Re: Crusty Rusty Leaky Squeaky 67 Step
 

I'd venture to say the 6.2 430HP.... But i could be wrong.... :)

Still got to peg that alignment problem tho, frame or???

Re: Crusty Rusty Leaky Squeaky 67 Step
 

Wow! I knew you were getting some upgrades but you aren't messing around.

Re: Crusty Rusty Leaky Squeaky 67 Step
 

I figured the 430hp version was enough for me. The 480hp with a different cam was like $800 more and the 525hp was a couple of grand more. I'll probably need Depends as it is. ;)

Re: Crusty Rusty Leaky Squeaky 67 Step
 

Awesome news, Congratulations!

Re: Crusty Rusty Leaky Squeaky 67 Step
 

hat's gonna be a wild ride Vic!!!
Ben
:metal:

Re: Crusty Rusty Leaky Squeaky 67 Step
 

Great choice!

Re: Crusty Rusty Leaky Squeaky 67 Step
 

Therrre's a surprise. ;)

Good luck with the build up, looking forward to more super-sano Vic-work...

Re: Crusty Rusty Leaky Squeaky 67 Step
 

Man-Oh-Man... This guy...

I think the posi unit I put in mine might be the thing I'm most excited about. Besides the new engine, new trans, new suspension, New wheels and tires, custom hood and all that body and frame work you have done Im willing to bet it will be yours too.... :smoke:

Re: Crusty Rusty Leaky Squeaky 67 Step
 

The gov-lock I previously installed was at best a compromise so I'm sure this new one will remove any worries about shelling the center section. I love watching RoadKill, but I don't want to BE roadkill. ;)

Scott came over yesterday and helped me lift the body back off of the frame. After he left I got the exhaust and the drivetrain out of the chassis. Doesn't take long to fill up the workshop. I have a couple of guys that have expressed an interest in the engine/trans, so I need to follow up with them. If they take a pass, it's going on Craigslist. The tracking info for the LS package is a bit confusing. It shows it departing the same terminal twice, on the 16th and the 18th. it's estimated to arrive at the destination terminal on Tuesday so that's what I'm planning for.

On another note, the more I look at the cab, the bed and the frame the less I believe the problem is with the frame. I just can't see an obvious place where the frame could be bent. Looking at the bed and the cab with a fresh set of eyes, however, I see some places that when added together, may be contributing to the problem with the gap. To eliminate the frame as the cause, I'll still need to have it checked, but I'm thinking it may be a time/money waster. It's supposed to rain for the next few days, so it will be awhile before I have any answers.

Re: Crusty Rusty Leaky Squeaky 67 Step
 

Vic, I'm excited to see this Ls transplant. With your skill and craftsmanship it will be sweet!!!!

Re: Crusty Rusty Leaky Squeaky 67 Step
 

Thanks, Jason, but before dropping in the LS, I have to get the body/frame issue settled. I may have stumbled across the root cause this afternoon. Chip, (LowElco) called and offered to loan me his bed dolly and while we were talking, he suggested some checks I could run to get an idea of whether the frame was out of whack. It suddenly dawned on me that I had a Strait Line Laser I'd gotten years ago for Christmas. Thinking it might be useful, I dug it out and put a fresh set of batteries in it. After setting it up at the rearmost bed holes and sighting thru the front ones, I had a 'holy crap" moment. You may be able to see from the photos that the intersection points at the front are off by quite a bit. And if I'm visualizing correctly, tweaking the frame to get it straight should go a long way toward fixing the bed/cab gap problem. If this turns out to be the problem, I'm really surprised the frame shop I went to originally didn't catch it.

Re: Crusty Rusty Leaky Squeaky 67 Step
 

Wholly crap... I don't see how they missed that

Re: Crusty Rusty Leaky Squeaky 67 Step
 

Is there any way you can pull some diagonal measurements to see if it's square or not?

