Scott's 1972 Chevy K-20. A place to start.

[Dieselwrencher]

Cough, cough, anyway, how's the chevy doing?


Ryan, the facebook threat can go both ways son.

[gerfunken]

Originally Posted by Dieselwrencher

Cough, cough, anyway, how's the chevy doing?


Ryan, the facebook threat can go both ways son.

So, my truck, for any that may be interested, seems to be stalled while I'm trying to figure out some details:

Transmission: Still trying to review my options for the transmission cooler. Having removed the heat exchanger, I'm left with some odd routing that I've got to come up with. The radiator I have has a transmission cooler (right side), but the dodge lines ended on the left side. I'm planning on getting some hard line and getting most of it bent up this weekend (if I'm lucky.) I still haven't figured out what to do with the overdrive and lock-up. There's a lot of people on the 4btSwap forum that prefer to use the PCM, and there are others that prefer to run the oil pressure switches. I honestly haven't decided which way to go yet.

Exhaust: Until I removed the heat exchanger last weekend, I didn't have a lot of clearance. Now that it is gone, I seem to have a bit more space to deal with exhaust routing. Right now I'm just waiting on a delivery of 3" mandrel bent scrap that I can start mocking it up.

Intercooler: I have an idea, but waiting on the same set of 3" mandrel bent exhaust scrap to fab something up.

Power Steering/Hydroboost/Cooling: I think I've relegated myself to the fact that I'm going to have to go with a local shop, get the pieces I need, and have the lines made to my spec. I know there's a place (http://www.hosepower.com) that is between home and work that I can check out, but that's likely not very high on my priority list right this second.

Vacuum: I have the new switch for the transfer case, but I still need to get in and route the lines from the vacuum pump to the transfer case.

Electrical: I think that I've got an idea on the fuel shut-off solenoid, but I need to pick up a relay to get things to work properly. I've actually been playing on the computer, pouring over electrical diagrams (page 8) and trying to draw out the schematic that mine will be running. That's not a quick process... <sigh>
(reference


Cooler lines: Well, I've got the top hose figured out, and have it temporarily mounted. The bottom line is becoming more problematic. When the engine was installed, they tweaked the outlet on the block up about 45%. The proper flexible hose I ordered (17" 2 1/4" one side, 2" on the other) is about 2" short, and I haven't found one that's a little bit longer. Also, I'm worried about the kink that's being put in the hose at those angles, and think that I'm going to run into interference with my intercooler line from the turbo. Additionally, with the removal of the heat exchanger for the transmission, I've now got two extra lines. I think that I'm just going to run a quick bypass for now until I can come up with something different. The only other thing that I'm trying to figure out is how to route the existing lines back to the heater core without interfering with the turbo, intercooler, or exhaust. I'd prefer a clean look, but that may have to come at a later date.

Vintage Air System: So, aside from the heater lines mentioned above, all of the A/C lines I had are now too short. Additionally, the unit I have includes a plastic cover for the firewall. If I leave that in place, then I'm about 90% positive that it'll get melted by the exhaust aft the turbo. It looks like I'm going to have to weld in a patch panel on the innermost opening. The outer opening is perplexing. The adaptor that I have has 2 A/C lines coming straight out, 2 heater lines coming straight out, 2 vacuum lines and 2 electrical connections. I've got to figure out exactly what I'm going to do with that... we'll figure that out after I check-off some of the other things.

Brake Lines still need to be run for the back brakes. Apparently, the line was problematic, so it was removed from under the cab. (Heard it was plugged, so they took it out.) Need to re-do that, back to the rear axle, then get some fluid and deal with the brake lines. The other thing of note was that in the move to the hydroboost, the proportioning valve was removed, which includes the brake safety switch. I need to get that put back in place.

Exhaust: I was smart enough that I saved the old exhaust system, but now I need to get it put into the truck.

That's all I've got on the conversion process... but there's still a list of things to do on the body that I haven't finished yet. Windows aren't in. Weather stripping isn't in. Still need to put seam sealer on the driver's side. Fuel tank solution needs to go in. (I think I've decided on a 30 gallon square body suburban tank, but will need to come up with new cross mounts, and a fueling solution.)

So, that about sums up my lack of progress for the week.....


How are your projects?

[ryanroo]

yeah hows that chevy?!

Just cause i dont post pictures doesnt mean i aint getting stuff done...

my wife has no facebook

apply ice to burned area, repeat as necessary.

BAZANG!

