87 V20 D/D and Road trip Burb

[Jsfucttruck]

Everything was going well until I was warming up my Burb the other morning. Radiator sprung a leak. It was a brand new brass unit less than 3 yrs old. I only ever ran distilled water and green coolant at a 60/40 ratio, with Wixcool and diesel water wetter. It looks as the top of the core by the tank is bulging.

This is the second new brass unit failure. Last one failed in a similar way. Thanks were separating from the core.

[Jsfucttruck]

I went through a phase. When the first one failed, I came across a few used units. They were cheap, but shot. They lasted a few months. I eventually ended up going through the entire cooling system. A new brass rad was put in.

A few months later, it sprung a leak on the way to Las Vegas for Monster Jam, and I had a replacement shipped to my friends house in Vegas. I literally changed it out in the desert. It had bulged tanks and when layed flat on the ground. It was not flat anymore.
I run 13lb rad caps. New rad support bushings. The rad is not pinched in the mounts when installed either.


I am taking a pile of rads to the radiator shop Monday morning.

[Jsfucttruck]

I wonder if I have too much chassis flex. I drive this thing on backcountry roads in various conditions. Vibration?
Am I over analyizing the whole thing? Maybe I should replace all the body mounts.

[Jsfucttruck]

Amongst my search for a rad, I finally scored a sweet vintage 14bff Hickey diff cover. I got a killer deal from a bud.
I had been bugging him to part with it for the past 2yrs. He was using it on his blazer with a 3/4 ton swap. He was going to ruin it on a rock or something so he parted it for $80, a gallon of 80/90,tube of rtv and a stock diff cover.
Score.
I am going to just clean it up and run it.

Did they ever make a Dana 60 Hickey cover?

[Edahall]

You might check out those 4 core aluminum with welded aluminum tanks made by Champion. I installed one if these in my Suburban and it has been good.

[68Timber]

Nice score on the Hickey diff cover.

Originally Posted by Edahall

You might check out those 4 core aluminum with welded aluminum tanks made by Champion. I installed one if these in my Suburban and it has been good.

That or if you still have the original radiator, take it to the radiator shop and let them rework it.

[Jsfucttruck]

Originally Posted by 68Timber

Nice score on the Hickey diff cover.



That or if you still have the original radiator, take it to the radiator shop and let them rework it.

I have been looking for over 10yrs. Not very hard. Just never came across one.
The dilemma now is to.
A. Leave it raw.
B. Paint it, maybe cast iron engine paint.
C. Clean it and clear coat it.

[Jsfucttruck]

Originally Posted by Edahall

You might check out those 4 core aluminum with welded aluminum tanks made by Champion. I installed one if these in my Suburban and it has been good.

I have been going back and forth with Champion. The closest they get for my application is their cc1696. It is for a 94-00 c/k with a 454. It would need the hose connections changed out to 1 3/4" and a additional 1/4 npt bung on the pass side near the top.
Here is my old one.

[Jsfucttruck]

Since I run a external oil cooler. I was looking at this as a possible option too. I got a guy that could add a fill neck and a few bungs for a coolant level sensor and a water temp gauge.
If course the trans cooler lines would have to switch sides too.

[Dieselwrencher]

From what I've seen, these newer brass radiators are thinner in the tank areas than the old ones. I've replaced a few BBC trucks over to plastic tanked radiators and these guys have had better luck than the brass ones. You sure wouldn't think it would be that way but it is.

[Edahall]

I used a Champion MC716. Although not quite as wide as the original, it still worked fine.

[Dieselwrencher]

Bead blast it then clear coat it or have it PC'd clear is my vote.

[68Timber]

Originally Posted by Dieselwrencher

Bead blast it then clear coat it or have it PC'd clear is my vote.

Yep. Either one would be great.

[Jsfucttruck]

The more I clean it, the less patience I have for PC...
It is the route I want to go. It will be more resistant to the pressure washer and leaky fluids.
But...... I am going to put it on as is, and send it out for PC after I clean up the rear axle.


This thing is beautiful.

The bud I got it from had it on his K5 wheeler. He knew they are hard to come by, and even mentioned that he might have ended up ruining it. He put a small scrape on the bottom side. No big deal. In addition to cash, I tossed in a fresh bead blasted stock cover, a gallon of 80-90, and the gear oil resistant rtv.

[Jsfucttruck]

After much overthought. Wasted time. Many long and drawn out conversations with different manufactures of radiators. I went with a cheap lifetime radiator.

