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

[Smileyshaun]

Thank you for the input on the Kendas @Smileyshaun, I really appreciate it! It’s always good to hear from someone who’s actually running the same size/brand of tire/wheel on a similar truck. I just read through your thread and you’ve got agreat looking GMC!

Thank you , I’ll like it a lot more once I get the suspension sorted out better . I was hesitant to get the tires because I like to stick with a good name brands and preferably made in the USA but I have ran Ken to tires on my motorcycles and found them to be fantastic so figured it was worth taking a chance on them especially for the price when I bought mine I think I got them for 176 apiece.

 

[TwinDuro]

Thank you , I’ll like it a lot more once I get the suspension sorted out better . I was hesitant to get the tires because I like to stick with a good name brands and preferably made in the USA but I have ran Ken to tires on my motorcycles and found them to be fantastic so figured it was worth taking a chance on them especially for the price when I bought mine I think I got them for 176 apiece.

Good to hear@Smileyshaun. I’m in the same boat with Kendas. I love them for the bikes. Depending on the bike, I run Kenda Trakmasters (my favorite knobby for the PNW), Big Blocks or K761 dual sport tires. Have been really happy with Kenda MC tires over the years.

Glad to hear the Klever is a good one!

Whats bugging you on the suspension on your GMC out of curiosity? The design of the lift (with the torsion bar reloctator built in) is pretty cool.

 

[Smileyshaun]

Good to hear@Smileyshaun. I’m in the same boat with Kendas. I love them for the bikes. Depending on the bike, I run Kenda Trakmasters (my favorite knobby for the PNW), Big Blocks or K761 dual sport tires. Have been really happy with Kenda MC tires over the years.

Glad to hear the Klever is a good one!

Whats bugging you on the suspension on your GMC out of curiosity? The design of the lift (with the torsion bar reloctator built in) is pretty cool.

When I got the truck it had way to heavy of torsion bars installed (7200nm) so I swapped them out for a softer set and it rode way better but I think there’s some torque multiplication going on with the way it relocates the bars so now the suspension is so soft it just slams off the bumpstops with every bump , so I need to swap the heavier bars back in .

 

[TwinDuro]

When I got the truck it had way to heavy of torsion bars installed (7200nm) so I swapped them out for a softer set and it rode way better but I think there’s some torque multiplication going on with the way it relocates the bars so now the suspension is so soft it just slams off the bumpstops with every bump , so I need to swap the heavier bars back in .

Interesting! I always wondered if something along those lines would be a problem with torsion bar relocation (specifically the Realift torsion bar relocators) and if you look at the physics of it, it makes sense

The lever gets longer, so it changes the effect of the torsion... or something like that

 

[TwinDuro]

Old Dogs, new tricks...

 

[Smileyshaun]

Interesting! I always wondered if something along those lines would be a problem with torsion bar relocation (specifically the Realift torsion bar relocators) and if you look at the physics of it, it makes sense

The lever gets longer, so it changes the effect of the torsion... or something like that

I was being responsible and waiting to get cash saved up for the coilover conversion and just be done with torsion bars but may just toss it on the credit card and say heck with it .

 

[TwinDuro]

I just returned from a 5 day truck camping trip near the Canadian Border in the North Cascades of Washington. Photos to come. In the meantime, a random roadside shot of ol’ Edgar in the Orting Valley.

 

[CountryboyNC]

Love those trucks. I’m currently bringing a 03 Dakota with 250k on the ticket back to life.

 

[TwinDuro]

Love those trucks. I’m currently bringing a 03 Dakota with 250k on the ticket back to life.

Those are great trucks as well @CountryboyNC. I spent a lot of time in the past riding around in, driving and going on adventures in a friends’ dark blue 2003 crew cab, short bed Dakota 4x4 (with the 4.7 V8/Auto). It was a great little truck and did everything we asked it, was comfortable and got 20mpg regularly on long highway trips. Was super reliable as well until he sold it at 220k. I kinda wish I would have bought it from him. It was immaculate… good on you for reviving it!

 

[CountryboyNC]

How you liking the besttop? I had one on my 2013 F-150, but then switched to a Softopper.

 

[TwinDuro]

How you liking the besttop? I had one on my 2013 F-150, but then switched to a Softopper.

