Big Blue's Transformation

[kramttocs]

Always something on these trucks to keep a person busy:nabble_smiley_beam:

That, my friend, is an understatement!

Some of which gets suggested on forums?

Seems like something out of a Mad Libs.

"Today, my truck made me _________"

busy

happy

spend money

cry

thankful for a second vehicle

 

[Gary Lewis]

Seems like something out of a Mad Libs.

"Today, my truck made me _________"

busy

happy

spend money

cry

thankful for a second vehicle

All of the above, sometimes in the same day.

[Gary Lewis]

All of the above, sometimes in the same day.

Filled the truck up today - for $103. Gas prices have gone up dramatically.

Then I adjusted the idle air/fuel mix. Opened the screws 1/2 turn each, which put the idle AFR at 11:1 instead of the 13:1 it was running previously. That dropped the idle so I brought it back up, but that left the vacuum at 16" instead of 18" where it had been. That seems to have helped the off-idle flat spot, although that was from a pretty simple test. We will find out on Friday on the trip.

Next up was installation of the bed rail supports, and now the rails sit perfectly level. In fact, they are very stiff if you try to push down on the inside edge, so they aren't going to give.

You can see that they are level here, on the left, and see how the brackets and kickstands are installed, on the right. However, I apparently have the rails too close at the back end as the cover slows dramatically in the last half of its travel toward the tailgate. Not exactly sure how I'm going to fix that as there are no spacers in use back there. So I may have to take a bit off each of the rear brackets. We shall see.

[Bruce moose4x4]

Filled the truck up today - for $103. Gas prices have gone up dramatically.

Then I adjusted the idle air/fuel mix. Opened the screws 1/2 turn each, which put the idle AFR at 11:1 instead of the 13:1 it was running previously. That dropped the idle so I brought it back up, but that left the vacuum at 16" instead of 18" where it had been. That seems to have helped the off-idle flat spot, although that was from a pretty simple test. We will find out on Friday on the trip.

Next up was installation of the bed rail supports, and now the rails sit perfectly level. In fact, they are very stiff if you try to push down on the inside edge, so they aren't going to give.

You can see that they are level here, on the left, and see how the brackets and kickstands are installed, on the right. However, I apparently have the rails too close at the back end as the cover slows dramatically in the last half of its travel toward the tailgate. Not exactly sure how I'm going to fix that as there are no spacers in use back there. So I may have to take a bit off each of the rear brackets. We shall see.

Have fun in Kansas, we're still waiting on Grandaughter to show up.

I didn't get to enjoy the Man Cave at Mo Star Quilt. Had to work the days they went up. We tried to go last November but were closed due to Covid. I'll make it one of these days, the guys that did go say they were comfortable.

 

[ArdWrknTrk]

Filled the truck up today - for $103. Gas prices have gone up dramatically.

Then I adjusted the idle air/fuel mix. Opened the screws 1/2 turn each, which put the idle AFR at 11:1 instead of the 13:1 it was running previously. That dropped the idle so I brought it back up, but that left the vacuum at 16" instead of 18" where it had been. That seems to have helped the off-idle flat spot, although that was from a pretty simple test. We will find out on Friday on the trip.

Next up was installation of the bed rail supports, and now the rails sit perfectly level. In fact, they are very stiff if you try to push down on the inside edge, so they aren't going to give.

You can see that they are level here, on the left, and see how the brackets and kickstands are installed, on the right. However, I apparently have the rails too close at the back end as the cover slows dramatically in the last half of its travel toward the tailgate. Not exactly sure how I'm going to fix that as there are no spacers in use back there. So I may have to take a bit off each of the rear brackets. We shall see.

You already said the brackets were at least 3/16" thick, where you had 1/8" shims before.

... X2 isn't going to help.

Fits and tolerances have their purpose.

Running clearance isn't a suggestion.

 

[salans7]

Filled the truck up today - for $103. Gas prices have gone up dramatically.

I paid $2.87 yesterday. Cost me $35 to get from 1/4 tank to full. It's gonna get worse though because people started panic buying yesterday due to the hack of the pipeline. Today there were lines at every single gas station I passed, and some stations were out. I talked to my buddy in Southwest Florida and the same is happening down there. I drove very conservative on the way to and from work (max 3k rpm shifts, speed limit, cruise control, etc), and managed to only burn 1/8 of my full tank. I'm trying to stretch my fuel out to Monday and hopefully the panic buying will end by then.

