Edgar: The adventures and ramblings of a high mileage 1992 Chevy K1500 RCSB

[TwinDuro]

"Another flaw in the human character is that everybody wants to build and nobody wants to do maintenance." - Kurt Vonnegut (from the novel Hocus Pocus)

Enter Edger, our 1992 Chevy K1500 regular-cab, short bed pickup where this notion from 'ol curt holds especially true. My Dad and I bought him about 5 years ago to replace our previous work truck so we'd both have something to haul lumber, motorcycles and tow when needed and for the occasional 14 inch snowfall hear near Tacoma, WA. We didn't exactly have a ton of cash burning a hole in our pockets, so we looked around in the cheap-seats on craigslist to see what we could find. Our qualifications we're pretty simple. We wanted a shorter rig with a manual transmission and a lack of options, a good, simple truck. We looked around at just about everything, from another Nissan like the one we had to a Toyota T100 to a few other rigs. All were either too beat or out of the price range so we kept lookin'...

We almost went home with a light blue 1985 K10 short bed that left the factory with a SM465, NP208 and 6.2 diesel that had since been converted to a 350 Chevy and sat on bald 35" tires with a mild lift and with horrible bucket seats that had been swapped in. While this seems like a great idea on paper and a strait-axle K10 is a often a better starting platform for an off-roader, that truck was beat, and I mean beat! Literally everything on it was broken or worn out and the SM465 popped out of 3rd gear and the throwout bearing was suspect. It had body damage everywhere the the bed floor looked like it had had boulders dropped into it on a regular basis. Although I would have loved to build up a truck like this and love square bodies (especially Larry's K10), we needed something ready to go and reliable that could also be immediately pressed into service, so we passed...

A few months went by with nothing too exciting until I saw an ad for a good looking 1992 K1500 with a manual transmission and 262k miles. "Runs great, clear title, $2k" sounded pretty good other then the mileage, but since it wasn't going to be a daily driver, we decided to go take a look. After test driving the truck, we couldn't find anything inherently wrong with it other then the usual 25 year old GM truck stuff, so we made a deal and came back the next day to pick it up. I don't have any photos from when we first got it, but here's the first I can find from a day trip down to Capitol Forest to rip around on my equally old and quirky 1989 Yamaha YZ250WR.



When we bought this truck, I figured it had an NV3500 but was surprised and delighted, after crawling underneath and after looking at the RPO label in the glove box to discover it came with a factory "MT8" NV4500 with the 6.34:1 first gear, an NP241 as you'd expect, 5.7 TBI and a bunch of other oddly picked options, like factory 225/75R16 tires on steel wheels, roll-up windows and manual locks but the Silverado package with nice interior, AC/Cruise/Fancy stereo, bench seat, Sport steering wheel, 3.73:1 gears and the smallest possible radiator for the 5.7 along with an open 10-bolt rear end.

Other then the previous owner ditching the stock steelies for these chrome blade wheels (which are now long gone) and 245/75R16 tires, adding tube steps, a trailer brake controller, bed rail covers and euro tail lights, it was totally stock and unmolested mechanically, but ran great, had good oil pressure and pulled pretty good. I also forgot that the factory air cleaner and snorkle had been replaced with a really bad hot-rod open-element chrome air cleaner which I promptly threw in the trash and replaced with a factory unit from the junkyard. The parking brake mechanism in the cab had also given up the ghost so it wouldn't lock, the pawl was all cammed-out and the release lever had broken off. All strait forward fixes with multiple trips to the Pick-N-Pull where GMT400s flow like a gallon jug of Carlo Rossi Rhine around the campfire on the 4th of July.

A closer inspection several weeks later reveled some oil leaks, totally worn-out steering (and I mean everything) and a chip in the windshield decided it was going to result in three door to door cracks. Again, for a $2k truck, not bad. I'm lucky to be a pretty decent shade tree mechanic, so none of this stuff worried me. Knowing in the back of my mind that if any part of the truck failed completely, I could fix or replace it in the garage for not a lot of money was comforting to know.

Here's the truck as he sits today:



A few years ago 4 Wheel parts had several deals going around black friday with free-installation, a 10% online discount, they'll pay the sales tax (9.5% at the time) and about $150 worth of mail-in rebates on a new set of BFGs. I quickly found a set of good condition NBS style wheels which I always liked the look of, on craigslist for $100, got the new 285/75R16 E-rated BFG K02s installed and sold the old blade-slasher chrome wheels and tires for $200 on craigslist. Even with the cost of the new wheels, after all was said and done, I think the brand new set of BFGs came out to a little less then $600. I _LOVE_ these tires. We had used them on our race-rig down in Mexico (I've been fortunate to have crewed for several Mexican 1000 runs as well as volunteered down at the Cortez and now Sonora Rally in previous years) and have found them to be perfect for me. They work great in the snow (I air them down to about 15psi) are quiet on the highway and sure as hell beat the constant cold patches and plugging I had to do with the old tires to keep the truck on the road.



