tim292stro
Well-known member
- 2,118
- 40
- 48
- Location
- S.F. Bay Area/California
Starting new thread here after highjacking another thread.
Plan in broad strokes: Take civilian 1985 Chevy Crew Cab Dually, and "militarize" it.
Timeline: 9-months or less, need extra seats for growing family - will be a daily driver.
Major work to be done:
Work will be completed with "quiet" as a project keyword.
Additional work considered:
Will add pictures, videos, and updates as this moves forward. My background: design and planning proficiency = High, technical proficiency = High, mechanical proficiency = High, electrical proficiency = High, motivation = High.
Plan in broad strokes: Take civilian 1985 Chevy Crew Cab Dually, and "militarize" it.
Timeline: 9-months or less, need extra seats for growing family - will be a daily driver.
Major work to be done:
- Engine swap - Cummins 5.9L 6BT
- Drive-train swap (2WD to 4WD)
- 24Volt conversion (I prefer this voltage anyway...)
- Mechanical gauge swap-out (point being to eliminate as much of the original GM harness and cluster-shucks as possible)
- Replace most GM hardware and fixtures with M-Series parts (lights, switches, etc...)
- Better interior than GM managed in M vehicles (or any vehicle they offered that decade).
- Exterior Paint (Type-2 686A, 33446 Desert Tan CARC - a good base for anything else I would do)
Work will be completed with "quiet" as a project keyword.
Additional work considered:
- PTO Generator <s>480Y/277 with step-down transformer to</s> 208Y/120V 60Hz @ 48kW (3x 30Amp/3-phase L21-30R, 3x 20Amp/1-phase 5-20R)
- Full communications suite
- "CarPuter"
- Decent stereo
- Ring mount? (probably not)
- Solar cells on roof?
- Bed-Ball mount, and hitch for 5th-wheel (like B&W turn-over hitch)?
Will add pictures, videos, and updates as this moves forward. My background: design and planning proficiency = High, technical proficiency = High, mechanical proficiency = High, electrical proficiency = High, motivation = High.
Last edited:
turn signals, brake lights, and headlights/marker lights all worked great individually, but in combination they had issues (with headlights on turn signals would illuminate but not flash). Also the gauges had a ground issue that was intermittent but caused the temp gauge to show 240*F right at turn over (which I knew was BS, because I had just touched that cold block a minute before...). 7.3L V8 pulled solid up the hills even with the three speed - while I normally drive a 5-speed stick, it took me a while to get the balls to push the right foot harder to make it go faster, but it responded like a well tempered thoroughbred. At about San Jose, I tried to switch tanks (passenger to driver's tank) and it wouldn't switch - so I have 20Gallons of 91 octane I'll probably never get to use which is stuck in there. There was a length of 4x4 pressure treated lumber keeping the driver's seat from reclining, that was a surprise and was like sitting with a log shoved in my back during the drive - the rest of the interior has had it, so I won't feel bad tearing it all out, even though it looks like someone cared about the truck when they did the interior. All-in-all, not much of anything in the way of surprises, which was great for a 30 year old truck! (and a GM over 100K)
. So far I'm in $5225, but I have the major parts. Now I need to clean them up and do some rebuilding, then get to assembly.
, but sadly I have to. I have limited time during the week to work on this (job first, then play), and my weekend time is "sparse" since I have my 2-year-old all day (wife works). This weekend, the project is to recover the drive train, which will be fun with a half ton Toyota mini-pickup...
.
