The Old Yeller Resurrection Project

[RedRider]

Originally Posted by ls1nova71

There's a sub forum on here that has all the info you should ever need. http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/f...play.php?f=206 If you're getting an '04 engine, it would be best if you could get the harness, PCM, TAC module and gas pedal all out of the same truck too to cut down on mismatch component problems.

Yes the resources on this site are great, but your “Rusty” build on LS1tech was extremely insightful. Thanks for putting such detail into it that thread, I must’ve went through it 3-4 times last weekend.

[RedRider]

Yanked the engine yesterday. Had to go out through the front due to limited space in my garage.





Still researching what cam I want to install in the LS. There are many variables and even more grind options to choose from.

As for cleaning up the engine compartment, I'd prefer not to paint everything black. It would be great to keep the firewall body color but I don't know how I would do that after I drop a new engine in. Should I just pickup a quart of yellow and paint just the firewall for now?

[RedRider]

Had a hot date Friday night with a wire wheel and a pressure washer. This morning it got a coat of POR-15:



I want to keep the firewall body color, so I need to figure out something before the new engine goes in. I was thinking I could paint the firewall then save the rest of the body for later?

Also, what's the best way to cover up little holes in the firewall (approx 1/3" diameter)? I don't have a welder.

[rjs53]

Depends how permanent you want the holes filled. You could put self tapping bolts, cut them off. Or rubber plugs. And then there's the ever popular bullet hole stickers. Caulking would work, and it would seal moisture out.

[RedRider]

Originally Posted by rjs53

Depends how permanent you want the holes filled. You could put self tapping bolts, cut them off. Or rubber plugs. And then there's the ever popular bullet hole stickers. Caulking would work, and it would seal moisture out.

You had me at bullet hole stickers

[RedRider]

Painted the firewall today, some highlights:

I'm in LOVE with this color. I wanted something a tad lighter than the factory 525 yellow, and this was just what I was looking for.



Factory yellow compared with Daytona Yellow:



By no means perfect, but good enough for a work truck:



I was really impressed with the Harbor Freight "purple" spray gun. Having never tried my hand at an air sprayer, I can see why it has a cult-following on the internet. As for the holes in the firewall, I used JB weld and sanded it down. In retrospect maybe JB quik would've been better

[rjs53]

Can't wait to see what you come up with. Want to go this route myself, just waiting for the right deal to come along.

[RedRider]

The hard part about having two little girls is that you NEVER get a block of time to yourself. Lately it's been 20, maybe 30-minute blocks at most to get in the garage and try to make some headway on this project. Finally got the engine together this weekend though, along with a big box of wiring to go with it. Maybe I'll get it fired up before they're out of diapers:

[RedRider]

Engine and transmission in. Went with a Circle D 278 mm torque converter, which required a 4L60e flywheel swap. The Headman Headers required just a slight shave off the frame.




Fabricated an adapter plate for the hydroboost unit. In retrospect, it might have been easier to purchase the adapter that one of the members here sells. Instead of modifying the brake pedal, adjusted the rod length instead.

[RedRider]

Took a chance and purchased a wiring harness from overseas. It looks very nice; I couldn't really find issue with anything at first sight:

[68bowtie]

Great truck and nice progress. Don’t worry you will get a bit of your free time back when the kids are around 5. It’s tough with toddlers!

[RedRider]

Pieces are slowly coming together, making progress...
Intake is on, engine harness laid out nicely. Current problem is that the LS3 gold-blade throttle body won't work with the truck harness I ordered. Someone mentioned an X-Link adapter?




We've had some April showers here in SoCal, so hood and fenders are back on in the meantime`:

[RedRider]

Looked at many of the under bed gas tanks available on the market. Boyd's tanks were nice but for the price, fabricating a custom tank gave me a tighter fit and a few extra gallons. Here's the final product:

[RedRider]

Dakota Digital was a little out of my price range, but when I saw their RTX series (Retro-tech), I had to have one:



I also had to spring an X-link throttle adapter, which was another unanticipated cost. See, the truck harness has an 8-pin throttle body connector and the LS3 throttle body is 6-pin. Seems there's a little more to it than that though, probably something to do with the throttle signal coming from the PCM instead of the gas pedal/TAC module?

[RedRider]

I would love to see a nice side-door filler that didn't encroach into the bed. It just seems physically impossible to do so without that extra "kick-out" room for the filler neck to snake down to the tank. Maybe if the bedside were a little thicker...

[RedRider]

Makes me all warm and fuzzy inside seeing this Dakota Digital cluster all wired into place.

[RedRider]

Annnndddd.....there goes all my glove box space.

[RedRider]

Well good news and bad news this weekend...

Good news is that the engine fired up. Fuel system, cooling system, wiring harness all seem to be working fine.

Bad news is that oil the pressure was low; idles at 5-10 but nothing more than 30 psi. Double checked it with a mechanical gauge. Fearing the bottom-end was toast, I pulled the pan:


To my dismay, lots of grime, and more shards of metal than Lieutenant Dan's legs. Likely this girl will need to be rebuilt. This blows.

[RedRider]

It's been a few months but certainly no lack of updates.

Bad news: the engine was not the 65k pull-out I was told...more like 265k. I had to eat some crow after touting such a great deal I got on this engine/tranny combo.

Good news: Rebuilt the engine, and sent the tranny off to get refreshed since I was in there. It's a new drivetrain essentially, but certainly an unanticipated cost. Guess the kids can always go to community college.

So here she is, installed again for the second time. We now got forged Wiseco pistons, and a new comp cam with dual springs to round off the rebuild.



Once installed, it was off to the tuner. The good folks at JEP Autoworks in Hemet, CA got 413 hp and 393 ft/lbs to the wheels. I was in utter awe, it's just amazing what these LS engines can push.

[cebra]

On the bright side, you have a strong LS that you know will not need more money dumped into it for a long time.

[RedRider]

Originally Posted by cebra

On the bright side, you have a strong LS that you know will not need more money dumped into it for a long time.

Yes, that kinda peace-of-mind is priceless

[RedRider]

Now that the drivetrain is solid, it's time to move onto paint and body. I considered scuffing the original paint (it's in great shape, although a bit faded) and reshooting it, but seeing that I have hardly have any free time and am waaay over budget, the decision was made to go down to bare metal







Problem areas: fender cup (fixed!), rocker panels and passenger kick panel. The latter has me concerned for what may be lying underneath.

[Ol Blue K20]

Just read through the thread and subbing for the rest

[RCbowtie69]

Hey from N.C. just check out your build & it's looking good,keep pictures coming & keep on truckin"

[RedRider]

Progress...

Cab corners were in suprisingly good shape; I was worried


Can't say the same about the rockers though...out with the old, in with the new:


Aside from the fender cup and a few dings in the hood, no major work need on the front end. We'll see how it blocks out.


Like any ol' work truck that can truly call itself a "work" truck, the tailgate needed some massaging:



My wife and I were discussing paint colors last night. I was trying to convey to her that not all yellows are the same. Found this from an old post, courtesy of @SS Tim, really makes you appreciate all the paint codes that were offered: