_stucky’s FunK20

[_stucky]

I picked this up from an old friend’s dad in late 22. It was my friends grandpa’s truck. They weren’t sure if he had bought it new, but if not it was not old at the time. Old man driven until he died, then one of his grandsons used it to get to school for about a year until the fuel pump went out, then it sat for a year or 2. Come to find out, it was actually the switch for the dual fuel tanks that was the problem. I should have just fixed that and started driving it, but here we are. They had wanted me to buy it whenever the old man died, but I thought they wanted too much. I ended up getting it for 3000, but they were wanting 5000 or more. I told them when I got done it might be worth what they see them going for on the inter webs. It’s an 87 3/4. Tbi 5.7/400/208/10 bolt/sf14 bolt/4.10s

My original plan was to see if the motor was good. If it was not, ls swap. If it was good, axles and suspension. My mechanic buddy messed with it for a little while and said he thought it was alright. So the shenanigans began. Without hearing it run on more than starting fluid or driven it, I dug right in. The interior was pretty funky. Fitting since the owners last name is funk. I however lost a bunch of pics from the first go around.

In no particular order, I gutted the interior and cleaned it like it was dishes. Full sound deadener. New rubber floor mat. 87 k5 gas tank. I ordered the dueling frame plate kit, although didn’t really need it. Nice kit. I felt bad grinding off the pristine undercoating from the frame. 63 inch springs and 14 bolt from an 03 2500 hd with offroad design’s tension shackle setup and ruffstuff +2 perches. Diy4x b52 hangers, shackles and hangers with k5 52s. Ord crossmember. Dana 60 with springless high steer arms. Longfield spindle bushings. Swapped 3/4 ton brakes back on the 60. I also have had for many years a 400/205, the 205 already being twin stick. So I got a clocking ring and swapped that all in. Had to add 1 inch body lift and hammer the floor to get the 205 where I wanted. Tom Woods driveshafts on their flanged yokes. 1410 rear, 1310 front, with cvs.

I did most of that at my buddy’s shop. Then it came home. Still hadn’t driven it at this point.

 

[_stucky]

So there I was, truck seemed to be getting all the things I wanted to do but i hadn’t messed with the motor. I loath working on motors. It isn’t for me. I planned to leave it as alone as I could and not spend money there if it worked.

I have a 91 k5 I used to drive, so I swapped the serpentine belt setup on. In doing that, I broke an intake bolt that I couldn’t get out, and needed to add a temp sensor for the efan, so I got an Edelbrock intake. Money I didn’t want to spend. LS swap money. Damn it. I blame the heat but I somehow got the intake gasket on backwards or something and ended up blowing a head gasket. The motor already had a fairly quiet noise in what to me sounded like the block. So I swapped another 5.7 tbi that I had in. More LS money I didn’t want to spend. This one seemed to run nice and smooth. Then I had my buddy set the timing with a light, and it spun a rod bearing on the way home. I had driven it I would guess less than 20 miles at this point.

 

[_stucky]

So I got ahold of a buddy who had 2 ls trucks. Was gonna drag one home. But he had another 5.3 from an 03 Yukon just set in a squarebody, mostly intact. Yanked it out with a tractor and dove right in. Wiring is a good time. So much fun to be had.

 

[_stucky]

 

[_stucky]

I was missing several things, so I stopped at the junkyard. He had an 03 Yukon and while I was there, an 03 Escalade showed up. I got stuff from both. I was determined to use the 87 fuse box and not add the 03 one in. And I was determined to put the computer where the tbi one was.

The tac module got mounted where the vacuum ball for the cruise was at. Drilled one hole on tac module out bigger and it’s mounted up to stock holes. The dbw pedal got straighten and re bent on a tmr machete. I used the lower mount hole from both the new and old pedals, marked the upper hole for the dbw pedal, drilled 1 hole, welded a bolt in upper hole, mocked it up,, tacked a bolt in lower hole, and now I can put it in and take it out solo. The wire was just long enough that I didn’t have do anything to it. Cruise is hooked up as well.

For the computer, I chopped up the plastic tbi mount so the new one would sit in it. Then used the tmr machete to bend up a clamp. I had to chop off the heat sink fins to clear the arm for the hvac door. I think it actually touches but does move. This went smooth until I realized the bolts were too short and the plastic hung it just far enough down that it wouldn’t fit. So ditch the plastic, and in came the super necessary all important cardboard shim. I also had to heat and manipulate the plastic for the hvac stuff, but only just a little. It is a pretty tight fit.

I also took the gauges from the 91 k5 since it is electric speedometer. Had to repin the plug.

