering clunk only to still have a major audible clunk and clunk pop feeling in the steering wheel afterwards when turning or hitting bumps. I went through the cab and underside of the truck with a fine tooth comb only to find the drivers side engine mount bracket bolts are missing and the engine mount bracket banging against the side of the frame. Actually, one bolt is completely missing and the other is busted off inside the mount. These are really weird bolts anyway. They are like 8” long with threads the first few inches then a void then more threads on the end.

What really ticks me off is I just put the new GM design engine mount in the RH side last weekend and didn’t even notice the LH side was missing the vertical bolts of course I didn’t look at the mount from that angle once I saw it already had the new design engine mount in it. To make matters worse this bracket is really in a tight spot, which will make digging out the broken bolt a major chore. Being this truck already got the new design engine mount on the LH side under warranty I suspect the tech at the time did not get the bracket bolts tight enough. Agh! Again, that is why the truck was so cheap as it needed some work. On the bright side I should have the ARB bumper brackets Tuesday so I can bolt on the ARB bumper. I am leaving for vacation so I won’t be able to tackle the engine mount issue for a few weekends.

[GOPAPA]

I am like you ,i dont need all the bells and whistles as long as I am using it for a work rig.. I wanted the extra cab but ,,I like your long bed also ,,looks like a tough truck .. papa

[OARNGESI]

Looks like a pretty good deal

[DirtyLarry]

Finally got time to work on the ole girl Sunday. My buddy and I got the ARB bumper and the torsion bar lift keys installed. Probably got about 2" of lift or more with these new keys. It stands a bit taller than my 01 HD that just has the torsion bars cranked up a bit.

I really like the way the ARB bumper hides that hideous 2003-2006 Chevrolet ugly front end. Still need to fix the LH engine mount, muffler and get the front end aligned. Someday I might get a winch for it. Hope to have it all ready to roll within a few more weekends.

[cjracing15]

Hey man the truck looks great. I really like the new bumper. Oh and I am liking the stock black rims. Gives it a mean look.

[67ChevyRedneck]

Originally Posted by DirtyLarry

I really like the way the ARB bumper hides that hideous 2003-2006 Chevrolet ugly front end.

It looks really bad ass with that bumper on there

[DirtyLarry]

Got the exhaust done up today. I had them install a Flowmaster 50 Series Big Block muffler that I ordered from Summit (FLO-530504) with the tails dumping out behind the rear wheels. It sounds so much better now without the muffler guts rattling around and all the hangers ringing like 5 church bells clanging together.

The Flowmaster doesn’t sound half bad either. Have to get a sound clip someday.

[JohnC]

Yeah get us a sound clip. I have been trying to decide what muffler to put on my 03. Don't want anything too loud, but a nice rumble would be good.

The truck is sharp, and especially for the price.

[DirtyLarry]

Yeah, I need to get a camera person to do that or have someone drive the truck for me. From the driver’s seat……I am not sold on the new sound just yet. I don’t know if I am just getting old or what but it sounds, well…..I dunno, but doesn’t sound anywhere near as good as my old ’98 Z71 I had 10 years ago did with its dual inlet/dual outlet Flowmaster that is for sure. Right now, I am just glad not to hear the entire exhaust system rattling and banging around.

I my opinion, part of the issue with the exhaust rumble I have with these Vortec’s on Flowmasters is the new firing order of the Gen III engine design. GM changed from the good old 18436572 firing order to an 18726543 firing order for smoother balancing and to me it makes the exhaust sound very odd. Like the 8.1L (that also has this same new firing order) in my ’78 sound s like crap through the same exhaust that sounded awesome when I had a 7.4L. But that is just me talking. In taking to a few gear heads the other day, they also agreed the Gen III’s sound like crap unless you are running an X or H pipe due to the new firing order. Can’t do and H or X pipe on this Silverado that has a dual inlet/dual outlet muffler.

I’ll try to get a sound clip. Maybe I’ll like the sound of the exhaust better after I hear it from the back a dozen times. I know I liked my '98 5.7L on a Flowmaster the instant the engine was started while the welds were still hot in the muffler shop bay......not a week later still undecided if I like the sound or not like I am with this truck.

[cochino12]

Looks like a pretty nice truck, when you get tired of it let me know ha ha, it would make me a great plow/work truck

Adam

[JohnC]

I was told that Flowmaster makes a muffler specifically for the 6.0 engines. I haven't heard it yet, and the muffler shop that told me about it had only done one or two, and didn't really have the info for me to go check the trucks out.

[DirtyLarry]

Originally Posted by JohnC

I was told that Flowmaster makes a muffler specifically for the 6.0 engines. I haven't heard it yet, and the muffler shop that told me about it had only done one or two, and didn't really have the info for me to go check the trucks out.

That is the exact muffler I got. I don’t know if it is auditable tuned for the engines or just dimensionally correct for the platform but the box says 2500HD/3500 6.0L/8.1L.

I picked up the truck Monday afternoon from the muffler shop and drove it to the airport at 4 AM Tuesday morning and left it. So, I haven’t had much time with it yet but what I heard of it so far….the jury is still out. We'll see how it strikes my fancy at midnight tomorrow when I fly back and make the drive down to P-town

[jkade]

Them are some tough trucks and you stole that one. My brother works for the electric coop and they have one that has had the hell beat out of it and it has over 180k with no trips to the dealership.

[JohnC]

Yeah I don't think it was audibly tuned either, I agree I think it is supposed to be dimensionally correct also. Would like to hear your opinion on it. I can't tell if it's my muffler, or my cat's that are starting to rattle. If it's the muffler I would like to know if this muffler is a good candidate.

[DirtyLarry]

Exhaust clip from two different cameras. One clip is bad and the other is worse. I have driven the truck enough now that I decided I like the sound of it. Still, not as nice sounding as my ole ’98 Z71 though.

Camara 1 - New Olympus

YouTube - P4270016

Camara 2 - Old HP

YouTube - HPIM3012

[JohnC]

It does sound pretty good, but still may be a bit loud for what I want. My truck, when I pull our goose neck trailer, requires a lot of acceleration, and I think that would be too loud.

[Gray Ghost]

Wow...you stole that one! Good job!!

[1LoC10]

Nice score... There is one just like that by me for $3500 I was looking at... its got 120,000 on it and the whole outside of the bed and gate are beat to all hell... but it runs...lol