Anyone have a pre-2002 Chevy fullsize pickup? I could use some assistance.

[White Horseradish]

I am at my wits ends here. It's a stupid simple question, but my Google-fu fails me. 

How are the cables attached to the tailgate? The truck I have came with no tailgate, and the junkyard tailgate came with no cables. The people selling cables all assume you are replacing them, so there is no info. 

Thanks...

[zxcvbob]

Cable is attached to the truck body with a big bolt -- I think it has a Torx socket.  The other end of the cable just slips over a...

Lemme go take a look and get back to you rather than go from memory.  Be right back.

[zxcvbob]

OK, the end of the cable that has a double hole and a spring clip goes over a hex bolt sticking out of the bed.  (you can slip this end off to remove the tailgate)  The other end of the cable is permamently bolted to the tailgate at the bottom of each latch.  HTH

BTW, my truck is a 2001 Silverado.  The original cables were replaced under a recall a couple of years ago; the new cables are stainless.

[White Horseradish]

The other end of the cable just slips over a...

Aha! 

OK, the end of the cable that has a double hole and a spring clip goes over a hex bolt sticking out of the bed.  (you can slip this end off to remove the tailgate)  The other end of the cable is permamently bolted to the tailgate at the bottom of each latch.  HTH

Thanks! So, it's the bolt at the bottom of the latch. That makes sense, those bolts were loose.

As it happens, mine is also a Silverado, but a 1992. Not a show truck by any means, but will get the work done. And it was cheap.

[Perd Hapley]

OK, the end of the cable that has a double hole and a spring clip goes over a hex bolt sticking out of the bed.  (you can slip this end off to remove the tailgate)  The other end of the cable is permamently bolted to the tailgate at the bottom of each latch.  HTH

Isn't that kinda standard for pick-ups? 

[zxcvbob]

Isn't that kinda standard for pick-ups?  

I dunno, my previous truck was a 1976 Chevy C20, and it had 2-piece metal straps for hangers (hinged in the middle) instead of cables.  (Sold it 10 years ago; I still miss that truck, but I would hate to have to find 16.5" tires for it now)

I thought cables was a Ford thing.

[Declaration Day]

I thought cables was a Ford thing.

No, they all use cables these days.

[Tallpine]

I dunno, my previous truck was a 1976 Chevy C20, and it had 2-piece metal straps for hangers (hinged in the middle) instead of cables.  (Sold it 10 years ago; I still miss that truck, but I would hate to have to find 16.5" tires for it now)

I thought cables was a Ford thing.

That's my current pick-up 

But I've had it for 14 years.

First thing I did after I bought it, was to go to a junkyard and trade out the wheels/tires for 16" 

[zxcvbob]

One good thing about 16.5" wheels is you don't need a tire machine to mount/unmount the tires.  They have a different bead profile that doesn't lock.  Also 9.50R16.5LTE tires carry about 100# more weight each than LT235/85R16's or LT245/75R16's.  That actually matters, as heavily as I would overload that poor truck sometimes...

[RocketMan]

That actually matters, as heavily as I would overload that poor truck sometimes...

Imagine that, actually using a truck as a...truck. 

[Tallpine]

One good thing about 16.5" wheels is you don't need a tire machine to mount/unmount the tires.  They have a different bead profile that doesn't lock.  Also 9.50R16.5LTE tires carry about 100# more weight each than LT235/85R16's or LT245/75R16's.  That actually matters, as heavily as I would overload that poor truck sometimes...

A hundred extra pounds for twice the price of the tires 

At least that's what it was back then when I checked the price of new tires in 1996.  Plus, they had to special order them. 

The 16" tires are available almost everywhere.  Even some little wide spot in the road is likely to have at least a decent used one lying around, when you ruin a tire.

My 1973 Chevy p/u that I traded off 30 years ago had split rims.  Some people hated them, but I liked the fact that with a couple hand tools and an air supply I could (and often did!) fix or change a tire anywhere.  I also had a 1965 C-60 with those notorious Firestone wheels.  I got pretty good at changing them, since it seemed like I had at least one flat a week when I was logging.  They would kill you if you didn't do it right, but it was simple to do it right.

Back then I had a homemade air compressor made out of a commercial freezer compressor belted to an AC motor and bolted to a plank.  No air tank - you just plugged it in and clipped the hose onto the valve stem.  I let some people use it, and apparently somebody clipped it on the tire before plugging it in, and burnt out the motor. 

[White Horseradish]

Man, I seem to have asked in the right place... :) What can I do, I'm not a member of any truck boards.

So, anybody tried using the HELP! kit for fixing the rag joint on the steering shaft? Or is there a better solution?

[Tallpine]

Man, I seem to have asked in the right place... :) What can I do, I'm not a member of any truck boards.

So, anybody tried using the HELP! kit for fixing the rag joint on the steering shaft? Or is there a better solution?

Baling twine...?   


I don't get it - why can't you just buy a new rag joint and replace it?  It's four little bolts, right

[White Horseradish]

Baling twine...?   

