1992 K2500 Overland Work Truck Build

[duckarolltape]

Glad to see people still think these trucks are perfect candidates for an overland build.

I actually just talked to my grandpa and he has some R12 in his garage up in Oregon. So I'll need to make a trip up there to get a refill.

But I'm glad your following along. Maybe we can bounce some ideas off of each other

 

[duckarolltape]

So do start replacing all my rear main seal, intake gasket, oil cooler lines, new radiator, etc..... or just keep feeding this leaky ***** fluids and save for a LS swap? The leaks aren't anything horrible. Just more annoying than anything. And the repairs won't cost that much, just time consuming and fixing something that won't be there for that long.

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[Conagher]

chainsaw scabbard

Don't know if you want to spend the money, but I thought this was a good answer to securing a chainsaw to a vehicle - website: http://alcobrametals.com/page/scabbard

 

[duckarolltape]

I finally got around to building a Hi-Lift mount…

I used the old brackets that where left over from my LJ, and welded them to a piece of 1/8”x2” bar stock that was laying around. That will then mount to the bed steak pockets on the side of the bed.
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It should work out well and keep it up and out of the way.

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Just need to shoot it with paint and be done with that, then build the chainsaw mount to go in my toolbox.

 

[duckarolltape]

Today I knocked a few things off my build list, but needed to be done before I head out to the sierras tomorrow morning.

I went to the chevy dealership and got the special plastic nut that adjusts the elevation of the bulb, so now one isn't pointed straight at the ground. As well as replaced the bulb that was already burned out. So being able to see at night while i drive should be pretty awesome.

Chopped my front bumper a little bit so the tires wont rub when I'm at full lock and bump.
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Here you can see the before, with that factory plastic fascia poking out, then I removed that and gave it a little trim.

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Cut off my exhaust at the muffler so I can run a full size spare in the factory location without it rubbing on the tailpipe. Once I figure out my finalized rear suspension though I'll be going back to a tailpipe. Just routed another way.

I mounted the Hi-Lift in my truck bed, but still haven't painted it due to a little rain we had this morning. So I'll need to remove it again and spray it. But it looks good and is secured with some carriage bolts so it can't be tampered with, the thief would need to be very patient to unbolt it from the bed stake pockets.

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I also bought a ALICE pack and mounted it behind my seat. This cleaned up the jacket that usually floats around on the bench seat. Plus now I got a first aid kit on hand, headlamp, and some other gear. And a bad *** backpack in case of a bug out situation, or my **** breaks down and I need to hike out of the woods.

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I also got some tie down hooks to mount on the bed floor for my jerry cans and water jug. That should keep the truck bed nice and organized and everything secure.

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[dcwn.45]

Great idea with the Alicepack 👍

 

[Regcabguy]

Nice find with the manual trans. I like the old dash better than the 95-98.

Ditto! Major score. The NV 4500 shifts like butter. That Laurel Lake road looks seriously off camber. I could change the plugs in my '89 in 35 minutes. Must have been a foot of open space on either side of the engine.

 

[duckarolltape]

Well the trip was a success. The truck reliably went on a 400 mile trip this weekend around the "SlickRock" area by Arnold.

It didn't skip a beat, just sputtered the whole time under quarter throttle, 4wd didn't work at all and the factory Gov Locker doesn't engage until about 3k RPMs then sounds like a hand grenade went off in my truck bed.

I arrived to our campsite around 1am Saturday morning. After thinking every turn I made was wrong following the directions of signs tapped to trees from friends who came up earlier down the most washed out fire road I've ever seen. Plenty of 3'-4' deep ruts and boulders lining the road. Getting stuck and climbing out to evaluate my situation then back in to pick another line. But the truck made it. And the tire shop inflated my tires to 70psi. So the ride out was much smoother around 20 psi and I even had traction lol.

Anyways after that journey I learned that I need a tire deflator and get my little argon bottle filled with nitrogen and rig up a air chuck to it. I'm gonna get a manual 4x4 engage kit that is cable operated not electronic. And I need to swap out my thermostat ASAP because It runs around 150 degrees all the time.

Also my phone was dead for two days, so there is a serious lack of pictures. Sorry...

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[duckarolltape]

I'm still trying to work out all the kinks in this rig to make it a reliable trail rig and something I can trust on long trips. So far it hasn't left me stranded but also leaves me questioning what the hell is wrong with my idle problem and all the little noises I keep hearing. plus the truck runs at 150 degrees so maybe there is no thermostat and its just not advancing cause it doesn’t think its warm.

This week I got around to replacing my radiator, thermostat, temperature sending unit, radiator hoses, oil cooler lines, oil change, flushed the coolant, installed my Posi-Lok up front, changed the plugs, wires, Cap and rotor.

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well it had a 195 degree thermostat so maybe it was the sending unit or its just broken.

During the cap and rotor change I noticed my truck was a submarine at some point in its life. The distributor was a covered in surface rust, but still ran surprisingly. So maybe that is where my idle issue is coming from.

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Any ways I just picked up a new distributor from Napa, along with fluid to change my rear end and some spare U-Joints for the front and rear.

Tomorrow morning me and a friend will be heading out to bald mountain. So I gotta be prepared while I put the old girl threw the paces.

Just finished the distributor installation after writing the above and creating a post. Anyways with the correct timing and a new distributor it runs perfectly....

And I also found out where those noises are coming from. I blew out my factory muffler. Time to head to the exhaust shop before 5.

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[Kingsize24]

Love the banana peel. Gives that vintage vibe.

Looking good so far.

 

[KLAKEBRONCO]

I'm going the same way with mine. A 96 Z71 half ton
I have a build thread in member rigs on gmt400.com

 

[duckarolltape]

After installing the Posi-Lok and actually getting my 4wd to work I put it in 4lo and cranked the wheel full lock to one side and the other and realized that my CV shafts are toast..... I thought I could get them installed Friday night before we left Saturday morning, but the folks at the auto parts store decided to give me 1500 shafts not the 2500 ones. So the trip didn't happen. But I did get the new shafts today and will be installing them tomorrow. Nothing like having your truck torn apart in the driveway with all the wrong parts for the job.

 

[KLAKEBRONCO]

After installing the Posi-Lok and actually getting my 4wd to work I put it in 4lo and cranked the wheel full lock to one side and the other and realized that my CV shafts are toast..... I thought I could get them installed Friday night before we left Saturday morning, but the folks at the auto parts store decided to give me 1500 shafts not the 2500 ones. So the trip didn't happen. But I did get the new shafts today and will be installing them tomorrow. Nothing like having your truck torn apart in the driveway with all the wrong parts for the job.

I feel for ya. After swapping a used 9.5" 14 bolt with disks into my 1500 it developed problems right a at and we weren't able to take it to our pictured rocks national lakeshore trip.
This time I'm rebuilding one completely then swapping it in.

 

[edlaffoon]

Cool truck. I often wish mine were an NV4500.

 

[duckarolltape]

I got my new CV axles in this morning.... now there is only another little CRACK POP BANG noise when it's in 4wd so I'll be rebuilding the front driveshaft either this evening or tomorrow. Gotta get ready for that Bald Mountain trip that got pushed back to next weekend hahaha.

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A few other little things got done also...

Got my MagLight mount in the mail so that's mounted between the seat and drivers side door.
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I also got a fire extinguisher mounted behind me.
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And a new Magnaflow muffler installed with a hideous horrible turndown. I can't stand those kinks in the bends. Kinda makes me with I did it myself...