You sure have faced some challenges. Lucky with mine. No redneck engineering at all. Gonna be a great truck in the end though. mtmuley
New to me 1982 GMC 3/4 Ton Square Body
- Thread starter 44hunter45
- Start date
44hunter45
Well-known member
Don't ever think I'm not enjoying this.
44hunter45
Well-known member
Friday - Working on the wiring for the 4WD indicators switch and cluster light. I made the hardness to fit the 4WD switch in the NP208. ran it up through the floor but got stuck when I realized there was a reason two of the 8 bolts for the transfer shift lever were finger tight. They should go to tacked on nuts on the underside. Apparently missing...
Ran the wiring into the designed channel under the shifter bucket, got six bolts hand started. For number 7 & 8 I had to crawl underneath and start a 1/4" nut by hand. The first nut went on fine. The second would not. I thought I was just pushing it up away from the nut. I had MRS45 come out and push down on the bolt from above. I still couldn't get it started.
TLDR - The PO farm fix was to TRY and tack a nut on there on the underside. What he actually managed to do was build up a big bead of weld that prevented a nut from being started. That was all MRS and I could do without there being a homicide. We called it night.
Saturday AM - I pulled the transfer shifter back out. There was no room to get my grinder up in there, so I came in the from the top blind. I stuck my arm down through the hole in the floor with my Dremel set up with a cut-off wheel. I was able to reduce the glob up weld enough to get it to take a nut. Crawl back under and paint the grind mark. I realized the shift arm on the underside also had a big glob of redneck weld.
I ground that down to look nice and painted it all up.
After the paint dried I got everything bolted up with all 8 bolts. RTP for a replacement weather seal.
I had already build the harness for the light in the 4WD shifter. I got the parts to built the OEM light socket. You can't buy the actual socket anymore.
Sunday - I had to fish the wire from the transfer case and the two wires from the floor shifter light up under the carpet. I did a quick test with the wires twisted together and everything functioned as designed.
Next to put the plastic cover and rubber boot on the 4WD floor shifter. That required a couple of do-overs but I got it done.
Next step would be to get the 4-on-the-floor shift boot back down with its trim ring. I couldn't get this accomplished today. I though it would be easy, but hitting those screw holes through carpet and pad fought me until dark. No light so I'm done for today.
Today's kick in the stomach was that while I was under the truck I had something drip in me. Turns out the heater core is leaking. After a lot of online research and help from the old timers at GM Square Body forum, I got the correct replacement ordered.
On the upside - I still have the dashboard cover off. It will be a little easier than usual to get the heater plenum out of there. $80 for the heater core. The fix will help with the 20-years-in-a-barn rat's nest smell.
MRS45 reminded me tonight that I told her this was a barn queen. "Seems like a high maintenance queen."
Ran the wiring into the designed channel under the shifter bucket, got six bolts hand started. For number 7 & 8 I had to crawl underneath and start a 1/4" nut by hand. The first nut went on fine. The second would not. I thought I was just pushing it up away from the nut. I had MRS45 come out and push down on the bolt from above. I still couldn't get it started.
TLDR - The PO farm fix was to TRY and tack a nut on there on the underside. What he actually managed to do was build up a big bead of weld that prevented a nut from being started. That was all MRS and I could do without there being a homicide. We called it night.
Saturday AM - I pulled the transfer shifter back out. There was no room to get my grinder up in there, so I came in the from the top blind. I stuck my arm down through the hole in the floor with my Dremel set up with a cut-off wheel. I was able to reduce the glob up weld enough to get it to take a nut. Crawl back under and paint the grind mark. I realized the shift arm on the underside also had a big glob of redneck weld.
I ground that down to look nice and painted it all up.
After the paint dried I got everything bolted up with all 8 bolts. RTP for a replacement weather seal.
I had already build the harness for the light in the 4WD shifter. I got the parts to built the OEM light socket. You can't buy the actual socket anymore.
Sunday - I had to fish the wire from the transfer case and the two wires from the floor shifter light up under the carpet. I did a quick test with the wires twisted together and everything functioned as designed.
Next to put the plastic cover and rubber boot on the 4WD floor shifter. That required a couple of do-overs but I got it done.
Next step would be to get the 4-on-the-floor shift boot back down with its trim ring. I couldn't get this accomplished today. I though it would be easy, but hitting those screw holes through carpet and pad fought me until dark. No light so I'm done for today.
Today's kick in the stomach was that while I was under the truck I had something drip in me. Turns out the heater core is leaking. After a lot of online research and help from the old timers at GM Square Body forum, I got the correct replacement ordered.
On the upside - I still have the dashboard cover off. It will be a little easier than usual to get the heater plenum out of there. $80 for the heater core. The fix will help with the 20-years-in-a-barn rat's nest smell.
MRS45 reminded me tonight that I told her this was a barn queen. "Seems like a high maintenance queen."
El Jason
Well-known member
Did a heater core once on a 99 Dodge Cummins. Hands down one of the worst jobs. At least you already had the dash off.
