Bman
Member
- Joined
- Jul 17, 2014
- Posts
- 45
- Reaction score
- 1
- Location
- Oliver springs,tn
- First Name
- Ben
- Truck Year
- 1983
- Truck Model
- GMC sierra classic 1500
- Engine Size
- 5.0/ 305 LE9
Hi everyone. Ill start off saying Im New and first time square body owner, first GM vehicle for that matter. My names Ben, but growing up i was called Bman so it stuck. hence the Name. Im 18 just getting ready for college. Im decent with mechanics and electronics. i grew up doing it all the time.
Now for the Truck. Well it started off as i got my first truck. It was a 1976 F100 Custom. 302. 4speed bulldog LWB I put quite a bit of work into that ole truck, Did everything short of pulling the engine as far as tune up. It had its problems though. Manual steering and brakes. brakes only half there. no ac or heat. it was nothing but a beast to drive. i got used to it though. first manual i ever drove. I had done all the work to that truck to get it ready for the road.
Then one day i got an email of a guy wanting to trade me for the 83' GMC. told me it had heat. power everything and at first i was told it was a 350/350.
Well i figured thats too nice sounding for a straight trade. so i dismissed it. then he emailed me again so i said alright lets meet up. we ended up trading and there i got the GMC.
as expected it had its problems. some small rust and the rad looked horrible. held in by hangers and no shroud. and its choke doesnt work so it has to warm up awhile to get going. but it was automatic and power everything. so i traded to make my dad happy because its a safer truck.
Went to Pull-a-part and got me a shroud. had a rad already and fixed that all up. the engine had a bad emissions delete job done to it. so i tided that up a bit. put new valve cover gaskets and painted the covers to look good.
installed a temp gauge and some lights. (the trucks oil pressure gauge is stuck at 60lbs and the temp isnt hooked up anymore.) It runs real smooth. and strong. shifts like a dream. it runs about 20lbs pressure at idle and goes up to 40lbs when your driving. im not sure if thats right. but i was told its okay pressure.
Then i found out its not a 350. its a 305 LE9. still. one of the better 305s. and the trans is actually a Turbo 400 so im pleased with that for sure. did some research and found they came out of a g20 3/4ton van. the only thing is the guy said it had a shift kit. and well depending on how i "fix" the vacuum lines it acts like it does( longer gears. firmer shifts etc). but if i just leave the lines alone and dont try to seal all the leaks it shifts normally. a firm but smooth shift and it does every gear just perfect.
the truck had dual tanks orginally. but had its passenger tank took out and the bed had a new piece of sheet put in to patch where the filler had been.
I painted the patch and other spots to seal up the rust. I painted the entire inside of the bed and got a bed box and mat. threw on some lights and here i am now!
So far. I love the ole square body. GMC sierra classic. and ive become a GM guy. toughest thing i ever drove.
Here some pics to go with the story!
Now for the Truck. Well it started off as i got my first truck. It was a 1976 F100 Custom. 302. 4speed bulldog LWB I put quite a bit of work into that ole truck, Did everything short of pulling the engine as far as tune up. It had its problems though. Manual steering and brakes. brakes only half there. no ac or heat. it was nothing but a beast to drive. i got used to it though. first manual i ever drove. I had done all the work to that truck to get it ready for the road.
Then one day i got an email of a guy wanting to trade me for the 83' GMC. told me it had heat. power everything and at first i was told it was a 350/350.
Well i figured thats too nice sounding for a straight trade. so i dismissed it. then he emailed me again so i said alright lets meet up. we ended up trading and there i got the GMC.
as expected it had its problems. some small rust and the rad looked horrible. held in by hangers and no shroud. and its choke doesnt work so it has to warm up awhile to get going. but it was automatic and power everything. so i traded to make my dad happy because its a safer truck.
Went to Pull-a-part and got me a shroud. had a rad already and fixed that all up. the engine had a bad emissions delete job done to it. so i tided that up a bit. put new valve cover gaskets and painted the covers to look good.
installed a temp gauge and some lights. (the trucks oil pressure gauge is stuck at 60lbs and the temp isnt hooked up anymore.) It runs real smooth. and strong. shifts like a dream. it runs about 20lbs pressure at idle and goes up to 40lbs when your driving. im not sure if thats right. but i was told its okay pressure.
Then i found out its not a 350. its a 305 LE9. still. one of the better 305s. and the trans is actually a Turbo 400 so im pleased with that for sure. did some research and found they came out of a g20 3/4ton van. the only thing is the guy said it had a shift kit. and well depending on how i "fix" the vacuum lines it acts like it does( longer gears. firmer shifts etc). but if i just leave the lines alone and dont try to seal all the leaks it shifts normally. a firm but smooth shift and it does every gear just perfect.
the truck had dual tanks orginally. but had its passenger tank took out and the bed had a new piece of sheet put in to patch where the filler had been.
I painted the patch and other spots to seal up the rust. I painted the entire inside of the bed and got a bed box and mat. threw on some lights and here i am now!
So far. I love the ole square body. GMC sierra classic. and ive become a GM guy. toughest thing i ever drove.
Here some pics to go with the story!