HG's Bigass Farm Truck

[hgs_notes]

Road trip or roadkill. Let's find out.

[hgs_notes]

There and back, 182 miles. I got 18.6 mpg. The gages are working except for oil pressure, which isn't connected to the engine. The sensor is connected to the ECU. Cluster lights not working but I think I can fix that. I disconnected 3 wires from the plug, moved what needed to be moved, hooked the VSS to the plug. I can detail what exactly was done later in case someone else needs to do the same.

Speedometer was within a couple mph of gps. Pretty happy with it. The only issue I had was shift points are kinda goofy. When I slow down in town to like 20 it down shifts all the way to 1st so when I get back on the throttle it's revving and shifting into 2nd right away. And it doesn't want to shift into OD until at least 60. That's about it. Ran and drove great. Ready for the next road trip.

[hgs_notes]

About a week after the previous post I took it on another trip to get more fencing materials, around 350 miles round trip. No real issues at all, got almost 16 mpg. The cluster lights were working, just couldn't see them in daylight. And I was able to get the oil pressure sender plug to connect to the original oil pressure wire under the hood and now have a working oil pressure gage. The transmission shifting seems to be changing as I drive it. I still need to get it into the local shop for some ECU adjustments but I'm waiting until after I swap the transmission internal wire harness and the other shift solenoid because a couple of the codes I'm getting are related to that.

Here's the pinout changes for the 90-91 cluster. I wish I had found this list before my swap. I downloaded the wiring service manual and verified positions on my harness. It all worked out fine but then I found the list on a FB group page for LS swapped squarebodies, which is where I got my swap guide BTW and they have several other useful docs like for getting the cruise control to work, etc...

1 - High Beam Indicator - Light Green/No Stripe
2 - Ground - Black
3 - Oil Pressure Gauge From Sender - Light Brown/No Stripe
4 - 12 Volt + Keyed From Ignition - Pink/Black Stripe
5 - Low Voltage Warning Lamp - Dark Brown/No Stripe
6 - Not Used
7 - Not Used
8 - Coolant Temperature Gauge From Sender - Dk Green/No Stripe
9 - 12 Volt + Controlled By Headlight Switch - Light Gray/No Stripe
10 - Left Turn Signal Indicator - Light Blue/No Stripe
11 - Right Turn Signal Indicator - Dark Blue/No Stripe
12 - 4x4 Indicator Lamp - Separate wire from 18 Pin Connector
13 - Seat Belt Warning Lamp - Yellow/No Stripe
14 - Fuel Gauge From Sender - Pink/No Stripe
15 - Park Brake/Unequal Pressure Warning Lamp - Light Brown/White Stripe
16 - SES (Service Engine Soon) Lamp - Dark Brown (mine was black)/White Stripe
17 - 12 Volt + Keyed From Ignition Switch - Pink/Black Stripe
18 - Speedometer From Sender - Light Blue/Black Stripe

I plan on connecting my check engine light up to the cluster also.

Been thinking about the seat options and I want seats with integrated seat belts, which really limits the options. But that floor is such a pain to work with for seats out of anything else. I have a set of 2003 suburban buckets I planned to use but that dang floor, ugh.

[Dieselwrencher]

It sounds like you had a really fun and successful trip out west! Someday I want to do the same thing. Maybe drag back a project for a kiddo. That's great to hear you got the trans issue resolved and you're putting miles on the truck! Are you coming down for the gas and oil show in Des Moines this year?

[hgs_notes]

Originally Posted by Dieselwrencher

It sounds like you had a really fun and successful trip out west! Someday I want to do the same thing. Maybe drag back a project for a kiddo. That's great to hear you got the trans issue resolved and you're putting miles on the truck! Are you coming down for the gas and oil show in Des Moines this year?

Nope, not enough spare cash to buy stuff and I don't really have time. Buy something for me!

[hgs_notes]

I did a thing.

Need to fabricate something to hold it down, redo the light wiring, make sure things work. It's been several years since I bought it and still haven't used it yet. The stepson might try it out next month if I don't before then.

[hgs_notes]

Ever since I bought the truck I pictured it with a big ass camper in it. Being the cheap bastard I am I found one for like $900 a few years ago. Before the truck was ready to haul it. Been working on things, testing stuff, fabricating tie downs, etc. And finally got it together enough for a test drive tonight. I'm pretty proud of the tie down mounts I built. They bolt to the bottom of the frame with a plate that goes above to sandwich the frame rail. Then I put a piece on that fits between the bedside and gas tank with a C channel that fits the cross sill under the bed floor. Once it's connected to the camper tie down it's locked in place. Simple, strong and looks decent.

For the rear tie downs I'm going to make some tabs to bolt onto the bumper ends. Nothing fancy. It needs better turnbuckles and chains though. The light duty crap that's on it now isn't inducing much confidence.

