85 GMC Sierra "Scarlett"

[N2TRUX]

We got everything stripped, cleaned, prepped and painted. I will work on reassembly this week. We feel good about what we accomplished but noted there's still a lot that needs to be done.

[GAc10boy]

Excellent, efficient work. I've been taking a lot of notes on your refresh of this truck.

[N2TRUX]

Originally Posted by GAc10boy

Excellent, efficient work. I've been taking a lot of notes on your refresh of this truck.

Thanks. We are doing our best to plan our limited shop time to be as effective as possible. Having a experienced helper really makes it go so much faster.

[mcbassin]

Looks great Ken!

[Gus350]

Looks Killer just read all of this thread and the other one. Now I need to take a nap hahaha glad to be following along.

[N2TRUX]

Originally Posted by mcbassin

Looks great Ken!

Thanks you sir.

Originally Posted by Gus350

Looks Killer just read all of this thread and the other one. Now I need to take a nap hahaha glad to be following along.

I hope you found it informative and interesting to follow.

I picked up the brake lines I ordered today. I got home at a decent hour and just had to see if they were going to fit. The fittings are correct, but the length is too short. Tomorrow I will call Wildwood to see what I need to bring all this together.

Since I was already in the shop, I figured I would just unmask the painted parts. Well if your going to unmask them you may as well hold them up to see how they look. Before I knew it I was hanging parts in place.

Once again I packed the bearings and hub with fresh high temperature grease. Installed new seals, and slide the assembly over the CPP spindle. I snugged them down and topped it off with new dust caps.

Someone asked about the spacers in my Instagram post. They were there when I bought it and I'm not sure why. I will speculate it is for clearance on the Coys wheels as the dust caps were beat flat. I hope to eliminate them if possible.

Hopefully I can resolve my brake lines issues soon and call this segment done

[PEDROSKI]

Great read.

[Low Elco]

Looks good! I had to run spacers on my '87 with 8" truck rallys. First time using McGaughy's spindles, first time I needed to use spacers with the rallies. Cpp cleared fine. Next owner says he's going to drop to a 7 in the front. Work looks good!

[N2TRUX]

Originally Posted by PEDROSKI

Great read.

Thanks you sir.

Originally Posted by Low Elco

Looks good! I had to run spacers on my '87 with 8" truck rallys. First time using McGaughy's spindles, first time I needed to use spacers with the rallies. Cpp cleared fine. Next owner says he's going to drop to a 7 in the front. Work looks good!

I haven't taken the time to measure or look up the backspace on the Coys wheels since I'm still on the fence about running them. I will take a closers look when I put them back on.

I talked to Wilwood to determine why Summit had sent me the wrong line kit. It turns out Summit has the wrong info in their database. I called Summit and explained what Wilwood had told me. The response was amazing. Not only did they accept that the info was correct, they sent the correct kit out with a 20% discount and free shipping. They also sent a call tag to pick up the other kit.

That my friends is true customer service.

[N2TRUX]

Since I can't finish the brakes until I get the new line kit I focused on moving toward getting the bed back on this weekend. Chris and I noted that the tail light harness was a bit hacked up. It appears at some point a trailer plug had been installed then removed. There were several bare spots and random unnecessary connectors that needed attention.

I started the process by cleaning all the wires, and removing old adhesive. I sorted and straightened the wires then wrapped them at 4" intervals with electric tape to keep the wires in place.

Next I cut all the bare sections out and soldered them together. I covered each solder joint with waterproof shrink tube to prevent corrosion. I also shortened a few wires to gain better flow.

[N2TRUX]

In anticipation of this project I had ordered some split mesh loom from Keep it Clean wiring . Unfortunately I only got half of my order. As luck would have it, one size that didn't ship was one that was needed.

I used this split mesh loom on my 84 Sierra and really liked the results. We learned that best results are achieved by cutting with side cutters rather than scissors and burning the ends. Once it's installed and stretched smooth, I cover the end with electrical tape. I heat the tape to melt the glue and give it a more permanent seal.

Here's the "almost" finished loom.

[moneyeater]

Subscribed! Late but not to late! ;-)

[N2TRUX]

I got the correct Wilwood disc brakes stainless line from Summit Racing today. I managed to get one side mocked up before taking a break to watching the Olympics.
The only thing that gave me trouble are the U clips for the bulk head fittings. It's going to take a second set of hands to hold the fittings while fighting the clips in place.

[N2TRUX]

I tried to remove the metal clamp from the rubber line but it didnt want to cooperate so I decided to use nylon line clamps to keep it positioned properly instead. Once I check for binding issues I will align and tighten everything. I was pleased with the outcome so I called it a night and went in to watch Michael Phelps make history.

[aggie91]

I like the lines, they look like they fit well.

Michael Phelps is a beast! I stayed up to watch too. I cannot believe how much he has done at this Olympics at his age.

[N2TRUX]

Originally Posted by aggie91

I like the lines, they look like they fit well.

The first kit they sent had lines that were 14" long. They weren't even close, and didn't have the right fittings. In defense of Summit, the data base was wrong. The line kit I used has 22" lines. They fit just fine with maybe a little extra.

[Jaysonb]

I like the wire loom you are using. Just for reference, what size loom did you use for the tail light harness?

[N2TRUX]

Friday night and I have a date with a pretty southern lady named "Scarlett". My intentions were to install the brake lines on the drivers side. Everything was going as planned while I removed the components on the outside of the frame.

When I moved to the inside of the frame to take the bulkhead fitting off the plan changed. I know power the steering box is leaking, and I plan to address that once I get under the hood.

What I discovered was the inside rails were coated deep in an oily grunge that I couldn't work around.The fuel pump had been replaced but it was seeping at the lines so that side was filthy too.

[N2TRUX]

I dug out my arsenal of grunge removers, slipped on a pair of gloves and spent the evening jamming to some 90s rock.
Time ticked by as I worked my way through layers of oil, fuel, a red Georgia Clay with wire brushes followed by ScotchBrite. Once everything was clean I made a pass with sand paper on all the areas that had rust. After that a final wipe with solvent and inspection before calling it done.

Time to watch some volleyball.

[Desert1957]

I commend your patience, That type of time spent prepping sucks, but worth it in the end. Nice job.

Desert

[Palf70Step]

Nice work Ken!

[N2TRUX]

Originally Posted by Desert1957

I commend your patience, That type of time spent prepping sucks, but worth it in the end. Nice job.Desert

I actually find it therapeutic. I spend my day solving problems and dealing with work related issues. This allows me to clear my mind and see the results of my efforts quickly.
That's why I do it in small sections. I set an achievable goal, then work hard to accomplish that goal before I take on another task. I make it a point to allow time to clean up before I leave the shop. That gives me a sense of accomplishment to dwell on at night, and a clean work space to start fresh on my next task.

[LDO]

May I ask for the PN of the line kit that you finally received that worked? Also, did you have to drill any additional holes in the A-Arm for the nylon clamps?

[N2TRUX]

Chris came over early and we jumped right in. If you look a close at the front cross brace on the passenger side you can see it has a bend. I wanted to straighten it out but didn't want to drill the rivets to remove it. I ran several plans through my head, and finally decided to use a chain hoist.
I used my 16 Sierra reciever as an anchor point and pulled it out a bit. Unfortunately we couldn't get it completely straight yet since the truck is still on jack stands.
With that behind us we focused on cleaning more grunge and dirt off. We decided our cut off point for now was the crossmember. With it stripped clean we masked and painted everything.

[N2TRUX]

We gave everything a final wipe of solvent and blasted it down with multiple coats of satin black. It was time to let it cure and take a lunch break.