barry G's 1996 gmc 4x4 5spd

barry G · February 2, 2016

My 98 spent it's whole life in Bangor until the last 6 months. It now sits in my driveway in southern Maine until I can get it inspected. I keep checking your build page for updates.

I just went through for first inspection yesterday. One year this month. Doing great.

I spoke up about not being content with my own check on ball joints. My mind was still in the old version of coil springs or leafs...as those get side to side checks only.

sure enough, the up down test was horrifying. It looked like a whole american inch in slop..

I bet the lower one, its broken completely.

oh my god.

So, scheduled right away for some new moog upper and lower passenger sid. Driver side is like new, no slop at all.

That will be done this week...and the new sticker for 2016-17.

Being this goes down the road very nice already, the new balljonts are just going to add to it.

Total price for balljoints on this torsion truck is $280. Alignment is optional, as the upper arms does not get removed. All alignments stay as they are. Simply tightening ball joints to new is the job.

For trucks that get new upper arms, those need a full alignment, not just a check. I'll go for a check just for something to do. I got a free one at sears I never used.

I also got away with an open seam on purpose for the right rear cab corner. Previous owner did this for chemistry that must have been in one of the trays or a tool box in the cab.. it invaded the right rear of new cab corners. They did not want that sealed yet.

So, legally, that can indeed be left alone. Learning something all the time. On a unibody car or truck...there is no allowance for openings. This one can be let go for as long as needed. Should be ready this summer, I'll only simulate factory appearance, but leave a custom vent welded in.

Edited February 2, 2016 by barry G

barry G · February 5, 2016

inspected, new balljoints

got the job done today. upper and lower passenger side.. new inspection sticker included: $262.00

I kept the old ones..the lower one was very bad. I admit my welding does something to the whole truck, I have an atomic approach before during and after. I may have shrunk it in other words.. that is all I am going to say.

balljoints are the only thing I do not do at home. I have even smashed tractor trailer yokes out and placed in new ones...ready for 2100 ft lbs. again.

but balljoints? They just simply make me nervous.

The mechanic is very cool, I lived next to the garage for 7 years. He always banged a chevy around to keep the driveway clear.

He knows balljoints.. plow smashing the crap out of everything in the front year after year.

My truck has never had one.

He found the top balljoint was in very good shape, in fact he said it had been swapped not all that long ago.

He insisted on replacing in pairs, moog upper and lower. I understood. I do the same for rotors and brake drums.

So, for this summer, it is simply making prettier, and maybe some custom welds for tire crossmember/tails. Frame is very good.

making use of "myCarfax" continuously..added the balljoint entry, and the garage that did the work.

Edited February 5, 2016 by barry G

barry G · March 3, 2016

some electrical updates

bought a third brake light assembly complete.. all red. I may wire cargo light switch to something else. The oem cargo light, even on a modern wonder of LED super lumens well beyond the old 194..

Still worthless. Not sure what the factory intention was. Does not even light up the cargo area.

So, I liked the all red instead.

I can see it like a third brake. Maybe add cargo light switch to parking or something.

I also sprung the alternator..this means bearings is good, proper amps, just rumbled a phase. This was triggered by playing with the third brake light for the last time. I had new light bulbs (led) I wanted to try.

My decision to get a whole led assembly for that reason. Something bleeds too much up there at the back of the roof.

The LED is an ongoing experiment. I do not share the whole pile here at the forum. I have lots of different ones. A couple of dollars at a time at ebay. Well worth the experiments.

That should complete the lights. I will play with lumens values up front, but really like how this is now.

I also sprung alternator to a new heater motor, almost a year ago. Sensitive gadgetry inside. I then learned they had a 20A mosfet field transistor...even in 1996. So that explained that.

I bought another alternator, brand new, not remanned. Even though the chattering sprung one will calm down again. I live rural enough where I cannot just pull into a parts store and swap in the parking lot.. a battery would not make it the miles to get to the store. I learned this years ago, like a grandpa carburator story, 10 below in the sun with a 40mph northwest wind...wondering if we would live to make it.

So, like my 10 geared arctic subaru, I keep the darndest things in the car when thinking of rural travel. I will keep the old one in a bin under the back seat.

