[woody01zf6]

That's my buddy's pulling truck. It's a 540 with something like 14:1 compression... it's pretty gnarly. Sounds amazing.

 

[woody01zf6]

Posted how to make RC covers fit right...bulldog proof! And how to modify the head rests for better visibility.
Making 99-06 RC seat covers actually exact-fit!

I don't have any pics that show how far the damn things would move around and fall off the jump seat. But it was bad.

Not a single problem since the fixup.

I also came to realization that most of the super annoying blind spots in this new extended cab vs my old regular cab was the head rests. So I took the rear head rests out and put them on the front, reducing the size of both. In GM's infinite wisdom, the stud spacing was different by 1.25in...but it's nothing a welder can't fix! Much better visibility now.

 

[woody01zf6]

Just sold the wife's fun(ish) turbo 6spd Cruze to buy a soul-crushing automatic Subaru. Damn kid. But I did at least grab a spare ZF6 from marketplace while we were down south picking up the new car. haha

That trans is HUGE. About double the size of the 6spd for my Camaro. And I figure they're only going to get harder and harder to find.

 

[silentbravo]

Well if people start buying them as spares and hoarding, there will definitely be a shortage

Dang that thing is massive!

 

[woody01zf6]

Got the ZF6 put away next to my hoard of Getrag 282s for my Beretta. Manuals may be going extinct, but damn it I'm going to keep the last of them!

Also bought a fabricated metal clutch pedal from a guy on Facebook in the ZF6 Duramax group. It doesn't have the greatest looking welds, but that's fixable with my MIG if need be. I keep reading the factory plastic ones break quite often and GM was the only place to get the 8.1/Dmax one.

I also got a pair of cheapo blind spot mirrors on Amazon to see if I liked them as "tow mirrors". The actual tow mirrors look so damn awkward I was thinking this might be a decent alternative. I'm undecided yet if I'll keep them. They do help visibility of the rear wheel and the trailer a bit, but they look pretty goofy too.

 

[silentbravo]

My first truck/vehicle was a manual. 1984 GMC S15 with a 2.8L It had a great body, long bed/regular cab, no power, 2wd open differential. It could get stuck in a wet ditch, and it did lol. That had a smooth transmission, possibly an NV3500? it was 5 speed. Could shift it with some speed.

My truck didn't get put back together from the weekend and now I'm driving my dad's 90's Silverado work truck with a 4 speed manual, kinda fun to throw the stick again.

 

[woody01zf6]

Yeah, I'm a total stick snob. First car I ever drove was my dad's 66 Chevelle 4spd. My firsr car was a Beretta 5spd. Bought a 4spd Camaro that I swapped to a 6spd. My college Beretta was auto and I hated it. Built a new Beretta with a 5spd to replace it. Bought my last truck as an auto, but swapped it to an nv4500 5spd.

I tried hard to get the wife to replace her 6spd Cruze with a 6spd Subaru...but they discontinued them in 14 and she was set on newer. So it's the first time there's been auto junk in the driveway in almost 10 years. Barf.

I joined two groups on Facebook to annoy her: Manual Elitist Jerks and Pathetic Automatic Scum. I tag the Subaru as Pathetic whenever I can. Crazy that GM only offers stick in a Camaro now. Vette is auto only and the Cruze is dead. Sad times were live in.

 

[nealinator]

I also came to realization that most of the super annoying blind spots in this new extended cab vs my old regular cab was the head rests. So I took the rear head rests out and put them on the front, reducing the size of both. In GM's infinite wisdom, the stud spacing was different by 1.25in...but it's nothing a welder can't fix! Much better visibility now.

I realize we all take our risks and have our comfort levels....but those taller head rests in the front were specifically designed to protect from neck injury in the event of a rear collision. The support the head from flipping back. Some vehicles even have an active system that pushes the cushion forward in a collision so the head does not have to move back several inches before it is stopped by the headrest.

