'86 Crew Cab - The Race Car Hauler

[Blake_H]

Originally Posted by Bluegrandbetsy

I was wondering if you would be able to give me all of the info on your build like engine trans and all the parts to go from a 454 to the 8.1L and what all i need to start getting and doing to get the build ready and what trucks to get parts from and anything else i would appreciate it a lot. you can email me everything to bluegrandbetsy@hotmail.com

I would be happy too! Give me some time to compile my notes and I'll send them over to you.

[Blake_H]

The truck is parked. Not because of the drive train, but because of the front end. When I bought this truck, it was supposed to have been gone through as in "new motor, rebuilt front end, etc." Well we know that the motor wasn't good, which is why we're here. Turns out, the front end wasn't good either, slightly shocking. We noticed on the way home from Bakersfield that the less than 5,000 mile front tires were wearing funny. A trip to the front end shop confirmed that all of the parts you can replace on the front end did, indeed, need to be replaced along with the tires.


Staring at $800.00 plus bill to do it plus $400.00 for new tires meant I was back to driving my short box. My dad was encouraging me to do it myself, but I had too much fatigue from working on it all winter. Plus, we have smog requirements here and this truck won't pass them without a tremendous amount of jumping through hoops to satisfy the DMV. We had it registered, but it wasn't exactly above board, and I didn't want to tempt fate any further, so I parked it. But, not to worry, I have faithfully kept it fired up once a month (or more) and drive it around our property when I need a break from the work on the house.

Since I had promised an update, I was looking through photos and saw that I hadn't really shown any photos of the inside since I got it running. It still needs good cleaning and I need to take some more photos of the inside.

I never could figure out why GM did the upper interior panels in white and the rest in tan. I wanted to change the interior color to GM Desert Tan and did it on all the panels that came out during the make over. It still needs the door panels done and a new dash pad, but overall I'm happy with the color. It looks better in person than it does in the photos and it looks alot better than the white and tan that GM did it in.

I used to do car audio for a living a long time ago. So the plan was to have a nice system to travel across the country in. I never cared for the pods that replaced the kick panels and always made my own. In this case I didn't have time to do that so I did the next best thing. Made speaker spacers and covered them in matching vinyl and then painted the grills to match the new color. You can see on the driver's side where my fat size 13 foot rests my paint job has not held up well. I put two 4" speakers in the center 4x10 opening in the dash and 2 new 4x10's in rear factory locations. I have a 10" sub that will, someday, go behind the seat. A nice 6 channel Soundstream amp to power it all and an Alpine deck to run it with. It does sound nice but it needs the sub.

Because of past issues with over heating, I installed an aftermarket water temp gauge, trans temp and a spot for the fuel gauge for the bed tank to help keep an eye on things.



You can see the ecm connector mounted to the left of the gauge panel. It made it easier to put it there when using the laptop and scan tool for the passenger to watch the laptop and see what was going on. It worked really well while we were on the road to Bakersfield.

I still have some kinks to work out like the factory oil pressure gauge being pegged past 60 psi. The wiring appears to be correct and my grounding issues were solved so I don't know if I need a different sender or what. The cruise control still needs to be hooked up. I haven't decided on a center console yet. I have one from every year of GM truck from '85 to '02 and one from a Cadillac Escalade, but can't decide which way to go. With the seats from a '94 Suburban the one from '85 doesn't look right and the others I'm still unsure of. So that will need to be done as well.

Thanks for all the compliments, it means a lot. I kind of dropped out of sight for a while. No internet will help that. But things are getting better. I look forward to getting back in the groove of checking things out on here and being a part of this great community again!

[Grumpus Monkus]

Blake, anything new to post? Hope all is well.

[Blake_H]

Originally Posted by Grumpus Monkus

Blake, anything new to post? Hope all is well.

Not much new to report. Thank you all is well and life's good. Sometime this summer the truck and I will be reunited. My dad has been taking care of it while I have been chasing work.


.

[Chevy3+3]

So were you able to hook the hydra boost back up using the 8.1 power steering pump. If not how did you hook the hydraboost back up.

Thanks

[Blake_H]

Originally Posted by Chevy3+3

So were you able to hook the hydra boost back up using the 8.1 power steering pump. If not how did you hook the hydraboost back up.

Thanks

Sorry for the delay, things have been crazy with work. To answer your question, yes I used the new pump on the 8.1. I pulled the threaded fitting off of the back of the original pump off the 454 and put it in the back of the new pump and reconnected everything. It works great and was one of the easier aspects of the projects.

[monte0185]

Just read this whole thread. I have pretty much the same truck and Im pretty sure im going to do the same thing after reading this and DirtyLarry's threads. The main question I had you answered which was there enough room for it to mount on the 2wd frame and did you have to mod anything? Im planning on running my stock 454 exhaust manifolds so shouldnt be any issues there. Im considering going to a dakota digital dash since the few things ive read on the stock gauges seems problematic at best. ANy other tidbits of advice on this swap?

[Blake_H]

Originally Posted by monte0185

ANy other tidbits of advice on this swap?

Not really. When I was done and driving it I realized it was easier than I originally thought it would be. It cost more than I thought it would. It also made me not want to build anything without fuel injection ever again.

