New truck!!

[notlimah]

Well new to me at least!

Some of you helped me out in my other thread when looking for one. Well I finally pulled the trigger and picked one up!

It's a 2002 4x4 QC LB auto. Single owner, garage kept majority of its life, never had a goose neck or 5th wheel (which is harder to find than you'd think up here). Came with a 2in leveling kit and 35's and a hypertech 'tuner' to fix the speedo. Other then that, she's all stock. I crawled under to check for any signs of a 53 and couldn't find anything, so I might have a mexican block, but I'm going to keep checking. I couldn't be happier! I originally wanted a manual, but the wife said, if I'm getting a new truck then she better at least be able to drive it. So rather then argue, I just said 'ok' and got lookin!

Anyways, wanted to start a thread here because, since it is stock and I'm planning on keeping this truck for the long haul, I wanted to do some mini write ups of the mods and what not I get done to her. As of now, here's the order I want to go in:

1. FUEL! and lots of it!

2. Gauges

3. Steering

4. Transmission

5. More power!

3 and 4 may get swapped around depending on what's needed more and my budget but that's the general order.

 

So to start, fuel... The stock injection pump was replaced by the dealer 50-60k miles ago so it should have some decent life left, and it looks like they moved the stock lift pump. I didn't track it down exactly, just looking fairly quickly, and couldn't find it mounted on the frame, did they do in tank LP's for 02's? I'd like to fatten up my fuel lines to 3/8s everywhere possible, also looking to go with the Fuel Boss, but not sure how that works if my LP is mounted in the back in tank if that's even a thing. Any ideas or experience with this? As of now I'm looking at getting the following for step 1.

FUEL BOSS ----- BIG LINE KIT ----- MOD FUEL MODULE

As far as fuel lines, the obvious is the big line kit from Vulcan but I figured I'd talk with Eric about getting lines replace as much stock line as possible. I also threw on the modified fuel module. I saw that as I was browsing their site and hadn't seen it before. Is that necessary at all? Keep in mind I'm just looking to have fuel flow as easily as possible through the truck. When more power rolls around I don't plan on going EXTREME, but would like lack of fuel to never be thought of again after this.

I'll leave at this for now but really looking forward to wrenching on this truck and getting her setup for the long haul!

[TFaoro]

SWEEEET!!!

As for fuel, it's located on the block from the factory. Since the IP was replaced by the dealer you now likely have the in-tank pump.

I'm not familiar with the mechanical pumps, but personally I shy away from them. Fass has a perfectly reliable electric pump and they are simpler in my eyes. Either way, usually new pumps come with new fuel lines. Run 1/2 inch and be like the cool kids haha! 

The liberty module makes it much easier to plumb the new pump in. No dealing with the in-tank pump or installing a draw straw. 

[notlimah]

Is the liberty module the in tank pump?

That was my big hold up when it came to the fuel boss as every instruction manual I've seen of them have the stock lift pump wired and plumed into the FB but it's based of the LP being in the stock location. I'm not opposed to a FASS system, just figured if I had a choice I'd go mechanical because I liked having the stock as a backup. If my in tank is only going to complicate things, I might just go FASS

[TFaoro]

The liberty module is just the basket with suction and return lines all plumbed in. 

I could be wrong, but I think you'd have to have an electric pump wired in series with the mechanical pump to prime the system before starting. Whether that can be done with the in-tank pump or not, I'm not sure.

[notlimah]

Ahh ok.

From what I've read on here and instruction manuals, the fuel boss recommends you leave your stock lift pump in place to make priming the system after a fuel filter change easier, but as soon as the engine gets up to idle, a hobbs switch will turn off the stock lp and the fuel boss takes over fueling the truck. I'm not sure if that's still an option with the in tank lp though. Might just be as simple as running a longer wire for the hobbs switch back there, or might be a lot more difficult.

I read up on the FASS and they say you need to drop/drill your tank for their suction kit in order for things to work correctly.

[Mopar1973Man]

Nice truck.

I would put some priority on the steering and brakes with those 35" tires. If the 3rd gen calipers haven't been done I highly suggest you do it. You'll need the extra braking power to stop those 35" from turning. Then steering wise the steering and suspension doesn't hold 35" very well so I would consider all the little upgrades like the 3rd Gen track bar and the steering box brace if its not done already.

Then I would dive on fuel and power. Because I would rather be able to control a tame truck that lose control of a wild truck.

[dripley]

My truck had the in tank pump and I installed an AD II. It cam with a kit to eliminate the in tank pump and modify the fuel basket for pickup and return. It has worked very well. No problem running the tank dry. I would think Fass would have something similar. Not advocating AD, if I was buying today it would be Fass. Not knocking the mechanical pumps, folks seem to be having good luck with them.

The truck looks nice from the one photo. How about some more?

[JAG1]

Matt this truck you got looks real nice. I'm glad you didn't fall for the other one and the members here had a chance to help you with this.

