BBC Turbo 400 to LT4 T56

[72Cheyenne454]

What an awesome truck and a nice job with the fab work.

I'm watching daily for updates.

Miles

[88Stanger]

great build so far!!!

[Trackman101]

Thanks for all positive feed back!

I guess I'm in the dog days of the build now. I am waiting for some aluminum to be broke for the fuel tank conversion and for the fan shroud set up. In the mean time I have been tinkering with wiring. I've rerouted the wiring up front to go under the radiator instead of above and have added a couple wires for the electric fans and oil cooler fans. All the wiring is removed that crossed up by the cowl. Mounted a couple of the Dakota Digital components in behind the gauges. The main control box is held in place by a bracket attached to the steering column brace and industrial strength double sided sticky tape. (the gorilla tape is holding the insulation secure!) Plan to start wiring it in the next few days.

..found an issue with my light switch

[Trackman101]

Nothing glamorous...
Wiring is actually going better than I thought. I've got the Dakota Dash wired up, battery cables ran, starter hooked up,alternator feed connected. I am not suggesting I will not have some electrical gremlins when It comes to starting it but it is progressing faster than I had planned.
Found a little ambition and started working on the metal work to the tunnel to get the huge wiring cable into the truck and placed under the seat.

[BossHogg69]

Those rear Michelin's don't stand a chance against the torque they're about to deal with... If I see correctly, they're a 345/30/20? I'm running the same width tires you're running (275 fr/345 rr), but on a 19" rim.

[Trackman101]

Originally Posted by BossHogg69

Those rear Michelin's don't stand a chance against the torque they're about to deal with... If I see correctly, they're a 345/30/20? I'm running the same width tires you're running (275 fr/345 rr), but on a 19" rim.

Correct 345/30 20 on the back.
I'm running a 275/40 19 on the fronts.
I regret a little bit going with a 12" rim on the back. It really limits tire options.
If I did it again I 'd go with 11" wide and run a 305/35 drag radial. Still could I guess but it would look a little goofy.

[Trackman101]

Got around to unboxing my Ididit column. (sold the original shift column with the old engine and trans)
Should there be a notch/slot cut out to align the column to the dash bracket? I purchased a 67-72 column but it came with universal instructions. I am surprised it didn't come with a slot to align it.

[BossHogg69]

My Flaming River column didn't come with any locating notch/tab/mark either. I installed it loosely and rotated it around until I thought it was 'straight'. Maybe the Ididit is similar in that regard?

[Trackman101]

Finished modifying the fuel tank for the pump and Holley hydramat. I can't take credit for the nice welds. I am only set up to mig weld aluminum at my garage. Unfortunately it didn't pass my pressure test after I installed the mat, pump and fuel sender. I found two pin holes in the corners. Once I get those fixed I'll connect the fuel line, vent and electrical and mounted it back up into position. That should be it for the fuel system.

[Trackman101]

Fan shroud is built. The ECM comes with a 2 fan relay set up which is nice. I've got a monster 2 speed fan and and a little guy to help out. The 17" comes on at 195 I think and high speed and the second fan will activate at 212 I believe. The factory settings are higher than I am comfortable with coming from a big block but I'm sure the GM engineers know what they are doing.

I've got it mocked up but have a ways to go with mounting it in.

[nuke1]

awesome build so far!!!

[Trackman101]

I've got the high hump trans cover notch finished and mounted back in the truck. It will be interesting to see how well the carpet fits. Power steering lines built for my experiment with hydroboost using a Mustang set up. I think that's it for plumbing!
I am still messing around with a cold air box on the driverside and still haven't come up with a real good plan yet for mounting the GM fuse block. I wish the harness was another 4 inches longer.
I need to get some ambition and finish a bunch of things that I've half finished.

[Oly72C20]

Wow! What an amazing build! I have been away from the forum for quite awhile and man am I glad that I found this thread! I can't wait to see the final outcome!

Joe

[Trackman101]

....the dog days of February.
A pic of the tunnel and pass through for the ecm harness.

Not much to report. Still working on the airbox. Somehow it's turned into a complicated piece. Once it's done I think I am done fabrication and can send off a bunch of pieces to powdercoat. Bench bled the m/c.Power steering fluid is in. Finally came up with a place for the GM fuse block. It requires some billet hood hinges to allow it to fit where I want. Battery cables are built. I lied when I said I as done the plumbing. Still waiting for a fitting for the hydraulic clutch and the A/C system still has some head scratching to do .

I am wanting to paint my radiator, condenser and heat exchanger. Obviously powdercoating those pieces are not an option. Can anyone suggest a good product that will bite to bare aluminum?

[Trackman101]

....3rd times the charm
Finally got the correct hydraulic clutch connection for the T56 Magnum.
With a little luck I might get a few pieces back from the powder coaters tomorrow and do some final assembly for the radiator ,supercharger heat exchanger and air box.

[builtbyKane]

It's looking great so far. Hopefully you found a paint solution to share with the rest of us.

[BossHogg69]

I don't have a blower or heat exchanger, but I did paint my aluminum radiator in same base coat & satin clear I used on everything else under the hood. It's held up well so far.

[meenaggie]

I have had good success with Eastwood Radiator Black. I used their Satin Black. Lay on thin coats and spray the fins from multiple angles. I took the shroud off and painted it as separate pieces so I could get all the surfaces coated. Don't spray it in direct sunlight on a hot day or onto a warm surface . . . that can cause the finish the be rough as the paint will start to dry too quickly. This product is more sensitive to that issue than other spray paints I have used. Nice truck by the way.

https://www.eastwood.com/ew-radiator...in-finish.html

[Trackman101]

I think I have the rad in for the last time. Air box is done except for a small lexan window I need to glue in. New hood hinges are expensive as hell but are a high quality piece. I now have room to mount the GM fuse block between the passenger hinge and a/c. Time to throw some fluids in!

[72Cheyenne454]

That is slick. Looks factory... like it came right off the GM assembly line.

Nice job!

[Jason7121]

Could you tell me what brand the hood hinges are and where can I get them. Your build looks awesome!

[Trackman101]

Thanks for the positive feedback.
I ordered the hinges from Ring Brothers. They are bloody expensive but they are very high quality and the only ones I could find that would work with the factory ac/heater box.
..I emailed them for a discount and they sent me a 10% off code.

[Jason7121]

Ok perfect I was looking into ring brothers but wasn't sure how they would fit .

[BossHogg69]

x2 on the Ringbrothers hinges. I put the black anodized 'air frame' hood hinges on my truck a few years ago and the are very nice. Open & close very smooth and look great.

[clay68c10]

Wow!
I just read thru this, very nice work you are doing there. Very cool you are going with the Tremec. I'll be using a TKO in mine.
Is that the Capt Fab master cyl kit?