The shop truck - 88 GMC C1500 RCLB

Blaze

Blaze

The Jeeper Reaper
Joined
Aug 9, 2005
Location
Wake Forest, NC
Figure might as well post up some piktars of this thing. @Buddy_Holly knows my love for this truck. It was our parts runner and shop truck back at the old shop. The thing was bone stock with like 150k miles on it. Nice interior and fading paint. I love it. The back had helper springs and lift shocks for hauling and sat stupid raked.
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Well, now it is my backup DD, parts runner, and general use truck. I still love it. A few weeks back the head gasket went on it. It was driving coolant for years but finally gave up. We looked into rebuilding it, etc. Finally I realized that it would be more cost efficient to just get a crate motor. Yes, the motor is probably worth more than the truck. I got a Vortec crate motor from Jegs along with an Edelbrock intake and TBI adapter.

So I set to installing it. Of course, if the motor is out, might as well put new motor mounts in. Well, easier to do that with the suspension out so might as well install this 3/5 drop kit here. Well damn, these new drop spindles need the bigger brakes to work right. So all new front brakes. Crap, the manifolds have shrunk and can't even be spread to work right. New shorty headers. The list goes on and on. I am getting close to the point where I can fire it up. It's been a long process but I'm getting there. Don't mind the messy shop, it is long overdue for a cleaning...
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I still have no idea why you love this truck so much. It hauled scrap pretty well, even though it sounded like dog shit with the busted muffler :flipoff2:
 
That is some serious 'next level' scope creep when a blown head gasket leads to a lowering kit and bigger brakes, LOL!
 
Buddy_Holly said:
I still have no idea why you love this truck so much. It hauled scrap pretty well, even though it sounded like dog shit with the busted muffler :flipoff2:
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It's got a Magnaflow and new rear pipes now. :)

drkelly said:
That is some serious 'next level' scope creep when a blown head gasket leads to a lowering kit and bigger brakes, LOL!
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Story of my life.

paradisePWoffrd said:
Should have just used that LS from the corner of the shop.
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It was debated, but that would be some serious upgrades to put a 600hp LS3 in place of a 350 TBI. :lol:
 
Haven't updated this recently, but getting close to firing it up. I mounted the new larger radiator and LS1 F-body fans, wired them up and started plugging in all the wires. Hopefully this week I will get it filled up with oil and the motor primed. Then I can finish dropping the distributor in and buttoning the rest up. So close.
 
Buddy_Holly said:
So when does the procharger show up?
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After Christmas. :lol:

But seriously, almost there. I got it fired up and drove it around the block. The heater core promptly puked its guts on the floorboard. Thank God for vinyl floors. Stupid on my part, the only part of the system I didn't replace. Should have just spent the time.
 
So truck is finally pretty much done. Fixed heater core and drove it around, front wheels were hitting spindle even with spacers so I said screw it and threw a set of Camaro 20s I had here on it. I really love them, surprisingly.
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