You should save your money and not get the Liberty module. The stock one can be modified by placing a half inch draw straw. I have the very first draw straw prototype Eric made in my stock module.

 Some thoughts;

Inside the fuel tank lift pumps is big no no,

Get the Fass and you'll have a prefilter to protect the Lift pump which lets you cut out those in the module factory screens.

You can place 1/2'' ball shut off valves either side of the new Fass to change filters easier and not loose prime when changing the stock filter on the engine.... no tank drain back.

Just go with 1/2'' lines all the way... Eric's got a good kit for that and makes a major difference in flow.

The mechanical pumps so far so good but I still have an opinion that an electric L/P is going to show more reliable when talking Fass. The Jury is still out on this but I like the change ability to a new Lift pump if I'm out on the road. I carry an extra engine factory L/P in the tool box just in case.

 

[notlimah]

1 hour ago, Mopar1973Man said:

Nice truck.

I would put some priority on the steering and brakes with those 35" tires. If the 3rd gen calipers haven't been done I highly suggest you do it. You'll need the extra braking power to stop those 35" from turning. Then steering wise the steering and suspension doesn't hold 35" very well so I would consider all the little upgrades like the 3rd Gen track bar and the steering box brace if its not done already.

Then I would dive on fuel and power. Because I would rather be able to control a tame truck that lose control of a wild truck.

I think I'll make steering/suspension #2. I just don't want to take a chance on the in tank lift pump failing and being our a vp44.

Are the 3rd gen caliper upgrade a bolt on swap? Is the 3rd gen track bar and steering box brace all thats needed to clean up the front? I'll go through and change end link and check ball joints as well in the process. Steering is where I was going to need some help since I've never owned a truck with any sort of lift before and not sure what all needs to be done for reliability sake

1 hour ago, dripley said:

My truck had the in tank pump and I installed an AD II. It cam with a kit to eliminate the in tank pump and modify the fuel basket for pickup and return. It has worked very well. No problem running the tank dry. I would think Fass would have something similar. Not advocating AD, if I was buying today it would be Fass. Not knocking the mechanical pumps, folks seem to be having good luck with them.

The truck looks nice from the one photo. How about some more?

If Fass offered the same thing, that would probably be enough to sway me. As far as I know now, Fass requires to drop the tank and drill a new hole for their suction kit. I'd rather not go through all that just due to my technical expertise, or lack there of! I sent an email to glacier diesel to ask about the fuel boss with in tank pump so we'll see what I get back from them.

I'll get some more pics eventually and when I do I'll throw them up in the garage!

[Mopar1973Man]

2 minutes ago, notlimah said:

I just don't want to take a chance on the in tank lift pump failing and being our a vp44.

Then you should see the 2001 in my shop right now with ZERO PSI of fuel pressure. Still starts and runs like no issues and even got a Edge Juice wire tapped. No fuel pressure sender install. Really lame.

[notlimah]

33 minutes ago, JAG1 said:

Matt this truck you got looks real nice. I'm glad you didn't fall for the other one and the members here had a chance to help you with this.

You should save your money and not get the Liberty module. The stock one can be modified by placing a half inch draw straw. I have the very first draw straw prototype Eric made in my stock module.

 Some thoughts;

Inside the fuel tank lift pumps is big no no,

Get the Fass and you'll have a prefilter to protect the Lift pump which lets you cut out those in the module factory screens.

You can place 1/2'' ball shut off valves either side of the new Fass to change filters easier and not loose prime when changing the stock filter on the engine.... no tank drain back.

Just go with 1/2'' lines all the way... Eric's got a good kit for that and makes a major difference in flow.

The mechanical pumps so far so good but I still have an opinion that an electric L/P is going to show more reliable when talking Fass. The Jury is still out on this but I like the change ability to a new Lift pump if I'm out on the road. I carry an extra engine factory L/P in the tool box just in case.

 

Yea you guys definitely helped bring up some points I had over looked on the other truck. Didn't help the guys case when he stopped returning all my calls and then suddenly posted another add 1500 dollars cheaper then he originally had posted and said he needed it gone this weekend haha! Made my choice even easier!

I'll definitely go 1/2" all the way, think I had a brain fart earlier with the 3/8s. My main reason for leaning towards the mechanical pump is that pressure will always increase with acceleration. Like I said earlier, it looks like fass wants you to drill a hole in tank for their suction kit which is something I'd rather not do. If the fuel boss requires the same, then its a toss up and I'll probably for fass just because the added filtration.

Although with the fuel boss you can still use/save your stock lift pump and leave it in place without having to keep it in your tool box just in case.

ughhh decisions decisions haha

6 minutes ago, Mopar1973Man said:

Then you should see the 2001 in my shop right now with ZERO PSI of fuel pressure. Still starts and runs like no issues and even got a Edge Juice wire tapped. No fuel pressure sender install. Really lame.

haha that was the case on my 99! Drove it all the way from California, put on my gauges and got 0psi! But still ran like a champ!

