Li'l Red Rides Again

[rusty76]

Really cool truck. I like all the info as well.

[cooperhw]

Originally Posted by Critter

I'm back on track! Guinness just left, they confirmed I set a record for the longest transmission rebuild process in history! It is well documented here but I warn you its a painful read...

http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...d.php?t=580569

Attachment 1370119

It was nice to get it back together and on the road. There is still a laundry list of small things that need to be done, the trans cooler lines leak a little and I might adjust the springs in the valve body eventually. For now though its driveable. My next item of business is to get the V belt Vintage air setup swapped out to multigroove so I can run it on the LSx 6.0. Custom built compressor brackets for the Sanden are in order. Hot weather is just around the corner, even if it is 31 degrees outside as I type this.

Glad to hear you are back at it. At least you didn't throw in the towel. Building a complete project is like getting a degree. Once you get done and have it, it really doesn't matter how long it took to get it.

[Critter]

I've made a little more progress. I had originally planned to work on the A/C now that the trans was finished up but I headed down a different path. The rear axle under the truck is presumably the original. A couple weeks ago I heard something "clink" out from under the truck as I was turning into my shop parking lot and I noticed a vibration. Turns out it was a u joint cap from my NEW driveshaft. After further inspection I realized that one of the cap straps was stretched (actually they both were, but one more than the other) which had allowed a cap to escape. The pinion yoke itself had also broke, the little tab that keeps the caps from moving outward had snapped off. I'm not sure what went first and caused the other one to fail but the yoke and the straps both had issues when it was all said and done. I had another 12 bolt pinion yoke laying around so I threw it on and drove the truck for another week or two but I knew something had to be done. Not to mention the fact that the pinion bearing itself has been sloppy to say the least. I knew it needed to be changed but I guess I had been putting the whole thing off. Enter my buddy Jtrux from here on the forum. He has been doing axle and gear work on the side for a few months now and having great success. He convinced me that now was the time...the truck needed a limited slip of some sort and different gears.

The axle currently had 3.07s and with the overdrive of my 200-4r I barely could get into overdrive. I went back and forth between 3.42s and 3.73s, ended up choosing 3.42s. Also, the crown jewel, we ordered a brand new Eaton posi unit.

THIS ONE

So all this stuff arrived and Jtrux went to work packing it into the stock housing. He also changed out the axle seals and outer bearings. Perhaps most importantly we used a NEW pinion yoke that has the u bolt style cap retainers instead of the strap kind...didn't want to go through the ordeal of stretching one again. Some pics...


the old 3.07s




So PRETTY^^^




New 3.42 set

[Critter]

More pics


Test fitting everything


Here everything is assembled, I skipped a few steps, need to get the assembly pics from Jtrux




Some paint


I know, this is a horrible pic, but it shows I at least got the axle back in the truck

Today I was able to put the gear oil and posi additive in it, bled the brakes, and went on a break in test drive. It drove like a dream! And I'm actually able to get into OD at around 55 mph now instead of the 63 that it was before. Mission accomplished!

[Elliot949]

Originally Posted by Critter

I picked up some electric fans from the local Pic-n-pull. Can't beat $25 for a good set of fans that are almost the exact right size for the 4 core radiator.



Started working on some mounting brackets







Ended up with this

Hey... Question for you... what car did you get the Fan setup out of... That is exactly what I want to do with my Truck... second what would it take to get you to make a set of those brackets for me... Thanks... Dan

[mcbassin]

Looks like an awesome score with the new posi and gears. Where did you buy the posi? and gears? I'd like to the same setup with my truck. I currently run a single leg 3:73. It's great for take off but runs a little higher rpm at 75 mph.
Keep up the good work.

[Justin@EntropyRad]

killer quick build on this thing

[Critter]

Originally Posted by Elliot949

Hey... Question for you... what car did you get the Fan setup out of... That is exactly what I want to do with my Truck... second what would it take to get you to make a set of those brackets for me... Thanks... Dan

2001-2006 Chrysler Sebring. As far as building the brackets, mine were done as a "one-off" fabrication. I would have to pull mine apart to copy a set for you. I'm sure 2-3 hours of labor at least. I would have to charge $120 or more realistically, not sure it's really economical to do it that way, but PM me if you are really set on getting some.

