You not done yet?? WTF??

 

Yea man, I guess that I got lucky...it helps that I knew that everybody has problems with those torque converter bolts, so I made sure to be perfectly seated dead on straight, with a 3" extension so that the rachet head wasn't locked against the block...the SnapOn allen socket that I used was fairly new too. The trans broke off the block fairly easily also, with some strategically placed pry bars...I've always been good at prying seized parts apart though.

Thanks Tom, stop by today if you get the chance, I'll be out there all day, rain or shine. I seriously thought about the tent, but I have two problems, one I'd have to go to the future ex in-laws to get it (no way in hell I'm going over there with the way things are), and two, I'd have to set it up over the truck that's already up in the air, now with cars parked around it...so I'm just going to hope for the best.

You're a wise man Tom...hey I have a tip for you that Vince gave me for when you go to bolt your torque converter back up: Line up the oblong hole on the flywheel in the starter opening so that it's the first torque converter bolt that you install. This bolt will actually center the flywheel and torque converter, and you can run it in all of the way. Then when you go to do the other two, they'll already be lined up and the bolts will go right in. I used this method and it worked like a charm

LOL, not yet, I'm in the garage trying to split the transfer case, and it's giving me a little resistance, so I hopped on here to see which way should be facing up when I split it. I have the side with the six studs facing down which I would think makes sense, but when I get the two halves about 3/4" apart, I can see that the chain and everything are staying in the "top" half, which doesn't seem right from the pics that I've seen, so I'm off to check Roger's (KySilverado's) transfer case write up thread then back to work...

 

Ugh, gotta take a break, think I'm done for the day...got a lot done, but I'm not done. The damn u-joints are not cooperating...think that I'm going to have to bring the driveshaft to work and use the press...the whole set up wouldn't fit in the vice, so I tried big c-clamps which didn't work, tried whaling on the cups with the air chisel and a blunt bit, no dice, tried hitting the cups from the inside with a hammer and a punch, won't even budge. I used my torch and melted all of the plastic stuff out of the little holes (that was pretty cool), and was just able to get one of the new u-joints into the new yoke with a c-clamp.

All that's left at this point are the u-joints and install the driveshaft, y-pipe and cat back, swap in the new pcm, fill the t-case and trans, run it and check for leaks, re-install the grille and lower splash shields, and enjoy! Guess it will have to get finished up this week after work...I'll bring the driveshaft to work tomorrow.

I took a lot of pics of the transfer case and t-case install, trucool install, and whatever else I did today (so burnt at this point that I don't even remember), I'll post them up later, the camera is in the garage somewhere...

I'm a little bummed as I was hoping to drive the truck today, but I've waited this long, what's a few more days...surprised the swap is taking this long, I used to be fast lol, guess I'm getting old

 

Nice progress though. Man whats the temp up there? Its like 95 here in southeast texas and I was about to go out and do my trans gauge install but i'd roast.....

Did you notice any slack in the chain in that transfer case? I have a clunk when I go in reverse, and I've kinda narrowed it down to T-case....new u-joints, the rear end looks sound....It sounds like its right under where the t-case would be.

 

It's between 65 and 70 up here. Perfect weather.

And as for your clunk, have you packed the slip-yoke with grease? That was a major "issue" on these trucks.

 

Wow that is perfect weather. No I have not tried the slip yoke grease thing, I've read about it many times. Might get under there and try it. Thanks for the advice

 

No problem. It might not completely eliminate the clunk, but it should help quite a bit. I know it did for me.

 

Is it ok to use balljoint grease and such?

 

I've heard marine grease will last the longest, but any grease should work. I just used whatever was in my grease gun.

 

Yea, the weather was nice today, a little humid, but not too hot...especially since it was supposed to rain. The transfer case chain did seem to have some slack in it, but I believe that's normal. As Dan mentioned, the slip yoke is the major clunk and clang. It has been revised with a nickel plated one, which is what I was trying to install today but the u-joints were busting my chops

Here's what I did today...

The original clip that's prone to breakage...mine was OK, but I'm glad that I replaced it anyway


The redesigned clip that slips on to the pump

Clip part number


If you decide to do this repair, pay special attention to the pump pickup screen, mine was totally clogged with the excess case sealer from when the t-case was assembled at the factory:


This is the sealer that the dealer sold me when I asked them what they used to seal the t-case


Wrestling the t-case around is a bitch, so I came up with an idea to give my buddy and me an extra hand


The EAD brackets for the TruCool 40K, painted flat black


Trucool installed


A look at the lines and compression fitting, and slots cut into the little plastic shield to accommodate the lines


SnapOn 14v 3/8 cordless impact gun...this tool has been invaluable throughout this job...I was able to break just about every bolt loose except the 18mm crossmember bolts and the top bellhousing bolts that needed long extensions


Casualty of war...SnapOn dead blow that blew apart trying to get u-joints out