These pics are where I currently am. I believe the only wires left are o2 sensors and vss. You can see them on the cowl.

 

[_stucky]

 

[_stucky]

Between motor #2 and #3, I made a bumper from some crusty 2x4 laying around. It’s not “done” yet but good enough for a truck that doesn’t run.

 

[_stucky]

I do have a few questions.

On the 87 alternator, there was a brown wire that went from alternator to the firewall bulkhead. What did this do? I suspected it was to light a warning light if the battery was not charging. However, the 87 dash didn’t have a spot for a light or even a wire in the harness at the gauge cluster. I cut the wire at the bulkhead.

There was a blue wire on the 03 alternator. I think I read it was serial data. I also cut this wire off.

Is there a way to have the 03 computer control the Efan with ac? If so I don’t understand how to hook it up that way.

The truck has a tcc circuit. I assume this was more for turning off cruise control than torque converter lockup being as how a 400 doesn’t have a lockup converter.

Do I need to put some sort of isolator on the 03 computer so it isn’t touching metal? My thoughts on that are I recall from car audio stuff you aren’t supposed to mount an amp to metal so it doesn’t ground itself.

Hot fuel module. Do I need it? Seems like I can just unplug it and move on with life.

I’ll post some more pics from the build as I have time and come across them. Progress happens everyday. I need this truck drivable last spring.

 

[_stucky]

Vss. A few years back I thought I’d mess with this 205. It’s from a 79 with the matching figure 8 400. I also have my Gpa’s old work truck. A 75 dodge 3/4 ton. Divorced 205 with 32 spline input and fixed 32 spline outputs. The outputs got swapped in, rails modded, a shifter bought and not installed, and it sat. When DMANbluesfreak was swapping a ford 205 in his truck, he was looking for some vss parts. I sent him stuff and he machined I think the dodge tail housing the same as his for vss. I revisited this when I was deciding what to fix first, and got it to the point of I need to plug the hole for the cable speedometer. But used the chevy cable tailhousing parts to match the trucks speedometer cable. I drug all those parts back out last week.

Does anyone know what the threads are for the cable speedometer hole? I found a plug that is 7/8-18 I think will work but don’t have a tap yet. The threads are preboogered for me.

 

[_stucky]

Interior before and after. The shelf I found on a website for work van shelving. It’s mounted to the seat bolts and the Amazon special 6x9 enclosers (not finished yet in the pic). I have a Henry 22 that fits nicely on the bottom shelf.

For tunes, I planned to swap in a stock Chevy 4 channel tape deck and use a speaker level input gizmo to go to an amp. But it was all fucky. So planned to find an old school aftermarket tape deck. I wanted like an alpine or kenwood or something. Couldn’t find anything. So I got an mbquarts Bluetooth gizmo with a volume knob, a kenwood marine 4 channel amp, and some 6x9s. The amp is under the seat. The b pillars are stuffed with sound deadener. I had to bend the back cab wall out to fit the magnets. The 6x9s I think are getting 75 watts peak. It’s loud. No front speakers. I don’t trust 3.5 speakers with 10 watts going to them let alone 75. No equalizer other than high pass crossovers on the amp and bass blockers on the speakers. I get this all done and find out my brother has a new in box probably circa 96 pioneer tape deck with pre amp outputs and a digital clock. It’s everything I wanted. I have a slayer tape that would have lived in it.

 

[_stucky]

 

[_stucky]

 

[_stucky]

The last couple days, I’ve been trimming the fat off the harness. Cut out like another pound of wire. Got a lot of the bigger bundles of wire loomed. Started on the intake as well.

 

[Drummer79]

If you still have the factory gas pedal from where you swapped to DBW I definitely might want it.

 

[_stucky]

If you still have the factory gas pedal from where you swapped to DBW I definitely might want it.

Pm me your address. I did dig it out of the pile yesterday.

Didn’t take a pic, but maf is mounted, maf wire re re re rerouted. More loom is on. I am running out of things I can do without spending money. Progress may be slow the next week or so.

I think the next thing I’m gonna work on is move my exhuast around. With the tbi, I wanted it Gpa truck quiet. I got a flowmaster with 2 inlets to use as a Y and a 3 foot long cherry bomb glass pack. Not real wild about how low it hangs. I plan to hang it where it’s tucked up better and I’ll let my buddy that does exhaust connect the dots.

