Inherited 86 Chevy from Grandpa

[Texasline]

Greetings all - new to the forum...take it easy on me,...you'll see why shortly.

I inherited an 86 GMC Chevy Truck from my Grandfather about a year ago. Actually he gave it to me about 4 mo. before he passed away. He expressed to me that he was very proud and happy that I had it...and I am proud to have it (always wanted an older pick-up).

The problem is this. I know about as much about auto-mechanics as an accountant knows about bull riding (no offense to accountants). I'm really doing my best to learn as I go; I have all the right books(Haynes) and catalogs(LMC).

It's a '86 GMC 2500 Diesel 5.7-350 V8...and there you see one of the problems.

Grandpa bought it and modified it in Alaska, where he worked. He took out the Diesel (can someone tell me why?) and put in what I think is a 350 + other modifications.

I've taken it to 4 different mechanics, and showed it to about as many friends, who all are well intentioned but give me slightly different info. Some say it's a 305, some a 350, some just say "hey, it sound great". some say it's a short block, some say long.

I'm about $3800 into it thus far and that's about $3700 more than I can afford. There is so much work to be done on this truck it seems. ie interior electrical work, leaking gaskets...strange sounds that I can't place.

The latest sound has been going on for about 2 weeks...facing the open hood...an irregular rattle coming from the left side, underneath. I cant find anything loose etc.

To get to the point - I want someone to look at my truck who really cares about Chevy's. Someone who can give me straight-up info about the truck and help me prioritize what needs to be done. I intend on keeping the truck indefinitely. But I have to fix it one step at a time.

I live in San Diego - La Mesa area. Do any of you know of someone in this area who "cares" about Chevy's. A shop specifically for Chevy's who will show some TLC for Grandpas truck?

...and if you know what that rattle might be, let me know...

Thanks for reading. And again, it's like an accountant riding a bull

[3r!c84]

Pictures ?!!?

[codydubb]

X2 on the pictures

[Texasline]

Originally Posted by 3r!c84

Pictures ?!!?

Yea...i guess that would help. I haven't figured out how to do that yet.

I'll work on it.

[justpball]

welcome to the board brother! These guys know chevys forward and backwards so they should be able to help... can you describe the rattle? I know that can be tough but try...LOL. Have you noticed any change in how it runs or drives?

[79 silverado]

As per the rattle: Do you have access to a decent digital camera where you could take a 30 second video of it running so the sound could actually be heard, then post to youtube and give the board a link to listen in?

As per the engine size: try using a mirror or holding a camera over the back of the engine. Assuming it isn't buried in gunk, there will be a casting number on the top, in the back of the block near the firewall where the bellhousing attaches. It runs parallel to the firewall and will be large raised letters. Once you have this, on the passenger side of the block, look to the surface the cylinder head mounts to (you do not need to remove the head to do this) there will be a little dog-eared extension sticking out in front towards the accessories... wipe the flat top surface of it off, and so long as the motor wasnt machined there during rebuild you will see stamped in some light numbers and letters. Between the two you can learn what the engine is, and what car/truck it originally came out of.

[motornut]

the pic is what your looking for
some blocks have numbers by the engine mounts too

[allengator]

Welcome!

To try to answer your questions...

He took out the Diesel engine.. because, well (Sorry Diesel guys,) but they kinda sucked... and 350's are cheap and easy to work on...

What your friends mean is that it is a SMALL block.
Chevy engines are classified as either small block or big block (ie. a 350 vs a 454).
Lot of different engines in each classification. Each classification has the same outside dimensions (with a few quirky exceptions) so you cant tell a 305 from a 327 from a 350 without the casting numbers, etc as mentioned above. (unless you take it apart and measure)

(As a side note... a LONG block is what the assemble engine (ANY ENGINE) is refered to as... i.e. assembled block with crank, rods, pistons, and heads... basically a complete engine... usually minus intake, carb, distributer etc..
A SHORT block is a LONG block minus the heads!)

Hope that helps!
Stick with it, make it safe, and reliable... dont kill yourself trying to make it perfect!

[Buick455]

I would say he took out the Diesel because he was in Alaska and its darn cold there and in general terms diesels start harder in the cold than a gas engine. What did you do to it for $3,800? To me if I gave something to someone that they could not use or was a hardship I would be happy if they passed it on to someone that could use it, just a thought.

