yeah, i was pretty skeptical too ... but i'd buy another in a heartbeat without ever thinking about the cost now. they are THAT nice in the shop, and even better off road.

got it up and working! love the light, but need to change some things around. also adding some extra detail.

i posted this in a FB 1st gen group and have been slammed with ppl wanted to buy one. i'm going to try and get the 3D printer files out there once updated for ppl to make their own.

https://i.imgur.com/R8YVP3N.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/tkp3OP6.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/OmP6q5J.jpg

Dude, that's great to hear...I cannot stomach the cost.

Of course, if I did get one I'd be lambasted for it...you, on the other hand, are commended :lol:

Nice buy, dude!!!

Dude, that lil deal is bad ass. Nice of you to provide the details for others to use...but damn, son, not everyone has a printer...so make some money - yo!

:rock:

you should keep the original stereo and use a bluetooth FM transmitter. New ones are really powerful. I did not have to change stations when I drove my f-250 from Montana to Minnesota. I'm almost considering swapping the OEM stereo back into my GMC because I hate the speaker they had to install to maintain the door / alert chime (as it comes through the factory stereo).

no, i'll be swapping out the radio for sure, this thing is wonky at best. the speakers were swapped at some point back in the day, but could be swapped again n re-wired this time.

thinking about doing it with a new dash maybe ... but we'll see.

https://classicdash.com/product/1981...-8-dash-panel/

https://classicdash.com/wp-content/u...31-600x450.jpg

Leave the heater box out and the turbo may heat the cab for you:lol:

while heat is nice ... AC is even better! ;)

been a bit and still love the truck, so that's a win! even sold the GMC for WAY too much money, so double win.

the heater blower stopped working so the last guy wired in a huge constant duty relay and janky wiring. while doing the heater core i saw that the heater blower resister was unplugged and wondered if on purpose or not. decided ot try it, wired it all back to factory, plugged it in, and everything works the way it should now! janky wiring trashed.

the front drive shaft has no needles in one cap in the joint at the axle, and the CV at the t-case is blown out. but the NP205 front output also has more play than i'd like, so it'll also get a rebuild kit this spring some time. but while i was inspecting all this, i also saw that the 2 bolts holding the trans mount to the cross member were loose. one missing the nut entirely, the other nut was 2 threads from falling off :james:

next major fix though is clutch hydro's. the master is leaking down and not giving me full travel. plus i guess a braided line helps get just a TAD more throw at the slave from less expansion. i also made an adjustable master push rod from the new one since the clutch pedal is a little lower than the brake and i could get a little more travel there too. if i can get just a weee bit more release this tranny should be much easier to shift.

but the biggest win was cleaning up the shop and organizing the 55. getting it back on it's own feet so i could toss it on some casters to get hank in the garage!! warm wrenching FTW

https://i.imgur.com/fvr70rD.jpg

oh, totally forgot i also bought another 12v :lol:

the nv4500 "swap kit" is for a buddy with a 96 who's auto is last legs.

so i've been having issues with the VE pump, basically cuz the truck is wicked up too much. First is the AFC (air fuel control) spring, it's WAY wrong leading to a lot of smoke and i assume extra turbo lag. i characterized the spring and ordered a selection of stiffer ones to hopefully fix the fuel map.

second, the pump will stall and just shut the engine off. with high boost comes high cylinder pressures, high enough that if i let off the throttle too fast it'll actually shove combustion back into the injectors and air lock them. the pump will shut down pressure faster than the cylinders and the poppet valves can't hold back enough pressure. easy fix, 3minutes to blead em and go again, but having to dead drift to the side of the road blows. if i let off slowly it's no issue, just a quick lift when trying to shift fast. the only fix for this is to swap on a P-Pump where this mechanically isn't possible. no clue when i'll finally swap it, but now i have the parts.

between not being able to let off the throttle quick, and the clutch needed to disengage more to shift easier, i actually spend more time shift than accelerating in a 0-60 run :lol: i believe the dyno numbers cuz she'll set you back in the seat when the turbo's light, but that's like these wee little glimpses of goodness.