 

[roorancher]

but those taller head rests in the front were specifically designed to protect from neck injury in the event of a rear collision. The support the head from flipping back.

Explain to me how that argument would square with rear seat passenger protection, or does rear seat passenger head protection not count? Not only are the rear seat passenger headrests significantly smaller, but fully depressed into the seat back your head has no place to go except into the rear window glass. Fully extended from the seat back, which is only about 2 inches, the rear headrest would only impact your C1-6 Vertebrae, and the back of your head would still hit the rear window glass. What am I missing?

 

[nealinator]

The rear seat headrests are adjustable so that it can meet the back of the head. May not fit a really tall person. Some SUV's with third row seats now come with huge headrests for that reason.

 

[roorancher]

That's not a GM product, nor a pickup. Here are the ones in my truck. Useless.

 

[shakenfake]

but those taller head rests in the front were specifically designed to protect from neck injury in the event of a rear collision. The support the head from flipping back.

Explain to me how that argument would square with rear seat passenger protection, or does rear seat passenger head protection not count? Not only are the rear seat passenger headrests significantly smaller, but fully depressed into the seat back your head has no place to go except into the rear window glass. Fully extended from the seat back, which is only about 2 inches, the rear headrest would only impact your C1-6 Vertebrae, and the back of your head would still hit the rear window glass. What am I missing?

What would you rather have: No back head rest and your head go through the glass and your neck snaps or would you rather just have your head bang against the glass and probably end up with a head injury that could be non life threatening. Also rear seats are a hell of a lot safer than front seats so...

 

[roorancher]

What would you rather have: No back head rest and your head go through the glass and your neck snaps or would you rather just have your head bang against the glass and probably end up with a head injury that could be non life threatening. Also rear seats are a hell of a lot safer than front seats so...

I'm only 5'11", and at maximum extension, the rear seat headrests are still too low for me.

 

[shakenfake]

What would you rather have: No back head rest and your head go through the glass and your neck snaps or would you rather just have your head bang against the glass and probably end up with a head injury that could be non life threatening. Also rear seats are a hell of a lot safer than front seats so...

I'm only 5'11", and at maximum extension, the rear seat headrests are still too low for me.

Where do they sit in relation to your neck? It's possible that since the glass is that close to you that the manufacturer doesn't feel it is necessary.

 

[woody01zf6]

Meh. I mean safety does matter, but it's not the only consideration. If it was, I wouldn't be driving an 01 Silverado, 91 Beretta or 80 Camaro. FWIW, the kid is back there in her car seat, fully protected. But I'll take my chances on the front. I'd bet injury is more likely from lack of visibility than inadequate head rests... Life is full of trade-offs.

 

[silentbravo]

As far as visibility goes, there are less blind spots in these old trucks than the newer stuff. The new vehicles have massive A pillars which blocks a lot of visibility, it also seems like the window glass gets shorter with every new model. Maybe that's an illusion from the outside though.

 

[woody01zf6]

A guy on the 8.1 facebook group was looking for muffler suggestions so I put together a little video. Hard to beat for stainless under a hundo.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07BJMDCDK/

 

[nealinator]

Those mufflers looked really rusty for stainless. They do sound good though.

Sounded like baby was enjoying the ride!

 

[woody01zf6]

I's 409, the cheaper grade of stainless. I had some 409 Magnaflow stuff on my last truck and the surface gets brown and crusty, but it never rusts through. Looked the same after 8 years as it did after 1. Salt really hammers stuff in NY and you can't Fluid Film exhaust. Haha

The little one has definitely found her voice! Haha. She's getting to be more fun. She loves the truck, too. She usually falls asleep on rides though. The exhaust has some rumble, but it's mellow enough for that.

 

[woody01zf6]

Grabbed another set of wheels and tires on marketplace (you'll see why in a later post) and it was a nice night so I made a new wallpaper for my phone. But phone cameras suck, so I had to take two shots and doctor them up in Photoshop to get something decent. FYI...never trust a photo. haha