Markeb01 Build Thread

[MisterC]

15 years Mark? I'd say you got your money's worth on that one!

[markeb01]

The new engine reached 601 miles yesterday so I gave it an oil change and a new filter, along with another bottle of Comp Cams ZDDP additive. After reading a lot more about Edelbrock AFB’s, I also reduced the fuel pressure from 6.2 lbs to just under 5. It seems these carbs just don’t like excessive fuel pressure, and during hard left turns the engine tended to stumble (even the old engine did). After reducing the pressure I threw the truck around a few hard corners and the spill-over appears to have disappeared.

[bj383ss]

Love the cutouts Mark. Those are sexy. I have one on my 02 Camaro SS right before the muffler. As you say they are fun! I leave mine open all the time but I have cats so its not as loud as you might think.

Keep adding that ZDDP. I just experienced 8 flat lobes on a Comp cams in my 383 stroker I have in my 79' Caprice. Took me 2 years to figure out what was wrong with the engine. Rewired the whole engine compartment and bought a new MSD Distributor. Finally figured it out while adjusting the valves with the engine off. I was turning the engine over by hand and the #7 an #8 cylinders where not activating any of their valves.

Bret

[markeb01]

Thanks for the feedback Bret. I’m really having a hard time wiping the grin off my face! It’s like having more than one truck to play with. It’s kind of funny before the cutouts I thought the mufflers sounded great, a nice loping idle with a distinctive exhaust note. Now it sounds wimpy to me when they’re closed. For driving around town, they sound best cracked open just a bit. The exhaust at idle is almost as quiet and when they’re closed, but really speaks up when accelerating. On my cheap little dash cam, at that setting the camera picks up what sounds like wide open exhaust. In real life it’s not that vigorous, it sounds more like a set of loud mufflers.

When the cutouts are in fact wide open, the exhaust sounds like an old 60’s race engine to me (in real life). Nice and choppy with a dragstrip bark to it. The problem being my little dash cam can’t handle that level of frequency resonance. In the cab it sounds really cool, and as you describe not really all that loud. But the video recordings are all ruined by the harmonic vibration. The “engine music” is completely distorted and just sounds crappy. I’ll have to keep playing around with the opening position until I can capture something decent (or invest in a GoPro camera).

I must have gotten lucky with my old engine as wasn’t aware of the ZDDP problem until about a year ago. I didn’t start adding ZDDP until recently and the cam never went flat. With the new engine I’m not taking any chances. When I first ordered the assembly lubricants I also bought six oil filters and six bottles of the Comp Cams additive, so I wouldn’t get caught short and risk any problems. Sorry to hear about your frustrating engine problems. Years ago I went through almost as much work replacing everything on my previous car/350 engine before I discovered the problem was the Mallory Unilite distributor.

[1Bad62Pro/Street]

Originally Posted by markeb01

Thanks for the feedback Bret. I’m really having a hard time wiping the grin off my face! It’s like having more than one truck to play with. It’s kind of funny before the cutouts I thought the mufflers sounded great, a nice loping idle with a distinctive exhaust note. Now it sounds wimpy to me when they’re closed. For driving around town, they sound best cracked open just a bit. The exhaust at idle is almost as quiet and when they’re closed, but really speaks up when accelerating. On my cheap little dash cam, at that setting the camera picks up what sounds like wide open exhaust. In real life it’s not that vigorous, it sounds more like a set of loud mufflers.

When the cutouts are in fact wide open, the exhaust sounds like an old 60’s race engine to me (in real life). Nice and choppy with a dragstrip bark to it. The problem being my little dash cam can’t handle that level of frequency resonance. In the cab it sounds really cool, and as you describe not really all that loud. But the video recordings are all ruined by the harmonic vibration. The “engine music” is completely distorted and just sounds crappy. I’ll have to keep playing around with the opening position until I can capture something decent (or invest in a GoPro camera).

Oh yes Mark! Exhaust cut outs are the best!
If you or a family member have a smartphone you could take a video sample and transfer it to your PC. The sounds comes up nicely on my phone.
After my dad put a set on his '69 AMC Rambler American I always wanted a set on my truck!
Here's a pic"
https://o021ag.bay.livefilestore.com...1/IMAG1392.jpg
Yep.... I gotta get me a set and open'em up and let'em Roar!
Thanks Mark! On my to get list!

[markeb01]

Thanks for the tip, I'll give that a try. I have an IPhone 5, but I've never ventured very far into what it can do. I'd love to post up how cool it sounds.

[markeb01]

Got everything ready to head out and look for a good location to capture some video of the cutouts, but we didn’t get moving soon enough. We’re in the middle of a week long heat wave and I’m not much of a hot weather person. Yesterday was 96 and today it’s about 98, so I’ve achieved very little.

