Data Logging

Well, I installed the Innovate LC-1 O2 sensor and data logger today. It allows data logging to a laptop for tuning...right now it just logs air/fuel ratio but can (and will ) log other data such as rpm, boost, timing etc....Fancy.


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This fan sucks (or blows)

Now that the fire has been relit...I went out tonight and wired up the fan and fixed a fuel fitting that was leaking on the top of the regulator (that feeds the gauge)...progress my friends...progress.


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Fuel cell brackets

Summit had sent me the wrong fuel cell brackets a while ago...so I went to home depot and bought some aluminum strips and made some.

Back in the saddle.

Well after a long winter hiatus...I'm finally back on the truck. Last fall the last time I touched it it had popped a hole in the radiator and wouldn't run worth a crap...I was frustrated and unmotivated. Well, I got the itch to get this thing going again. I was trying to get it running good enough to get it to Grill 57 for their monthly car show. (because this thing is a show car) So a couple of weekends ago I found a guy in craigslist parting one out. So I got the radiator out of it. Cooling system back in order. So I put the battery out of the wagoneer in it and cranked it. Still ran like crap...no idle. So I mucked with and mucked with it...I could keep it running by hitting the accelerator pump so I was sure it was not getting fuel at idle. Started blocking off vacuum lines suspecting a leak...still wouldn't idle.

So, I didn't get it running before the car show. I went up there and met my friend Ron who had a super clean big block Chevelle there. After the show I went to Harbor Freight and bought a battery charger...since I had killed the battery running the electric fuel pump while messing with it so now had two dead batteries.

Got home and charged the battery and got looking at it some more. I pulled the front bowl and metering block to make sure there was no trash in the idle circuit. All good. I went back to hunting my vacuum leak as I was sure that's what it was...felt behind the carb checking that the line for brake boost was on...and found it...not the brake boost line but the cap for the large vacuum port on the back of the carb was gone. Last I tried to get the MSD setup it had backfired and must have blow the cap off. New cap installed...ta-da! We have idle. So, I'm back to having a running driving truck...let the tuning begin.

Drag Radials!

I picked up a set of used 275/60-15 Mickey Thompson Drag radials...Finally feels like I'm ready to go racing. These were lightly used (18 passes) and in pretty good shape. I got them from a local 275 racer. Drove to Fayetteville area this morning to pick them up...came home and wasted no time having them mounted. And putting them on the truck...

Speed kills....buckle up.

Got the drivers seat mounted for real today... It's solid. Five 3/8" bolts with 1" fender washers and 5 point harness with all of the mounts going through the double steel parts of the floor with the side mounts using the factory seat belt mounts....this mutha ain't goin nowhere.

Lazy Sunday - Mr. Pibb and Red Vines equals CRAZY DELICIOUS!

Didn't get much done this weekend...I got one of the seat pedestals made....removed all the carpet and sound deadening from the truck...as it was crap anyway...Removed the factory gas tank...because A: it has been replaced by the fuel cell in the bed, B: it had a hole in it which I had patched with tank repair, C: it was in the way of installing the drivers seat....the bolts that come through the floor on top of the tank. That is about it....now that it is light out later maybe I'll get something done during the week...ah probably not.

Please...have a seat.

I picked up a pair of race seats from one of the folks on horsepowerjunkies.com. Nuthin fancy just a couple of Summit plastic seats w/Black covers...but the will be much better than the ripped bench seat in there now...

MSD - Multiple Spark Dipshit

Ok...since the last post...I went to the MSD site to do some poking around...found a support post that told how to trouble shoot getting no spark...one of the tests involved jumping the green and violet wire that go to the magentic pickup...hmmmm...green and violet...green and violet...The control knob has green and violet wires...which yours truely (using logic) spliced to the green and violet from the box...Oddly the green and violet from the control knob do not got to the green and violet on the box...they go to the gray and black. (this makes sense right?)...anyway...I went out just now and simply cut the wires to the knob...boom I have fire...It sill won't stay running but that might be because I jiggered the wiring in my testsing...I'll update when I find out.

MSD - Multiple Spark Distaster

I bought an MSD Boost Master off ebay...well it appears to be my first ebay stinker...I spent the day on Saturday wiring it up...on to turn the key and gt a big ball of nothing. So today I went out and ran som tests to see it it was a wiring issue or what...I and getting a (gounding) signal form the mag pickup (hall sensor) this makes it's way too the MSD ...the MSD returns this signal back to the distributor (which is how it controls retarding the timing)...the wire that returns this gound signal give me a big ball of nothing...

I can jump these wires and it fires right up...so I'm assuming this means the box is bad...I'm gonna call MSD tomorrow and verify this.

I did get the mounting board made and installed right now it has the MSD, a couple of relays (for fuel pump and fan), and a spot for the LC-1 wideband O2 sensor. I installed the sendor (you can see the plug in the pic) but didn't instll the rest as it takes some calibrating and I didn't have time to set it up this weekend.