I like how you think. 

I don't get it - why can't you just buy a new rag joint and replace it?  It's four little bolts, right

Because there ain't no such thing for a 1992. Sometime in 1988 or so when that bodystyle came into being GM stopped making it a separate part. Those aren't bolts, they are giant rivets, and the joint only disconnects at the steering box end, not the shaft end. It's riveted to the shaft, too. GM would be happy to sell me a whole new intermediate steering shaft for $220 or so, but I ain't buying. (I wonder, is this where the expression "to be shafted" comes from? :) )

There are steel U-joints from Borgeson, but at $110 it chaps my nether regions to pay that much. They also make a rag joint assembly, but it's even more expensive than steel.  So, the only thing I can think of is to grind off the rivets and buy a generic repair kit from the Dorman company which they sell under the Motormite/HELP! brand. I was just wondering if there was something less generic.

[Tallpine]

I need to keep my 1976 GMC running 

[White Horseradish]

I need to keep my 1976 GMC running 

No kidding...

It gets worse later.

[Tallpine]

No kidding...

It gets worse later.

The good part is that our 1991 Suburban is still the old body style - they didn't change them until 1992.

I'm still kicking myself for selling off my 1965 stepside short box 6cylinder 4sp when I got sick and went back to college 

And the 1977 2wd Suburban that we traded in ... it was a bomb but it would have been a good source of spare parts, and a place to store spare parts 


As far as your pickup - yeah, I would grind or torch off the rivets and put in a new rag joint with bolts.  Heck, you could probably make one out of a chunk of industrial/farm drive belting 

[White Horseradish]

I am actually more or less OK with the early to mid 90's GM. This was the time that carbs went out and Rochester TBI went in. The Rochester is an excellent design, simple, flexible and robust. Granted, it's still and electric/electronic system, but it is one that is not overly complex and yet manages the engine well. The transmissions were still the good old 700R4 in most trucks. Mine, of course, being heavy-duty, had to be a 4L80E, the electronic child of the Turbo 400, but I think I will beat it into shape. The breakable stuff is supposed to be easily replaceable.

Still. I need to learn to weld body panels. This is Minnesota...

[Tallpine]

Our 91 Suburban has the old body/chassis (73-87) and the "newer" engine with TBI.  Runs good even with 220+K miles. 

I like the old straight axles and leaf springs on a 4wd.

The body is starting to fall apart, though :(

[Marnoot]

If you need a new intermediate steering shaft, I just replaced the one on my 2001 GMC Sierra a few months ago with a Dorman (part no. 421576 for all Sierras and Silverados) one I got for $45 from RockAuto.com. Solved the clunking problem GM's been unable to fix for 10 model-years now.

[White Horseradish]

Well, I put in the Dorman kit. Grinding the rivets off was a minor PITA because they are in a kind of a crease  -I had to use a Dremel rather than the big grinder. The screw kit that came from Dorman was useless. They assume you will be installing on the old style joint that would have two screws, and not the completely screwless one. I used hardware store 5/16 grade 8 bolts and some sleeves made from copper tubing.

The interesting bit is the rubber thickness. The GM rag joint is only 4 ply. The Dorman is almost twice as thick, 7 ply. I just drove around the block and it feels tons better.

[Tallpine]

Good for you! 

We used to have an old VW bug that the front axle was falling out of, because the chassis was rusted out and wouldn't hold bolts.

All that stress finally wore out the rag joint, and it parted company one night while going around a corner, so we visited a local cow pasture. 

Good thing was that it didn't break earlier that same day, when we were way up on a mountain on a "jeep road" 

[Boomhauer]

You think the price of that intermediate steering shaft is something? Heck no, let me tell you...

I've got a 99 Silverado. manual adjust seats (which I thought were supposed to be the best to get). One day while adjusting the seat I hear a loud "POP!" and the seat won't lock in place. WTF, I thought. Picked a little plastic part out of the seat rail. Apparently, it was the most important bit in the assembly. Found out that the part couldn't be replaced, that the whole seat rail had to be changed. Parts guy at local Chevy dealership said the damn things break all the time. $220 from GM. WTF, man, WTF? I'm not paying $220 for a part that's going to break in the future for the exact same reason. I bolted the seat into one position and have just left it there.

That's why unions are bad. Absolute resistance to change from known problems.

[White Horseradish]

All that stress finally wore out the rag joint, and it parted company one night while going around a corner, so we visited a local cow pasture. 

Yeah, that was a bit worrisome to me. A 3/4 ton truck ain't a Volkswagen, and I drive in the city of Minneapolis where cow pastures are scarce. Mainly, though, the wandering on the highway annoyed the dickens out of me.

WTF, man, WTF? I'm not paying $220 for a part that's going to break in the future for the exact same reason.

This is why Dorman is a great company. They make all the weird little crap the car manufacturers screw up. In many cases Dorman stuff is  better than original.

Speaking of seats, I'm gonna need a new set. The driver's seat foam is so compressed I bottom out on bumps. :)