Years have passed and other then a few simple fixes (an emergency clutch replacement when the original croaked, by the way that NV4500 weighs A LOT, a couple of coolant temperature sensors a distributor and a serpentine belt) he's served us well. Lots of hauling motorcycles to races, camping, work and dump runs. Old Edger is showing his age in a few areas though and at around 275k miles needs some long-overdue maintenance and upgrades. Hence the quote at the beginning of this thread, I'm here to chronicle the rebuilding (and upgrades) of this old truck and when we're all free to leave home again and co-mingle, some off-pavement adventures!

This is the point where I wish I could tell y'all that I'm about to do a lower-height SAS swap with 47" springs, cross-over steering, an HP Dana 44 out of a '78-'79 F250, a 14bolt FF rear end, 4.56s, selectable lockers and a set of 315/70R17s on de-center-capped, non-chrome H2 alloys. Unfortunately though folks, literally 95% of that isn't gonna happen at this point because the reality is that although I wouldn't shake a stick at all that awesomeness (and that's exactly how I'd build it), I don't currently need it any of it for what I actually use the truck for: Work, motorcycle hauling, camping, exploring un-maintained fire roads and a hopefully a long weekend on sections of the WABDR run this summer.

What you will see for sure in the coming weeks and months is me raiding the plethora of upgrades available through the GM parts bin/wrecking yard and doing _A LOT_ of differed maintenance and quality of life/usability upgrades and using the heck out of it while we get him back to his former glory. Here's the list of the big stuff as we sit:

- Completely rebuild the front steering and suspension, and I mean everything, and install a set of used torsion bars out of a heavy duty K1500/ light duty K2500. I've got a pile of new MOOG parts sitting here getting lonely.
- Replace the stock loose-as-a-goose 10 bolt rear axle with a lower mileage 9.5" 14-bolt 6-lug semi-floater I grabbed out of a LD K2500 with new 4/1 leaves, shackles and an ORD U-bolt flip kit (stock bolts/plates were rotted out)
- Replace the leaking cheap-replacement 28"x 1-3/8" core radiator with a new 34" x 2-3/16" radiator and factory shroud. Planning to keep the mechanical fan for now.
- New body mount bushings, door hinge pins and bushings, window weatherstrip and a home-built 1" body lift for a little more tire clearance (going craaaaaaaazy with those mods! ?)
- Rebuilding the NP241C transfer case (she's getting a little clunky and the chain is definitely slapping around and worn out), new U-joints in the front and rear driveshafts and resealing the front diff.
- Overhauling the TBI (the injectors are leaking and she's currently getting about 9mpg instead of the usual 12'ish in town), replacing the intake gaskets and replacing the who-knows-when-its-gonna-go probably-original in tank fuel pump.
- A set of bed drawers with a low-as-possible sleeping platform which will hide the full-size spare in the front right corner of the bed
- Making a new back window out of polycarbonate for the canopy because like an idiot I broke the old unobtainable rear one this winter with a pair of vice grips that flew out of my hand at just the right angle. For whatever reason I have really poor luck with rear windows on trucks and canopies. Really, poor luck.

....and a bunch of other exciting stuff you're just gonna have to hold your horses for.

I promise it won't be as boring as it sounds, especially since all of this will be done here in the garage among the misfit fleet of vintage motorcycles, friends' projects and general miscellany! ? I've gained a lot of information and have had a lot of fun reading threads over the years here and have and decided it was finally time to get in on it. Wish me luck!

- Cory

 

[Deleted member 9101]

This is the point where I wish I could tell y'all that I'm about to do a lower-height SAS swap with 47" springs, cross-over steering an HP Dana 44 out of a '78-'79 F250, a 14bolt FF rear end, 4.56s, selectable lockers and a set of 315/75R15s on H2 alloys. Unfortunately though folks, literally 95% of that isn't gonna happen at this point because the reality is that although I wouldn't shake a stick at all that awesomeness (and that's exactly how I'd build it), I don't currently need it any of it for what I actually use the truck for: Work, motorcycle hauling, camping, exploring un-maintained fire roads and a hopefully a long weekend on sections of the WABDR run this summer.

Being able to establish realistic needs and not chase unrealistic wants puts you far ahead of others who have gone down this road before.

