2000 GMC Sierra Expo Pickup Truck

[chevyexpotruck]

Howdy. Like many people, I have been to the forums here many times to look at different builds/setups. But I thought it was time I finally made an account.

I have had more than a few trucks in my time. But I guess this is the current expo truck.

2000 GMC Sierra 1500, 5.3L Gasser, 4x4
There are other things on it, but that is boring to read about. So I thought pics would be better.

Here she is ready to go, towing the expo trailer.





Oh and some pics of the custom rear bumper I had made for her.




The trailer is a 1967 M116 Pioneer Tool Trailer that was in use with the US Military. I modified it somewhat. I ripped out the supports inside that held all the tools, replaced the WAY over-sized axle with a standard civilian 6 bolt one. Replaced the lighting so that I would be legal on the roads throughout the country. Some large rear backup lights (so that I can see where the back of the trailer is when backing up at night) Added a tool box to the front. Built a roof rack to hold the Roof Top Tent. Then I modified the gul-wing doors so that I could open them with the roof rack in place (the doors would have only been able to open up partially with the rack in the way. The trailer tows really nice down the highway as well as down the back roads.

As for the truck, I still have some work to do to her. I have to replace the front bumper with something more sturdy. A new front skid plate (the original plastic one got ripped off long ago down some old trail). A roof rack. Some rocker bars (ie. rock sliders). Some better tires (loved the Duratrac tires I had on the last truck). And I would like to give her a small lift (~2inches). Nothing too crazy. I have gone waaaaaaaaaaaaay overboard on the previous two expo trucks and always found that much of it was time/money badly spent in the end. I spent more time working on the trucks then actually driving them. Not something I want to repeat this time.

So I think this truck is a good start.

Edit: May 2019 - I noticed that the links to the pictures are now dead, so I have started re-loading all the pictures for this thread. Might have to cut down on some of the pictures due to posts having an upload limit of only 10 pictures.

 

[edlaffoon]

I like it, and good work on the trailer. I've been considering some channel steel bumpers for my truck.

Do you plan on using the bed space on the truck or is it just for rolling storage?

 

[chevyexpotruck]

Thanks.

The bumper was actually a full piece of steel tubing that I cut a wall out of to make the bumper. This is how I make all my bumpers. Has always worked well for me.




Not sure about the truck bed yet. On the last truck I had a contractors frame on it and would put the RTT on it when the trailer wasn't practical to bring around. I would then load the gear that was in the trailer into the bed of the truck. I wouldn't mind putting in some tool boxes on the side of the bed over the fenders for easy access to gear. I am not a big fan of the big tool box behind the cab, as you always seem to need something that you can't reach from the side of the truck and have to get into the bed.

 

[edlaffoon]

That's a good idea since that type of scrap is pretty cheap (or free)

I don't like those toolboxes either, mine sits at the back near the tailgate so that everything can be seen at once.

 

[chevyexpotruck]

Did some more work on the truck today. Wasn't really an upgrade or something cool, but it was something it really needed done.

Ever since I bought the truck I had no idea how much fuel was in it unless I had just left the fuel pump. When I bought it, the guy told me just that the gauge wouldn't read correctly. Well the truth is that is pretty much didn't work at all. The fuel gauge in the truck jumped around all the time. It would go from full, to empty to a quarter tank, back to empty, etc. And even when it looked like it might work, it never went past the half tank mark. You can guess how bloody annoying that was as I had to fuel the truck and set the trip counter each time and guess how much fuel I would have while running around. While all the time getting the "low fuel" warning light come on/turn off every 5mins or so.

Luckily the last owner had bought a sender unit rebuilt kit. Bad thing is that I would have to install it, and it is part of the fuel pump assembly in the fuel tank. So you have two choices. Either disconnect all the fuel lines, fuel filler neck, fuel tank straps, etc and drop the tank (like in the FSM). Or do it a much easier way (in my opinion), which is to remove the bed of the truck to gain access to the fuel tank. Which is what I did. Now I have heard of people also cutting a hole in the truck bed and pulling the fuel pump that way, but I personally would rather not do that to the truck unless I was say, stuck on the side of the road somewhere.

So off I went to remove the bed.

Started by going under the truck and removing the eight (8) bolts that hold the bed down. Naturally this was tons of fun with all the dirty/mud/undercoating in there to help get me dirty. Though I would have to say that I don't mind the dirt/mud as much as I do the undercoating. That stuff is just horrible.

