Restoring Rusty

[enaberif]

I think you had good intentions with the black but honestly it just seems like far to much and looks really weird and unfinished.

[daddyjeep]

Congratulations. March Madness comes to a close and you got it done.

[Jake Wade]

We need a review on the engine upgrades and transmission.

[rusty76]

Awesome

[Gregski]

Originally Posted by Jake Wade

We need a review on the engine upgrades and transmission.

CNN headline version:

engine runs strong, got it idling at about 750 RPM with 12* degrees advance, still runs a bit hot but that's because I am still running only water, will drain and fill up with coolant tomorrow and report back - remember I could not screw in my water temp sensor in the Vortec head as it is too large for the hole, so I screwed it in the intake manifold and am reading the temp off of the intake manifold, just an FYI

transmission shifts good, getting used to actually starting in First Gear, which is Up and away from you, instead of always starting in Second Gear (down and towards you) and avoiding the Granny Low on the SM465 Muncie, the (3.09:1) first gear seems about the same as the Muncie Second (3.58:1) my speedo cable is too short so I don't know how fast I am going vs RPMs, will pick up a longer speedo cable tomorrow as well

Flowmaster Series 40s exhaust sounds fine, not too loud at all

the stock GM shifter stick feels about 3 inches too short, and I have long arms, I do sit with the bench seat all the way back though

more as the news develops

[Gregski]

with the heavy lifting out of the way sort of speak, I was able to relax and have some fun fabricating, (I am terrible at it I know, but I really enjoy it, ha ha)

first I bent the shifter boot ring to fit the contours of the transmission cover tunnel, I called it death by a thousand C clamps

now those of you not familiar with my master fab skills, would think wow he really beat up that ring, he will have to repaint it for sure, but those of you who have seen my expertise work clearly know that those scratches were deliberate, aka built in patina to give it that aged look (YEAH, RIGHT!?)

[Gregski]

naturally I decided to make a cup holder out of the old shifter hole opening, using non other than that air breather plastic bracket thingie I just picked up at the Chico junkyard last Thursday, hey you know the saying: "Fab with what you brong!" well something like that

I had two tunnel covers and made a perfectly round hole out of both of them, the white piece is bigger than it appears

hey man I'm just having fun, that's all, if I find something more of the professional looking cup holder variety at the junk yard next time I go, I will replace my hockey thing and so be it

[Troy Sr]

Your temp at the head is going to be even higher. It's right next to the combustion chamber.

[Gregski]

here's a look inside the cab, to give you an idea of clearances

hey, remember

IT'S A TRUCK !!!

[Gregski]

Originally Posted by Troy Sr

Your temp at the head is going to be even higher. It's right next to the combustion chamber.

I was a wonderin' about that, plus the driver side cylinder head has the hole at the front of the block (not sure the diff) the passenger side (being a symetrical has it the back of the bloc (I would think the rear would be hotter, who knows) I know of some people who read from both holes and have two water temp gauges

anywho, AutoZone lists the OE thermostat at 195* F which is the one I am running, part #3009

[Gregski]

I am thinking about switching to the 1999 Suburban thermostat also rated at 195*F though it is a different part number 4119, hey for $7 bucks its worth a try

[rich weyand]

I like the cup holder idea, but I think that you may be better served by using that cold air inlet as it was intended. Cold air is a big benefit to consistent carburetion and horsepower.

[rusty76]

I like the cup holder but I hope you can seal it off somehow. I also hope the heat doesn't melt or distort it. I like the way things are coming along. Looking good.

[Woodyboat]

Originally Posted by Gregski

if you suffer from being anal like I do, then you will clearly understand why a CHEVROLET tailgate does not belong on a GMC, lol

That's funny! I guess I'm completely the opposite 'cause it wouldn't bother me at all. I've been searching for a replacement tailgate, too. I've been checking the inventories of several pull your own junkyards around here and, finally, a GMC square body showed up at one of the locals. I cruised over there to see if the tailgate was there and would it be in good enough condition. Sure enough, it has an excellent tailgate. I scored it and all the hardware for $45. I rushed home all excited and put that baby on my truck content that, at last, I didn't have to worry about stuff flying out the back.

Then, when I went to show it off to a friend, I noticed that it said "Chevrolet" on it. Yup, the junkyard had the truck listed wrong.

[Gregski]

Originally Posted by Woodyboat

That's funny! I guess I'm completely the opposite 'cause it wouldn't bother me at all. I've been searching for a replacement tailgate, too. I've been checking the inventories of several pull your own junkyards around here and, finally, a GMC square body showed up at one of the locals. I cruised over there to see if the tailgate was there and would it be in good enough condition. Sure enough, it has an excellent tailgate. I scored it and all the hardware for $45. I rushed home all excited and put that baby on my truck content that, at last, I didn't have to worry about stuff flying out the back.

Then, when I went to show it off to a friend, I noticed that it said "Chevrolet" on it. Yup, the junkyard had the truck listed wrong.

what a funny story, thank you for sharing and wow, $45 bucks for a tailgate with hardware, that is a great deal!

[68Timber]

Congrats on getting the engine/transmission upgrades done. Other than sorting out the engine temp issue do you have any other plans for the truck?

[Gregski]

Originally Posted by 68Timber

Congrats on getting the engine/transmission upgrades done. Other than sorting out the engine temp issue do you have any other plans for the truck?

tons still left to do, we are in year 2 of a 3 year upgrade plan, culminating in a POSI rear end, how fitting wouldn't you say

[Gregski]

something I've been meaning to make for the longest time is floor mats, and I can't believe how simple this was and it only cost me under $30 bucks, in the first pic the mats are stacked upside down, don't ask me why the Home Depotians do that

[Gregski]

so we start off with a 4 foot by 3 foot rubber garage mat from Home Depot and than we simply trim the edges off of it, I do this so that the entire surface is even, aka the edges are not different texture than the rest of the mat, no big deal really

then we just cut it in half, and whalla 10 minutes later we have two perfectly fitting floor mats

[Gregski]

I did remove the pesky low/high beam headlight floor switch on the driver side, all I kept doing was just kicking it anyway, and I don't recall the last time I needed high beams in the last 30 plus years of driving

apologies for the sun in the pics, I hate my West facing garage, never buying a house like this again

[rusty76]

I always enjoyed having a high beam switch on the floor. I don't know why just did.

[rich weyand]

I *added* a second high-beam switch to the left of the original, but this one is momentary. I connected it to the contacts on the windshield wiper cam. When you push the switch, the wipers run. When you let off on it, they finish the current swipe and park. No more rooching around on the dark dash looking for the wiper switch while driving one handed in the rain.

[Gregski]

Originally Posted by rusty76

I always enjoyed having a high beam switch on the floor. I don't know why just did.

so that you can blind people with both hands on the wheel, lol, going hey it wasn't me, look my hands are up here, ha ha

[Gregski]

alright back to the Overheating Issue

so this morning went over to AutoZone and picked up a thermostat for the 1999 Chevy Suburban (since that's where my cylinder heads came from)

it came with a rubber seal, which I ended up not using as it would not fit/seat in the hole properly, common problem for these little rascals according to the reviews

yes ValueCraft, nothing but third best for Rusty, ha ha

[Gregski]

it is a bit longer ie sits deeper in the intake manifold cavity but both are rated at 195* degrees Ferenheight