Another thing to take note, like the fuel pumps and lights, and tires...

Some modern changes are worth a brand new purchase, not remanned or recycled. The alternators have mosfet updates, well beyond 1996. Diode materials for the rectifier, etc..I am hoping the one I just got has a "ts16949" stamp on it someplace , that is a modern manufacture standard. Much better than iso 9001.

an update on the error..

it is either a resistor bothering an oscillation, or the oscillation itself. Time for a new one anyway. It says remanned ac delco on a sticker. It is a part that used to be a rock, simply rebuild. But from obd2 (1996) onward, better off new.

I can still rebuild old ones. Was a common chore. I learned enough to daydream of the CMOS version not out for public use yet. That will be a nice one. The 96 is precise enough to keep a good body to 350k miles. Good stuff. Could not be much better. Any mosfet version is smart, a cmos would only be an extra.

This one alternator went from buried full load outright short to a trailer brake, and 40 amps in parking lights, broken sockets bleeding..

to not only fixed back to normal, but another 40 amps lower than factory. That is very dynamical. I woud normally expect a battery negative break before an alternator..but that is the way of the electrons. this is my first swap to an electronic alternator failing, versus old chunk problems like bearings or brushes.

Only paid 60 for an all new one. Someone out there in overhead land knows new is the better way.

tha babble of the new standard

ts16949

I got real serious after getting lit by a 50 year old plane, and then my subaru.. it never ended.

I had a need to conquer alternators. I may be a slightly nuclear veteran..but hey. The battle goes on.

ts16949 allows for changes away from origin. The two parts old and new will look identical. Inside may be stuff upgraded to -55c to 125 above instead of the old 40 below. Stuff like that.

I also found the exact company from china (I think) via the interchange part number. As makers give their own business name for the part number, the origin gets tricky. America does that a lot.

this parts player alternator appears to be a "Lester", or whatever.

made by Shanghai Haorui Enterprise Co.,Ltd..

and it is also a ts16949 compliant builder.

I simply look for the new standard. All good. better than new.

Edited March 3, 2016 by barry G

barry G · March 6, 2016

third brake led

found one led third brake cheap, $24.98. It revealed an error. It is somehow interacting with interior lights. I found oem did that too.

No reason. I finsished the old one off with led bulbs from ebay...helped it some.

this is what the oem looks like after a couple of fires and 20 years.

deciphered the wiring of the ne wone. The yellow had no purpose. Snipped and put it back in. Now cargo light can be used any time via the switch. It stopped interacting with interior dome.

I bought the all red one.I wanted to use cargo as parking. The all red lense needs some black trim. will add some paint. I also found this is smaller than factory, fits tighter to cab... two less screws asking for lightning.

As the welder, I was looking for signals of change in the roof... dimples of cool steel. these roofs have no major beams. I use this to tell me the symmetry..

those showed up today. First evening after install. The old light is proven to stay warm at all times. Now it is cool. Interior lights left alone.

The alternator (due in tomorrow) will be swapped fresh. I dropped so many amps the armature on the old one is spinning on the shaft.

that is the last monster.

the next day...

did not like the bling. the light looked like it was on fire in the sun.

I had some 2 inch heatshrink tube.

much better.

this also sealed it even more. I added the seal that came with it back on.. now installed. Looks good.

Will tidy it up this summer. I am liking the diesel bumpers with air holes. May get one.

As it was, the cold starts for this was very feisty. rocked the truck sometimes.

It is now even bigger.

my curiosity for a run at epping, NH is more than ever. I grew up with these 305/350. Built my own, killed my own. I ran more than one with 58cc chambers (insane). 1970s junk onward. from 74 chevelle, to 4 g-bodys of the 80s. I have stretched wheel bases to a G-body after a sustained run of 155mph.

Hardly a bad ass...

I am getting to the point.

This one is at least 300-330 at the wheels, torque line the same. The slippery manual is the .25 mile time. It is comical.

In cold weather, I stop at half throttle, I could blow the guts out of it.

kids and junk piles. They could be making them piles a lot smaller. Save an L30/31 today.