Once the bolts were out, I disconnected the fuel filler neck from the bed of the truck. That was pretty easy as it is only 2 screws and a plastic snap.

Then I went and disconnected the rear wiring harness from the bed of the truck. There is a connection block under the bed of the truck by the tailgate. People keep saying you have to remove the tail lights, but that was not so for me. Just 10 seconds to disconnect the 4 connectors from the block and all was good.

Then came pulling off the bed.



Backed it up under the lift and using some straps I pulled it off then moved the truck up. I have also seen people just jack up the bed enough for them to get to the pump. But if you have a couple of friends, usually four people can pick up the bed of the truck and lift it off. Which I would recommend as it gives you lots of space to work on the truck. Which you will need if you live in a place where there is rust.....

After that I went under the hood and pulled out the fuel pump relay then started the truck back up and waited for it to stall out. You need to pull the relay or when you pull off the fuel lines from the fuel pump, the lines will be full of fuel and pour gas everywhere. Starting the truck and waiting for it to stall empties the fuel from the lines.

Now to the fuel pump.



First of all, this is what it looked like AFTER I cleaned out the 2 inches of mud/dirt that was sitting on top and around it. You can see all the crap I clean off it on the floor under the truck in the previous picture.

The fuel pump is held down by a locking ring. The problem is that is you live anywhere where you have snow/salt, it will equal a ******** ton of rust, including the fuel pump locking ring.

Cue a hell of a lot of swearing....

As you can see, the locking ring had pretty much rusted solid with the top of the fuel tank. I should have taken a picture up close to show things better, but at this point I was swearing as I thought I would now need to break the top of the fuel pump to get it off. I tried turning it with a big wrench and tapping it with a punch but it didn't budge.

Cue more swearing....

So after 15mins of trying to get it off gently, I got out the hammer and started working on it.....how do you say....not so gently?

Rust and pieces of the locking ring starting flying. I then got out a small chisel and started working on the rust around the edges. After a couple of minutes, I actually popped a large piece of rust from around the locking arms (that are connected to the fuel tank) and got part of the locking ring free. So more chiseling. After another 15mins, I got the rest of the rust loose and then finally the ring started to move!!



Success!

So after doing the happy dance I came back to my senses (and looked around first to make sure no one had seen me doing the dance and looking stupid). I pulled the fuel pump loose.



Fuel pump assembly and the rebuild kit for the sending unit.



This is the faulty gauge. After years of moving back and forth, the contacts do not "contact" correctly anymore, causing the fuel gauge dance I was getting. Pretty common problem.



The new one.



All rebuilt.



Fuel pump reinstalled and all ready to go. As well as a good coating of anti-rust paint for the locking ring (which will now be referred to as "the rusted locking ring of hate").



I then went back and reinstalled the fuel pump relay, turned the key and waited a second for the fuel pump to do its thing, then started the truck.

The fuel gauge instantly went to a quarter tank and stayed there. Which looked about right. For when I pulled the fuel pump out of the truck, there seemed to be a quarter tank left in there.

Since that seemed fine, I decided to put everything back together. I hit the frame with a bit of anti-rust paint, then popped the box back down on it. Got back under the truck and put the 8 bolts back in and reconnected the harness in the back. Then finally, I reconnected the filler neck to the box.

Next step was jumping in the truck and driving to the gas station. While driving there, I watched the fuel gauge to see if it would jump back and forth like before. But it just sat at a quarter tank the entire time.

Got to the gas station and filled up.



76 liters (20 gallons) and $95 later (yeah gas is damn expensive here), I was full. Started up the truck and it the gauge went straight to full. And stayed there all the way home.

All fixed.

Now I know some people will wonder why I didn't just change the entire fuel pump assembly, as they are known to fail unexpectedly. Well for starters, I already had the sending unit rebuild kit, and changing the entire pump assembly would mean that it would be useless. Second is that I actually looked up the price of the fuel pump assembly and the cheapest I could find it up here was $400. Since the fuel pump was still working and I don't really have $400 to spend on a pump this month (just finished paying other bills), I decided I would just rebuild the sending unit and see.

Glad that is fixed. One less headache.

 

[locrwln]

Nice work. And ewww to the rust.

Jack

 

[jeep-N-montero]

I replaced the same sender on my father in laws 2002 Malibu a few months ago, was not fun at all. A quick suggestion on tires, when it comes time for replacing them go with the Cooper AT3's in the 235/85 size and you will love them.

