Speed

" Sure you want to give the Clark up for an SM420 four-speed? Tired of double-clutching? " I don't mind double clutching-actually I "half-double clutch",half the work. As I reach the "float" part of a shift,I just slide it into neutral and let off the gas,then as the rpms come down close to idle on an up shift I hit the clutch and shift into the next gear;on a down shift,I lift the throttle and pull it into neutral,jazz the throttle a bit and shift to my next lower gear. I actually LIKE the weird shift pattern-it kinda amazes passengers,who think it'll have its gears on the same pattern their half ton GMC does. The main thing is that I like the feel of the 420,it shifts easier and is a LOT quieter going down the road. Being mostly synchronized isn't a bad thing either. Without looking up the individual gear ratios,it feels like its ratios are close to the same as the first four speeds of the Clark,but I really can't use the Overdrive on the Clark anyway,unless I can grow another hundred or so horsepower. The Clarks 5th gear is a .85,and the Brownie I have is a .74 Over;I don't have the power,even EMPTY,to run both overdrives,so if I have to give one up,going to a 420 main box will give me virtually all the gears I have now except one overdrive. Only downside I see is I'll have to have BOTH drivelines modified,but if it's gonna be on the highway at all that's probably a good idea anyway. Plus,if I get a 420 from a one ton or bigger truck it'll have my beloved transmission mounted E-brake!!! ============================================================================================================================== I have a grocery bag of tubes and when I still had a list of what tubes the GMC radio needed I went through 'em,but there were no matches. I'll trade 'em for a set of the right tubes for my radio. (BTW-Elko High School's Electronics Class has my tube tester,they'll probably check any tubes you have for free.) Hey,I discovered Summit Racing sells H-4 Halogen headlights in a 7" round. They're around $56.00 a pair,and I can get 85/100W bulbs for 'em for a couple of bucks each.You want some REAL light to drive by for your older car or truck-this'll do the job! Speed

The heater on this truck actually works pretty good;it's noisy but functional. (I think it's still the 6 volt motor;a 12 volt replacement isn't too expensive.) I need to build some defroster hoses-the originals just crumble when I try to do anything with 'em. I know I can buy a set for under 20 bucks-they're just such a pain to route so nothing interferes with their fit. (Wipers linkage in particular.) Hey,I still have that 12 volt radio that fits my truck-actually I have one from a '60 GMC LCF,one from a '53 or so Chevy truck and another one for parts, I can't remember what it was in;I'm looking for someone who can/will build me a good,reliable radio for my truck. I like the tube type radio-it pulls a LOT stronger signal reception than the transistorized junk they sell now. The GMC one is complete except the tubes are missing and the dial lens needs to be replaced. I think LMC sells that-I don't know what tubes it takes or where they go. I'd like to get that done and find an FM converter for it,the old school one that fits under the dash. I think LMC also sells the chrome speaker box that mounts above the windshield and they have an upgraded speaker that fits it. I figure once I swap the Clark 5 speed for a good SM420 and build a decent exhaust (3" pipe,Summit Racing Flowmaster knock-off w/3" in and out,short piece of flex pipe after a 90 degree,feeding into a 3" stack that extends about 18" above the top of the cab,with a straight cut end and a rain-cap,assembled with band type clamps,I'll even be able to hear it. I doubt I'll be using the 5th wheel plate anymore on this truck,so I'll attach the stack to the headache rack on the flatbed. (That reminds me-I need to move the bed forward on the frame about 4 more inches to center it over the rear wheels. I don't think I'll need that much room for the stack's clearance.) I also found a deal on H-4 Halogen headlights for this truck and have some 85/100W bulbs to install in 'em. It'll be SO NICE to be able to see what's down the road far enough ahead I don't have to worry about surprise obstructions! Speed

There is not a lot of altitude change until I-84 over to Boise,where its actually lower than Elko. What I was hearing is that most of Southern Idaho is around 4,000 feet,Elko is 5,100,and there's several summits of about 55-5800 feet. Not sure yet what route will get me to Idaho Falls w/o any weigh stations. I DO know how to bypass the Elko one. Higher altitude won't bother me with this truck-I have enough gearing at my disposal to climb whatever's in front of me. Right now,the truck's needs are a fresh alternator and 5/8" belt (to replace the 7/8" belt-you can't find pulleys to work with a 7/8 belt!) I also want to install some LED bed marker lights,but those aren't as critical. Speed