But my new conical style air cleaner is due to arrive tomorrow:



The current one is too dome shaped and won’t accept the reproduction 300 hp 327 sticker I picked up a while back to go along with the fender emblems:

The scanned image doesn’t look all that good, but in real life anything that isn’t red is chrome:



And the H4 Hella headlight conversion kit I ordered recently may arrive as early as Friday:



I’m really looking forward to getting the lamp upgrades installed. After several years of limited night driving, we’re doing more and more of it since my wife retired and I’m finding the pitiful illumination of base line sealed beam bulbs just isn’t enough for my old eyes any longer. I’ve already upgraded the headlight harness and installed relays so the installation should be pretty straight forward.

[likaroc13]

Man, you just keep coming up with all sorts of goodies to install! I dig the new exhaust cutouts & look forward to video(s) of them in action. It's been super hot around here too, so I don't blame ya for avoiding the heat wave. I just wish it would quit raining around here! The month of June, now continuing into July, has more than made up for what we missed in April, lol.

Looking forward to your updates.

[markeb01]

Originally Posted by likaroc13

Man, you just keep coming up with all sorts of goodies to install! I dig the new exhaust cutouts & look forward to video(s) of them in action. It's been super hot around here too, so I don't blame ya for avoiding the heat wave. I just wish it would quit raining around here! The month of June, now continuing into July, has more than made up for what we missed in April, lol.

Looking forward to your updates.

And I thought the weather was only weird around here!

Here are the best videos of the exhaust cutouts my wife and I have been able to capture so far. The first one is from the in cab camera, and I only have the cutouts partially opened so they wouldn’t overwhelm the microphone. It’s pretty boring, mostly just the engine idling. I also discovered either my aircraft clock timer runs fast or the camera timer runs slow. As a result I shut the engine off too soon.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g9f0C...r#action=share

The 2nd video was taken next in sequence on the tripod camera.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JPMAZ...r#action=share

Until about 45 seconds the cutouts are only partially open. They are wide open for a while and then back to partial again. The difference is pretty obvious. On the cab camera of the same sequence (which I’m not posting), the partially opened revs sound fine, but the fully opened revs blow out the mike. In this second segment there is so much background noise the idle sound is almost absent. That and I moved the camera too far away to successfully capture the idle sound, in order to avoid having the open exhaust blow out the mike on the tripod camera.

I just love how fast this engine revs and immediately drops to a rough idle of 550 rpms with no tendency to want to die. I’ll try to capture better video/audio again, but it’s going to be over 100 degrees here tomorrow so it won’t be for a few days.

I rewarded my squeeze with a trip to the ice cream place. In addition to capturing some video I wanted to test the new engine’s ability to tolerate idle traffic in high temperatures. The old engine always overheated above 85 degree temps unless I could keep it moving. Being trapped in traffic was not good. The new engine sat idling for almost for almost 25 minutes in 90 degree heat and maintained a constant 187 degrees on a 180 or 185 degree thermostat. There’s a local rod run this weekend and now I’m confident we won’t have any problems in the cooling department. WOOHOO!

[ol'blazer]

ive been scrolling threw your build, i really like your truck. sorry if you mentioned it, but what size tires are on the rear?

[markeb01]

Originally Posted by ol'blazer

ive been scrolling threw your build, i really like your truck. sorry if you mentioned it, but what size tires are on the rear?

They are Firestone Firehawk Indy 500 RWL with the white letter facing out and inked black because I didn't care for the style of the black sidewall. They are 255-70-R15 mounted on 7" American Racing TTO's. Thanks for asking.

[ol'blazer]

Originally Posted by markeb01

They are Firestone Firehawk Indy 500 RWL with the white letter facing out and inked black because I didn't care for the style of the black sidewall. They are 255-70-R15 mounted on 7" American Racing TTO's. Thanks for asking.

thanks! i really like your truck!

[Ta2Don]

I know what you mean about the Heat! Not a fan myself, although I exist here in Arkansas. Last year at this time it was above 100 for days on end with no rain or relief... this year however, yesterday got up to a whopping 83, and the Humidity was virtually non-existent. Very Nice So I helped the boy replace the in-tank fuel pump in his Volvo, I really do not enjoy the soreness the next morning after climbing around under the car...
The Exhaust sounds sweet... Thanks for the vids, and glad you have the cooling system doing it's job!
Enjoy the Rod Run, and we will be watching for updates... and I too really like your truck

[Bomp]

Without going on and on like I tend to do cause I have so many thoughts and questions constantly going through my head.
Nice exhaust, I will be getting cut outs now, noise timing set up in the works.
Any chance of video footage at the rod run? You cruisin', open the cut outs and watch the crowd stare...

