My 78 K15 High Sierra build - Fish Tremble

[7dee2]

Yes, a good carb makes all the difference. Gave up gluing on our rearview mirrors years ago for the same reason. Paid some labor and supplied the windshield (way better deal and same glass) for Blue last summer. Glass shop was nice enough to install our mirror a month or two later for free since they had installed the glass. Thinking they get a better, stronger glue or something?

[swamp rat]

Per the speedo cable all mine needed was some oil , just unhooked the ends and wrapped some tape and fool around the top to make a real small funnel then added a bit and let it draw down over night.

[rgunlock]

Originally Posted by 7dee2

Yes, a good carb makes all the difference. Gave up gluing on our rearview mirrors years ago for the same reason. Paid some labor and supplied the windshield (way better deal and same glass) for Blue last summer. Glass shop was nice enough to install our mirror a month or two later for free since they had installed the glass. Thinking they get a better, stronger glue or something?

I've been driving the truck all week, about 34 miles +/- per day and so far the new carb is doing pretty well. Truck feels a little rough while idling at a light but hasn't died at all once warmed up. I think I do still need to do some more tweaking to the choke since it isn't going automatically into fast idle on 40 degree mornings.

I bought a different product called VersaChem online for the rearview. Seems to be holding better than the Permatex but I have to admit I did all the adjusting with the mirror in my hand (off the metal nub) before tightening up the set screw.

Originally Posted by swamp rat

Per the speedo cable all mine needed was some oil , just unhooked the ends and wrapped some tape and fool around the top to make a real small funnel then added a bit and let it draw down over night.

Gave your suggestion a try Mike. Still no bueno. I have also re-routed the speedo cable to what I think is more likely factory routing than what I originally did. The needle now holds fairly steady once I get up some speed, but is pretty jittery at low speed and I'm still hearing a lot of chatter in the dash. I'm wondering if the problem is my new aftermarket speedometer guage. I have read though that you are supposed to remove the metal line from the cable to lube and that there is a special type of lube - I haven't tried this yet.

[rgunlock]

After driving the truck for a few days, I'm starting to get more confident that it isn't going to let me down. I think I'm down to 3 main areas that I'd like to improve on.

I'd added shims to the front axle to give me more caster, and installed dual steering stabilizers. I didn't like having to steer back straight after making a turn so I removed one of the stabilizer shocks. It is "pretty" good now, but I'm wondering if 1 or 2 more degrees of caster wouldn't be better.

Truck still bounces me around like crazy on rough pavement. Most of my daily commute is rough pavement. I've called the manufacture of my lift springs and they confirmed I got the correct springs and shocks for my application and I've already double-checked that I didn't over-torque installing them. Open to suggestions on this one.

My SM465, 3:07 gearing, and 33" tires aren't quite working out. Just can't find the right gear in common situations like a right turn without a stop. Can't get down into second without slowing much more than necessary for the turn and making the turn in 3rd is lugging down pretty bad. I don't have a tach, but it doesn't seem that the truck wants to do over about 65MPH without feeling like its running too high RPMs.

I've got a pair of axles from a '76 Blazer with brand new 4:10 gears and limited slip diffs. I've got a 1992 NV4500 that's already been "gone through". I've also got the Advanced Adapters NP205 adapter and bell housing. I've been saving them for my '59 Apache ...BUT... my wife has decided that I'll be building that truck for her... SO looking at a change of direction on that project and I'd rather use the parts than sell them. I think I'm about 99% decided that Hazel will get more shop time before I commit to her being my daily driver.

[DWilbur]

3.73 gears would be better with 33" tires. I ended up getting Bilstien shocks as the shocks that came with my 6"super lift kit were good for paper weights. I installed NV4500 in my truck with 4.10 gears but have not finished my build to drive it still in paint. I will be running 36" tires still unsure about the over drive with 4.10's and 36's.

[rgunlock]

Originally Posted by DWilbur

3.73 gears would be better with 33" tires. I ended up getting Bilstien shocks as the shocks that came with my 6"super lift kit were good for paper weights. I installed NV4500 in my truck with 4.10 gears but have not finished my build to drive it still in paint. I will be running 36" tires still unsure about the over drive with 4.10's and 36's.

When I got the axles done, I hadn't decided between 33" and 35" tires. The guy at the drivetrain shop recommended the 4.10's and I assumed they should work pretty well with either size. I'll do a little more homework before swapping them in.

The suspension issue I feel from in the cab is more of a "bang bang" rather than "boing boing" if that makes sense. Like the springs aren't compressing or the shocks aren't letting them, rather than being too springy. Is that the issue you had, and are you now happy with your ride with the Bilstien's?

[DWilbur]

Originally Posted by rgunlock

When I got the axles done, I hadn't decided between 33" and 35" tires. The guy at the drivetrain shop recommended the 4.10's and I assumed they should work pretty well with either size. I'll do a little more homework before swapping them in.

When I had my 84 Chevy I use to run 35" and 38" tires with 4.10 tranny was SM465 and 205 T- case. the 38's was like driving in over drive and the 35's was better matched with the 4.10's. I ran set of 33" one day and I sucked up a tank of fuel driving to work and back one day so I went back to the 35's for daily driving and the 38,s for wheeling.