Re: Crusty Rusty Leaky Squeaky 67 Step
 

Many moons ago, B-I-L Rick and I noticed the frame didn't look right and the tape confirmed it wasn't square so we took it to the frame shop to have the diamond pulled out. We checked the diagonal measurements when it returned from the frame shop originally and they looked good. Just really surprises me they missed this. I have so much time invested in the mods for the bags, etc. I really hate to start over. Might be for the best though, if the truck's this far out, no telling how structurally sound it would be after the pulls needed to get it all back to spec.

Re: Crusty Rusty Leaky Squeaky 67 Step
 

The frame shop that did the work will have to stand by their work if they are worth their salt, if you tell the manager how disappointed you are with the work they did and that you expect that it be made right they can only tell you two things, yes we will or no we won't.
If they won't stand by their work then IMO you should scrap that frame and get a different one because that thing is borked man and it's entirely possible that it may never be right again no matter how much work someone puts into it.
I'm pulling for you Vic and I know you will work it out.

Re: Crusty Rusty Leaky Squeaky 67 Step
 

AH-HA! Glad you found something. As long as they don't heat it bad, I'd think it'd be ok, I might put a bead on the crossmembers to set them solid when I got it back.

Re: Crusty Rusty Leaky Squeaky 67 Step
 

More cool tools I spy... Interesting dilemma. I recall seeing some old frame drawings with some dims on them outta the factory assembly manuals. When I did my SWB conversion I was looking for 67-72 but could only find 60-66. Wonder if someone out there has those drawings and if they might provide some reference?

Re: Crusty Rusty Leaky Squeaky 67 Step
 

Thanks for the suggestion, John. My factory assembly manual is borderline useless. Thick as War & Peace, has no index and precious few page numbers. It's always painful to search.

The Chassis Service Manual on the other hand, has a whole section on the frame and shows the reference points and measurements. Might be a good idea to make copies of those pages and take them with me to the frame shop. ;)

Re: Crusty Rusty Leaky Squeaky 67 Step
 

I knew that you, if anyone, would straighten it out. (badoom-boom!)

I am gonna miss the cream engine...

Re: Crusty Rusty Leaky Squeaky 67 Step
 

Me too. Lotsa hours in that puppy. I may have to sit on it awhile as most of the buyers on the KC Craigslist are looking for bargain basement deals. ;)

Picked up the new LS3 C&C today. It's resting comfortably in the workshop...

Re: Crusty Rusty Leaky Squeaky 67 Step
 

The box in the driveway reminds me of a kid on Christmas morning. Nice buy there Vic, congrats! We know you won't settle on plug-n-play. Can't wait to see what twists you put on this and all the gizmos that go with. Ahhh, the wiring to come.

Re: Crusty Rusty Leaky Squeaky 67 Step
 

:metal: Nice Vic!

Re: Crusty Rusty Leaky Squeaky 67 Step
 

SWEET!!!! You received it pretty quick too:metal:

Re: Crusty Rusty Leaky Squeaky 67 Step
 

I'm interested to see how you like the CCP show stopper hydra boost. You have leaning toward this setup over just running the manual disc I really have no knowledge of either one just going off what everone says about the stopping ability of the hydro setup

Re: Crusty Rusty Leaky Squeaky 67 Step
 

I had one on my '57 Ford, but it came from another company. Once I got the right bolt pattern and a couple of other issues sorted out, it worked great. So much so, that I sold the vacuum booster I'd prepped for CRLS and bought the CPP hydra-stop unit. I'm not sure how the various companies source the booster unit. I've heard they're no longer in production and what you get is a unit rebuilt to factory specs. But I could be wrong about that. Nonetheless, the one I had on the Ford was like night and day. Before the hydra-boost, I had to stand on the brakes and leave extra room between me and the vehicle ahead. Afterwards, the braking was powerful and smooth. One thing to look out for, though... the before and after line pressure goes from maybe 600-800psi to as much as 1800 psi. It will find every single potential leak in the system, believe me. ;)

Re: Crusty Rusty Leaky Squeaky 67 Step
 

Love the new motor Vic! :metal:
bummer about the frame though :(

Re: Crusty Rusty Leaky Squeaky 67 Step
 

Fun in a crate!

