86 SWB Cream Puff

[izzy_Britton]

Yeah I know the title of this thread is a bit odd, but honestly, that is the best way to describe this truck. This truck is a genuine cream puff. and not the fruity kind of cream puff! The kind of cream puff that falls in your lap and upon second look you realize it is exactly what you were looking for.

I was looking for a square when i ran across a smoking deal, $600 for a straight 82 SWB. after buying the truck and driving it home real life got in the way and the truck sat in my drive way for about a month. flash forward a month... need to transfer ownership and get smogged, DMV tells me 800$ in back reg fees. decide to park it in storage for a while until i can come up with the $$ for registration. go out and try to start truck only to realize the carb float was stuck, flooded and leaking all over the place. i6 th350, and a thoroughly rusted cab. this was number 37, I bought it early in march 2013. parked it later in march 2013. heart broken. my DD was a 97 ford ranger, the freeze plugs are all rusted out, blown head gasket, on its last leg, i smoked the motor and had to tow it home 3 times in 3 days and finally had enough.

Went driving the back streets of a small neighboring town in search of something, anything that would get me back and forth to work. FOUND IT! the old man wanted $1,000 for it.

So about the truck.

This is an 86 Scottsdale, SWB 2WD with only 82K original miles. But there seems to be a few oddities about this truck that i cannot verify and with a little help from some of the members here i can clear some of those oddities up.



I bought this thing 4 weeks ago this weekend, I have so far only taken 2 photos of it. both the day i bought it.


So on to the details and the oddities.

As i mentioned it is a scottsdale. however I have been lead to believe that the scottsdale package was the top of the top package. is this the case? the reason i question this is because it is 100% original and as near as i can tell I am the 2nd owner, the man who i bought it from said he paid $13,000 for it and is 94 years old. The truck sat since at least 2009, but the old man said he lost his license back in 2007 due to going blind (not just legally blind, but rather, AS A BAT).

It has a 305 / 700r4, manual windows, manual door locks, and a base model instrument cluster. It has AC and cruise control both of which work it has carpet on the floor but a vinyl seat, no head liner and no interior trim. the funny thing is, there is a giant one piece floor mat over the carpet and i do not believe it had ever been removed before i removed it to vacuum last weekend. the carpet under the rubber mat is pristine with the exception of where the floor meets the trans tunnel there is a tear, likely from old age. I put the rubber floor mat back in place.

behind the seat is the standard 4x10 speakers and the cardboard wall cover thing. all the speakers seem to work and the stock radio was replaced with an aftermarket removable face tape player (this should give an indication as to how long ago the stereo was installed, forever ago!) the windshield is original, even the tires i believe were originals, nearly bald and separating when i bought it, 2 still remain on the truck. It has power steering, my other 86 did not, what a relief.

The only oddity in the engine compartment is the carburetor. The emission sticker says it is a California compliant vehicle but the carb seems to be a standard quadrajet 4 bbl. It is supposed to have the electronic carb but that seems to not be the case here, it did pass smog last week so nothing funny, just that the carb seems to be a manual rather than electronic. my other 86 had the blasted electronic carb and i cursed it for months while trying to get it passed smog.

To the back outside. The truck came new to me with a camper shell, it has been quickly removed. the inside of the bed didnt even have scratches in the paint as it was obviously never used as a truck. however there are 4 half inch holes in the floor of the bed, one in each corner and 2 holes top center of the inner fender wells, one in each. however there seems to be no 5th wheel mounts or appear to ever have been any 5th wheel mounts. there is however a 5th wheel style 7+1 pin electrical connector on the inside wall of the bed front and left. I can only assume that maybe they intended to install a 5th wheel and never did or maybe they had a cab over camper on it and this electric connection was for camper stuff? the cargo lamp was removed, again i assume for the camper shell that was on it when i bought it or for the cab over that seems to have never been installed. the wires and socket are there but the lamp mount and lens are gone, leaving me with a hole that scares me because i will bet dollars to donuts that there is rust in the lower cab corners because of this.

the spare tire is original and has never been removed from under the bed. all 5 wheels are rally wheels with nice beauty rings and center caps in good condition.

it has dual fuel tanks, both work as does the fuel gauge.

everything seems to work to some degree.