It's pretty straight forward, but if you run into anything let me know and I'll do my best to help you out. Good Luck!



;

[monte0185]

Ok got a question. Where did you hide the coolant resevoir thats normally on the pass fender if thats where the computer goes? BTW this is a pic with my old crappy wiring. its had a major upgrade since this.

[Blake_H]

Originally Posted by monte0185

Ok got a question. Where did you hide the coolant reservoir that's normally on the pass fender if that's where the computer goes?

Same place yours is mounted. The computer is mounted on the drivers side behind the windshield washer fluid tank.



You can see the overflow tank in this shot in the factory location and main harness for the computer coming out of the drivers side of the engine.





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[monte0185]

Sweet. Got lots of room on that fender. LOL. I was going by what i seen on DirtyLarry's. He put his on the pass fender and since i didnt see a pic of yours I assumed you did the same thing.. Looks like a great job you did!!

[Dust Collector]

How's the pickup doing now? Has the 4L80E held up to towing loads?
Posted via Mobile Device

[Blake_H]

Originally Posted by Dust Collector

How's the pickup doing now? Has the 4L80E held up to towing loads?
Posted via Mobile Device

It did just great on the move from Reno to Kansas last fall. Pulled through the mountains of Utah and Wyoming like a champ. In fact the Ryder truck my dad was driving broke down in Nebraska and was the only issue we had on the entire trip.


Here we stopped at a rest area in Echo Canyon in Utah. I have no idea what I was looking at. My wife was the trip photographer.



Here we are stopped in Wyoming for a break.



I helped a friend retrieve his Scout from Tulsa a couple of weeks ago and it pulled great. One of the Summit Racing AN lines on the power steering pump blew a fitting as I was backing the trailer into my friends driveway to unload the Scout. Other than that there hasn't been any problems.

My GMC broke the crankshaft the week after we got back from Tulsa so I have been driving the crew cab to work lately, which has been fun. I am really enjoying the truck.



The only thing I have left to finish on it is to get the a/c hooked up and charged but I'm having a tough time finding a shop here that will do custom a/c lines. When the hood goes up people think it's pretty cool. But when I've asked the two shops I've been to about making lines they say no thanks.

The 4L80e did just great. I have trans temp gauge on it and even in the hot, sticky drive to Tulsa it never got above 190 degrees. The trans cooler, extra deep pan, external filter and lines seems to give the fluid a chance to cool it off. I have no complaints. It is still getting an amazing 8-9 miles per gallon with the big trailer and 11-12 going back and forth to the office. It depends on how late I'm running in the morning.

One thing I did change while we were in Reno last fall was the type of oil I put it in it. Before we moved, my dad and I had taken the truck to Bakersfield and just like so many people said at 1000'ish miles it was down a quart of oil. So, one night while we were back in Reno last fall I hit the internet and found several spots with guys talking about putting 15w-40 in there 8.1's and they stopped consuming oil. So, when I had the truck serviced before departure I had 15w-40 put in it. I'm pleased to say that it did not consume any oil on any of the trips it's been on since then. I've only put enough miles on it to have changed the oil twice, but still from a quart every 1000 miles to none is okay in my book.

[sdwolff98]

Well dammm lol no i need to drain the oil out of mine and go your route lol. I am also doing the external pcv conversion on mine as well.

Sean
Good looking truck waiting to get mine paunted soon back on the road to test the allison out lol

[MTCK]

Awesome, glad it worked out for you. Give vintage air a call on the AC lines. They sell about every fitting and hose known to man and will even loan you the crimping tool to finish the hoses yourself once you cut the length to fit. I was super happy with them when I put AC on my crew cab. Motor swap and a different compressor were no big deal.

[Dust Collector]

I do a lot of motor swaps in class 8 trucks. I have our local Thermo King dealer come out and do the ac lines. Have all the fittings in stock, usually only takes them an hour to do the work.
Posted via Mobile Device

[Low Elco]

Welcome to KC! We have a bunch of members here in town. There's the Midwest All Truck Nationals in Riverside the week after Labor Day, a bunch of us get together and hang, it's a good time.

On the AC, I just did this. Go to Clarkson Power Flow. Just off Southwest Boulevard, across the parking Lot from Boulevard Beer. Tell 'em you brought the truck and you need the lines, fittings, etc. They have it all. They'll fix you up. Hope to see you at the Nats!
http://www.clarksonpowerflow.com/

Also, If you FB, get on the KC Squarebodies page and The Man Cave Swap and Shop. Saw someone on there unlpading a complete fully dressed SBC for a good price.

[LT7A]

Was cool to see this pop up because it was updated. I wasn't on the board when you first got it and did the swap. Glad you still have the truck and it's working for what you need it for. Sounds like work is good and I hope the family stuff settles as well. I like seeing the updates even if it's minor stuff, so I hope you get to keep enjoying your truck and tweaking it to your liking.

[Blake_H]

Originally Posted by sdwolff98

Well dammm lol no i need to drain the oil out of mine and go your route lol. I am also doing the external pcv conversion on mine as well.

