Edgar: The adventures and ramblings of a high mileage 1992 Chevy K1500 RCSB

[TwinDuro]

Have just been working, working and working (no complaints!) and getting ready to do a cannonball-fix up effort on old Edger here in the next week or so to get ready for the WABDR (leaving the 5th of July and planning to do the whole 600 miles God willing and the creek don't rise).

Just ordering the last batch of parts and was looking for some brake advice from the knowledgeable folks here, especially @nitro_rat I'm getting ready to swap in the 9.5" SF rear axle with all new brake parts and swapped-in large diameter dual-rear wheel wheel cylinders (1-3/16" vs. the 1-1/6" inch cylinders of the stock 9.5" rear vs the 1.0" cylinders of the stock 8.5" rear) and have the single-rear wheel K2500/3500, large piston (79.93mm vs 76mm on stock K1500) front calipers ready to go on with the K1500 spec pads.

I don't have the time at the moment to source the hydroboost components, so just wanted to run the best vacuum assist master for the moment and swap to hydro boost later. I believe the stock master is the stepped 1-1/8" bore unit. My question is, should I run a "JB7" 1.25" bore unit (or other size) for best results?

I'll also be deleting the RWL ABS in the process. I found a lot of good info on the boards at GMT400.com, but it didn't quite cross reference.

Thanks in advance folks!

 

[nitro_rat]

Unless your master is not working I would just leave it for now. I'm running 1/2 ton calipers and master on my Suburban with 3/4 ton rotors and 9.5 rear end with no ill effects (just too lazy to swap because it works).

It won't lock up all 4 like it did when when it was 1/2 ton hydroboosted but it's not unsafe either. Just get the 3500 master that matches your calipers/wheel cylinders when you do the hydroboost. Just my opinion, it's worth what you paid for it...

 

[TwinDuro]

Unless your master is not working I would just leave it for now. I'm running 1/2 ton calipers and master on my Suburban with 3/4 ton rotors and 9.5 rear end with no ill effects (just too lazy to swap because it works).

It won't lock up all 4 like it did when when it was 1/2 ton hydroboosted but it's not unsafe either. Just get the 3500 master that matches your calipers/wheel cylinders when you do the hydroboost. Just my opinion, it's worth what you paid for it...

Good info and thanks for the advice @nitro_rat. The stock master appears to be working just fine, so I’ll leave it be for know and see how she works with the new calipers/cylinders and take it from there.

Hey now, it’s great advice no matter the price! ?

 

[TwinDuro]

Sometimes the path to adventure is paved with dirt... lots of dirt, 6 yards of dirt and 3,000lbs of concrete blocks to be more specific. Gotta get some stuff done before a week on the WABDR.

Raised planter beds have been on the home roster for awhile and thanks to having a good truck, getting materials was no problemo. First a bunch of 2x12 rough cedar:



Then about 900lbs of pavers:



Followed by two pallets of split-face cinder blocks:



...and then 4 loads (1.5 yards each Give or take ) of 5-way soil.



... then unloading said 6 yards of soil:



... but before that, a lot of shoveling, tamping drilling, screwing (1/4” x 5.5” SPAX screws Dontcha know!), leveling and stacking you up with four new planter beds.



The ground soil where I live SUCKS; it’s pure clay and only grows weeds and a little grass if you’re lucky, so good dirt has to be brought in. Sure, we could’ve had it delivered for about 100 bucks, but we were doing some other dirt projects around the yard and didn’t know exactly how much we would need. Made more sense to get it as we needed.

Of course, as is par for the course on trailers you borrow, one of the valve stems on one of the tires went out midway through the second load. No problem, just a minor inconvenience. I goobered it up with gray gasket maker which worked about as well as you would expect it to (Ha!) and that got it through another load before I swapped on the little 12” tires (thankfully E-rated radials) from my motorcycle trailer (tire shops were booked up and I didn’t have a spare, it’s a buddy’s trailer).





I started attempting to change the valve stems (they were both dry rotted) and even though I could’ve broke the bead and made it happen with my trucker irons and press, I stopped midway through the first tire and asked myself “Why am I spending 2 hours to save $10?” and took them both to my friendly neighborhood industrial tire shop, S&S Tire, and they got them fixed up in about 5 minutes.

Edger worked great for all of the hauling but I quickly realized why hydroboost and brake upgrades are a necessity like you all have recommended. Even with a 3,200lb. (loaded) utility trailer, the braking distance, which is totally adequate while unloaded, leaves a lot to be desired with a load or trailer. We have a lot of hills in the area...

Also, gardening is work! My aunt told me that growing your own tomatoes is the best way to spend all summer saving $3.25... ?

On that note, back to the build...

 

[TwinDuro]

A shot from the AHRMA (American Historic Racing Motorcycle Association) Marymount observed trial yesterday in Spanaway, WA. Old Edger looks right at home with my brother’s 1974 Honda TL125 Trials bike in back...



My 1966 Bultaco Sherpa T trials bike wasn’t cooperating yesterday (had a lean-out issue I couldn’t figure out on the fly) so I just helped my brother get too and from the event and helped with bike prep. He had a great time competing in the Modern Classics class. Here’s a photo of my Bultaco with my brother trying it out (why is the shifter and brake on the wrong sides, lol?)



It’s a temperamental beast (what 54 year old Spanish motorcycle isn’t?) but when it’s running right it’s incredible.