[Pop's C-10]

welcome & i know you'll get tha help you need here, cause who every was telling you it's was a short block needs to never ever look under a hood ever again.

[Texasline]

Wow! Lots of great info. I am very appreciative to all of you. Thanks for the warm welcome. Ya'll could have been much harder on me.

The "rattle" was so bad this AM, I took it in to my "current" shop....and they discovered the Air Pump was bad. Funny, I looked up "Air Pump" in my LMC catalog and couldn't find one. Anyhow they did find one and replaced it. While I was at it they replaced the Motor Mounts which on a previous visit they said were bad.

Buick455 - this truck was his pride and joy for the last 20 years. He had, and worked on trucks his whole life...and this was his last one. The 3-4 years before he died he couldn't drive anymore and the truck was used and abused by someone who didn't care about it, or it's significance to him. The truck lived in the desert for the last few years. It had made a long trip from Alaska for 15 years to Oregon for another few until it fell neglected in the desert. Now I have it in San Diego. My grandfather always swore it was "a real good truck"...so even though it's killing me financially...it's a little bit of him...and I want to keep it. Sentimental crap and all.

You asked what I got for my $3800 (now $4100)...here's a short list
(some of this was re-done twice, either because improperly done or needed to be re-done due to new part...or I was taken to the cleaners - the first $1600 was done by someone a knew who was just helping it pass smog, so much of his work ended up needing to be re-done)

replace intake and exaust man. + gaskets - bracket and Air Pump - canister and EVP system - vacume hoses - fuel line - new radiator - water outlet - thermostate - belts - oil filter - Remanifactured Carb - coolant resivor - brake switch - freeze plug - oil dipstick - radiator cap(2X) - new starter - battery and terminal cables - fuel sender and several tune-ups....and a few more misc things.

And I am in no way finished. Power window don't work, radio etc...needs new power steering box(I think) second fuel tank doesn't register, and shocks...and on and on....

gettin' myself down here a bit.

Took some pictures but can't figure out how to get them in this text box...I'll keep working on that.

Thanks

[DetroitDan]

Wow that's a sad story. These trucks are so easy to work on, I hope you can start doing stuff yourself; it can be a lot of fun, you will save a ton of money, and you will gain a lot of pride in building or fixing it yourself. I hate that you had to spend so much money for piddling stuff, and got raked over the coals. For that much money you could have a had a brand new crate motor. A little example, I bought my 82 for $1350, I replaced the flexplate, battery, all six tires, replaced the bed and all four doors with good used ones, I got some bucket seats and a console, chrome bumpers, a 4 inch lift and shocks. Only part I bought new was the flexplate ($42) and a $5 seal between the trans and transfer case. And new u-bolts for the lift. Everything else I got cheap used in good condition. I am painting it myself with roll-on Rustoleum, long story, check out moparts story on that. Basically about a $100 paintjob at home that looks good and is tough as nails. In short, I am now at about $2100 invested total including purchase price and as soon as I install two outside mirrors, emergency brake cable and new wiring to the starter it will be on the road. It is never going to be a show truck, but I anticipate that it will be a sharp looking daily driver/worktruck. I say this not to brag, for I am not a real mechanic. I would hope to encourage you, because if I can work on it myself, anyone can. I do about everything outside in my dirt driveway with basic tools. It really is easy. I always tell people if you've got a 1/2 inch and a 9/16 wrench you can almost totally disassemble and rebuild a 73-87 pickup. I haven't paid anyone a dime so far to work on it for me, and you don't need to either. Don't get discouraged by how much it needs, just pick one thing at a time to concentrate on. You'll get there.

Looks like a real pretty truck, hope you paint it the same red and white when your done. 350 diesel conversion was a common swap, only because they were crap. IIRC they came with an Olds/Pontiac auto trans because the bellhousing was different on the Olds 350 block, not the same as a Chevy transmission. So either you have a Chevy trans swapped in as well, or that motor isn't a Chevy. Looks Chevy to me. Oftentimes you can make an educated guess as to the engine by checking the thickness of the harmonic balancer. Most had thin ones, a lot of 305s had fat ones. Can't really go by the color since they could have been painted. Doesn't matter what engine you have, they are all good, even the bad-rep 305 is an effective, reliable motor. Don't let anyone tell you different. If you're not racing or towing 10k, a 305 will get the job done and last a long time.
Stick with us, and we'll help you through it.

