BettyBlue

Disclaimer: Links on this page pointing to Amazon, eBay and other sites may include affiliate code. If you click them and make a purchase, we may earn a small commission.

TheWarBeast

Full Access Member
Joined
Aug 16, 2013
Posts
163
Reaction score
184
So I figured I would give Betty her own thread.


When the transmission in the Blazer went out I had to have a truck. I was having lots of problems getting in and out of the tiny S10 anyhow.

So I searched around on CL and found a 1990 Chevy C1500 305 5 speed. They price was right so I brought it home.

Since I was still recovering from back surgery I sent my wife out to take some pics with my potato.
IMG_20160909_225612233.jpg


IMG_20160909_225628258.jpg
IMG_20160909_225640420.jpg IMG_20160909_225654540.jpg


It isn't perfect, but it is a descent truck to ride around in while I get Spooky together.
I went out the next day and got a better look at it.


Note the teeny tiny Grant steering wheel. That POS came off and got tossed the back of the parts Suburban. The Cavalier wheel off my broken Suburban got put on instead.

IMG_20160915_160625188_HDR.jpg

Now I can put my elbow on the window and reach the wheel. And I don't feel like I am driving a gokart.

The clutch is a bit wonky. You have to out think it to drive it.

First Gear - If you don't let off just exactly right it will stall. If you are on an uphill slope there is an 85% chance of stalling.

Second gear - is just like a normal gear.

Third gear - push clutch, move gear shift to third, release clutch, wait one second, then step on gas. Other wise it will slip the clutch.

Fourth gear - almost like third, wait time varies.

Fifth gear - push clutch in, move gearshift to the neutral position below 5th gear, gently push up until you feel the syncronizers tickle the shifter, then pull back slightly on the shifter, push forward - DO NOT STOP till gear shift is fully in the 5th position, release clutch, count to three, finally step on gas. Once you get the hang of it it is about a 4 second shift.

Reverse - with vehicle fully stopped, put gearshift into 5th gear, pull stick to reverse position, let of clutch and go.

Yesterday I had my pressure washer out getting the Blazer ready to sell. (Which required taking the carb apart and cleaning the ethanol out of it. After a good de-buggering it fired right up.)I decided to blast the fungus off the hood. It was black with sap. The roof is just as bad, but the pressure washer ran out of gas - which was my intention when I started washing BB.


Today I went out and messed with the AC. It had 30 pounds of air in it?!?! Unfortunately I loaned my big air compressor out to a friend to paint a car, and my little compressor would not run my vacuum unit ( HF cheapie I recommend it if you need one). It did pull it down to about -8psi and it held.

So I charged it with the three cans of r-134a I had in the shop. It cools a bit. I have it down to 49 degrees. If I could have pulled a vacuum and had more freon I could have got it colder.

Then I put a rearview mirror on it. Thing has been driving me nuts not having one.
 
Last edited:
OP
OP
TheWarBeast

TheWarBeast

Full Access Member
Joined
Aug 16, 2013
Posts
163
Reaction score
184
MAAAAAJOR upgrade today.

I fixed the lighter plug. PO cut the wires and stuffed them into the dash still live. Why? I don't know. \

Woooooohooooooo I can charge my phone.
 

07Burb

GM fan for life
Staff member
Moderator Supporting Member Administrator
Joined
Jan 3, 2011
Posts
50,943
Reaction score
19,377
PO sounds like a crackhead :lol:
 
OP
OP
TheWarBeast

TheWarBeast

Full Access Member
Joined
Aug 16, 2013
Posts
163
Reaction score
184
Found the problem with the clutch today.


I had to run to Wal-Mart and lost the clutch on the way there. Managed to get it back home.

We started trying to bleed the clutch. Just as Steph said it was building pressure there was a pop and fluid came spraying out.

PO had "fixed" a leak with electrical tape!
IMG_20161006_113147_245.jpg
Found one at O'rielly's.

Now it is better, but not right. I think the slave cyl ingested some tape or something. Pedal releases about 2 inches from the floor.
 

07Burb

GM fan for life
Staff member
Moderator Supporting Member Administrator
Joined
Jan 3, 2011
Posts
50,943
Reaction score
19,377
PO shoulda used duct tape instead. rookie mistake :whymewhyme:


:crazy:
 
OP
OP
TheWarBeast

TheWarBeast

Full Access Member
Joined
Aug 16, 2013
Posts
163
Reaction score
184
Last night I had to drive up to Statesville to look at a car with a friend. Old Betty started howling on the way back. With the dual glasspacks i couldn't really tell where it was coming from. I pulled the fill plug on the diff today. It took full 2 quarts. Hopefully it will be a bit quieter.
 
Last edited:
OP
OP
TheWarBeast

TheWarBeast

Full Access Member
Joined
Aug 16, 2013
Posts
163
Reaction score
184
I stopped for gas Friday and I noticed the back bumper on BettyBlue had been hit and the rusted part had broken through.
IMG_20161015_140837090.jpg IMG_20161015_140841542.jpg

The bumper swap (and receiver hitch install) went flawless.We had to make 3 small changes to the bumper to make it fit the stepside. However, we made the tail lights mad. It took us 4 hours to figure it out. There was no power to them at all. No power off the fuse block. I unhooked the fuse block. Nothing amiss. Hooked them back up. Suddenly we had power. Odd. Then I tried to get the lights to work. Nothing. Finally I pulled the tail light harness off of Spooky's bed and put it on BB. Problem solved. Still don't understand why since everything tested good.



5 hours and all 7 rechargeable batteries for the flashlight and it was all done. 8pm. We were all worn out. Heath fell asleep on the couch with a piece of pizza.



Only thing I have done today is take a picture of BB's rear end.
IMG_20161016_115409996_HDR.jpg
 
OP
OP
TheWarBeast

TheWarBeast

Full Access Member
Joined
Aug 16, 2013
Posts
163
Reaction score
184
After having to hunt for air for a trailer tire that went low I decided to fix the problem.


I snagged some scrap lumber. Some amp wire from a junk car, some screws, and turned them into a compartment for onboard air. I already had a compressor and tank so all I have invested in it is time.

IMG_20161027_160420815.jpg


IMG_20161027_160412383.jpg
 
OP
OP
TheWarBeast

TheWarBeast

Full Access Member
Joined
Aug 16, 2013
Posts
163
Reaction score
184
I'm 6'3". Steph is 5'2". A bench seat is a wonderful thing, as long as I am driving - which is 99.7% of the time. However, after surgery she had to drive me a good bit until the doc released me to drive myself. It was a good thing the transmission in the Blazer lasted till I was released to drive.

Most 60/40 split benches are split on the passengers side where the passenger has almost a bucket. Great, unless you have to have a car seat. To move the seat you have to adjust the seat belt on the car seat. A PITA.

Thursday I went to the junk yard to get some parts for my nephew's Toyota Sienna. Poor van has been beat to death. While I was there I took a look in the full size truck section. I found these out of an extra cab pickup. Not in bad shape at all.
28024-31694d7483c30912e092ca188130e440.jpg

You can kinda sorta see the tear on the drivers seat.

Friday night I got out the upholstery thread and needed that Steph bought me and got to work. Betsy Ross I ain't
28026-805b6982ff659725086ee521950f3b96.jpg

Heath is pointing it out in case you can't see it.

Saturday we got out and installed it.
28025-3dc46caa5fbf30db754c083996c2b3f4.jpg

For some reason the passengers seat is higher in the middle than the stock seat was. I will have to find a solution for that at some point. Anyone have any ideas?

Then we installed a roller door pin and spring in the drivers door so it doesn't slam back out on the fender any more.
 

Tonyrodz

Resident Resident
Joined
Feb 16, 2012
Posts
33,210
Reaction score
51,476
Location
Central Jersey
Is the seat meant to be that high in the center like that? I kind of, sort of remember them being kind of high for comfort or some kind of support. You could always pull the lower seat skin off the foam and trim the foam down. A lot of work tho.
 
OP
OP
TheWarBeast

TheWarBeast

Full Access Member
Joined
Aug 16, 2013
Posts
163
Reaction score
184
Is the seat meant to be that high in the center like that? I kind of, sort of remember them being kind of high for comfort or some kind of support. You could always pull the lower seat skin off the foam and trim the foam down. A lot of work tho.
The back of the seat goes up towards the center.
 
OP
OP
TheWarBeast

TheWarBeast

Full Access Member
Joined
Aug 16, 2013
Posts
163
Reaction score
184
No big changes. I did have to put a better set of tires on it. The bicycle tires that came on it nearly caused a couple of interesting collisions when the truck refused to stop on dry pavement.

I also bought a dump trailer. It wasn't all that happy to pull it home, but it did it.
18077157_10155367643874739_1467321835021178835_o.jpg
And I bought a Furd
1720b.jpg
 

07Burb

GM fan for life
Staff member
Moderator Supporting Member Administrator
Joined
Jan 3, 2011
Posts
50,943
Reaction score
19,377
Glad to see your still bee boppin' around :D
 
OP
OP
TheWarBeast

TheWarBeast

Full Access Member
Joined
Aug 16, 2013
Posts
163
Reaction score
184
Glad to see your still bee boppin' around :D

Things have been hopping. Steph got a new job teaching a special ed class. My oldest daughter moved in with us. Oldest daughter had to have appendix out. Lots of cars and scrap metal have been hauled. Back has been much better since the surgery. And much more.
 

Tonyrodz

Resident Resident
Joined
Feb 16, 2012
Posts
33,210
Reaction score
51,476
Location
Central Jersey
Things have been hopping. Steph got a new job teaching a special ed class. My oldest daughter moved in with us. Oldest daughter had to have appendix out. Lots of cars and scrap metal have been hauled. Back has been much better since the surgery. And much more.
Good for you!
 

Forum statistics

Threads
137,812
Posts
1,992,747
Members
102,794
Latest member
Drewphil
Back
Top