This is close to modern..the first multiport. I was stunned to realize some of the opinions. Bizarre.

Needs education I guess.

speaking of modern. this one with mosfet alternator, does not make use of the old clutch fan like the carb trucks, and old alternators. Will swap to electric fan, thermal automatic switch. Just another extra, give it a little bit more..

Not much else to do. Try to keep the miles down.. I could drive the pants off this thing.

Edited March 6, 2016 by barry G

barry G · March 9, 2016

new alternator

installed new one and dissected old one.

seems to have been hit by lightning. the bearing is welded siezed, carbon black. Normally shiny. It was running perfect just one day prior. These alts have a peculiar low freq whistle. I like it. Tells me its content. I knew something was wrong the second I started. It rumbled like bad bushings in a heater motor.

The back half is already bored out by somebodies rebuild. Spaced by somebodies rubber spacer for outer race of the bearing that siezed.I have a spare bearing, even brushes.. soldering gun. I rebuilt my own many times.

But this one..in the garbage this goes.

This is a remanned ac delco. I have yet to find a healthy copper ring for the brushes in rebuilt alternators..any car make or model.

I go new for many reasons.

I also found only one update by eyeball in the new one. The front spacer, normally a chunk of rusting iron washer. The new one has something specially shaped with an air gap and spacer at the same time. Must be cooler, and rust inhibited. Clever... and shiny.

That is all I found. All else looks like the old one.

away it went.

I do not like the design, but did see it is 4 wire. something modern does happen for this.. just the design. I do not like it. I may find a cs140, if they come down below 400 bucks that is.

Edited March 9, 2016 by barry G

barry G · March 11, 2016

I did find the error on the old alternator.

A bleed after shutdown accepted a zap across the parking lot.

outside automatic lamps seems to be the monster.

the factors were running beautiful before shutdown, no slop, nothing strange.

I did blip the volt gauge a few times in the past year, but obvious stuff about errors never revealed.

This one should go much longer.

I also found that the cs130 alternators range from 80 amps to 105. I have the real 105 amp now, and it is noticable.

I bet this manual tranny got the little 80..as less power is needed.

This was cared for by gm dealers, and later a technician that worked trucks more than anything. Quite exacting. I stay just as friendly..right down to any clips or holders, make things as tidy as factory.

Except for plug wires. Now at 8.8mm.. the facotry clips do not work.

I did see a trick by david freiburger on roadkill garage..with zip ties. Going to use it.

Upgrade anything that can be,

I like this aging truck.

As for the function I was looking for..

the fourth wire...the whole plug is in use, unlike the hot rodders who hack these back to 2 wires.

this alternator has a refined volt control at 400 pulses a second. The whole thing is in modern use. Today is not any smarter..

this must mean there is a mosfet someplace. I am assuming ECU. Quite content.

Explains body longevity as well.

Edited March 11, 2016 by barry G

barry G · March 23, 2016

spring snow

could not ask for a better time for this snow. Cold clean heavy air, roads do not uitilize salt anymore.

I still find a dirt road, lucky to be by myself.

The old alternator was indeed bleeding something. The new one has a refined load, it almost feels like a stiffer throttle like the old carbs used to get, after fresh amps. Any errors found in the rear left steel was related.

The middle sill under bed is quite flat now on a truck that goes straight into 120+ mph. I am tempted to add two more bolts, like a fifth wheel install would use..the span between the leafs, at the bed underside.

Might not. My goal is a flexing animal gm created. This is a sport model with 1420 pound springs... I stiffened it up by a lot, no desire to go 1 ton on a fun truck. The forgiveness allows me to stay in 2wd in the darndest places. The grip on main roads leaves starts from stops in the city with tires planted, not to annoy anyone.

looking over summer chores of finishing off the beast underneath at the cross sill area, rear left shock...

this went much easier than the already good purchase price. (the price was low to doubting some steel upon inspections at a dealer).

I go for density, and guessing moves..and then final. This truck is the same as anything I have tackled. Density in place, the gains happened as expected.

Just 1 year now owning it.

The dirt road also tells me how cab mounts being poly and twists and ruts can bang things or creak. Add some chores if need be after testing it out.

