49 3600, s10 swap, project boogie

[joedoh]

the oil pressure reads from 220-100 instead of 100-220 and the oil pressure reads from 60-0 instead of 0-60, because the s10 gauges read from left to right and those two gauges on the 47 cluster read from right to left.

all that is required to fix it is to print new labels that read left to right. it would be a good idea to also make the scales correct, the s10 temp gauge range is 100-280 with 210 in the middle and the oil pressure is 0-80 with 40 in the middle. for that matter the amperes is actually voltage now so 10-16volts would be the new scale.

I THINK I can reverse the polarity of the stepper and have it read the other direction, I am researching that.

the speedometer will need a new scale as well, 0 is at about 10mph on the 47 gauge. I actually want to try something, moving the stop pins to actual zero and where the s10 top speed stop is. when you plug the gauges in, the speedo does a sweep from stop to stop. I have seen this with throttle position sensors, electronic throttles that use steppers are setting the limit voltages, so at zero the voltage is x and at full throttle the limit is x+x1. then the computer sets the ranges between the two set points. I think with the stop points in the right place, it is perfectly possible to have the original speedometer read correctly. I will probably do this on the 49.

I probably wont do a darn thing about the backward gauges on the 47 and here is why: modern vehicle gauges are designed to run in the middle, so as long as mine are in the middle I will know everything is ok. because of this tendency I have also never watched my gauges move up from cold to hot, and never really paid attention to the exact amount of oil pressure, as long as it was over 1/4 at idle I was ok. The 49, the gauges are completely unreadable so I will make new labels for it.

you can make new labels really easily with a scanner, ms paint, and photo printer with satin paper. the labels are not transparent, light doesnt shine through them rather around the edges. dont fret! its as hard as you make it and it looks super original.

on the project track, I ordered some wheel vintiques and coker whitewalls. thewheelsmith wants NINETY NINE DOLLARS EACH for GMC stamped caps that fit the wheel vintiques so I ordered a set of blank caps for $60 (the set!) and will run to hobby lobby for some vinyl sticker material and transfer paper.

[Clay54]

I have heard other guys say they thought by reversing the leads it would solve the direction problem but they either have not done it as yet or have sold the truck. Don't mean to fret about this but I think what you have stated is doable and I am going to try. However, the gauges you have mentioned are "important" the one most important has not been mentioned - FUEL. I really hope it works "E" when you are out and "F" when full. Don't mean to be a horses a**, but this one can not read in the middle all the time. Clay

Originally Posted by joedoh

the oil pressure reads from 220-100 instead of 100-220 and the oil pressure reads from 60-0 instead of 0-60, because the s10 gauges read from left to right and those two gauges on the 47 cluster read from right to left.

all that is required to fix it is to print new labels that read left to right. it would be a good idea to also make the scales correct, the s10 temp gauge range is 100-280 with 210 in the middle and the oil pressure is 0-80 with 40 in the middle. for that matter the amperes is actually voltage now so 10-16volts would be the new scale.

I THINK I can reverse the polarity of the stepper and have it read the other direction, I am researching that.

the speedometer will need a new scale as well, 0 is at about 10mph on the 47 gauge. I actually want to try something, moving the stop pins to actual zero and where the s10 top speed stop is. when you plug the gauges in, the speedo does a sweep from stop to stop. I have seen this with throttle position sensors, electronic throttles that use steppers are setting the limit voltages, so at zero the voltage is x and at full throttle the limit is x+x1. then the computer sets the ranges between the two set points. I think with the stop points in the right place, it is perfectly possible to have the original speedometer read correctly. I will probably do this on the 49.

I probably wont do a darn thing about the backward gauges on the 47 and here is why: modern vehicle gauges are designed to run in the middle, so as long as mine are in the middle I will know everything is ok. because of this tendency I have also never watched my gauges move up from cold to hot, and never really paid attention to the exact amount of oil pressure, as long as it was over 1/4 at idle I was ok. The 49, the gauges are completely unreadable so I will make new labels for it.

you can make new labels really easily with a scanner, ms paint, and photo printer with satin paper. the labels are not transparent, light doesnt shine through them rather around the edges. dont fret! its as hard as you make it and it looks super original.

on the project track, I ordered some wheel vintiques and coker whitewalls. thewheelsmith wants NINETY NINE DOLLARS EACH for GMC stamped caps that fit the wheel vintiques so I ordered a set of blank caps for $60 (the set!) and will run to hobby lobby for some vinyl sticker material and transfer paper.