I got en-gauged

I got the boost gauge hooked up and mounted this weekend. I went over to Loop Road auto parts and they had a bracket cheaper than Summit or Jegs. $8 and change...sweet. The advantage of building an old piece of crap is that you don't have to worry about things like drilling holes in the dash...got out the drill and whacked a couple of holes and screwed doen the braket to the sounds of the dash cracking underneath - there are alrady a crap load of cracks in it so no worries.

Whistle while you work (drive)

I made a small bracket for the throttle cable today...got that mounted up...fired it up...and dropped it in gear for the first time in over a year! I drove it up and down the street a couple of times...put a little bit of foot to it and got to hear the turbo whistle for the first time...small victories.

It runs pretty good so far...lot of blow-through folks have issues with off idle and stumbles...so far so good...it had pretty good manners and no big issues...I wasn't able to hit it hard cause the timing is still not locked out (MSD boost master should be here tomorrow) and it has 93 in the tank...so I'm being careful till I can sneak up on a tune.

Next up - Install the MSD box, boost gauge, wide-band, fix a weeping line for the fuel pressure gauge...then on to tuning.

...this is getting fun.

Cranking from the rear

Almost there...today I got a battery and got it relocated to the bed. Bought some welding cable for the cable...and a marine box...even put some nice grommets in the floor....

Shifting back into gear.

Well, today was like 60 degrees...so I'm calling it spring. Game on. Got out the welder this morning and whipped up this little unit...a stand for the shifter...

Tax check is on the way..so expect to see this mutha rolling in the next couple weeks!

Project in a coma.

Ok this project is on terminal hold...I have run out of cash and can't see any coming my way in the foreseeable future (other family obligations have taken precedence)...So I hope to be able to finish it next spring but I am declaring it dead for 2009....see you in the spring.

I'm a fan of this....

I installed the fan I got from Jay on HPJ. Not much more to say...here it is.

IT'S ALIVE!

That's right...The flying rust bucket lives again! I went out this morning and put in the collector gaskets, and gave the fuel system a test...leaks, leaks everywhere...it was leaking at the pump, regulator, float adjustments, and tap of the gas...fuel sqirting out of both accelerator pumps! Damn it... I went through and tightend up all the fittings and took the carb off and tightened he acc pumps (oops guess I forgot to do that in the carb build - doh!)...any-hoo...leak free...turned the key...nothing... battery dead...it had enought to run the pump but wouldn't even turn the engine over....plan B - Stole the battery out of the wife's car....turned the key. Bang! first revolution fired right up! - Turn on your speakers!

So, I still have a butt-load of stuff to do but it sure was nice to hear it again after being silent for 9 months.

Hello Mr. Murphy

I did get some stuff done today. I installed the fuel pressure gauge.

I also managed to get the turbo mounted for real...with gaskets, feed and drain lines plumbed in.


(no this is not heater hose. It is $8 a foot oil safe hose.)
As well as weld in the wastegate. I had to do a little trimming on the gate where I had welding in the flange previously. I was hitting the valve in the gate and holding it open just a bit...but enough to leak...a little time with the dremel and it now has a tight seal.

You may also notice that it is installed backward from how I had it mocked up. I decided not to plumb it in so close to the turbo outlet as it does cause some power loss at high rpm by putting turbulence right at the mouth of the turbo...which I knew, but initially didn't care too much and it was the easiest routing. Now I will either plumb it in past the O2 sensor or may even just let it dump outside the exhaust all together.

The day was not without it's murphy law moments...I had a kit to install the fuel gauge- wrong fitting for the gauge end. I bought bolts to mount the fuel pump block off- wrong size. I thought I had a tap for a 1/4" NPT fitting - wrong size. So, I didn't get done as much as I would have liked...but progress is progress...

Update tomorrow....

I went out today and rounded up the fittings, hose and such that I need to complete the pumbing of the fuel pressure gauge, boost gauge, wastegate hose, and boost reference for the fuel pump. Look for an update tomorrow...

Back in the Saddle...

Ok so after a short hiatus from the truck (reason: see previous post) I got some work done on the truck today.

First I fixed the electrical issue (see: not very electrifying) ...turned out to be a bad ground...so the pump has got juice. (note: bought a nice new test light at Loop Road - still down one multimeter)

Next, I welded up the rest of the the merge pipe. I ran by RJ's custom piping in Raleigh and picked up the 90 degree pipe I needed. It had all been mocked up and tacked...so I did the "real" welds. I had little scare in the middle of it...my welder just stoppped...dead. Oh, crap. It turns out it just overheated...after cooling down for a while it started working again...whew. Anyway, done.


I also removed the mechanical fuel pump and built the drain to replace it. I fuel pump block off plate that I drilled and welded a bung to and threaded in a 5/8 fitting.


Finally I had an issue when I added the drain to the turbo...it hit the bracket I had made....so I had to rejigger the bracket (note the cut and reweld in the bottom bracket below) to clear the drain and it was just tacked as well...so I burnt some metal there too. I then painted up all the crap I built or modified before putting it all back in...