J.O.A.T. Sierra

[ChestonScout]

Id run it

 

[idahoyj]

That looks really good. Run it and let the tires clean the rust out of the fenders when you steer!

 

[STAG]

454 and the small twist is a supercharger?

 

[LT.]

Id run it

I knew you would. They are just way too big. The truck has to be more multi purpose.

That looks really good. Run it and let the tires clean the rust out of the fenders when you steer!

Lol. My daughter always talks about my trucks so, I thought while she was at school I would suprise her. She says the tires are too big also. We are looking at 35's on 16" mickey thompson classic wheels.

454 and the small twist is a supercharger?

It is. I got the engine, tranny, x cases, computer, wiring, ect in a trade.

Everyone kept saying big block. I guess it was for the low end grunt a big block has. I was pretty set on a 383. I figured it would provide enough grunt and it would keep the already heavy truck a little lighter. But, a 383 will never work as hard as a 454. And the 454 will do the work a little easier.

LT.

 

[LT.]

I have never had a vehicle that is so bad in the snow. I was up at the ski hill today and i was all but stuck in about one foot of sugar snow. The truck still rides on the 31x10.5x16.5 BFGoodrich AT KO's. The tires still have excellent tread but, they are quite old and hard. I figured since the tires have such great tread, I mean like new tread, and they are quite narrow, that the truck should do great in the snow.

So, what do I have to do to get this pile to preform well in the snow? Is it because of the age of the tires, the fact they are so hard, do I need different size tires and wheels, what? I am kind of frustrated over the lack of performance especially this time of year.

Any suggestions would be welcomed.

LT.

 

[LT.]

The truck now has new wheels and tires on her. Some time ago we placed an order through 4 wheel parts for some 16x10 mickey thompson wheels and 315-75r16 BFG KO2 tires. 4 wheel parts was unable to get any mickey thompson wheels and called us back the next day. I think this was in June. So, we had to cancel the whole order. On July 30th my daughter and I placed another order but, this time we used Pro Comp 1069 wheels 16x10 and the same tires. Everything came in on 08-10-15 and was bolted onto the truck. The truck rides really well and she tracks straight. No more hoping in the rear end due to the bad tires.

LT.

 

[Bart]

Great to hear the progress and nice to hear from you. Glad the truck is riding better.

 

[LT.]

Great to hear the progress and nice to hear from you. Glad the truck is riding better.

Thank you. JOAT is doing pretty well considering. She is my daily driver and she is 40+ years old. She still has some small issues. The weather striping is falling out, door hinges are shot. That kind of thing. I was thinking I needed to do a long distance trip in her.

LT.

 

[LT.]

My oldest and I did a longer trip in Sierra on Monday. We went fishing at the fish hatchery and then we went to a lake. We took the back roads and Sierra had her exhaust come lose again. Highway 96 is a rough road at best and we were traveling at highways speeds. This is where the exhaust came lose. At any rate, while she is at the shop I will also be getting all the soft fuel lines replaced. 40+ years has caused them all to dry rot.

LT.

 

[LT.]

Got Sierra back yesterday and everything seems to be doing well. I filled her up with fuel and did not see any leaks which is a plus. Exhaust is tight with new studs in place, better exhaust doughnuts in the manifolds and it all seems done very well. Very happy to have her back. I don't like driving my dually Rosie to work or using her as a daily driver.

LT.

 

[Greg]

I think a truck like your JOAT makes for a fun daily driver... glad it's coming together for you LT!

 

[LT.]

I think a truck like your JOAT makes for a fun daily driver... glad it's coming together for you LT!

Thank you. It is a lot of fun. When I narrowed the tire selection down for my daughter to choose I re-read your build thread on your JK. I was impressed and surprised by your tire choice and wanted to read more on them. Seeing the places the jeep has taken you impressed me. When my daughter picked the same tires I was excited and anxious to see how they would preform. Thus far (only about 400 miles) they have done well. I am going to try and keep updates on the tires since when all tires are new they all seem to preform well. I am interested to see how well they preform once the miles rack up.

LT.

 

[LT.]

This is how the truck looks today.

LT.

 

[Bart]

Great stance. I love those wheels.

 

[LT.]

Great stance. I love those wheels.

Thank you. My daughter picked out the wheels and the tires.

Sierra has been most impressive for a 40 year old truck. As far as reliability I wouldn't hesitate to drive her anywhere. She doesn't look too good, lots of rust, bad weather striping. But, she is all orginal and numbers matching (drivetrain anyways). Even the motor is all original and hasn't been rebuilt yet. I have replaced the front springs, shocks, bushings, shackles, cab mounts, that kind of thing. I have often thought about driving her to Moab and playing a little.

LT.

 

[LT.]

I think you might get a bit better mileage with the 4.10 gears and 35" tires.

I didn't think this was possible and kinda forgot about this. This is one of those times when I have to eat humble pie.

Today my girls and I did our 100 mile test loop. Figured it was time to see what the mileage would be with the new shoes. We also tested to see how far the speedometer and the odometer are off now that Sierra travels further and faster than she thinks she does. I filled up at out local Smith's station before our drive and again at the same pump after our drive. I drove by two separate solar mph signs as well. With 50 mph indicated on the Speedo we were clocked going between 56 and 57. On our test loop we clicked off 87 miles. This all seems to jive with the math. We also burned 8.160 gallons of pump sludge unleaded. This comes out to 12.2549 mpg.

Never in a million years would I have thought that putting larger tires on such an old truck would garner better mileage.

Mbryson, my hat is off to you sir. Good call, good call.

LT.

 

[LT.]

Just did some horse trading. I traded off the supercharged 454 for a rebuilt and carbed 454 and all the labor to install it in Sierra. I just need to get the th 400 rebuilt and it will all come together.

LT.

 

[Greg]

Nice, sounds like a well thought out trade!

 

[LT.]

Nice, sounds like a well thought out trade!

Well, we'll see if it was or not. The problem with the supercharged motor was I think it was gonna cause more issues than it solved. Computer wiring, and mounting was gonna need someone who knew what to do. When issues came up I wouldn't be able to fix them. Too much power for the stock front axle. That kind of thing. The idea on this build was it had to be reliable enough for daily driving, mild wheeling, and simple. The new motor was not simple and it was gonna take awhile to make it reliable. Wiring gremlins and computer issues were bound to crop up.

LT.

 

[mbryson]

Well, we'll see if it was or not. The problem with the supercharged motor was I think it was gonna cause more issues than it solved. Computer wiring, and mounting was gonna need someone who knew what to do. When issues came up I wouldn't be able to fix them. Too much power for the stock front axle. That kind of thing. The idea on this build was it had to be reliable enough for daily driving, mild wheeling, and simple. The new motor was not simple and it was gonna take awhile to make it reliable. Wiring gremlins and computer issues were bound to crop up.

LT.

I like this plan. Sensible except for fuel mileage and you're not getting that in that truck anyway