 

[TwinDuro]

Off topic of this thread's direct subject of Edger the K1500 but totally on-topic with the adventures leading up to this thread was a fun week in Sonora in 2017 working as volunteers on the special stage start crew. Here we are on the last day of Sonora Rally, 2017 at the furthest checkpoint out in the Altar Desert. The lighly modified black 4-runner belongs to my buddy Dave (who's a master Subaru mechanic and helped us massivly in our past rally car efforts) and was a great rig for the desert. The white Tacoma belongs (I think he since sold it) to Harry Wagner and Brian Sumner of Petersens 4WOR magazine. We spent the day at the checkpoint with Harry and Brian and talked travel, rigs and adventures while relaying communications and updates to Rally control while trying to stay cool and hydrated. They're great guys and a hoot to talk to.



Ricky Brebec raced Sonora Rally with Team Honda that year (Mark Samuels won overall in bikes) and we started him out on the specials. He obviously got in a lot of practice since I took this photo in March 2017 as the first American to win Dakar... ?

 

[TwinDuro]

Some more strait-forward, simple-stupid maintenance today, mainly an oil change with fresh Shell Rotella T 15W-40 and a new Purolator oil filter. In the last couple hundred miles the truck started running a bit rough and pinging lightly under lower RPM load. I figured it was time for a timing check and busted out the trusty old Craftsman timing light and connected the sensor to the #1 cylinder and the power leads to the battery.



I marked the timing pointer and harmonic balancer with a little chalk to make seeing down into the snake pit a little easier.



I then unplugged the brown/black EST wire hidden under the electrical cover on the passenger side firewall which allows you to check true initial timing:





No photos of actually checking the timing with the strobe, but it turns out initial timing had drifted to 10 degrees advanced! No wonder it was getting poor fuel mileage and occasionally pinging! A very slightly loose dristributor hold down bolt was the culprit so I loosened it up, inspected it, added a new lock washer and set the timing to the correct 0 degrees and tightened her down.



Like everything in life, sometimes my timing is a little off! ?

With everything back in place, a test drive was in order and as you can imagine, it ran A LOT smoother, accelerated better and will now probably pick up some fuel mileage (Ha!). I’m also going to add a proper 9/16” distributor wrench to my tool arsenal because using a 1/4” drive ratchet with multiple flex joints doesn’t work the greatest nor inspire confidence.

As you can see though, working on these old TBI 350s is pretty simple. Much easier then the last mid ‘80s BMW E28 series I-6 engine I did a head gasket on which due to long time owner neglect, gives me nightmares to this day... save your sanity, don’t work on poorly maintained mid ‘80s Bimmers unless you’re a special kind of mechanical masochist! ?

 

[nitro_rat]

If you run 10° advanced timing and premium gas you can get more power and better fuel economy in my experience. I was getting almost 20 mpg highway on my old 88' K10 (actually V10) Suburban with the 350 TBI and 700R4. All stock except 10° advanced timing and premium gas...

 

[TwinDuro]

@nitro_rat Thanks for the tip! I'll have to give that a try once I run down the currently full tank of regular fuel. I also have a new MSD ignition coil from a past project project (4.3 TBI) lying around I'll throw on for S&Gs.

 

[nitro_rat]

oh yeah, that's the other part of the trick! MSD coil, good wires, run the specified AC Delco plug and open the gap to .045"!!!

 

[TwinDuro]

oh yeah, that's the other part of the trick! MSD coil, good wires, run the specified AC Delco plug and open the gap to .045"!!!

Good to know, I'll do just that! The wires are suspect (since they were never loomed or routed right, they're chaffed in a few places) and I haven't changed the plugs since we first got it, so a good old performance tune up is in order...

 

[nitro_rat]

The high dollar wires don't really last any longer than good stock replacements and they usually don't route as clean. AC Delco or Packard wires are best IMO. Just change them every 40-50k...

Make sure you get the plugs that it calls for on the sticker under the hood, don't go for the platinum, palladium, zirconium or whatever else they try to sell you. Those old ignitions really work better as designed!

Make sure the module under the cap is AC Delco too, there is a difference in the circuits in the Chinese knock offs!

 

[TwinDuro]

Great info @Nitrorat. So the distributor currently living in it isn’t the original AC Delco Unit unfortunately, but a Spectra (definitely Chinese) unit which was all I could get my hands on at the time when the original distributor literally rusted to nothing inside the cap, the reluctor split into several pieces and came apart, leaving nothing usable left except for the module (which I kept and is handy behind the seat in the truck) and the dristibutor shaft and part of the housing, which I cut down and kept as a pre-Oiler for future projects.







