70' GMC "Walter"

[skyjgmc]

Originally Posted by swamp rat

If you have not checked yet pull the sending unit/pickup out of the tank and see of the sock has collapsed and disintegrated, also inspect for rust, also check and replace the small length of hose directly below the tank under the cab, be sure to use fuel line.

actually the PO changed all of that, replaced the lines, and put in a new tank. I really hate having the in cab tank but its all brand new so Ill keep it that way for now. the Van has a big saddle tank that Im not sure will fit under the truck but when I swap in the Vortec I may see about getting rid of the in cab tank

On another note the truck left me stranded in town at the gas station yesterday. this time it would fire right up but as soon as I let off the key it would die. I finally got it to start after a little bit and it drove all the way home without a problem. As soon as I was in my driveway I jiggled the key in the ignition and it shut down, and would not start again. It would fire right away at the turn of the key then die as soon as I let off. so I would assume its safe to say the problem lies in my keyed ignition. Im going to pick one of those up this afternoon, unless someone thinks otherwise. its possible it could be the igniton module in the dist but I bought that all brand new less than a year ago, Its got all brand new HEI dist. coil, alt and volt regulator. I used to always carry spares of the distributor in my tool box cause you never know when the module will go out.

[swamp rat]

On a stock setup (should be the same with the HEI) there is a lead coming off the switch that will be hot when the key is on the ON position, locate that wire ether under the hood OR just remove the switch from the dash and test it there, turn the switch to ON, then jiggle the switch and see if the light go's out or flashes intermittently, if it does get a switch.

Make sure the PO did use fuel line from the tank to the pump, I have seen cases where non fuel rubber line was used and it was ok at first but it would soften then the vacuum created would collapse the hose.

[skyjgmc]

Originally Posted by swamp rat

On a stock setup (should be the same with the HEI) there is a lead coming off the switch that will be hot when the key is on the ON position, locate that wire ether under the hood OR just remove the switch from the dash and test it there, turn the switch to ON, then jiggle the switch and see if the light go's out or flashes intermittently, if it does get a switch.

Make sure the PO did use fuel line from the tank to the pump, I have seen cases where non fuel rubber line was used and it was ok at first but it would soften then the vacuum created would collapse the hose.

Took the connection off the back of the switch and the spades where burnt and slightly melted, the batt spade was corroded and slightly broke off looks like it was loose and arcing. I installed a new switch and it hasn't quit on me yet. I couldn't even get it to start before I replaced the switch. I could keep it running if I kept the key in the start position but then it would spin the starter the whole time too sooo....... it was a pain to get the lock cylinder out even after I pushed the pin in ans turned it counterclockwise it felt like it was glued in there. Once I got the chrome trim ring all the way unthreaded I yank on it from the back and finally broke free. Plus the new switch had the grooves slightly different that the old so I had to take my angle grinder to the "cup" so it would fit together.

I will check into the fuel line, but she told me she bought a kit from LMC that had everything she needed to replace it to the fuel pump.

[skyjgmc]

well we weren't completely out for the woodshed with the electrical problems. Just when I thought the electrical problems were solved, I had the camper all loaded up for hunting camp. Went to go run a few errands befoer we left and hopped in the truck turned the key and nothing, batt was dead I had just started it 30 min before without a problem. jumped it and headed into town thinking it was a simple " l left the key in the acc position". got home and still wouldnt started put a fresh charged batt in and I started right up. argh!!! took my batt to auto parts store to test it tested good but since it was 7 years old, I replaced it along with the pos. and neg. cables at the same time. hooked up the camper and headed for hunting camp. got 30 miles from home and bam started losing power could'nt maintain 55 mph look in rear view mirror and its blowing smoke like a banchee....... threw my arms in the air and admitted defeat turned around and got my 2015 work truck and towed the camper to camp.
it was disapointing I couldnt use my favorite truck but now I think the wife can accept the fact that I need to get started on the motor swap asap..... but after hunting season!!!

the good news is my son filled his tag!!!

[swamp rat]

Cool for your son! I can taste back strap sautéed in butter and onions right now. .

Per the electrical it sounds like you have a short to ground that's draining the battery, if it was fine before the camper then I'd think it's in the light wiring, my parents used to put a camper on the rat so they had a light pig tail added right at the back of the cab, years later I had a battery drain and that pigtail was the culprit

[skyjgmc]

Originally Posted by swamp rat

Cool for your son! I can taste back strap sautéed in butter and onions right now. .