 

[_stucky]

Exhaust got chopped up and the mufflers rehung. Heater hose and steam port hose both hooked up. Fuel lines are mostly done, I don’t have a pump yet. The dash lights are all working, I had to put some solder at 3 different bulbs because the ribbon was torn. The gauges all seem like they are going to work. I hooked up the starter and cranked it over, it sounds promising. I haven’t heard this motor run. The gas pedal is taking up some room that had the duct for the vent to the left of the steering wheel, I have a plan. I have an air filter, some more exhaust hangers, the vacuum line for the fuel rail and maybe a couple other things ordered. I discovered offroad design has plugs for the speedometer cable hole, but they are 40$ and I still need a tap to clean up the threads.

Suggestions for fuel pump? I don’t need a sending unit, just a pump.

 

[ntaylor]

This is the pump I put in my K5. Fit the factory sending unit pretty well. Amazon.com

 

[_stucky]

Well the speedometer hole is plugged for cheap. My dad said “why don’t you just cut it off, knock out the middle and weld a bolt in?” And my “plan” for the vent was to make a little cubby thing. Yea it’s shit welds but the dash is back together. Today is put on the vss tailhousing day. And the air filter showed up.

 

[_stucky]

Air filter was too small. Vss tailhousing is on, vss is wired. Down to just o2 sensors for wiring. Today’s plan is pull a body lift puck from the k5 and put in under the bed, I didn’t put the bolts in 2 of them because the tank was in the way and one of them fell out. And I have ruffstuff shock towers to put in. Some cutting required. My to do list is getting short so I have been doing a bunch of little stuff, like pull speedo cable, cut front u bolts, address some broken bolts, more wire loom. I’m back to a spot where I need to spend money again.

 

[_stucky]

I’ll take some mock-up shocks with me tomorrow and weld the tabs on. Body lift puck is in and bed bolted down. Didn’t get much else done today.

 

[McBastard79]

I know those towers are beefy (I have a set, not installed). Are you going to weld in a cross over support as a preventative measure?

 

[_stucky]

Probably not. I don’t really plan to get too crazy jumping stuff, I think they will hold up. And I want the bed space.

Did I mention this truck only has 103,000 miles on it? I’ve only had one other truck with less miles.

Progress is going to stop for a few days. Our shop is very cold. I ran out of welding gas Friday. I’m out of parts for it too, more parts will be here this week though. I ordered the fuel pump ntaylor linked.

I did put the hood on and swap the iroks on the other day because it doesn’t fit the trailer with the Toyo’s on the 8 lug 15s.

 

[RunningProblem]

I like the old man bugflector to go with your old man exhaust plans.
What length shocks do you plan to use in the rear?

 

[_stucky]

I will flex it out with the tractor, but I suspect about 12 inch travel. I used a pair of the old big black cock shocks for mock-up. They are the shortest ones, 10s I think. Clearly too short.

I’m ready for the warmer temps. I have welding gas and a fuel pump now. I plan to go work on it tomorrow.

Edit: I used 13 inch travel bilsteins up front.

 

[4RunnerGuy]

What size are the Super Swampers? Iirc, those factory wheels are 6.5s.

The retail tire shops around here won't install tires bigger than 265/70/16s.

 

[_stucky]

I think they are 13.5 wide. A shop didn’t put them on, I did. It’s gonna be ok. They only have 20 psi in them.

Also, I’d find another tire shop.

 

[_stucky]

Double post, so here’s more pics

 

[_stucky]

I got the hvac vacuum hooked up. I used a piece from the vacuuum booster from like an 05 ish gas dodge truck in the junkyard, it has a little tit coming off it that fit the squarebody line and booster. I just extended the hard plastic line with rubber hose. Also fixed the vacuum piece that feeds the fuel rail, I broke it sitting on the motor doing wiring. The covers are now bolted down, hopefully for good(I still need more wire loom).

The dueling frame plate kit I used was intended for 52 or maybe 56 inch springs, which left me with an unplated section in front of the ord shackle hangers. I have a 4+ generation scrap pile to pilfer through, so I cut up the tongue of an old something and booger welded it on while the tank was out. Also got the pump in the tank and the tank held up by the hangers, but the hoses aren’t hooked up yet.

 

[_stucky]

Fuel lines hooked up, tank is in. I didn’t see any leaks. Fuel pressure gauge at the fuel rail shows about 52 psi with the pump running, and holding 50 psi when’s it’s off. I forgot to look and see if it went down before I left. I also trimmed the bed mat to fit over the shock towers and lay flat. I don’t really have anything left to do at the moment. I need to get the computer tuned so I can start it, then I’ll get the exhuast and o2 sensors lined out.

 

[NORDFORD]

I mean no disrespect, but I love junk yard builds. Carry on!!