The suspension issue I feel from in the cab is more of a "bang bang" rather than "boing boing" if that makes sense. Like the springs aren't compressing or the shocks aren't letting them, rather than being too springy. Is that the issue you had, and are you now happy with your ride with the Bilstien's?

My 98 Dodge with 6" lift drove like it had no springs very stiff harsh ride. I switch the shocks to the bilstien's and made it way better like night and day.

[7dee2]

Excellent news on the confidence factor! My last alignment guy said 9 degrees caster is a majac number.

Thinking you do need a tach so the ear doesn’t play tricks, Blue has a noisy direct style fan that makes you feel like it’s twisting to the moon but in reality, it’s just a noisy direct fan. Big changes, you’d think with 3.07’s it’d be a freeway flyer but 4.10’s and OD would be a really sweet combo best of both worlds.

[rgunlock]

Originally Posted by DWilbur

My 98 Dodge with 6" lift drove like it had no springs very stiff harsh ride. I switch the shocks to the bilstien's and made it way better like night and day.

Thanks DWilber. I will likely give these a try. Do you recall whether you used 5100's or 5125's or something else? Seems like most of what I read regarding to switching to Bilstiens are folks that are looking for a firmer ride, less body roll, etc. My ride is plenty firm and its good to hear that these helped you out with a problem similar to mine.

Originally Posted by 7dee2

Excellent news on the confidence factor! My last alignment guy said 9 degrees caster is a majac number.

Thinking you do need a tach so the ear doesn’t play tricks, Blue has a noisy direct style fan that makes you feel like it’s twisting to the moon but in reality, it’s just a noisy direct fan. Big changes, you’d think with 3.07’s it’d be a freeway flyer but 4.10’s and OD would be a really sweet combo best of both worlds.

I added 2 degree shims with starting caster of 6.7 and 6.9 so I guess I'm already at the magic number. I agree that I need to get a tach. Gear ratio calculators say that I'm out of my mind thinking the truck is straining to do highway speed. It may just be that my 4-speed is a little noisy and I'm getting a lot of noise from the speedo at speed.

[rgunlock]

Not much to report. My wife backed into my daughter's car so I've spent the last couple weekends fixing that.

I did get to spend some quality time with the truck's electrical system yesterday before the Superbowl party. Something drained the battery while it sat over the weekend a couple weeks ago. Read a bunch of threads here on tracking that down. After recharging the battery, I pulled the positive cable off the battery and read 12.6V from the positive battery post to the end of the positive battery cable which I understand means something is closing the circuit and draining the battery. I pulled every fuse out of the fuseblock one at a time and no change. Pulled every inline fuse for aftermarket stuff I've added and no change. Read that sometimes the alternator is the culprit so pulled all cables from it and still no change. I wasn't putting anything back, just continuing to remove while doing this testing. Now I'm at the head-scratching phase. Maybe something going on with the bus-bar I installed off the battery, or maybe starter...

[7dee2]

It's always something!

[rgunlock]

Originally Posted by 7dee2

It's always something!

Yeah, it seems like it is always something. But... had a productive weekend. Figured out the electrical gremlin draining my battery. Something went wrong with the battery disconnect I'd installed from AAW. It was apparently grounding through where I'd mounted it on my fender and pulling enough current to light my test light - brightly! Removed and bypassed it for now.

[rgunlock]

And, I got me a tachometer from gmsports.com/trucks. It's a combined tach and fuel gauge that replaces the 5" OE fuel guage. Price is reasonable and is a nice looking piece. I got lucky in that the AAW wiring harness I installed had everything set up for a tach - and I'd made all the connections earlier. Had to sacrifice the brake warning and seat belt warning lights, and do some carving on the cluster housing but I think it looks like it could have come this way from the factory. Tested running at fast idle and checked against the tach on my timing light and it looks right on. Happy with this upgrade!

Pictures are before and after.

[MTCK]

Good looking tach. Looks like it could have come that way. Glad you're on the road.

[swamp rat]

Yea i'd take the tach too..

[Matt Man]

Love the truck, just read through the whole build the paint looks great!

I can offer some advice for the rough ride. On my 81, I had the 4" rancho springs with dual rancho 5000 shocks. I took the dual shock setup off and installed a set of procomp mx6 adjustable shocks. This made a huge difference in the ride. Also, I ordered off road designs swaybar disconnect/correction kit. I will admit the shocks are expensive, but very well worth it if you drive the truck a lot. But overall, it rides awesome for what it is. But it is still a leaf sprung truck.

[rgunlock]

Originally Posted by MTCK

Good looking tach. Looks like it could have come that way. Glad you're on the road.

Thanks Marcus. On the road on and off at least. At the moment its back in the shop until I figure out the choke and fast idle. Doesn't seem to behave the same two mornings in a row. This morning it started off racing at over 1500rpm (ask me how I know ) and wouldn't come off it. Vapor cloud from cold covered the truck and smelled of a lot of unburnt fuel.

Originally Posted by swamp rat

Yea i'd take the tach too..