Needs nothing.

The cold hides the summer squash...the steel must be real.

Not even the 200 pound doors creak.

Win.

I also got a shot of the third brake. I wanted the cargo lamp to be parking lights, and something to flicker at rigs that flash me back over into the slow lane. I was hauling a subaru the first time..

had no easy way to flash back out of courtesy.

To do:

Aside from a spare off a junked 96 (full factory alloy wheel), I found the bus muffler has to go. Same as all my v8s here.. I blame the perforated piping inside. The cold heavy air finds it the most.. almost like being clogged.

I did some research to decide on a flowmaster 50. The old iron has a unique sound with the performance mufflers. The 50 series are 17 inch bodies, and built to have no resonance in the cab.

between that and the stick shift that allows engine braking.. crackling sounds off throttle is something I did not want either.

the 50 series stays good.

Edited March 23, 2016 by barry G

barry G · March 29, 2016

alternator cover

worth a post. Did not decipher what killed a perfectly working alternator..

aside from an older iron washer that rusted as the spacer in the front cover, and a slip ring that was very worn being a rebuilt alternator.

I got looking at the new one in the sun and spotted the hood liner above...looked like a salt streak of old wet. The thoughts on the rusty spacer inside the alternator..

made a simple cover. This should refine the slow and big amp for computing as well. this one is controlled by ecu I presume.. all 4 wires are in use by factory.

this also squeezes some air to rectifier in the back of alternator.

I'd swear there was a cover on some of these models..

searched around for a cs130D cover, only finds the back one.

I decided I do not like this alternator at all, and I believe one more bearing is needed in the very back end.

No choices until changing the front accessory brackets. I will make it work...and it is modern and updated. Worth a try, from brand new, not rebuilt.

my locale with fog, freezing rain slush ice and snow at 80mph on I-95 did not help it much either. It died one day after such weather, after shutdown. Welded the rear bearing seized. Chattering was the clue on the next cold start. No signs of anything before then.

a closer research on flowmaster 50.

this one does the fat body version, not the delta. Being quiet is a must do. Getting away from perforations that do crazy things here..

I got it down to $127 delivered. About as good as I could do.

Edited March 29, 2016 by barry G

barry G · April 7, 2016

flowmaster 50 #53058

part number is for reference. the fat 50.. not the delta.

got this today and installed.

All welded.

sounds like a modern truck..but rowing through the gears.

fuel is freakishly up a solid 5+ mpg.

that was the reason for a muffler, my old one had a problem.

full of soot, threw it in the trash trailer...looked like new from the outside. As it turned out the back exit was broke inside and never leaked. I cut the front pipe and muffler fell to the ground. Less work for me.

Very nice sound.

I was working in afternoon hours and even the south wind is cold on this record breaking day . My town hit 12F.

it is now snowing.. just in time for the next 5 days of slop.

Will get a sound recording, as most focus on the newer vortec.

This literally would confuse you if you closed your eyes and heard this coming..

you would think it was a 5.3..with an extra peculiar...

there is an extra unique sound with throttle in the middle of the intake, instead of the end, like today. The resonate cancel part of the flowmaster really goes to work on this 305 with a turbine low freq whistle heading towards max torque under load (2800). Very smart muffler.

There is no thinking about noise pulling into quiet kept places either.

I got the fat 50 for towing and silence.. I am not out for noise, I am out for proper fuel.

Edited April 7, 2016 by barry G

barry G · April 10, 2016

went for a joy ride.

I have not done anything relaxing since I got it...more than a year now.

double checked muffler, finished it off with some welds on a nicer day...

wanted to climb the crazy hills to the maine coast.

never had to downshift... took it to 1550 and 55mph for some of them.

if you are unfamilar with the bar harbor coast ride.. it is quite fun. Needs a good powerful vehicle.

I also like the good vibes this truck has for little cars that are in a hurry.

Most assume just a truck and do not hesitate to pass. I could take out a whole line in a speed versus hillclimb..

not intimidating anybody to stay at the limits instead. That made me feel good.

