Ackattack's Pro touring restoration thread

[Ackattack]

yesterday was my trucks 3 year anniversary. Almost done

[eagleuh1]

What brake/torque converter lockup switch did you use. I'm at this point now. What kind of mods did you have to do to mount it. Thanks.

[Ackattack]

Originally Posted by eagleuh1

What brake/torque converter lockup switch did you use. I'm at this point now. What kind of mods did you have to do to mount it. Thanks.

If I remember correctly, it was for an 84 camaro and it threaded in just like the original one did, it just has four terminals on it instead of 2.

[CheyenneShop]

Originally Posted by Ackattack

yesterday was my trucks 3 year anniversary. Almost done

Happy 3rd Anniversary! I just read through most of your build - AWESOME Job

[hotroddin]

great job on the build. i read through all of it and it gave me a lot of tips and inspiration

[Ackattack]

Well progress has been pretty slow lately, cause frankly I'm almost done with it, its driveable, so haven't worked much on it. I took it to 2 car shows, had a bunch of people stare at it, ask a lot of questions, but no awards (of course I'm not completly done with it either, so maybe that's what....plus one of the show's was the GoodGuys show and there were TONS of nice rides there)

Anyway, I was having a high RPM miss. After asking some questions and doing some data logging, I determined that it was the number 3 spark plug wire that the header had partially melted. So I removed the coil packs from the valve covers, relocated them, made custom spark plug wires (you have to use LT1 spark plug boots BTW) and that took care of that problem. I then installed my cool cast aluminum "CHEVROLET" valve covers that my wife got for me last christmas.

Then I got my butt in gear and finally installed my LS6 intake manifold that I've had sitting on the shelf ever since I sold my corvette a year and a half ago. I got a used set of fuel rails and 28lb injectors (stock truck injectors are 24). I already had the corvette front drive accessories, so that wasn't too much of an issue. But, my temperature sensor for my gauge was in the top of the water pump and the throttle body was hitting it, so I removed the temp sensor and plugged the hole. I got an adapter to put the temp sending unit in the pass. side head, but haven't done it yet. I also had to cut the coolant passage off the bottom of the truck throttle body as well as notch it for a bolt that protrudes up from the corvette water pump. No biggies there. I then broke out my laptop, reprogrammed for the larger injectors, and it's running great.

Here's what the engine is looking like now:





Tonight I got the A/C system charged and working. A buddy was helping me. The first thing we had to do was draw a vacuum on the system and checked for leaks. None found, so then we hooked up the heater hoses to the water pump. For a long time I wasn't getting any heat until I checked on stuff. Basically some where along the line the cable that controls the water valve slipped off the controller in the cab, so not hot water was circulating through the heater core (this is an Old Air setup BTW). After we got that figured out, we charged the system. The Old air instructions called for 28-32 ounces of refrigerant. Well I used refrigerant that also included the compressor oil with 11 oz of refrigerant per can. We used 3 cans, but my buddy disconnected the first one before it was completely empty, so I probably have ~30 oz of refrigerant in the system and it seems to be working great.

Then we took the truck for a test drive since my buddy hadn't ridden in it, and we wanted to see how the A/C was working out on the road. The truck ran good, A/C was cool.

While on the test drive I also tried out my line lock that I had wired up a few days ago. Basically it confirmed that my brakes aren't really working all that great. I could push down on the brakes, turn the line lock solenoid on and could still roll forward pretty easily. I could tell the actual solenoid was working, the brakes basically just suck.

The truck stops pretty decently, but not like it really should (I can't even lock up the rear brakes with rear disks). So.....I"m going to go back over the entire system and check for leaks and re-bleed it. I don't really think that is the problem though. The whole braking system is brand new except the brake booster, so I'm probably going to get a new brake booster and see if that fixed my "under powered" brakes.

The truck is still safe to drive, but it should be able to stop quicker than it does now. I'd say it's probably on par with a stock drum/drum truck as far as stopping distance.

[menace121978]

looking good man! it takes time working all the bugs out after a total rebuild. once everything is done im sure you'll be bringing home trophies hand over fist awesome to hear you got the a/c working too!

[nuke1]

This is such a sweet truck!!!!

[djw32]

Nice work.

What kind of fuse panel and relay system did you use with your build?

[Ackattack]

Originally Posted by djw32

Nice work.

What kind of fuse panel and relay system did you use with your build?

check out the first item on this page:

http://www.currentperformance.com/Ac...iring_acc.html

it made it very easy to hook up all the necessary circuits. Another thing, when I turn on my A/C, it is wired to kick on one of the electric fans.

I thought this was a much cleaner solution (due to size) than trying to use the factory fuse block.

[mcbassin]

Totally diggin the new clean look of the engine! Glad to hear you got cold! Must be awesome to get to enjoy the fruit of all that 3 years of hard work.

[Ackattack]

so after doing some research about braking systems, I'm pretty sure I need a different master cylinder. The "stock" 72 MC is a 1-1/8" bore, so I think a 1" bore MC will work much better.