Im always inspired when I stop by here.

[likaroc13]

Originally Posted by markeb01

Here are the best videos of the exhaust cutouts my wife and I have been able to capture so far.


Until about 45 seconds the cutouts are only partially open. They are wide open for a while and then back to partial again. The difference is pretty obvious. On the cab camera of the same sequence (which I’m not posting), the partially opened revs sound fine, but the fully opened revs blow out the mike. In this second segment there is so much background noise the idle sound is almost absent. That and I moved the camera too far away to successfully capture the idle sound, in order to avoid having the open exhaust blow out the mike on the tripod camera.

I just love how fast this engine revs and immediately drops to a rough idle of 550 rpms with no tendency to want to die. I’ll try to capture better video/audio again, but it’s going to be over 100 degrees here tomorrow so it won’t be for a few days.

I rewarded my squeeze with a trip to the ice cream place. In addition to capturing some video I wanted to test the new engine’s ability to tolerate idle traffic in high temperatures. The old engine always overheated above 85 degree temps unless I could keep it moving. Being trapped in traffic was not good. The new engine sat idling for almost for almost 25 minutes in 90 degree heat and maintained a constant 187 degrees on a 180 or 185 degree thermostat. There’s a local rod run this weekend and now I’m confident we won’t have any problems in the cooling department. WOOHOO!

Sounds great Mark! Good to hear about the cooling system as well. So glad to see you guys having fun with it!

[markeb01]

Originally Posted by Ta2Don

I know what you mean about the Heat! Not a fan myself, although I exist here in Arkansas. Last year at this time it was above 100 for days on end with no rain or relief... this year however, yesterday got up to a whopping 83, and the Humidity was virtually non-existent. Very Nice So I helped the boy replace the in-tank fuel pump in his Volvo, I really do not enjoy the soreness the next morning after climbing around under the car...
The Exhaust sounds sweet... Thanks for the vids, and glad you have the cooling system doing it's job!
Enjoy the Rod Run, and we will be watching for updates... and I too really like your truck

Yesterday it topped out at 99, and today is scheduled to hit 102. It’s currently 101.5 and humid! In my youth I spent 18 months in Yuma where it routinely hit 115-118 in the summer, and my next adventure was spending 13 months in Vietnam. It was no where near as hot, only hitting 100 on average! But the 100+% humidity was miserable. I vowed at the time that was enough hot weather to last the rest of my life, and my opinion hasn’t changed!

Fortunately it’s forecast to hit 78 on Saturday at the event. I’ve never been to this one before and looking forward to doing something different.

Originally Posted by Bomp

Nice exhaust, I will be getting cut outs now, noise timing set up in the works.
Any chance of video footage at the rod run? You cruisin', open the cut outs and watch the crowd stare...

Im always inspired when I stop by here.

Great minds must run in the same channel, because that’s exactly what I have in mind! I’ll have the in cab camera running for the duration of the event, and the cutouts will be open the minute we enter the fairgrounds. I’ve emptied the camera memory and double checked the mounts. And I intend to bring the dash cam from my wife’s car for a backup, just in case. Should be fun if anything interesting comes along.

Originally Posted by likaroc13

Sounds great Mark! Good to hear about the cooling system as well. So glad to see you guys having fun with it!

Funny, I feel like a kid in a candy store. Everything in the truck just works perfectly now, clutch, steering, shifter, power. It’s never been this nice in the 20+ years we’ve owned it. I can hardly get the smile off my wife’s face either. She’s always loved loud fast cars and trucks. It’s nice having an enthusiastic partner that doesn’t object to my hobbies.

Regarding new business - the tapered 10” air cleaner showed up today and the 327 decal was soon affixed. Unfortunately it makes a stupid looking combination. The decal is meant for a 14” lid and looks too big on the 10” air cleaner. And if it doesn’t look bad enough in these photos, it looks even worse on the engine:



It may have looked better if I had painted the lid black, the way this flash shot came out:



Unfortunately the sticker is permanent and can’t be removed without destroying it. Perhaps if I ever go back to a 14” air cleaner I’ll try the concept again. In the meantime the new bright white air filter element went on the engine, so the purchase wasn’t a total loss.

Hope everyone has a great 4th of July!

[bj383ss]

Very cool Video Mark. Your engine has the whine of a supercharger.

I feel your pain on the heat. I am not a fan of it myself. But I have been having so much fun working on my truck I haven't even notice all the sweat dripping off my nose. Sunday I sandblasted out in the sun for 3 hours straight I think I lost 10 lbs!

We are having a mild summer so far only broke triple digits a couple of times so far. 2 summers ago we had 72 straight days of over 100* and no rain. I thought I was going to die.

