Free to me 1996 GMC

[Dantheman1540]

Ok ban me if you don’t want this here, but I’ve missed all you butt lickers and this involves a Tahoe for some bit of it. Anyway this is my new to me and free 1996 GMC2500 4x4, 5.7, 4l80e, ECSB. My uncle wrecked it into a palm tree in his driveway 5 years ago and just recently kicked the bucket leaving it to me, sort of…

So here it is after I drug it out of the garage it sat in, in Green swamp FL for the last 5 years.

 

[Dantheman1540]

More pics

 

[Dantheman1540]

More pics

First mods going to be putting some 255/75/17” MTs that were on my ranger on these 2007ish ram power wagon wheels I’ve had for a few years and onto the truck with the factory GMC caps. Then tomorrow I’m going to look at and buy the front end repair parts I need off this 99 Tahoe that happens to be a perfect match paint wise! Lastly I think I can put this diff cover I have laying around on the back of the new truck.

 

[OR VietVet]

A fine piece of machinery/equipment and easy enough to get parts. LMC Truck for any new parts that you cannot get good used parts for it.

My girl has a 1990 K2500 that I like working on.

Shaggy has another forum I belong to for this truck, GMT400.com. Great forum there too and busy.

 

[strutaeng]

Nice! Did you swap the rear axle?

I've got a 2000 K3500 CCLB SRW version of one of these. Mine also has the 5.7 SBC Vortec. I don't use it much lately though.

My buddy Shakenfake on PT.net was asking me about these OBS rear axles earlier today... he's local to me and I actually have met him in person. He's a cool guy. You can PM me if you have any questions.

 

[Dantheman1540]

A fine piece of machinery/equipment and easy enough to get parts. LMC Truck for any new parts that you cannot get good used parts for it.

My girl has a 1990 K2500 that I like working on.

Shaggy has another forum I belong to for this truck, GMT400.com. Great forum there too and busy.

I’m sure I’ll be spending lots of monies over at LMC! These trucks do appear almost easier to work on than GMT800 stuff. I actually just started a thread over at GMT400 as well I just didn’t expect it to be alive, boy was I wrong!

Nice! Did you swap the rear axle?

I've got a 2000 K3500 CCLB SRW version of one of these. Mine also has the 5.7 SBC Vortec. I don't use it much lately though.

My buddy Shakenfake on PT.net was asking me about these OBS rear axles earlier today... he's local to me and I actually have met him in person. He's a cool guy. You can PM me if you have any questions.

I haven’t axle swapped anything on this truck yet. According to our mutual friend you told him any 2500 with a 350 would have a 9.5sf right?

I should have looked at the axle when I pulled the wheels off yesterday to see if it was a FF but I didn’t. I will today after I get the tires mounted to the new wheels tho.

I have met him as well actually, not local at all but, well, long story lol.

 

[strutaeng]

I’m sure I’ll be spending lots of monies over at LMC! These trucks do appear almost easier to work on than GMT800 stuff. I actually just started a thread over at GMT400 as well I just didn’t expect it to be alive, boy was I wrong!

I haven’t axle swapped anything on this truck yet. According to our mutual friend you told him any 2500 with a 350 would have a 9.5sf right?

I should have looked at the axle when I pulled the wheels off yesterday to see if it was a FF but I didn’t. I will today after I get the tires mounted to the new wheels tho.

I have met him as well actually, not local at all but, well, long story lol.

Sweet. I was pretty active on that forum, but decided to move on... hopefully my old posts help you. My username has like one letter less than username here.

Anyways, yes: your 2500 should have the 9.5" semi float if it came with the SBC. The 2500s with the BBC/TD came with the 10.5 full float axle. The full float has the hub sticking out from the center. That's true as far as I know for the automatic transmission option.

What is the plan for the truck BTW?

 

[Dantheman1540]

Sweet. I was pretty active on that forum, but decided to move on... hopefully my old posts help you. My username has like one letter less than username here.

Anyways, yes: your 2500 should have the 9.5" semi float if it came with the SBC. The 2500s with the BBC/TD came with the 10.5 full float axle. The full float has the hub sticking out from the center. That's true as far as I know for the automatic transmission option.

What is the plan for the truck BTW?

I hope it has the 9.5, I can’t imagine I’d ever hurt a 9.5 with 250hp and I already have parts for them.

