Been spending alot of time under the GMC lately. I'm threatening to retire from under vehicle work after this project, a man has got to be thinner & spryer than I am currently and I don't see me getting that way anytime soon LOL.
Got the driveshaft reinstalled, it bolted right up with no mods needed. While under there I had to cut away some of the dual exhaust to gain clearance (for me). I did it in a way that would enable reuse incase I wanted to go that way and surprise, I did. Surprisingly both down pipes that bolted to the 250's manifold were close enough in depth and angle to be reused on the 350's Camaro manifolds. I had to replace the 2 hole clamp to 3 hole to match the manifolds otherwise they bolted right up. They hang down alittle too far for a clean look but not so far as to be lower than the straight axle. I was able to use a splice and dual clamp on the passenger side but had to try my hand at flux core welding the down pipe back to the rest of the exhaust pipe on the left side. Somehow I got it welded but it looks so bad I'm not showing a pic.
PicAlso while under I dropped the trans pan and replaced the jammed kickdown cable. A new cable to fit a 69 Impala fit perfectly. Yes. I' keeping good records of this Frankenstein truck LOL.
Since I was already down there a good visual inspection was inorder. This truck must have lived alot of it's life up north due to the rust and rust repair it has. The frame and crossmembers have been repaired in several places. The welds/repairs look good but if I keep this truck it is going to get either a newer S10 frame or I'm going to take a harder look at my brothers 94 Dakota he's got sitting with a bad engine. That said, the truck is still solid and can go as is for now.
I got most of the wiring done, the fuel lines run, the vacuum lines run, the throttle & kickdown cables installed & adjusted so I said what the heck, lets try to start it. Well, the 250's starter will not work. The main difference being it doesn't throw the bendix out far enough to engage the flexplate. It's in the nose casting so no workie. It was good as a core for a proper 350 starter tho...
So, after enough cranks to get fuel from the tank to the float bowls the 350 sprang to life! I only ran it long enough to verify oil pressure and charging which both were spot on so I shut it down. No need to burn it up. Those Smithy glass packs are definitely too loud altho my SIL thought it sounded great. It's definitley going to visit a local muffler shop to clean up my, ummm, hillbilly rigging and replace those glasspacks with a set of 2" DynoMax Super Turbo's to mellow it out alittle more. I bought them for the Chevy 235 conversion but can get another set when that happens.
Also did alittle cleanup in the interior. It cleaned up pretty good considering. Since the budget is screaming "mo mas" I made the tactical decision to try a cheap set of faux leather (vinyl) black seat covers on those ripped up seats and surprisingly it'll do until I decide the long range plans for this project. I just need to research how to get that off-white console black to match. I think they make a paint that'll work, we'll see.
PicPicA couple of retro strike plates and latch clips now allow the doors to close properly and stay closed. Don't need doors flying open on a cruise... Course I'll have to decide if I want to stay with a wing vent doors (like the passenger side) or solid pane doors (like the drivers side). Kinda wish the vent window was on the drivers side tho LOL....
I also ordered a new windshield rubber seal to replace that painted over abortion and a new seal for the gas filler to cab. Also picked up a new trans oil cooler to mount behind the grill once the clip is reinstalled. I did some horse trading back when I got the Chevy and picked up alot of good usable stock parts for these 47-54 AD trucks, a better fuel filler tube and a radio block off plate will fit the GMC perfectly. A glove box and heater are on the "to be ordered" list....
PicPicI've set up a couple strong backs to help put the front clip back on this weekend. Then I can determine whether I can go with a mechanical fan (preferred) or electrical.