Does not intimidate like a race car would. I have had my share of home built races for no reason just by sight of what I was driving...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6jP_nQLXN0c

made a video, simply so..

my first joy ride in the no bullcrap truck.

hauled a heavy wood shelf that day too, for a relative.

the flowmaster leaves bar harbor windows alone, and false teeth from falling into a rattling cup of tea.

quiet town, a gentle bass drum truck coming through.

I like the flowmaster with the 5 inch body, very mature.

I stole the song (in my music folder since 2001), and drove on the beach. Two things I am not supposed to do..

I must be a badass.

I had been self conscious of noise since my uncles (recently died) lobster boat, and a friends 327 truck. We used to be at the dock occasionally.

the boat is fun for tourists. I pulled it in myself one day, thick fog. The noise of the 6 cyl diesel and straight pipe to the sky was welcome purpose.

the high comp 327 truck wasn't.

the real lobster days are gone.. glad to have took part for a short time in the 80s, before gulf war 1 took me over.

the road with the windows right on the street, very annoying if the wrong noise hits them.

flowmaster 50 suv, 5 inch body.. two thumbs up. Not sure of the thin 4 inch body muffler versions by flowmaster, from the videos I have found.. I can tell they are pushing boundaries. The "fat 50" is a good one however.

Edited April 10, 2016 by barry G

barry G · April 13, 2016

flowmaster suv 50

made a video for the sound clip.

since new alternator, the low end is much bigger, the exhaust added to it even more.

I do not go much past 2500rpm .. ever.

Edited April 13, 2016 by barry G

Gmcmainiac · April 22, 2016

That sounds great!

barry G · April 22, 2016

That sounds great!

I was glad it came out alright, I have to back into a quiet place.

Hills everywhere I go.

Went thumping through the woods the other day..

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_TENOMphB0I

a new thing I found is the rear diff cover may be an original 351k miles piece.

the original sale has rear work done...

but the cover.

seems there is a hole in the middle of the cover..

not dripping, but I can picture the ring gear slewing oil behind it...

will get a photo when I swap it.

not a common sight.

I'll add synthetic, maybe weld the cover on my own.

that is something I remember about these..

may not have high miles, debris can munch the cover as well.

I'll clean it up good.

Edited April 22, 2016 by barry G

barry G · May 9, 2016

finishing the rockers

I have before photos, but these two above are the final, the last tiny scabs finished off with stainless.

welded, napa urethane for the seal.

This was even more responsive than my old subarus with rocker repairs..

road noise down, engine is bigger.

I wanted fat rockers to stop the 70 miles at 70 miles an hour of slush and road goo from the winters, got the bulk of it done last year.

just getting little things now, for the finale.

My locale likes these as factory, even static values change for a bigger runtime.

A Maine physics thing, no one wants to hear about it...I only lived it with every vehicle I have ever owned.

bizarre.

I know this rocker design with the door edges hanging into the willy wags is about the only body problem for these years..aside from sheet metal cross sills...and those rotting rubber water suckers called cab mounts.

these rockers are full wrapped, stainless. Square tubing is the skeleton that makes them stick out.

in previous posts there is more details.

doing awesome. I love rowing the gears.

Edited May 9, 2016 by barry G

barry G · May 27, 2016

a/c evacuate and refill

ebay pump and guages and hoses

100 dollars.

why not.

I was going to have this done by a pro, and realized I will be doing more work eventually..the condensor looks old for example, banged up, even twisted.

the response for just a hack fill and adding oil was very promising, after the new pump. I found it hung on all winter, even with an old air bubble in it.

so I'll evacuate the system on my own.. choosing brand name of refill.

I found a very helpful video on you tube as well by eric the car guy.

I liked the idea of it. Being rural.. if any mistakes arise, I even have a generator that can run the pump. I can pull away from any populus place.

I have broken all my vehicles a/c... the last straw seems to be a big bug on some high mile condensor. the woods is great for bugs...and even pebbles.

This truck is the warmest cabin I have ever run. 78F outside is a 116F cab.. it only gets hotter from there. My version of rockers helped alot, and just getting a/c getting going at all was a big deal to drivability.

Will post how it goes.

Edited May 27, 2016 by barry G