My goal is to have a mostly stock tow rig, I figure the 5.7 with small tires and the 4.10s should pull a standard car hauler trailer with another car or truck on it fine. Florida is flat and I don’t plan to take it on cross country trips loaded. Probably level the stance with either a lower level or tiny tiny crank to the T bars, 32”s, replace all the front end with the beefiest stuff I can find, and maybe a few minor things like the PCM swap to tune it, big radiator and trans cooler, and little stuff like that. No engine or trans swaps, I’m not a fan of autos but it’s a 4l80 so it’s about as good as it gets for strength.

 

[strutaeng]

I hope it has the 9.5, I can’t imagine I’d ever hurt a 9.5 with 250hp and I already have parts for them.

My goal is to have a mostly stock tow rig, I figure the 5.7 with small tires and the 4.10s should pull a standard car hauler trailer with another car or truck on it fine. Florida is flat and I don’t plan to take it on cross country trips loaded. Probably level the stance with either a lower level or tiny tiny crank to the T bars, 32”s, replace all the front end with the beefiest stuff I can find, and maybe a few minor things like the PCM swap to tune it, big radiator and trans cooler, and little stuff like that. No engine or trans swaps, I’m not a fan of autos but it’s a 4l80 so it’s about as good as it gets for strength.

Yeah, you should be good. I just saw your differential photo: that's definitely a 9.5". 10.5" differential cover is a little different and more "segmented" perimeter, for lack of the better word.

Along the things that separated the SBC vs BBC/TD in the C/K 2500s are the brakes: I see that you have vacuum assist brakes, which is what the SBC always got from my recollection in the 2500s. You can upgrade to the hydro boost setup that the 2500 BBC/TD got. All C/K3500s got hydro boost, regardless of engine, in case you want to go look at the wrecking yard for parts.

My K3500 has hydroboost, and I'd say they are adequate, but I've never driven a similar truck with vacuum brakes (except my 1999 Silverado GMT800).

Rotor swaps and rear drums are two things I don't like on these trucks. Drum brakes scare me (LOL), and they a bit "grabby" on the first stop, especially when wet. And the front rotors on the 8 lug requires you to remove the knuckle to remove them; they don't simply slide off like on the later trucks 8 lug. I was kinda blown away how much work is to replace rotors when I first watched the video on YT...so I've never messed with either on my OBS, LOL.

 

[Eman85]

I have a 98 K2500 5.7L ECLB, been a good truck. It has the 9.5" with C clips and 13" drum brakes. I don't live in flatland and pull a 28' enclosed race trailer around the mountains with it. I did the NBS master cylinder swap and it improved my brake feel a lot. Otherwise my truck is completely stock.

 

[Dantheman1540]

Yeah, you should be good. I just saw your differential photo: that's definitely a 9.5". 10.5" differential cover is a little different and more "segmented" perimeter, for lack of the better word.

Along the things that separated the SBC vs BBC/TD in the C/K 2500s are the brakes: I see that you have vacuum assist brakes, which is what the SBC always got from my recollection in the 2500s. You can upgrade to the hydro boost setup that the 2500 BBC/TD got. All C/K3500s got hydro boost, regardless of engine, in case you want to go look at the wrecking yard for parts.

My K3500 has hydroboost, and I'd say they are adequate, but I've never driven a similar truck with vacuum brakes (except my 1999 Silverado GMT800).

Rotor swaps and rear drums are two things I don't like on these trucks. Drum brakes scare me (LOL), and they a bit "grabby" on the first stop, especially when wet. And the front rotors on the 8 lug requires you to remove the knuckle to remove them; they don't simply slide off like on the later trucks 8 lug. I was kinda blown away how much work is to replace rotors when I first watched the video on YT...so I've never messed with either on my OBS, LOL.

Just verified yes it’s 100% a 9.5 which I’m happy with! I have a powder coated diff cover that will find its way in as soon as the truck is moveable under its own power lol.

Didn’t realize brakes sucked so bad, might very well have a shop do them. I don’t really care if the truck looks dumb with drums, they just need to work this ain’t no race rig lol. A hydroboost is def on the list, I’ve never cared for vacuum boost brakes on something heavy, the pedal is just always squishy to me.

I have a 98 K2500 5.7L ECLB, been a good truck. It has the 9.5" with C clips and 13" drum brakes. I don't live in flatland and pull a 28' enclosed race trailer around the mountains with it. I did the NBS master cylinder swap and it improved my brake feel a lot. Otherwise my truck is completely stock.

Heck yeah that’s good to hear! I’ll likely never pull something that big.

 

[Dantheman1540]

Just went and looked at the parts Tahoe and added parts to the list. I’m getting everything in the front, I mean everything I want he said and since it runs and drives I’ll actually probably take the radiator and whatnot just for initial rebuild.