https://i.imgur.com/PrFFuuj.jpg

:rock:

A solid looking garage line up

so i started to play real tuning games with the injection. at full 60psi boost the smoke cleaned up so i suspect the injectors are sized close to properly. my research also suggests that. i know they do still put out extra fuel though since i have a dyno run where they fogged the air filter with NOS and it did make more power. 501hp to be exact. now down low they are a bit big at min pump output so i think no matter what she'll fart if i bog it on a start or smash the throttle at low R's. however, the middle ground could use some work.

i was told it had the stock AFC (air fuel control) spring in it, so that would bring in full fuel by 18psi. this spring acts against a diaphragm driven by the boost psi to compensate fuel.
needless to say it smoked a lot, and was way over-fueled most of the time. well i bought a 0-700lb spring pressure tester and characterized the stock spring. then ordered 5 different springs with the same OD and height, but different spring constants. this should let me pick a nice rate of change. i can also tighten the pre-load to adjust where it starts moving.

my thought was if i'm running 3.75x more psi, and i wanted the same travel in the diaphragm, i needed a 3.75x stiffer spring rate. functionally i don't think that's working though because of the minimum preload and stopping too much fuel down low. first test was the stiffest spring i got, and i couldn't quite get to full boost, so fueling seams limited up top. basically can't get the fuel to get the boost to move the diaphragm for more fuel. :lol: and that's with minimum preload. next spring is a mid range stiffness with more preload to start ... stay tuned.

Interesting stuff. This might be one of the more in-depth dives into 12v 'tuning' I've seen, especially on the rotary pump engines.

For the p-pump engine, have you considered one of those adjustable fuel plates, so you can dial up the fuel when you want power but can dial it down to reduce smoke and gain fuel efficiency? I can't recall who makes them but it basically slides back and forth with an adjustment knob of some sort.

the tuning logic is similar between the pumps, but the mods to gain min/max fueling are different, and obviously different parts. the P-Pump has a much wider range of operation to make all this easier, so i'll just start over at some point when i swap it.

the "in cab tuners" are way over priced to me. the big name, AFC live, is just a little box to modify the boost reference signal into the pump. an adjustable psi regulator, an orifice valve, and a bypass switch. basically set max fuel by lowering the max boost it see's, and the rate that fuel comes in by slowing the signal. the other is just basically an adjustable throttle stop inside the pump, again limiting max fuel. i'm going to build my own "AFC live" into the 55 for way cheaper. they are supposed to make a high HP setup easier to street daily.

the springs n screws still gota be set right in the pump though, these signal mods only fine tune that in one direction. something like the orifice might help mpg in the city, but you might be able to spool faster with more fuel for towing. not sure, still learning that part.

Once you're into the smoke, more fuel is just a waste. Just keep that in mind as you are playing with it.

overfuel means you need a bigger turbo right?

He's already got two :lol:.

He says it cleans up under full boost so I think peak fueling is appropriate for the turbo configuration. Just needs to tune up the other areas.

:lol: :lol:

Duramax. Cheap. Reliable. Ha!

My dad had an LBZ swapped Suburban and that thing was a nightmare. He had to deal with problematic injectors, fuel filter head, and injector return lines before giving up and sending it back to the builder. None of that should have had to do with the swap. The drivetrain had just over 100k miles allegedly.

What planet do you live on that anything associated with a Duramax is cheap???

You dare question wrath's knowledge of such things - prepare to be schooled :lol:

i started looking for a stock truck to ruin on my own, but this ultimately is a faster learning curve and more fun. :lol:

the weather turned sh!t again so i can't get enough traction to test for full boost. i think i still need to tighten up the AFC pre-load, but we'll see. i might never be able to get no smoke ever, but i'm now to the point that only the hippies would be mad.

Right :roflmao:

I think even duramax guys don’t make those claims

oh man, so much better!!

first try was the 125lb spring, minimum preload. smoke down low was greatly reduced, but couldn't get full boost so i wasn't getting full fuel.

next was 90lb spring with 1.5 turns preload. touch more down low smoke than the 125, but got full fuel. added another turn of preload, similar or less low smoke but still not as little as the 125, but now i was getting full fuel.