Sorry, but I think it will be worth it. Just checked it yesterday and it's still holding normal.

Originally Posted by MTCK

Awesome, glad it worked out for you. Give vintage air a call on the AC lines. They sell about every fitting and hose known to man and will even loan you the crimping tool to finish the hoses yourself once you cut the length to fit. I was super happy with them when I put AC on my crew cab. Motor swap and a different compressor were no big deal.

I will give that a try as well. Thanks!

Originally Posted by Dust Collector

I do a lot of motor swaps in class 8 trucks. I have our local Thermo King dealer come out and do the ac lines. Have all the fittings in stock, usually only takes them an hour to do the work.
Posted via Mobile Device

If the other options don't work out I'll give that a try. Thanks for the help!

Originally Posted by Low Elco

Welcome to KC! We have a bunch of members here in town. There's the Midwest All Truck Nationals in Riverside the week after Labor Day, a bunch of us get together and hang, it's a good time.

On the AC, I just did this. Go to Clarkson Power Flow. Just off Southwest Boulevard, across the parking Lot from Boulevard Beer. Tell 'em you brought the truck and you need the lines, fittings, etc. They have it all. They'll fix you up. Hope to see you at the Nats!
http://www.clarksonpowerflow.com/

Also, If you FB, get on the KC Squarebodies page and The Man Cave Swap and Shop. Saw someone on there unloading a complete fully dressed SBC for a good price.

Thanks for the heads up and welcome, I'll check out Clarkson and see what they can do. I'll look for those groups on FB.

Originally Posted by LT7A

Was cool to see this pop up because it was updated. I wasn't on the board when you first got it and did the swap. Glad you still have the truck and it's working for what you need it for. Sounds like work is good and I hope the family stuff settles as well. I like seeing the updates even if it's minor stuff, so I hope you get to keep enjoying your truck and tweaking it to your liking.

Thanks! Life is pretty good now and the family stuff has settled down.

[aggie91]

Here is another source for ac lines. The EA Clip is simple to use and you can do it yourself.

http://www.eaton.com/Eaton/ProductsS...ngs/PCT_259178

Parts and hose are available from Grainger:
https://www.grainger.com/category/ez...ecatalog/N-cvv

There are other sources to get these items online too.

[DirtyLarry]

Originally Posted by Blake_H

Before we moved, my dad and I had taken the truck to Bakersfield and just like so many people said at 1000'ish miles it was down a quart of oil. So, one night while we were back in Reno last fall I hit the internet and found several spots with guys talking about putting 15w-40 in there 8.1's and they stopped consuming oil. So, when I had the truck serviced before departure I had 15w-40 put in it. I'm pleased to say that it did not consume any oil on any of the trips it's been on since then. I've only put enough miles on it to have changed the oil twice, but still from a quart every 1000 miles to none is okay in my book.

Glad to hear all is going well with the truck Blake. Hey, I’m not so sure I would keep using 15W-40 in the 8.1L especially come winter. UPS used 15W-40 in their 8.1Ls (& 6.0Ls) and wiped out many cam bearings. They have over 1,000 8.1Ls in their fleet and moved back to 10W-30 a few years ago. I would stick with 10W-30 or 10W-40 at most. These engines were not designed to run on thick oil. You'll starve the cam of oil at start up

Honestly, the only way to stop the 8.1L from consuming oil is to never turn the engine on. That is just the way it is. My Silverado HD that I bought new in 2001 has consumed a quart ever 1,200 miles like clockwork for 16 years. My 8.1L K10 and Burb are about the same but a little further out at 1,500 to 1,800 miles. GM spec was 1 quart consumption for every 100 gallons of fuel used. Most engines exceed that spec by a long shot but many others don't

[Blake_H]

Originally Posted by DirtyLarry

Glad to hear all is going well with the truck Blake. Hey, I’m not so sure I would keep using 15W-40 in the 8.1L especially come winter. UPS used 15W-40 in their 8.1Ls (& 6.0Ls) and wiped out many cam bearings. They have over 1,000 8.1Ls in their fleet and moved back to 10W-30 a few years ago. I would stick with 10W-30 or 10W-40 at most. These engines were not designed to run on thick oil. You'll starve the cam of oil at start up

Honestly, the only way to stop the 8.1L from consuming oil is to never turn the engine on. That is just the way it is. My Silverado HD that I bought new in 2001 has consumed a quart ever 1,200 miles like clockwork for 16 years. My 8.1L K10 and Burb are about the same but a little further out at 1,500 to 1,800 miles. GM spec was 1 quart consumption for every 100 gallons of fuel used. Most engines exceed that spec by a long shot but many others don't

DirtyLarry I Thank you kind sir, it will be getting changed this week back to 10-30 since I'm going to have to keep driving at least until November before my GMC is back up and running. That is very interesting and appreciated info.

sdwolf98 will be thrilled since he won't have to drain his now.

[argonaut]

I think that is a good call. Personally I run 5w-30 synthetic in all of my vehicles and they seem to be quite happy. I hate the thought of what the engine goes through those first couple seconds upon startup.

[NewType72]

Gotta love a big hipped square they sure look sexy pulling the toys around