Not sure how it would look in your '72 Mike!

Originally Posted by Matt Man

Love the truck, just read through the whole build the paint looks great!

I can offer some advice for the rough ride. On my 81, I had the 4" rancho springs with dual rancho 5000 shocks. I took the dual shock setup off and installed a set of procomp mx6 adjustable shocks. This made a huge difference in the ride. Also, I ordered off road designs swaybar disconnect/correction kit. I will admit the shocks are expensive, but very well worth it if you drive the truck a lot. But overall, it rides awesome for what it is. But it is still a leaf sprung truck.

Thanks for looking over my build Matt Man. I haven't pulled the trigger on different shocks yet. So far, I'd been advised to go with Bilstiens but I'll take a look at the procomp as well. Did the swaybar disconnect/correction kit actually help your on-road handling? Not sure how that works - what's the "correction" part of it do?

[rgunlock]

Never mind on the question MattMan. I reread your post and noticed you'd mentioned the brand. They actually explain on the website.

"The swaybar correction/disconnect kit corrects by raising the back of the swaybar two inches to help compensate for a lift and also by adding a pivot point to keep your swaybar from binding up the front suspension."

"Many aftermarket leaf springs are built with the dimensions a little different from factory for various reasons. This is usually not a problem until you try to use factory parts like the swaybar that require the exact factory geometry to function properly. Most lift springs in the four inch and up range are a little longer that stock which causes the swaybar to try (it’s a solid bar) to stretch and compress. This translates into extra wear on the bushings, loosening of the U-bolts, and in extreme cases, the metal swaybar bushing brackets can be bent. Our kit’s swinging link design takes all the bind out of the system giving you a softer ride and eliminates bushing damage."

This makes sense, and isn't that bad an investment to give it a shot. Thanks!

[rgunlock]

Gotta say thanks one more time to Matt Man. Just finished installing the Offroad Designs swaybar correction/disconnect system. Took my wife for a test drive over some of the roughest roads we have around here. I quote her "I'd go on a road trip in this". I think this may be the best $110.00 I've spent on this truck!

You still feel every bump, but I'm no longer clenching both my gut and my teeth to keep from chipping them. I'm even still using the same shocks. I think that I am finally over the hump going from "I'm satisfied to be finally at least driving this" to "this is actually getting fun to drive". Still think I need to get the 5-speed in though

Did some more carb tuning also over the last couple weekends, and it seems to be pretty good now. Of course its 76* here today so not a big challenge as far as getting it warmed up.

[boynton]

I’m glad you are figuring it out! I’m going to be starting on a 72 k5 and will be stealing all of your good ideas!

[MTCK]

That’s awesome! I never did a stand alone Pepsi challenge with the disconnects, but they were part of the setup on my K10 along with the ez ride springs and 5100 bilstiens. Overdrive is nice. My truck was a different animal with 4.10 gears (originally 3.08) in a good way.

[MrBeast]

I just perused the whole thread, sharp looking truck, you did a mighty fine job bringing her back!

I hope mine looks anywhere close to that good when I am done with it!

[rgunlock]

Originally Posted by boynton

I’m glad you are figuring it out! I’m going to be starting on a 72 k5 and will be stealing all of your good ideas!

Can't wait to see your k5 build. Based on the others you've done it will be outstanding! Need to plan a meetup soon, I still haven't seen the green truck in person.

Originally Posted by MTCK

That’s awesome! I never did a stand alone Pepsi challenge with the disconnects, but they were part of the setup on my K10 along with the ez ride springs and 5100 bilstiens. Overdrive is nice. My truck was a different animal with 4.10 gears (originally 3.08) in a good way.

I'd heard of the disconnects, but thought they were just for articulation in offroading. Had no idea they could improve road manners this much.

Originally Posted by MrBeast

I just perused the whole thread, sharp looking truck, you did a mighty fine job bringing her back!

I hope mine looks anywhere close to that good when I am done with it!

Thanks MrBeast, I appreciate the kind words. I looked over the thread you started and was wondering how's he going to do a build in a marina? Just be warned these builds are a slippery slope. You get something looking new, then the thing next to it looks like crap, and...

[CG]

I gotta say Im not (usually) a "late model" fan, but I decided to check out your build thread one day. And I have to say, man what an excellent job you have done! And what a great looking truck, I would be proud to say I owned that one. I swear I get converted all the time on this board lol.

[MrBeast]

Originally Posted by rgunlock

Can't wait to see your k5 build. Based on the others you've done it will be outstanding! Need to plan a meetup soon, I still haven't seen the green truck in person.


I'd heard of the disconnects, but thought they were just for articulation in offroading. Had no idea they could improve road manners this much.


Thanks MrBeast, I appreciate the kind words. I looked over the thread you started and was wondering how's he going to do a build in a marina? Just be warned these builds are a slippery slope. You get something looking new, then the thing next to it looks like crap, and...

True'er words were never spoken!

waiting to see what happens with the rental garage up in town here, also I have a new business started that once it is making better money I will have much more of a budget to play with the truck.

It is always a balancing act between desire and finance isn't it!