Re: Crusty Rusty Leaky Squeaky 67 Step
 

Not much going on while waiting for the frame shop to call. I decided to seek assistance from my go-to guys at Precision Collision. They have the laser guided, heat seeking, double throw down frame rack... and they're close to the house. I figured there was no point asking for warranty work on a three year old job anyway, so I'll start over with a more thorough set of specs. Meanwhile, I've been doing some research and ordering a few parts to make all this work in CRLS. A couple of things came up WRT the fuel system and I'm not 100% sure I know the right answers.

One question relates to the fuel pump. Boyd's in tank pump is an Aeromotive 340 Stealth unit, PN: 1114_. Aeromotive also sells a 340 Stealth in tank pump that looks identical but has a PN of 1154_. I'd like to buy just the pump kit and fabricate my own installation, but can't decide which to get. The 1114_ pumps are about $50 more than the 1154_ series. One thing the research has turned up is that some pumps are not meant for multi port applications. I can't determine if this is the case with the two Aeromotive versions. Some are also rated for E85 but I don't think that's a factor for me either way. Looks to me like any 340lph, 90psi in-tank pump would suffice. Am I missing something?

The other dealio is the LS filter/regulator. Some guys mount it in back near the tank to keep the return line short. However, I'm wondering about the pressure drop by the time the fuel gets to the injectors. The regulator isn't electronically controlled and is preset to 60psi. Don't know what psi the injectors need to see from the fuel rails to do their job (even under hard acceleration) but I'm guessing it's a lot less than 60. Seems like if it mattered where the regulator is mounted, someone would have shouted it out.

Anyway, I went ahead and ordered the CTS-V pan and install kit since it seemed the most cost effective solution for a lowered truck. No way the Camaro pan that's on the engine can be made to work unless I hack it to pieces. I think the Camaro exhaust manifolds will fit. I plan to reengineer the exhaust system to fit it up higher in the chassis like John did. The manifolds should help out with that. CPP sheet metal mounts and sliders are on the way. So as soon as I get the frame straight, I should be able to start mocking up some parts. Still no word on when the brakes and 5-lug setup will ship.

Re: Crusty Rusty Leaky Squeaky 67 Step
 

When a re you suppose to get the truck back from the frame shop... may have to talk to you about you other engine for my grandsons truck

Re: Crusty Rusty Leaky Squeaky 67 Step
 

Hey, Dan. The guys at Precision said they hoped to get it on the rack the first part of this week coming up. I reckon it shouldn't be more than a day or two, but I'd rather them take their time and check each of the reference points listed in the chassis service manual and get them into spec. PM me on the engine if you decide to go that route.

Re: Crusty Rusty Leaky Squeaky 67 Step
 

Even when you got nothing going on you got something going on :)

Re: Crusty Rusty Leaky Squeaky 67 Step
 

There is a constant in the stock ECM to account for the fuel pressure drop, over RPM I believe it was, in the systems with "no return". Trucks had a return, so if you're running the truck tune and no return, that needs to be addressed.
The Gen IV and up do it with PWM to the fuel pump, so the pump only runs when needed, or only as much as needed to maintain the pressure

Re: Crusty Rusty Leaky Squeaky 67 Step
 

Thanks for the input! The GM regulator/filter has a return port so I'll plumb it into the tank. Sounds like tune for the LS3 C&C crate motor is Camaro SS or Corvette based so I reckon it will handle the fuel pump as needed.

Still no word from the frame shop, so I've been gathering up parts to complete the swap. The CTS-V oil pan and kit arrived and looks like it will provide plenty of clearance for the cross member. I removed the manifolds, fuel rails and sound cover from the engine. I plan to paint the sound cover and the rail covers to match the truck color.

