47-55.1 Project "Bickle" 1948 1/2 ton 4.3 4l60e

[Tempest67]

OK Thanks, that is what I thought

as long as the rubber gasket has no holes, where is the water going to go??


Thanks again

[joedoh]

thanks robert and jim.

jim, thats my wall of shame, 6 design iterations for the pedal bracket and my first set of mounts cut with the wrong bushing size. I like to stare at my shortcomings, keeps my hubris in check.

I have gotten a lot done, but I am tired, I will update later.

[joedoh]

ok, so I missed my deadline but like a spoiled brat I have MANY EXCUSES.

the first is the title work on the new place popped into place and we got a 24hr notice of closing.




next, I was tired of fiddling with the drivers door, the fit was AWFUL, it kept grabbing the front edge of the door and it was in the jamb really crooked. I guess if someone banged me around for 20-30 years I wouldnt fit really well either. I suspected my repaired upper hinge was part of the problem so I visited the shop and stole a hinge off the next truck "BAM"



and found a door in the pile that looked ok



with those parts it fit and shut better than a weeks worth of fiddling with the other door.



but it didnt match really well so I scritched and scratched and used some young rodder tips and some new tips I will share later and made it look pretty close. even the red dot!



I need to switch over the glass and new felts, good thing I didnt glue em in!


more in the next post

[joedoh]

with that done I started on the other finish work I had been neglecting for literally 4 days.

wipers in!



drilled out the overhead light for one of the marker light bulbs I cut off the harness, waste not want not!



all I had was the amber bulb but I dunno, I think I will leave it, I bet with the gold interior it will look great.



with the bulb in I needed the door pin, I used 8man roberts location and it worked grrrrrrrrrreat. notice all the dirt on the running board from literally beating the stuffing out of the crappy door for a week.



and with the lights wired it was time for the headliner.




I am circling the field, just odds and ends left! well and the seat, he is being slow for some reason.

[OutlawDrifter]

Russ, it's looking really good! You're in the short rows now.

Also reminded me I need to get my dome light going...

[NorCalGal]

I love it, just go out back grab another door and give it a try. Bawda bing...Bawda boom!

[youngrodder]

The color match/distress looks good. I have converted my dome lights to LED. I can take some pics. It cheap and easy. I did it on my last build and followed suit on Family Truckster. They are bright white tho not amber.

Marc

[oldman3]

Russ, nice job on the door, looks great with the rest of cab...Jim

[8man]

Congrats on the new place. Good idea on the dome light. I was wondering what had been done.

[joedoh]

thanks guys (and gal), I sure have been milking this one. want it right though.


put in the dolphin gauges, I used the factory speedo pulse wire, its goo a nice setup where you drive a mile to calibrate. if only!

first I had to battle the oil pressure sender. the factory location is under the distributor and I saw no reason to go somewhere else, but there are fuel lines and the distributor to avoid. I found the sender port slightly loose! that was my oil leak I couldnt find on the drivers side head, the valve cover gasket was ok.

this was fun on a bun to get down there, basically lay across the top of the engine compartment legs all akimbo sticking out the front, reaching straight down. miserable. next time I plan gauges with the cab OFF.



but while I was in there messing around I thought I would go ahead and break the evap purge solenoid, you know, for funsies.




$40 later (17 on rock auto but who has time to wait?) it started and ran, everything reads correctly



the fuel gauge is actually right, its almost out of gas, remember I got it slap empty and so I need to put more than a gallon or two in it. I used an interface box to match the ohms of the stock sender to what the dolphin set was looking for and it worked great. the coolant sender is in the heater core inlet line, to get a pure reading that way (on the outlet it would be cooler).

I cut the lens of the stock gauges to fit the dash better and I think they will fit above the brake pedal bracket, at least that is where I have the wiring run, hope I dont need to move it.

still considering dropping the front a couple inches. if I get the interior buttoned up and the seat isnt done yet, I might.

[twinshadows]

So, here's my dumb question ?

Wamego - con2r gauges , and looked really good ; but mounted from the backside . I did think they ' lit - up good ' . . . .

Bickle - dolphin gauges , they look very cool and I can see the dash lights in u'r picture .

