85 GMC Sierra "Scarlett"

[N2TRUX]

Originally Posted by RNmatt87

That post above is driving my dirty ass mind crazy. Lol Truck looks really clean as is man. Great find. Following along.

Just trying to utilize my literary skills and paint a picture with words. I cant be responsible for what direction it takes you

Originally Posted by UKNOWME

Why not just pull the engine? Put it on a stand and completely reseal it.

That may happen, but it presents a problem. I have gotten pretty good at doing it while still in the truck, and I don't have a hoist, or an engine stand.

[UKNOWME]

Originally Posted by N2TRUX

That may happen, but it presents a problem. I have gotten pretty good at doing it while still in the truck, and I don't have a hoist, or an engine stand.

Probably better off. If you're like me one thing will lead to another and the next thing you know you'll have it torn down to the bare frame with larger plans in mind. That's how my build started. Was gonna reseal the engine and clean up the frame. Next thing you know it's completely disassembled for a complete rebuild.

[RNmatt87]

That post above is driving my dirty ass mind crazy. Lol

Truck looks really clean as is man. Great find. Following along.

[N2TRUX]

My trip to the car wash was reasonably successful. Unlike my last build "Refining Sierra" The leaks on this truck are fairly new and haven't been baked on so badly. The engine cleaner did a pretty good job. At least good enough for me to see exactly where the leaks are coming from.

Since this truck didn't come with a paper trail on maintenance, I decided to start from the back and work my way forward servicing everything along the way. This would allow me to honestly and accurately know the condition of the truck for future reference.

My first stop was at the rear differential. I know its a stock GM 10 bolt, and I assumed it was an open carrier with 2.56 gears. I determined that to be correct when I pulled the cover. I could tell that the rear had been serviced before, but the condition of the 90W told me it had been quite some time ago.

I thoroughly drained the rear, flushed it out with Brake-Kleen and wiped it dry. Fortunately the snout was not leaky, so no need to replace the pinion seal. The positive side of this is it does have the optional HD 2.375" drum brakes. The negative side is one of the wheel cylinders is seeping.

An hour with a wire wheel got all the caked on red clay off of the housing, combined with a trip to the blasting cabinet and the cover and drums ready for paint.

[flashed]

That truck looks like a shiny new HotWheels just taken out of the package ,just needs played with . Enjoy the new toy .

[N2TRUX]

Aristotle said “The whole is greater than the sum of its parts.” I feel the whole is great "because of" the sum of the parts. The large flashy parts get your attention, but its the details that keeps it.

A common issue on the 73-87 trucks is the drivers side seat foam breaks down from years of wear and tear. I'm not sure why, but most upholsterers dont rebuild the foam when recovering the seat. This one was no exception. It looked great with its new cover, but my left cheek had no support forcing me to ride with that cholo lean.

I knew I would have to make a call to Jaime at Cypress Upholstery (281-455-2310). He did a great job on my 84 GMC and was fair on his price. I like the fact that he picks up and delivers so I can still work on the truck while he does his thing.

I dont have a good "before" pic, but take my word, the after is much more comfortable. The sides are stretched tight, and the cushion is firm again.

[68Timber]

Lets hope someone starts reproducing the seat buns. Between high back, low back, and bench, you'd have a huge market.

[N2TRUX]

I got home tonight and found a stack of boxes that FedEx had dropped for me. My order from Summit Racing came in. Summit absolutely amazes me with their customer service. I researched the parts I needed and got the best prices from my search. I then called Summit and asked them to price match. I was able to save almost 100.00 on a 500.00 order, and get free shipping. I made the order on Monday,and they verified everything was in stock. I had it on my doorstep on Wednesday. BAM!

[UKNOWME]

Originally Posted by N2TRUX

I got home tonight and found a stack of boxes that FedEx had dropped for me. My order from Summit Racing came in. Summit absolutely amazes me with their customer service. I researched the parts I needed and got the best prices from my search. I then called Summit and asked them to price match. I was able to save almost 100.00 on a 500.00 order, and get free shipping. I made the order on Monday,and they verified everything was in stock. I had it on my doorstep on Wednesday. BAM!

That is awesome! You just tell them where and how much you found it and they match it?

[N2TRUX]

Originally Posted by UKNOWME

That is awesome! You just tell them where and how much you found it and they match it?

Originally Posted by Chaplain

Yep...

That is correct. I find the part I want, then search for the best price. It must be a legitimate store front site, not an ebay store. They verify that the price is lower and will match it. The only catch is free shipping. If the competitor doesn't include shipping cost, they calculate that in too. It takes some diligent searching on your part, but the pay off can be big.

Even if Summit is a bit higher, I prefer to order from them because of their quality of service. They have a warehouses all over the country, a liberal return policy, and free shipping on orders over 99.00. It makes it nice that I can come in after a night in the shop and order parts at before I go to bed.

[N2TRUX]

I decided I like VHT Cast Iron paint for an accent color so I ordered 4 cans to get started. It will save me from chasing it down locally.

