We are Tracer Customs and we specialize in the aftermarket side of the automotive world. We install lights, speakers, radios and more! This channel is a way for us to show our work and try to be entertaining along the way. Thanks for checking us out! Head over to tracercustoms.com for more info
That Duramax will need a lot of work but it will be a great hauler. The 7.3 on the other hand I own one myself. 1999 4wd 7.3 with 300k miles it ain’t no race truck but will pull anything you put behind it and easy to work on
The truck looks great, quick question. Did you have to do anything for waterproofing the roof rack? Any water penetration at the river-nut or mounting locations?
I know everyone wants the the 6.0, I just don't know if 40hp is worth the time spent in my opinion... If it was a strait drop in and not trying to figure out the computer stuff. We'll just have to do a head to head comparison.
In my case the 5.3 needed to be replaced and I had a 6.0 sitting around needing a home so it made sense. The bigger transmission is more of the selling point than even the motor swap.
I’m definitely not second guessing you but the gas and oxygen is not matched but I can’t quarter back sitting in the bleachers. I have all the faith that you will get it running by trial and error. Best education, money can’t buy real experience, same as you guys have (Super Power) common sense, can’t be bought nor taught,. So many have no ideal what it is, you do👍
It’s running a lot better now, some carb tuning and timing adjustments made a huge difference. We’ll be the first to admit that carbs are not our area of expertise, we still have a lot to learn
Every mechanic should own a wrecker. (For those not familiar the bed is not structural and you can fab whatever you like if you don't want to run it bare. DOT-legal mud flap and signals where you care to place them like on the mast out of harms way with the license plate are normally sufficient for compliance as the thousands of 18-wheeler kingpin mount removable wreckers attest. Cheap donors abound and parts are available. A rotabroach, milling machine or even a good holesaw easily cuts new pin holes in box tubing matching the boom if you get a wrecker with a bent boom (PTO winches bend parts easily but also outpull the same winch with an electric motor, nothing like having full engine torque to move heavy things). Holmes winches have been converted to hydraulic power. Builders wanting a wheel lift option can study mechancal wheel lifts which use the boom winch to raise and lower the non-hydraulic stinger which you could make easily removable.
I've seen it done, it looks good but personally I prefer the stock look. The cateye also sticks out further than stock, the bumper and quarter panels go further past the front wheels.
Just finished watching it,you shud still be able to unfold the center section,8bokts,cut the old piece out of the plating on back,and just flip it over....and receiver piece will sit up just where the org one is now ...
Lol,had you just flipped the center section,ur hitch wud have been where you wanted it,(place where old one sat)..them hit he's are designed to be flexible for mounting under trucks. How many hours did you waste (fabbing it up) your way???lol.
Glad to see progress just out of curiosity why didn't you just brace the bed mounted receiver with some thick walled square tubing? Your solution is great just a question
The bed is currently boot on and removable, we’ve been trying to maintain that and we couldn’t come up with a good way to make it stronger without welding the bed to the frame. If this causes to many departure angle issues we may change it later though
Hey Josh and Tim, if you are using an electric pump with that carb, you need an inline fuel pressure regulator with a return line for the excess gas to the tank. This is especially true if you are using a factory pump. A carb only needs about 7-8 psi whereas a factory TBI pump puts out about 20-25 psi. Even most aftermarket electric pumps put out too much pressure. If the fuel pressure is not regulated properly and there is no return line, you will blow out the needle and seat in the float bowl of the carb. Also, I am extremely glad that you put the factory ignition switch back in play and I was also glad to hear that you checked the clutch safety switch as well. Just a little advice, stay away from the cheaper remanned starters as I have had nothing but bad luck until I ponied up and bought the more expensive ones and had no more problems. Hope this helps, my friends.
Keep your chin up Josh. It will all work out. Try to give it to God. I know it's tough sometimes believe me I know. I lost my job of 20 years and had to go on disability because of heart problems and the world keeps turning around me. I am in the process of helping my son rebuild the 4L60e trans out of his Blazer and a 2-day job has turned into a 3 week one! lol I wish we lived closer to each other; I would enjoy helping you out on this truck as much as I could. God bless all of you!
I have replaced many square body hydraulic clutches and I have found that the easiest way to bleed them is to let some fluid run out of the bleeder on the bottom and then tighten it up. Then pack a lunch because it takes a while, but just keep pumping the pedal and eventually it self bleeds. Make sure you keep the reservoir full, or you will need to start over if it runs dry. If the truck sits for a while you might need to pump it up again but that is a rare occasion. Hope this helps, Josh.
@tracercustoms I am only giving my opion I wasn't being nasty but no I haven't I live in the UK with plenty of mud don't really need rock sliders here, age and experience does help maybe it will work for you.
Ok no problem! Just wanted to gauge the info. I've been driving in this area for a number of years and know the type of terrain this truck will be going on very will. The sliders will help with keeping the body protected and sliding over rocks. Yes clearance is limited but the gas tanks and other components are already this low. This will help protect the gas tanks from punctures as well as other portions of the truck from damage. Our trail are extremely tight so the truck can't really get much taller without running into other issues. Thanks for watching!
@tracercustoms sorry for the miss communication and yes I will keep watching to see how you get on like you said you know the area and what you need so hopefully no hard feelings all the best from the UK
That is the FIRST time I ever saw a scissor lift tow a truck!!’ The safety men would have a heart attack if someone at work would try that. Lol. With the list: you guys need to win a small lottery!!
I am guessing that you have a HEI distributor. If so, the ICM module in the distributor is extremely sensitive to heat and the original thermo grease dries up between the module and the plate it is mounted to (it turns to a chalk like substance). This can cause misfiring and total failure in hot conditions. Sometimes you get no warning that it is going bad, and it is always a good idea to replace them when doing a tune up. Thought this might help, my friends. This truck is going to be a monster when you are done!
Looks like you have a lot of work ahead of you but if you put the time into it I’m sure it will turn out a capable tow truck. Will be exciting to see the transformation. 👍🏽😎
Simplest thing would have been by a dually pick up rear-end. Cab and chassis trucks use the narrow rear-end whilst the dually pickup has a full size rear axle!!!
We specifically wanted the cab and chassis narrow rear end. The Ozarks trails are extremely tight and not full size friendly. We need this truck as small as it can be but still big and strong enough to get the job done.