[Gordonr1973]

Okay, this is my two cents and my opinion is worth about that much :-) --- maybe let's take a step back for a second and ask a few of the basics:

- What are your long term plans for the truck? Do you plan on keeping it? Driving it daily? Fixing it up? How far do you want to take it?

- What are you able to do on it and afford from this point?

- Let's get a complete set of pics up, start with under the hood of the motor and stuff from different angles, then some of under the truck (frame and suspension), then the interior of the cab (seat, dash, gauge cluster, door panels), then a pics of each side of your truck.

That way we can see what you are dealing with. The pics you already posted are a good start to seeing what you have there.

I don't know much about mechanics or troubleshooting particular problems, but I am probably coming to San Diego the last week of January for work ( I find out for sure next Monday ).

I'd be happy to see it and help if I can if you are still in a bind.

[Texasline]

DetroitDan - because I'm like the proverbial accountant who wants to ride a bull LOL I want to find the right mechanic in my area that can really demonstrate that they care about my truck, and give me honest feedback.

However, I'm also willing to learn to do things myself...my only worry is screwing something else up and making things worse.

Yes I'm intimidated by the whole thing - not afraid to admit it.

As far as the paint job....absolutely I want to keep the original red-white. And it does need painting bad. The red paint can actually be wiped of with a cloth. If I can do that myself, I am all for it!

Thanks for your help.

Oh yea, and I have a 9/16 and a 1/2 inch wrench.

[GMC Guy]

hey i thought factory diesels didn't need to be smogged? if you registered it as a diesel, you shouldn't have had to smog it...i think someone ripped you off...

[DetroitDan]

well looking closer at the pics, it looks like it was originally white because the cab and nose is white, more likely the bed and door was changed than the cab. Also noticed the hydroboost brakes, I believe that was a one ton only option. That might be a srw c30, not a 20 (werent called 2500s yet). Unless maybe they put hydroboost in diesel 3/4 tons back then, but I've never seen it. Both my 1 tons have hydroboost and power masters, and one of them is a diesel.
I hope you can find someone close by to help you out. Any regular old garage is just gonna want to work on new stuff that they can make a lot of money on. I hate when I have to go to a garage for anything like inspection or whatever, and they look down their nose at my old truck. I firmly believe my old stuff is better than a new, overpriced unreliable POS. Your truck shouldn't take much at all to restore and make reliable. Then it will last a lot longer than a new one will.

[DetroitDan]

do you have anywhere to work on it? there really is nothing that you can screw up. Probably the most complex system on that truck is the ignition system, and you can learn about that in a manual or have someone walk you thru it. Seriously, don't be afraid of it, it's a very basic vehicle. It sucks that someone else modified it before you got it, but it doesnt even matter because the Chevy trucks are so interchangeable. And losing that diesel was the best thing to ever happen. I'm a diesel guy myself, but the Olds conversion diesel is worthless junk.

[Texasline]

Well got my truck back today. New engine mounts(old ones were collapsed and in very bad shape) - tightened the driver side shock(it was making a bad noise over bumps) - and a new air pump. It turns out that the Air Pump was bad and in fact the source of the "rattle" I described earlier.

I drove my usual 15 mile commute to and from work...and wow what a difference. The truck ran great and sounded great! It was the least stressful drive I've had in that truck since I got it a year ago.

I have turned to this forum out of utter frustration having to learn from questions here and there asked of mechanics and friends. But not really feeling that I was truly understanding...or not being told the truth. Anyhow...

Is anyone willing to field a barrage of stupid questions from me? Remember I'm like the proverbial accountant trying to learn how to ride a bull (no I'm not an accountant).

If some one can walk my through some of these things that are basic to you it would sure help me get a better understanding of my truck, and what it needs to stay healthy.

First Question. The rattle that had become worse over the last few weeks was the Air Pump. Now that it has been replaced...the entire engine runs much smoother(it seems) and the rattle is gone. What does the air pump do exactly and how does it affect performance?

DetroitDan, I may be asking at a later time your opinion about painting the truck.

[Texasline]

Originally Posted by GMC Guy

hey i thought factory diesels didn't need to be smogged? if you registered it as a diesel, you shouldn't have had to smog it...i think someone ripped you off...

