Danny Boy is BAACK! w/ '55 Big Window

[Kim57]

Your truck came out great.
Hope you get years of enjoyment out of it.
Kim

[oldman3]

Dan, truck is beautiful and the wheels fit the look of the truck. LS engines do run to what we call hot, but normal for them. Heck my old V6 Blazer ran 215 from day one brand new. Enjoy the truck, hope the oil thing was just a clitch...Jim

[Rickysnickers]

Very nice Dan! Not used to seeing an engine ran that warm. I din't know that 225 was normal for the newer engines.

[Dan in Pasadena]

Thanks you guys. I feel a little better having other people tell me that the LS engines tend to run hot by old-fashioned SBC standards. Once it got over one 180-190 I was getting concerned.

[dsraven]

here is a good blurb on the cooling system. I know it is talking like the reader is a first timer but it does have some good info on how the lS engine cooling system works. the thermostat is on the coolant return hose but senses engine temp so you need to have things hooked up correctly to sense properly. heater hoses factor into the system.

https://www.pirate4x4.com/tech/billavista/Cooling/

[Dan in Pasadena]

Good article, dsraven. I havent read the entire thing yet but I read enough to ask some questions about the steam ports on my heads being capped.

What I didn’t see was any statement or explanation that LS engines tend to run hotter than SBC/BBC’s. MAybe I missed it.

Any just because I’m giddy about my truck being home I took some pics of it in the same place where it was when it was in it’s shop truck look. What a huge difference. I think I still like looks of the old Torq Thrust knock offs better.

EDIT: Looks like I need to park it a little further back and take the shot from the sidewalk to truly get comparable pictures.

[bobinbc]

Looks great Dan. That red is juicy! Getting the bugs out can be scary (no oil pressure yikes!) but is just part of it, glad there was no damage and just a gauge glitch.

[MIKESAD50]

Dan, truck looks really great. LS along with most newer vehicles run "hot" but that is normal for newer engines. hope the Oil PSI issue is just a electrical problem. Enjoy driving it.

[Dan in Pasadena]

Yesterday Mike loaned me an old fashioned manual oil pressure gauge with plastic tube that carries the oil to the gauge instead of using an electronic sensor. I’ll hook it up and drive it around awhile - assuming it shows normal pressure. The warning went off after a couple miles and reaching full temperature.

I want to make sure the pressure “failure” (IF there really is one) isn’t real but intermittent.

Also, there’s a whole calibration process for the DD HDX cluster I haven’t done yet. Cluster says Speedo & fuel gauge require calibration. Maybe more things get calibrated in the process too.

[Black_Sheep]

Your truck looks amazing Dan! There's bound to be some bugs to sort out on such an extensive build, just keep after it and before you know it the truck will be done.

[Dan in Pasadena]

FYI - I put these little green felt dots between my tailgate and bedsides to hopefully prevent marring the new paint. You don’t see them when it’s closed. I have some thicker white ones I may use if these aren’t effective.

The blue tape holding chains up was just temporary to get her home without scratches. I slid some tight fitting “roadie” bicycle tubes over the chains temporarily as I’ll have some guards sewn up to match the upholstery later. Clear tubing looks good but I've always seen it turn cloudy or yellow. But I may reconsider.

[Black_Sheep]

Dan you can get clear self-adhesive bumpers dirt cheap for the tail gate, they are commonly used on cupboards and cabinets. They would probably do a better job than the felt pads.

https://www.wwhardware.com/3m-clear-...0%7C%20%240.81

[dsraven]

black sheep, good call on the clear rubber bumpers. I was thinking of one of the door stop bumpers because they push into a hole and would stay in place well, that would require a hole though. the clear cupboard door style are also self adhesive so they stick pretty good. different sizes as well, diameter and height. I would say maybe stick a clear dot over the bump area where they contact the other body part as well, like the protection stuff they use on hoods etc. anybody that installs that would probably be able to give you a little piece of scrap.
love the color. looks wet all the time

[dsraven]

Dan, what size tires are you running?

[Dan in Pasadena]

Tires are 235/55x17's

The green dots are kitchen cabinet project leftovers. I felt (no pun intended) I had to put SOMETHING in immediately to avoid wear/chips. I have thicker white ones but agree the clear would look best - though no one will really ever see them.

OTHER THOUGHTS:
I need to get over to AAA today to renew the registration.
I have new inside door handles & window cranks and of course I couldn't find them, DOH!
I also am missing the glove box door lock retainer thingy. There are probably a few other things so there's another trip to The Car and Truck Shop.


But before everything else I have to determine if there's really an oil pressure issue. I'll make a run at that tonight when I get home from work.