[6lcummins]

Originally Posted by ryanroo

BAZANG!

It's BAZINGA, jacka$$ lol

[ryanroo]

maybe if you eat to much corn....

[Dieselwrencher]

Scott, for the trans cooler lines, get a 1/4"pipe to -8 jic male fitting. Get some parker -8 rubber steel braided hose and the fittings. This should be able to be had at any heavy truck shop. It is tough, and lasts a long time. On the trans cooler, I'd try to put the biggest one you can fit in there. Also look for one with pipe thread ports rather than slip on style. Less place for leaks.

The fuel shut off solenoid: On the Longhorn I'm going to install a ford starter relay that will trigger the starter and shut off sol. I will use an automotive relay to run the power side of the fuel shut off solenoid.

Trans: I realize a lot of guys like the PCM to control the trans, but then that adds more items in that can fail or fight you. I'll let you know how pressure switches work as that is the direction I'm going in the excursion. But it'll have toggles in it anyway to over ride the pressure switches if need be.

[gerfunken]

Well, I got a little bit of time in the garage this weekend, and a little bit of help. My daughter had volunteered to help me out a bit (which is extraordinary since none of her older brothers ever volunteer for things like this.) She's also convinced that she's going to get the truck when she turns 16.

So, my beautiful helper:


I got my hands on a box of 3" pre-bent 45 & 90-degree exhaust tube.



Put the saws-all in the hands of the beautiful daughter:



Then you put the welding helmet on her head, making sure that you adjust it properly. I call this one the glamor shot.



Finally you give her a quick set of instruction and let her go.



The two of us built up the tubes for the intercooler. I'd say that she did a pretty good job.







Then we moved on to the exhaust. I was able to get the down-pipe done as well. Once I got that heat exchanger out of the way it really did free up a lot of room for me to route the exhaust. It's still a little bit close to the firewall for me, but it's not touching anything, so I'll live with that for now. Also, the exhaust is tight between the rear spring and the transmission, with not a lot of play in either space. I think that I may have clocked the end a little too much, but I've got something place for now.







Other things of note, without any picture updates. I was able to get the old transmission hard-lines out. I also cleaned up the rear brake lines. The old one was cut, and I had to work it back a bit to find a flat spot to get the new nut on and re-flange the line. I didn't get the line completed yet as I found out that the dodge rear axle runs the 3/16 and my existing and repaired line was 1/4. I just need to get back to the store to get the new part.

Slowly but surely the items are getting checked off the list.

[6lcummins]

Originally Posted by gerfunken

Then we moved on to the exhaust. I was able to get the down-pipe done as well. Once I got that heat exchanger out of the way it really did free up a lot of room for me to route the exhaust. It's still a little bit close to the firewall for me, but it's not touching anything, so I'll live with that for now. Also, the exhaust is tight between the rear spring and the transmission, with not a lot of play in either space. I think that I may have clocked the end a little too much, but I've got something place for now.







.

Looks like you have a nice hole to plug in the DP elbow. Otherwise, she's coming along really well.

[gerfunken]

Originally Posted by 6lcummins

Looks like you have a nice hole to plug in the DP elbow. Otherwise, she's coming along really well.

That hole is where the PO had the pyrometer. I just haven't put it back in. At this point it is one of the lower items on the priority list, and I'm not too worried since I've got all the parts I need to close it up.

[Dieselwrencher]

Scott, it's looking really nice. A couple things that may help you. You might be able to loosen your cab and radiator support mounts and try to slide it all back as far as you can to gain some firewall clearance. That is pretty close and it will get hot. Probabaly not firey hot, but make the cab a sauna. hen move the bed back as well. Next, keep an eye on that 90* hose you used on the intake. They like to blow off. Doesn't seem to matter how tight you get the clamps. It's looking really good though!

[gerfunken]

Originally Posted by Dieselwrencher

Scott, it's looking really nice. A couple things that may help you. You might be able to loosen your cab and radiator support mounts and try to slide it all back as far as you can to gain some firewall clearance. That is pretty close and it will get hot. Probabaly not firey hot, but make the cab a sauna. hen move the bed back as well. Next, keep an eye on that 90* hose you used on the intake. They like to blow off. Doesn't seem to matter how tight you get the clamps. It's looking really good though!

I'll give that a try. The cab mounts are fairly new so I'm not sure how much play I can get out of them, but I'll see if I can get a little bit of extra room out of it. The other option I was looking at was to use the old header wrap to cover that down pipe, or even just that short section right against the firewall.