The camper has a couple things to fix but overall it is pretty good. All the gas stuff works except the water heater which was disconnected on the water side. It's not original, been replaced at least once. The tank probably leaks. The water pump works. I think the water tank is good but haven't filled it yet. There's a leak on the toilet valve, $20 part that is on its way. I replaced the light bulbs with LEDs, so a car battery will keep it lit for plenty of time. The rest of the electrical is all working, including the air conditioning. The fridge works on electric and gas. The wife is getting excited to try it out I think. She's making a list of crap to fill it up lol.

The test drive went well. It handled the weight easily. Rode like a dream. I ordered stuff to get the tail lights hooked up and a Y adapter in case I want to tow something also.

On the down side I found a leak on the master cylinder. It's a hydro boost so I'll have to figure out how to fix that. So much to do yet. No matter how much I get done the list doesn't seem to shrink.

[Dieselwrencher]

Very nice work on the tie down bracketry! I saw the biggest in bed truck camper I've ever seen the other day. It was so long it had a tag axle under it.

I didn't end up buying anything at the gas and oil show. I looked around on Wednesday and went back at 1 on Friday and everything was packed up and they were all gone. I was really surprised at a lot of the prices. Holy cow.

[hgs_notes]

Originally Posted by Dieselwrencher

Very nice work on the tie down bracketry! I saw the biggest in bed truck camper I've ever seen the other day. It was so long it had a tag axle under it.

I didn't end up buying anything at the gas and oil show. I looked around on Wednesday and went back at 1 on Friday and everything was packed up and they were all gone. I was really surprised at a lot of the prices. Holy cow.

I just watched a YouTube video today of the 5 biggest truck campers in the USA. Over 19' including the over cab part. Some had 3 slide outs. I was surprised how much stuff was packed in them. Ranging from $35-65,000 and 3000-5000 lbs dry weight. What the heck kind of truck can handle that? We think of ours as a hardwall tent with a kitchenette. The tiny bathroom is almost useless except as storage or emergency use. The rest is great though.

Went shopping and got some better tie down chain and turnbuckles. A couple D rings on the bumper was a perfect fit. The bumper looks marginal but it's actually made from stout C channel. Plenty strong. I fixed a cabinet catch and replaced a window crank. Got some other things I'll get to later.

[Dieselwrencher]

Those bumper tie downs should be fine. That in bed camper I had for my Longhorn was so heavy I'm not sure it would have slid out unless you backed down a boat ramp and tried several times to jolt it out. The worst thing I hated about mine was there was no good place to put jacks because it was meant to be left in the truck. Getting it off the truck was sketch to say the least. Haha

[Ol Blue K20]

The interior looks good. Nice and cozy, I had one about the same size and I liked it a lot.

[daddyjeep]

Resealing the hydroboost isn't a big deal. I didn't pull any of the pistons or internal stuff. I think it was the figure 8 seal that typically goes bad. I used this kit.

https://piratejack.net/2771004x-hydro-boost-repair-kit/

[hgs_notes]

Originally Posted by Dieselwrencher

Those bumper tie downs should be fine. That in bed camper I had for my Longhorn was so heavy I'm not sure it would have slid out unless you backed down a boat ramp and tried several times to jolt it out. The worst thing I hated about mine was there was no good place to put jacks because it was meant to be left in the truck. Getting it off the truck was sketch to say the least. Haha

I want to add another jack to mine. Based on the weight alone it's not required but damn it feels like it wouldn't take much of a nudge to knock it over. Plus I leave it elevated on the jacks to prevent rodent infestation. It worked so far. But all the weight on one side on a single jack made it deform a bit.

So if anyone around southern MN within a couple hundred miles has some camper jacks they want to get rid of let me know.

Originally Posted by Ol Blue K20

The interior looks good. Nice and cozy, I had one about the same size and I liked it a lot.

Everything you need, nothing you don't. Well for a night or two. Haha

Originally Posted by daddyjeep

Resealing the hydroboost isn't a big deal. I didn't pull any of the pistons or internal stuff. I think it was the figure 8 seal that typically goes bad. I used this kit.

https://piratejack.net/2771004x-hydro-boost-repair-kit/

Thanks for the info. I figured it couldn't be too bad. The brakes work fine. Just leaking down the firewall.

The wife and I went shopping today. She's not a pinky up kind of gal although she can look it if she wants. We hit up every thrift store in Mankato. Picked up more stuff for the camper, I found a Milwaukee hammer drill for $25, a brand new cordless weed whip with battery (same as my other B&D stuff) for $5. Plus a bunch of other junk. She loves days like this and I'm happy to provide it. I should probably get the dashboard back together and put the door panels on soon. Spiff this baby up a smidge.

[Low Elco]

Neat camper! You better hurry up, doesn't it start snowin' up there in like 10 days?

[hgs_notes]

Originally Posted by Low Elco

Neat camper! You better hurry up, doesn't it start snowin' up there in like 10 days?

It's got a heater.

[hgs_notes]

Out with the old, in with the less old. I had these air shocks from my Jimmy. I only used them on that for a couple years to help lift the rear a bit to level it out. I had to change upper bushings to fit the larger stud mount. I just used the metal bushings from the old shocks and drilled the rubber so it would fit in the less old shocks.