119lb goes in with 1 turn preload. matched the minimum low smoke yet, and i can get to basically full fuel.

it drives WAY better now. the engine rev's happier to 3500, sounds better doing it, smoother, no smoke past the fart-on-go. boost comes in quicker and at lower throttle, i can actually hear the turbo's in normal driving!

i think ideal i would get a different fuel pin profile, but they are like $90 and that's a little bit much to just try. going to see if i can find a used one ...

not sure i posted it, but the new master cylinder is better. and the adjustable pushrod i made along with the braided stainless line were also well worth the upgrade. got the front CV driveshaft all rebuilt and tight, that was a messy pain but worth it. the drivability keeps getting better.

next big thing is dialing in the tire PSI and new adjustable shocks to match the springs. see if i can get this thing to settle down a bit on these older secondary roads.

Sounds like decent progress!

well, had a run-away with the 12V!

not bad, and i was ready for it, but happened. so i finally decided to start messing with the main fuel screw, and everyone cautions that if you go too far the pump will run away. so you pop off the charge pipe and have a board ready to snuff the air. i started turning and sure as ****, wife started it, idled ok, she rev'd it and it kept going after she let off. backed off a little and it would not accell, but crazy float it's way back down. so a little further back, comes down to idle ok, we'll call that max fueling!

the VE pump just really isn't capable of high end fueling ... i think i fixed the stalling issue letting out of the throttle at high power, but i just don't think it can push the fuel up there. so i'm back to wanting to P7100 swap it and be able to turn both trucks from the same learnings and spare parts.

what a weekend, damn.

started off with stripping old junk wiring. the old gauges had a bunch even thought they were all mechanical, the old brake controller, some other random junk under the dash, more random junk from under the hood, 2 switches in the dash that weren't hooked up, plus the old sub amp. that learning and being careful took a while, plus tracing the wires. found the old brake controller didn't work cuz the wires were cut off the plug at the hitch and just taped up. :james:

pulling the amp turned out to be amazing, all cuz i had to pull the seat. it not only got me a cubby under the seat, but if you look there are 6 holes in the bracket, the rear most 2 aren't used. so i drilled 2 new fwd holes and bolted the seat back in 2-1/8" further back!! the bracket is sloped and rounded so it tipped back slightly, got lower, and after a few washers on the front for a touch more recline is awesome. this is WAY more comfortable to drive now.

the new gauge is a 3-in-one and all read the same as the old 3, so that's good to know. but the real win is the viability and cleaning it up. windshield isn't blocked by the a-pillar pods, and my speedo isn't blocked by the column pod. i also only have to look at one place to get all 3 metrics and the tach vs up and down and all over to get em. only thing the new placement blocks is my view of the hood. one funny thing was they gave me a 60psi sender and a 120psi sender. well with 15psi fuel and 60psi boost it was easy to pick what went where. too bad that was backwards of the gauge set up so my fuel read double and the boost half. had to switch the wires at the gauge and since you can't change anything but back color my fuel is now labeled 'BOOST', boost is labeled 'PSI'. whatever, it works.

installing the fuel sender got interesting though. had to install a spacer cuz the sender totally locked out my throttle linkage. even with the tiny spacer it's like 0.5mm from hitting! i had to clock it just right.

so time for a test drive ... dash back lighting doesn't work, radio doesn't come on, no cig lighter to charge the phone, and the heater blower doesn't work. wtf did i break?!?! turns out when i pulled all the fuse taps the previous owners had they were too loose to make contact! had to tighten 3 different fuse receptacles in the block. now i'm down to only the heater blower not working ... it was colt this morning. in the process of trouble shooting i spent a little time with the truck in RUN but not on, as little as possible cuz the buzzer is intense. only to find that the injections pump is leaking fuel pretty bad around the throttle linkage, enough it made a puddle. easy enough fix to just replace the o-ring, fairly common, but more work to do.

next the P3 brake controller gets wired in, new rear shocks to match the new front, and the load bags for the back. gota be ready for towing season soon! even the deer are anxious for me to finish, they checked on me.