[Dieselwrencher]

Originally Posted by gerfunken

I'll give that a try. The cab mounts are fairly new so I'm not sure how much play I can get out of them, but I'll see if I can get a little bit of extra room out of it. The other option I was looking at was to use the old header wrap to cover that down pipe, or even just that short section right against the firewall.

Wrapping it won't hurt, abd for your exhaust manifold, get a blanket and that'll help too.

And I'd weld that hole in the elbow shut. Drill and tap your exhaust manifold for a pyro. It's a more accurate idea of what is truely the temps in the cylinder as the exhaust comes out. You can lose 250-300* at the outlet and get a false idea.

[6lcummins]

Originally Posted by Dieselwrencher

Next, keep an eye on that 90* hose you used on the intake. They like to blow off. Doesn't seem to matter how tight you get the clamps. It's looking really good though!

Something we have learned from experience, the 90s tend to be a PITA to keep on and we try to only use straight rubber hoses as it causes less swell and is less likely to blow off.

[ryanroo]

Love to see a young lady out in the garage working on stuff! Please have her wear long sleeves if she does welding, and white t shirts are a big no no. arc burn is nasty and way worse for you than a sun burn. white just doesn't block the UV. i learned this the hard way....

[gerfunken]

Originally Posted by Dieselwrencher

Wrapping it won't hurt, abd for your exhaust manifold, get a blanket and that'll help too.

And I'd weld that hole in the elbow shut. Drill and tap your exhaust manifold for a pyro. It's a more accurate idea of what is truely the temps in the cylinder as the exhaust comes out. You can lose 250-300* at the outlet and get a false idea.

Thanks for the info, I wasn't aware that there could be that much heat lost between the manifold and behind the turbo. I'll fill that hole and tap another when I pull the exhaust back off to put the header wrap on the down pipe.

Originally Posted by 6lcummins

Something we have learned from experience, the 90s tend to be a PITA to keep on and we try to only use straight rubber hoses as it causes less swell and is less likely to blow off.

Do you find this to be the issue at only 20psi boost, or are you seeing it when you guys push more through the system? I haven't done any real performance upgrades other than a #5 fuel plate at this point. I guess my other option would be to redo the intake itself. Ryan (CO) sent me a flange that I've still got sitting around the garage as it wasn't used.

Originally Posted by ryanroo

Love to see a young lady out in the garage working on stuff! Please have her wear long sleeves if she does welding, and white t shirts are a big no no. arc burn is nasty and way worse for you than a sun burn. white just doesn't block the UV. i learned this the hard way....

Ya, I know. She wanted to know what welding was all about. She completed about 6 spot welds total (only two of which held) before she got bored and moved on to other things. It's nice that she and my wife are the ones that does come out and check on me, and always help out when I need a third hand. The boys have never been interested in anything I'm doing in the garage or yard. Even at 19, 20 & 23, are more interested in video games than anything that may give them skills and some sense of accomplishment in the future.

[Dieselwrencher]

Originally Posted by gerfunken

The boys have never been interested in anything I'm doing in the garage or yard. Even at 19, 20 & 23, are more interested in video games than anything that may give them skills and some sense of accomplishment in the future.

I'm going to be the dick dad and throw out the video games or never let them get them. Haha It's crazy how a lot of people are consumed by gaming in general. (I guess it isn't any different than being caught up in old cars and trucks. But I won't tell them that.)

On the intake, yes, I've had those dumb hoses blow at 20psi as well. If you use hair spray or a light film of silicone on the intake when you put the hose on it can help.

[6lcummins]

Dad's Ford does it the worst as he has a 90* elbow off the turbo and I have had it blow at 19 psi before and its a PITA to put back on on the side of the interstate when everything is hot and you have a pulling truck behind it.

[gerfunken]

Well, two weeks of nothing at all done on the truck... I'm fine with that. So, instead of a build thread, I'll post a quick "vacation" update.


View from our hotel room.


My wife and I, getting a break from our kids and our commitments for a little breather.


Various sea life as we were snorkeling.





And a couple of adventures along the way.

[1leglance]

I like the vacation pics....my wife and I also like to get away from the kids and home life and pretend we are still dating...keep the relationship fresh.

Great work on the build and I am enjoying learning from your progress.

[Dieselwrencher]

Nice vaca pics Scott! That Stingray pic is sweet! Was that Hawaii?