Speaking of painting... I made the third trip in the last four months to yet another cornea specialist who advised me to STOP doing paint and body work, welding and grinding or anything that would irritate my eyes, especially the right one. The growths over the iris are so severe, the doctors feel it's too risky to remove them surgically. That only leaves the option of trying to maintain the vision I have left. So I'm researching full face respirators with the corrective spectacle kit. I can use it for paint and body, but still not sure what I can do for welding. I know they have supplied air kits for welding helmets so I'll be looking at them also. Pretty sure Speedglas offers a model, but I need something full face to keep the fumes away from the eyes. This wasn't a budget item before, but it is now. ;)

Re: Crusty Rusty Leaky Squeaky 67 Step
 

Did you get the complete C&C kit (motor/tranny/wiring harness/ECM)? If so, the tune should already account for FPR. The stealth pump should provide more than adequate pressure to minimize any variations in the fuel pressure due to the distance of the FPR from the fuel rails. If you were wanting to go with BIG HP, I would recommend installing a return style fuel system with the FPR close to the rails. Let me know if you need any help with the tune, I've played around with the LS3 a little, :D.

Re: Crusty Rusty Leaky Squeaky 67 Step
 

Yes, I got the complete kit. I can't tell you how much I appreciate the offer of assistance. I'm an old school guy with a few computer skills, but this is all new territory for me. My goal with this project is a driver that will pull an Airstream or ultra light travel trailer. The stock HP will probably be more than enough for my needs, but even if I tweaked it somewhat, it wouldn't be for big numbers. Thanks!

Re: Crusty Rusty Leaky Squeaky 67 Step
 

BTW, I love the look of your setup!

Re: Crusty Rusty Leaky Squeaky 67 Step
 

Vic if you need anything done all you have to do is call me.

Re: Crusty Rusty Leaky Squeaky 67 Step
 

Hey Vic, when you get that Ls in there and tuned you might have to reinforce the tongue on that travel trailer:lol:

Re: Crusty Rusty Leaky Squeaky 67 Step
 

You know I will, Scott. Thanks.

:metal:

Re: Crusty Rusty Leaky Squeaky 67 Step
 

Okay, my BIL Rick has been here from Seattle for most of the week and between fishing, eating chips and salsa and drinking beer, we did get a few things done on CRLS. First off, we setup a string line from the front of the frame to the rear and verified what the laser was saying. The advantage of using the string line was that we were able to determine a bit more accurately where the bend in the frame starts (right around the trans x-member). By the time you get to the front frame horns, the spec says you should have 14" from the frame to the C/L. We had slightly over 15" on one side and less than 13" on the other. So I'm confident the frame is tweaked, even though it has no obvious buckled spot.

Precision Collision is still backed up on their frame rack, so I took a chance and went back to the local shop that did the work originally. Took my pictures and described to the owner what was happening. After I finished, he said the reason they no longer work on this model truck is that no matter what they do to the frame, the body panels never fit correctly. He swore that when the frame left his shop they would have checked all the factory measurements, so he had no idea how it could be in this condition. He did soften up a bit eventually, but said the earliest he could have another look at it would be the middle of June. So I'm now heading in another direction. Scott put me in touch with a stock car buddy of his. He's getting the contact info for the guy (Mike) that does a lot of frame work for those cars around this area. Assuming I can get a place in line, I'll see if he can put this issue to rest.

Meanwhile, we cranked out the Aeromotive in-tank fuel pump mount. Started with some aluminum angle and fit it into the block off plate that came with the Boyd's tank. I used AN bulkhead fittings for the pressure and return lines. The wiring feed-through is a brass compression union that I modified on the lathe and potted with JB Weld where the wires feed through. Voila! I now have a 340 lph, 90 psi pump for under $150. We ended up switching the fuel line to the driver side since the LS3 fuel rails connect on that side. Mounted the regulator/filter to the angled cross member which kept the return line short.

While Rick was here, he also helped me repair my ancient Craftsman air compressor. The tank was leaking a tiny amount from the weld around the drain bung. Looked like an automated wire feed weld and right at the start/finish overlap there must have been a tiny inclusion caused by an impurity. Over time, the pressure and corrosion opened up a tiny little pinhole that would weep an occasional drop of water. Rick removed all the hardware and we laid the tank on it's side, cleaned the area and then welded up the pinhole. Good as new!