Having looked more closely,I discovered the manual T/C and the electronic T/C are both Borg Warner 1350 units but with different shift mechanisms. Everything else appears the same. I'm pretty sure the wiring will even fit both applications,but on the manual T/C the two switches might only serve as indicator lights. Installing the clutch master cylinder,I discover one bolt goes into a VERY hard place to reach,impossible to me. I thought of a way to bolt it in from the INSIDE,by using "clip nuts" which I'll clip over the mounting tabs on the master cylinder,then run the bolts through from the interior. I'm still not clear on the line connection;it includes a roll pin that holds the line into the master cylinder,and a rubber washer,which I'm not sure where it fits. I'll figure it out.THEORETICALLY it'll work fine. I hope to have this one done Friday before dark-I can't wait to do an oil change on it and drive it down and fill the gas tank. Speed

The '90 GMC's a runner. I replaced the gas filter,which was plugged almost completely,but still no start. Next I pulled the ignition module and had it tested-it failed. I bought a new one and installed it and the engine started after about 3 seconds of cranking. Runs a little cobby,but I'm sure that's just stale gas. So far everything works except one back up light and one tail light bulb,soon to be replaced. Next,I'm working on getting the clutch hydraulics replaced on the '93 Ford Explorer I recently bought. Speed

I know-OH GREAT-he has ANOTHER problem child to heal! This one is a 1990 GMC K2500 Extra Cab 4X4;5.7L,700-R4 The PO says it quit him on the highway,he put a new fuel pump in it and it still wouldn't start. Here's what I've tried so far. I listened for the pump running,it did, dumped 5 gallons of fresh gas in the tank (The gauge showed empty),tried bleeding the lines to the T/B,the left pipe showed fuel,the right side pipe,not so much,(It was EXTREMELY tight,and the nut was rounded,it took a pipe wrench to finally get it loose),and that's about all I had time for. I suspect maybe A-an ignition module B-an ECM C-a plugged fuel filter Next will be checking the codes,which I SHOULD have started with,but I really expected it to be an easy fix. Other issues with this truck are 2 light bulbs out,the right fender scuffs the door,the left window (power) is missing a piece of the channel and the switch doesn't work,and the shift indicator doesn't work. I'd be surprised if the A/C works. Speed

I just acquired a manual shift T/C that,at first glance,looks like it'll work in my Exploder. It was removed from a Ranger around the same age (?) because the owner thought it was the cause of a vibration,but even with another T/C the vibration remained just as bad. It was traced to a bent driveline. I'm not at all familiar with these Ford set-ups,so I don't know how this'll work out. Might need driveline work,and will need a shifter. don't know yet if it'll bolt to my transmission. I notice when I change the hubs to locking hubs there's an "adapter kit" I'll need (for an additional $60.00). What does it consist of,and why is it needed? Used to be the Ford dealer's Parts Man could tell me what fits,what doesn't and what it takes to MAKE it fit anyway,but this kid doesn't know anything about vehicles older than 2000,and THEN,if it isn't in the books it doesn't exist. Anybody out there been through this particular swap? Any knowledge,experience or bits of wisdom will be appreciated. Speed

What I'm hearing is that the shift motor is a weak point on this system,though on this truck I think there's an electrical issue. Neither switch on the dash lights up,so today I'll be checking/replacing fuses and looking for a possible relay that might also be faulty. I suppose if I can make it work again I can live with the electric shift set up until Spring. Since the clutch M/C I bought comes without a pushrod or the connection to the pedal I can't do the install until Monday or so,so I've been working on other things it needs,wiper blades,light bulb replacements,adjusting doors,etc. I'll be spending some time reading the repair manual on it and studying the wiring diagrams to figure out what goes where. I'm lucky,my favorite wrecking yard over in Wells has 3 of these,so parts shouldn't be a huge problem. BTW-all the gauges work fine except it hasn't shown any oil pressure;I suspect the wire's off the sender,or the sender's bad. I know replacing the sender on the BroncWorth gave it 15 pounds more oil pressure,'course it was already showing about 20#'s warmed up. This one is completely flatlined,making me think the wire's off or broken. =========================================================================================================================== A new development on the clutch issue. The P.O. apparently lost the clutch M/C,pushrod AND the "slave cylinder" he said he replaced is a hydraulic release bearing,so I'm pretty sure he wouldn't have pulled the transmission just to replace a throw-out bearing. it doesn't look to have been tampered with,so I ordered a new one piece sealed and bled clutch hydraulic set up,and a new clutch. Once it arrives I'll pull the transmission out a couple of feet,send the flywheel to be resurfaced and reassemble it with new parts. Also,I expect to have to replace some power window switches and the power mirror switch,since both mirrors adjust but only one direction. A couple of window switches are sketchy too. I might get a can of contact cleaner and see if I can "tune 'em up". =========================================================================================================================== On the electric T/C,I checked out the link you posted. Thanks for posting it. I've decided my best bet will be to make the stock set up work again,and spend some time researching other ways to get the set up I want,maybe an earlier pre-electric shift transfer case,like the one in my '84 BroncWorth,could be arranged.

