squarebodyaddict
New member
Larry, been watching your Threads for a couple years and finally bought my first 8.1 yesterday.
133,000mi core out of a 4500 with accessories.
133,000mi core out of a 4500 with accessories.
Project “Polar Bear”: 1989 V2500 Suburban
- Thread starter Larry
- Start date
Larry
Bigassgas Explorer
Wow! 2 first time posters in a row??
Congrats on the L18 score. If you need any guidance let me know. I also created a L18 resource thread HERE to help swappers along as there isn't much info on L18 8.1L swaps out there like there is Gen III small blocks. There is also a Facebook group called "8.1 Info Swap Classifieds" for us wise oddball gasoline big block loving anti-diesel type guys if your interested. It is not my FB group but the guy that owns the group knows the L18 inside and out and had done many swaps of his own and knows more about the internals and aftermarket performance side more than anybody I know.
56powerwagon
New member
Larry, Sorry to hear of your family's loss. I too have been watching and learning from both your builds for the past year plus and you have show me the light with the 8.1 and nv4500 swap versus the cummins diesel swap. I have a 1988 V30 standard cab drw with 72,000 original miles with the sm465, np205, 4.59 gears and a 5.7tbi that I bought a 18 months ago after looking for almost a year. Found it in Utah. Anyway to my questions. I plan the 8.1, nv4500 swap next year, but in the meantime I am setting up a Leer Macho truck topper with rear walk in door to be my overland vehicle for those quick getaways and I use it to tow my 1956 Dodge Power wagon for those tougher more challenging adventures. My main questions relate your truck.
1. Does the Rhino liner along the bottom rockers stop at the flares or is it under the flares and the flares over the top? What color is it? Looks silver/Grey.
2. Do you think the flares, zenon or bushwacker, would cover the majority of the area on the bed when the dually fenders are removed? as I plan to make it a srw for better offroad performance.(may just have to order a set and figure it out)
3. are you upgrading any of the main fuel lines for the 8.1? seems like I remember something about just the rubber lines, clamps and fuel pump?
I will try to post of a build thread once I get a little farther along. I, like many others, appreciate you posting your builds and providing all the excellent info and especially the pics as I know it is time consuming.
thanks, Mike (56powerwagon)
1. Does the Rhino liner along the bottom rockers stop at the flares or is it under the flares and the flares over the top? What color is it? Looks silver/Grey.
2. Do you think the flares, zenon or bushwacker, would cover the majority of the area on the bed when the dually fenders are removed? as I plan to make it a srw for better offroad performance.(may just have to order a set and figure it out)
3. are you upgrading any of the main fuel lines for the 8.1? seems like I remember something about just the rubber lines, clamps and fuel pump?
I will try to post of a build thread once I get a little farther along. I, like many others, appreciate you posting your builds and providing all the excellent info and especially the pics as I know it is time consuming.
thanks, Mike (56powerwagon)
56powerwagon
New member
Oh yeah,#3 First time poster and in a row.....................
centexan
Observer
Old chevys indeed. Although having been around them all my life, I still find it funny to consider my '89 an old truck.
chilliwak
Expedition Leader
Too funny. At least you have a sense of humor. Please post some pics of your ride by making your own thread or feel free to post them here...
.
http://www.expeditionportal.com/forum/threads/52844-Building-your-own-canopy-camper/page15
:ylsmoke:.
Larry
Bigassgas Explorer
Welcome Mike!
Thanks for the condolences. My grandma made it to just shy of her 102nd birthday! She definitely lived a long full life and got her money's worth.
Answers below….
Hehe, me too. Been playing with GM trucks since I was a kid hanging around my dad's shop and still have a hard time of thinking of them as being old. While there was never a shortage of customer Ford's to work on at the shop, I could never get into the Ford fanboy thing even back then but always have been a fan of Mopars too....and Toyotas. I can't even recall one single tech that worked at our shop over the years that were into the Ford thing either. Seems most mechanics around here are of the wiser to not play with Fords on their own time. Fords are great to work on to make a living because so many need worked on while GM are great to own for a personal vehicle and toy :snorkel:
Thanks for the condolences. My grandma made it to just shy of her 102nd birthday! She definitely lived a long full life and got her money's worth.
Answers below….
Larry, Sorry to hear of your family's loss. I too have been watching and learning from both your builds for the past year plus and you have show me the light with the 8.1 and nv4500 swap versus the cummins diesel swap. I have a 1988 V30 standard cab drw with 72,000 original miles with the sm465, np205, 4.59 gears and a 5.7tbi that I bought a 18 months ago after looking for almost a year. Found it in Utah. Anyway to my questions. I plan the 8.1, nv4500 swap next year, but in the meantime I am setting up a Leer Macho truck topper with rear walk in door to be my overland vehicle for those quick getaways and I use it to tow my 1956 Dodge Power wagon for those tougher more challenging adventures. My main questions relate your truck.
1. Does the Rhino liner along the bottom rockers stop at the flares or is it under the flares and the flares over the top? What color is it? Looks silver/Grey.