[68 TT]

Originally Posted by Ackattack

so after doing some research about braking systems, I'm pretty sure I need a different master cylinder. The "stock" 72 MC is a 1-1/8" bore, so I think a 1" bore MC will work much better.

Going to the smaller bore master cylinder will just reduce pedal effort. It will not solve your problem though.

It sounds like you are not pushing enough fluid volume for the brakes you are running. You need a master cylinder with enough fluid volume for the 4-wheel disc brakes. A good one to use with the older boosters is the 67 to 76 C3 Vette piece. 1-1/8" bore for power brakes and 1" bore for manual brakes.

I didn't notice if you had an adjustable proportioning valve. If you don't have one you should definitely get one to get the brakes dialed in once you get proper braking pressure established.

[Ackattack]

Originally Posted by 68 TT

Going to the smaller bore master cylinder will just reduce pedal effort. It will not solve your problem though.

It sounds like you are not pushing enough fluid volume for the brakes you are running. You need a master cylinder with enough fluid volume for the 4-wheel disc brakes. A good one to use with the older boosters is the 67 to 76 C3 Vette piece. 1-1/8" bore for power brakes and 1" bore for manual brakes.

I didn't notice if you had an adjustable proportioning valve. If you don't have one you should definitely get one to get the brakes dialed in once you get proper braking pressure established.

I still have a lot of pedal to travel, so if I needed more volume, i still have more pedal. However, I just can't push it down that far due to lack of pressure.

BTW the 96 camaros (vehicle I got the rear calipers off of) also had a 1" bore MC. The area of the front pistons is very close to what my area is. (LT1 camaros used a single piston caliper in the front)

I may need an adjustable proportioning valve. Right now I have a CPP disc/disc non adjustable proportioning valve.

[68 TT]

Originally Posted by Ackattack

I still have a lot of pedal to travel, so if I needed more volume, i still have more pedal. However, I just can't push it down that far due to lack of pressure.

BTW the 96 camaros (vehicle I got the rear calipers off of) also had a 1" bore MC. The area of the front pistons is very close to what my area is. (LT1 camaros used a single piston caliper in the front)

I may need an adjustable proportioning valve. Right now I have a CPP disc/disc non adjustable proportioning valve.

The LT1 cars used the small piston metric caliper in the front. You probably have the large piston D52 style caliper on the front of your truck so the smaller 1" bore LT1 sized master may not be right for you. I would stick with the 1-1/8" one you have.

I think you might be on the right track with the booster replacement. The one in my Blazer was going out and took a bunch of effort to get it to stop. You couldn't push hard enough on it to lock the brakes up.

With the new booster installed it only took a couple toes on the pedal to lock the brakes up.

I am thinking of replacing the 72 Suburban booster on my 67 K10 with one from a mid 90's S-10 Blazer. It has four threaded mount studs on the back of the booster so it should be pretty simple to make it fit the bell crank setup mount of the 72 Suburban booster setup. Just have to modify the pedal rod on the Blazer booster so it can connect to the bell crank parts. Looks pretty straight forward though.

I could always make a new mount setup for the Blazer booster where it just lines up straight with the pedal connection point. I will have to mock that up this weekend and see if there is enough clearance to do that.

[Ackattack]

96 camaro z28 uses a single 2.5" bore front caliper = 4.9 sq in

My front calipers are dual 47mm bore = 5.4 sq in

Comparing the camaro and my truck also assume an approx. equal pedal ration too (that comes into the equation too)

[68 TT]

Originally Posted by Ackattack

96 camaro z28 uses a single 2.5" bore front caliper = 4.9 sq in

My front calipers are dual 47mm bore = 5.4 sq in

so I would need a higher pressure at my front caliper to get an equivalant clamping force.

Comparing the camaro and my truck also assume an approx. equal pedal ration too (that comes into the equation too)

The LS1 F-body has the same configuration dual 48mm front calipers as what you are running and I believe the rear is the same size as the LT1 so maybe an LS1 master cylinder would be a good piece to work with for your setup.

Most likely the truck has more pedal leverage than the F-body so that should be in your favor.

[Ackattack]

LS1 F-body also use 1" bore

[djw32]

Originally Posted by Ackattack

check out the first item on this page:

http://www.currentperformance.com/Ac...iring_acc.html

it made it very easy to hook up all the necessary circuits. Another thing, when I turn on my A/C, it is wired to kick on one of the electric fans.

I thought this was a much cleaner solution (due to size) than trying to use the factory fuse block.

I was looking at that product...You used the current performance stand alone fuse/relay panel and the factory ECU, right?

I heard that the current performance relay and fuse panel is labeled with everything that needs to be hooked up. Did you find it easy to use?

[Ackattack]

Originally Posted by djw32

I was looking at that product...You used the current performance stand alone fuse/relay panel and the factory ECU, right?

