"Crewcab Jake" the 84 to 74 conversion

[N2TRUX]

Once we verified the system worked correctly the lense went back in and we tested the United Pacific LED blinkers in the mirrors.

Heres a link to the lights in action- LINK

[BabyBlue]

Crew looks good Ken. I just bought a pair of those side mirrors for one of my projects as well. They are awesome.

Question for you. I may have missed it but are you going to be trying the new Mar-K trim? I would really like to see someone give a review on it because I personally haven't seen it aside from pics on the Syndicate S2, and those Mar-K peeps haven't ever replied to me after three separate occasions of trying to contact them and leaving messages. Looks like they finally put them for sale on the website at the hefty price of $2000/set. If not Mar-K, then are you getting the stuff from LMC/USA-1 or what?

[N2TRUX]

Originally Posted by BabyBlue

Crew looks good Ken. I just bought a pair of those side mirrors for one of my projects as well. They are awesome.

Question for you. I may have missed it but are you going to be trying the new Mar-K trim? I would really like to see someone give a review on it because I personally haven't seen it aside from pics on the Syndicate S2, and those Mar-K peeps haven't ever replied to me after three separate occasions of trying to contact them and leaving messages. Looks like they finally put them for sale on the website at the hefty price of $2000/set. If not Mar-K, then are you getting the stuff from LMC/USA-1 or what?

Thanks for the kind words. I had not seen the latest prices posted by Mar_k . I did have a piece of the sidemolding in my hands at the C10 Nationals. I feel its certainly as good as NOS and probably better. It will be up to the consumer to decide if it's a good value.

[N2TRUX]

I recently discovered a clogged fuel filter and a bad plug wire. Repairing those issues along with adjusting the choke made the truck start and run much better.
Unfortunately the constant cranking had taken its toll and killed the starter. Chris and I replaced the starter and cleaned the area while we were at it. Initially i thought I had a seeping rear main seal. It appears that the oil is coming from both of the valve covers, not the rear seal.

[N2TRUX]

With the new starter installed it only took a bump of the key and it busted off. I'm getting some warm feelings toward this smog dog.Its as ugly as can be right now, but if you squint really hard you can see some potential.

[N2TRUX]

I have been considering my options for a motor from day one. I researched several different platforms and the pros and cons of each. There is no doubt the LS was the best bang for the buck. Due to that platform aging, the LT willl soon be the best way to go.

With that said, I still wanted to know what potential the existing powertrain has. I decided to run a compression test and change the plugs as well. The plugs told me a I have a carb that needs rebuilt, and there is no oil consumption.

I started with the passenger side and noticed that it had Motocraft plugs in it. No biggie, I wont blame that for lack of power. When I got to the drivers side I found a bank full of A/C Delco plugs. I have no idea why someone would do that. It now has a set of A/C Delco gapped at .40 all the way around.

[blazer2007]

are the mirrors metal or plastic and where did you buy them,might have missed it on your thread

[N2TRUX]

Originally Posted by blazer2007

are the mirrors metal or plastic and where did you buy them,might have missed it on your thread

They are the United Pacific mirrors-
LINK

They offer several different styles that are exact replicas of the OEM mirrors in style. The quality of casting and plating exceeds OEM quality.

They do sell the 73-87 "Sport mirrors" in regular or LED- LINK

I opted for the 70-72 style due to it being about an inch larger. Link

[N2TRUX]

Back in February when I was getting Jake ready for LST I realized how bad it sucked not having mirrors to use while backing up. I installed the stock rear view mirror and it immediately fell on the floor. The mirror mount has been on the truck all this time and it falls off when I really need it.

The OEM rear view was in bad shape. The mirror was de-laminating inside and basically useless. I called my buddy Donny Clark to see what he may have from a later Burb and he said they were all bad like that.

That prompted some conversation on what was a good replacement. He mentioned that most late model non GM mirrors came with "HomeLink" built it. Hmm? My shop has two garage door lifts that are HomeLink compatible. That sound like a feature I would like to have.

I got on eBay and did some research. Sure enough almost any import car that is not GM has a version of the GenTex mirror with HomeLink built in. They also have autodim, and the GNTX313 has a built in compass module as well.Basically these are a self contained unit that only require a 3 wire hook up.

I need to pick up a glue kit to put the mounting tab back on the windshield, but i'm on step closer to adding more modern amenities in this olf truck.

*Pic from seller, not mine.

[GRAY GOOSE]

Do you happen to have the part number for the mirrors you are using? Thanks Ken I like the top one.

[N2TRUX]

Originally Posted by GRAY GOOSE

Do you happen to have the part number for the mirrors you are using? Thanks Ken I like the top one.

I'm using the 70-72 which is part #C707202-LED
The smaller 73-80 is part #C738710-LED

[N2TRUX]

Its been a crazy week again and every evening has been filled with prepping for the holiday weekend. I had pool equipment issues that required my attention. My prinkler system decided to die so I installed a new controller on it.

After spending a couple of hours adjusting my sprinkler heads, I finally got some shop time. It was brief, but better than none.

[N2TRUX]

I decided I wanted to start on the mock up and install of the United Pacific Longbeach LED lights up front. To do that I needed to get the existing lights working.

I pulled the original 84 headlight harness from storage and began to the transformation. I removed all of the original loom and cloth tape.