The Rhino lining is only below the molding line and does not follow the wheel well openings. Here is what the K10 looked like before flares, more lift, camper, etc. Circa 2001. It was sprayed on back in 1998 in the Rhino natural color of gray. It started turning green about 8 years ago so I painted it with GM charcoal bumper paint. I used the same paint on the fender flares too. Bumper paint works great but needs touching up every few years as it fades away pretty badly in the strong UV rays here at high altitude. This picture is still factory Rhino color long before I painted it with bumper paint. Actually, you can't even tell the difference between the Rhino and GM bumper paint.
2. Do you think the flares, zenon or bushwacker, would cover the majority of the area on the bed when the dually fenders are removed? as I plan to make it a srw for better offroad performance.(may just have to order a set and figure it out)
Nah, I doubt either the WARN (on Polar Bear) or the Xenon flares (on K10) would cover the rear dually wheel arches in the quarters as they both screw on to the wheel arch and stick to the body with double sided tape plus I don't think they have enough coverage to cover the void where the factory cut the quarter panel. Although, Bushwhacker cut-out flares might work. That might be something to investigate.
3. are you upgrading any of the main fuel lines for the 8.1? seems like I remember something about just the rubber lines, clamps and fuel pump?
I will try to post of a build thread once I get a little farther along. I, like many others, appreciate you posting your builds and providing all the excellent info and especially the pics as I know it is time consuming.
On the Polar Bear, yes…sorta. The fuel line from the frame mounted fuel filter on up to the engine fuel rail will be replaced with Workhorse RV chassis 8.1L steel braided line on both the return and supply side. The rest of the stock metal fuel lines will be retained. The 8.1L in the '78 K10 has a concoction of high pressure EFI hose and the same Workhorse RV steel braided lines.
thanks, Mike (56powerwagon)
Hehe, me too. Been playing with GM trucks since I was a kid hanging around my dad's shop and still have a hard time of thinking of them as being old. While there was never a shortage of customer Ford's to work on at the shop, I could never get into the Ford fanboy thing even back then but always have been a fan of Mopars too....and Toyotas. I can't even recall one single tech that worked at our shop over the years that were into the Ford thing either. Seems most mechanics around here are of the wiser to not play with Fords on their own time. Fords are great to work on to make a living because so many need worked on while GM are great to own for a personal vehicle and toy :snorkel:
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56powerwagon
New member
Larry, Wow. 102! we can all only wish for such a long full life. Thanks for the thorough answers with pics. Hopefully in the next year or two I will be back out to visit family in Salida and will have my trucks with about a month to play and explore that beautiful area out there. Look forward to progress on the burb with updates and pics.
colierar
Observer
Passing away at 102 shouldn't be called dying, that is called winning the game. Sorry for your loss. I am a long time lurker on both of your threads. Thanks for the knowledge you have passed on to all of us. Maybe someday my 77 Chevy will get an 8.1 but for now I will just stick to barely making the speed limit and living vicariously through you.
gloriavoxdei
Adventurer
I may be interested in the 350. I'm getting the parts togather for a swap on my 95 s10. Shoot me a PM. I live up in Florissant.
chilliwak
Expedition Leader
I guess I am a little late when I say my condolences too Larry.
You obviously come from good stock, but we on the site knew that already.
I would like to see more pics of your truck.:drool:
It always makes me think of good times when I see a truck like yours...:ylsmoke:
You obviously come from good stock, but we on the site knew that already.
I would like to see more pics of your truck.:drool:
It always makes me think of good times when I see a truck like yours...:ylsmoke:
Larry
Bigassgas Explorer
Thanks!
Well, I've already gone one friend line up for it plus I think I might just hang on to it for some other project. I'll let you know. This 5.7L does push some oil so I really need to throw some valve stems seals at it before it gets reused.
Thanks Chilli! Don't have any new truck pics other than this one. This is another project I'm playing with at the moment. It actually belongs to my FIL but I love playing with it too. I swapped in a TBI 454 a couple years ago then swapped out the 5 speed and swapped in an automatic. It's getting it ready for fresh paint now. Fun little sleeper truck! Once this one is done I can get started on the 8.1L for the Polar Bear.
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Ridge Runner
Delta V
Good looking truck, Larry. My dad had a '92 Sierra 4x2 stepside like that except it was a 4.3 and 5 speed. Couldn't get out of its own way to save its life, but it got outstanding gas mileage. On a bad day, it would get 20 MPG and with certain tires it wasn't much of a challenge to get 25 MPG on the highway, even with 230k miles on it. Unfortunately, he traded it in on a Tacoma five years ago. He didn't get much out of it, but it was still more than I could afford at the time.
The past couple of months, I've really had a hankering for another truck like that. Maybe one day down the road I'll be able to find one out west with a clean frame and build it. I love stepside trucks and it seems like the old ones are getting less and less common.
BTW, IMO these trucks are probably the cheapest and easiest to build right now. Used parts are plentiful (we have like ten at work) and new parts have been around long enough that they're pretty cheap.
The past couple of months, I've really had a hankering for another truck like that. Maybe one day down the road I'll be able to find one out west with a clean frame and build it. I love stepside trucks and it seems like the old ones are getting less and less common.
BTW, IMO these trucks are probably the cheapest and easiest to build right now. Used parts are plentiful (we have like ten at work) and new parts have been around long enough that they're pretty cheap.
