I'm new here, this is my first post. What a great site!
Some of you may have seen my junk yard truck. It's usually about the ugliest truck at the mounds. It's a 90 chevy i intercepted on it's way to the scrap yard with 38" super swampers
(http://www.skoolie.net/gallery/d/13812-1/bm.jpg)
I decided to upgrade the project a bit. We've only been working on the new concept since the first of the year. The objectives are:
4 wheel steering
4 wheel drive
4 wheel independant suspension
We started by removing over 2,000 pounds of scrap, and shortening the frame by about 12 feet....
(http://www.skoolie.net/gallery/d/14045-2/IMG_3934.JPG)
(http://www.skoolie.net:16080/gallery/d/14024-1/IMG_3906.JPG)
(http://www.skoolie.net:16080/gallery/d/14030-1/IMG_3920.JPG)
Decided to shorten her a bit
(http://www.skoolie.net:16080/gallery/d/14036-1/IMG_3926.JPG)
(http://www.skoolie.net/gallery/d/14084-1/IMG_3958.JPG)
Then we purchased a "new" front end ifs from a 3/4 ton chevy
(http://www.skoolie.net:16080/gallery/d/14039-1/IMG_3928.JPG)
and married the two front ends together:
(http://www.skoolie.net:16080/gallery/d/14051-1/IMG_3945.JPG)
(http://www.skoolie.net:16080/gallery/d/14054-1/IMG_3954.JPG)
We still have quite a ways to go, but the project has been moving pretty fast considering we only started about 2 or 3 weeks ago. We'd like to have the truck out to the mounds by early February.
The rear hydraulic steering works great, The radiator has been mounted behind the driver's seat, rollbar installed, 10 gallon fuel cell installed, rear fenders have been finished, There is still a lot to do though
stay tuned, more to come.....
ps. I think it was thanksgiving day that some very nice guy loaned me a pair of wrenches...like a 9/16 and a 5/8 to hopefully fix my starter. He took off and i was supposed to catch up to him later...however i never got the truck started again and got towed out to the front. IF you're that guy, please send me a message so i can return your property...thanks
MY ground clearance from the lowest point (differential) to the ground is 19.5".
looks like a fun project good luck with it. GotMud?
here's the latest pic's.....You really need a good sense of vision when you look at the pic's to see the vehicles potential. She's come a long way, but still has a long ways to go....
The rollcage is pretty much finished, the front fenders were removed and the new front end is boxed in, but still needs the sheet metal, battery holder, ect. I'm half tempted to purchase an optima battery just so i can mount it upside down...but i don't know if i'll spend the $$ or not
(http://www.skoolie.net/gallery/d/14196-1/IMG_4167.JPG)
here's a shot of one of the rear fenders. They're strong enough you can walk on them. Also added an alluminum tool box that got donated to the project
(http://www.skoolie.net/gallery/d/14205-1/IMG_4112.JPG)
(http://www.skoolie.net/gallery/d/14211-1/IMG_4119.JPG)
(http://www.skoolie.net/gallery/d/14214-2/IMG_4124.JPG)
(http://www.skoolie.net/gallery/d/14217-1/IMG_4145.JPG)
I really want to finish the body work so we can get her painted. She'll look 1,000 times better with paint.....now to decide what colors...
I'm thinking a bit of a grave digger look...black with bright green flames/trim
the guy helping me with the project...this is a co-project...wants to paint it battleship grey with a white star on the hood....The primer grey would help to hide lots of imperfections, but i think it's too boring..
this is an intresting project keep up the good work
woww this is a pretty sweet rig, how did you setup the rear end? did you just duplicate the front end and leave the gears stock. never thought about which way the driveshaft has to spin to turn the tires the right way.. ==dn thats still pretty cool
looks cool, keep us updated, welcomee to GotMud?
Way to do things different, I like that.
yea, I definatley like where your headed with this thing...looks pretty cool...I have a plan for a similar project, although I'm not using independant suspension.....the suspension parts I'm using are going to start as independant, but not stay that way...
so am I seeing correctly? is that rear front....uhh...the front in the rear....yea, that one....do you have that set up as a chain drive?
was wondering how your were going to deal with the offset and the reverse direction....the chains look a little loose though....
how do you plan on lubricationg them being exposed like that? just open gear lube occasionally, or an oil drip system, or what?
I like it. I'm wondering along the same lines, how are you gonna keep the chain on and clean? Are there plans for a sring loaded, plastic slider for tension and a encased cover?
The rear is chain drive, for 2 reasons. The most important is that the rear has 4.10 gears in it and the front has 3.73 gears. Using a drive shaft to run the rear obviously wouldn't work due to the difference in gear ratio. I fixed the ratio using a different size sprockets.
The second reason is that when i started the project i was convinced that a front axle would not spin the tires in the correct direction if the axle were oriented with the yoke pointing toward the front of the vehicle. I now realize that a front axle can be moved to the rear of a vehicle and everything will spin the correct direction. That was a difficult concept to wrap my brain around.
I haven't really thought much about covering the chains. i've seen mud dragsters that use a double 60 chain and sprocket instead of a transfer case. The one i looked at didn't have a guard to keep mud out of it. Quads and dirt bikes have chains that run in the mud all the time. I think it'll be ok if i just clean and oil the chain when i'm finished for the day.....
as far as slack in the chain, i've removed as many links as possible to be able to still get the master link on. I even removed a half-link to make things just a little tighter. Then i used double 40 chain with 2 idler sprockets and a pair of stiff springs i would estimate pull with about 50 pounds of force each.
I don't really have all the answers, i'm just kind of making it up as i go along.
Cool project hope it all works out for you
one question i am unable to find the answer to is how to use one power steering pump to power both the stock front steering, and the hydraulic rear steer. I tried just putting a tee into both the pressure and return lines, but this method makes neither the front or rear steer work well at all. Even when i'm not trying to steer the front the rear is really S L O W. If i hook up just the front, or just the rear everything works excellent. If i can't solve the problem, i'll just add another ps pump....actually i tried that, but the pump i mounted doesn't work....Tomorrow i'm gonna try restricting the flow through the return lines and see if that'll make any difference.
Anyone have expierence with this issue?
Awesome Think Out Side The Box! hope it all works for ya.
thats looks like it will be a fun toy
i would consider running two pumps, if your steering front and rear at the same time, you may run into not having enough flow for both of them. Unless you are using closed center steering control valves (orbital valve as people call them) then all you would have to run is a relif valve just before each steering valve. This way you will get full flow to the front wheels when the rears are not moving.
OR you could outfit yer rig with a hydraulic pump, sort of like on a logsplitter for example. You would have to make a mounting bracket for yer motor and put a pulley on it, its easy to find one that runs about 16GPM (quite a few times the flow of a stock PS pump) This will allow you to steer a bit faster and you can steer front and rear at the same time.