[N2TRUX]

I cleaned the bulkhead plug as well. I'm not sure what the factory uses to seal the opening in the harness plug, but it didn't want to come off. With some persistence and liberal amounts of brake cleaner I managed to get the task accomplished

[N2TRUX]

I laid the loom out and taped it to see how it will flow. I cut excess wire and soldered the splice. Eventually I will add weather proof connectors and loom.

[N2TRUX]

I removed the plug for the dual light set up and plugged the remaining one to the original incandescent bulb.
The lights work, but provide inadequate lighting. I'm eager to see the LED light system in place

[N2TRUX]

Heres a video feature on @n2trux showing the progress Link

[rodstored-72]

ken,
as always really appreciate the supurb detail you describe in & the quality of pictures!!! I (along with the others) have a question on the side mirrors too..... I would like to do the same a you with the mirrors when i purchase & build my squarebody daily driver. My question is related to the wiring of the mirrors, do the mirrors have "instructions" related to the wire connections needed? I would like to ask if you would be willing to share how you wired them into the truck's wiring system? also if you might share any "hints or secrets" of your install? I hope it is not too presumed of me to ask you of this. I really like the idea of them & think it is really cool!!!

thanks for your time & continued effort on "schooling" us in the truck building arena!!!

[N2TRUX]

Originally Posted by rodstored-72

ken,
as always really appreciate the supurb detail you describe in & the quality of pictures!!! I (along with the others) have a question on the side mirrors too..... I would like to do the same a you with the mirrors when i purchase & build my squarebody daily driver. My question is related to the wiring of the mirrors, do the mirrors have "instructions" related to the wire connections needed? I would like to ask if you would be willing to share how you wired them into the truck's wiring system? also if you might share any "hints or secrets" of your install? I hope it is not too presumed of me to ask you of this. I really like the idea of them & think it is really cool!!!

thanks for your time & continued effort on "schooling" us in the truck building arena!!!

I would love to show you a detailed version of how we hooked the blinkers to the stock wiring if we had done it that way. Christian connected the stock signal wires to the Dakota Digital RTX cluster. We simply plugged the United Pacific wiring leads to the Dakota Digital module and were done.

I dont recall the stock blinker wire colors, but thats just a Google search away. The mirrors tie in easily and work perfectly.

One thing I noticed about the U/P mirrors is that you can not see the LEDs when not in use. On my late model GMs the LEDs are visable. Not a big deal, but these look much cleaner when not lit up.

[N2TRUX]

As mentioned earlier I have decided to keep the existing 454 in Jake for now. Eventually I will find a deal on an LS or LT bundle and do a conversion. Until that comes along I'm going with a Krylon overhaul on this smog dog.

My plan is to make it look nice and perform better on a budget. If I keep the cost down I feel I can sell the motor and recover my cost and maybe make a buck or two. I can apply that to the cost of the conversion so I want to spend wisely and get quality parts as cheaply as possible.

In my looking for options on the 454 build, my research showed that the Edelbrock Performer 2.0 is a great dual plane intake that works well with the peanut port heads.


Ironically I came across a smoking deal on a Performer 2.0 and an Accell HIE distributor. Unfortunately it was a two hour drive away. The owner offered to split the cost of shipping, but that would cut in to my build budget

I had a better idea. Lets see if I couldnt find a reason to go pick it up and justify the gas costs.

[N2TRUX]

I Searched the region where the parts were at and ran across a really nice car hauler. It's a 2018 Stagecoach 18' wood floor that is in mint condition. Ironically it was very near the guy selling the intake.

The owner bought the trailer to haul building supplies after his home flooded. When done, he stored it under a car port. Besides some latex paint spills on the deck this thing looked like new.

Even though it's an 18' trailer, it has a more deck space due to a 2' dove tail. It's loaded with all the options, including ramps that slid out from the rear. The ramps have literally never been used.

My work took me to an area of town was an hour closer to the parts and the trailer. I could get my job done and go meet these guys while saving money and gas.The stars aligned, and I set up the deal.

I went to the car wash yesterday and used the water pressure to get the paint off of the deck. I now have a "like new" 18' trailer AND a great deal on parts for my "Smog Dog" build.

[N2TRUX]

If you guys get tired of my car hauler adventures let me know. Until someone tells me to shut up I'll keep sharing.

I did some detailing this evening. The metal strip that covers the edge of the dovetail was covered in rust. I stripped it clean with a wire cup, followed by a clean up with Scotch Brite and brake cleaner.
I it with a couple of coats of primer followed by several coats of gloss black.

[Greenlee]

Nice looking trailer.

[Palf70Step]

Very Nice!

[rodstored-72]

Originally Posted by N2TRUX

I would love to show you a detailed version of how we hooked the blinkers to the stock wiring if we had done it that way. Christian connected the stock signal wires to the Dakota Digital RTX cluster. We simply plugged the United Pacific wiring leads to the Dakota Digital module and were done.

I dont recall the stock blinker wire colors, but thats just a Google search away. The mirrors tie in easily and work perfectly.

One thing I noticed about the U/P mirrors is that you can not see the LEDs when not in use. On my late model GMs the LEDs are visable. Not a big deal, but these look much cleaner when not lit up.

ken,
Thank you for the reply. that is the info I was trying to figure out. It sounds like it was not too hard to intergrate into the elec. system. I would like to try & incorporate them into my upcoming build & just looking for a general "degree of difficulty" related to the install. Thank you again for your time & the quality info you continue to provide.