[Chris_72_JIMMY]

Well, I purchased my 1972 GMC Jimmy on Nov 1st. I traded my 96' Bronco in for it and although the Bronco was a good vehicle I am more than happy with my decision.

The trip from the dealership back to my house was the first time driving the Jimmy. When I went and looked at it the first time it had a flat front tire, the battery was dead, and the air cleaner wasn't even installed. The sales person put a batter jump box and it started right up but was leaking fuel out of the inline fuel filter a few inches from the carb. So I passed on a test drive that day. Thought about it overnight, debated back and forth with the wife, and went and bought it the next day.

The sales guy mentioned that it leaked transmission fluid, so I knew that it was going to be an interesting 30-40 min drive home, boy was I in for a shock. At that point I knew I was getting it, so I was committed to going all the way home and a test drive was pretty much worthless at this point. I jumped in, started it, and said "If you hear from me it’s a bad thing" to the sales guy and drove off. First speed bump heading out of the dealership and I about bounced out of the seat, it's at that point that I realized the front seat wasn't bolted down very well and the seat was sliding all over the place. Before I purchased it the car the sales guy mentioned that they just re-wired it and all the lights work. Well, I throw on the right blinker to pull out of the lot and the left indicator on the dash lights up. So I was unsure what lights were functional and I drove the rest of the trip without using the blinker as I figured no blinker was less of a problem as an opposite side blinker. It's running fine and although the center rear view mirror normally glued to the windshield was laying on the dash and the passenger side was angled down showing me the rear tire I had the driver’s side mirror adjusted and I was good to go. About a mile into the trip I noticed the speedometer was pegged at O MPH, so with that and the incorrect blinker on the dash I figured no gauges worked. So when I noticed smoke billowing out from under the hood and into the cabin I was hoping that I wasn't overheating. Well at the next light the smoke and smell intensified. So I quickly pulled over shut it off and popped the hood to see what was happening. It’s at that point where I noticed where the tranny leak the dealership mentioned was coming from. The transmission dipstick was blowing fluid all out where the tube met the transmission housing which in turn was flowing right on to the hot exhaust pipe. It was a pretty substantial leak so I let it cool for a few minutes but I knew my time was limited with how much fluid was leaking out. I shut the hood, hopped back in at was determined to make it the rest of the way. The remaining 20 minutes home, although a little smoky was pretty uneventful. Pulled up in front of the house and a very slight sense or regret crept in to the back of my head. I was happy with the purchase but the drive confirmed for me just how much work was ahead of me to make this a reliable driver.

Over the next few days I troubleshot some wiring issues. I got all lights to work on the outside with the exception of the reverse lights but the dash cluster is almost hopeless. I also messed with the transmission dipstick tube and found that somebody globed clear silicone all over it to try and address the leak before. I figured I might as well do it right and dropped the transmission and the NP-205 transfer case. It’s at that moment I realized the TH350 to NP205 adapter was cracked at some point and it looks like someone tried to braze the crack. So now you’re caught up to where I am at today as a th350 will be sent to a shop and I will tackle the transfer case rebuild myself. I know this is just the tip of the iceberg as far as little projects go but I am ready to drive this beast and am excited to get it back to the great vehicle I know it is, but this may take a while.