Something similar to this http://www.northerntool.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/product_6970_200321055_200321055
I'm looking to mount one on my truck, i keep having problems with my stock power steering pump
hey i ment you at m21 auto when you were picking up that 2nd power steering pump i was wishing i would have got your # so i could see it but you posted picks thats pretty cool nice job
one more concept that i've thought about is welding the spider gears inside the diffs. I've done this before on non-steering axles with good results. I know there can be problems with a lincoln locker in a steer axle. The beauty of the GM ifs setup is that with the flip of a switch i can "unlock" my hubs (really it allows one of the axle shafts to be disconected or something)... If the spider gears were welded and the "hubs" were unlocked one tire per axle would be driving, and one tire per axle would be allowed to freewheel kind of working like a differential. When the "hubs" were locked in I would have full lockers front and rear.
what do you guys think about that idea? If i do try it, i'm gonna do 1 axle at a time and see how it works out. The problem is that once you weld the spider gears together, there is no turning back.
it would be pretty cool to have lockers i can connect/disconnect with the flip of a switch
==shrug GM IFS diffs are really easy to come by, and most of the time are they pretty cheap
Quote from: Eroq on January 21, 2007, 11:59:43 PM
==shrug GM IFS diffs are really easy to come by, and most of the time are they pretty cheap
that's true. Although these are the heavy 3/4 ton axles which aren't as common as the 1/2 ton axles. Another thing that killed me when i was searching for my new "rear" end is how many 2wd chevy's end up at the scrap yard in michigan.
I have my front welded, and just lock and unlock the drivers side hub....the concept does work just fine, but I'm not sure how well it will work with the GM shaft disconect thingy....I'm thinking worse case scenario you might have to move back and forth a little to get it to release after its welded, but thats no big deal....I would do it
that thing looks like fun good work
Quote from: lapeer20m on January 21, 2007, 05:38:05 PM
one question i am unable to find the answer to is how to use one power steering pump to power both the stock front steering, and the hydraulic rear steer. I tried just putting a tee into both the pressure and return lines, but this method makes neither the front or rear steer work well at all. Even when i'm not trying to steer the front the rear is really S L O W. If i hook up just the front, or just the rear everything works excellent. If i can't solve the problem, i'll just add another ps pump....actually i tried that, but the pump i mounted doesn't work....Tomorrow i'm gonna try restricting the flow through the return lines and see if that'll make any difference.
Anyone have expierence with this issue?
I just put this question out not too long ago because I am adding rear steering to the Metro. You can only run one hydraulic circut at a time (choose front or rear but not both) or you can go with two pumps. I personally am going to do the two pump thing. If you've go a few bucks to put in this project you can install an electric over hydraulic pump for your rear steer. Just make sure you buy a pump that is powered in both directions, some are power up, gravity down.
Quote from: Econo-box from Hell on January 23, 2007, 12:57:21 AM
Quote from: lapeer20m on January 21, 2007, 05:38:05 PM
one question i am unable to find the answer to is how to use one power steering pump to power both the stock front steering, and the hydraulic rear steer. I tried just putting a tee into both the pressure and return lines, but this method makes neither the front or rear steer work well at all. Even when i'm not trying to steer the front the rear is really S L O W. If i hook up just the front, or just the rear everything works excellent. If i can't solve the problem, i'll just add another ps pump....actually i tried that, but the pump i mounted doesn't work....Tomorrow i'm gonna try restricting the flow through the return lines and see if that'll make any difference.
Anyone have expierence with this issue?
I just put this question out not too long ago because I am adding rear steering to the Metro. You can only run one hydraulic circut at a time (choose front or rear but not both) or you can go with two pumps. I personally am going to do the two pump thing. If you've go a few bucks to put in this project you can install an electric over hydraulic pump for your rear steer. Just make sure you buy a pump that is powered in both directions, some are power up, gravity down.
why not use a priority valve, like you find on a hydroboost unit. That runs one pump for the steering and brakes.
I run four wheel steer and only one pump and one orbital valve.
Quote from: HIGBEE on January 23, 2007, 01:04:06 AM
Quote from: Econo-box from Hell on January 23, 2007, 12:57:21 AM
Quote from: lapeer20m on January 21, 2007, 05:38:05 PM
one question i am unable to find the answer to is how to use one power steering pump to power both the stock front steering, and the hydraulic rear steer. I tried just putting a tee into both the pressure and return lines, but this method makes neither the front or rear steer work well at all. Even when i'm not trying to steer the front the rear is really S L O W. If i hook up just the front, or just the rear everything works excellent. If i can't solve the problem, i'll just add another ps pump....actually i tried that, but the pump i mounted doesn't work....Tomorrow i'm gonna try restricting the flow through the return lines and see if that'll make any difference.
Anyone have expierence with this issue?
I just put this question out not too long ago because I am adding rear steering to the Metro. You can only run one hydraulic circut at a time (choose front or rear but not both) or you can go with two pumps. I personally am going to do the two pump thing. If you've go a few bucks to put in this project you can install an electric over hydraulic pump for your rear steer. Just make sure you buy a pump that is powered in both directions, some are power up, gravity down.
why not use a priority valve, like you find on a hydroboost unit. That runs one pump for the steering and brakes.
I run four wheel steer and only one pump and one orbital valve.
Fill me in Skippy!!!!! I would love to do that verses fabin up a second pump bracket.
Fill me in Skippy!!!!! I would love to do that verses fabin up a second pump bracket.
Quote
Me too! I already mounted two different ps pumps from the junk yard to my truck. Of coarse neither of them could utilize the same bracket, and neither of them worked. I think i'm gonna trade one of the junk pumps in as a core charge for a brand new one if i can't figure out how to run two circuits from one pump.
things im' gonna try:
putting quarter turn valves in to restrict the flow in the return lines to see if reducing flow will increase pressure
if that doesn't work, perhaps i'll try connecting both units into 1 circuit. ie: connect the input for the valve for rear steer directly into the return line from the ps box......
Things didn't go so good the past couple days. I only work 9 days per month, 24 hour shifts, so i have lots of time to work on projects.
With the lack of torsion bars in the rear, i have to find a way to hold the truck up. the cheapest air bags i can find are just over $100 per bag...that's too rich for this project
i purchased a pair of monroe air shocks, installed them, and......nothing. Apparently the rear end of the truck has more weight than the air shocks have lift. GRRRR! They're rated for 150 psi, and i pumped them up to 250 psi and still nothing. I have some 3 or 4" bore hydraulic cylinders laying around. I can fill those with enough air to lift the truck i'm sure. IF that doesn't work, i'll try some coil springs from the scrap yard. The rear of the truck can't weigh that much!
I've been having coolant system problems too. Mounted the radiator behind the drivers seat. I'm a slow learner. I blew a hole in 3 different lower radiator hoses right where they connect to the motor. I eventually decided my thermostat wouldn't open and the steam pressure inside the motor coupled with the coolant pump that doesn't allow liquids to flow backwards was enough to pop the hose. I removed the thermostat for now....IT was supposed to be a quick half hour project, mounting the radiator and filling with coolant. Took more than half a day.
somedays it's like i'm just beating my head against the wall.
right now the truck is at the local auto repair place getting a new exhaust...
Quote from: lapeer20m on January 24, 2007, 03:19:48 PM
Fill me in Skippy!!!!! I would love to do that verses fabin up a second pump bracket.