Per the electrical it sounds like you have a short to ground that's draining the battery, if it was fine before the camper then I'd think it's in the light wiring, my parents used to put a camper on the rat so they had a light pig tail added right at the back of the cab, years later I had a battery drain and that pigtail was the culprit

Thanks for your help!!!
Yep he was excited I told him not to shoot it cause it only has one antler but he said "cool it's Elliott the deer". One shot from 238 yds.


I think the ground was the culprit but it's nice to have a brand new batt with warranty. The funny thing is this, I didn't hook up the camper plug when I hooked it up and pulled it around to load everything up so I know it's not the camper. It started up and ran fine when we got back from the hunt and is working great.

[69gmcc10]

Sorry about the truck, excellent job on the deer!

[flashed]

That looks like some good eating there ,congrats to your son .Im not a hunter but I got a 4 point buck yesterday ,my critter killer got it for me .

[skyjgmc]

Thanks guys he's pretty excited about it, can't wait to get his elk now.

Well we are still having electrical problem with Walter, new cables, new batt, new volt regulator new ignition. All replaced in the last year. I drove it a lot this week a bunch of short trips into town after work. Took it camping with my boy on Friday night went hunting saturday morning after hunting stopped at home depot to grab some material it was hard to start in parking lot made it home and wouldn't start back up dead battery. Alternator tests good, but some how the charge is not getting to the battery. I'm wondering if someone has a diagram of the charging system on our trucks? . It can't be to difficult to trace though so I may just fiddle with it. I am wondering if the burnt/melted plug on the ignition switch is the culprit? I know when I replaced the switch I noticed the melted plug on the batt+ spade. Don't know if it goes through there to the alt and then to the battery or not? . But I do have a pig tail off of the parts truck I could solder together and make a new harness for it.

[swamp rat]

Here's a little reading material for you, don't know if you did the internal regulator conversion off hand..

http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...d.php?t=417872

Also if you do a Google search for this "67-72chevytrucks schematic" and click images there is some good copy's to save to the computer.

https://www.google.com/search?q=67-7...NnBosQ_AUIBigB

[skyjgmc]

Originally Posted by swamp rat

Here's a little reading material for you, don't know if you did the internal regulator conversion off hand..

http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...d.php?t=417872

Also if you do a Google search for this "67-72chevytrucks schematic" and click images there is some good copy's to save to the computer.

https://www.google.com/search?q=67-7...NnBosQ_AUIBigB

Thanks Rat, it seems everytime you post something for me to read I get it figured out as I notice you commented... anyways I fell like a real doof, so I had some time this morning to mess with it and as soon as I started traceing wires I noticed my problem immediately...... when the ignition switch went out I for some unknown reason (dont ask why) had been in the process of removing the volt regulator to test the plug, I got distracted and plum forgot about it.... so yes this whole time with all the dead batteries, starts and jumpstarts I hadn't even looked at the regulator since it was brand new!! so this morning when I stuck my head down next to the headlight bucket I noticed the plug wasn't even plugged into the regulator..... yep I laughed pretty hard over that one. battery is charging now!!!!

Thanks once again rat for wasting your time in an effort to help!!!!

[skyjgmc]

Things are starting to look up Walter is running better I think i just had it too rich on the secondaries and the battery is actually charging now..... oh and I got my buck this morning!!

[swamp rat]

Nice Mule! (I'm a bit rusty forgive me if its a white tail but I think its a mule) LOL!

[skyjgmc]

Originally Posted by swamp rat

Nice Mule! (I'm a bit rusty forgive me if its a white tail but I think its a mule) LOL!

Yep your right it's a muley.

[skyjgmc]

Wow its been a while since I updated this thread been busy with sports and the holidays plus it's been too dang cold to work in this weather, but it's been warming up and I've got an itch to get this dang vortec swapped in ol Walter. He's running fine since I played with the jets a bit and changed the spark plugs...... these trucks are like a sickness for me I went and did it again and bought another gmc. It's a 1947 1/2 ton believe it or not it runs and drives bought it off a coworker who's owned it for the last 52 years. Been on his ranch that long and only been driven a handful of miles around his farm but been ridden hard. Missing the grill is about all that's gone off of it. Not sure what I'm going to do with it but I paid $200 for it so its not going anywhere for a while.