The Plans:::

I want to drop it with a sporty stance. probably a 5/6. 3 inch spindles, 2 inch springs, a flip with a 1 inch block and a frame notch that does not require me to modify my bed. not too low, i am getting old and although i love the looks of the slammed trucks my kidneys are begging me to keep it sporty and keep a comfy ride, plus i have a small pop-up travel trailer that needs to be towed and dependably without suspension mishaps while on holiday. 20 x 8.5 up front and 20 x 10 out back, likely american racing wheels 223's or some tork thrust II's, and good sized rubber to fill the fender openings up. small wheels and tires look silly on a square with big fender holes.

I really like the look of the de-chromed / euro style trucks but the effort it takes to go full de-chrome is too much effort for me, i am getting lazy in my old age. I also really like rolled rear pans, but with this truck I am planning to keep the front AND rear bumpers and keep them chrome. the body moldings however will be removed because i personally hate the look of the style of side moldings that are stock on this year truck.

I am also planning to keep the body MOSTLY stock. there are a few things i want to do, the front grill being the first thing on my list. However this is where things have a chance to snow ball out of control and this is where it will take all of my will power to keep that from happening...

first, I want to convert the cab over to electric windows and locks, in order to do this RIGHT i will need to remove the doors for proper installation of the accordion boots. since adjusting the doors back to the right position is a royal PITA, the fenders are gonna come off. while the fenders are off I might as well change out the 86 radiator support for that of a 88-91 with the small headlamps. this will be a good time to replace the radiator since i do not trust it any more because of how long it has sat. since the front if gonna be off, I might as well cam the motor and while at that replace the intake, carb and distributor with something better.

The tailgate is going to get a Britton Built skin that will be slightly different than the run of the mill skin. you will have to wait to see it. I did this on my other 86, the guy re-skinned it with the same run of the mill skins that i hate so much.

As for paint, I want to do it in silver and candy orange with a touch of candy green, I thought i decided this paint scheme on my 91 would look awesome, however my wife thinks the colors i have in mind are queer and has voice some strong opinions against them. so who knows. I know i like those colors, maybe a change in layout will look better than what is currently envisioned in my head.

I washed it a couple weekends ago and gave it a 15 minute buff, I had no idea when i bought it that it was METALLIC root beer brown... 5-7 years of sitting under a pine tree and an oak tree, up against a rose bush will apparently take the shine off of a truck.

Like my sig says, BIG PLANS. but i need to do it in a fashion that it doesn't snow ball and get away from me. it is my daily driver after all.

I will post more photos as the build progresses at a snails pace.

-Izzy

[izzy_Britton]

Today I started to add burb buckets to my truck. I found that under the OEM carpet is also an OEM rubber floor mat that appears to be MINT condition.

No progress on the truck yet, just in the process of collecting parts and getting ready for a two weekend mod fest. just wanted to share about the rubber carpet stuff.

-Izzy

[rs74]

Buff it all out and by some side trim from LMC and put on. I think it would look sharp all buffed out. You don't see many with that color combo. Post up some more pics. Good find.

[izzy_Britton]

This weekend I put a new Edelbrock 1406 and a Chinese made Malory clone Distributor.

Ditched all the emissions crap do this, runs better than it has since i bought it in april. Lets hope she doesnt eat(er. drink) me out of house and home...

-Izzy

[rs74]

Post up some recent pics.

[izzy_Britton]

quick update.



Most recent work is the lowering job. used specialtyretails flip kit and belltech 3 inch spindles up front along with 1 coil cut from the springs up front and everything else is stock.

truck has settled a lot since this photo last week.

the rear rides on the shocks, I need to get lowered shocks for it in the coming weeks.

the front has about one inch of travel before the tires rub the inner fenders. I need to get a lower profile tire for the front and I will probably put the stock coil springs back in when i re-do the rear with 3/4 ton springs.

-Izzy

[Low Elco]

Neat Lil ol truck!

