hey i sent him a text, i don't know if he gets them though <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/shiner.gif" alt="" />

Not sure how it happened but I think I've developed a crack in my intake manifold. It sounded like an exhaust leak so I checked it out and it wasn't coming from my exhaust manifold, it was coming from underneath my intake manifold.

Gasket, Kevin. Or missing cap on an old vac port. You're not losing coolant, are you?

The body lift is not as easy as a Gen 1 SWB. There's a rat's nest of wires that passes through the "tunnel" where the (inside of the cabin, driver's side, under the back seat, look at it near where the handle to recline the rear seat would be in the "normal" seating position...got it?) bolt for one of the body mount lies. First, I have to meditate on how to get a wrench on top of the bolt head to hold it to loosen the mount. Then I have to draw on the forces of "something" to figure out how to get the new, longer bolt into that cruelly small space, get a wrench back on it and tighten it...all while channeling my inner zen to keep the wiring intact.

You guys should have warned me. By the way, how safe would it be if I only put in, say, seven or eight of the body pucks for the lift? Just kidding...not really...

Any advice on the fan shroud? How about any brake line issues? I already disconnected the strap holding the filler tube to the gas tank. The brush guard will stay in place until it has to come off for certain.

John B.

I just threw away the fan shroud and built a custom radiator to make up <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" /> I don't remember having a problem with that bolt i think it just took an extension and maybe a wobbley. C' mon johnny i figured since you tackled the Gen 1 taillight body bolt this would be a cake walk.

he beat the taillight bolt but the fuel lines beat him. <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/lol.gif" alt="" />

Yeah, I just can't wait to find all the little things Toastmaster forgot to mention. Oh, I'll get it done, alright. I'm even cleaning the plastic trim and their retaining screws as I remove them. Gonna get the shop vac out in a bit to extract small stuff. It's interesting to buy a vehicle from someone who has kids...they're very creative at hiding/losing/throwing things away. I have a feeling the truck won't rattle as much when I'm done...

I removed the two bolts that hold the cd changer in place to get at the hole for the passenger rearmost mount and I see that the rubber plug is missing. Duct tape? A lot of dust and dirt could make its way in there as-is.

One of the "captive" bolts in the cargo area has decided that it will spin. I need to jam something next to it so it won't.

Do I need to remove the fan to get the fan shroud off? I liked the gen 1, where the bottom half could be removed, but the top half stayed. There wasn't enough light last night to see this part clearly.

I still can't even see where the front bolts emerge from the body. Have to look from underneath; there's just so much stuff from the grill back to the engine that you can't see a thing.

See you tomorrow.

John B.

the bottom of the shroud comes off, the front is tricky you need to take out the air box to get to it and it has a foil sticker over the hole and you have to lift the truck pretty high to get the puck in. I don't think i'm forgetting any more details but just incase you forgot you have to feed the brake hard line through the fender <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/kewl.gif" alt="" />

Just taking a break here, but some observations: The rear bumper has to come off. There are metal tabs on the body that contact the underside of the bumper, just like on the Gen 1's. I thought I could get away with it. Nope.

The wires I described in the previous post are just making a connection in there, they don't run through the spot. Just pull the bundle out of the way. That bolt has to go in upside down, with the nut on the top, as the space is too small to get the bolt to drop through with the spacer in there. Don't forget the washer, too.

Only have three pucks in so far, but I'll have all but the fronts in in about an hour or so, depending...

John B.

oh yeah the little tabs out back, we forgot those on Clay's '89 so i just whipped out the sawzall and solved the problem. <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/evil.gif" alt="" />

Well, got all but the front two in. Guess I'll start by taking off the front bumper and skid plates and see where that leads me. For the life of me, I can't see how taking out the airbox would help at all, as it's further back than the mounts, but whatever, I'll keep an open mind.

My transfer case shifter will not stay in 2HI, so I will have to trim the console a little.

Here's the big problem: I have developed a coolant leak from one of the hoses between the engine and the heater/firewall. They're almost impossible to see from the top and impossible (it seems) to reach from the bottom. Can't even tell which one it is yet.

Brake lines appear to have turned out O.K.

John B.