What did you do to your truck today??

[special-K]

I see shiny on the inner side by the gas peddle. If they were square we could just flip them around for another 25 years . I want to replace it so people looking in to admire my custom 2-tone interior won't get upset

[Just call me Sean]

I got a flat on Thursday. Also, the left turn signal stopped canceling itself which I figured was a busted spring so I picked them up. Four dollars and I had to order them, open package shown. Found the broken spring in there, screwdriver pointing at it. New spring installed in bottom pic, bottom shiny spring.

[pjmoreland]

I replaced the driver door hinge bushings this evening. The detent roller was missing, so I replaced that as well. The door still sags a little at the rear. I think the hole for the small end of each pin is worn. I saw a suggestion to tack weld the end of each pin while lifting up on the back of the door. I can't bring myself to do that because then it would be a real pain if I ever need to remove the door.

[hatzie]

Originally Posted by pjmoreland

I replaced the driver door hinge bushings this evening. The detent roller was missing, so I replaced that as well. The door still sags a little at the rear. I think the hole for the small end of each pin is worn. I saw a suggestion to tack weld the end of each pin while lifting up on the back of the door. I can't bring myself to do that because then it would be a real pain if I ever need to remove the door.

You can get oversize bushings and drill the hinges to fit.
Never done it with a GM but I have with my brothers' Dodge Ram.

[pjmoreland]

Originally Posted by hatzie

You can get oversize bushings and drill the hinges to fit.
Never done it with a GM but I have with my brothers' Dodge Ram.

Thank you. I'll look into that.

[special-K]

These doors do like to sag.

[pjmoreland]

The previous owner of my new '89 K1500 broke every plastic part he worked on including the large plastic shroud on the steering column that the shift indicator cable clips to. The steering column had to be 100% disassembled to get that piece off. Took two hours to disassemble, and 2.5 to reassemble. While I was in there, I replaced the turn signal switch, the turn signal cancelling cam (the contact metal was worn all the way through in one spot), steering wheel (a '70s truck steering wheel was on there), and I installed a cruise control turn signal lever.

[Boog]

It's pretty busy down inside those columns. I didn't have to completely disassemble my 91 but went far enough for me. Those 4 screws in the center holding the upper part together had backed out. I put them back in with Loctite too! The little tool I had to buy just to pull the pivot pin out wasn't expensive but I'll likely never use it again.

[pjmoreland]

Originally Posted by Boog

It's pretty busy down inside those columns. I didn't have to completely disassemble my 91 but went far enough for me. Those 4 screws in the center holding the upper part together had backed out. I put them back in with Loctite too! The little tool I had to buy just to pull the pivot pin out wasn't expensive but I'll likely never use it again.

There isn't much left to take apart past those four infamous screws. You got to experience the joy of getting the tilt mechanism reinstalled while juggling the high beam and ignition switch rods and trying to keep the shaft ball bearings from falling out. I put loctite on those screws as well. I really don't want to be back in there anytime soon.

I made a mistake by not removing the neutral safety switch. I ended up breaking off the plastic finger while working on removing the shift arm housing from the top of the shift tube.

[Boog]

It needed replacing anyway right?
Call it preventive maintenance.

[pjmoreland]

Installed a cruise control system from a '92 on my '89 this evening, and it's working. Drilled a 1-1/4" hole in the firewall for the harness right above the bulkhead connector. There were dimples in the firewall for the hole and screw locations. Replaced the throttle/TV cable bracket with one that has a provision for the cruise module throttle cable. Everything under the dash plugged right in. Had to adjust the brake switch a little closer to the end to get the cruise system to power on.

[special-K]

That seems too simple . Good to know it can be done that easily

[pjmoreland]

Originally Posted by special-K

That seems too simple . Good to know it can be done that easily

I agree. I was expecting to run into a problem with the vehicle speed signal, but it was already pre-wired to the bulkhead panel where the cruise control harness orange connector plugs in for that signal as well as power. The brake switch already had a connector for the cruise harness. Cost me $38 at Pick-n-Pull for the entire system. Installing the cruise turn signal lever would have been a bit of a pain if I hadn't pre-installed it while I had my steering column torn apart previously.

