The Chronicles of Woodley... 1986 Chevy K20

[350TacoZilla]

Love the old truck progress. I really need to get mine up to my house where I can start on it.

Not to spend your money for you but a crew cab short bed sat on a newer 4x4 IFS frame would be killer first truck for good ride and dependability.

 

[The Freeak]

Update:
Tested again with a more responsive vacuum gauge.
The gauge fluctuates in synch with the engine "lope", which leads me to look at the valvetrain, not a vacuum leak.
I'll have the valve covers off in a bit.

rumpity rumpity rumpity video

 

[The Freeak]

Just did a compression test.
~145/150 psi in every cylinder.
Plugs are all black as night.
Pulled both valve covers, all rockers are actuating cleanly and appear to be opening/ closing completely, pushrods appear to be intact/ not bent - which corresponds with the compression pressure.
I'm going to get it back together and spray it with starting fluid while it runs and see if the RPMs spike... which would indicate a vacuum leak.
It's definitely pig rich.
I'm going to pull the TBI and rebuild it with the kit I have, and if that doesn't fix it, I guess I'm replacing the injectors.
It's about all that's left before I dig into pulling the intake, which I'm less convinced of since I tested the compression and watched the rocker actuation and read the plugs

 

[BustedCrank]

Just some ideas, after you double check for a vacuum leak. Try adjusting the timing, I know you already set it to 0 with the timing plug disconnected. But I'd try adjusting it by ear/with the vacuum gauge and see what it does (with the plug disconnected). Maybe the balancer has slippped, possible jumped a tooth on the timing chain? Have you triple checked your firing order? You said all the plugs were black, did you clean them up/check the gap?

You can check your injectors spray pattern with an ajustable timing light before replacing them.

 

[M92PV4U]

I've seen spun balancers before. I thought that the timing was supposed to be 4° advanced?

Hmmm... I must be miss remembering .

 

[The Freeak]

Just some ideas, after you double check for a vacuum leak. Try adjusting the timing, I know you already set it to 0 with the timing plug disconnected. But I'd try adjusting it by ear/with the vacuum gauge and see what it does (with the plug disconnected). Maybe the balancer has slippped, possible jumped a tooth on the timing chain? Have you triple checked your firing order? You said all the plugs were black, did you clean them up/check the gap?

You can check your injectors spray pattern with an ajustable timing light before replacing them.

Firing order has been verified twice. Plugs were new last spring. This has more idling time than miles at this point - albeit with lower than appropriate vacuum, so the MAP is seeing that it's under load (sees low vacuum) and is adding (unnecessary) fuel while at idle... I may try a fresh set of plugs just to rule them out.

I've seen spun balancers before. I thought that the timing was supposed to be 4° advanced?

Hmmm... I must be miss remembering .

Seems we are all thinking alike.
I started rebuilding the TBI unit last night; didn't find anything unexpected, but the base plate gasket did look a touch iffy.
I hope to get that installed and check how it runs sometime today.
Also considering capping ALL vacuum lines except MAP and see how it runs. then reconnect them one by one.

And yeah, I woke up at 340 thinking about this thing... I'm also contemplating timing ... hadn't considered the spun balancer, but I had considered skipped timing- even though it has by all accounts maybe 45k miles. I was just about to search for "how many degrees does a skipped tooth impact timing"

Edit: from some random message board: "If I remember correctly there are 24 teeth so if you divide 360 by 24 that will give you 15 degrees per tooth at the crank. Half of that at the cam."
So... 7.5° of timing change assuming a single tooth off. Bugger a duck, I really don't want to tear the front off this engine.

 

[M92PV4U]

Big block is 4°.

 

[M92PV4U]

This engine is a little newer than yours but I believe that yours still has this sensor and ground. If you haven't already check this sensor, connection and ground. The truck will run like crap (or maybe not at all) if this is disconnected.

 

[The Freeak]

SUCCESS MOTHER BITCHES!
There were hickory nut shells stuck in the EGR valve diaphragm- holding it partially open.
I had to pry the valve open while vacuuming the exposed portion of the diaphragm.

Idles smooth as a freshly waxed kitty.

Thanks for all the suggestions!

 

[rattle_snake]

congrats on solving.

Nuts in your diaphragm....

 

[The Freeak]

Been a while since I've made any updates -


I've been driving this thing locally- 20-30 mile radius; mostly trips to the barn where my daughter rides horses.

She LOVES this silly truck... Stole this from her IG posts...

It did take a longer drive to the scrap yard, where I dumped all the old springs and both axles, along with some other crap.

Dolla dolla bill yo (note the continuously malfunctioning gas gauge. )

Kid and I took a hike looking for deer sheds, and only found a skull...

FFWD to more recent times...
Since the de-nut-ification of the EGR it has run flawlessly.
I changed the oil again after that debacle, after running a can of engine cleaner in the oil.
This past weekend I drove it to Tractor Supply and parked next to my other project/headache's twin -

Then Ellie and I grabbed a small innertube, swung by the local gun shop for some .22 ammo- to hopefully remove the buffalo sized groundhog we just saw in the back yard- and came home.

I used the innertube to pop out the large dent in the PS door. No pics of this, but now the door is basically flawless.