Then, I like either set - - -
con2r = 140 mph speedo ; dolphin = 120 mph speedo . . . ugh
plus - the con2r , looked to have a 'Tach' included'
I know it's early , but , any 'feedback' , so far as mounting / or /
wiring. ? compare =
Both sets Look really good mounted in the stock dash .

Way back when - - - - for my IH stock 6-volt gauges ; I just swapped
over to the IH - Scout gauges (in the older days = 1976) , and kelp
driving ; they filled the dash holes and worked for me .

. . . looking good , jim

[joedoh]

con2rs look amazing, i love how they dont need an adapter ring like most other aftermarkets do. (even the dakota digital with the quad gauge has the adapter ring built in, why? the VHX dont) but they are 1200 smackers with shipping, and still require all the rewiring, and dont come with any senders. really pretty, but like other really pretty things, really expensive. they didnt really raise the asking/selling price on that truck either.

the dolphins are about $400 all in with the ohm changer. come with senders. no tach and use adapter rings. was a last minute choice for me, so I didnt get sidetracked building the gauges like on a couple other trucks. cheap, but there, better than on kechi with nothing.

The dakota digital can use the OBDII port, which I like too, except the oil pressure still needs a new sender. pricer than even the con2rs with the obdii box, but has a PRNDL (if you have a late model obdII)

I will use them all, eventually, for me its about finding the most efficient way. even the dolphins work exactly as intended and look good in the dash, that goes a long way especially with a 1/3rd asking price. getting good at wiring these different systems. one last thing about the con2r, the tach side did not fit the dash without shortening the cap to clear the wiper motor. I called to tell them it didnt fit and they said quote "yes it does". I ended up shortening the back cap by two inches before it would fit. no it didnt.

[VoyagerXll]

I have enjoyed reading and learning from your projects that deal with S10 and AD Chevy frame swaps. I too am working on a frame swap, but not a Chevy. My project is a 1950 4X4 Willys truck going on a 2000 extended. The bad part of this story is that the S10 engine and transmission are very tired. Slipping tranny and engine guzzling oil.
I have a 1994 4X4 K1500 whose body is nearly rusted off. The engine and the transmission were replaced 8 years ago. The engine and transmission now have less than 40,000 miles. My question for you is. Will the engine mounts from the 2000 4.3 work on the 1994 4.3? I assume they will, but there are times when knowledge is better than assumptions. The 1994 is used very little so I am hoping that this is a doable swap. I plan on using the 1994 electronics

Keep up the good work, I look forward to each new page you post.

Stan from Nebraska

[28TudorAZ]

Looking great. Love the headliner. You honestly cannot go wrong with that. You cant beat the gauges for the price.

[joedoh]

thanks tudor!

Originally Posted by VoyagerXll

I have enjoyed reading and learning from your projects that deal with S10 and AD Chevy frame swaps. I too am working on a frame swap, but not a Chevy. My project is a 1950 4X4 Willys truck going on a 2000 extended. The bad part of this story is that the S10 engine and transmission are very tired. Slipping tranny and engine guzzling oil.
I have a 1994 4X4 K1500 whose body is nearly rusted off. The engine and the transmission were replaced 8 years ago. The engine and transmission now have less than 40,000 miles. My question for you is. Will the engine mounts from the 2000 4.3 work on the 1994 4.3? I assume they will, but there are times when knowledge is better than assumptions. The 1994 is used very little so I am hoping that this is a doable swap. I plan on using the 1994 electronics

Keep up the good work, I look forward to each new page you post.

Stan from Nebraska

they will work, but 2000 mounts are clamshells and I have a bit of a runniing joke with jim about how all the clamshells I take off are already broken.

the std anchor (brand) mounts for 60s/70s v8 cars work fine on the 4.3, bolt right up, cost about 10 bucks each local and half that ordered in, but you will need new frame side mounts. I just say 70 chevelle with a v8 and they get the right ones.

I havent done a willys but I will bet you will need to move the motor back about 8-10 inches so you will need new frame side mounts anyway. I bolt up a jig with 1/2" black pipe (7/16 bolt fits in it) set 16.25" apart, hang it in the right spot and then build/weld the legs on, the motor will bolt right up.

thanks for the kind words! good luck! nebraska isnt that far, in fact I got the fenders for this truck from a nice guy in nebraska!