[54 LS-3100]

https://wichita.craigslist.org/cto/5247499890.html

So what's the next project? Kind of disappointed you are selling, but I have loved the thread so looking forward to the next one.

[joedoh]

well, I dont mean to be a horses ass but I just said which two gauges read backwards, and neither were the fuel gauge.

next project is to finish the 49, should still be done this year.

[Clay54]

Originally Posted by joedoh

well, I dont mean to be a horses ass but I just said which two gauges read backwards, and neither were the fuel gauge.

next project is to finish the 49, should still be done this year.

Obviously my interpretation of your words and comments in your post #108 has been a source of irritation for you and for that I apologize. You are in my opinion a valuable provider of information in building these old trucks and I am just trying to absorb all I can by asking questions and making comments. Your presentation and detail in this thread is superb.

Now having said that, yes you did identify the two gauges that ran backwards and yes neither of these were fuel. In fact, you identified 3 gauges stating characteristics of each and again neither was the fuel. I totally understand your comments about each of the 3 gauges and now you have identified 3 of the gauges in the 4 gauge cluster and the unidentified gauge is fuel. Quoting from post #108, "most gauges are made to run in the middle for AOK operation". I then took this to mean the unidentified gauge as well and that prompted my comment about the fuel gauge cannot be in the middle.

I appreciate your comments and am thankful for the information you have provided me up to this point. I am truly sorry I hit a nerve and was apparently a bother to you and to quote you in post #123, "don't fret" it's not going to happen again as I plan to continue to monitor this thread but wont be asking anymore questions of you. Clay

[joedoh]

haha dont sweat it, I was only repeating what you said about not being a horses ass. its hard to interpret "tone" on a screen, but I'll help you out to the end!

packages!

painted, should mount and balance tomorrow. chose burgundy to match the carpet/steering wheel/seat cover. plus it looks better on the green than apple red.

caps and rings, two widths and offsets, this is 15x7 4" backspace

[99 to Life]

that wheel combo never gets old, so classic. Exactly what I was going for on my first build. But... I settled for some biscayne rims with whites, beauty rings, no centers already painted red, but not red enough. Yours look perfect.

[joedoh]

thanks man!

I couldnt wait till tomorrow to have the tires mounted




I have a whole air ride tech s10 bag kit here at the house. compressors, airbar, tube upper and lowers, everything! Its so tempting just to bag it, especially seeing how your auction ended. I may only have a 4.3 but it is pretty great.

[99 to Life]

those look great. My auction honestly wasn't the greatest. putting it back up now actually. I see way less go for way more. For you, if your trying to pawn that off, I'd list it as is and offer to install the air ride. Air ride scares some people away, but ultimately brings a better dollar in the end.

[joedoh]

we built this truck to develop some kit parts and then sell it, I love the modern accouterments in an old looking package.

I have had too many airbagged trucks and cars to count, a couple in magazines too. the complete ART kit in my garage wouldnt be a big deal to install, but it would slow down the 49 green truck, which will also be sold when finished. then the next and the next haha

looks just a LITTLE better. I almost left the baby moons off, because it looked sweet like that too











and this was forwarded to me today! woot!

[joedoh]

the sonoma rear shocks werent that old and I thought they would be okay but the back started skipping around after driving a short distance. I looked at the shocks and they were wet, a clear sign of oil loss. so I bought some mid line monroes, still twin tube but good shocks, the same model ART ships in their kits. driving it was so pleasant I went on an hour long cruise.

when I got back though, I smelled hot brakes. the front wheels were hot to the touch and that meant the pads were dragging. I had LD2 stand on the pedal and I cracked the bleeder on the caliper and the wheel turned fine, so I had her stand on the pedal again and cracked the bleeder at the distribution block and the wheel turned again, so I did it one more time at the master, and the wheel turned. through process of elimination, that means the rod on the pedal is out of whack, probably misadjusted when we made a thicker bracket than the sheetmetal firewall. it is applying the brakes very slightly. Simple enough to fix, I will pull the master and adjust it.