[Gary Lewis]

Filled the truck up today - for $103. Gas prices have gone up dramatically.

I paid $2.87 yesterday. Cost me $35 to get from 1/4 tank to full. It's gonna get worse though because people started panic buying yesterday due to the hack of the pipeline. Today there were lines at every single gas station I passed, and some stations were out. I talked to my buddy in Southwest Florida and the same is happening down there. I drove very conservative on the way to and from work (max 3k rpm shifts, speed limit, cruise control, etc), and managed to only burn 1/8 of my full tank. I'm trying to stretch my fuel out to Monday and hopefully the panic buying will end by then.

Bruce - I hope to have a lot of fun in my home state. Wish you could come, but hope the grandchild arrives soon.

Jim - After I posted I went back out to check and the front and rear are right where they are supposed to be - 62 3/16" apart. The problem is in the middle. Apparently the kickstands are placing enough force on the rails to bow them in, and at one spot they are 62 1/8" apart. The instructions say it is ok to be slightly wider, but not closer, so I'll back the kickstands off a bit and see if that helps.

Shaun - I paid ~$3.50/gallon for 87 octane pure gas. 89 octane was ~$4.50/gallon and 91 was ~$5/gallon. I've been running 91, but just couldn't pull the trigger on that.

[ArdWrknTrk]

Bruce - I hope to have a lot of fun in my home state. Wish you could come, but hope the grandchild arrives soon.

Jim - After I posted I went back out to check and the front and rear are right where they are supposed to be - 62 3/16" apart. The problem is in the middle. Apparently the kickstands are placing enough force on the rails to bow them in, and at one spot they are 62 1/8" apart. The instructions say it is ok to be slightly wider, but not closer, so I'll back the kickstands off a bit and see if that helps.

Shaun - I paid ~$3.50/gallon for 87 octane pure gas. 89 octane was ~$4.50/gallon and 91 was ~$5/gallon. I've been running 91, but just couldn't pull the trigger on that.

I don't see anywhere in the instructions where they suggest having a kickstand without the bracket bolted through the bed lip.

A triangle cannot collapse or be pushed out of "square"

And while I'm sure the sheet metal body is going to have some give, I can't see it pushing a bow into the rail.

 

[Gary Lewis]

I don't see anywhere in the instructions where they suggest having a kickstand without the bracket bolted through the bed lip.

A triangle cannot collapse or be pushed out of "square"

And while I'm sure the sheet metal body is going to have some give, I can't see it pushing a bow into the rail.

Jim - I think you are onto something!

The kickstands are not used with the clamps that I drilled and bolted through the bed lip. Instead, they are used either with the ones called "straight grip" or the ones called "short grip" in the instructions below. In my case it would be the "short grip" ones because that's what brackets were shipped with the kickstands. And only those brackets and not the articulated piece that goes with those brackets and pushes against the underside of the bed top.

So that's how I installed them - just the "short grip" brackets and the kickstands. But after your comment I've looked more closely at the instructions and while they don't say to use the part that goes against the underside of the bed top, they show it in the illustrations.

So I need to install that piece, which will pull the rail back towards the bed, so I'll need to shim each side. And then, when the rails are the right distance apart I can tighten the kickstands to push up on the inside edge.

Thanks!

[85lebaront2]

Jim - I think you are onto something!

The kickstands are not used with the clamps that I drilled and bolted through the bed lip. Instead, they are used either with the ones called "straight grip" or the ones called "short grip" in the instructions below. In my case it would be the "short grip" ones because that's what brackets were shipped with the kickstands. And only those brackets and not the articulated piece that goes with those brackets and pushes against the underside of the bed top.

So that's how I installed them - just the "short grip" brackets and the kickstands. But after your comment I've looked more closely at the instructions and while they don't say to use the part that goes against the underside of the bed top, they show it in the illustrations.

So I need to install that piece, which will pull the rail back towards the bed, so I'll need to shim each side. And then, when the rails are the right distance apart I can tighten the kickstands to push up on the inside edge.

Thanks!

If all else fails, read the instructions