[VoyagerXll]

Thanks for the information. However I do not think the mounts I have are clam shell. Rather that take away from your build thread, I will, if it is ok, send a message via this site? I guess my main concern is if the mounting holes in the block the same for all 4.3 S10.
Thanks
stan from northeast NE

[joedoh]

Originally Posted by VoyagerXll

Thanks for the information. However I do not think the mounts I have are clam shell. Rather that take away from your build thread, I will, if it is ok, send a message via this site? I guess my main concern is if the mounting holes in the block the same for all 4.3 S10.
Thanks
stan from northeast NE

yep thats fine, and posting here is fine too! all 4.3 (and really all sbc with a 3 bolt side mount) use the exact same mounting pattern. you cant use the clamshell heat shield, it has to be removed to use another type of mount.

this is what a clamshell looks like, used on 95.5 to 2003 s10






they use a steel bracket on the frame that doesnt match up to any other type of mount. they are always broken when I take a truck apart, that last picture is the ONE in 8 trucks that was not broken.

if I can help, let me know

[VoyagerXll]

I was mistaken I do have the clam shell mounts as you posted. They too were separated. Am I correct in assuming that the " std anchor (brand) mounts for 60s/70s v8 cars" will have the same dimensions as the engine mount on my S10 engine? My guess is yes. If that is the case, I should be able to locate the frame anchor points correctly via the bolt shown in the picture that passes thru the "original" frame anchor point..I apologize for my ignorance concerning motor mounts.

The other picture shows a bolt-on frame anchor point that is used on some, I think, Blazers and perhaps others . If I could locate a pair, it might make the task a bit easier. Tomorrow,I may be headed to the salvage yard to have a look around


Not sure how to get the picture where I want it in relation to the text. I will see how it goes.

There is a really nice looking, very straight AD truck located where I live. It has been sitting there for several years, I know the owner but do not know if it is for sale or not.

Stan from north east NE

[joedoh]

Originally Posted by VoyagerXll

I was mistaken I do have the clam shell mounts as you posted. They too were separated. Am I correct in assuming that the " std anchor (brand) mounts for 60s/70s v8 cars" will have the same dimensions as the engine mount on my S10 engine? My guess is yes. If that is the case, I should be able to locate the frame anchor points correctly via the bolt shown in the picture that passes thru the "original" frame anchor point..I apologize for my ignorance concerning motor mounts.

The other picture shows a bolt-on frame anchor point that is used on some, I think, Blazers and perhaps others . If I could locate a pair, it might make the task a bit easier. Tomorrow,I may be headed to the salvage yard to have a look around


Not sure how to get the picture where I want it in relation to the text. I will see how it goes.

There is a really nice looking, very straight AD truck located where I live. It has been sitting there for several years, I know the owner but do not know if it is for sale or not.

Stan from north east NE

stan dont apologize, its not necessary, we are all here to help!

yes the older v8 mounts will bolt directly up to your 4.3 and they will fit a frame side mount like in your first picture. you can get all of the parts you need at a place like speedway.

https://www.speedwaymotors.com/Speed...unts,1905.html

https://www.speedwaymotors.com/3-Bol...k-V8,7959.html


you would need to trim the universal motor mount and weld it on the s10 frame, 8 inches back is right behind where the front crossmember stops. remember that center to center of the frame side mounts should be 16.25" apart!


that picture of the frame side mount is the steel clamshell mount I was talking about. it would only work iif you bolted it to the frame in the stock location. I know a guy on another forum who did a 50s willys, he moved his (dodge) engine back 11 inches in his dakota frame. if you dont move it back, it will be pretty hard to get a radiator in it.


thanks for the heads up on the AD, unless you were considering it for yourself, in which case I recommend it!


back on this door. the miserable thing about the old door was how it shut but I had already put all the new felts and rubbers and glass in it. the new door also had a big problem with the regulator, it was stripped, more than stripped, it was worn down like an hour old christmas candy cane. I debated on cutting the splines off the bad door regulator and welding it to the new door, but my brother actually shamed me with some properly weighted "hmm"s and other "how lazy are you?" questions.