 

[TwinDuro]

Well, as it goes sometimes, work got busy and work on Edger got temporarily waylaid. I ended up doing the WABDR with some great friends in their rigs last minute and had a blast. Here’s just a few of the scenery photos. More WABDR photos and project updates to come.

 

[Explorerinil]

Nice raised garden! I love mine, I compost all food scraps in a tumbler and add it to the soil. Just picked a huge load of zucchini, peppers, and butternut squash. What are you gonna plant?

 

[glwright]

Good looking truck and fun stories. I'm definitely sticking around to see how all the swaps and stuff go. Might borrow some ideas for when I get the time to work on mine!

 

[TwinDuro]

Nice raised garden! I love mine, I compost all food scraps in a tumbler and add it to the soil. Just picked a huge load of zucchini, peppers, and butternut squash. What are you gonna plant?

Thanks @Explorerinil. Haven't had a garden in about 20 years, so it's nice to be growing again! I'll post a photo here a bit later, but everything is growing like gangbusters. Several varieties of tomatoes, tomatillos, squash, peppers, lettuce, carrots, radishes and a whole bed of strawberries.

 

[TwinDuro]

Good looking truck and fun stories. I'm definitely sticking around to see how all the swaps and stuff go. Might borrow some ideas for when I get the time to work on mine!

Thanks @glwright, I appreciate it. Ol' Edgar is definitely a work in progress, with stops and starts, but I'm having fun bringing him back. Should be lots going on this winter. Feel free to borrow away, there's some fun stuff coming down the pipe.

The one thing that I continue to be impressed with is how capable this truck has been for me, bone stock, but with good 33" tires. I have a feeling the short wheelbase, 3.73 gears and the low gearing of NV4500 help with that. I'm excited to see how she works with the 4.10 gears and e-locker out back.

One thing not to be overlooked as well is, I flat out enjoy driving this truck. There's just something about it that makes it fun.

 

[glwright]

One thing not to be overlooked as well is, I flat out enjoy driving this truck. There's just something about it that makes it fun.

Could not agree more. Even though mine is currently my farm truck, I still find myself driving it to my other job as well. Edgar has a leg up, or I guess 2 cylinders, on my old Heavy Chevy though. I think one of the first things I'm going to do when I get to working on him is drop in either a 350 or a 5.3 like vargsmetal did. Until then, I'll keep watching!

 

[TwinDuro]

Long overdue photos of the garden for @Explorerinil. Didn’t think to take any photos earlier in the summer when everything was tall and green, but since it’s October and we’re still getting a few tomatoes, it’s a win in my book. Also did a few pots of rhubarb (for strawberry rhubarb pies of course, I have South Dakota in my blood, lol)





Went down to the river to check it out the other day and of course decided to take the roughest track down to the Levee. You used to be able to drive the whole length of it, but yahoos tore it up and the county put a stop to it, still had fun in the little access we have left though





i’m definitely thankful for the short wheelbase, I had to turn around and if I would’ve had a much larger of a rig, I would’ve had a serious problem, with the levee on one side and a steep bank to the river on the other.



Why is it that photos never do justice to rough tracks? In the photo this looks like a simple dirt road, but it’s very potato salad and has a really steep breakover angle. Got to flex it out a bit:



With the 285/75R16 BFG K02s and stock 16” NBS wheels, there is zero rub even with the wheels tucked right into the wheel well. It’s a good combo!

 

[Todd780]

Also did a few pots of rhubarb (for strawberry rhubarb pies of course, I have South Dakota in my blood, lol)

They really are the best pies.

 

[TwinDuro]

Nothing noteworthy to report as the hatches are getting battened down for winter other then more parts gathering and getting other jobs and projects wrapped up so I can make a push here this winter and finally get this project rolling right and proper.

While the truck is nearly rust free (only certain spots of the frame have surface rust), the original exhaust system is near crumbling at 275k miles and has more leaks and holes then a screen door on a submarine! A full exhaust replacement is in order and after having deep thoughts, the new system will be:

1) stock cast iron exhaust manifolds cleaned up and with new gaskets and bolts.
2) A mandrel-bent off-road Y-pipe to eliminate the cat, which I have doubts about at this mileage, all other emissions components will stay in place.
3) A mandrel-bent Flowmaster (PN:17125) 3 inch "cat-back" exhaust with a 70-series muffler.

I'm hoping this will be a good combo for both "performance" and sound, which should be on the quieter side. I'm not a huge fan of loud, droney exhausts for traveling in the woods, but it would be nice to hear the SBC a little bit. I just picked up the "off-road Y-pipe (PN: 555-31001) at JEGS during a sale for about 50% off which was nice. The quality seems very nice, with thick tubing , flanges and nice welds. Of course, it's very important to unpack and display your new exhaust system on the fancy rug in the "good room."



I haven't found an offer I can't refuse on the rest of the system yet, but here's a stock photo of what it looks like:



Hopefully, the only modification I'll have to make to fit all of this up is trimming the Y-pipe to fit and removing the hanger from the unused, before-muffler chunk and rewelding it to the Y-pipe. We'll see!

 

[Flazer]

With the 285/75R16 BFG K02s and stock 16” NBS wheels, there is zero rub even with the wheels tucked right into the wheel well. It’s a good combo!

I'm interested in this for my truck (ECSB). I have an 8 lug, but if NBS wheels will fit and are wider, I can fit a bigger tire than what I can on my stock OBS 6.5" wheels. Would like to go up to a 33" without having to lift if I can. Nice truck, keep it up.

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