Exhaust Really IS Exhausting...

Yes, I'm slow... Yes, I'm detail-oriented (nitpicky)... but this exhaust job still took me three days to complete--even with the bed off. Well, to be honest I smoke a lot of weed too, so things get analyzed and measured lots of times for the sake of accuracy.

The easiest part of the job was taking the old headers off. I don't know what they were originally designed for, but they didn't appear to be for a GM pickup. The tubes snaked fairly closely to correct, but the collectors were way too low. I guess they were something the previous owner had laying around or something. I don't like headers. Unless I'm racing, the last thing I want to do is make more under-hood noise, and deal with spark plug access (or lack thereof). The exhaust on this truck took such a wild turn downward to mate up with the header collectors that I had to saw both of them off before I could pull the rest of the exhaust system out. Once I could get it all off the truck I scavenged a few choice straight sections in case they might be needed.

With no headers in the way, I was finally able to remove an old temperature sensor from the driver's side head. It had been broken and mangled at some time in the past but left in. Maybe cheaper than buying a brass fitting to plug it? Apparently so. I couldn't remove it before because the hex on the outer casing was hitting the header flange (barely visible in the picture below) and wouldn't allow it to turn. This time it got a nice, new brass plug.

It was also the perfect time to replace the oil dipstick and tube. The previous owner used what he had around I guess, but they were both wrong. I believe they come from a early 90's Camaro or similar. It was the perfect time to install (with a tad bit of custom bending) the new one I had just gotten from Summit. Now the tube bracket aligns with the bolt hole so it could be bolted in like it should have been.

Here's where the job took a 2-day detour: Motor mounts.

With the exhaust out of the way I would have been a fool not to replace them--they looked original. After taking the spark plugs all out the whole area was nicely exposed. Getting the mounts out was easy enough, but it's not for everyone unless you've got a decent assortment of tools to get those lower mount bolts out. Once I got the tools needed all figured out it was just a matter of taking my time. These are jobs that can get frustrating real easy if you're in a hurry. Anyway, it took the rest of that day and most of the next before I figured out the optimum way of getting all the bolts lined up. The initial struggle was with the final long thru-bolts. I just couldn't get the mounts to line up well enough to get them to go through. The secret ended up being to put only the lowest two of the 3 lower mount bolts in, (leaving the the mount to flop), and putting the long thru-bolts in. At that point, the mounts are lined up nicely, but tipped up off the frame. The bolts drew them down perfectly.

Back to the exhaust.

My original plan was to use standard GM exhaust manifolds. I bought myself a used set, knowing they needed flange bolts drilled and re-tapped. I started in on the process one day and said to myself, "You dumbass--what are you doing this for? You've got money--buy the ones you really want!"

My updated plan: Hooker exhaust manifolds, continuing 2.5" through an H-pipe, into 2.5" Magnaflow 18" (the longer, quieter ones) straight-through mufflers, reducing down to the 2.25" OEM tailpipes already on the truck.

I had bought the Hooker exhaust manifolds a month or so earlier, and so had plenty of time to ponder them. I was a little concerned with them having unique, 2-bolt flanges, and I wasn't sure exactly how to tie things together. To ensure fit I decided to buy a pair of Hooker head pipes designed to bolt to their manifolds. Well, I didn't do my homework very well, because they definitely didn't fit. Come to find out they were designed for an LS engine conversion into a squarebody truck. At first I was pissed at myself because I'd have to return them and find something else, but then I thought, "Hell, even if Hooker made just plain flanges with a short length of straight pipe they'd probably almost the same price" so out came the saw. I only ended up using the sections of straight tubing attached to the flanges, but I'll keep the rest anyway of course. It's a nice O2 bung on each one of nothing else.

Being the worrywart I am, I had to keep thinking about fit as I went, as well as being able to remove the crossmember afterwards. The H-pipe came from Summit as a kit, and went together nicely. It came with a straight section and a V-section to give more fit options. I went with the V-section to help go around the driveline. I had to browse the local O-Reilly's and Autozone (luckily right next to each other) for exhaust pieces to complete my jigsaw puzzle. I did several mock-ups as I was spot-welding the joints, finally removing the whole front section to weld it up:

Because of the crossmember design, I had to go with one side under and one side over, so I was very concerned with clearances. I did lots of bracing, jacking, prying, etc. When all was said and done, I think I got it tucked up fairly well:

Because I'm kind of a "one-man band" I didn't have a helper to hold the muffler as I went, so I cut a few rings and tacked them inside one end of the muffler, giving me a "insert" to assist holding it onto the pipe while I fussed at the other end. It worked out well. I can't imagine doing exhaust work without the bed removed. That really made the difference. Here's everything finished. I sure do love the new sound. 

Tanks, Valves, and Hoses

The truck has been plagued with problems related to the right-side fuel tank since I've owned it. The tank switching worked fine, but after it was switched to the right tank the engine would start to sputter a bit once the gas in the carb had been used up. I knew there was either a problem with the cap vent, the vent hose, or the tank switching valve. I just didn't feel like crawling around underneath it to troubleshoot.

Then the summer weather hit and I re-thought things.