[special-K]

It seems with most trucks in this era having higher options, GM started building them for the options, so wiring provisions are there for options not on the truck. To add is plug and play. They started that on squarebodies. I was told they all have the intermittent wiper module. One w/o intermittent only needs the intermittent stalk to be swapped in on the column.

That truck is shaping right up

[hatzie]

Originally Posted by special-K

It seems with most trucks in this era having higher options, GM started building them for the options, so wiring provisions are there for options not on the truck. To add is plug and play. They started that on squarebodies. I was told they all have the intermittent wiper module. One w/o intermittent only needs the intermittent stalk to be swapped in on the column.

That truck is shaping right up

You needed two parts to get intermittent wipers in the squares after 1978. The switch and the pulse module.
The module plugs into the regular cab harness and the intermittent switch. 73-77 was a bit more involved.

I thought the T400 trucks just came with pulse wipers. Never drove one without em... including my base model 2000 GMC WT package with roll up windows and no airbags.

[special-K]

I'm pretty sure you're right about all these trucks getting intermittent wipers. I was just using that as an example on the Squarebodies. I never followed through on adding intermittent wipers on one, but remembered my friend said it was just pop the parts in, same as this cruise control

[pjmoreland]

I replaced the rear brake hose this evening. The previous owner replaced the front hoses recently but not the rear one for some reason. I'm guessing it was because the fittings were super difficult to get loose. I ended up clamping the line wrench onto the fittings with Vise Grips, which made the wrench fit very tight so I could break the fittings free. That was after spraying them with PB Blaster and heating them with a little torch.

My wife helped me with the bleeding. When I was topping off the reservoir for the last time, I said to her, "ok, we're done." She thought I said "down", so she pressed the pedal down while I had the reservoir lid off. It made a geyser of brake fluid all over the place in the engine compartment. That was a fun way to end the evening.

[special-K]

Got your signals crossed, ey? What a muckin' fess

Looks like cosmetic damage to me

[Just call me Sean]

Today the mason offered me $3000 for my 93. I've never had anyone offer to buy one of my vehicles before.

[Just call me Sean]

This is what the taillight board looks like taken apart. The bulb sockets pull out and there are little metal tabs for the bulb connections as well as tabs for the plug. They press against the metal backside of the board. I thought both filaments lit up for the reverse lights but they don't. I think I can make them both light up pretty easily, and I'm still trying to figure out how to make the upper bulb also act as a brake light. I'll need another board to take out some bulb tabs to add, which should make both reverse light filaments light up as the metal plate is there to make the second filament functional. The brake light is more complicated, the metal plate as is would make both filaments parking lights when the tabs are added. I'll need to cut a slice in the plate to isolate one tab from the parking light circuit, and add a wire to connect that portion of the plate to the brake light circuit.

[Just call me Sean]

First pic left and right boards. Not quite mirror images of each other, slightly different layout. Second pic boards modified and holes drilled for the wire. I was a little too aggressive with the one on the left and cut all the way through the board some. Third and fourth pics show the wire soldered in front and back. I'm not sure what kind of glue or epoxy to use to glue the pieces back together, I have some RTV I was thinking of using.

[Just call me Sean]

I tested the drivers side first. The upper bulb was working backwards, brake was parking and parking was brake. I made another slice on the board and changed the wiring. Works correct now. Passenger side works correct. That little difference in the board matters.

[special-K]

That's an interesting mod

[Just call me Sean]

Yea, I've been wanting to do it for a while. A little custom touch that probably nobody will even notice.

First pic, passenger side stock, drivers side changed. Second pic both changed.

[pjmoreland]

Had some surface rust along the top edge of the windshield, and the windshield was leaking in that area. I cut off the weatherstripping from around the windshield so I could clean the metal behind it. Painted the roof and got the windshield replaced.