85 GMC Sierra "Scarlett"

[N2TRUX]

A more thorough inspection reveled that Scarlett is a clean Southern lady but she does have a fondness for the lubricants. Pretty much every location that contains fluid seeps, drips, leaks, or puddles. The up side of this is she has a well lubricated bottom end. The bonus is there is no real rust to worry with.

I need to get this old girl dried up before I can make her pretty again. The first step in that process is a trip to the local coin-op car wash armed with several cans of Gunk Engine Brite and Brake-kleen.

As you can see, Chris and I have our work cut out for us. No worries, we got this. Right?

Heres a few top side pics.

[RNmatt87]

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

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

[UKNOWME]

Originally Posted by N2TRUX

A more thorough inspection reveled that Scarlett is a clean Southern lady but she does have a fondness for the lubricants. Pretty much every location that contains fluid seeps, drips, leaks, or puddles. The up side of this is she has a well lubricated bottom end. The bonus is there is no real rust to worry with.

I need to get this old girl dried up before I can make her pretty again. The first step in that process is a trip to the local coin-op car wash armed with several cans of Gunk Engine Brite and Brake-kleen.

As you can see, Chris and I have our work cut out for us. No worries, we got this. Right?

Heres a few top side pics.

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

[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.

[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.

[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.

[N2TRUX]

Originally Posted by UKNOWME

.... 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.

Exactly! I'm OCD, so i have to limit myself. If not this would be a pile of parts and i would move on to the next project.

Originally Posted by Chaplain

Let the process "do what it do".

One piece at a time.

[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]

Originally Posted by 68Timber

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

Originally Posted by Chaplain

I know... Fortunately, our donor truck had a good late model seat. The original 79 seat I removed was "ok" from the steering wheel over to the passenger side but it was just "raggedy" from the driver side left leg and off the edge.

Actually. they do make them. Last time I looked you were at 350.00 for a bench, and close to 500.00 for buckets. Not really good bang for the buck in my opinion.

I have found that about 7/8" of the seat foam is usually in good condition. By replace the lower layer on the edge, and the top layer all across it works out to be fairly comfortable.

[68Timber]

Interesting, I've never seen them. Who sells them?

[N2TRUX]

Originally Posted by 68Timber

Interesting, I've never seen them. Who sells them?

There is more than one source, but I just saw these on USA #1 site- "Seat Foam Cushions"

[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!

[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.

[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 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.

[RodsGreen10]

You will enjoy the Wilwood calipers. I know I really like them. I had Jegs price match for me I got mine for $314 shipped.

[N2TRUX]

Originally Posted by RodsGreen10

You will enjoy the Wilwood calipers. I know I really like them. I had Jegs price match for me I got mine for $314 shipped.

Thanks for sharing. I had a set on the 84 Sierra I just sold and they seemed to do much better than stock.

Its sad, but I tried working with Jegs in the past and failed. I spent an hour on the phone arguing with them over a price match that they said didnt exist. Even though I sent them the link to the page, they refused to honor it. No more Jegs for me.