Quote
Me too! I already mounted two different ps pumps from the junk yard to my truck. Of coarse neither of them could utilize the same bracket, and neither of them worked. I think i'm gonna trade one of the junk pumps in as a core charge for a brand new one if i can't figure out how to run two circuits from one pump.
things im' gonna try:
putting quarter turn valves in to restrict the flow in the return lines to see if reducing flow will increase pressure
if that doesn't work, perhaps i'll try connecting both units into 1 circuit. ie: connect the input for the valve for rear steer directly into the return line from the ps box......
Hold on here....slow down a little bit...Econobox posted a question about this in the Garage section (priority valves)....
I'm going to draw out the schematic for you two so you can set this up correctly....but let me tell you right now, you dont want to try running a manual front system (didnt you say your still using the stock rack and pinion?) and a full hydro rear, unless you have the rear controlled seperatly, in which case, then you probably should run 2 pumps...too damn complicated...
I'll post the schematic that will allow you to run 4 wheel steer (3 selectable modes-2 wheel front, 4 wheel crab, and 4 wheel opposed) and be able to control all of it through the steering wheel, with a single pump (yes, a stock power steering pump)......
oh....check Ebay for the airbags, I bought a pair of brand new Goodyear bags for something like $80
i read all the posts from econobox or whoever about hydro steering with the schematics and all.....but the schematics are missing.
because I havent posted them yet, I had to draw it out first!
Hot and fresh hydraulic drawings here: http://wegotmud.com/forum/index.php?topic=16331.0
those are some excellent articles, thanks !
on a completely different subject from hydro steering......
anyone using tire chains this time of year?
If i don't freeze to death tomorrow i think i'm gonna try open the differential on the ifs axles and weld the spider gears....i've welded spiders on rear axles before, but never even attempted to open an ifs unit...anything i need to be especially concerned about?
Didn't get around to making the lincoln lockers yet...the truck spent most of the day at the muffler shop.
worked on my fancy diamond plate alluminum switchboard
(http://www.skoolie.net:16080/gallery/d/14260-1/IMG_4217.JPG)
i have now installed a pair of hydraulic cylinders
(http://www.skoolie.net:16080/gallery/d/14263-1/IMG_4222.JPG)
these will lift the truck with about 150 psi of air pressure. That cheap wal-mart plug in the cigarette lighter air compressor i have says it's rated to 250 psi.
did a little "reasearch and development", here's the evidence:
(http://www.skoolie.net:16080/gallery/d/14266-1/IMG_4240.JPG)
here is a shot of the air shocks before i removed them. I don't have any good shots of the new hydro (pnumo) cylinders in place
(http://www.skoolie.net:16080/gallery/d/14269-1/IMG_4251.JPG)
the project is progressing, although not nearly as fast as i'd really like. We've been putting in about 70 man hours per week the entire month of january.
Took me all winter to put my Rockswells in. I feel your pain.
wow....what size are those cylinders??
about a 3" bore, and 5 times longer than necessary. They're out of a helicoptor i was told and are definately extremely light. Not the perfect solution, but something i have laying around. i'm already over my $1,000 budget.
thats the coolest thing ever. i want to ride in that thing. keep it up. also i want that switch board so bad!!!!!!!!!!!
hey i passed your house today and got to see that in your yard. i wanted to stop and enterduce myself so i could see it. it looks so sweet.!!!!!!!
if ya see me working on it, stop in and say hi. i only work 2 days a week 24 hour shifts, so i spend about 5 days a week working on the truck. i drive a maroon eagle talon, if the car is there so am i. now that the cold weather is here i'm doing pretty much all the work inside the barn.
we got a lot done yesterday. Pretty much finished the sheet metal work, the roll bar, fixed the hydraulic steering so 1 pump runs both front and rear steer, mounted my new chain and sprockets. Upgraded to #60 chain....the size difference between that and the 40 is unbeliebable, i also re=mounted the 38" tsl onto my freshly painted 16.5" rims using a pair or crow bars. The tires were quite an accomplishment! I was proud of myself for getting that done by hand. mounted the battery tray, started on the air conditioning compressor modification to use it as an air compressor, upgraded my reer steerig cylinder mount, and prob a few other things i am not remembering right now. 2 of us worked about 12 hours. Some days we work and nothing goes right, then there are days like yesterday where everything went really fast.
Now the truck won't start. I thought it was running out of fuel, but an extra 5 gallons didn't help.....i was able to get her into the barn and i shut her off with the key. Now she won't start!b Turns over fast, UGGGG!
1990 throttle body. I have good spark and my plugs (well i only checked the #1 plug) are dry.
i'm gona try replaceing the fuel pump and see if that helps. what is the propler method ofr checking fuel pressure? I put a tee in the fuel line and used an old water psi guage near the pump and it read about 4 or 5 psi. I think it's supposed to have around 11? Is that 11 psi read from a guage using a tee, or is that 11 psi if the guage that plugs the end of the fuel hose???
thanks for the help
this is the first chevy truck i've ever toyed around with...i'm really not much of a mechanic.
Use a fuel pressure guage and it should be around 14psi for a throttle body injected chevy.
installed the new fuel pump and she runs! whoo hoo!
diid more work on the compressor today. It shuts off about 150 psi. Still have to mount the air tank and route the lines...
drove the truck for a half hour or so tonight. Mechanically she is pretty much ready to go, i really want to start on the prep work for the paint...but it's too cold to paint, even with my 110,000 btu salamander heater.
new phtoos on the way
here's a shot of the small old chain verses the new large chain
(http://www.skoolie.net/gallery/d/14336-1/IMG_4262.JPG)
in this photo, the small sprocket on the right is the old one, you can see the new sprocket is much much bigger
(http://www.skoolie.net/gallery/d/14339-1/IMG_4267.JPG)
The chain and sprocket are no longer the weak link in the system!
(http://www.skoolie.net/gallery/d/14342-1/IMG_4269.JPG)
that looks so confuseing!! lol keep it up. i still want to go for a ride in it.
i really want to get the truck ready enough to bring to the mounds this sunday, but with this frigid weather things are moving really slow.
I changed the oil yesterday, at this temperature 15/40 pours like honey. I also changed out the trans fluid in an attempt to get more of the water out. It's impossible to get water out of your auto trans once it's i there! When it first filled up with water, i dropped the pan, drilled a hole in the torque converter and let it drain for 24 hours, then welded the hole closed in the converter and filled her up with new trans juice. I've stayed out of the deep water since then, and the juice is still very pink. The trans was rebuilt just before i got the truck. this time i poured new trans fluid into the hole where the trans dipstick is while pumping the old stuff out through a line i disconected from the trans cooler. I kept this up till i ran out of trans fluid. I'm gonna continue flushing with another few gallons...this should make things better i think.
