Trying to make Junky perhaps just a little bit Funky...

[DD1]

[QUOTE=sduckworth13;7301613]Darien, I had the same issue with headers on a previous truck I owned. The PO had notched the frame a bit. I have read of others doing the same without issue. I would use your friends headers and just notch the frame a bit.[/QUOTE

Thanks, Scott. I'll give it a shot.

[DD1]

So this is the definition of the expression, One Step Forward, Two Steps Back!

I checked the drivers side of my friends headers to see if they fit. No point making adjustments on the pass side if the other side does not fit. I don't think they will fit anyway, but the tubes are too thick for the rear power steering bracket to go around it.

Okay, fine, let's go to plan C, or maybe it's more like plan L at this point. I found the original exhaust manifold - thankfully I did not junk them like I thought I might have. They need to be sand blasted and cleaned up in a serious way, so I figure let me test fit them first.

They will probably fit, but, I will need to remove the power steering pump, which means remove the pulley, then the pump, then install the header, then install the pump and the pulley. I know that they were not necessarily designed for this truck or this engine, but who the hell designed the thing like this?

Maybe I'll go back to the first set of headers and deal with them being close to the plug wires... I don't know. The original exhaust manifold is pretty nasty.

I'll deal with it over the weekend.

[DD1]

The original exhaust manifold is not salvageable. It came off the 350 engine I got which I think was on an 80s Chevy truck. The headers came with the truck and I will guess the PO's had it on the Camaro they took the 305 engine from.

I am going to go with an exhaust manifold. Been shopping around and the best deal I can find is on Ebay. I am always cautious when purchasing large parts off Ebay.

Any thoughts on these manifolds? Should I go ahead and get them?

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Exhaust-Mani...311172&vxp=mtr

[DD1]

I ordered a different set of Ram Horn manifolds; the one on Ebay were not 2-1/2" and every post I read on this forum, plus a friends advice suggested I get the 2-1/2" version.

I was concerned that the output on these were straight, but some people in another thread on the topic said it would work on the truck. I did a quick test fit and at first glance it looks like it will fit. It will be tight against the power steering bracket, but I think it will hold.

My concern is how much clearance I have on the output to the frame. I don't know if I will have enough room to install an angled down pipe.

Has anyone had experience with straight manifolds? Any clearance issues or ways to resolve it?

http://www.speedwaymotors.com/Smooth...Raw,94194.html



Thanks!

[DD1]

I called Speedway and they confirmed that the manifold I bought is not for the 2WD trucks. Calling them BEFORE I ordered it would have been too easy.

I returned them today and ordered the angled 2-1/4" manifolds from Ebay. I read that I could notch my motor mount bracket, but I really don't feel like doing anything like that. I should get the new manifolds sometime next week. The wife will be working quite a bit this weekend, so hoping to spend some time on the truck before it starts getting cold.

[DD1]

I got the Ram Horn manifolds I ordered from Ebay. They fit well, although I did have to remove the power steering pump to get it installed. I managed to find the right set of studs at the local Napa store, which are long enough for me to be able to bolt the PS bracket in place. I had to get 3.43" studs to make it work.

On the passenger side, it looks like a tight fit for the downpipe to reach past the starter, but I think I can make it work. Worse case, I replace the passenger side manifold with a different one. The $90 I paid for this set is about the same as I have seen for one side from other places. Maybe I should have just gotten a manifold for a 1990 truck?

Anyone have experience on the right down pipes to get for this?

Anyone with a 350 engine and serpentine belt setup - what are you using for the exhaust manifold?



Drivers side manifold:


It literally fit just right.


Passenger side:


It's hard to see the clearance issue, but it's there...

[DD1]

I took a 45 degree PVC pipe and put it next to the manifold and there is a tiny bit of room left. Of course the PVC is 2", not 2-1/4", so there is probably even less space than it shows. I think I will probably have to use the manifolds I have and worry about the exhaust pipe later. I can't keep shopping for manifolds; it's exhausting.

I also looked at another starter I got for free at the Rhinebeck Car Show a couple years ago, and that has a slightly smaller solenoid - 2-1/8" compared to 2-1/2" on the installed starter; a small difference, but it might be helpful. The tag on the starter says it works, so who am I to argue with it? (I'll test it anyway). Of course, it means nothing until I test fit it - the solenoid might be smaller, but hopefully it's positioned in the same spot or a bit closer to the engine side of the starter.

Worse case scenario, I could get a mini starter.