I heard that the current performance relay and fuse panel is labeled with everything that needs to be hooked up. Did you find it easy to use?

yeah, really easy

[Ackattack]

Well I got a master cylinder for a 72 corvette with manual brakes (1" bore). I took a few initial measurements, painted it, bench bled it, then installed it.

It was a bolt in deal, the two lines from it line up with the proportioning valve, the push rod depth was the same.

I did not get to test it out. I have a flat tire. I took off the wheel/tire and put some air in it, and the valve stem is leaking. So I'll take care of that, then bleed the whole brake system again. Not much air got in it, but better to be safe than sorry.

I did start up the truck to see how it feels. The pedal has more of a natural feel to it, rather than being stiff and little movement. Guess we'll see later for sure.

[ripdog28]

Nasty build man, i love it.

[67C10BUB]

Originally Posted by Ackattack

Well progress has been pretty slow lately, cause frankly I'm almost done with it, its driveable, so haven't worked much on it. I took it to 2 car shows, had a bunch of people stare at it, ask a lot of questions, but no awards (of course I'm not completly done with it either, so maybe that's what....plus one of the show's was the GoodGuys show and there were TONS of nice rides there)

Anyway, I was having a high RPM miss. After asking some questions and doing some data logging, I determined that it was the number 3 spark plug wire that the header had partially melted. So I removed the coil packs from the valve covers, relocated them, made custom spark plug wires (you have to use LT1 spark plug boots BTW) and that took care of that problem. I then installed my cool cast aluminum "CHEVROLET" valve covers that my wife got for me last christmas.

Then I got my butt in gear and finally installed my LS6 intake manifold that I've had sitting on the shelf ever since I sold my corvette a year and a half ago. I got a used set of fuel rails and 28lb injectors (stock truck injectors are 24). I already had the corvette front drive accessories, so that wasn't too much of an issue. But, my temperature sensor for my gauge was in the top of the water pump and the throttle body was hitting it, so I removed the temp sensor and plugged the hole. I got an adapter to put the temp sending unit in the pass. side head, but haven't done it yet. I also had to cut the coolant passage off the bottom of the truck throttle body as well as notch it for a bolt that protrudes up from the corvette water pump. No biggies there. I then broke out my laptop, reprogrammed for the larger injectors, and it's running great.

Here's what the engine is looking like now:





Tonight I got the A/C system charged and working. A buddy was helping me. The first thing we had to do was draw a vacuum on the system and checked for leaks. None found, so then we hooked up the heater hoses to the water pump. For a long time I wasn't getting any heat until I checked on stuff. Basically some where along the line the cable that controls the water valve slipped off the controller in the cab, so not hot water was circulating through the heater core (this is an Old Air setup BTW). After we got that figured out, we charged the system. The Old air instructions called for 28-32 ounces of refrigerant. Well I used refrigerant that also included the compressor oil with 11 oz of refrigerant per can. We used 3 cans, but my buddy disconnected the first one before it was completely empty, so I probably have ~30 oz of refrigerant in the system and it seems to be working great.

Then we took the truck for a test drive since my buddy hadn't ridden in it, and we wanted to see how the A/C was working out on the road. The truck ran good, A/C was cool.

While on the test drive I also tried out my line lock that I had wired up a few days ago. Basically it confirmed that my brakes aren't really working all that great. I could push down on the brakes, turn the line lock solenoid on and could still roll forward pretty easily. I could tell the actual solenoid was working, the brakes basically just suck.

The truck stops pretty decently, but not like it really should (I can't even lock up the rear brakes with rear disks). So.....I"m going to go back over the entire system and check for leaks and re-bleed it. I don't really think that is the problem though. The whole braking system is brand new except the brake booster, so I'm probably going to get a new brake booster and see if that fixed my "under powered" brakes.

The truck is still safe to drive, but it should be able to stop quicker than it does now. I'd say it's probably on par with a stock drum/drum truck as far as stopping distance.

How did you end up hooking up the AC compressor. Can you take a pic of the Doc's block installed. Did you make your hoses? I am running the same compressor with the same Old Air unit, so you could really save me a whole lot of time.

[Ackattack]

Originally Posted by 67C10BUB

How did you end up hooking up the AC compressor. Can you take a pic of the Doc's block installed. Did you make your hoses? I am running the same compressor with the same Old Air unit, so you could really save me a whole lot of time.

I'll get some pictures later...but here's the answer of how I did it.

First, I'm using corvette accessory brackets and an LS1 F-body A/C compressor. So it is a little different than the 5.3 truck A/C setup. Basically I connected the doc's block to the back of the compressor, put on the fittings, cut the A/C hoses to length and routed them. I marked the fittings and hoses, and then removed them and had the fittings crimped onto the hoses. Then re-installed.

I'm pretty sure this is the a/c adapter I used
http://www.docsblocks.com/proddetail.asp?prod=AA0443

[SCOTI]

What's the update on your ongoing brake dilemma? Did the new master cylinder sort it out?