 

[Kaisen]

A quick suggestion on tires, when it comes time for replacing them go with the Cooper AT3's in the 235/85 size and you will love them.

What would be the benefit of going to a narrower tire? It's a serious question

 

[jeep-N-montero]

What would be the benefit of going to a narrower tire? It's a serious question

Better fuel economy, many threads to support it.

 

[Kaisen]

Better fuel economy, many threads to support it.

And many threads to refute it.

The footprint to the road (area) of a 245/75-16 is smaller (wider but shorter) than that of a 235/85-16. The rolling resistance of the 235/85-16 is greater.

UNLESS the taller diameter changes gearing in a beneficial way (some trucks might benefit, some might do worse -- lots of factors). But then a 265/75-16 tire would have the same diameter and thus the same benefit.

So why narrower to be taller, rather than wider and more stable for that height?

 

[jeep-N-montero]

And many threads to refute it.

The footprint to the road (area) of a 245/75-16 is smaller (wider but shorter) than that of a 235/85-16. The rolling resistance of the 235/85-16 is greater.

UNLESS the taller diameter changes gearing in a beneficial way (some trucks might benefit, some might do worse -- lots of factors). But then a 265/75-16 tire would have the same diameter and thus the same benefit.

So why narrower to be taller, rather than wider and more stable for that height?

I recently changed from the 265/75 to the 235/85 and am much happier with the 235's, partly because of my 4.10 gearing and wanting better mpg, basic physics tells you a narrower tire has less wind resistance and surface friction. If you want to put it to the test I'll bet you $100 you would have your tank in 4wd where I went this weekend in 2wd with my "skinny tires"....

Now stop derailing the guy's thread!

 

[Kaisen]

Now stop derailing the guy's thread!

Did he ask for input on changing tire size? I think you sidetracked his thread.

Wind resistance from tire profile on a full size truck is not a big issue. Surface friction is GREATER on a 235/85-16 than a 245/75-16. I don't know why you don't understand that. It's about the total shape deformation at the contact patch, and a 85 series tire deforms MORE, radially, at that patch. May not be as wide, but it's certainly longer. Total area of friction = greater. Unfortunately, it's the wrong shape to aid in lateral grip. And the taller sidewalls would flex more, contributing to sway and general instability relative to a wider tire with a similar sidewall height (lower series aspect). Squirmy sidewalls aren't really a good thing on a heavy truck.

Tall narrow tires are great when you need height but simply don't have clearance for a wider tire. That's not an issue for a full-size truck, at least talking about tires up to 285mm wide.
But load capacity, squirm, stability, handling, braking, trailering, etc are important attributes to a full size truck. Going narrower than the truck was engineered for isn't a good idea. And not good advice.

 

[jeep-N-montero]

Did he ask for input on changing tire size? I think you sidetracked his thread.

Wind resistance from tire profile on a full size truck is not a big issue. Surface friction is GREATER on a 235/85-16 than a 245/75-16. I don't know why you don't understand that. It's about the total shape deformation at the contact patch, and a 85 series tire deforms MORE, radially, at that patch. May not be as wide, but it's certainly longer. Total area of friction = greater. Unfortunately, it's the wrong shape to aid in lateral grip. And the taller sidewalls would flex more, contributing to sway and general instability relative to a wider tire with a similar sidewall height (lower series aspect). Squirmy sidewalls aren't really a good thing on a heavy truck.

Tall narrow tires are great when you need height but simply don't have clearance for a wider tire. That's not an issue for a full-size truck, at least talking about tires up to 285mm wide.
But load capacity, squirm, stability, handling, braking, trailering, etc are important attributes to a full size truck. Going narrower than the truck was engineered for isn't a good idea. And not good advice.

I'll take my common sense over your lateral grip any day, I have no intention of driving faster than 5 over going up the canyon.

 

[Kaisen]

I'll take my common sense over your lateral grip any day, I have no intention of driving faster than 5 over going up the canyon.

Fine for you. Just don't give that blanket advice to someone who may not use their truck the same way as you.
Like a heavy full size truck towing a trailer at freeway speeds.

 

[Mojavejohn]

X2 on the Cooper AT3's, I've got a set on my son's Frontier and love em.

I replaced the same sender on my father in laws 2002 Malibu a few months ago, was not fun at all. A quick suggestion on tires, when it comes time for replacing them go with the Cooper AT3's in the 235/85 size and you will love them.