The best advice I ever got from our family mechanic, who did the major work on our family vehicles when I was a kid and was just getting into cars, was that when it came to electronic parts, ignitions/sensors etc, “if you could stick to factory parts/components, you’d usually be one step ahead.” He gave me this advice about 15 years ago and at the time, being a dumb kit, I kind of scoffed at it in my head but I’ve found it to be pretty accurate across the board. After years of wrenching, I now understand why he had that sentiment... it seems like on our GM stuff (and we’ve had just about everything it seems like, domestic and imported) AC Delco parts have given me the least amount of trouble.

Here’s a few photos from my first dip into camping with the truck a few years ago. My brother and I were planning to go and spend the weekend up near Mount Rainier in January to one of our favorite local events called “snow camp.” A bunch of local riders and friends get together in a horse camp near Ashford, Wa, cook up a load of food, fry some turkeys and sit around a fire and have a good time. We also ride dual sport bikes, usually with now involed, shoot beer can rockets into the stratosphere and usually get into some good, low key mischeif...

Being spoiled not wanting to sleep on the ground much anymore if I can avoid it, I rigged up a quick platform in the back of the truck using the factory brf pockets and a piece of plywood I had sitting around. The old canopy was quickly shedding its carpeted liner though, and throwing dust and disintegrated carpet everywhere so I had to deal with that, because the last thing we want to do when it’s 25 degrees out and we're in tight quarters is to be sucking in old carpet adhesive dust ?



Other than it being a little bit claustrophobic, it worked really well and I’ll make a much more skookum set up with the new bed drawers that’s a few inches lower.



I hitched up the bike trailer and we threw on our small dual sports and had a blast up in the snow. we had so much fun that we decided the next time we’re doing it, we’re going to both have sets of tires with ice screws so we can get a little farther into the back country:

 

[TwinDuro]

Some past photos of parts gathering. I found a good condition, lower mileage 9.5” 14 bolt semi-floater out of a ‘94 K2500 LD for a reasonable price on Craigslist. It’s an open unit with 3.73 gears and new looking brakes. I knew I wouldn’t be installing it immediately and I always seem to have a spare axle floating around for something, so I built a quick cart to roll around with. I’ll use the same cart to move around the old 10 bolt and eventually the rear end for my ‘54 Chevy 3100





For the 14 bolt SF swap, I’ll need to use a conversion U-joint (1330 on one side 1350 on the other) but since I’m not lifting the truck more then an inch or so, I’ll keep the slip yoke and call it day.

The plan is to give the axle a light overhaul (new seals, wheel cylinders, pinion seal etc.) as the bearings and gears appear to be in good shape.



Just for grins the other day I “mocked up” what the truck would look like, tire clearance wise, with a 1” body lift. I know the frame and running boards and bumpers will be an inch lower then they currently are, but it gives you an idea. What you can’t see is the factory scissor jack which is raising the front end 1” to go with the floor jack raising it 1” in the rear.

It definitely helps the appearance and looks more like a factory “high boy” type setup and should help tire clearance although the 285s on NBS wheels don’t rub anywhere currently.

Here’s a photo of the truck sans canopy. Normally I’m not a fan of running boards, but since they’re pretty beefy stainless units and unbolt quickly, they’ll stay for now. They really don’t affect ground clearance much and sit even with the frame.

 

[(none)]

Great looking truck. I love the single cabs.

 

[TwinDuro]

Great looking truck. I love the single cabs.

Thanks (none)! I’m found of the single cab trucks myself. I always prefer the look of a single cab truck of any make (I love the looks of a standard cab, long bed 2000-2007 F-250/350) and sometimes curse myself for not getting an extended cab short bed or a standard cab long bed, but all in all, since 95% of the time I only have myself or one other person (or dog) it’s not too big a deal. There’s also a surprising amount of storage space behind and under the seat.

 

[nitro_rat]

I'm not a fan of conversion u-joints. You can probably get the driveshaft from a 3/4 ton truck for cheap, buy a couple new joints and have the shaft shortened to length. My local shop will cut one for $40...

 

[TwinDuro]

I'm not a fan of conversion u-joints. You can probably get the driveshaft from a 3/4 ton truck for cheap, buy a couple new joints and have the shaft shortened to length. My local shop will cut one for $40...

I’m with you there @nitro_rat, I’d prefer to run 1350 joints on both ends in the rear. That’s a great idea to get a driveshaft from a 3/4 ton RCLB and have it shortened. We have a great driveline shop nearby, so I’ll have to give ‘em a call ad see what they’d charge. A used driveshaft and NP241 slip yoke would run me about $50 at the local pick-n-pull. I would feel a lot better with good quality 1350s front and rear.