[izzy_Britton]

Its been a while since my last update. I have lost the pictures account so all the photos are GONE forever. I will have to take some more photos and host them elsewhere. I thought i would share some more recent info.

After the drop 2 years ago, almost nothing has happened with the truck.

Installed OEM aluminum 15x7 'rally' style wheels from a G10 van for lower control arm clearance, 216/60 tires up front and 235/70's in the rear. the truck is too low and bumps on everything taller than the Bots Dots, lower control arms are beat to hell and now need replacing.

July 2014 I installed a new mechanical fuel pump.
July 2014 Replaced radiator hoses.
Aug 2014 Installed 2nd batter tray out of a diesel. I have a 2nd battery under the hood but it is not wired. with the aid of jumper cables I am able to jump my own truck should the battery fail on me.

The rear main seal has sprung a leak and just like a dog it marks its spot everywhere we go. combo rear main seal and either rings or valve seals, it leaks about a quart each week. smokes like a chimney on start and WOT at freeway speeds. I am sure my flogging it didn't/doesn't help but the engine is quickly approaching replacement time.

Today I bought a 2003 Suburban, DUI roll-over from a tow yard for $500, it will donate its 5.3/4l60e, engine wire harness and ecm to the cream Puff. I dont expect i will be able to even start pulling this engine for a few weeks, in the mean time i will start rounding up conversion parts required.

This is a list of parts i think i will need for the conversion. This list is mostly for my own benefit.

87 Fuel tanks
87 fuel sending units
fuel pump from a 2003 up corvette
engine mount adapter plates
2010 camaro oem exhaust manifolds
Engine cooling fan (either water pump mounted like typical sbc or electric conversion)

I will add more to the list as i think more bout it. its late and my brain says good night!

-Izzy

[izzy_Britton]

Donor Truck



got it all towed to the shop where the engine and trans will be pulled out for me. hooked up battery and jumper box and tried to start. The engine seems to be hydro-locked. this truck was a roll over and ended up on its side for an hour or more before the tow truck could show up. it is likely and hopefully the case of a little coolant or oil has seeped in and pulling the spark plugs and turning the engine over will solve the problem. I will likely know more by tomorrow. I hope i didnt waste $500.

-Izzy

[slammed427]

Love daily driven squares. Are you going to have to go through the smog referee for the motor swap? Where are you at in nor cal? I'm from Sonoma County and lI've in the redding area for quite a while.

[izzy_Britton]

Yep I live in redding area. Funny, I used to live in tempe and Chandler.

[slammed427]

Originally Posted by izzy_Britton

Yep I live in redding area. Funny, I used to live in tempe and Chandler.

Lol! Nice.

[izzy_Britton]

Yeah, funny because I lived there just shy of a year, yet it is one of my fondest and most momemorable places I have lived. I worked at Fry'a electronics in Tempe. My wife and I have actually been discussing moving back there because I loved it so much.

How old are you and when did you live here, maybe we know each other?

[izzy_Britton]

Originally Posted by slammed427

Love daily driven squares. Are you going to have to go through the smog referee for the motor swap?

So back to this question which I just realized I didn't address....

There is a 50/50 chance I will need to go thru the referee. I have been talking with many many different smog stations and most say the same thing in note so many words. The main place I deal with said it depends on who is on the smog machine the day I go in but....


This is how it was more or less put to me:

Due to a recent law change concerning 98 and new vehicles, if the vehicle has an OBD2 data port, AND the computer reads the system and the system said all of the circuits are working add they should be, there is a 90% chance the smog tech will not even need to open the hood.

So with that said, and my interpretation being that if the ecm says everything is working fine, then the tech will likely go no further as a sniffer test is not even used. So theoretically I could get away without CATS if the system says the o2 sensors are functioning properly.

The flip side of that being, a smog tech who might pop the hood would likely not know that the engine installed is not the factory engine, but might have upgrades. So who knows?

The far other end of that scale is that my home address is in a non-smog county so bi-anual smogs are not required for registration. I would technically only be in trouble when I go to sell it.


