Re: 1978 Chief WT - Code Name Gerald
Posted: Tue Nov 26, 2019 4:04 pm
Next up was the transmission. I sourced one from American Transmission that was rebuilt to 6L90 specs for a 540 max HP. More than enough...for now. But I screwed up. They require a VIN number and I ended up giving them a 2wd VIN that I had vs the 4wd. They would take it back but I would have to pay for shipping both ways. There's plenty of articles and videos on how to take a 2wd and convert to 4wd. I voided the warranty but that didn't matter because I had no core. So it worked out to me saving core charge and shipping (2x) and only losing 1y of warranty.
So I followed the conversion, cut the output shaft, install output seal, and plug two holes. Simple process. But first I had to find a 4wd housing that took a long time. There's like 5 different housings and I finding the right one took some time. I wanted a new one but with GM on strike, they were no where to be found. So ebay to the rescue and picked up a used one.
Now that I have the housing, I picked up the transmission support and started mocking the crossmember up. I flipped the crossmember around so the mounting holes were in the facing backwards and presto...it all lined up like it was stock!! I wasn't buying it and started double/triple measurments, taking it all apart, checking engine placement, but it was all good. But damn that looks BIG
I'll need to shim the cross member mount a bit. The angle was 6 degrees. In this pic you can see it's pointed down. Again, the picture angle is funny as the frame looks to slope up but doesn't.
Next came the tank. Yep, I popped for BJ's tank. I was recommended to paint it with this epoxy rubberized paint to seal it. Not sure if I like it cause you can really feel the rubber texture. Not sure how it'll hold up. Mounted straight in without any issues. I opted to use 5/16th stainless thread inserts mounted in the frame rails so dropping the tank will be relatively easy. 2 thread inserts at each corner and 4 up front.
With the transmission hung and gas tank installed, I took the chassis over to the body shop.
The trailer I used was taken at the coast so I had to call a wrecker.
Here's good shot of how low the tank hangs down. it's not much at all considering it's 27 gallons.
Off to the shop.
So I followed the conversion, cut the output shaft, install output seal, and plug two holes. Simple process. But first I had to find a 4wd housing that took a long time. There's like 5 different housings and I finding the right one took some time. I wanted a new one but with GM on strike, they were no where to be found. So ebay to the rescue and picked up a used one.
Now that I have the housing, I picked up the transmission support and started mocking the crossmember up. I flipped the crossmember around so the mounting holes were in the facing backwards and presto...it all lined up like it was stock!! I wasn't buying it and started double/triple measurments, taking it all apart, checking engine placement, but it was all good. But damn that looks BIG
I'll need to shim the cross member mount a bit. The angle was 6 degrees. In this pic you can see it's pointed down. Again, the picture angle is funny as the frame looks to slope up but doesn't.
Next came the tank. Yep, I popped for BJ's tank. I was recommended to paint it with this epoxy rubberized paint to seal it. Not sure if I like it cause you can really feel the rubber texture. Not sure how it'll hold up. Mounted straight in without any issues. I opted to use 5/16th stainless thread inserts mounted in the frame rails so dropping the tank will be relatively easy. 2 thread inserts at each corner and 4 up front.
With the transmission hung and gas tank installed, I took the chassis over to the body shop.
The trailer I used was taken at the coast so I had to call a wrecker.
Here's good shot of how low the tank hangs down. it's not much at all considering it's 27 gallons.
Off to the shop.