Then I stripped/ cleaned off all the years of accumulated "stuff" on the door shell, and attempted to apply some sound deadener to the door.
Apparently it was too cold, or the sticky stuff had expired, so I moved to my next "should be a simple project": moving the seat back ~1 inch to provide a bit more leg room for my 6'-4" self.
After engaging in four hours of cranial fornication, I reinstalled the seat on the modified brackets, only to find/ realize that the rear structure of the cab was 1/8" rearward of the of seat base, and nothing short of cutting that out was going to improve my situation.
It had not been a good weekend and that was just what I needed to send me into a rant in the front yard. (Sorry neighbors)

Threw my tools back in the garage, cleaned up, and managed to calm down enough to tighten the belts on the PS and Alternator so they no longer sounded like a wookie in heat when cold/ at steering lock.



Last night I ordered some new sound deadener and the parts to finish the parking brakes.
I am also looking for an NV4500 to swap in so I can drive this at highway speeds. - Hit me up if you have one locally - PA/ NY/NJ/ DE/MD.

 

[The Freeak]

It was a good day for a drive....

Might seem like an unlikely location to buy truck parts, but ....

This was waiting.

The drive home was equally scenic - Yes please.

This is near my house- I've been meaning to stop and chat with this guy. I'd like to take some photos of these machines.

 

[The Freeak]

So, if it's not clear by now, I snagged this bad mammajamma.

5.61 first gear, so I'm losing a little there, but the OD will make this truck a lot more useable for my intentions.

Was hoping to yank the 465/ 208 tonight, but I'm working outside and of course it's supposed to snow. sigh

Ordering some minor parts- input seal, shift tower parts, ... hoping this is CLOSE to plug and play.

I scrubbed the trans/ t-case y'day, and took inventory of the situation.

The OAL of the 4500 is 20 -3/8"ish

The OAL of the SM465/ adapter is 20 -1/4"ish.

My only concern is the slave cylinder location on the OEM (1995) NV4500 bell- it's close to the front driveshaft in my application, but the truck is lifted enough it may not be in the way. I really don't want to spring for a new AA bell, as those are pretty spendy.

 

[350TacoZilla]

I think you will clear ok, I had swapped a NV3500 into a square with around 4" lift and it cleared ok (slave looks to be in same place on that bell).

 

[Twankie]

If it doesn't clear can you just cut off the slave mount and run an internal slave/TO bearing?

 

[The Freeak]

I think you will clear ok, I had swapped a NV3500 into a square with around 4" lift and it cleared ok (slave looks to be in same place on that bell).

If it doesn't clear can you just cut off the slave mount and run an internal slave/TO bearing?

I'm going to mock it up and see- I'm hopeful that I can run it as is and avoid the extra cost of the AA bell and parts. OTOH, the AA bell is nice and tidy, and retains my existing slave, etc.
I'll have updates soon- maybe this weekend, or maybe a few weeks. Still waiting on some other supporting parts

 

[Lowrollin70gmc]

Truck is looking good, glad your family is enjoying it as well.

The one thing that's actually bugging me- the PS turn signal indicator (dash) is illuminated once the running/ head lights are on. I'm not looking forward to tracking this short.

If you haven't chased this yet, I've had it be a ground issue at/near the bulb 99% of the time. Front signal or maybe tail light.

I'd start by seeing if any of the park or tail lights seem dim or have your kiddo go full bored kid by turning the lights on and off, hitting the turn signals, and stepping on the brake while you walk around seeing what's acting funny. Then check bulb / socket / and their grounds at that corner.

 

[The Freeak]

Been a while, but I'm back at it.

My buddy invited me to ride along on a trail ride at AOAA last weekend, so that was fun.

Last two weekends were spent trying to improve the steering.
It had a GIANT deadspot off center.
I started with ... the most complicated solution. Let's build a trackbar.

Used some old spring shackles for the axle side bracket.

After much cranial fornication, this was created. (I even PAINTED it)

Installed...

A quick wiggle of the steering wheel while observing the hubs/ rotors demonstrated that the play was reduced, but not eliminated.
PlanG:

yeauldXJsteeringshaftswap.exe

End result- It's better.
Still wanders more than I want/like, but I also need to acknowledge that I've never had it on a "real" alignment machine. So that's next.

until next time, cheers bitches.

 

[rattle_snake]

nice fix on the steering. Transmission in yet?

 

[The Freeak]

nice fix on the steering. Transmission in yet?

Waiting on some parts. And time.

 

[The Freeak]

Well, we checked that off the list.

Ellie wanted to take the truck to a car show. So we did.
Someone snapped a photo of us pulling in...

Self explanatory

Lowering property values where ever I park. LOL

Stopped for a pic of the sunset on the way home.

But, most importantly, the kid had fun, and even said she wanted to do it again.

 

[The Freeak]

Ordered the AA Bellhousing today. Hoping this goes quickly.

 

[The Freeak]

Noticed the DS tailgate hinge support metal had succumbed to rust. So I built a temporary repair.

installed...

 

[Steve300xcw]

temporary repair.

temporary?

 

[The Freeak]

temporary?

yes? what am I missing?

 

[total newb]

Thats the most permanent temp fix in history.

 

[Steve300xcw]

Thats the most permanent temp fix in history.

kinda what I was thinking. That shit isnt ever coming off

 

[vetteboy79]

Just saw this for the first time, nice work and a cool family project. Hope to catch ya on the trails with it soon 🍺

 

[Levigarrett76]

Way to go raising that kid right.

 

[The Freeak]

Let's see if this works.... (First time posting from my phone)

Saturday was productive.