I just bought a '93 Explorer four door,with a 5 speed,for $350.00. Its main issue is the clutch master cylinder is shot,it has a new slave cylinder. Drove it home from Wells to Elko,about 50 miles,and it drove GREAT! It needs a bunch of little stuff done,door hinges,a gauge replacement,a power window repair etc.but what I want to know is how to convert the full time 4WD to part time with locking hubs. The 4 wheel drive doesn't work-the seller says he tracked it down to the T/C motor,so if I'm going to work on it I'd like to see if there's a way to change it over to a cable shift or better yet an actual linkage and shifter. Any ideas anyone? Is a kit offered somewhere? Speed

The trick to the locker in both axles is when you side hill it,unlock the hub on the up hill wheel. This allows it to act as a rudder to keep the rig pointed where you want to go. Speed

Well,here I go again...1990 Trooper,2.6L 4 cylinder,4X4,5 speed manual trans.,VERY nice condition over all,EXCEPT the engine is toast. (I'm told by the owner it had an electrolysis problem,blew a head gasket,was rebuilt but the rebuilder didn't check for warpage,it leaked,overheated and warped the head AND block.) He says the 2.6 or 2.8 engines will be a bolt in,even earlier ones if I use the intake/exhaust,distributor etc. off the later engine,and the V-6 engines offered starting in '92 are "an easy swap". (How many times have I heard THAT and learned otherwise?.....) So far I'm having a rough time finding anything that A-is a runner,or B-is remotely affordable. One good 4 cylinder for $900,One good V-6,$1,200. I'm only into it about $50.00 for the gas to bring it home,so I could PROBABLY go for the Four cylinder,but I'm looking to do this as cheap as possible,as a DD while I build a couple of Yota trucks. Here's the bombshell-is there ANY kind of a workable engine conversion other than the Isuzu family? Another day in Paradise... Speed

Here's another question-If I went ahead with the Cherokee/Comanche axles,would there be a chance of using a pair of those double u-joint set ups on the front drive line,(one at each end) to compensate for the front driveline crossing to the other side? SO far,all the front axles I've found are right drop,but the Yota is a left drop. For what it's worth,the truck will never see over about 40 mph with its hubs locked in,so I don't think vibration would be a deciding factor. There seems to be plenty of room at oil pan etc. for the shaft to cross from left T/C to right drop axle. I guess the BEST thing would be either another set of Yota truck axles or maybe Land Cruiser axles-IF I could find 'em for less than a fortune. around here,they're harder to find than a four speed Monte Carlo. Speed

At this point I'm not really choosy about what axles I use.like I said,if there's room for spring pads,a left side carrier,and 3.55 or deeper gearing,I can make 'em work. Any other axle sets that might work? I thought about Land Cruiser axles,but they can't be found for less than a fortune. The guy at Elko Wire Rope says this cable is 5/16",like the original,7X19, and is rated at something over 9,000 pounds,which I'm guessing is nearly twice the rating of the one I destroyed. The cable appears the same as what I took off,but FEELS much less likely to "rats nest" than the original one. It spooled onto the drum as neat as I could have hoped.I bought 60 feet of cable instead of the stock 50 foot,and though it's a little close to the cross supports I think it'll tuck in a little once it's been stressed a couple of times. Speed

BTW-I broke the cable on my 5K winch,so I'm getting a quote from "Elko Wire Rope" to get the same size/length,plus one wrap,of their best quality cable. Having the winch down has made a one day job into a three day (so far) job. That "Badlands" winch from Harbor Freight is a pretty good unit if you get GOOD cable on it. Speed

The main things I'm concerned with are which side axle drop is on,and the spring pad width,or room to fit spring pads. So far the Toyota is 29" spring pad width center to center,and the axle drop is on the left. The Jeep Cherokee is 31" spring pad width and has a right side axle drop, A '78 J-10 has a 32" spring pad width and a right side axle drop. I checked this one just because it was there.. I suspect most of GM's axles will be similar,though Dutch says Suburbans have left side drop. I'm calling a loss on the Jeep Cherokee/Comanche axles,mainly due to the axle drop,and the J-10 for the same reason but I was told about a Chevy LUV 4X4;. I'm not sure what year it is,and when I make contact with the owner I'll need him to dig it out of a pile of cars. In '77,when I worked for a Chevy dealer,the 4X4 LUV was offered as a special order conversion,but I don't know where the axles or T/C were sourced from. I remember they were only available with a 4.10 ratio. We had one on the lot and I drove it a LOT. When Chevy started producing them in '79,if I remember correctly,they used an IFS instead of the leaf spring solid axle,so it'll be a one year wonder if it fits....I'll keep looking Speed