It came down to this. Cost/Warranty. I have spent over $800 in brass radiator replacements and repairs. I spent $400-500 for a brass unit to only fail just outside the warranty period. Now, a decent brass rad is $800. That's custom aluminum high dollar status. Not in the budjet for a truck I bought for $750, or my style.

I was just about to have a champion rad modified to the spec I need, but I was told it would void any warranty. Even if modded in house. That was going to be around $500

The lifetime unit is a plastic/aluminum unit. Fingers crossed.

[Jsfucttruck]

While I wait to fix my Burb.... I have been driving my wife's secondary truck. It is a 91 V1500 Burb. The tbi 350 has every bolt on mod, minus headers, and heads. 700r4 has a funky no engine braking in any gear issue, but other wise works great.

We only use this Burb a few times a yr. It sits alot. My wife decided she wanted to take the Burb to a b-day party for a friends 4 yr old. She wanted to to take a few friends and their kids. Full load. 8 bodies, full tank of fuel.

A few hours later she gets back and mentions that she took the steep mountain roads to our friends house and overheated the brakes 3 times and stopped to let them cool. She said it was smoking bad, but never lost brakes completely.
Scary.
Today the caliper started leaking and pulling. The truck has been converted to 8 lug outers in the front end with 1/2 calipers,1/2 ton master cylinder, 14bff.

I got a bunch of goodies today. Great price too.

Looks like since the kids got sick. No thanksgiving travels. I predict a Burb on jackstands tomorrow.

[Dieselwrencher]

Put drops of vanilla on the carpet. Maybe moth balls near the blower motor. Drier sheets have worked for me in the past but I've heard others say they had no luck with them. Sorry to hear about the 6.2 issues. Nothing diesel related is cheap these days.

[Jsfucttruck]

Good news.

I found a good used injection pump and 4 injectors off a j code motor for $200!

Score! I am going to try to get it back together in the next few days. I also scored another 3.73 g80 14bff! I found a guy that wanted a 4.10 unit. He suggested we trade. It looks fresh inside too.

Now I am itchy to go off road again.

[Jsfucttruck]

Wow. So much for a few days...

Well the used injection pump and injectors did the trick!

I ended up putting in a airtex E8053(?) lift pump and fuel pressure gauge. I had intended to put the pump down on the frame, but ended up on the pass side inner well. While I was looking up fittings for the fuel pump and guage, I came across a filter that would spin onto the 3/8" inverted flare inlet of the pump, with a 3/8" hose barb end. The whole combo is around 12" long.

I drove it down to Coalinga and back, roughly 300 miles. No problems.

While it was down, I traded a guy my open diff with 4.10 gears. He had a good looking G80 3.73 unit. He let me take his first and i was able to swap my backing plates, pinion guard and diff cover.


The G80 engages nice with the low hp n/a 6.2.
Let's hope it holds together.

[Irish1941]

Nice! Sounds like good deal all around.

[68Timber]

Good to hear you got her going again. I agree with you on the G80, it should last a long time and work well with the 6.2.

[Dieselwrencher]

That's good to hear the IP and injectors took care of it. That diff cover still looks sweet too.

[Jsfucttruck]

I am happy to have it back too and it didn't cost me a arm and a leg to fix it.


I got a call from a bud that buys storage lockers and such called me and said he thinks he has a 700r4 with adapter and 205. With his deals, it's a take it or leave it situation. The price was low enough to roll the dice.


Well, it's not a 700r4. It is a 2 yr only manual control 4l80e with a Mag hi Tec Pan, Converter, and flex plate. It has a 241 adapter on it but no actual matching t-case.

The T Case that it came with, is a racetrack pattern 205 with the 32 spline input and Th400 adapter.


Hmm. Do I sell it, or put a O/D in my diesel or wheeler.
Either way, score!

[68Timber]

Nice score! I would love to have one of those in my 6.2 Blazer, but the price of the trans, controller, and re-gearing the truck is a bunch of money I could never recoup. You've got a good head start though.

[Jsfucttruck]

Originally Posted by 68Timber

Nice score! I would love to have one of those in my 6.2 Blazer, but the price of the trans, controller, and re-gearing the truck is a bunch of money I could never recoup. You've got a good head start though.

I am a hoarder. I have a 4.10 ratio set of 3/4 ton axles to swap the 3.73 set out. I literally just got the 3.73 stuff worked out. It would be nice to get some low end grunt out of the 6.2 with a lower gear set and shorter 1at gear.

With a 91-92 4l80e, you don't need a controller. It is a manual shift setup.


That now leaves me with 2 manual control 4l80e trans.
1st one is 2wd. For the wheeler project. 205 and black box will go on that one.

2nd is the factory 4l80e/251c combo.


Score!