Originally Posted by mcbassin

Looks like an awesome score with the new posi and gears. Where did you buy the posi? and gears? I'd like to the same setup with my truck. I currently run a single leg 3:73. It's great for take off but runs a little higher rpm at 75 mph.
Keep up the good work.

Jtrux gathered everything, I'll let him jump in. Are you running an overdrive trans?

Originally Posted by Justin@EntropyRad

killer quick build on this thing

Thanks, it doesn't seem quick on my end, but it is coming along. Next I will move on to getting the vintage air to work on the LS...then maybe I need to see about getting this thing to be slightly less ugly.

[mcbassin]

Originally Posted by Critter

Jtrux gathered everything, I'll let him jump in. Are you running an overdrive trans?

I have a 4L60E

[Jtrux]

I purchased everything from East Coast Gear Supply. Fast and free shipping plus very good prices.

I'm patiently waiting to be picked up to go do some burnouts....
Posted via Mobile Device

[Critter]

The way the tires are on this thing it probably wouldn't be much of a burn out, more of a blow out. Gonna go easy on it for as long as I can stand. I don't know if I have a full 500 miles worth of easy driving in me, but I'm gonna try.

[Critter]

There's been a setback. The truck started idling and cruising a little rough the past couple weeks not to mention the fuel pump had started to sound a little different. Slightly higher pitched. I got the impression that it was having to work harder than normal to move the fuel. In my mind I assumed the stock style vette filter/regulator I used had started to go bad and was too restrictive or something of that nature. So I pulled the supply line off the back of the homemade fuel tank to drain the system and I immediately see something sticking out of the -8 AN fitting. I pulled it out (it was rolled up tight like a scroll in a "message in a bottle" you would see in a movie) and unrolled it. It was a SHEET of my beautiful POR15 fuel tank liner!




So I took the pre-filter apart and find another big sheet wadded up in there!




The good news is I looked on the inlet of the pump fitting a few inches down the line and I didn't see any remnants of the liner. I'm telling myself none of this material made it into the pump or worse the engine! I don't think any did though. It was getting late the other night when I was doing this so I cleaned everything real well and put it back together. The truck fired right up and ran like it should. That hadn't been the case for the last couple weeks. It had begun to take an extra few rotations to kick off lately. I didn't check the vette filter regulator either. Even though I am sure more is going to come off inside I don't care at this point. The tank was meant to be a temporary fix anyway. It has served its purpose and I am currently drawing up plans for a new shiny aluminum or stainless tank to put in its place along with a new aftermarket style adjustable regulator. More on that in the coming weeks.

The troublesome part of this is that the liner failed. I followed the instructions to a T with this stuff. The metal surface inside was clean and rust free when I poured it in. I did everything it told me to do. I'm not sure if I did misunderstood and did something wrong or if it's just a bad product but the outcome is unacceptable. I will not be using it or any other liner again on a new tank.

[RRR18]

Sucks! I've never done one of these tank reliner job deals before so I can't offer anything. Seen em done on TV and web videos. After seeing this I'll probably always question em now. Glad you found the problem.

[zellway]

Great build. Great info. By any chance do you have the part numbers on the LS2 manifolds?

[1985-GMC]

Nice build! This will be a sweet little truck

[mcbassin]

Bummer about the tank liner coming loose, hopefully you got that sorted out.

[Critter]

I haven't had as much time to work on the truck as I would like. Business at my shop has kept my attention on other peoples project. The truck hasn't been driven much because the pump started whining again after a few miles from when I pulled the liner out and took those pics. I can only assume that all of the liner is coming off inside there. However I have bought all the pieces to build a nice shiny stainless steel tank. I have a full 4x8 sheet sitting here along with some ss tubing and bungs. It's going to be awesome!

[1985-GMC]

A stainless tank Will be sweet! Are you going to tig it?

[Odaroloc]

Awesome!

[Critter]

Yes it will be tig'd. Not by me personally but a guy that works in the shop next to me.

[1985-GMC]

Nice! What shop is it?

[Critter]

Originally Posted by 1985-GMC

Nice! What shop is it?

Mine is Lone Star Dyno. I build custom LS wire harnesses, chassis dyno, tune, LS swaps, etc. I share a building with Elite Performance, they are fabrication, welding, exhaust, turbo work, chassis also. We are just south of the Guadalupe on 281. I think you and I have some mutual friends.

[dfwright]

I don't know how I missed this build! I'm subbed on the K5 build, but missed this one. I always like to see what the local guys are up to.