Markeb01 Build Thread

[jimmydean]

Your build is so clean. I love it.

[Ta2Don]

Originally Posted by jimmydean

Your build is so clean. I love it.

Ditto...

[markeb01]

Thanks for the comments guys. For anyone interested, here’s the wiring layout I used for the electric fuel pump:



As mentioned earlier the relay was already mounted just ahead of the battery and had previously powered the fog lamps. I ran a new 10 gauge wire to the pump, replaced the off-on toggle switch with a momentary type, and ran a new feed wire to the switch from post #20 on the fuse panel (which is always hot). When the relay operated the fog lamps, the feed wire to the switch was tied in to the headlight circuit which wouldn’t have been very practical for running the fuel pump.

If I intended to use the pump full time, an oil pressure switch should also be included to kill the pump if the engine quits. This is a primary safety feature in case of a wreck so the pump doesn’t keep running if the vehicle is crashed or upside down.

As a wrap up for the year I’m also including another random topic I don’t think I’ve covered anywhere else:

Cruise Control – This was installed back in 2000 when the truck was my daily commuter. I bought this one from Summit:



http://www.summitracing.com/parts/RP...1223/?rtype=10

Surprisingly the price has only gone up $6.00 in twelve years. At first I put the control box on the driver side fender panel, but soon tired of the clutter:



Although the instructions advised against it due to noise concerns, it was remounted on the inside of the firewall next to the heater. This is viewed through the glove box opening with the liner removed:



It does make a tiny click when switched on, but my truck is so noisy it doesn’t bother me a bit. The only thing visible in the engine compartment is the cable. This is about the only photo I have showing it:



I sliced off a stock turn signal arm to mount the switch:



Having done a bunch of these back in the 70’s and 80’s when they operated with a vacuum module, this is by far the easiest type I’ve ever installed, and it works as well as any new car cruise system I’ve ever used.

[LostMy65]

Soon after My Dad and I bought my 65 in the early 80's up here in Portland, I drove it back to my hometown Woodland CA,
My dad cut me a stick to length for Cruise Control.
Posted via Mobile Device

[markeb01]

My dad had a mechanical "cruise control" back in the early 60's. It was a J.C. Whitney left foot gas pedal.



Theory was it would give the right foot a rest. In actual driving, I remember him being distracted after using it for long drives, doing somewhat of a "pedal dance" to avoid clobbering cars ahead when slowing in traffic!

[markeb01]

Another failed attempt at starting the truck last night convinced me the battery was no longer holding a decent charge. Since it was seven years old, it seemed like a good time for a new one. When the last battery was purchased it was a Consumer Reports Best Buy – the Walmart EverStart. It’s been replaced by the EverStart MAXX, which is probably the same battery with a different sticker:



I no longer subscribe to CR, but other reviews on the web indicate the EverStart MAXX is still a CR Best Buy. One improvement is the carrying strap. The old battery had a fabric strap. The new battery has a plastic retractable handle which is much easier to use.

One significant difference in the battery specs however is the price. Last time it was around $40. Now it’s climbed to $85. YIKES!

I hadn’t realized how badly the old battery had deteriorated. With the new one, the engine seems to be spinning over around 600 rpms on the starter motor and fires to life almost on the first revolution like it used to.

Of course it helped I also reset the accelerator pump to the lowest hole (where it belongs). When I recently tore the carb apart I set the pump link on the middle hole which provided too short a pump stroke. I think I’ll just sit back now and be happy for a while!

[piratexpress1369a]

you going to add a battery kill switch to it for long sit time ?

[markeb01]

Originally Posted by piratexpress1369a

you going to add a battery kill switch to it for long sit time ?

Thanks for asking. In fact I’ve been running a Hotronics remote master disconnect since 1999.



http://hotronicsproducts.com/product...faabdb49d9f813

The nice feature of this setup is that no power is required to hold it in the on or off position. Once the bolt is thrown it remains in that position indefinitely until switched back the other direction.

Until recently I had the clock on the hot side so it would keep running continuously, but during the winter months even the aircraft clock was enough to drain the battery after several weeks. So I wired in a clock selector switch for winter/summer, allowing the clock to run all the time, or shut off with the master during the winter.

At first I added the Hotronics solenoid primarily for security, but it is really handy just for working on the car. If I want to work on the electrical system, or pull the steering wheel, or whatever – a quick flip of the switch and the entire truck is electrically dead. In winter mode even the clock is off, in summer mode only the clock remains powered.

