Local Legend Don't Call It An S10

[the bodj]

Welp the motor and trans mounts are in place and it's sitting without the hoist. I have to raise the motor one more time to fully weld all of the motor mounts (frame and block side), but the location is finalized, and I was able to 100% reuse the old trans mount, just 1/4" off from where it was. I also popped the driveshaft on, so that's sitting in place. I'll have to pull the rear shocks this week and cycle to make sure everything is still good with the amount of slip.



I also got Vbands burned onto the Hooker manifolds. They're definitely warped (200 amps to get into the thick cast steel), so the mating Vband won't sit inside. I'll have to bring them to Mikey's shop this week and turn the mating set down a hair on his lathe






Onwards and upwards.

 

[turbomonty]

ya i bet it did. i saw somewhere there are long ones to help stability when welding.

 

[the bodj]

ya i bet it did. i saw somewhere there are long ones to help stability when welding.

The ones I used on the 2.5" exhaust I had initially made for the truck were longer by about 1/2". These were just some cheapos from amazon. I'm sure the rest of the exhaust will go together pretty easily with the thin wall tubing

 

[turbomonty]

ya i always buy the cheapest. ill never win in this life
looks good though

 

[the bodj]

I've been working on fitting the oil pan. A bit of a pain in the butt, but coming along. Unfortunately I'll have to unbolt the motor and trans to remove the pan in the future (needs to raise the motor pretty dang high. Might not be able to remove the pan without removing the radiator, skidplate... Just the way the cookie crumbles). It really wouldn't be an issue pulling it towards the rear of the truck, but the flexplate grabs on it by like 1/2". I mightttt shorten the "deep end" but yet another 1/2". I'll decide tomorrow. As it sits, I've lost about a liter of capacity. To counter this, I'm going to fill in the front "shallow end" with a triangle wedge. I have plenty of space for it, and should get me back around 2.6L. Overall a net positive of about 1.5-1.6L of capacity.

 

[the bodj]

Alright, got some solid time in on the truck the past few days and here is where I’m at:
- finished oil pan modifications. Gained about 1.5L over stock. Had to make a new baffle for the interior and chopped the pickup tube shorter to fit.
- motor and trans are in their final resting place all bolted up.
- replaced the oem alternator with my 200amp alternator I took off the 4.3L
- Valley cover, intake manifold, fuel rails, exhaust manifolds, and coil packs/spark plugs are installed
- installed new serpentine belt
- 180* thermostat is installed
- wiring harness comes in Friday
- purchased trans filter, pan gasket, and atf for trans and transfer case
- cut apart my core support to slide the radiator and AC condenser forward more. In the process of making the radiator hold down.

As of right now I have the trans filter and gasket, fluids, connect rad hoses and heater hoses, install wiring harness, and make fuel lines. I should get it started this weekend if everything goes smoothly. Then I can cycle rear suspension for driveshaft length, build the exhaust and intake, reinforce the upper link mounts, and throw together the fenders, grill, headlights, hood, and then we’re off to the clean up prerun!

 

[FasterNU]

what alternator did you get that has 200amp?

I JUST ordered a 145amp one. It is an AC-Delco 335-1092. The bigger case one. I am hoping it fits. I have seen some really high output ones from Mechman, etc. But first i need to verify I can fit the larger AD244 case. Gotta love those free Amazon returns! lol

 

[the bodj]

what alternator did you get that has 200amp?

I JUST ordered a 145amp one. It is an AC-Delco 335-1092. The bigger case one. I am hoping it fits. I have seen some really high output ones from Mechman, etc. But first i need to verify I can fit the larger AD244 case. Gotta love those free Amazon returns! lol

This one
Amazon product

No clue on longevity yet. Only had it on a few dirt trips and some DDing for a little. I haven't measured that it's actually 250amps, but my voltage no longer drops when running lights and accessories, so it's a win for me lol.

 

[FasterNU]

Ching Chong! Yea... i saw some of those.. and got scared away of some reviews.

Also scared because I read alternators dont like the high revs, escpecially some of the higher output ones ... and i have my redline set at 6,500.

Let's not kid ourselves though. The AC Delco one i bought is supposedly "made in China for AC Delco". So it's probably all the same cheap shit.

 

[85Yota]

Yeah but you'll only be at redline for short periods of time if ever. Everything is made in China now, even stuff assembled in USA most of the time with Chinese parts.

 

[85Yota]

Also AC Delco is OEM for only a certain number of years, than they go with lowest bidder that makes it to their QC, aka whatever China says they checked it to. I believe Delphi is one of the only mfg that makes stuff the whole time from OEM to aftermarket if it's got their brand it's their parts.

 

[the bodj]

Ching Chong! Yea... i saw some of those.. and got scared away of some reviews.

Also scared because I read alternators dont like the high revs, escpecially some of the higher output ones ... and i have my redline set at 6,500.

Let's not kid ourselves though. The AC Delco one i bought is supposedly "made in China for AC Delco". So it's probably all the same cheap shit.

Haha yeah I cheaped out. Going to keep the other alternator on the truck as a spare. Takes 5 minutes to swap out so I might as well.

 

[the bodj]

Got everything hooked up and filled fluids. Turn it over to build oil pressure and starter is bad. Bendix isn’t engaging, so I’m picking one up tomorrow from Napa.

 

[FasterNU]

well, if it makes you feel any better.... mine suddenly just lost all oil pressure on Friday after I swapped out my alternator. Like 0 pressure. It was going from .5psi to 0... and even negative when I started it.

So, I'm tearing mine all back apart and praying it's just the oil pump. yippee. Has anyone told you TrucksRDumb!!?

Also had to back it in garage while that shit clattered like a mofo too. Hope I didn't do any additional damage ...if it is indeed just the pump.

 

[the bodj]

Ooof hopefully is a quick fix. That sucks.

In other news

 

[WW_RANGER_X]

So stoked for you Kevin!

 

[-MIKE-]

Ooof hopefully is a quick fix. That sucks.

In other news

The look of excitement on your face is so awesome! Countless hours of stress and passion into that! Congrats man.

 

[the bodj]

So stoked for you Kevin!

The look of excitement on your face is so awesome! Countless hours of stress and passion into that! Congrats man.

Thanks fellas! Huge sigh of relief hearing it crank over with no weird noises! On to the rest of my to-do list

 

[the bodj]

well, if it makes you feel any better.... mine suddenly just lost all oil pressure on Friday after I swapped out my alternator. Like 0 pressure. It was going from .5psi to 0... and even negative when I started it.

So, I'm tearing mine all back apart and praying it's just the oil pump. yippee. Has anyone told you TrucksRDumb!!?

Also had to back it in garage while that shit clattered like a mofo too. Hope I didn't do any additional damage ...if it is indeed just the pump.

Thinking about it now, maybe your pickup tube fell off? Might be worth it to drop the pan first and check

 

[Cleandezert]

pretty impressive all the work you have done on this truck in a short amount of time.