[dsraven]

there is a cover/plate on the side of the oil pan, above the oil filter, held on with 2 bolts ,called the oil cooler block off plate, that can be used to tie in an oil pressure fitting to supply a guage. the plate is easily removed, drilled and tapped for whatever thread you want (within reason). a small copper line would be better than a plastic line in this case because the plastic may end up touching the exhaust. fire hazard, leak to clean up at least.
check this link for a pic of the oil pan with the cover attached above the filter. mayber easier than getting to your oil sender behind the intake manifold. there are also predrilled/tapped covers sold as well

https://ls1tech.com/forums/conversio...-oil-pans.html

https://paceperformance.com/i-814627...eaded-cap.html

https://ls1tech.com/forums/generatio...off-plate.html

http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...d.php?t=493630

[dsraven]

Danny boy,
thanks for the tire size, it's the same as what I had planned to run. I was curious what the rpm would be like at freeway speeds with that size tire and 3.73 gears. I found my link to the calculator so no worries. what diff ratio are you running, just out of curiousity?

[Nut Case]

Dan

Fandamtastic !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Unfiltered thought: use the port that has been suggested to check oil pressure, and use copper for the line, and then add an engine oil cooler to help with the higher temps.

I'm with you cooler is better. Just a thought

Keep on keepin on

NC

[dsraven]

some engine temp info here. a good reliable gage would be a bonus as would a second sensor in the other head if you worry about it. steam ports connected properly may also help. like nut case says, an oil cooler would be a bonus as well.

[BAM55]

Truck is looking great.

[Dan in Pasadena]

3.73’s!

It had much lower (numerical) ratio but I thought it would be a dog with a ratio in the high 2.00’s. Switched them out

[Dan in Pasadena]

Happy Halloween gentlemen.

I stopped by Mike’s last night. He and one of the guys that did a lot of the work on my truck were saying the sensor at the top rear center of my engine is 1 of 2. The top one is connected to the Holley computer. The one sending a signal to the HDX is on the driver side of the oil pan.

Thanks to dsraven for the links to the pictures I am posting below. On my engine they drilled and threaded the factory indent on the cover and it looks exactly like the ones in these pics.

The obvious thing is to swap out the sensor on the pan. But I can connect the manual S&W gauge I borrowed from Mike to that location, drive around a bit to make SURE there is no intermittent oil pressure issue - though Mike says it’s impossible to have an “intermittent” issue on an LS and is almost certainly a sensor issue.

He explained/showed me that the LS oil pump drive is directly off the front of the crank. It reminds me of a “Wankel” style eccentric pump with no sacrificial breakable part like the plastic/phenolic connector on an SBC/BBC engine. The only way the oil pump can fail catastrophically is if the engine seizes. Otherwise he says the oil pressure would go away slowly like if a cam bearing were wearing out fast. I’d notice 5 or 10 psi lower pressure after drive.

Also, again he mentioned the valve train will make noticeable clatter the moment it has low oil. I heard none of that when the issue happened and also my transmission cover was off and my windows open when happened at low speed so I would have heard. I WAS listening for any odd noises too; it was the first longish drive.

Last, I asked him if the computer would shut off the engine if it’s sensor detected no/low oil pressure? He said it would not.

[dsraven]

the ls engines have an issue with the oil pump pick up tube where it goes into the oil pump. the "O" ring can leak air if it is not sealing like it should. this would be on a used engine more so than a rebuilt engine due to the "O" ring getting hard over time but still possible. it is, as said, likely a sensor issue. the manual check should tell you. maybe a good idea to keep the guage in there for a bit just to make sure it's all good.
what I have done in the past, on offroad buggies and large equipment or vehicles where there is a lot of noise etc, is hook up a low oil pressure switch to a large light in the cab, like the "idiot lights" that a lot of cars have but something huge and in your face, so when the oil pressure drops or goes away the light comes on to draw your attention to the dash. not too many people are driving around with their eyes glued to the cluster so low oil pressure could be going on for a bit before you know it. the light could be connected to something discreet, like a loud buzzer in the fuse panel even, so the dash stays nice and clean looking but whatever you connect it to would get your attention for sure.
one thing to ask would be if the fuel pump is connected to a low oil pressure switch so the fuel would get cut off under these circumstances. some have that and some don't. good idea though. gm did that way back in the 70's when the electric fuel pumps were becoming more common. I remember having a 72 chevy vega that had an in tank electric pump which was controlled by the oil pressure switch (yep, a v8 vega guy back in the day).
anyway, just some thoughts.

[dsraven]

the sensor on the oil pan is likely connected to that oil cooler block off plate. you could easily install a "T" fitting there and run the sensor and the oil line to the manual guage. like said, use a copper line from there up to the guage or at least past the engine and exhaust heat. I know a nice stainless braid hose looks great under the hood but they are usually teflon or plastic/nylon tubing inside the braid. not that great with high heat. make sure to use some clamps on the tubing to keep it from vibrating because the copper can develop cracks next to the fittings from work hardening of the copper.
I have often thought a small manual guage installed in the glove box temporarily (or not) or somewhere out of sight would be good to have for situations like this. if you have a low oil pressure indicated on the cluster you could simply open the glove box for a look at reality the old fashioned way, analog.
keep us posted on how it all works out

[Black_Sheep]

I would call the manufacturer and ask for tech support. Chances are they have seen this issue before and can suggest some checks to drill down on the problem.

You could also install a T fitting and add a temporary mechanical gauge so you can monitor them both. Then you would know if it’s the gauge or the engine.

I’m guessing it’s something simple like the sender or a bad connection