https://i.imgur.com/RGjFjVb.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/2PTKYL1.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/mTyNq6d.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/zOYR0h0.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/E70iiTY.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/CAEAz2R.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/bshqw2K.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/dyhH9ux.jpg

those are on the other side of the porch :james:

got some more nice-to-have's installed, worked out great.

https://i.imgur.com/7lfQqW2.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/MsrpaU6.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/MLU9lmx.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/L8BVI4p.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/cIE1cgy.jpg

aannnddd ... kerfukkled

https://i.imgur.com/WzRFuUN.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/xMm4Jw0.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/B3zSgcr.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/MgzulNx.jpg

Whoa. That doesn't look good!

i didn't read the fine print, the bold print, or even look at the pictures :lol:

so i got the stub kit cuz i thought mine was SUPER blown out, just ordered what was available. turns out my stick was RTV'd to the stick-side stub and that sleeve is super wallowed out. this would be the source of my sloppy, wet noodle feeling shift. after reading up on both styles, i think i'll re-use the bolt-on stub, the stick stub bolted to it, and then weld on a whole new stick bent to perfection for my hand.

https://i.imgur.com/bPZ7zlD.jpg

so i really like this transmission, it's nice n easy to tear down n work on. no special tools, not even a press was needed. all new now and ready for another 337,000 miles. this trans had not been rebuilt before, i was without question breaking the factory sealer for the first time. so either this is a 337,000 miles trans, or some previous owner had a factory new trans swapped in. the PTO covers had obviously been off at some point, but that was it. it also had what looked like 337,000 miles of diesel oil and road grim built on up on it. there has to be 3 clutches worth of friction material built up inside the bell housing! :lol:

and the freaking deer are back :james: i filled the bird feeder and within 10minutes the turkey were there eating everything i spilled. not 5 minutes later and the deer are chasing off the turkey to stick their tongue in the feeder to eat the seed. i mean, COME ON!

https://i.imgur.com/xgrNmVc.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/BYpwIqo.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/jcUIZwx.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/JxFh7II.jpg

That is the getrag unit right? Not a NV4500 that was swapped in?

Kinda cool that they're so easy to rebuild.

YUP! Getrag G360 basically the same gear spread as a 4500, and the same strength. only thing i can find was that the 4500 being more widely used was cheaper for the 2nd gen trucks. there is ZERO reason to swap to a 4500 that i can tell. just the internet running around yelling about it being amazing! ... cuz swapping a new trans in place of a ragged out something that needs rebuilt will always feel/shift better, thanks captain obvious.

i mean, there were steps that you could have used a press for getting things apart or back together. but when you can just tap things with a tiny 6" handled light hammer, it's just 1000x easier.

So when the cheap PTO cover trans cooler things don't say they are for a G360, I guess they mean it! Nothing a little bit of work from a carbide burr couldn't handle, bolted right up nice after. you also can't use the 3/8 bolts in the kit, the G360 was M10, go figure. seamed like a good plan before hauling heavy since i just rebuilt the trans and needed to change the break-in fluid out anyways.

https://i.imgur.com/zNljR6l.jpg

What is going to be your first major haul with the truck?

Towed pretty great! got 11mpg at 70+ with the 9000lb-ish 28ft enclosed. that's what my GMC got empty.

https://i.imgur.com/8pFG0dz.jpg

Oh, didn't realize the trip was done already. Very nice! Yeah, my '06 got 12-13 on my way home from Phoenix. Oh well! I am not looking at owning another diesel anytime soon...prices are out of control right now :lol:

I got 10 mpg in a direct headwind of 25mph...15 mpg when I was cruising in decent weather going 75+

Love this thing - but it's no fullsize :p

https://scontent.ffcm1-2.fna.fbcdn.n...1w&oe=626D321C

That Ram is pimp as hell!!!

10mph isnt bad in a headwind for that towing!

We had a 45mph headwind with 60mph gusts for about 3 hours across Idaho...I was getting 6-7mpg, that was nuts. Normally, towing the JK (3K lb trailer, 6K lb JKU) I'm averaging 12.2.