1993 K3500 1 Ton Dump Truck Build

[DieselAmateur]

Starting a build thread as this project is hopefully nearing completion, it's been a project since acquiring the truck in 2021. Have some specific questions including modifying/ upgrading the A/C system to R134 and adding a compressor with a pressure switch and adding a cluster with a tach, grateful there's a community here to help with such details.

Anywho I bought the truck in the fall of 2021. I was tired of paying to rent dumpsters for my construction jobs or paying a neighbor with a similar K3500 to haul away junk. Having another tow vehicle was another plus although as fate would have it my K2500 would get parallel parked a year later and remains sidelined to this day although it is next in line once this project wraps up

I briefly contemplated buying a duramax one ton, there was a LBZ truck in decent condition available for around 10k. But I ultimately wanted to stick with the platform I know and avoid a fully electronic engine and transmission.

I wanted 4x4, and a manual transmission. After several trucks fell through I found the truck that checked all the boxes, except the running part. The truck was being sold with a smoked 6.5, but it had all the desired features, including already being a DB2 engine. The cherry on top was the truck has a PTO driven hydraulic pump, no electric over hydraulic tomfoolery to mess with. The truck was owned by a tree service several hours south of me and was not driven in winter. Despite some rust, for the northeast the frame is mint. Worst rust is the fenders, they're so rusted that there's no good metal for patch panels to adhere to, the fender flares are keeping everything together at this point



Here's a video of the blown up engine, hole blown in the oil cap, head gasket gone as it wouldn't hold coolant and I'm pretty sure that's steam coming out the tailpipe

 

[dbrannon79]

compared to my 93, that is not much blow by! it also sound good for a blown head gasket.

Rig looks good too.

 

[DieselAmateur]

I had been keeping my eye out for an engine as I knew any stock truck would be a time bomb and I need the truck to be reliable for work. For once I would have good luck as I found an optimizer takeout ~5 hours away in Cleveland. The original owner of the takeout had installed new optimizer heads (must have been a centermount engine) and head studs but didn't seal them properly so they leaked. He gave up on the leaking studs after only a few hundred miles and sold the engine to the fellow I purchased it from. He had plans of fully restoring a crew cab truck and using the engine, but he was now moving south. So I scored an optimizer block with like new heads and head studs for $1200 in 2021, steal.

So with some money saved it was time to invest in the engine. Forged crank and P400 heads, block shipped to Chris for the full array of piston and head coatings, gapless rings, 18:1 pistons, splayed mains, girdle, valve springs, pushrods, mild port job, and timing gears







Engine getting crate built to ship, had to protect the decks with some good old fashioned lumber

 

[DieselAmateur]

Not much happened in 2022 aside from the engine being shipped out. I was part of a wild project building two new silos into homes with an hour commute so that ate up most of my time. Additionally my mini excavator was broken down for almost half the year and that repair sucked up whatever remaining funds I had after my commuter car had both injection pump and turbo failures. Throw in the K2500 with the P400 getting sidelined in the fall with IP issues and then a rod knock and 2022 was not a good year for diesels owned by yours truly









The curved stairs were both fun and tricky to build