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  1. Blue Ox

    What new tools have you got lately?

    Wow. I'm sorry about your friend's grandfather. He seems like a really good guy. But one small blessing is that he's finding these things a home. Not just for decent compensation to make sure the value is not lost to his family. Not just for death-cleaning to spare his offspring from throwing...
  2. Blue Ox

    What new tools have you got lately?

    Not really. But I've tried a number of other makeshift solutions that just didn't do the job. And it says Made In USA (with foreign components) which always makes me leery. It was a little less on Amazon with free shipping as opposed to buying from the manufacturer's website. If it works...
  3. Blue Ox

    What new tools have you got lately?

    This terminal cleaner kit. I've been fighting with corrosion and bad contacts for a while on a couple of vehicles, and this looked like it covered all the bases. These look like they'll cover all the different prospects. I'll let you know how it goes.
  4. Blue Ox

    Cracks in transfer case

    Die cast housings like they used on the 208s get wrinkles that look like cracks. Clean them up well to see if they're actually cracked. AFAIK, there are only two input splines that fit either to 465/THM400 or the THM350/700R4. Check the planetary carrier for cracks. They're notorious for...
  5. Blue Ox

    A/C box removal. How to remove blind screw?

    The transitory nature of forum posts. Five years ago: And the forum censored the word Viagra.
  6. Blue Ox

    A/C box removal. How to remove blind screw?

    Not sure if they're the same after the redesign, but on my '85 the screws that secure the heater core box from inside the cab have a nut on the threads that stick through into the engine compartment that hold the A/C box on. I don't know if you could unscrew it from the inside without...
  7. Blue Ox

    ID marks

    I saw the sticker, and I saw the cast in logo. Not familiar with either, but it's not that important for this conversation. You need a pyrometer. Preferably placed before the turbo. 1250° maximum at full tilt boogie. 1200° is probably better, and remember this engine doesn't have piston...
  8. Blue Ox

    ID marks

    Well, yes, the fuel delivery needed to be turned up. Otherwise a turbo system is just a heavy whistle. I thought I was familiar with most of the aftermarket systems, but I must admit I've never heard of that one. However, there were probably a few companies that did prototyping or made a short...
  9. Blue Ox

    ID marks

    Boost is almost entirely related to load. So, unless you're maxed out climbing a hill you're not going to see big numbers. If you're seeing a pound or two at cruise, unless you're towing, that's normal.
  10. Blue Ox

    5.7 Rod bearing

    GM had a problem with excess timing advance on cold starts. Sorry, I don't remember which years, but it was in the GMT-400 era. The timing would immediately go to maximum, like 40° on cold start. Oil pressure ? We don't need no stinkin' oil pressure. They destroyed a lot of rod bearings that...
  11. Blue Ox

    What have you done to your square lately??

    Added a ground stud. Every time I want to attach jumper cables, a battery charger, or a maintainer I'm always stuck with the problem of finding a good ground point. Usually any hardware on the engine is either too small to get a good attachment, or it's rusty. Interestingly, I noticed on Mrs...
  12. Blue Ox

    What have you done to your square lately??

    Preparing to install the freshened up wheels and new tires, I dug out the hubcaps and decided to clean them up a bit. Because the wheels themselves aren't going to make the rest of the truck look $#itty enough on their own. Yes, I know it's a little bonkers to polish the insides of hubcaps...
  13. Blue Ox

    What have you done to your square lately??

    I was kind of hoping he'd get it all sorted and make me a set too.
  14. Blue Ox

    What have you done to your square lately??

    The factory made those. Unfortunately, nobody seems to repop them. The original ones turned the buckle 90° so it lined up with the belt blade when the belt was flat across your lap and chest, and it faced the release button to the outside.
  15. Blue Ox

    Bluetooth alternatives

    Same here. It doesn't even involve a switch. I just pull it out of the lighter socket if I'm going to park for more than a day. It has a USB charger included and will put your phone calls on your speakers too. The mic isn't spectacular, but it's adequate. Plus, they're dirt cheap. Usually less...
  16. Blue Ox

    Brass Valve Stem

    That is correct. When I had finally assembled all the components I needed to mount the spare under the bed (Don't get me started on a certain cheapskate who moaned so much about the price of the truck that we ended up ordering it without a spare.* ) I brought a rim and tire I had to the tire...
  17. Blue Ox

    Brass Valve Stem

    I've said it before, but I'll repeat it again. When we bought the truck I was constantly looking to customize stuff because stock was ordinary when they were everywhere. But the more time went on, the more I came to appreciate what GM had wrought.
  18. Blue Ox

    Brass Valve Stem

    In case anyone cares, I ended up ordering a ten-pack of valves from Amazon. They appeared to be the same as the Summit ones and it was cheaper to get ten with free shipping than it was to get five and pay for shipping from Summit. Install torque was quoted as 35 - 55 lb/in. I usually aim for...
  19. Blue Ox

    How well should compression hold the truck?

    I've had the parking brake on the Mighty TDI freeze in the winter. Since it's FWD and it would just drag the rear wheels I didn't have your option. A little heat on the drum with a Bernz-O-Matic and you could hear the shoes release.
  20. Blue Ox

    How well should compression hold the truck?

    Even with an automatic in Park you're not supposed to use the transmission to hold the vehicle on a grade. Leaving it in gear on level ground is fine, but trusting the drivetrain to counteract gravity is just bad practice. Fix the parking brake.
  21. Blue Ox

    The 4 bolt main LIE !!! Or is it???

    One thing I can say with certainty is the four-bolt mains were the undoing of the 6.2 and 6.5 Liter diesel blocks. Everyone thinks the cranks were weak, but the cranks failed because the mains in the block would crack from the outer main bolts, right up to the cam bore. When mine failed all...
  22. Blue Ox

    Brass Valve Stem

    Okay. In my defense, I did the googling a few years ago when I did the spare tire. I didn't get such good results at that time. Thanks for the link.
  23. Blue Ox

    Brass Valve Stem

    It's time to put a decent set of sneakers on the truck, and I'm refurbishing the original steel wheels. These had brass valve stems with an expanding rubber grommet. There are two different versions of these on the truck. One is rollmarked (*= five-pointed star) * Schraeder CAN * and TR501...
  24. Blue Ox

    6.2 coarse nozzles - part #?

    I think I still have a set of rebuilds on the shelf. I'll check tomorrow.
  25. Blue Ox

    What have you done to your square lately??

    Check your cooler. Do you drive through any deep puddles?

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