I also fixed the brake line after accidentally blowing a hole in it with the welder the other day. oops
still need to mount my air tank, find a permanent mount for the radiator, and a few other odds and ends......don't think i'll be painting anytime soon. I've been driving her around i the snow, it's a lot of fun, and wow! does she turn.
nice
i can't keep this truck running.......TBI is sucking the life out of me. Mostly because i don't really understand it. A carberator seems way more simple.
this is my first chevy, so i've never really played around with one before. I had a "no start" situation a while ago, installed a new fuel pump and she eventually started. Everything was good for a few days.......I let her sit for the past couple weeks, and now she won't start. I pulled the fuel pump because i couldn't hear it making noise, and it was about 200 degrees and not spinning. Lifetime guarantee from murrays (murrays rocks when it comes to lifetime guarantee...they don't even ask your name or phone number or require a reciept) replaced the fuel pump and still nothing. She almost starts, sometimes she even runs for a few seconds on what sounds like a couple of cylinders, then stalls. I'm quite certian it's a fuel delivery problem. I bypassed the fuel filter just to make sure that wasn't restricting flow.....checked spark plugs on #1 and #2 cylinders and they are dry, a little black, but not bad. She has new plugs/wires/cap/rotor about 6 months ago. Timing is correct, lots of spark.
how do i figure out why my tbi won't squirt fuel?
one more note....i installed a stock fuel pump into a new fuel cell in the past month and direct wired the pump to the ignition. The truck ran good with this setup. Today i read somewhere that the fuel pump only stayes on for a couple seconds when you turn the key and the engine is not running. Would everything be happier if i were to run the fuel pump off of the old fuel pump relay? Does it turn on/off intermittently ?
i'm very frustrated, any help is greatly appreciated. I'm very dumb when it comes to chevy tbi, but i'm pretty handy when it comes to using tools
it's a 90 chevy 350 TBI
From what I understand, the feul pump should kick on when you first turn on the key, then off when it reaches pressure, then when you crank it to start, should come back on and stay on til shutdown. I had a 1990 Caprice with about the same setup a couple years ago. Ended up with the same problem. I eventually (after 3 months) of not being able to figure it out, sold it to a mechanic. He worked on it for 2 more months, couldn't figure it out, ended up putting a carb on it. Then it ran great.
i wonder what is involved in doing a carb swap....a new distributor perhaps, and how about the trans....does the auto trans (i don't know what it is) need the computer to shift? I think that figuring out the tbi is probably a better solution.
maybe a relay? my 1988 chevy 350 had a bad fuel ppump relay and it wouldnt start. got a new on works great,
You should be alright with it wired direct but I would use a relay because of the current draw and then control the relay with a toggle switch that way if you need to leave the key on for some unforseen reason the pump won't just sit there and run. If you don't know how to wire a relay then look in the tech section YotaBill did a great write up on how they are wired. I hope that helps ==roxx
Quote from: lapeer20m on February 24, 2007, 09:50:28 AM
i wonder what is involved in doing a carb swap....a new distributor perhaps, and how about the trans....does the auto trans (i don't know what it is) need the computer to shift? I think that figuring out the tbi is probably a better solution.
New intake, carb, dist., fuel pressure regulator, slim air cleaner should be all you need. The tranny should be a hydraulically controlled 700R4 so no computer input needed. We did essentially the same swap on the '88 I have for sale in the F/S section. Not hard. Always something you can keep as an option if you can't get the TBI issue straightened out.
oh god...Please dont swap to a carb!!! EFI is SO MUCH BETTER!!! and TBI is about the easist system there is!!!!
yes, the fuel pump should come on for 3-5 seconds when the key is on, engine not started (it doesnt read pressure, its just a timed thing) and it will also come on as soon as the starter is engaged, and then stay on when the engine is running...it does not cycle....now, I'm not a GM guy (so I'm not sure if this is all of them) but it is also dependant on the oil pressure switch...not enough oil pressure, no fuel pump...so a faulty oil pressure switch could keep the truck from running because the fuel pump is disabled...this is often misdiagnosed and alot of people replace fuel pumps because of this...
first off, unplug the fuel pump, and test for 12V as someon turns the key on (pos and neg) if nothing, try a different ground spot...if you have no power, continue to the relay, and then to the oil pressure switch, and then to the ignition switch (on the steering column, not the igntion module)
if you do have power, and the pump is working, but you have no pressure, start looking at the pressure regulator...
Quote from: Mudbuster on February 25, 2007, 03:02:02 PM
You should be alright with it wired direct but I would use a relay because of the current draw and then control the relay with a toggle switch that way if you need to leave the key on for some unforseen reason the pump won't just sit there and run. If you don't know how to wire a relay then look in the tech section YotaBill did a great write up on how they are wired. I hope that helps ==roxx
you wouldnt need the toggle switch, you could do it with a self-latching relay that is only energized when the starter is engaged...that way its automatic, and the fuel pump would not come on until the starter is engaged, and then it would stay on till the key is shut off, but that would add an extra second or two to the time taken to start...but at least you wouldnt have to remember to shut the fuel pump off...
thanks for all the suggestions.....
i got her running again. found an excellent site the describes in detail problems and solutions for gm tbi
http://www.chevythunder.com/gm_throttle_body_injection_pg_1.htm
The noid light is something i've never heard of before...costs about $3 at murrays, well worth the investment. Turns out the fuel pump failure problem is unrelated to the truck not starting. Went back to the basics, pulled all of the plugs. 2 of them had so much carbon and other crap built up on them there was no possible way for them to fire. don't i feel silly!
As far as the fuel pump....I am not sure why i had the old one and two brand new ones fail in such a short period of time. The fuel pump relay is still under the hood. I think tomorrow i'm gonna wire the fuel pump back into the old fp circuit and hopefully everything should be goovy. I replaced the little strainer on the fuel pump too just in case debris were getting past the old one thus destroying the pumps. Sure am glad the pump is in a fuel cell and not mounted in a stock tank. Dropping the tank multiple times would be very uncool!
now i have the truck in a heated garage, and hopefully will get her painted this week.
HERE ARE THE LATEST PHOTOS
(http://www.skoolie.net:16080/gallery/d/14519-1/IMG_4376.JPG)
(http://www.skoolie.net:16080/gallery/d/14522-1/IMG_4372.JPG)
(http://www.skoolie.net:16080/gallery/d/14525-1/IMG_4369.JPG)
still need to re-attach the truck "bed" as seen in some earlier photos
(http://www.skoolie.net/gallery/d/14211-1/IMG_4119.JPG)
i'd like to get her out to the mounds before they close in the next couple weeks. like most projects, she's overbudget and behind schedule
sweet rig, you should put a front end on the back and on the front so it could be drove both ways. that would be awesome. also if ya dont mind me askin how much did the ifs front system cost. just curious i wanna straight axle my 98 chevy and curious what it is worth.
i got the ifs unit for $250 from the scrap yard. I only payed $150 plus a $100 credit for a scrap vehicle i turned in. Basically it inluded the entire frame from the torsion bars foward.
it's the HD ifs unit, i think the 9.5" or something. It's significantly larger than the 1/2 ton units.
if you found a guy who blew out the front diff in his truck, i'm sure he'd gladly spend $250 for a new one. Not to mention the complete unit with axle shafts, hubs, ect.
i had a problem with my 90 4x4 tbi not spraying fuel and it was the ignition control module (ICM) under the rotor under the distributor cap.the icm reads of the pickup coil which is under the icm ,and tells the fuel injectors when to spray fuel, if this is faulty it wont spray fuel
lOOKS LIKE A GREAT iDEA!
got her all sanded, and a coat of primer applied. Hopefully i'll get the first coat of paint on tomorrow. Flat black. couldn't think of an easier color to paint.
if all goes as planned we should have her out at the mounds this sunday
first coat of paint is drying as i'm typing......tomorrow i should get the 2nd coat on and she should pretty much be ready to go!
