'65 SWB - The never ending project

[w00dst0ck]

I guess I should make a build thread. Built the truck few years ago, it's changed several times and still never finished.

It started out as a full frame off from a 6 cylinder farm truck I bought from Corbin brothers (they used to paint for Misfits garage) in Dallas in early 2014. It shortly went back up to Dallas, where my buddies at Painless Performance used it as a test mule for the new 64-66 harnesses. So I got a free chassis harness installed. Shortly after the pinion nut backed off and the rear end locked up while I was driving it. So I decided to start the build.

Fast forward to now...

Drivetrain:
Sub 80k mile 5.3
224r cam
PAC springs
All new seals, oil pump etc
ls7 lifters
Holley midrise
Accufab 4150
Caddy air cleaner


Trans:
Built 4l80e
Circle D converter
-6AN lines

Fuel:
Stock tank
Tanks INC bulkhead
DW 300 pump
-6AN lines
Corvetter regulator
Holley rails
36lb Injectors

Suspension
Porterbuilt level 2 rear with c notch
Stock LCA's cupped with 8" ID pipe
2600/2500 bags
KYB shocks
Dloe Valves
1/4 lines
444c's
2x 3 gallon tanks

Brakes:
71-72 CPP kit up front
'98 MC/booster

Electrical:
Painless chassis harness (they used my truck for mocking up their new harnesses so I got it for free and they installed it)
PSI engine harness
Dakota VHX cluster


Interior:
Stock bench reupholstered black leather
High hump conversion
'72 pedal
Removed clutch pedal
Swapped to auto brake pedal
Welded in a stock radio panel

[w00dst0ck]

I took last week off, Converted it to a BBW. I buy/sell them quite often and always end up either selling the BBW's complete or cutting the panels out and selling them. Decided it was time to do it. Bought this complete option custom cab '65 swb fleet (a/c, auto column etc..) for $1500 in Houston, robbed the BBW panel and glass out of it and I'm in the process of parting the rest out. Total time for the BBW swap was probably 4-6 hours. Most of that was cleaning up the BBW panel (they always seem to be in worse shape than the small windows).








Also while I was at it, I tossed in a '67-68 column. I had a '65 column with a '69-72 shaft, so I pulled the shaft and put it in the new auto column. Used a Lokar kit (which took wayy too much work to get working).



Getting ready to toss in the metal floor. Raised around 5".


Finally, I finished installing the Switch hood hinges. Having some issues with them though, hood gaps are fine when it's closed without the gas struts, yet with them installed, the hood is raised about 3/4" on the passenger side.

[w00dst0ck]

LCA's I'm planning on installing in a few days. Just picked them up from the powdercoater. I had built them for her '72 burban, but I'm going to toss them on the '65, then just make another set from the lowers on the '65 right now for hers.

[Captainfab]

Are your coils mounted on the back of the engine?

[w00dst0ck]

Originally Posted by Captainfab

Are your coils mounted on the back of the engine?

Yes sir. I robbed some ls2 coils off a gen 4 4.8 I had. I used sbc 350 wire holders and my buddy built me some aluminum brackets on his CNC, which line up perfectly on the LS Heads. I initially had them bolted to the old perimeter valve covers with adapters, but I couldn’t get them to stop leaking so I threw them away and needed a way to mount them to the heads.
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[UKNOWME]

Can you shed some more light on your Accufab TB? How does all that work with the LS swap and does it still use a MAF? I’ve been wanting to do an old school breather on one of my trucks.

[w00dst0ck]

No, uses SD. I don't think it would work with a MAF unless you did an elbow and put it somewhere in line, but it would have to be a pretty big reduction because it's a standard carburetor size.

[UKNOWME]

Originally Posted by w00dst0ck

No, uses SD. I don't think it would work with a MAF unless you did an elbow and put it somewhere in line, but it would have to be a pretty big reduction because it's a standard carburetor size.

SD?
So it it basically like using and LS motor with a carb intake and then converting that to throttle body?

[UKNOWME]

Originally Posted by UKNOWME

SD?
So it it basically like using and LS motor with a carb intake and then converting that to throttle body?

Speed Density. Figured it out. Gonna have to research that. Doe you still have a PCM?

[w00dst0ck]

Originally Posted by UKNOWME

Speed Density. Figured it out. Gonna have to research that. Doe you still have a PCM?

It's as simple as installing an IAT sensor in the base plate of the air cleaner, removing the 2 pins from the MAF (if it's a 5 pin truck harness) and wiring them to the IAT. Then it's just tuning.

A good SD tune should be nearly identical to a MAF tune. Everything remains the same unless you do an open loop SD tune then you can lose the front o2's as well. I let people a lot smarter than me do the tuning, but I have HPtuners and I'm comfortable doing all the novice stuff. You can really mess some **** up once you start adjusting tables.

Yes, stock PCM. I have used stock PCM's in all my builds. Never made enough power to really need a Holley, so I sold it. And while microsquirt looks really awesome, I'm just really familiar with the stock PCM's/wiring. Just preference really.

[w00dst0ck]

Went to swap LCA's this weekend with the new cupped LCA's. What a nightmare. Forgot that my drop spindles use 73-87 ball joints, so I essentially got them installed then realized I pressed in the wrong joints.

Ran up to Oreilly's, bought some (2x the price of Moog on Amazon -I'll return the Amazon joints to Oreilly's when they get here tomorrow lol). Couldn't get the shaft on my passenger side to line up with the dimple, so I had to bolt it up complete, then lower it to move the shaft (too stiff). I assembled the shafts off the truck this time to make it easier.

The cups needed to ideally be 1/4-1/2" more towards the shock mount, as the bag wants to be towards the outboard/rear portion of the LCA. Didn't anticipate this, I just built them in the same area that I've seen many others do. They're powdercoated, so now I need to flap disc the top part of the cup so it doesn't tear the bag. Only other fix would be to build another set, which I'm going to do for her '72 Burban. I might do a box style cup for that set.

I did end up getting it back together. Gained just shy of 2" removing the bolt on cups and stock LCA's. Front tires now sit on the cab, and there's no way to get any lower without moving the front wheels forward. Measured around 23" fender opening to ground.

It feels like it rides much better. I can now have around 65-70psi in them and be at the same height as 50-55psi. I was talking to Travis at Pro Performance about it, as the truck rode like **** before. He said to take some air out, but it's pretty clear more air made it ride better, not less.

[w00dst0ck]

Speed Density. It's not as responsive as MAF, and when you get into bigger cams it's harder to tune (because they don't build as much vacuum). But all my turbo LS stuff has been speed density, and the average person wouldn't be able to tell the difference. Basically it's just more time consuming tuning them. They're also more responsive to temperature change, as you need to tune based on the temperature at the motor, as opposed to a MAF which can be pretty much anywhere.

[UKNOWME]

Thanks for all the info! Maybe I can make something work someday soon!