I had to Google slow clapping. Sorry to hear you don't like them.
Texas82GP's GMT900
- Thread starter Texas82GP
- Start date
LOL - no I think the work is stellar. Clean as all get out. This is the image I had in my head:
Thanks Mike. The effort was there. I'm actually not crazy about the four unions but I'm capable of tightening inverted flare fittings. I would have just bent all new lines but it would have eliminated the rubber hose crimped in from the factory. That probably would have been ok, but this was the way I went.
Stop tempting me! I just got the motor mounts torqued. Still, I do have two cans of Plasticote Engine Enamel in the early 60's GMC blue green out there on the shelf....While your there you might as well pull the engine and paint it.
It's awesome. Mastercool I think. I bought it when I didn't earn near the money I earn now so it was a big hit. Still, it paid for itself this past weekend. If I hadn't had it, there is no way I would have done the lines that way. It makes flaring lines very fast and easy. I haven't used it in at least five years but it was awesome having it when I wanted/needed it. Thank you Sean's 78 Z28!
Nice edit. FYI...this is what I came up with when I Googled "slow clapping"....
🤣
I went to the storage last night to copy the latest tune to the Autocal. I didn't get there until close to 8. I hooked up the battery on the truck, connected the Autocal and started going through its menus only to realize it wasn't configured to read my truck. It was configured to read my brother's car (Different PCM/TCM). Skunked again! I got the Autocal reconfigured today at lunch. I also got the tuning software updated on my laptop. I should be able to copy the current tune tonight and get it sent off to the tuner.
Well friends, it's all back together. I haven't fired it up yet though. I got over to the storage about 9:15 Saturday morning and didn't leave until 9:30 that night. It's ready to crank up but I didn't want to cause myself trouble firing it up with the 4L65E program in the TCM. My gut says it would be fine in park but I didn't want to take the chance. I sent off the current tuning files to the tuner on Wednesday at lunch time. I heard back from him last night that I'm in the que. He didn't ask for more information so hopefully when he responds next, he'll have a tune for me so I can log some data and we can get it dialed in. Since we all like pictures, here's some highlights from my long Saturday:
I took this shot first thing Saturday morning, right after I rolled the door up. She's been sitting since mid February and has the brunt of the pollen season on her. Also, the storage property backs up to a farm and dirt seems to really blow in. This is why the GP is stored under a cover, even in doors. I'm ready to get this thing running and get it cleaned up.....
Here's how I turned the engine to install/tighten the flexplate to torque converter bolts.....
That's where one of the bolts for the lower bellhousing cover goes into the oil pan. Worked great. I already had this tool for holding the flywheel to torque the bolts. Works great.....
I ended up using the thin shims that Circle D sent me with the torque converter bolts. The gap was just a little more than an 1/8" before I started pulling the converter up....
I was real careful to pull the converter up slowly and evenly. I think I made four rounds of the engine in all before all the bolts were in with threadlocker and torqued.
Last weekend, I glued the magnet out of the 4L85E's original transmission pan into the deep cast aluminum pan. I used super weatherstrip adhesive. I put it right beneath the filter. Those stands in the pan are supports for the filter. This way it has the OE magnet and the magnetic drain plug....
I had to trim the 85E's heat sheild along its top to clear a heat shield on the floor of the truck's cab and I had to trim it to clear the exhaust...
Here are a few shots I took after I was done underneath....
It went together nice. I used my neutral safety switch. I used the shift cable bracket from the 85E and used my shift cable. Once I was done underneath, I swapped out the headlight bulbs since the grill and bumper cover were off. Access to the headlight bulbs on this truck is bad and you have to pull the grill and bumper cover to remove the headlight housings. I've had these bulbs for the better part of a year....
Since it is such a pain to change headlight bulbs, I did just have regular long life halogen bulbs in it. Those, combined with the smoked housings and the way I have them pointed down, and it was like not having headlights on an unlit road. Hopefully these will help. They are supposed to be much brighter. They are whiter for sure. The long life halogens were pretty yellow. The light on the passenger side is the old long life bulb and the one on the driver's side is the new LED bulb....