[JAG1]

I didn't know about drilling the fuel tank for the Fass. I suggested Fass  because other guys like the filtering.

I have an Air Dog/ Raptor pump with a Racor brand filter in front of it.

[Mopar1973Man]

1 minute ago, notlimah said:

Although with the fuel boss you can still use/save your stock lift pump and leave it in place without having to keep it in your tool box just in case.

Even with my AirDog I kept my old Big Line Kit from Vulcan so I've got the fittings and wiring extension so I can hook a stock pump in with little effort. Unscrew the AirDog lines and hook up the stock pump and electrical. Done. Still operating on the 1/2 line and still removed all the junk banjos. But still have an option for stock or aftermarket.

With any upgrade pump you will have to change the pickup assembly in the tank you have no choice. Even the stock non-pump sender is not big enough for any lift pumps.

[CSM]

I like the truck. Any details on the transmission?

I see a levelling kit... with that at 2 inches, you need an adjustable track bar.  I removed my kit as it was trashing components from the spacer/trackbar driven misalignment.

 

[JAG1]

A two inch level kit can be done right like you say CSM but the key word is to do it right. Sometimes I think the 35 inch tires will hide some of the problems of a 2 inch leveling kit when not done correctly.

Matt take a look straight down over the wheel wells to see if the wheels/ tires are projecting out the same on each side of the truck. That wiil tell something.

Edited February 7, 2016 by JAG1

[dripley]

The AD kit that came with my FP all installed in the basket, supply and return. It did however remove the pump if you are thinking about leaving. Either way removing and modifying the basket and or tank is not a big deal. 

The one thing I have always wondered is when I run the tank low and all the return fuel is going into the basket, just how warm the fuel might be. 

[CSM]

27 minutes ago, JAG1 said:

A two inch level kit can be done right like you say CSM but the key word is to do it right. Sometimes I think the 35 inch tires will hide some of the problems of a 2 inch leveling kit when not done correctly.

Matt take a look straight down over the wheel wells to see if the wheels/ tires are projecting out the same on each side of the truck. That wiil tell something.

Or just look at the sway bar.  It isn't level and the links are probably trashed.

[notlimah]

40 minutes ago, CSM said:

I like the truck. Any details on the transmission?

I see a levelling kit... with that at 2 inches, you need an adjustable track bar.  I removed my kit as it was trashing components from the spacer/trackbar driven misalignment.

 

Trans is stock as far as I know. Towed pretty rarely and never had a 5th wheel or gooseneck. The previous owner took it to the dealer for everything so I've been meaning to call that dealer and get a run down of all work done to it.

What kit are you saying you removed? Im definitely going to look into an adjustable track bar.

34 minutes ago, JAG1 said:

A two inch level kit can be done right like you say CSM but the key word is to do it right. Sometimes I think the 35 inch tires will hide some of the problems of a 2 inch leveling kit when not done correctly.

Matt take a look straight down over the wheel wells to see if the wheels/ tires are projecting out the same on each side of the truck. That wiil tell something.

I'll take a look for sure. Like I said, this area of the truck is pretty new to me so I'm learning from scratch here. From what I saw looking underneath before buying is things are definitely worn but no metal on metal her, bushings are still holding on. If my commute to work was any longer I'd be doing steering now.

[JAG1]

You either have the 2 inch spacers on top of the factory springs or taller coil springs. Wheels projecting out the same is important and can only be attained by the adjustable track bar. It's important because an off centered front differential can cause vibration and excessive wear.

[IBMobile]

Congratulations are in order.  A great find on a gently used  clean truck.  There should be many mile of happy motoring left in that truck.

Still looking for that #53?  If it is a 53 block  you'll find the number on the lower right front side of the block, below and forward of the oil filter.

I installed a Fuel Boss after going through one factory, two campaign lift pumps and reading 'brand A pumps are good' then 'brand A pumps are failing because of a bad production run' or 'the company was sold and their using cheaper part now'.  For the electric priming pump I installed a cheap Airtex. I run with it up unplugged  and will use it if the belt on the Fuel Boss brakes or I need to prime the system.  The belt look like it will go 50k+ and to change it all you need is a ½ " opened end wrench.  I'm running the  ⅜" fuel line that came in the kit but if I was to increase power out put I'd install " line ½".  When these trucks were under warranty one of the fixes for the lift pump problem was to remove the Carter pump on the side of the block and put a new fuel sender/lift pump combo in the tank.  Your truck my have this combo  either an AD kit or a draw straw.   It's a good feeling seeing 17-18 psi @ idle and 20-21psi going down the road. 

. 

                                          ↑ Cruising in the slow lane with 21psi ↑

   ↓  The Y fitting in the fuel line from the tank goes to the top line with a check valve and the Airtex   fuel pump.   The lower line goes to the Fuel Boss at the front of the engine.  The original metal fuel line is now the return line. ↓

Edited February 7, 2016 by IBMobile