What have you done to your square lately??

Powerhouse Ranch said:

FINALLY got my Cold Case radiator. Started the install and ran into a couple problems: need all 4 rubber mounts, all worn down down and gives radiator play. Lower rad hose port is bigger on the new one. Pretty much it. Other than that, radiator is dead on

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@Powerhouse Ranch If you haven't found a lower hose yet I ended up using a Gates 21849. 1.75" at both ends and clears the belts and frame nicely

Got my new distributor in today for my 78's engine swap this weekend. $65, 65kV coil. Hope it works well.

Gassed Goldie up, and noticed a miss.

Did it on the way home from the gas station, too, so I figured I would pull good ol 8 and 6 to check it. Opened the hood and could hear a popping noise/thudding noise.

Great - the engine has internal issues.

Well, gotta check.

Pull the plug wire for number 8 and number 6 came right off as well.

I think we found the problem!

It must have not been on there well - my bad - and finally came loose.

I still need to pull those plugs, but it runs better when all 8 fire.

I finally got to play with my distributor machine. Sure beats leaning over the fan blades. Charted the different combinations of plates and springs that I had. One thing I noticed was when running a distributor with the oe module you can here the plugs go ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ, the distributor with the "Standard Ignition" ignition module would go ZZZZZ-ZZZ--ZZZZ -ZZZZ--ZZZZZ. So I replaced it with an GM module, truck runs much better no hi rpm sputter.

I forgot I got my Bosch BP52S pads in and installed today along with new bushings and sleeves.

Carid says these are organic , but the box says semi metallic.

( Tried a link, but it would not work.)




I am trying to match the OE material, but I cant get a straight interwebz answer on what the material was - anyone know ?

Either way, semi metallic on there now!

Goldie Driver said:

I forgot I got my Bosch BP52S pads in and installed today along with new bushings and sleeves.

Carid says these are organic , but the box says semi metallic.

( Tried a link, but it would not work.)




I am trying to match the OE material, but I cant get a straight interwebz answer on what the material was - anyone know ?

Either way, semi metallic on there now!

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My 1974 Jimmy came stock with organic. My 1982 C1500 had semi-metallic.

C10MixMaster said:

I finally got to play with my distributor machine. Sure beats leaning over the fan blades. Charted the different combinations of plates and springs that I had. One thing I noticed was when running a distributor with the oe module you can here the plugs go ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ, the distributor with the "Standard Ignition" ignition module would go ZZZZZ-ZZZ--ZZZZ -ZZZZ--ZZZZZ. So I replaced it with an GM module, truck runs much better no hi rpm sputter.

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Ok so I'm wondering what your considering high RPM, and also wondering was the Standard ignition module a standard, or standard blue streak. I'm running a blue streak and have not had any issues with it, but my old 305 doesn't see north of 3.5K very often at all and I chicken out right around there.

Goldie Driver said:

I forgot I got my Bosch BP52S pads in and installed today along with new bushings and sleeves.

Carid says these are organic , but the box says semi metallic.

( Tried a link, but it would not work.)




I am trying to match the OE material, but I cant get a straight interwebz answer on what the material was - anyone know ?

Either way, semi metallic on there now!

Click to expand...

In 1980 where it came with organic pads or semi-met they would have had asbestos in it, obviously no current production pads in our country will have asbestos in them. So finding a true OE composition pad is not going to be possible from that prospective at least.

Me I'm running organics, because at the time I did the brakes I assumed without looking that organic was the OE pad material. According to my reference information, both my truck and your truck came OE with semi-metallic.

CalSgt said:

@Powerhouse Ranch If you haven't found a lower hose yet I ended up using a Gates 21849. 1.75" at both ends and clears the belts and frame nicely

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nope, all good buddy. ended up stretching a 1.5" on a bottle for a few days and then jammed it on! Hey it works. If i change my mind or it fails, i'll use the Gates. Thanks again (lookin good by the way)

More of a what did someone else do to my square lately, but seat is done. Looks good, should match up nice.

This is what I've done lately. I've got other threads going with most of this info in it, so if you have seen my spark plug thread then you might wanna skip this post.

Back in Feb 2022 my truck developed a serious oil control issue on cylinder #7, and started fouling that plug every 120 miles or so. Over the course of the next several months I try, first band aids, an anti-fouler which just caused pinging, running a hotter plug in that cylinder, which didn't help much at all. Then came compression and leak down tests which showed all 8 cylinders as healthy. So I went in and changed the valve stem seals on #7, with no change. In the end it would turn out to be the intake manifold gasket sucking oil out of the valley, and while I had the intake off I cleared out the EGR passages in the intake as well. About then I'd realize the bearings on the water pump were more than a little loose, so replacing that was needed.

Getting back to project I was working on before the oil control issue popped up I started working on getting the ESC system working. I knew the knock sensor was bad and frozen in the block, but decided I should get a look at the module. Upon removing the glove box I found the ESC module missing and the harness cut so someone could do the ESC bypass trick, but under the dash instead of at the distributor. So at that point I install an adjustable vacuum can on the distributor. Seems like my truck will take about 18 degrees of vacuum advance without much pinging. Since I tow and haul with this truck I backed it down to 16, to put a little safety margin in.

Let me tell ya, between getting the intake gasket replaced, getting the timing sorted out, this truck has never run so good as long as I've owned it.

Yesterday was interior clean up day and engine bay clean up day. Pictures:

Below, #7 & #5 intake runner in the head looking at intake valves. Both of them have signs of oil being sucked in but look at the brown trail on #7. It's pretty obvious.


All put back together and wiped down.


Well for the last few months, I'd been spending all my free time under the hood, so the interior was beyond dirty. Feels good to have it all cleaned up again!

^ Lookin good, as usual!

SirRobyn0 said:

Ok so I'm wondering what your considering high RPM, and also wondering was the Standard ignition module a standard, or standard blue streak. I'm running a blue streak and have not had any issues with it, but my old 305 doesn't see north of 3.5K very often at all and I chicken out right around there.

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Just the regular standard ignition lx301 not the blue streak . above 3k was were it was having issues.

Grit dog said:

^ Lookin good, as usual!

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Thanks, and same to you. Seat looks great, I wanted to ask if you have sat on it yet? Looks like you should get many years of service out of it.

I did a full TMI black interior in my ’83, it came out great I think. It takes a little drilling and fitting, but was all pretty easy to swap and it looks clean I think! I also did an autometer invision digital dash which I love, a hurst shifter as well.