@CountryboyNC, I like the SuperTop a lot! I was skeptical at first compared to the old hard shell canopy, but the more I use it, the more I like it.

The quality seems pretty darn good. What were your impressions on the differences between the Supertop and softopper?

 

[CountryboyNC]

@CountryboyNC, I like the SuperTop a lot! I was skeptical at first compared to the old hard shell canopy, but the more I use it, the more I like it.

The quality seems pretty darn good. What were your impressions on the differences between the Supertop and softopper?

I liked them both. I didn’t have water issues with either one other then the normal drips around the corners. I switched to the softopper because I wasn’t a huge fan of the windows on the side, I was always worried about ripping a window out. It was kind of a pain to get them on at times. Other then that, I liked it. I am picking up the tent attachment for the softopper tho.

 

[TwinDuro]

As one of my favorite Texan musicians, Robert Earl Keen, once sang:

“It's the little things!
the itty bitty things!
It's the little things
That piss me off!” ?

I got a phone call the other day… it was 2003, calling collect, and it told me in no uncertain terms that it wanted it’s chrome “Eurotail” lights back. When the past calls you up, you meet it’s demands, so…



Unfortunately, being a teenager when the first “Fast and the Furious” movie came out (just after Y2K, our family fax machine was never the same again and reverted back to 1989, ha!).

I remember how cool all of us kids thought these taillights used to be, but the reality of living with their nonsense 20 years down the road hasn’t brought joys that outweigh the pain…

There’s nothing like a randomly fast, then slow, then fast blinking turn signal to break the straw on the camel’s back after a long day of doing electrical work for clients and not wanting to do more of that in the darkness on your own vehicle…

So, as you can imagine, I was more then happy to tell the old Euro tails “see ya next Tuesday!” and replace them with a new set of OEM-style taillights from DEPO. Nice quality and a good price (about $50 a set, shipped, through Rock Auto), so no complaints.



I replaced the incandescent back-up lighter-uppers with some Philips Ultion LED barn-burners and slapped ‘em on…



Slightly more light then the dark days of 2001’s finest aftermarket units could put out.



It’s the little things…

 

[TwinDuro]

Next course of action in prep for the new, not leaking like a stuck-pig 34” wide radiator was ridding Edgar of the perpetually leaking oil lines all GMT400 folks are all too familiar with. Ewwwww….



So up ol’ Eggy went on the Race Ramps, which were a college graduation gift about 10 years ago from my folks… and a great one at that that I’ve used ‘em few hundred times since then helping all sorts of folks fix their rigs. Plenty of room to work!



First order of business was draining the oil, pulling the oil filter and disconnecting the oil cooler lines via the well-designed (HA!) quick connects and then pulling the old 90 degree filter housing.



As you can imagine, there was lots of cuss-mumbling. Oil going everywhere except where I had carefully placed the drain pan, and down into my armpit somehow as intended by GM… Eventually though, after disconnecting the lines from both the captain’s side of the radiator and the old filter housing, and removing the mid clamp between it all, the whole oil, mess was exorcised from the rig:



Out with the old, in with the new. A Melling MFA350 adapter and a new AC Delco PF454 filter



It didn’t come with hardware, but thankfullyI had the correct stuff laying around, specifically a pair of 1-1/4” long 5/16”-18 Allen Screws and lock washers…

 

[TwinDuro]

Here’s what the block looks like stripped of the old filter housing and ready for the new (old style) adapter:



Here’s the new adapter ready for a filter:



I torqued the Allen’s down to 8ft. lbs or 1.25 Ugga-Duggas or 2.5 dad gruntsFilled the new filter with some fresh Shell Rotella T conventional in 15W-40 and spun her on. Soooo much easier then the old filter!



Put the remaining 5qts of Rotella into the old small block and fired her up. No leaks and the oil pressure went up significantly! Normally, the gauge sits right at 30PSI when cold and floats between 27-32 when hot for comparison.



Time for a barley pop then bed for a job well done! So glad to be rid of those oil lines!

For those wondering, eliminating the internal/radiator oil cooler on these rigs is pretty common. If I ever find myself towing heavy loads on a regular basis, I’ll add a new adapter, thermostat and a large external cooler. For now though, it’s not just good, it’s good enough! ?