Markeb01 Build Thread

[markeb01]

No we didn't have to drop the tranny pan as my Lokar cable doesn't have the locking feature. Those have a nut attached to the bottom where the cable inserts into the trans and mine does not have that feature.

[markeb01]

My son came over this morning and got the dipstick tube stuffed into the transmission, after which I fired up the engine while he took a look for leaks. It turns out the major leak wasn't at the dipstick tube, it's coming from the lower transmission cooler line right at the transmission. So in a few days when it heats up a bit better, I'll fabricate a new hard line and finally get this thing back on the road!

[Indian113]

What a Bummer! The good thing is I think you have your problem nailed down. Anxious to see pics of you driving that beautiful truck again.

[markeb01]

My son came back over this morning, and replaced the leaking 3/8" steel tube coming out of the transmission. It turned out I had the wrong fitting screwed into another one that was smaller that apparently came in the trans. I was really surprised, because two fittings came with the transmission designed for 38" tubing, and they wouldn't fit in the tranny outlets (too big). But I found one that fit perfectly, and ran a new piece of 300 psi hose to the oil cooler, and now everything is leak free!

After lunch I'm going to pull the truck out into the driveway and spend some time cleaning up the oily mess on the garage floor, and then we'll be heading out for a test drive!!!

[Corts60]

Very nice Mark! I'm sure it will be fun to drive.

[350TacoZilla]

Great to hear that man! I hope it goes good for ya and you can start putting the miles on it lol.

[markeb01]

My wife and I went for a trip around the block today, and the truck worked perfectly. The transmission shifted up and down perfectly, the engine ran smooth, and we didn't have another drop of leakage! Tomorrow I'll try and capture some video after I get a few more goodies attached (like the center console, the shifter boot, and tighten up the inboard seat belt ends. We're now back in service and looking forward to putting some serious miles on it soon!

[0ldSoul]

Originally Posted by markeb01

My wife and I went for a trip around the block today, and the truck worked perfectly. The transmission shifted up and down perfectly, the engine ran smooth, and we didn't have another drop of leakage! Tomorrow I'll try and capture some video after I get a few more goodies attached (like the center console, the shifter boot, and tighten up the inboard seat belt ends. We're now back in service and looking forward to putting some serious miles on it soon!

Awesome! Love the truck, looks great!!

[cwcarpenter98]

Heck yeah man, that's great to hear!

[Palf70Step]

Great news. Looking forward to seeing the video/pics.

[realvc]

Congrats. all around. So glad to hear your truck is back in action.
I'm looking forward to the video update too.

[likaroc13]

Congrats Mark! I know it has to feel great to be cruising again.

[markeb01]

Well I had to invite my son over one more time yesterday to fiddle with the shifter adjustment again at the transmission. It turned out the two fittings at the tranny level were not tight enough, and the shift rod was 1/4" too long. So he sliced it to the correct length, tightened everything back up, and now it shifts perfectly and locks in low gear when chosen. I've also had trouble with the "performance" shift knob adapter and tried fixing it with blue Loctite, which hasn't really worked all that well. So my son has the other adapter in his truck (which turns out to be much nicer, so I ordered one yesterday morning). It's scheduled to arrive tomorrow, and can use any 3/8x16 shift knob, so I'll be reinstalling my solid 2" chrome knob I previously had mounted on the Hurst 4 speed shifter. Here are what the two different adapters look like. The new version works by simply pushing straight down on the knob (no squeezing/lifting required).

[pdxhall]

HI Mark. I have that adapter for my Lokar shifter. It works but I'm having a tough time getting it all adjusted correctly.

[markeb01]

The shifter adapter showed up a day late, and I jumped right in to getting it installed. It ended up only taking about 4 hours to get it done! It came with two stainless steel set screws that were bored all the way through. And neither one would start in either hole on the adapter. After spending a couple of hours getting no where, it occurred to me that I still had the solid steel set screws from the performance adapter, so I managed to force them in and get the threads opened up. Afterwards I pulled the steel versions back out and installed the stainless versions. Unfortunately, it took a while to figure out the adapter wasn't going down far enough on the shifter shaft and the set screws just fell out inside the adapter.

Eventually it dawned on me the nut under the adapter was holding it up too high, so I switched to a short height nut that I had left over from the 4 speed knob. Finally it came to me that the adapter probably had to slip down over the jam nut, so I switched back to the original, only to find that the adapter wouldn't fit over the outside diameter of the tiny rounded nut. So I next threaded it onto a 3/8x24 bolt and ground down the round part (twice) until the adapter would finally slide over it.

With all that in place, I read the directions again and they stated the knob adapter should be installed with the alan wrench opening down inside the adapter (which would leave no mean to adjust it). So it turned it over with the wrench opening facing up, adjusted it until it touched the inner cable, and threaded on the old knob. Here's a photo of the final assembly, the the parts photo showing what came in the kit.

So we took it out for a spin, and man it works beautifully, it locks in park and neutral, and holds in every gear including low! Man it's nice to have to the truck back in service!!

[realvc]

Glad to hear you got it all taken care of and that the test drive went well.
I have had to deal with things like your shift knob set up before. Simple jobs can swarm and become one major pain.
Knowing you and your truck are back on the road is great news.

[Indian113]

Like my OL Pal Willie sang- On The Road Again! Great News Mark

[Palf70Step]

[markeb01]

Well I finally discovered that Grant makes a steering wheel the same color and metalflake content as my dark blue shift knob. It's model number 8466. I first saw it on ebay, so I went of to Summit Racing and found the same wheel for less money. So I picked one up, and repainted the GMC emblem on the glove box dark metallic blue to match. I'll post a pic of that later on. Here's the wheel and knob together:

[markeb01]

The blue Mooneyes wheel I had used was so light colored it was almost transparent and I wasn't all that happy with it.

[cwcarpenter98]

Man, I love that blue. Perfect match in my opinion to break up the all black and chrome a bit

[likaroc13]

Dig the new, blue steering wheel! Blue is my favorite color though.

[Captainfab]

It is with great sadness that I make this post.

https://www.hennesseyvalley.com/trib...wq_stn7lBOJ-bI

[likaroc13]

Originally Posted by Captainfab

It is with great sadness that I make this post

Thanks for sharing Captainfab. Unfortunately I’m late to the news. I was randomly checking my “Junk” email when I came across a couple thread notifications that snuck in there. I wondered what Mark was up to now, as we all know that followed him that he was always changing things to his liking. I’m so sad to hear of his passing. I always enjoyed following this thread over the years. I too, like some others have mentioned, will be carrying a piece of Mark with me on my truck. He was kind enough to gift me a pair of factory-style mirrors after changing his. I also made a post asking about emblems for a wall art project we were making for my little boy’s room, and he donated a GMC emblem that we used. My prayers go out to all family and friends. He will be very much missed.

[awbrown]

So sorry to hear this , I too enjoyed his threads , he will be missed....