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CHUCK'S CHEVY
TRUCK PAGES |
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DEDICATED TO 1973 -
1987 MODEL YEARS
Chevy and GMC, Both C and K Model Trucks
A
LOT OF CHEVROLET TRUCK TECHNICAL INFO ON THIS SITE |
Added 5-30-17
1985 Chevy Used Meyer ST-7.5' Plow Install
In the fall of 2015, a customer came in with an 85 Chevy K/20 and a complete used EZ Custom Meyer ST-7.5 plow set up in the bed for me to look at and quote an installed price. He wanted to know what he had, if it was all there, if it would all fit, and what he was missing. He had everything he needed, but I always replace wiring that is more than 5 years old with all new. There is nothing worse than installing used wiring, and then having gremlins because of it. Suck it up and spend the extra $$ for new wiring, you will be glad you did. He ended up needing more than expected, but that is usually the case when you do not know the history of what you just bought, and they all say the same thing when selling "it worked great the last time I used it".... He ended up needing a new Sector as well (the black iron curved piece on the back of the plow) because the pivot tubes were worn out and actually split. It was cheaper to buy the new Sector than have us replace the tubes. The plow A Frame was all hacked up and patched, and had a tweak to it. To try and save some $ we did repair and install it, and you will see the outcome below. The customer got lucky in finding the used Meyer EZ Custom plow mount, because yes, it is one of THE most popular mounts Meyer ever made (because it fits 73 - 87 K/10, K/20, K/30, Blazer, Suburban, and that is a long span of years) BUT it is also heavy black iron. Heavy black iron is the first thing that goes to the scrap yard, and it is the first thing the junk yard takes to the recycler when scrap steel prices go up. Since Meyer Products discontinued this mount years ago, and recently (within the past 4 years or so) stopped even making parts for it, the entire mount is now 100% obsolete from Meyer. So whatever is out there is it. Here is a link to the mount install instructions on the Meyer Web Site (it will open in a new window) so you can see what it all looks like. Meyer calls it a Mounting Carton, so if you are searching, that is the search term to use. I did not get as many pics as I would have liked to get during the install. I can tell you the one thing that stands out about the truck itself and the install, and that was when drilling through the truck frame, on both sides there were lines on the inside of the framerails that needed to be moved out of harms (the drill bit's) way. GM used WAY too many clamps to hold the lines in place. On one side it was brake lines, and the other was fuel lines.
The truck was VERY clean overall, and the owner was of the same opinion as me when it comes to plowing. Don't get me wrong, I love installing plows on brand new trucks BUT, to spend $65K on a truck and then put a plow on it is just not an option for many people. It just reminds me of when I bought my 1980 GMC K/25 ith Meyer ST-7.5' plow on it back in 1995. I immediately bought a crate motor for it, and had the trans rebuilt. I only paid $1500 for the truck, but I then immediately spent another $1500 for the engine and trans. My thought was at least I knew what I had then, and I could trust it and take care of it from day one. My other thought was even back then, how all the guys with the brand new trucks had the hefty payment each month, and I paid for my truck the first winter I had it, and on top of that made over $10K with it. In less than a year that truck did not owe me a dime.
On to the install.
As I mentioned, the truck is very clean overall.
This is common knowledge to those who own these trucks but to guys like me that have to work on new trucks, there is SOOOO much room under this hood, it is a pleasure to work under it!
With the front bumper reoved, there are NO HOLES to drill to hang the Lift Frame. New hardware, ALL Made in Canada. From our bolt bins here, we only buy Canada bolts (they have a little triangle on the head).
Another look, again, I am sorry I did not take more pictures of this truck. It was here with a lot full of other trucks and other work waiting for me. I want to note that the only difference between the Meyer mount for the 1973 - 80, and the 1981 - 87 is the bumper "clips". The mount itself is the same. I made my own little brackets to support the bumper once the mount was on, because they are obsolete from Meyer Products.
The mount, light wiring, and controller wiring is all done. The lights still need to be adjusted. Time to move on to the plow itself.
Another look, again, I am sorry I did not take more pictures of this truck. It was here with a lot full of other trucks and other work waiting for me.
The plow is assembled with the new Sector, and on the truck, angled full left, it looks good, right? Well there is a problem....
Surprise, the motor was toast. New motor. Note the A frame of the plow is yellow...Note that it is a Meyer E-47H pump, not just and E-47. The E-47H does NOT belong on the EZ Custom mount, at least not with a minor modifiction.
Because the tank on the E-47H is 2" taller than the E-47, when the plow is fully raised, the back of the tank will hit the mount. The Meyer fix is to replace the Lift Arm, or drill a new hole in the Lift Arm. IF you drill a new hole in the Lift Arm, the slack in the chain cannot pass through anymore to the back, it must come down the front, like in this picture, which means there is a 1% chance the chain can jump out. The previous owner instead shaved the mount so the tank won't hit when fully raised. A zip tie on the slack will help prevent it from jumping out.
Remember when I said the plow is on, angled full left and it looks good, but there is a problem? Well here is the problem. The plow is now straight, but it sure does not look straight! The A Frame is just twisted THAT bad.
You can clearly see the twist.
A few years ago. I did an install on a 98 Dodge for a customer. He had a used plow. the problem is that the plow was from an older EZ Custom mount, and I was installing an EZ Classic mount. The A Frames for the EZ Custom mount plows ranged from 36 - 40" long. The Dodge needed a 34" A Frame. the EZ Custom A Frames were longer because the plow pinned on under and behind the front bumper. The EZ Classic pins on more towards the front. You want the plow to be as close to the truck as possible without hitting the bumper when at full angle. I told the customer with the Dodge we needed to change the A frame, because the truck was a 1500, and having that weight out a few more (6") inches in front of the truck would make a difference in front end sag. I put the old 40" A frame in the bed of the Dodge but when he picked it up, he did not want it. BINGO, problem solved (I hoped).
Problem solved, the plow worked perfectly as designed. Still had to adjust the lights!
We installed new Toggle Switch Controls for the E-47.
SKU: SBSToggles
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As I mentioned, we installed new wiring. We hooked up the plow lights like we
usually do when they are Truck Lite (old style lights). This way it does not
matter if the vehicle headlights are positive ground ,or negative ground, and we
do not have to cut into the original headlight wiring.
How we wire Truck-Lite plow lights
SKU: SBSTLHH
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We use an ON-OFF-On switch. We make "up" high beam, and "down" low beam, center
off.
SKU: ON-OFF-ON-SWITCH
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We use a relay for the high beams, and a second one for the low beams.
SKU: ICE-CUBE
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_____________________________________________________________________________________________________
AUTHORIZED MEYER FULL LINE DISTRIBUTOR
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Smith Brothers
Services, LLC
3212 State Route 94
Suite 9
Franklin, NJ 07416
(973) 209-PLOW
We are open 9 - 5 Eastern Time
M-F
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Author:
Chuck Smith
09/06/2014 13:00:51 PM
Common Misspellings: Meyers, Mayer, Mayers, Myer, Myers, Maier, Maiers, Meijer.