James Brown
Full Mechanical Restoration - 1987 Extra Cab Sr5
The Rundown.
Brown started life with us as a basket case. What began as a sour situation from a dishonest seller turned to be a blessing in disguise as we stripped the motor down to the block, rebuilt the transmission, installed all new suspension, and reworked the old, tattered interior. We learned so much as a team building this 87’ pickup. What to look for in a buy, how to overcome adversity, and most importantly, how far we are willing to go to deliver a high quality, mechanically sound trucks to future clients. James Brown set the standard for Squirrel Concepts and what we stand for as a shop. With everything needing attention, we didn’t stop at just getting it running. No stone unturned, built the right way with the highest quality OEM components.
After a few calls with the owner organized through a friend, Adam and I started planning a drive up to San Francisco. After hearing the truck had died on the side of the road, with the previous owner claiming it had always been a reliable daily, we packed our bags with tools, fluids, and a a spare fuel pump planning to wrench in the parking lot and drive it home. Shortly after arriving, it was evident Brown wasn’t driving anywhere on his own power. It was very clear a blown head gasket was the culprit so we, called it a night, got some ramen, and started organizing our tow home the next day.
Back at the shop, the motor came apart rather quickly. With the head sent off to be machined, we went to work on the extensive amount of cleaning we had in front of us. Scrubbing every connector, replacing worn bolts/components, and prepping our canvas for the mechanical restoration ahead.
More cleaning and all hands on deck as Brown got a full suspension and brake refresh. Adam installs the new brake and clutch master while Mark is removing the front diff for a reseal of the oil pan.
With the engine bay fully scrubbed down and parts coming back form the machine shop, it was time to reassemble the motor. A new head gasket with all new timing chain components were installed along with brand new accessories, hoses, seals, and a CSF 3 Row Radiator. We thought we were at the finish line at this point but having purchased this truck sight unseen and also being unable to drive it home, a few more gremlins were waiting to show.
The truck would eventually undergo 2 transmission swaps before we felt comfortable enough to let him go to a new home. After the first drive it was evident some less than desirable noises were coming from 3rd gear. Adam had a manual transmission sitting in a long term project out front of the shop so we decided to swap that into Brown. Just our luck, that tranny was blown too. Eventually we would send off the original trans for a complete rebuild with new gears and synchros. Just more lessons learned with only one way to learn them. It’s important to stay positive in situations like this. It can easily turn frustrating after your 3rd transmission install but just be sure to look on the bright side, the truck got a brand new clutch and rear main seal.
Overall, putting this truck together was an incredible learning experience. Taking something that would have ended up as scrap, overcoming all the obstacles, and building it into a mechanically sound truck that will go another 200k miles feels good. Knowing its off to a new home with a stoked owner just makes it that much better.