I got some pretty cheap replacements made by Winjet. They're not the fanciest things, but they do the job getting g rid of the old yellow lenses. I put some lock-tit water sealer between the lens and body just to add some water seepage prevention. I was gonna try and buff mine up my old ones, but they were pitted up pretty bad. They also got some LED's out that fit these things. Loving that upgrade.

 

Checked out my fogs, one of 'em took a rock dead center of the lens. I may just replace them both. Or not. Not like I ever used them on the old truck.

I did not replace the seal down inside the manifold, I took barnett468's advice, ran my finger around the inside of the seal, didn't feel any nicks, cuts, or anything else bad, so, just left it in there. Someone has been in there before though, as there was no paper gasket, just RTV. Made cleanup really easy. I installed a gasket with a bit of RTV on both sides..... No leaks.

The gauge *might* read just a tad higher than previously, but, that may just be wishful thinking too. The heater sure works a lot better though.... It'll burn ya out of the truck now. So, of course, it's supposed to be in the 50's all week. No real test coming for several days at least.

 

Thanks..... Yeah, its nice here as well, I think I'm gonna make it through winter just fine without tearing out the dash. Fine by me.

 

The dash on this truck is cracked up pretty bad..... Not looking forward to replacing that.... The one on the 96 is still perfect... Go figure.

 

Is the face of the dash broke up too, or just the top? My top was basically gone. I don't know if you've seen one put in, but they tuck in behind the plastic nosing piece above your instrument cluster so the cover is held in with tension. I didn't even have to glue mine in place. I did manage to chip a piece out of the nosing while tucking it in. A little super glue fixed that. Apparently its made of the same high quality material.


oh, I was talking about the replacement dash cover btw. That's how the one I got worked anyway, The other brands may be different.

 

Nope, just the top.... with pieces missing...... Everything else is ok. I am not going to worry about it for a bit yet though. Want to address the mechanical end of things, before I start going for prettification stuff. (like, new doors......)

 

Not really that bad. I found some great write-ups and pics on diesel forums for the LMC dash. Removed old one in the morning, had lunch, and installed new one in a couple hours. I put in the main dash first and didn't order the bezel until much later, mainly to keep cost manageable since they are about the same price!

 

Replacing the dash isn't as bad as it sounds. I did mine over the summer when I replaced the heater core. I used Beeker's guide, which is fantastic and had it done over the course of a saturday afternoon. If I hadn't had to do the heater core, it would have taken maybe 2 hours tops.

 

That's good to hear. Fortunately, the heater core and A/C evaporator have been replaced in recent memory already. So, I don't have to worry about that. The A/C wasn't recharged at the time, so, need to pull a vacuum on it, and see if the system is tight. if it is, I'll recharge it.

 

Well, it got COLD.... Took the truck for a bit longer trip. The heat is not as good as I would like. Going to have to do something about that. Trouble is, I can't install my 'bleeder' where I want, as there appears to be an intake in the way...... Gonna have to improvise there.

The new headlights and heavy duty harness are AWESOME. I highly recommend this upgrade to anyone considering replacing their headlights. Lights up the road MUCH better. (and the 96 had new lenses and bulbs, but, no heavy duty harness.)

TCC bounce is gone. Truck drives nice and steady. Still REALLY likes 1st gear though. I would love to be able to reprogram that shift point.... appears no one makes a tuner for the 10 though.....

Dropped some MMO in the oil prior to the drive, hoping to clear up my lifter noise. It does look pretty grimy from what I can see thru the oil fill though..... See what happens on that.

Next up: Steering. It's rather vague on-center... and tends to wander. I am sure the 33's don't help... but, I really don't care for it. Supposed to be warmer (50's) again later this week, so, I will draft the wife to lend a hand, and inspect the steering. Seriously considering the HD upgrade here. (T steering) Just depends on where my slop is.