I also bought 2 new wheel cylinders for the rear drums since I found one leaking. They are only 8.00 each, so there was no question about replacing both while I had it torn apart. The shoes were like new, so I left them alone.

The front brakes are the HD 1.25" and it already has a set of drilled and slotted rotors. I decided to enhance what was there with a set of Wilwood D52 replacement calipers. They improve the clamping force over stock, and the bright red matches the GMC log colors. Function and fun in a bright red package.

[N2TRUX]

I got home early tonight so I spent some time in the shop. When inspecting the rear suspension, I saw something didnt look right on the flip kit, so I decided to take it apart.
I wasnt sure why, but things looked a bit crooked on one side. Tearing it down to clean it up reveled the problem. I found evidence of an over tightened U bolt. Once I got it all apart, I discovered it was actually broken.

[N2TRUX]

Fortunately I happen to have a spare set handy from a used kit I picked up recently. They look like new, so a quick trip to the blasting cabinet and they were ready for paint. I wire wheeled the axle housing, backing plate, and leaf spring on the driver side. I thoroughly cleaned and inspected everything and gave it coat of satin black. I still have to do the other side, but its time to clean up and go order more parts.

[N2TRUX]

Anyone want to guess why I'm ordering Ford parts for my GMC truck? Heres what I just ordered from a Ford F250.

[UKNOWME]

Shock towers?

[aggie91]

Going to make some shock relocation brackets for the rear?

[N2TRUX]

Originally Posted by N2TRUX

Anyone want to guess why I'm ordering Ford parts for my GMC truck? Heres what I just ordered from a Ford F250.

Originally Posted by UKNOWME

Shock towers?

Technically yes. I want to raise the mounting point for the front shocks. I looked at several brands designed to accomplish this, and the average price was 100.00. I thought about making them myself, then factored time and materials and realized that wasn't the best choice either. I did some in-depth searching and ran across these Ford mounts are being used on 4wd trucks. More searching and I found them for 13.00 each. I figure some cutting and drilling they will get the job done for 1/3 the cost.

Originally Posted by aggie91

Going to make some shock relocation brackets for the rear?

Not a bad idea. Although this truck already has rear extenders, I may see if these will work for future reference.

[funkatation]

Jegs has been great for me but I also just use the online link. I've only had them come back once and ask for the link again to confirm. I've probably spent 10k with them over the last year and they have been solid. Summit has been ok too but their price match isn't as easy.

[N2TRUX]

I took a break from shop time and hit a local swap meet Saturday morning. This one can be great source for hard to find parts. Unfortunately this time it was not.
I blasted through looking for anything I "needed" and passed on several items I "wanted"..
I found a taillight dealer and made my deal for the day and we left. I was pleased that I got a decent deal on something I really needed.

I knew the taillights were faded and yellowed. I didn't realize how much till I compared the new set. I had planned to reuse the trim, but they had more scratches and dings than I realized.

[N2TRUX]

I pulled the old lenses and saw that the inner reflectors were faded too. They were mounted with a variety of miss matched screws too.

I scuffed and painted the reflectors a bright silver. A few minutes in my spare screw file and I hade a matching set.

[N2TRUX]

No worries, I will dust off my hammer and dolly skills and see what I can do. The new set has your typical thin, poorly stamped ill fitting trim.

After an hour of gentle finessing dents, and sanding scratches they were ready for polish.

Another half hour spent on the Powerball, and they were taking shape. I found a set of matching stainless screws and mounted one side. It looked great and made me realize how dull the tailgate band was. .

[N2TRUX]

I wish this segment had a happy ending but it does not. It wasn't until I tried to mount the left assembly that I realized I had two rights and no left. GRRRRR!

The vendor had all his taillights nicely displayed with one lens out of the box and the other still wrapped in plastic inside. I verified that the second lens wasn't scratched or broken but "assumed" it was a left side. GRRRR!

Since it's not worth the time or tolls to drive back to Conroe, I will just buy one locally. Another life lesson learned.

Update! I found a lens at the local O'riellys and swapped my polished trim. We are good to go now.

[N2TRUX]

With the taillight catastrophe resolved it was time to get the rear suspension back together. We started with the replacing the wheel cylinders. As mentioned previously, one was wet so I decided to replace both. Good call because the second one was seeping too.

Fortunately the lines came off with no issues, and after a thorough clean up we installed the freshly painted cylinders. A quick scuff and shoot of the axle flange and I could put the drums back on.

[N2TRUX]

All of the suspension components that could be removed were bead blasted and painted. The stripped and broken U bolts were replaced with a fresh set, along with new flat and lock washers were installed.

I really like the clean look of stainless button heads, so the differential cover got a polished set. We installed a new gasket and bolted everything back together. A fresh fill of #90 gear oil, and the brakes were bled. We wiped everything down and checked for leaks. She was ready to set back on the ground for now.

Ignore the bent up brake lines. Those will be straightened and painted soon.

[lolife99]

Great progress on your new project!
I'm a firm believer in using anit-seize compound on double flare brake line fittings.
It allows things to come apart so much easier the next time,...