Gotta hook up the air lines and try it out. The camper is in the kids truck this week so I have a couple inches of extra clearance for working underneath. Lol I drove it to town to run an errand and took it over the scale. It was 5580 lbs with me in it and about 30-40 lbs of tools and almost full tank. A few days before I weighed it with the camper on and everything else about the same and the camper adds about 2300 lbs.

Working underneath I noticed that the top helper springs were either cut or broken and probably would help with the leaning I had in a cross wind. Which is why I am using the air shocks. I might replace the helper springs but I'm undecided. Two reasons, first is that air bags would be a good upgrade for supporting heavy loads and 2nd, I was planning on lowering the truck a bit. Not a lot. I already have a shackle flip for the rear. And doing that might be a problem with the helper leafs.

[hgs_notes]

Also working on putting the interior back together. Just cleaning up and reusing the original stuff right now. The passenger side door panel looks good, has a crack on top but not really noticable. The driver side panel is rough and will need replaced eventually.

The dashboard is the next challenge. I can't remember where pieces go or if I even have everything.

I pumped up the air shocks and it lifted the rear about 3/8". I'm guessing it will be a stiffer ride empty. Going to try it out tomorrow.

[hgs_notes]

Wow, been longer than I thought since the last update. Not a lot changed. Had the camper back in it but didn't use it. Too much other stuff going on. I looked into getting airbags and I'm not sure that's the way to go or if I should just replace the leaf springs. I think one side is a little softer than the other because it started to lean a bit. I don't see any cracked leafs but that's not the only reason they sag. Got all winter to think about it.

I did look into tow mirrors and found that GM had used extendable mirrors on some trucks. I think it's on dually camper special trucks but I'm not sure. If anyone knows, speak up. And I think I found a set of those OEM mirrors on a parts truck south of me. But during my search I came across posts on the forum here about after market extendable mirrors. I don't think they still make them but one of the posts had a set and he was going to sell them. It was posted a year ago but I messaged him anyway and he still had them.

The ones he had were for the 88 and up trucks where the door mirrors are mounted where the wing window is and the tube had a tighter angle bend than the square body trucks. I figured I could straighten them out to the 90* angle I needed so I bought them. The tube is the same diameter. Got them mounted today and they look good and should work great when the camper is loaded.

I think my only plans for working on it this winter is getting new wheels and tires (I don't trust the old 16.5" tires and want to switch to 16"), figuring out what to do about the rear suspension and maybe do more rust repair, dash assembly, replace the transmission inner wire harness and bring it to the shop for some further ECU tuning.

[ba2345]

you have some great projects man

[rodstored-72]

i really like the bumper idea & how it turned out... very nice & cool idea!! i would be willing to bet that it might get copied a few times now... nice job!

[hgs_notes]

Originally Posted by rodstored-72

i really like the bumper idea & how it turned out... very nice & cool idea!! i would be willing to bet that it might get copied a few times now... nice job!

Thanks. I'm really surprised I haven't seen others doing this before. I got the idea to try it years ago when I first saw it on a new truck. It was pretty easy to do except for welding the chrome so there's pinholes in some of the welds. I got the bumper for $30. Plus the cost of some rattle cans.

Here's a picture of it on the truck.

[hgs_notes]

Today I went to do an axle swap but ended up upgrading my own instead. I also began the process thinking I would keep the 4.10 gears but on the way to the shop, cruising at 60-70 I thought 3.73s would be better. So I get to the shop and they give me the option of the axle swap or swapping parts onto mine. He thought it would be easier to swap the parts. I asked the mechanic towards the end of the job if he thought it was easier and he shrugged.

In the end the goal was to repair the rear axle and get disc brakes. That happened. My old differential bearings were shot, the gears very worn. They swapped in 3.73 gears with new bearings and installed front rotors and calipers with adapter brackets. So not exactly what I was thinking but driving it home 70 miles it was great. I didn't do anything with the proportioning valve yet, a disc/disc one is on the way, but the brakes worked great without it. With the drums they would lock up all the time. Now I couldn't make them lock up.

Using the front brakes on the rear gives a larger rotor and more swept area than the typical rear discs.

On another note, I've got a leak on the transmission around the dipstick or cooler line that I need to fix.

[4u2nv]

Originally Posted by hgs_notes

Thanks. I'm really surprised I haven't seen others doing this before. I got the idea to try it years ago when I first saw it on a new truck. It was pretty easy to do except for welding the chrome so there's pinholes in some of the welds. I got the bumper for $30. Plus the cost of some rattle cans.

Here's a picture of it on the truck.

If my bumper wasn't chromed and in good condition I would be all over that idea
Great job
You could make some extra $$$ if you advertised that .

[hgs_notes]

Originally Posted by 4u2nv

If my bumper wasn't chromed and in good condition I would be all over that idea
Great job
You could make some extra $$$ if you advertised that .

Too many other projects now to try and make a buck doing this.

My transmission leak was just a loose cooler line adapter. Fixed! Took a test drive with my scanner hooked up. Everything is working great! No codes, no issues. Until the next one lol.