PVC pipe checking clearance.


Difference in solenoid for my two starters. Well it looks like I did not take a pic of the installed starter with a tape measure, but it goes out to the 2-1/2" mark.

[Xeen]

yeah I wouldn't worry about it the guys down at the muffler shop can work around that issue no problem.

[DD1]

Originally Posted by Xeen

yeah I wouldn't worry about it the guys down at the muffler shop can work around that issue no problem.

Thanks! It's going to be a while before I get to that point anyway. I had to hook up the manifold to make sure everything else fit right, but I can start the motor without the exhaust pipes hooked up. I'll install the other starter just to see if there is more clearance.

[Xeen]

Originally Posted by DD1

Thanks! It's going to be a while before I get to that point anyway. I had to hook up the manifold to make sure everything else fit right, but I can start the motor without the exhaust pipes hooked up. I'll install the other starter just to see if there is more clearance.

Absolutely, anything you can do to make more room is always a good thing.

[DD1]

I have made a little bit of progress and gotten a bunch of small things done today. Over the past week, I clear coated the exhaust manifolds; note to self, don't do it in your basement anymore - that VHT manifold paint is toxic stuff. It was too cold to do it outside at the time.

I have to go back to Lowe's to get some 3/8" washers for the passenger side exhaust manifold. The goal is to start the engine on November 15. My friend will be in town from Texas, and since he helped me remove the 305 engine and install the 350 engine, it would be cool to start the 350 while he is here.

Today I:

1. Installed the drivers side manifold.

2. Reinstalled the power steering pump and pulley. (Again).

3. Reinstalled the belt (again).

4. Installed the power steering hoses. You will see in the pic that the return hose is way too long, I'll cut it later.



5. Installed the radiator. I assume it's supposed to sit just outside the support like it is shown here?





6. Installed the transmission kick-down cable. I am having some issues here. The bracket that came with the truck and the 305 engine is further back than the bracket that came with the 350 engine of a 1980's truck. Tomorrow I will see if I can adjust the cable (I now know how to do that; thanks, Google), and hopefully it will work okay. Any advice is appreciated.

This is my issue with the kick down cable. This bracket is too close to the carb and not lined up properly. Tomorrow I will have to see if the other one will work better.



Of course, this can't go too easy. First I noticed the O-ring on the cable is cut. Not a big deal, my friend has a spare I'll get later.



Then, the vacuum line from the back of the carburetor to the brake booster did not fit. Fortunately, I found an adapter in my spare carb parts box.





7. Installed a throttle return spring, or at least I assume that's what that spring is called.

8. I almost forgot - the vacuum port on the intake manifold for the transmission was broken. The good news is I never disposed of my manifold from the 305 engine and it had the port on there. The bad news is I can't figure out where I put it when I took it inside to clean it up. Worse case, my friend has something I can use, but I hope I find this one. I prefer the original look over the generic Home Depot parts look.

[DD1]

It's been a month since my last post, so this is as good a time as any to give some updates. Starting up the engine is way off schedule, but I am getting there. Only things left to do is:

1. Install the new transmission dipstick properly. The old one was bent badly and would not sit right when bolted to the bell housing.

2. Install a vacuum line from the transmission modulator to the intake manifold. I am not sure this is that important considering the truck won't be moving, so not going to worry about it too much. I have been trying to find the steel vacuum line online, but the places that sell it don't have photos, and I won't buy it without seeing it.

3. Block off the rear port on the Rochester carb. I am having a hard time figuring out what size the threads are. I do have the piece that goes to the brake booster, so I will put a bolt in the hose and clamp it if I have too.

In the meantime, I went through a dozen radiator hoses trying to find the right ones to fit the engine with the serpentine belt. I tried ordering the hoses for a 90s truck from Rock Auto, but the diameters were wrong. I bought and returned several from Autozone. I finally found a good upper hose, and found a lower hose I can use temporarily.

I have since bypassed the oil cooler line and heater hose connections. I picked up a cheap gauge set at HF and installed the oil pressure and water temperature lines. The former because when I add oil, I will use a priming tool on the oil pump and I can check the pressure; the latter because I needed to close the hole in my engine.

I had to change the water outlet to get the best hose to fit. This led to other problems like not having clearance for the fuel line out of the carb. Fortunately, I have a box of carb parts in my basement and found a smaller filter casing to use.

Having problems with Shutterfly. Will post pics later. Hoping to get to start it up next weekend.