[gerfunken]

Originally Posted by 1leglance

I like the vacation pics....my wife and I also like to get away from the kids and home life and pretend we are still dating...keep the relationship fresh.

Great work on the build and I am enjoying learning from your progress.

Ya, we had a nice break from the kids... it was nice, especially when I realized that it's been since 2007 that the wife and I really had a nice long vacation together.

And, thanks for the feedback... I too am learning from my progress..

Originally Posted by Dieselwrencher

Nice vaca pics Scott! That Stingray pic is sweet! Was that Hawaii?

Ya, we spent a week on Maui. I spent about 5 of the days snorkeling (a first for me.) My wife spent a lot of time scuba diving before we met, so this was the first time that she's gotten me in the water.

It also gave me my $1,000,000 idea... There's books that tell you what fish you see. There's books that tell you how to cook. The world's missing a book that tells you how to cook the fish you see.

[gerfunken]

Started back on the truck this weekend. The problem was that I wasn't quite where to start, so I bounced back and forth, from bending some tubing, to looking over the hydraulic lines, to futzing around with the rear brakes, etc. Didn't get a single thing done, and some things I didn't even start. The end result was that I came up with a punch list of things that I need to do to get it running again.



After that, I decided to focus on the transmission shifter. I had originally ordered the 23" double-bend Lokar shifter for the 727 (since they don't make one specifically for the 46RH). Not only was that too tall, but it also didn't work. After a bit more research, I found that the 46RH is based off of the 518, so I sent one back, and got the replacement for the floor mount and 16". I spent a little bit of time placing it in different locations on the transmission hump in the truck. To far forward and it hit the dash, too far back and I didn't like the look of it and it hit the front edge of the seat.





I ended up liking it the most where the original stick shift came out. The only problem I ran into was that the linkage was basically a straight drop down to the Lokar provided pivot bracket on top of the front left of the transmission pan. Basically, where I ended up placing it wouldn't have worked to as it wouldn't have any leverage in moving the selector, but rather force it directly down.

So, a little bit of free time and some ingenuity, I came up with a second lever that attaches to the back of the hump.







ACE hardware something like the small 1/4" heim joints that I was able to leverage, but nobody around me has the 1/4" x 28 all-thread for me to finish putting this together.

[Dieselwrencher]

Looking good Scott! That's a great idea on the cooking book. Although, the diving joint may not like hooks and line in their tour/swim.

On your trans, yours is a 47rh. 46's were put behind small gas engines. 47's were behind the V10's and diesels. A lot of parts do interchange from 6's to 7's but some don't. Just something you might need to know down the road. Have you decided how you want to control it yet?

[gerfunken]

Originally Posted by Dieselwrencher

Looking good Scott! That's a great idea on the cooking book. Although, the diving joint may not like hooks and line in their tour/swim.

On your trans, yours is a 47rh. 46's were put behind small gas engines. 47's were behind the V10's and diesels. A lot of parts do interchange from 6's to 7's but some don't. Just something you might need to know down the road. Have you decided how you want to control it yet?

Ya, my fat fingers at work, hitting the wrong keys... It's usually the RE/RH that I mess up, not the 46/47... oh well. I'm still thinking this one through, but also remembered a post where you'd stated that you were going to try the pressure switches on the Excursion... I've was going to follow-up on that thread to see if you'd gotten to that point yet.

I've kind of shifted the priority to getting the thing running, and have really put that decision on the back-burner at this time. It feels like I've got two choices, either run with the pressure switches or run a couple of items through the control module that I've still got.

[Dieselwrencher]

Originally Posted by gerfunken

Ya, my fat fingers at work, hitting the wrong keys... It's usually the RE/RH that I mess up, not the 46/47... oh well. I'm still thinking this one through, but also remembered a post where you'd stated that you were going to try the pressure switches on the Excursion... I've was going to follow-up on that thread to see if you'd gotten to that point yet.

I've kind of shifted the priority to getting the thing running, and have really put that decision on the back-burner at this time. It feels like I've got two choices, either run with the pressure switches or run a couple of items through the control module that I've still got.

Yeah, I still plan on running the pressure switches on it. The dodge PCM works well but it kind of defeats the purpose of using a 47rh IMO. I like the fact knowing I can control OD and lock up through switches rather than depending on a computer to do it. Plus it's nice being able to lock third without OD some times. Hopefully soon I'll get to that point on the Excursion. I haven't had much time to spend on it though.