Also getting powered leather seats, color matched rear bumper, passenger door, the grill guard which is aluminum, and the hood if I didn’t say that already. Loading tools up now to head over there and start pulling parts.

 

[Dantheman1540]

Turns out my buddy and I are color blind. I spent 3 hours crawling around in the dirt pulling all the parts off the Tahoe only to find it’s a slightly lighter color gold. Not sure how we missed that but oh well, the parts are straight and it’s close enough for now. Also got the new/recycled tires put on the Ram wheels but I’m waiting on 2” spacers coming Thursday.

Tell you what I think I made damn good progress pulling all that stuff off that Tahoe in 3 hours by myself. I’m tired, but I didn’t break any clips, or brackets, and I put most of the hardware back where it belongs as I went to keep organized.

 

[TollKeeper]

Hope you stole that front bumper, and brush guard.. If I am remembering correctly, that factory bumper, and brush guard, are kinda hard to come by..

If the fog lights are complete, thats even another score.

 

[Dantheman1540]

Hope you stole that front bumper, and brush guard.. If I am remembering correctly, that factory bumper, and brush guard, are kinda hard to come by..

If the fog lights are complete, thats even another score.

Oh yeah I got it all! The grill guard is aluminum which is sweet because I’ll actually put it on since it doesn’t weigh 200#, needs paint tho.

The fogs are in good shape, as was their harness, but I will likely replace them with some aftermarket amber street legal fogs that don’t blind people, like I do on everything I own.

Either way I’m pumped about it all, can’t wait to get to putting stuff back together. I held up the brush guard to the bent frame horns and it’s barely off, so a little hammering should tune it right up.

 

[Dantheman1540]

Progress from yesterday I forgot to take pics of. Got all the damaged core support and junk out, frame has such little damage I got real lucky with this one. Prob gonna hammer it back and weld it up to look normal.

Debating on if I should buy a nice all aluminum radiator or just OEM replacement with plastic tanks. I have a $200 Chinese Amazon radiator in my ranger and it’s fantastic, I can get the same thing for this truck for just under $300, or save $40 and buy a cheap reman unit.

 

[Dantheman1540]

Had just enough time today to mount the 2” spacers and new/used forged power wagon wheels and tires. I’m thinking either the front needs .5” less spacer, or the rear needs another .5-1”. I noticed with the stock wheels it was very obvious the rear was considerably narrower, I wonder why they did that.

 

[TollKeeper]

Because of the spacing needed for the torsion suspension, and 4x4, it got kicked out a bit. Just normal GMT stuff.

 

[Dantheman1540]

Because of the spacing needed for the torsion suspension, and 4x4, it got kicked out a bit. Just normal GMT stuff.

Another reason to hate Tbars lol.

 

[Dantheman1540]

Got a bunch done today! Started by removing the basked in rear bumper and fitting the new Tahoe bumper. Then siphoned all the old fuel out or as much as I could, and while I was waiting in that I did some minor repair to the headlight harness that appeared to have gotten toasty during my uncles “torch the core support out” battle. Kinda funny I was using the old fuel as weed killed on my fence line and as it was filling a bucket I was soldering with a mini torch. A neighbor fired up his burn pit and I nearly browned my britches thinking somehow I lit the 15gal of crap fuel on fire.

After that debacle I pulled it around to degrease and hose as much of the truck as I could. Probably did 5 or 6 degrease cycles and hosed as much underneath as I could because apparently he had gone mudding sometime before wrecking it. After that I pushed it in my shop and started on the frame. It appeared to me with my best guess/tape measure that the driver side needed to go down 1/4” but other than that everything measured out fairly well. So I torched, beat, and cut it back to where I think it should be. Made a filler piece, burned it in and blacked it out, along with some other areas that were clean and in spray range.

Lastly I tackled stuff I could do with the parts that had arrived. Starting with oil cooler lines and boy they are a ****. Not to mention that all my hosing didn’t get to that area and was down right nasty! Probably had been leaking for a good while so I’m glad it’s all apart for new seals. Also good news the oil looked fantastic and the filter showed no unicorn blood sparkle. Unfortunately I don’t have one of the lines because it arrived wrong so that’s on hold to put back together. So I switched to the rear end which I happened to have a nice steel diff cover and lube locker gasket from another project sitting around. So they went on and again the rear fluid looked great and the gears appear new so no worries there.

And I think that’s it for today’s progress, I’ll post all the pictures I have although it will take a bit.