When the truck is not in use the master switch is always off so there’s no risk of battery drain, fire, or other related issues. If the weather is half way decent it still gets driven all year. When the snowy/icy roads are just too dangerous however, it has sat on occasion for weeks at a time. I’ve tried to cover all the bases so whether I want to or not the truck is always ready to go, any time of day or night.

[oldsnakebite]

Do you still plan on the fenderwell headers? Love the build!

[markeb01]

Originally Posted by oldsnakebite

Do you still plan on the fenderwell headers? Love the build!

They are probably out of financial reach at this point (forced early medical retirement) but if I can ever manage that aspect I’ll definitely be adding a set. The headers were really intended to go along with the new engine which was scheduled for 4 months after I left the workforce. With the mostly stock engine I have now the headers would really be wasted, since I don’t have anything special up top for better breathing.

In the meantime I’m planning on adding sneaker plugs under the front fenders just for fun. I’ve toyed around with different exit locations and angles, and haven’t yet decided on 2 or 3 bolt caps. I don’t have any mock up photos of my truck yet, but I’m thinking of something along these lines:

[66-PMD-GMC]

Hey Mark, I know they do auto swap meets in Spokane or near there anyway.
I find good deals on lots of stuff at those swap meets.
A fellow 60-66er got a set of fenderwell headers for $50 at one and I was there when he got them so I know it wasn't bench racing BS.
I find my best deals right at the end of the show/meet when people are getting ready to pack up...

[markeb01]

I’ve had that experience as well. Very few people want to pack up and haul all their junk back home after a long hot weekend!

It looks like I’ll be reshuffling gauges again. After sorting all the bugs out of the fuel system improvements, I realized how nice it would be to have a fuel pressure gauge in the cab to know when the system is charged up, and also for reading idle and WOT pressures.

Research indicated two options. An Autometer “Traditional Chrome” mechanical fuel pressure gauge is available matching all my other gauges, or a mismatched electrical model.

An electrical model would have been easier (and more expensive), but I’d rather have all the gauges match and save quite a bit of money. So I’ll be using the Autometer 2413 Fuel Pressure gauge with a mechanical isolator. Apparently these run gas from the carb to the isolator and antifreeze from the isolator to the gauge, keeping fuel out of the passenger compartment.





I’ve got a couple of details to sort out, like where to mount the isolator, and whether to leave the regulator on the engine or mount it next to the isolator. Then it’s on to the inside.

I’ll probably remove the chrome bullets up on the instrument panel and either install the fuel level and fuel pressure gauges in those holes, or I may mount the fuel pressure gauge on the accessory panel and move the gas and vacuum gauges up on the main panel.

Either way I’ll need to do something with the lower accessory panel. The easiest solution would be to switch to a two gauge panel, but who knows, there might be something else creative I can do with the spare hole.

[66-PMD-GMC]

I would think keep fuel outside the cab is good but then again, if you have a stock tank, that is kind of a mute subject....

[markeb01]

No kidding. Thankfully mine's under the back of the bed. I remember when I was a kid some early hot rods actually had the fuel tank and hand operated pressure pump where the passenger seat would normally be!

[markeb01]

The last few days have been spent dinking around installing the fuel pressure gauge isolator and related stuff as parts showed up. The isolator installation was rather straight forward after determining best location for mounting. NHRA doesn’t want it on the firewall, but there weren’t a lot of options on my truck, and I won’t be racing it anyway. Here’s the finished installation:



The only custom piece was the 300 psi hose between the T adapter and the isolator. It should hold up under the 5.5 psi in my system. It was pretty cheap at $15 and I had no other means to make the connection. I assumed the isolator would have a NPT connection, but it was 7/16x20 so I needed a custom fitting, and a full custom hose was the easiest solution.

For an added bit of sparkle I thought it would be fun to polish the side of the brass T adapter.



The reflection shown in close up below is an image of the hose clamp on the lower heater hose at the firewall. It will eventually dull out but I had extra time on my hands and nothing better to do:



Gauges were reshuffled, moving the fuel level and vacuum gauge back to the main instrument panel, and the new fuel pressure gauge was installed on the right end of the accessory under dash panel. Now there’s a gauge for priming the engine with the electric fuel pump and also for showing pressure performance under WOT conditions.



This also gave me a place to install the charge indicator for the anti-tailgating device. It’s in the prototype stage but appears very promising. The indicator itself is state of the art, filled with depleted Corbomite gas that changes color as the system is charged. When disengaged the indicator is almost black, and changes to a dark blue in idle cutoff mode:



Fully charged and ready to activate it turns a bright whitish blue:



Once the indicator reaches this state it’s a simple matter of throwing the 3rd switch under the red safety cover and a directed beam is emitted directly behind the truck disabling any vehicle ignition system approaching closer than 1 car length/per 10 miles an hour of my vehicle speed, eliminating the danger of tailgaters.