so I tackled it. if you havent done it, my advice is as follows: to get the (7 per door!) reluctant screws out, dont waste time with a flat head screwdriver. they have seen two or three US wars and are part of the golden era, so they know a thing about tenacity. Instead I used a big pair of vice grips on the heads to get them loose.



to get the regulators out, they come out the bottom hole in the door and the best way is to let the crank spindle down first and flip it over inside the door, so the window lift part comes out first. if you try taking it out spindle first it will get caught on the window stop in the middle of the door, flipping it over is easy and only took a second.



you can make out the worn spindle (and broken spring! surprise!) on the one due for replacement. install is reverse, put the spindle side in first, upside down, along the bottom of the door, then you can shove the arms up enough to grab them and get the inside track in the roller, then the spindle in the hole to get one screw just started, then rotate the center mount around and viola!

I had to uninstall the felts and rubbers and even the outside garnish molding (it
was stainless on this door, out of place with the rest of the truck) but hey, third time is a charm.




works great! I noticed there were slots in the center mount, no idea what that adjusts but I just put them back where they were. everything works ok. yes, my vice grips are PAST the splines, I couldnt find the window crank.

[8man]

Good for your brother, helping you along.

[VoyagerXll]

Originally Posted by joedoh

yep thats fine, and posting here is fine too! all 4.3 (and really all sbc with a 3 bolt side mount) use the exact same mounting pattern. you cant use the clamshell heat shield, it has to be removed to use another type of mount.

this is what a clamshell looks like, used on 95.5 to 2003 s10






they use a steel bracket on the frame that doesnt match up to any other type of mount. they are always broken when I take a truck apart, that last picture is the ONE in 8 trucks that was not broken.

if I can help, let me know

My 75 year old brain is struggling with this…………

”I bolt up a jig with ½” black pipe (7/16 bolt fits in it) set 16.25” apart, hang it in the right spot and then build/weld the legs on, motor will bolt right up.

Main thing is the 16.25 measurement.
This picture below shows my set up to get the mounts situated. (I ordered a set from the local NAPA store)
When I did the annotation on the photo, I thought that my measurement was 16.25. I checked it this afternoon and I discovered that the bolts I used are not perfectly straight. If I rotate them I can get to 16 ½ “ between the black pipes; depending on the rotation, one of the ends of the locating bolt can be 1/8 to 3/16” higher than the other locating bolt.
I think I will go to town tomorrow and bet a couple lengths of ready rod. I hope that they will be straight……………..Would it be wishful thinking that this slight difference may not be any thing to be concerned with? Hopefully the ready rod will be straighter than the bolts I used., and I can get a more accurate measure.

I would like to move the engine back about 81/2 inches, I am using a 4X4 S10 frame, so moving the engine back 5-6 inches is about all that can be done before the rear torsion bar cross member runs into the transfer case. I have a cpl of ideas on how to create more room so that the transfer case will clear the rear CM support I will cross that bridge after I figure the mounts out If I get lucky 8.5 inches will work.

I am impressed with the AC unit and how nicely every thing in the engine bay looks..........Like every thing about the Bickle build

I tried to send this as a message, but could not figure out how to attach a picture.

Once I get the mounts figured out and the drive train in, I will start a thread in the area that was suggested.

Thanks again for your help

Stan From north east NE

[joedoh]

16.25 is a center to center measurement, so if your pipes are 16.25 apart they will be almost 16.75 apart center to center. if you had clamshell mounts originally they will measure closer to 17" center to center. offset to the passenger side if you need to, but be mindful of the exhaust manifold clearance to the upper control arm on a 4x4.

I like your jig setup! I have done that too in the past. next truck I do will see me design repeatable weld in mounts.

[VoyagerXll]

I finally this thru my thick head and am now headed to make the passenger side motor mount
Thanks again
stan from nebraska

[mongocanfly]

Voyager Stan.....feel free to start a build thread on your willys down in the alternative tinkering section...

[VoyagerXll]

I was unaware of the alternative tinkering section. It appears that there will be hours of good reading there. That section will be a good spot for my Willys project.