Photos to come.......
==cl cant wait to see it
looks like a blast... nice rig
cool project!
Definately plan to be a the mounds this sunday
here are the latest truck photos....the rear of the truck is squatting in the photos because i didn't have my air suspension hooked up yet....It raisses up another 8 or 10 inches in the rear i think
(http://www.skoolie.net/gallery/d/14708-1/IMG_4405.JPG)
(http://www.skoolie.net/gallery/d/14717-1/IMG_4417.JPG)
(http://www.skoolie.net/gallery/d/14711-1/IMG_4409.JPG)
==roxx ==roxx ==roxx very awsome
i'm going mental trying to bleed my brakes....accidentally blew a hole in a brake line when i was welding, the system ended up completely dry.....that's the only project left to finish before sunday. I'm actually not convinced that my master cylinder is any good....that or maybe the abs system requires some different method of bleeding the brakes? I only have front brakes hooked up and currently have zero braking ability (not that it stops me from putting my foot through the floor trying to stop!)....perhaps tomorrow i'll reverse the front/rear brake lines on the master cylinder and see if that helps.
having brakes on all 4 wheels is a bit overrated....but it would be nice to have brakes on at least 2 wheels!
just remove the ABS and run the lines like a normal system
got em fixed! My master cylinder is bad....at least the half that is supposed to drive the front brakes. I now have my fronts connected to the small resivoir. This is the best the truck has stopped in the year i've owned it. Having only front brakes and 4 wheel steer i can do brodies like you can't immagine!
Everything is finished, she's on the trailer and ready to go....now for that ORV sticker. Think i can buy a 2007 sticker?
She did excellent for her first excursion! I didn't push her too hard. Had a couple minor repairs (rubbed a hole in an line going to the air shocks ect) but nothing major until we were headed out. The master-link on my chain drive (that wasn't connected properly...)came undone and i lost the chain. She still goes a lot of places even with only front wheel drive. I took tons of photos but they didn't turn out....someone forgot to put the memory card in the camera! doh!
before the mounds opens back up i plan to have my lincoln lockers up and running. I should be able to "lock" and "unlock" the lockers with the flip of a switch.
thanks to everyone who had positive things to say about the contraption
now i need a name for her
heres a few pictures i got
(http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y41/chetney2/100_0388.jpg)
(http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y41/chetney2/100_0387.jpg)
==cl truck, didnt seem to run half bad
thanks for the photos....
last nite about 630pm we decided to tear down the rear end and weld the spider gears.
today i just picked up my new chevy 350. The engine rebuilder guy donated it to the project. he is a spectaluarly wonderful person!!! He said it'll make around 300 hp. That's about 200 more than my current engine! For those of you who haven't had the luxury of listening to the current engine, with the rods knocking she sounds like a big diesel!
I've never swapped an engine before, but i think it'll be pretty straight foward. If all goes as planned i'll get the motor in and running before the weekend is over. While the motor is out of the truck i'm gonna weld the spiders in the front too!
Next time i take her out i'll have a new motor, and electric lockers front and rear.
new photos:
(http://www.skoolie.net/gallery/d/14765-1/IMG_4431.JPG)
(http://www.skoolie.net/gallery/d/14768-1/IMG_4432.JPG)
A fire hose is a wonderful thing!
(http://www.skoolie.net/gallery/d/14774-1/IMG_4440.JPG)
(http://www.skoolie.net/gallery/d/14777-1/IMG_4442.JPG)
(http://www.skoolie.net/gallery/d/14780-1/IMG_4454.JPG)
here is my new motor:
(http://www.skoolie.net/gallery/d/14783-1/IMG_4463.JPG)
==cl
FREEBIE engine?!?!?! gotta love that!!!!
==cl love how ya use the firehose on it loll loll loll
here's a question for the people who know......
if i have lockers all the way around, is there much if any advantage to having articulation? I'm considering scrapping the rear air suspension and semi-permanently mounting the suspension nearly all the way up.
any thoughts?
Yes, the more rubber on the ground the better...
technical driving - trails, rock etc... articulation is half the battle.
It's like my gun - better to have it and not need it
than to need it and not have it............
keep the suspension...as Hammerlane already said, the more rubber on the ground, the more traction you'll get...at least until we figure out how to get a tire to hook to air...
Doing an engine swap sucks! ....at least in the short term. This is my first attempt at pulling/installing a motor. The first day we pulled the old engine, and welded the spiders in the front axle. Then i started moving all the accessories from the old engine to the new engine..water pump, exhaust manifold ect. Had to modify the tbi intake manifold. The new engine is a 197? I think.
Day 2 I was by myself. Got the remainder of the stuff moved over to the new engine. The exhaust manifold on one side seems to have shrank a little bit and i can't get 2 bolts into it. My plan it to start the engine and let things heat up a bit.
Monday is my next day to work on the project. I hope to have the engine installed and be out driving the truck around.
I am completely ignorant when it comes to chevy engines. I did buy the manual, but there are still 2 things i'm not really clear on:
what's the correct procedure for installing the Distributor? I aligned the timing marks on the old engine when i removed the dist and aligned the timing marks on the new motor before i installed it. I guess i'll have to wait and see if the timing is correct. I'm not really convinced that the dist is seated properly either...there is a really small gap between the dist and the gasket. The dist does spin when the crank is turned.
torque converter......connect to the flywheel before installing the engine? Or bolt it on after the engine is in place?
Hey, cool rig! It's great to see new ideas like that.
I'll try to help with your dist, questions, yes the distributor turns when the crank turns,
if there is a gap at the bottom of the distributor, two common causes are, 1 it is
not aligned to the oil pump properly, 2 the block and or intake have been milled.
Milling changes the height of the assembly, and the distributor winds up too tall.
If it is small gap, say the thickness of ur dist gasket, u can double up the gaskets.
Timing ur dsitributor takes a bit of luck.
When the timing mark is lined up on the balancer,
u drop in the distributor, the rotor should point and the #1 cylinder.
This is the front cylinder on the drivers side of the engine.
This is where u need to be lucky, first, the distributor needs to engage
the oil pump driveshaft, if it does not, dist wont seat on the intake.
If this is happens, use a long screwdriver to reach down to the oil pump
and turn the shaft as needed.
Once the dist is seated,
there is 50 50 chance the dist is 180 degrees off.
U will know this when u crank the engine and beautiful , yet dangerous,
fireballs spit from the throttle body.
If all goes well for you the engine should start.
Are u still running EFI, or Carb?
If efi, there is a specific way to set timing.
If I didn't confuse ya too much, i'd be happy to try to help w that too.
Oh yeah, torque converter, it stays on the transmission.