There are still a few bugs to work out. The phaser capacitors overheat if run continuously for more than 15 minutes. Hopefully larger fans and punching louvers in the bedsides under the fenders (where they won’t show) will minimize that issue. Tapping into the cruise control speed sensor simplified connections.

Before it can be offered commercially the weight will have to be greatly reduced. The current military grade 17 megawatt Class 3 plasma eclipiton velocity discharge emitter will have to be reduced from 370 lbs to something practical for passenger cars. And hiding the emitters behind my wig/wag lights is playing havoc with the beam pattern.

Before certification can be obtained, the issue of shielding the ignition systems in police and emergency vehicles will have to be addressed, along with calibration of the beam emission/vehicle speed calculations.

But for now I’m just happy enjoying the nice blue color!

[clemdaddy]

man... the dash, the guages, that steering wheel, shifter, switches, seats... too cool. i'd crawl in that cockpit and never leave... to the bone.

[Ta2Don]

Must Echo Clem's words... As always the attention to Detail is spot-om, Great Job Mark!!!

[Bomp]

I will take 3. You take PayPal???

[piratexpress1369a]

""Once the indicator reaches this state it’s a simple matter of throwing the 3rd switch under the red safety cover and a directed beam is emitted directly behind the truck disabling any vehicle ignition system approaching closer than 1 car length/per 10 miles an hour of my vehicle speed, eliminating the danger of tailgaters.

There are still a few bugs to work out. The phaser capacitors overheat if run continuously for more than 15 minutes. Hopefully larger fans and punching louvers in the bedsides under the fenders (where they won’t show) will minimize that issue. Tapping into the cruise control speed sensor simplified connections.

Before it can be offered commercially the weight will have to be greatly reduced. The current military grade 17 megawatt Class 3 plasma eclipiton velocity discharge emitter will have to be reduced from 370 lbs to something practical for passenger cars. And hiding the emitters behind my wig/wag lights is playing havoc with the beam pattern.

Before certification can be obtained, the issue of shielding the ignition systems in police and emergency vehicles will have to be addressed, along with calibration of the beam emission/vehicle speed calculations.""


LMFAO i'll take 2 please

[1Bad62Pro/Street]

Armed.....
Go Baby..... Go.....

E Kit NOS switches and Go Baby Go Shifter Knobs.
http://www.mustangdepot.com/OnLineCa...tro_switch.htm

[markeb01]

I’m afraid there may be a tiny delay before I can accept orders, after all the system is only in the prototype stage. First I have to find a source for depleted Corbomite, a reliable way to extract the gas, and then await the invention of and civilian release of the military grade 17 megawatt Class 3 plasma eclipiton velocity discharge emitter!

[Fleet '66]

Originally Posted by markeb01

I’m afraid there may be a tiny delay before I can accept orders, after all the system is only in the prototype stage. First I have to find a source for depleted Corbomite, a reliable way to extract the gas, and then await the invention of and civilian release of the military grade 17 megawatt Class 3 plasma eclipiton velocity discharge emitter!

Too funny... Keep'em guessin..

[McMurphy]

Wow...

And here I was trying to figure how to mount an aircraft landing light as a correctional feature for tailgaters!
Nothing says I care about your being too close like a nicely seared retina.

[Ta2Don]

Originally Posted by McMurphy

Wow...

And here I was trying to figure how to mount an aircraft landing light as a correctional feature for tailgaters!
Nothing says I care about your being too close like a nicely seared retina.

Hmmm!!! Ideas, Ideas...

[markeb01]

Funny I bagged the wing landing light off a crashed C123 Provider and actually did mount it on the front of our M151 Ford “Jeep” in Chu Lai. It was shaped like a salad bowl and was marked “100 watts”. I was somewhat disappointed thinking it wouldn’t be very bright since house hold bulbs were 100 watts.

What I hadn’t considered were the amps. I’m not sure how many it drew but when I connected it to the cannon plug on the cowl it welded the Romex wire I was using to one of the 4 fingers in the terminal socket. The only way to turn it off was to yank on the cable tearing out the terminal end which was by now welded to the wire. Since there were only 4 terminal pads we were limited to only 4 uses. It was just as well.

We pulled to the end of the north ramp on one of our routine night time runway checks and lit up. As we wheeled onto the main 10,000 foot main runway it illuminated the entire length and freaked out the tower, thinking it was an unaccounted aircraft. They offered a rather vigorous and emotional suggestion we not use it again, and that was that!