Here's to HOPE... Right?

-Izzy

[slammed427]

I'm 31 and I lived there from 98-01 off and on. Bounced back and forth between patents. I went to Shasta, Foothill and pioneer. Like I said, moved around a bit.

[izzy_Britton]

I dunno if if should start a new build thread or just update this one as I progress?

I have officially started the dissassembly of this little cream puff to start the install of the 5.3/4L60e.

Thoughts?

[RUN GMC]

Carry on here......the mods will chime if necessary.......good luck on your build.....

[izzy_Britton]

Alright!

Last weekend I actually started on the LS swap of this little machine. SWMBO says one weekend day is all i get to work on my stuff, so saturdays it is.

Last saturday I got it up on some jackstands and dollies so i can move it around a little while it is off the ground.





Started taking front sheet metal off.



Then i started feeling sick so i quit early for the day and that is how it sat until this wekend.

[izzy_Britton]

Are the pictures showing up?

[izzy_Britton]

So this morning i got up super early and went to the shop to get a jump on my one day of working on my truck...

YEAH RIGHT! SWMBO went out drinking last night and overdid it, i had to go pick her up at 2am and then she didnt want to get outta bed until almost 11. made the 15 mile trek into town to get her car and then of coarse she wanted breakfast (lunch, it was darn near noon when we ordered). then i figured while i was in town i would go to pick-n-pull to peep any new rigs they got that i might want parts off of. hour later i left there with a complete and cherry right rear door (its even the right color, i think)for the uber cheap $400 2006 crew cab GMC i bought wednesday. and then to the shop i went. 2:30pm i finally got started for the day. I need to do all this running around crap on sundays and she needs to booze on saturday nights so i can make the best of my time on saturdays and then her sunday can be spent chasing her car. sheesh!

So first things first, I got the bed up off the back of the frame. didnt get a picture. Of coarse being that the truck is now on jack stands and dollies, getting the bed off the frame meant lifting it so the bed floor was about 4 feet off the ground, on sawhorses and 2x4's, high enough to roll the rest of the truck out from under it. After getting the truck out from under the bed i called a buddy to help me get it back to the ground, he was working. called my brother but he had surgery on monday and cannot lift jack until the stitches come out. half an hour later, sweating like a dog (its hot in my shop 80*, 108* outside), i got it off the sawhorses and on the ground outta the way a little so i could start on the cab.



After unbolting the cab, the stupid e-brake cable fought me for almost an hour. whoever designed those crunch pedals and the cable system with all the wires connecting to the mount should be hunted down and have his fingernails removed very slowly!

I was able to locate all the wire connections and other connectors to disconnect everything with the exception of one wire, a red one that didnt seem to go anywhere except aft. so i cut that one. i will chase it down later. so far i have only cut that one wire and one braided ground strap from the cab to the back of the engine block that was so gummed up i couldnt get a end wrench on it.

After my brother told me that he couldnt help i kinda put off trying to get the cab off of the frame by taking a nap lol. 2 hours later i decided to just get it over with.

I used a 4x4 and a cherry picker to lift the cab off the frame, i then lowered the back of the frame off of the jack stands and rested the rear drums directly onto the dollies and kinda rolled the frame out from under the cab and rolled the cab far enough out of the way to get it on the ground so it wasnt hanging from the cherry picker all week. i lowered it down and rested it on 4 milk crates and small cut 2x4's.



my allotted truck time is done for the week.

I am supposed to be meeting up with my landlord (today but she never showed) tomorrow hopefully to rent another small shop. I now have enough crap stored in 4 different storage places to consolidate into one larger place. it will work out to be only slightly more expensive than what i pay for storage now. plus it will have the added benefit that the shop is 2 doors down and there will be no limit on gate hours. plus as i mentioned... i bought some new vehicles over the last couple weeks that need storage for a while.

1948 chevy loadmaster COE
2003 GMC 2500HD
2006 GMC crew cab 2wd
2007 chevy Z71 extra cab
and the odd ball of the bunch 1994 Jeep wrangler (for my wife)

-Izzy