Make sure it is also seated properly in its oil pump before u bolt
the trans to the engine. The converter should spin as u are torquing
down the bellhousing bolts.
Bolt it to the flywheel after the bellhousing bolts are in.
Good luck,
Yea, what MILKTOST said. A word of caution, on older chevy motors the oil pump is driven by the dist. shaft, if the dist. is not seated on the oil pump shaft properly and you fire the motor 2 things will happen.
1. no oil pressure
2. you could damage the pump shaft rod, and have to replace it
Good luck
Quote from: MILKTOST on March 18, 2007, 04:45:39 AM
This is where u need to be lucky, first, the distributor needs to engage
the oil pump driveshaft, if it does not, dist wont seat on the intake.
If this is happens, use a long screwdriver to reach down to the oil pump
and turn the shaft as needed.
If efi, there is a specific way to set timing.
If I didn't confuse ya too much, i'd be happy to try to help w that too.
Bolt it to the flywheel after the bellhousing bolts are in.
Good luck,
thanks for all the help....that's a great tutorial! I bet the dist isn't seated on the oil pump. I couldn't figure out how to get it aligned. I think the dist is solved.
what needs to be done differently when it comes to timing a motor with tbi....I left the throttle body bolted to the intake from my old engine and transfered it all over to the new block.
thanks so much
sweet
If I remember correctly, the truck was a 1990?
To set the timing on this engine, you need to bypass the
esc, Electronic Spark Control.
If this is a 1990 model year, there is a tan wire w black stripe that
runs from the distributor to the ecm. Electronic control module.
The ecm is behind the glove box.
There should be a black plug, about 12 inches from the distributor, in the tan wire with the black stripe.
It usually is behind the black plastic cover for the relay pack/breakout box,
on the passengers side of the firewall.
The plug can also be in the harness that runs near the blower motor in the cab.
This connector must be unplugged to set base timing!
Base timing should be set to zero.
I like to set it at 2 degrees btc, For a little more performance.
The ecm is able to control advance and retard of the timing to around 30 degrees.
So if you try to set the timing like a carburated engine, by just turning the distributor,
and using a timing light, the ecm will adjust the timing electronicaly to override your setting,
the ecm does not know u are trying to set base timing, and u will see it happen. The timing
will change before your eyes.
By unplugging the tan wire w black stripe, u elimintate the ecm's abilty to adjust timing.
Turn the distributor to 2 degrees btc, and lock it down.
Does the engine u are installing have a EFI camshaft?
Sorry to say if it does not, it will never run well, unless u carb it.
Might want to check this out with the engine builder before u get
too far along. U may just want to carb it.
Again, good luck.
excellent post....thanks so much for the info.
i should have had the motor in the truck already, but i got hijacked and ended up in tennesee and mississippi for a week....i just got back, so i'll get working on the truck again tomorrow. If all goes as planned the motor should be in and running.......
Got the motor in, turned the key......and she just wouldn't start. Had good spark, i could see the injectors spraying fuel. Turns out there was a significant amount of water in my fuel tank. Replaced the bad gas, turned the key, and she fired right up. She seems to run good.
Swapping engines sucks! well...the labor part of it. having a new motor is definately worht the pain.
anyhow.....Everything seems good except as luck would have it the freeze plug behind the motor mount is leaking. I think i can get to it if i unbolt the motor from the mounts and lift the engine up a few inches. GRRRR
she's almost there
applaudd thats cool
both frezeplugs on my motor behind my motor mounts have a tendencey to pop out since the coolant in there froze this winter... its just big enough to slip in a large screw driver and hammer it in... theyve stayed so far..
I spent a lot more time than anyone should trying to get the old freeze plug out!!! It had rusted right through.
Finished installing the motor today, finally got to test out the new lockers. It should be a lot more difficult to get her stuck with all 4 tires driving.
Learned a new lesson: The 1998 and newer front axle actuators are not the same as the 1988-97 actuators. If you look at them, they are different, but they both screw into the same hole. I thought the older one would work fine. The problem is that the older style actuator is about 1.5 inches longer then the newer one. Long story short, the older style actuator in the newer style axle keeps the hubs locked in all the time...GRRR Now i need to spend the money for a new newer style actuator. Anybody need a brand new only used once older style actuator?
What ya need to do is get a "new style" actuator for a 88-98 chevy, they are the plastic, electric motor driven units,
but they are shorter.
They are part of a "kit" u get a solid steel puck w/actuator, if it is too short, use the puck,
U will prolyy need the harness kit to make it work properly. It is very easy to install,
But too long, ur out of luck.
here are some more photos i found:
look at the ground clearance the IFS has
(http://www.skoolie.net/gallery/d/14935-1/DSCN0523.JPG)
i need to pad that roll cage. I've banged my head on it more than once already.
(http://www.skoolie.net/gallery/d/14938-1/DSCN0524.JPG)
this last photo is of me and the truck.
(http://www.skoolie.net/gallery/d/14944-1/DSCN0541.JPG)
loll that things hillarious lookin...
i love it
videos!
the trucks first youtube video
if you listen carefully you can hear the sound of that new gm diesel...or maybe that's just the rods about to shoot through the oil pan. (youtube sais you still have to wait a few minutes until you can view them....i'm sure they'll be available soon
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bWjnNWUdnQE
here's another clip of the truck utilizing her new lockers
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f17MbBK6UaA
this last one has no action, but shows the chain drive and also addresses ground clearance. I thought she had almost 20", but this test only showed 16.5. Perhaps i'll try it on level pavement sometime.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VGlKkvCADYo
==kv
i forgot one
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0env0KeuooI
those were awesome!!!!!!!! youve done a real good job with your project. keep it up man.
I DONT' LIIKE MY CHAIN DRIVE!!! I wish i could hook up a driveshaft. I'm going to start a "driveshaft feasability sudy" which includes pricing a new ring gear....think i need a pinion too? I need to change from 4:10 to 3:73. (I know 4:10's would be more desirable, but i refuse to attempt to crack the front axle housing with the motor installed. That was a miserable project when the motor was missing!) The truck was never supposed to turn out as nice as it did. Now that i have a new motor, and invested $1,500 it's kind of worth keeping.
Here are the options in no particular order, none of them are easy:
#1. Remove the axle, turn it around so the pinion points toward the trans. I'd have to re-weld the mounts that hold the axle as they are not symmetrical from L/R. The biggest problem with this is that the steering (drag link?) would be directly in front of the pinion so the steering would have to be reworked. I'm very happy with the current steering setup and would not be excited about changing it. The folks at GM are much better at engineering steering systems than i am.
#2 Buy a "new" rear axle/frame assembly, cut off my current one, and weld the new one in place. This is probably the least labor/engineering intensive method, but also the most expensive. I can't use my current setup because the frame has been shortened too much.
#3 Use a transfer case in place of the current chain setup. I think that's pretty self explanitory. Not too difficult, realitively cheap, but a lot more moving parts than the other two options, which would get getting away from the KISS theory. (keep it simple stupid!) It could make for a low low range in 2wd...not really sure why i'd need that.