[mattfranklin]

I like the ram's horn exhausts a lot. Thinking about doing the same, as long as it was stock for these trucks (or even the cars) in the 67-72 time window.

[DD1]

Originally Posted by mattfranklin

I like the ram's horn exhausts a lot. Thinking about doing the same, as long as it was stock for these trucks (or even the cars) in the 67-72 time window.

I don't know if they are original to the trucks, but they do look nice.

[DD1]

Hope everyone had a great Christmas and Holiday Season! Here is a quick update on my progress.

I got the engine all wired up, added the oil, primed the engine including having a hell of a time getting the distributor lined up again, bypassed the heater hose, and bypassed the transmission cooler lines. I attached a battery, attached fuel lines, and got a gas can ready to insert a fuel line from the fuel pump.

I hit the crank switch I attached to the starter, the starter went off and... nothing happened. After checking it out we discovered that I put the wrong size flywheel on the engine. The one that came with the 305 engine is too small; the one that came with the 350 had some teeth missing so I did not use it.

I have since ordered a new flex plate from Amazon, and a new transmission crossmember from Classic Parts (might as well put the right crossmember in when I move the trans).

Hope to try again this weekend!

Hope you have a great New Year!

[DD1]

Finally got to go out and work on the truck again. The plan was to remove the driveshaft, remove the transmission, and swap out the flywheel.

Everything was going very smoothly... Too smoothly. I kept waiting to hit a problem. I finally did, although it should be an easy fix and it's kind of an ironic problem.

Last time the first starter was too far away from the flywheel. The second starter was closer, but I discovered that the flywheel was too small. I install the larger, proper size flywheel and it turns out this one is too close to the starter... WAY too close. Tomorrow I will be swapping starters again!

[DD1]

I went back out in the freezing cold today to continue reassembling my transmission. Everything was going pretty smoothly. Took a break to let my impact driver recharge and stopped by my friends house to borrow his flywheel turner.

Swapped out the transmission mount, installed the torque converter - took a few tries to get it in right. Then I tried to install the new crossmember I got from Classic Parts. And that's where I hit a problem!

The distance between my frame rails is 29 inches and the crossmember is 30 inches. Not gonna fit no matter how you spin it. Ugh!



Guess I'll finish the installation with the old crossmember and swap it out when I get the right one.

Also had a problem with the starter lining up to the flywheel. I think I mentioned that in my last post. Gonna go back out in the cold to see if the 3rd starter I found on the truck bed is the right one!

UPDATE: I went back out in the cold and installed the extra starter I found in the truck bed. I installed it and right away it looked better:



Then I decided to hook up the battery and give it a try to see if it would turn the flywheel. AND IT DID!

Here is a quick 10 second video of the starter being switched on. Tomorrow I will try and start the engine.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iHE2kimylrw

[DD1]

Spent the last few days trying to get the engine started. Had several things to fix including the flex plate installed backwards, the firing order being set wrong, and the distributor installed 180 backwards. The engine was backfiring through the carb and was confusing me because I thought it was set at TDC when it really wasn't.

The new crossmember fits perfectly - turns out I was trying to install it upside down.

When we first started the engine today, it did not stay on very long, then I raised the gas can I was using for fuel and it started right up and stayed on.

Very happy it's running now! Now I can relax for a bit.

Video of the engine starting here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dFLoQ8XPj9s

[DD1]

I have reattached the transmission to the engine. One problem I have is that one of the threads need to be cleaned up because the bolt won't screw into it. The tap / thread restorer I have is not long enough to fit through the transmission into the engine side where the threading is. I will leave it like that for now and maybe pick up a cheap tap/die set from HF this weekend.

I ordered a battery tray from Classic Parts to mount to the radiator support; this way I won't need to keep moving the battery and placing it on top of the wheel / front end to start the engine.



My friend was going to come over and help me adjust the timing, but am waiting till the weekend because I thought I had to change the port in my power steering pump, and since it's such a tight space I might have had to remove the radiator and the pump. When we check the timing, I want coolant running through the engine.

I had read online that if you switch to a serpentine belt system, the later model pump would have a different port than the older model pumps.

The Good News: I did not need to remove the pump to remove the port.

The Bad News: The port on the two pumps are exactly the same, so it was a waste of time, but at least I know there should not be any issues.



I also discovered that the transmission drain plug my friend made for me when he rebuilt my transmission has a tiny leak, but that should be an easy fix.



