Cody's 2011 GMC Sierra 4.3L

Both of my inverter welders have hot start and don’t work for me in ARC mode, dad never had an issue with the Marquette it’s just in disrepair because he moved out of the house.

1 Like



Alrighty, havent done a leak test yet, but it’s just sitting in loose right now. I have two locking rings that should fit over the ribs and I’ll make an attachment to hold it laterally to the bed, and weld on some feet tabs to bolt down to the bed.

Also need to put in a couple more of these fence post rings to secure the cooling rail some more. Also maybe shim the rings so it holds the pipe tighter. May just scrap those and use exhaust clamp rings for a more snug hold.

8 Likes

Wow talk about super stealth. It looks like you just have a barrel in the bed of your truck. I like it Cody.
I have seen trucks with protection rails like that.
Bob

3 Likes

Shimmed up the fence post rings using some old serpentine belt. Cooling rail is in there solidly now.

7 Likes

Looks good cody, have you desided too mount hay filters elsware, and are you useing heat exchanger on this build .? You are getting a lot more done than me, i think all the southern heat wave went north, felt like an oven outside yesterday,in a steam bath.

4 Likes

It’s just a charcoal gasifier, and I’m just running a bag filter. My old ammo box bag filter should work just fine. If not I have a taller can I will use with a pleated cloth filter.

I wanted to run a charcoal gasifier until I get the Mercruiser cast iron plenum put in, no worries about that.

3 Likes

OK thanks Cody, i forgot you been building charco gasifiers allso, I gess if you had lots of excess wood going too waiste laying in the woods, A good charco maker would produce cheap efficient engine grade fuel, Caint wait too see how many miles too drive before it needs refuel.

4 Likes

I’m hoping at least 30 or 45 miles. I have about 30 inches of hopper height right above the nozzle. Downdraft charcoal sorta like a diagonal arranged crossdraft from the Pegasus book.

With the hopper I have and the density of my charcoal I should hold about 40 pounds of char above the nozzle.

If I get the same 2 miles per pound of char I had in the Mazda that could be as high as an 80 mile range. I’m expecting a mile per pound though

6 Likes

Interesting build CODY, Keep us posted on your power,and miles per refill, Maybe a drive vidio,THANKS

5 Likes

Bought some 1/4" sized self drilling roofing screws to mount the gasifier to the bed. I’m thinking of making 4 foot mounts and at least 2 mounts halfway up the gasifier that fasten to the head of the truck bed.

Do you guys think that those screws will hold it down securely? Or should I go for a different way to bolt down the gasifier? Mounting has always been a part that I’m not good at.

If you have a spare clamp ring I would clamp around the barrel and weld some studs to the clamp wring to bolt through the bed, then another clamp ring or a piece of flat stock bent around the circumference of the hopper right at bed rail height, with a single brace straight over to the front wall of the bed hooked over with a couple of those self tappers right into the bed rail. That would be top and bottom braced and real easy to make. What I mean is think how Wayne use to mount the hopper with clamp ring and bolts welded to it

4 Likes

I thought my spare ring would fit, but it doesn’t close around it. Next best thing would be to shorten a 55 gallon ring.

I’m basically already doing what you described but just directly welded to the barrel at the stronger points. Right where the two barrels were welded together I figure is reinforced, and the seam at the bottom. I was just concerned if the self drillers were strong enough. I figure two screws for each leg on the mounts just for redundancy. Made sure to get some hex head ones as well so I can reuse them.

I’m using 1/8" flat stock, It’s 1.5" wide. I figure with them all pulling down on the gasifier it should hold it snug. The gasifier isn’t sitting directly on the bed so I have room to shim it tighter.

2 Likes

I tried L brackets and screws on the Ranger, but the screws or the brackets broke off due to bed flex.

6 Likes

Damn. I hope that’s not going to be the case with the Sierra. Where it sits on the bed I can’t reach up below to fasten any nuts. Frame and cross member in the way. Also can’t fit a hand behind the bed to the head board. Might just have to make a flat stock collar to squeeze it down.

1 Like

Here’s as it is planned right now. Going to add two more on either side at the bottom to hold it from side to side motion. It’s stiff right now in back and forth motion. Has a little wiggle side to side.


In my first dry run before I added these, the gasifier was actually stable at 45 with mild bumps in the road. The gas exit is almost acting like a shared stress member.

If these screws pull out I guess I’ll try to weasel my way to use nuts and bolts.



And the left and right feet mounts.

7 Likes

Looks good Cody, you’re on your way :smiley:
How about welding nuts to the bed for the fasteners? Maybe cut a hole, slightly bigger than the nut, and weld it “flush” with the bed bottom, the use short bolts or pieces of fully threaded rod and another nut?
Just thinking here, i know the problem when you dont reach the point where nuts are, or when tinkering alone, your arms arent long enough to hold the nut…

4 Likes

If these ones get ripped out or start to show stress I might weld carriage bolts from underneath to work as studs.

2 Likes

You could have layed some peices of plate under the barrel , then weld plate too barrel ring, then lag screwed the unit to bed of truck, though your way looks plenty good enough, since most of the tip over weight, will be anckered up higher on gasifier.

2 Likes

Added some rebar to the grate to stiffen it up.

Added some big charcoal at the bottom and emptied all 3 of my bags, almost filled it. Looks like if I let it get down to the nozzle it’ll take two stuffed full bags to fill back up.

Guess I need to go to Sam’s Club and buy more dog food. Mom changed brand again and it’s a regular plastic food bag.

I might put in one of my tool boxes to act as dry storage for regular sacks of charcoal.

4 Likes

I still need to get it plumbed to the engine, need to get more elbows and more 2" pipe.

3 Likes