[swamp rat]

Sweet! I had a 45 Chevy back in the late 80's to early 90's, regretted ever selling it, 45's were oddballs in that not a lot of them.

[skyjgmc]

Originally Posted by swamp rat

Sweet! I had a 45 Chevy back in the late 80's to early 90's, regretted ever selling it, 45's were oddballs in that not a lot of them.

wasn't it because of the war they stopped making them to make things for the military?

[69gmcc10]

Yeah, I hear ya on the weather. I am getting the itch as well. We did have a warm weekend over here 2 weeks ago and I got the upper control arms rebuilt with polly bushings and moog ball joints on my 03 daily, but I cant find it in myself to go out to an unheated garage with 16" of snow on the ground when another 12" is expected in the next day or 2... not motivating.

[skyjgmc]

So this happened today.

Yep I bought that parts truck over the summer the problem is it had a green chevy front clip and nothing matched I bought some "sort of ok" black doors and been slowly gathering parts over the winter.. well a few months back I found an ad of a guy parting out a 72 1 ton gmc I saw the pics he posted and thought "I wonder if that front clip would match my cab?"...


so we exhanged some texts and emails turns out he doesnt like the gmc dual headlights and was on the hunt for a chevy clip.... well after months of back and forth I finally managed to meet up with the guy and we traded front clips straight across and he sold me the doors for $35. I couldnt wait to get home and slap it all on...... low and behold his clip and doors match my cab perfectly

so that got the wheels turning in my head and I came up with a plan, I'm going to build me a shop truck. This cab is prestine and rust free the fenders have great character and patina plus no rust I also love the "Not for hire" painted on the hood. Not sure if it's going to be fleetside or stepside but will definately be a short bed... plus matching the faded red paint is going to be difficult but I kind of dig it. So Walter will be on the back burner, the 5.7 vortec will go into the shop truck, I should be able to get this up and running for a small investment then we'll move onto Walter again.
This is the end goal for the shop truck. Sorry Walter!!

[swamp rat]

Nice!

[69gmcc10]

well, this is an interesting turn of events! I like it, will this new truck be 2 or 4 wheel drive?

[skyjgmc]

Originally Posted by 69gmcc10

well, this is an interesting turn of events! I like it, will this new truck be 2 or 4 wheel drive?

Yes it is.. I wasn't planning on doing this but the truck sits on a 2 wheel drive chassis long bed so we will cut it down to short bed length and hopefully find some orange bedsides. I will use the 5.7 motor out of the van I'm just really kicking myself now for selling that 4l80e 2 wheel drive trans that came in it. May just source a th400 or 350 to put in it. Not sure yet!? This was a split decision but one way for me to have another truck to drive while the 4x4 goes under the knife. I'm really looking for 6.0 ls motor to put in Walter, there is one in bozo for sale complete with everything but I don't have the cash for it at the moment.

[skyjgmc]

Traded my old bench seat and a old front bumper for these wheels they are 20x10 aluminum lug

no real plans for them may just use them as a barter for more stuff or slap them on Walter when we swap in the 14 bolt and 44. Either way they are a nice set of aluminum wheels I kind of dig.. may paint them black and polish the Insides of the slots for a different look.

[swamp rat]

Originally Posted by skyjgmc

wasn't it because of the war they stopped making them to make things for the military?

I could be wring but the best i can figure they stopped production after 42, only made them for the military then resumed general production in 46.

[skyjgmc]

Well got tired of tripping over this winch setup in my garage it was on my jeep, but I built a completely different setup so now Walter gets a winch.
Starting off with a super winch and a generic jeep winch plate I cut the ends off, drilled some holes in the gmc frame to accomodate the winch. I removed gawd awful ugly solenoid pack off the top of the winch to get to fit so snuggly up in between the grill and rad support, maybe have 1/4" clearance all around it. Had to notch the grill support just a bit. The solenoids will get moved to up under the hood for a clean look. This will be the "base" to start the bumper build it's going to be sleek and slightly resemble the stock bumper lines with a pre runner look... I hate massive bro dozer bumpers on all the dirty max and cummins. Plus no one makes a stout winch bumper for our trucks that doesn't look like a railroad tie with an I beam welded to it. So here it goes.
Top view looking down the grill it's almost flush with the face of the grill.
.

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