That's it on pictures. I got the passenger wheel well back in it and got the wheel installed. The grill and bumper cover fought. I'm not happy with the reveal along the bottom edge of the bumper cover but I think it has probably always been that way and I just never noticed it. The new oil filter is primed and the new oil is in the oil pan. I have a gallon of Dexron VI in the transmission. I'm going to check it again before I fire it up. I didn't add fluid to the torque converter before installing it. The build said it wasn't necessary. When I get the tune, I will probably crank it, let it run for five or ten seconds and then cut it off and add another gallon. The build said just let it run and add the fluid but I want to be careful. At this point, I'm just hoping firing it up and getting it back on the road goes smoothly. The truck has gotten a lot in conjunction with this project:
Best,
Jared
I took this shot first thing Saturday morning, right after I rolled the door up. She's been sitting since mid February and has the brunt of the pollen season on her. Also, the storage property backs up to a farm and dirt seems to really blow in. This is why the GP is stored under a cover, even in doors. I'm ready to get this thing running and get it cleaned up.....
Here's how I turned the engine to install/tighten the flexplate to torque converter bolts.....
That's where one of the bolts for the lower bellhousing cover goes into the oil pan. Worked great. I already had this tool for holding the flywheel to torque the bolts. Works great.....
I ended up using the thin shims that Circle D sent me with the torque converter bolts. The gap was just a little more than an 1/8" before I started pulling the converter up....
I was real careful to pull the converter up slowly and evenly. I think I made four rounds of the engine in all before all the bolts were in with threadlocker and torqued.
Last weekend, I glued the magnet out of the 4L85E's original transmission pan into the deep cast aluminum pan. I used super weatherstrip adhesive. I put it right beneath the filter. Those stands in the pan are supports for the filter. This way it has the OE magnet and the magnetic drain plug....
I had to trim the 85E's heat sheild along its top to clear a heat shield on the floor of the truck's cab and I had to trim it to clear the exhaust...
Here are a few shots I took after I was done underneath....
It went together nice. I used my neutral safety switch. I used the shift cable bracket from the 85E and used my shift cable. Once I was done underneath, I swapped out the headlight bulbs since the grill and bumper cover were off. Access to the headlight bulbs on this truck is bad and you have to pull the grill and bumper cover to remove the headlight housings. I've had these bulbs for the better part of a year....
Since it is such a pain to change headlight bulbs, I did just have regular long life halogen bulbs in it. Those, combined with the smoked housings and the way I have them pointed down, and it was like not having headlights on an unlit road. Hopefully these will help. They are supposed to be much brighter. They are whiter for sure. The long life halogens were pretty yellow. The light on the passenger side is the old long life bulb and the one on the driver's side is the new LED bulb....
That's it on pictures. I got the passenger wheel well back in it and got the wheel installed. The grill and bumper cover fought. I'm not happy with the reveal along the bottom edge of the bumper cover but I think it has probably always been that way and I just never noticed it. The new oil filter is primed and the new oil is in the oil pan. I have a gallon of Dexron VI in the transmission. I'm going to check it again before I fire it up. I didn't add fluid to the torque converter before installing it. The build said it wasn't necessary. When I get the tune, I will probably crank it, let it run for five or ten seconds and then cut it off and add another gallon. The build said just let it run and add the fluid but I want to be careful. At this point, I'm just hoping firing it up and getting it back on the road goes smoothly. The truck has gotten a lot in conjunction with this project:
- Oil change
- New oil pan gasket
- New rear cover gasket
- New rear main seal
- New spark plugs
- New header gaskets
- New starter
- New engine mounts
- Much larger transmission cooler
- LED Headlight bulb conversion
- New transmission mount
- New U-Joints
- All crunchy convoluted tubing replaced
Best,
Jared