The current chain setup doesn't seem to fail, but when you really get on the throttle it clanks a bit which i'm sure is the chain slipping a notch or two. I'm sure the chain drive is the weak link in the system.
ring and pinions are sold as a matched set, and should only be replaced as a matched set...the gears are mated to each other, so you really cant replace just the ring gear without also replacing the pinion...
I would say your right thinking the chain drive system is the weak link, and I would suggest running a driveshaft straight to the pinion...
HERE IS A NEW VIDEO, THIS ONE IS ABOUT 6 MINUTES LONG. It's difficult to grasp just how capable the truck is in the mud. The lockers are unbelievable! I wish there was another solid axle truck out there that had similiar size tires just to give perspective on how well the IFS really performs in deep mud.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=id1v9ETWjxE
I went to the junk yard today looking to swap my gears and find a random t-case. I couldn't find those two items for under $400. Certianly the parts are worth that much $$ to the right guy, but i'm far to cheap. I think instead, i'm gonna keep the same concept, of using a t-case, but i'm gonna build my own using #60 chain and sprockets. The problem with my current setup is the inability to align the sprockets. If i build both sprockets into a single housing then the sprockets will be perfectly in line and i can still correct my gear ratio. I'll connect to the new chain driven t-case with driveshafts. I'll take photos along the way. I really wanna get the truck done right. I"m very annoyed by the current setup.
I have to finish the truck project soon. I'm going to be building a jacuzzi bus for a client starting any day now.
try taking a t-case and turning it around so that way you can then run driveshafts it would give some more gear options also and that might be also be less labor involved. but just my 2 cents you got a neat project going on there keep it up.
Quote from: lapeer20m on April 05, 2007, 10:08:05 PM
HERE IS A NEW VIDEO, THIS ONE IS ABOUT 6 MINUTES LONG. It's difficult to grasp just how capable the truck is in the mud. The lockers are unbelievable! I wish there was another solid axle truck out there that had similiar size tires just to give perspective on how well the IFS really performs in deep mud.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=id1v9ETWjxE
sweet vid now i want a ride in that creation
looks good. hows your head after that 3rd youtube video though. looks like ya boinked it on the hitch.
Consider a V drive unit, basically just an input shaft to a gear to gear setup that does this >
assuming you have the space, Lower your input shaft from the top of the frame to below it, create the V drive and straight into the pig
your almost there. Check Marine setups, they use them in boats and your skill level appears to be such that you could build one.
thanks for the input
Great idea hammerlane applaudd
I agree , a marine v-drive unit would work well.
I have seen pis of a buggy w 502 bbc using a v-drive box, worked well.
i got a front 3.73 IFS pig if you interested PM me
i would expect some crazy piece of backyard-engineering that i came up with to fail, but i'm suprised when the stock chevy stuff breaks.
A few weeks ago i broke a half shaft. Probably not too suprising. Now i broke the steering gearbox. It blew a seal where the steering input shaft enters. Squirts all my ps fluid out in a matter of a few seconds. Good thing i have another steering box. (it's still attached to the rear of the truck..it's necessary to hold the drag link in place) I hope this one works. If not, i'll ifnd one at the scrap yard i'm sure.
Steering with lockers engaged puts a lot of strain on the steering components.
why not go full hydro?
that thing is friggin awesome. Im thinking of Frankensteins monster when i see that lol. And also i think everyone wants to ride in that lol. Sweet project!
Quote from: MENACE 4X4 on April 10, 2007, 09:28:08 PM
why not go full hydro?
$$$$$$$$
that's the reason
I admit that the 4 wheel steering would be much easier to manage with full hydro. IF i keep going through gearboxes i just might upgrade. With full hydro i could have both the front and rear wheels turn using the steering wheel. Thanks to whoever that was that posted the info a while back on hydraulic systems and related info. That was some good reading.
somebody suggested i call it the "ZOMBIE ZAMBONI".....hmmm
Quote from: Yoda Bill on April 12, 2007, 03:25:38 AM
you got any questions on full hydro, just ask...
a remarkable idea popped into my brain.....
why do i need a steering wheel at all? Why not have a hydraulic valve for my front steering just like i have for the rear. I could mount one valve on each side of the drivers seat. Kind of like this one...but a little less fancy (just a single valve on each side, not 9!)
(http://www.hypro.co.uk/bigvalveweb.JPG)
besides the obvious problem of no hydraulic pressure = no steering, why not go for it? I could have the front and back hydraulic run off of it's own ps pump keeping the systems totally separate increases the chance that i'll have either front or rear steer if something does fail. I can build a setup for the steering that allows me to drop a "pin" through a hole to keep the wheels tuned straight ahead in case of failure. She actually turns sharper with the rear tires verses the front ones. HMMMMM!
you can defiantely run it that way, and you wont need a steering valve (orbital, as most people call them) to do it...it would actually be pretty simple...
just make sure the valves you use are open center...closed center will destroy your pump in very little time...
thats an awesome idea. that would fix the problem, i say go for it man. i know you could do it you have done a hell of a job so far!! keep it up.
Food for thought. Eliminating the steering wheel leaves you with nothing to hold onto. You use that steering wheel for more than just turnning.
he would still be holding onto the steering levers...
not sure whose truck it was { i think vinces} had the steering running off to valves just like that. he had removed the steering wheel and mounted a big sissy handle to the dash to hold onto .
Vince runs a single lever for steering, and its mounted right where the wheel would be...he also takes it out as an anti-theft device! ==roll
Quote from: dozer man on April 15, 2007, 02:26:23 PM
not sure whose truck it was { i think vinces} had the steering running off to valves just like that. he had removed the steering wheel and mounted a big sissy handle to the dash to hold onto .
Quote from: Yoda Bill on April 15, 2007, 10:34:45 PM
Vince runs a single lever for steering, and its mounted right where the wheel would be...he also takes it out as an anti-theft device! ==roll
That would be LUKES charger!!
thats something you dont see everyday
she didn't do well yesterday...suffered multi-system failure. I'm thinking that i suck as a mechanic!
Forgot to weld a sprocket onto a keyed shaft when i went into the bog so i ended up with just front wheell drive. Not to mention my timing seems to be way off, so she's running bad to start with. Dozer was nice and let me use his welder, got the rear drive fixed, some other nice guy helped me set the timing, then the front steering gearbox broke. This is the 2nd time the gearbox has given out...it's not physically broken, but shooting ps fluid out of a seal. I had only rear steer, and no power steering when i blew out a U-joint for the rear drive.
UGGGG!
anybody wanna buy a chevy? well, it used to be a chevy.
i'm not really selling her, i'll try and get her fixed by this weekend for the bog in imlay city. Hopefully with full hydro steering.
hey anything new on this project or is the milliatry's going on this
i've had too many irons in the fire to work on the truck. I think this winter I might try to smoothe out a few of the wrinkles.
Its differents but looks like it will be well worth all the work. Good luck
that's pretty sweet!!! ==kp
she's been sitting since dozer's bog in the spring. I bought a timing light, played around with that a bit and decided the timing is not my problem. I think my problem (is that i suck as a mechanic) is that there are 2 sets of intake manifold gaskets between the block and the manifold. Didn't seem like a big deal at the time, but in retrospect i think that is what is causing my brand new sbc to run like crap! This is the first engine i've ever worked on except for motorcycles/lawn mowers.
