The Truck

The old S-10, my first car that wasn't handed down to me. Despite the shortcomings - zero towing capacity, no passenger room, 2wd - she was a great little truck getting me through two years of college, a year in San Francisco with frequent short trips back to Portland and Eugene, two years in Oregon, a year in Washington - Seattle to Tacoma 7 days a week - and another year in Oregon before finally being force retired last summer.

Last summer on a trip back from Portland, she died. This was the third time the truck died on me though the first that did not leave me stranded during a freak heat wave or after a double shift at work. This time she thoughtfully died in the parking lot of a 7-11 leaving my friend and I plenty of opportunities to fill up on slurpees, sour ropes and bubble gum while waiting for the tow company.

After a quick "wanna do me a favor" phone call to the local Chevy dealer - you've got to love having connections - it was determined that the fuel pump failed. Again.

This is the source of all the trouble. Last time it failed I replaced it the "traditional" way meaning I unbolted the gas tank and dropped it out of the frame. 5 hours getting the tank out and back in; 20 minutes replacing the pump. This time I opted for removing the bed of the truck to gain access. 30 minutes and 8 bolts later, I'm staring the bugger in the face. Let's get started.

Instead of spending $500 dollars to replace the broken pump with a similar pump that would probably quit inside of another year - though conveniently after the warranty expires - my step-dad and I decided to mount an aftermarket pump to the frame and run the wiring through the old pump and bypass the broken part.

Finished product. We decided to re-route the hoses back along the frame to avoid getting near the exhaust system and then just for kicks installed a second fuel filter for a 1991 Mustang GT. We also recycled the broken fuel pump by pulling the fuel hose and running it down the outside of the canister. All in all a highly successful repair done for only $112 dollars vs. the $500 the dealer wanted.

And just for kicks since the bed was off I decided to replace the rear shocks. Pretty.