Bret

[markeb01]

Originally Posted by bj383ss

Very cool Video Mark. Your engine has the whine of a supercharger.

I feel your pain on the heat. I am not a fan of it myself. But I have been having so much fun working on my truck I haven't even notice all the sweat dripping off my nose. Sunday I sandblasted out in the sun for 3 hours straight I think I lost 10 lbs!

We are having a mild summer so far only broke triple digits a couple of times so far. 2 summers ago we had 72 straight days of over 100* and no rain. I thought I was going to die.

Bret

Now there's one of my least favorite things to do - sandblasting in the sun! I did my share of that back when we lived in Idaho. We lived in a log cabin in the woods with no neighbors, so making a mess wasn't a problem. But getting all that grit out of every sticky joint was unpleasant!

I'm really surprised (pleasantly) how loud the gear drive is now. I honestly don't know which adjustment I made that increased the sound output so substantially. It's the same setup I've had since 1992. Whatever I did, I sure like it!

[66-PMD-GMC]

Truck looks great..

[McMurphy]

Your truck looks and sounds awesome dude!

I think you are really selling me on those cutouts, for my truck and the wifes car.

Are you going to be showing at the GoodGuys this year?
It looks like we may make it again ourselves since our Bloomsday time for leave was approved.
If we can make it, we are planning on showing the wifes '72 LeMans alongside my '66 Tempest.

Even if you are not attending this year, would be cool to hook up for lunch one day while we are home !

[markeb01]

Hi Mike, yes we'll be there. Already signed up. And my wife is no longer working so she'll be able to enjoy it this time as well. Looking forward to seeing you and your cars, and finally meeting your wife!

[markeb01]

This morning we attended the Sprague Annual Hay Days event and car show. It was the first time we attended. The destination is about an hour out, which is the farthest I’ve been able to travel in about 15 years (back problems). Thank goodness for modern medicine. It went so well we’re already planning some 2 & 3 hour trips to see how those work out.

Nearly 100 vehicles showed up. The mix included Corvettes, Mustangs, show cars and clunkers. We had the only 60-66 present.



This was the prettiest truck there. It was a real work of art:



Wandering down the street, I spotted this rather extensive collection that apparently lives in permanent residence:







It was an enjoyable few hours of looking at cars and talking and having a good time with people we’d never met before. As we were leaving town heading down the side street next to the collection, something caught the corner of my eye. It was this – positioned directly behind the collection shown above. Eight lugs, long step bed, and just about stripped to the bone:







Once I backed up and turned around to grab the pictures, this came into view:





It has debris up to the front axle, and the driver’s side of the hood is damaged, but it had a full set of early wide windshield trim complete with all the clips, and – a full set of chrome vent windows with chrome side window frames! I would have loved to buy the chrome vents and frames, but judging by how long everything appears to have remained untouched, it doesn’t appear the owner is willing to part with anything. There was a very nice looking 49 Plymouth sedan just behind the stepside, but it’s trapped between the fencing and a trailer home indicating it’s been there for a long time, and will continue to do so.

This was the first road trip for the new engine and it ran like a Swiss watch. 189 degrees at 60 miles per hour, spinning 3,000 rpms. 70 mph shows 192 degrees at 3,400 rpms. With the 268 cam, the engine seems to like it better at 70 than 60.

Overall it was a fun day and I look forward to more similar adventures. Thankfully next weekend is the Spokane swap meet.

I had some reasonably cool video of us idling out of town with the cutouts wide open. Unfortunately some inappropriate comments in the cab ended up on the clip so it won't be going on Youtube!

[markeb01]

After arriving home I also discovered the driver side exhaust cutout won't open. After 5 hours of debugging I went so far as to run a separate harness out the door to make sure the problem isn't anywhere in the wiring and the motor simply won't open the gate no matter how it is connected. And I know the wiring is correct because the passenger side continues to work perfectly.

I guess we'll find out on Monday how good the customer service end of the business turns out to be.

[bj383ss]

Sorry to hear about the cutout Mark. A lot of the guys on LS1tech run cutouts on Camaros, Firebirds, and Corvettes and have a lot of problems with certain brands of cutouts.

I can't remember what brand you bought. This is one of the reasons I went with QTP(quick time performance). I have had mine for almost 10 years and no problems.

Hope they get you fixed up.

Bret

[piratexpress1369a]

Originally Posted by markeb01

After arriving home I also discovered the driver side exhaust cutout won't open. After 5 hours of debugging I went so far as to run a separate harness out the door to make sure the problem isn't anywhere in the wiring and the motor simply won't open the gate no matter how it is connected. And I know the wiring is correct because the passenger side continues to work perfectly.

I guess we'll find out on Monday how good the customer service end of the business turns out to be.

guess you can not open it by hand