Besides the fuel tank problems, there were other things. I could see a bunch of crap wedged in between the bed and cab--something that looked like sheathing or osb--probably a remnant of a dump run some years in the past. I could see there was a bunch under there and it was wedged nicely like it had been there a long time. There was so much crap down there I couldn't really see much between the cab and bed. There were also things like bracketry, wiring, etc. that would all be made easier if I could do them all at once, so I decided to pull the whole bed off. After all, there were enough items on my list to justify the labor.

I was lucky--all the bolts came out easily except for one, and I was able to get it out without anything other than vice-grips holding the head steady. Lifting the bed up proved to be a long, drawn-out affair because it was a solo operation. I went back and forth, adding blocks until it was high enough I could put a couple of 4x4's through the wheel openings. Yes, the whole affair looks rickety as hell because it was rickety as hell. Before I dropped the bed onto the 4x4's I made sure to screw the 2x4 that spanned the two 4x4's onto them securely. That eliminated any chance of the wood blocks wanting to teeter. I felt a lot better after that. The bed actually balances nicely on them, but I doubt that would be the case if the tailgate were open or missing altogether. Here are a few shots of the whole removal affair:

At this point I could see how nasty everything was. Years (decades?) of road accumulation had made for quite the mess.

I started by taking the heavy-duty plastic tank protectors off. I have mixed feelings about those things. One one hand, the company added them for protection and safety (albeit as a result of expensive litigation), but on the other hand, they accumulate mud and debris, causing rust problems. I decided to leave them off after finding the latter in abundance. The passenger side tank looked fairly decent on the outside, but everything was so dirty I couldn't tell much, and I didn't want to take the sending unit out with all that crap accumulated around it.

I figured the driver's side was still doable (I was assuming because I was still getting gas from that tank) inside, but after I pressure-washed everything so I could get a better look at things, imagine my surprise when I found the slow leak of $$$ coming from the driver's side:

I later found out it wouldn't have mattered if any dirt or other shit had fallen into the passenger tank when I opened it though. It was so bad it had about an inch of what almost looked like fine rust powder in the bottom of the tank--it sloshed with the gentle motion of waves. The sending unit looked like I had dug it out of sea water.

 

I couldn't believe it. Both tanks were shot. Well, time for new tanks! With a visible leak I didn't even bother to look inside the driver's side tank. The truck was getting new tanks anyway.

I browsed around the web and found a good deal on a pair of Spectra Premium GM1B tanks on Amazon, complete with sending units and free shipping. They arrived with some sort of oily protectant on them, making them ready to install as-is. Because I was leaving the tank covers off, I opted to coat my new tanks with something thick first, so I started by wiping them down well with acetone. I bought a gallon Herculiner kit (expensive!) of bed liner paint from Lowes. It took a couple days to get them both covered with two coats each, but I'm more than happy with the result.

I couldn't stop there though. I also replaced the 6-port switching valve. I figured that it would be just as bad inside as the tanks were after 40 years, so I replaced that too. Here are what things looked liked all put together. I sourced the filler hoses from LMC Truck. I thought about teeing the two vents together with one vent, but then I thought, "Why reinvent the wheel?" It would use more hose anyway, and that stuff ain't cheap if it's Gates brand.

It was several days of knuckle-busting work, what with playing with all those pieces of hose (especially on the switching valve) and clamps, but it's so nice to have it done. Both tanks were at least half full, so that complicated things. I was able to use a floor jack to lower them down without mishap, and I was able to safely save 3/4 of a tank of gas from the driver's side tank. I'll be getting even more out of the rusty tank (using a pump and filter of course), but I'll just burn that in my mower to play it safe. I may be able to get all the sediment out of the gas, but it will still have shit mixed into it I'm sure.

On to the next task while the bed is off: Exhaust!

Rear Bumper Time

I was cleaning pictures off my phone recently when I happened across some pictures of my truck I had taken right after I bought it. The bumper was one subject I meant to cover and forgot about it.

My GMC was bought already wearing an aftermarket rear bumper. Though showed plenty of use by its scratches and dings, it was not bent or unusable in any way. I just don't like the look of big bumpers. It appeared to be one that someone paid good money for--possibly custom-made. It was plenty beefy. I didn't get a lot of pictures of it, but here it is against my 84 Chevy and its standard, steel step-bumper. Quite a difference.

It was definitely a bumper you needed to have a good hold on when it came loose. It was heavy. I did a careful balancing act with my floor jack, ready to cringe if it fell off the jack, assuming it would wake the neighborhood with the clang of ages. Luckily, it went nice and smooth.

I contacted the guy I offloaded the bed liner onto a few months prior, and he was plenty happy to come and get the bumper. Free is a good price when you want things to move quickly! I'll bet it looks perfectly at home on his crew-cab dually. I think that design was meant for a beefy ranch truck.

I replaced it with a new Fey chrome step bumper from Summit Racing. Here it is on the truck:

It was very easy to put on--just me and my trusty floor jack. It also helped to be on a smooth concrete surface so the wheels rolled smoothly. New brackets are required with this bumper. The brackets made the install pretty effortless. You don't want to be under there all day, right? Buy the brackets.