I also figured out how to make a 3 prong headlight work on the bussed electrical system with DRLs and separate low and high beam wiring. the S10 system has a different ground system for the low beam and high beam, and you cant just tie them together because it blows the low beam fuses when the DRLs are on. I found this out on my 65, which I used an HID for low beam and a H3C for the highbeam. The "C" was necessary because the housing supplies a ground to the H3 that was originally in those headlights, but the C had no connection to the housing and broke the short.

I didnt want to use two bulbs in this truck, I would like to use a 3 prong headlight, which wouldnt be hard but I ALSO want the DRLS to work. since the 60% brightness of the highbeam is supplied by a lower voltage on the GROUND side, the DRL brightness would be 100% if I just grounded the pin on the 3 prong plug. I would be essentially driving around with my high beams on all day. I like the DRLs because I am a detail guy, that soft yellow glow of the 60% bulb looks dumb on modern cars but old timey and just right on older, round headlight cars and trucks.

anyway, enough story time. I figured up a relay that allows the low beam to work normally and the high beam ground to change states without any physical connection to the high beam, and no blown fuses.




use at your own risk if you choose to put 98+ GM bussed wiring in your 3 prong headlight truck haha.

[99 to Life]

sweet pics congrats

[joedoh]

thanks man!

I got the brake rod adjusted today, and the bleeder screw on the rear axle acted up almost immediately. I guess it was tight enough for the residual pressure valve to limit the fluid with the rod the wrong length, but got full pressure now that the rod is the RIGHT length and well, it wasnt tight enough.


I hooked up the cruise today too, so nice with a bussed system, just wire it up! I am looking at how to make the s10 wiper motor work now.

[joedoh]

more brake work. the dragging is fixed but it took its toll on the passenger rotor and pads. so I bought new ceramic pads for both sides and replaced the damaged rotor. the parts store guy is calling me "80 bucks" like "hey 80 bucks is back" because I have been there three days in a row (twice today) and 4 times the total was right at 80 bucks. ceramic pads and new rotor? 84 bucks. new serpentine belt (something happened to this one has a frayed spot, it was a brand new gates) caliper grease, white lithium grease, ac fittings, 78 bucks. new rear shocks, electrical tape 76 bucks. the first trip was for my blazer, front shocks and another serpentine belt, 82 bucks. october is the cruelest month? but I want this truck in top shape.

[99 to Life]

ah the good old life of a build. nothing but nickel and diming. hated that part cause its bad enough the big stuff hits you hard. oh yah, the dailies seem to always need work while you just wanna focus on a build. yup story of my life too.

[lower50's]

Love the wheels.

[joedoh]

thanks! the wheels really changed the look, I am glad I splurged.

no cheaping out is right 99, new ceramic pads for the front and a new rotor. all back together




and I am walking on sunshine, got the HVAC all fingered out with the help of a good friend. I am mounting the box and hooking up the heater and the ac hoses will be made next week. I was going to put it on the passenger side under the glovebox but it fits perfect dead center and looks better that way too. with that done, the list is super short of stuff that still needs done. fix the PRNDL, and I am going to see what happens when I move the stop for the speedo and flip the polarity of the gauges. hook up the top dome light, couple pieces of plastic, bobs your uncle

[99 to Life]

nice, ya know whats funny I'v had pass front break issues on both my trucks what the heck. The shakedown fixes and little things that got put off to get truck on road, really come back to bite ya. The finishing takes so much longer than people think.

[joedoh]

you know it all too well man!


after three sets of front springs, two sets of shocks, two rear ride heights, three sets of wheels and tires, three trips to the parts store for brake stuff, it finally drives down the road in a way that doesnt make me wish something was done differently. I have pretty high standards, and it rides and drives NICE. might need a tire balanced. haha.

let a buyer test drive it today, might be a fait accompli!

[DeanTX]

I would love to see a video of it on the road.

[joedoh]

went for some cruising and photos today. I will upload the videos when photobucket is done "processing". how dumb is that? used to be upload was the process, now they make you wait a 1/2 hour at least. I think they just want money for a paid account.

anyway, I love being up on north broadway, so many great photo areas. this one was a grey area between a public road and a no trespassing sign, but I meant no ill will and nobody bothered me. I wished to use the parked trains as a backdrop but they were beyond the sign.

[Sim6]

Looks badass.

[DeanTX]

Those wheels/tires make for a classic and quality look.

[99 to Life]

very cool

[lower50's]

Well that turned out real nice.