Tomorrow i plan to take off the intake, scrape off the old, and replace with new gaskets. Hopefully that'll fix the engine problem.
the next order of business is finding a suitable Front IFS donor so i can install a driveshaft for the rear drive instead of my hoaky chain setup.
Needs to have 3.56 gears......and and a chevy 8 lug bolt patern. The tires are on 16.5" rims or else i could have gotten away with a 1/2 ton 6 lug.
and i need a new ps gearbox, but that should be realatively easy to come across
wish me luck
good luck cant wait to see it
AEESOME! looks cool
nice man thats alota hard work but in the end its all worth it looks like you put yer own style in her
I've been busy working on a different project (jacuzzi bus IV),
(http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3246/2312471527_54e9019320.jpg?v=0)
It's finished now. Next project is to get my the 4wheel steer truck up and running.
(http://www.skoolie.net/gallery/d/14768-1/IMG_4432.JPG)
i bought a new rear axle (front gm ifs) with the proper gear ratio. I still need to do some fabrication to get that thing into place and connect a drive shaft instead of that stupid chain drive setup i was using.
i'll keep everyone posted and hopefully have her out at the mounds in a week or three
==cl glad to see yer still alive! loll
today i removed the intake and the 2 sets of gaskets, scraped, cleaned, installed new felpro gaskets. Then reassembled and changed spark plugs just for fun, set the timing and even with year old fuel in the tank she fired right up. Seems to run great!
in case you're ever feeling too lazy to remove the old gaskets, don't just put a new set overtop and assemble the motor!
did i mention i'm not an engine mechanic? Besides lawn mowers and motorcycles this is the first engine i've done any work too. It was a nekkid block when i got it and i moved everything over from a different engine and swapped this one into the truck.
SWEET!!
Quote from: lapeer20m on March 08, 2008, 04:42:31 PM
today i removed the intake and the 2 sets of gaskets, scraped, cleaned, installed new felpro gaskets. Then reassembled and changed spark plugs just for fun, set the timing and even with year old fuel in the tank she fired right up. Seems to run great!
in case you're ever feeling too lazy to remove the old gaskets, don't just put a new set overtop and assemble the motor!
did i mention i'm not an engine mechanic? Besides lawn mowers and motorcycles this is the first engine i've done any work too. It was a nekkid block when i got it and i moved everything over from a different engine and swapped this one into the truck.
We've all been there at one time (except me, I've known everything about engines since I was born). My fabrication skills are nothing to write home about but I am getting better all the time. You will improve also. I but you will NEVER make the double gasket mistake again.
this thing is wicked
What is this part that i circled? Looks like it might be allowing air to enter the intake leaning things out....
(http://www.skoolie.net/gallery/d/24180-1/truck.jpg)
The truck has been sitting for at least a year now, been busy with other things in life. The engine won't keep running. It's definitely a fuel problem. She runs pretty good when you dump a bit of fuel down the carb (throttle body.) The motor has about 10 hours on it. It ran purrrrfect when i first put it in the truck, but got progressively worse until it will not even idle for more than a few seconds.
Some moron (me) did not include a fuel filter when he first built the project. My best guess is that some dirt found it's way into the TBI system. So today, even though it's pooring rain, i removed the tbi and totally dissassembled it. Way more simple than a carb! I think i found the problem. There was literally at least a heaping tablespoon of dirt/rust/gunk inside there. I cleaned and reassembled. Now just waiting for the rain to quit so i can get back at it.....
I would like to get the truck on the trail in the next couple weeks.
looks like a fitting for either oil presure or temp guage kinda hard to tell in the picture where it's exactly located plug it off if you not useing it. I t could also be a vacuum pod usally used for the brake booster.
i found the hose that is supposed to connect that little gizmo, so that's taken care of.
I put her back together, charged the overly dead battery, and she started! whoo hoo! She runs awesome except she won't run at idle once she gets warmed up. My lack of technical knowledge about chevy 350 tb injectd engines is frustrating! GRRR!
we're making progress!
that thing is sweet. hope to bog with you sometime this year
lets see some pics of that bus, that thing looks sweet .
So it finaly made its way back to the frount burnner? Did you ever decide how you where gonna set up the.... drive?, for a lack of a better word. You may want to concidder a belt drive. Like a blower belt used on top fule dragsters. It takes 800 hp to turn thoes blowers. Thoes belts will handle up to 1200 hp. Just a thought.
well, i spent a few days fixing problems and finally decided to take her out for a test run at the mounds today. I have a major cooling problem. Couldn't be related to the fact that i'm using a vw 2.0 liter radiator on my 350 chevy motor! Guess it's time to upgrade radiators. I might even move the radiator to the front of the engine (where a radiator should live)
my engine runs like crap too. It runs ok, except at idle. IT sucks having an engine with 10 hours on it and being unable to make it run nice. She stalled about 2 dozen times. She starts right back up everytime, so that's cool at least.
the drive system, and the steering worked pretty well. I have a bit of a hydraulic leak i need to fix, but the front and rear steer functioned pretty much as it should. i was happy about that.
I only spent about 45 mins driving around, but she was able to drive back on the trailer under her own power, so i guess it was a good day!
==cl I'm glad to see you're still rolling on this thing. I always wondered what happened to it. GotMud?
Quote from: the kandy shop on June 19, 2009, 02:09:53 PM
lets see some pics of that bus, that thing looks sweet .
here is a link to the ebay auction for the bus...lots of photos there
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=320395570073&sellerpreview=true&sspagename=STRK%3AMESELX%3AIT (http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=320395570073&sellerpreview=true&sspagename=STRK%3AMESELX%3AIT)
(http://i.ebayimg.com/15/!BV-Vy(w!mk~$(KGrHgoOKkQEjlLmWTSVBKVN7(h-1Q~~_12.JPG)
(http://i.ebayimg.com/16/!BSFp2e!!Wk~$(KGrHgoH-CMEjlLl)s+(BKBbL1rqfQ~~_12.JPG)
For Sale: $1K I think the parts are worth more than the truck itself. She has a new chevy 350 with about 10 hours on it. A new trans just before i got the truck, i purchased the 38" super swampers new several years ago. They have less than 1,000 miles on them, but are beat up a bit. The Front and rear axles are 8 lug 3/4 ton HD IFS units. 4 wheel steer, 4 wheel drive,
i never really got the contraption perfected. She runs and drives, but needs a good fabricator to either finish all the little details, or just pull the components and use them in a different project all together.
These are all older photos...i will work at posting some current photos soon:
(http://www.skoolie.net/gallery/d/14708-3/IMG_4405.JPG)
(http://www.skoolie.net/gallery/d/14768-3/IMG_4432.JPG%5D/img%5D%3Cbr%20/%3E%3Cbr%20/%3E%5Bimg%5Dhttp://www.skoolie.net/gallery/d/14783-3/IMG_4463.JPG)
(http://www.skoolie.net/gallery/d/14768-3/IMG_4432.JPG)
you can pm me call or text
--jason
586.481.1011
update?
Cool rig!