Took it to the DMV last December. The back of the truck still has the "Diesel" emblem on it. The "referee", as they call them had the hood up and had seen the emblem on the back, and looked me in the eye and asked "This isn't a Diesel is it?"...It was a George Washington moment....I replied, "No sir, it isn't. My Grandfather took out the Diesel and put in this engine".

And that was the end of that issue. Now registered as a gas engine.

I get that question a lot.

[billnorman]

Now THAT'S funny!!! I wonder what the referee had on his resume? The State in all its glory, underqualified and overpaid. You shoulda said "I don't know, but it runs on gasoline".
You are to be admired for trying to keep your grandfather's truck alive as a memory. You might see if there are any car or hot rod clubs in your area. And when I say "hot rod" I don't mean Japanese econoboxes with a muffler the size of a bathroom trash can tied to the back bumper, sounding like a bumblebee trapped in a can. Real hot rods, with Iron engines and carburetors. They will be glad to help.

[motornut]

I think your grandfather would be proud that your keeping his truck/memories going,
accepting/overcoming the challenges that are with it.

[engineco713]

Originally Posted by Texasline

Wow! Lots of great info. I am very appreciative to all of you. Thanks for the warm welcome. Ya'll could have been much harder on me.

The "rattle" was so bad this AM, I took it in to my "current" shop....and they discovered the Air Pump was bad. Funny, I looked up "Air Pump" in my LMC catalog and couldn't find one. Anyhow they did find one and replaced it. While I was at it they replaced the Motor Mounts which on a previous visit they said were bad.

Buick455 - this truck was his pride and joy for the last 20 years. He had, and worked on trucks his whole life...and this was his last one. The 3-4 years before he died he couldn't drive anymore and the truck was used and abused by someone who didn't care about it, or it's significance to him. The truck lived in the desert for the last few years. It had made a long trip from Alaska for 15 years to Oregon for another few until it fell neglected in the desert. Now I have it in San Diego. My grandfather always swore it was "a real good truck"...so even though it's killing me financially...it's a little bit of him...and I want to keep it. Sentimental crap and all.

You asked what I got for my $3800 (now $4100)...here's a short list
(some of this was re-done twice, either because improperly done or needed to be re-done due to new part...or I was taken to the cleaners - the first $1600 was done by someone a knew who was just helping it pass smog, so much of his work ended up needing to be re-done)

replace intake and exaust man. + gaskets - bracket and Air Pump - canister and EVP system - vacume hoses - fuel line - new radiator - water outlet - thermostate - belts - oil filter - Remanifactured Carb - coolant resivor - brake switch - freeze plug - oil dipstick - radiator cap(2X) - new starter - battery and terminal cables - fuel sender and several tune-ups....and a few more misc things.

And I am in no way finished. Power window don't work, radio etc...needs new power steering box(I think) second fuel tank doesn't register, and shocks...and on and on....

gettin' myself down here a bit.

Took some pictures but can't figure out how to get them in this text box...I'll keep working on that.

Thanks

I'm in the same boat....got my Dad's 86 C20 that needs a lot of body work.....but I'm gonna keep it forever.

[69GMC910]

I bought my Grandparents 82 GMC High Sierra off them in 2001 for $500! It only had 55000 miles on it then and now it has 140000! I've put a new engine in it, painted it and am currently redoing the whole interior... Transmission, rear end, and a better paint job are what needs to be done next.. I've thought of selling it, but I know as soon as my grandparents pass I'd be out looking for this truck again.. A lot of sentimental trips were made with them in this truck, and those memories can't be re-lived in a similar truck. Keep at your project, and try to do stuff yourself! That's what your Grandpa did, and think how proud he'd be to see you twisting wrenches and learning from your mistakes!! I don't know what career you have, but you better get use to bleeding knuckles!!!! Good Luck!

[69GMC910]

P.S. while most of your truck is in metric, the 9/16 and 1/2" will still be very handy!!

[wyattglock]

Welcome to the forum! Hate to hear how you got the truck, but at least you are wanting to keep it and try and improve on its condition.
Something an old mechanic told me when I was 15 and wanting to start working on cars. He told me that as long as wires werent directly involved, it was just nuts and bolts. You might bust your knuckles a few times, but it is a lot more satisfying knowing that you fixed it yourself in the end.