Traveling for work this week, so I won't get to the truck again till the weekend. Trying to stay motivated and go out in the cold and work on the car in the garage. Doing a decent job so far (of going out in the cold, not necessarily in the quality of my work).

The next step is to do some cleanup stuff to the engine, such as:

- organize spark plug wires - some are too close to the manifold.
- install spark plug wire heat shield.
- organize the mess of electrical wires I have laying on top of the engine.
- adjust timing.
- tighten screws in transmission mount. There is a lot of rubber in the threads, so I need to clean it up.

[DD1]

Had to do some work on the house today, but managed to squeeze in a little time on the truck. Decided to install the spark plug heat shields. For such a simple piece, it's a pain in the a** to install. Getting that 1/2" long bolt into the hole is a bi**h.

But it's all done. Also tried to tighten up the bolts on the transmission mount. I should not have bothered to get a new one; should have just reused the old one.

Here is the heat shields all installed.

[DD1]

Okay, so I need to get motivated to going back out there and moving forward with the bodywork. I went into the garage to take inventory of what I need to do and to make sure I have enough C02/Argon in the tank since I have not touched it in more than a year (I do).

I plan to get started in the garage this weekend, weather permitting. Even if we get lots of snow, I don't see any reason why I can't lock myself in the garage and work on it.

I am hoping that if I make a list on this thread with pictures, it will help me stay organized, not get too overwhelmed, and maybe get motivated. Please let me know if you think I should do this in a different order.

1. Lip where firewall meets the floor pan. This will not necessarily be the first thing I work on, but I may go back to it if I need a break from something else. It needs to be flattened out, straightened, or replaced. Anyone have any thoughts on the best way to fix the lip?



2. D/S Kick panel



3. Drivers Side Cab Corner. I think the rear door pillar is in decent shape; not gonna bother replace it.



4. P/S Front Door Pillar and Kick Panel.



5. P/S rear pillar and cab corner.



6. Rocker Panels - not pictured.

7. Firewall repair. I need to either repair the dent (probably not) or cut a piece from my original cabs firewall to repair it. Also need to reattach the P/S support brace (not pictured).



I probably post to the help forum for #7 and #1. Could use all the advice I can get.

[mattfranklin]

I'm patiently watching.

The only advice I can offer is to make sure your auto-darkening welding mask is in welding mode and not grinding mode. I sure was seeing a lot of spots and cursing my mask before I figured that one out. ;-)

[DD1]

Originally Posted by mattfranklin

I'm patiently watching.

The only advice I can offer is to make sure your auto-darkening welding mask is in welding mode and not grinding mode. I sure was seeing a lot of spots and cursing my mask before I figured that one out. ;-)

I don't think mine has a switch for that. I got mine at HF and unless I just never looked for it, it only has auto-darkening mode.

I found a thread on here that gave really good advice on the kick panels, which were my biggest issue the last time I tried working on the cab. Although I really don't know what I am going to do about the firewall lip. Thinking of trying some oxy-acetylene heat, and a flat hammer and dolly.

Maybe after I finish clearing the snow, and I am hot and sweaty in freezing cold weather, I'll go in the garage and give it a shot.

[DD1]

Finally got a chance to spend a few minutes on the truck today after getting distracted with doing stuff around the house.

I figured out what to do about my exhaust problem; specifically the fire coming out of the manifold that heating the wires on the starter and melting the rubber on the clamp for the remote starter switch.

I don't know why I did not think about this before, but I cut off the studs from the old manifolds and removed what was left of the down pipe. It fits well enough and avoids the starter well. All I have to do is get the right exhaust flange and hardware.







Either one of them will work well, but I'll go with the longer one of course.

[DD1]

Let me make it clear that I reserve the right to retract and /or contradict the following statement at any time:

I spent some time messing with the new floor pan and trying to get it lined up with the firewall lip. I guess spending a year away from it gave me a fresh perspective. I realized that I need to focus more on getting the firewall lip to meet the floor, than the floor to the firewall.

I also paid attention to the shape of the lip. I heated it with a propane torch and used the flat hammer and a dolly to shape it a bit.

After banging it around a bit, I noticed that there is a V shape on the two pieces:



Using the vice grips to bend it around and the hammer to flatten it, I got it to this:





I got the two pieces to be a bit more level on the inside, but not sure if it's where it's supposed to be. Can anyone tell me if there is a slight bump from the floor to the firewall? Not sure if you can tell in the pic below: