The JollyGreenGiant

[TheWarBeast]

So yet another Suburban is rolling.

About a year and a half ago I bought this truck for $800 from a guy. It had a bad trans, and they had been living in it. IT sat in the yard for awhile, then it went to the shop.

After almost a year in a buddy's transmission shop - free repair - I got the JGG back the day after the other Suburban blew a head gasket.

The JGG is a c1500 99 Suburban. The PO has done something to the engine because she runs like a ***** ape It is by far the quickest truck I have ever owned.

We finally got around to doing some stuff to it.

A week or so ago I dragged teh Caddy console out of storage and stuck it ( and a factory stereo) in it.



It still needs a good scrubbing, but it is better than the broken one that was in there.

I also made it faster LOL

I got all the Caddy parts on a trip to LKQ about 2 years ago.

Yesterday I noticed one of the headlights was out. So while the wife and kiddo were at Chickfila I drove over to Pepboys and got one and installed it. I found the lenses for the headlight and turn signals were held on by good wishes. SO today we went out and pulled off the grill and yanked the lights.


I had Harbor Freight lens polishing kit so I put it to good use.

First pass

 

[TheWarBeast]

Final polishing.


I got out the black RTV and put the lenses back on everything Then we stole some mounting tabs off a parts truck. For the first time all the lights up front work

Looks a million times better.


I was fed up with the puny stock horn so I put the horns we took off the S10 we just sold on it

I also did my daughters Honda. I ran out of the HF stuff and found a 3M kit I got at a junk store. It is a million times better.

 

[silverfox103]

Love the job on the headlight lenses, plus all the other stuff.

Tom

 

[swathdiver]

Final polishing.
View attachment 185195

Y'all have a dogtrot?

 

[TheWarBeast]

Y'all have a dogtrot?

Carport.

 

[TheWarBeast]

Monday I had to go up to Asheville to take my nephews motorcycle up to a dealership for warranty work. Of course there was a monsoon in NC.

The roads were terrible. There were places there were 2 feet of water on the road. Enough that it washed the paper tag off the back of the truck.

For the second time since I have owned it, she shut off on an on ramp. The first time it started instantly. I chalked it up to air in the fuel line or some other odd thing. So I got out in the deluge and looked under the hood, my nephew was nice and dry in the truck turning the key when I told him to.

After about 30 seconds it started. I had no idea what I had done. but since it was running, I got back in and drove on.

On the return trip we took a back way in, and in the middle of nowhere, it died again. Fortunately it wasn't raining this time. I coasted to a safe spot and got under the hood again.

After some looking I found that the PO had broken the tower off the ignition coil and put it back together with silicone and zip ties.

If I held the coil towards the passengers side it would start, as soon as I let go it died.

I got out my zip ties and used them to tie of off to the AC line and pull it over.

When we got closer to his house we found that tornadoes had come through. Roads were closed all over. We detoured for over ah hour to make a 20 minute drive.

At one point the cops cut the locks off the gates at an abandoned mill and detoured us through the parking lot. I had to make a u turn to go through the lot. And the truck started bucking bad. I got out and adjusted my zip ties and got him dropped off at his house.

Many detours around down power lines and trees, and I got home.

Tuesday we stole the coil off a parts truck and got her running again.

 

[PG01]

Monday I had to go up to Asheville to take my nephews motorcycle up to a dealership for warranty work. Of course there was a monsoon in NC.

The roads were terrible. There were places there were 2 feet of water on the road. Enough that it washed the paper tag off the back of the truck.

For the second time since I have owned it, she shut off on an on ramp. The first time it started instantly. I chalked it up to air in the fuel line or some other odd thing. So I got out in the deluge and looked under the hood, my nephew was nice and dry in the truck turning the key when I told him to.

After about 30 seconds it started. I had no idea what I had done. but since it was running, I got back in and drove on.

On the return trip we took a back way in, and in the middle of nowhere, it died again. Fortunately it wasn't raining this time. I coasted to a safe spot and got under the hood again.

After some looking I found that the PO had broken the tower off the ignition coil and put it back together with silicone and zip ties.

If I held the coil towards the passengers side it would start, as soon as I let go it died.

I got out my zip ties and used them to tie of off to the AC line and pull it over.
View attachment 185486

When we got closer to his house we found that tornadoes had come through. Roads were closed all over. We detoured for over ah hour to make a 20 minute drive.

At one point the cops cut the locks off the gates at an abandoned mill and detoured us through the parking lot. I had to make a u turn to go through the lot. And the truck started bucking bad. I got out and adjusted my zip ties and got him dropped off at his house.

Many detours around down power lines and trees, and I got home.

Tuesday we stole the coil off a parts truck and got her running again.

Love thes stories

 

[swathdiver]

I think zip ties and this story belongs in the "what saved your behind" thread. Good thing William that you were able to quickly identify the problem and deal with it amidst all that chaos!

 

[TheWarBeast]

So you like stories do you.

Yesterday, I got up and headed off to Asheville yesterday to get my nephew's motorcycle.



The trip up was great.



I got off the interstate and suddenly there were cops everywhere. Enough blue lights to give the whole city an epileptic seizure. They were weaving in and out of traffic and generally causing a big to do.



I got he bike loaded up and noticed I had a flat tire on the trailer. So I pulled down out of the way and changed it.



While I was doing that a service employee with a tan jumpsuit on walked out of the shop. About 2.4 seconds later an unmarked patrol car flew in. He looked at the employee then drove down to where I was. Since he had the window down I asked who he was looking for. He said a guy. I asked what he was in - thinking it would be a car. He said a tan or an orange jump suit. An escapee. I told them I would park the truck on him if I found him.



http://wlos.com/news...south-asheville



I left the shop and got gas then headed over to a cigar shop to treat myself.



I got back on the highway and was having a grand old time, smoking my stogie, drinking coffee, singing with the Statler Brothers, when all of a sudden the temp gauge pegged itself. It wasn't a slow climb, it was a matter of seconds that it went from 180 to 260.I have never seen a gauge go up that fast. I shut it down and coasted about 3 miles to a rest stop.



I pulled in behind the last truck on the semi side of the stop. I was immediately enveloped in a cloud of steam.Try as I might I could not find where the water was escaping from. Fortunately I had a one gallon bucket and the rest stop had a faucet outside.



I pulled the radiator shroud off and the cooling fan. Then I began to see the water coming down the front of the block. The weep holes in the water pump were dry. So I figured i would yank it out and see what was happening. I found this...

The PO had changed the pump and halfassed a gasket for it.



I had a half a hope that the gasket was the only problem. I called Steph (mywife) to Bring BettyBlue (my pickup)and I watched a movie on Netflix.



She arrived with the stuff I needed. i put the pump back on, crossed my fingers, and started it. The tailpipe looked like Niagara falls. Dammit. I moved it away from the trailer so we could hook BB up. I called AAA. They said it would be an hour and a half. Steph left Heath and I there and went to get supper. It was 8 and none of us had eaten.



Heath and I walked in to use the potty. We walked back out and the tow truck was there. He got there in less than 10 minutes.

At least Heath go to play on the bike.

 

[mals]

Subscribed to the thread just for the stories.

 

[TheWarBeast]

We were outside at about 1030 working on the JollyGreenGiant.



In a short time we had the intake manifold off.

Think I found the problem. Both sides were like that.



After some discussing and thinking, I decided to go ahead and pull the heads. The truck has 400k on it and it got really hot. Having the valves done wont be the worst thing ever, and I can get the complete engine gasket kit for $30 more than the intake kit.



Since I have 3 of these that need head gaskets, I made something to keep me organized.

While I was working on that my neighbor, Graham, came over to change the oil in his S10. When he put his drain plug back in he said it would not tighten and he couldn't get it back out. I tooka look and got the cordless impact and got it to come out. It was stripped up on the end neat the head of the plug. The threads in the pan looked fairly good. I sent Steph and him to the parts house to get a tap and a plug. I kept working on my box.



They got back and I tapped the threads in the oil pan again and then stuck the plug in. Problem solved.



While I was taking the rocker arms off the passengers side, I dropped a nut down the distributor hole. It went all the way down. So now the oil pan has to come off. Since I am going to be there already, I will replace the oil pump too.

I got a call about picking up a car for scrap, so we had to leave before we had the heads off.

 

[Tonyrodz]

Subscribed to the thread just for the stories.

Lol, they are pretty entertaining.

 

[TheWarBeast]

Well CHit.



We pulled the heads off today. The Drivers side looked good.

The passengers side had a blown gasket.

However upon closer inspection....

Scored cylinder. As much as I drive no way I am going to put it back together like this. I do have another truck I bought with a clown head gasket. I will pull the heads off it and see how things look in there. It might be the one that gets driven until I find an engine for this one or take the block to a machine shop.

 

[Tonyrodz]

Well CHit.



We pulled the heads off today. The Drivers side looked good.

The passengers side had a blown gasket.

However upon closer inspection....

Scored cylinder. As much as I drive no way I am going to put it back together like this. I do have another truck I bought with a clown head gasket. I will pull the heads off it and see how things look in there. It might be the one that gets driven until I find an engine for this one or take the block to a machine shop.

That sux! Good luck with it.

 

[TheWarBeast]

Well, today we took all the tools out of the back of the JollyGreenGiant, stuck all the parts we removed in the back, and moved it out of the carport. I will get back to her later.

I moved the Ironhorse into her place. Tomorrow that begins.