228 replies to this topic

[KieranB]

Congratulations on the first start up. Have you any plans for changing the exhaust? I remember reading a while back that you were thinking about a "H" or "X" system?

 

As for the gauges would it not be a bad earth or something? I had issues with my oil pressure sender shooting straight up and it was due to an earth. Best of luck sorting that out.

 

Kieran

[M44K TS]

Cheers. I still want to put an H pipe in to balance the exhaust, it'll help the engine run smoother and make it sound a bit nicer inside the truck.

Sorted the rev counter problem, turned out I hadn't actually been plugging the spade terminal on!

Oil pressure sender turned out to be that I had accidentally cut out the braided screen on the sender wiring where it terminates onto the gauge module. Stripped it back and rewired it with the screen attached to the sender negative wire and I have a working gauge again. Fired it up for a sec and was relieved to see 65psi of oil pressure. It'll be ran properly tomorrow to break the cam in as I'll need it pushed outside so I don't gas myself to death running it inside the unit!

[jamesmpi]

Excellent result. Won't be long until your out cruising in it

[M44K TS]

Cheers James, it's a few steps closer to being out on the road, few photos from over the last few days as I haven't really done many updates.

 

My mate Neil lining up the oil pump drive to match the distributor to get the initial timing right.  I dare say that wouldn't have happened if I actually gave a toss about the paint work

 

Adding the new LED indicator relays to replace the old style flasher units hoping that the indicators will actually work.  The wiring is virtually the same apart from the terminals are in different positions and the new relay needs an earth adding to it.

 

Fast forward to today, glass has gone in.  (Ignore my manky hoody, it's in desperate need of a wash after the engine swap!)

 

Slam panel is now bolted back on

 

Then on to the job I've been dreading.  Breaking the cam in.  I had a problem with an air lock in the cooling system about 5 mins in, hence why the temp. shot right up, all sorted now by the looks of it.  It was the longest 20 mins of my life worrying if the engine would survive!

 

Quick video, although, it really wasn't on my list of priorities though hence why it's so short!  Excuse the smoke, that was just the paint on the manifolds and the heat wrap.  It cleared after about 5 mins.

 

 

To celebrate the cam break in being a success, I treat it to a quick wash to get all the body shop dust off/general crap off.

 

My mate Si has just been round to bleed the brakes with me so now I have a nice firm pedal and hopefully decent brakes.  Tomorrows job will be to get it off the axle stands, top the power steering reservoir up and add the transmission fluid.  The seat frame may even be ready tomorrow morning too, so I will hopefully be at the stage where I can bolt it in and take the truck for a run up the industrial estate and back to check things over before taking it out on the road.

[M44K TS]

Fired it up to get the ignition timing right, I must have knocked the distributor somehow as when I put the timing light on, it was running about 20 deg retarded and was lumpy as hell, really didn't want to run at all.  Quickly got the static timing set to 10 deg before TDC, switched it off and it fired up first try and ran beautifully. (let me know if the facebook video link works, if not, I'll put it on youtube)

 

https://www.facebook...151682822351635

 

Transmission fluid is in and to the correct level, power steering reservoir is topped up and bled, coolant has been bled.  Did a quick cycle through the gears to make sure I had drive in each gear position, I did.  So, it would be rude to not take it out for a spin.  Sadly, I can't take it out on the roads as the seat frame isn't ready, but I do have a couple of Asda crates to sit on

 

 

That'll do for today.  I need to quickly do one last check of the transmission fluid level later in case it needs topped up.  Right now, I need beer.

[sonikk4]

Mate that is seriously cool. i would have been soooooo tempted to give it one large one to light up the rear end.

[jamesmpi]

Edited by jamesmpi, 08 June 2013 - 04:15 PM.

[M44K TS]

Mate that is seriously cool. i would have been soooooo tempted to give it one large one to light up the rear end.

 

Noooooo!  It needs run in first, maybe after about 500 miles I will

[Andy_]

[M44K TS]

Took advantage of my parents washing their car down at the unit today, couple of 2/3 person jobs that needed doing.

 

First off was steering column floor mount, that needed bolted in, the column is totally solid now, no way is it ever shifting.

 

Next came the chrome trim for the windscreen and the interior trim panel.  That was a total PITA as the bolts/screws aren't really that long and the holes in the new windscreen rubbers are slightly out of alignment, had to enlarge some holes with a scalpel to get it to fit.

 

Then the bonnet took a bit of head scratching as it's that long since it was removed, I forgot which bolt goes where.  Took a little bit to get it to line up, but it's on and looks about right.  Not that the shut lines need to be perfect!

 

There's a few small jobs I need to do like the brake pedal switch, the holder for it usually has 3 prongs that hold the switch in place, 2 have snapped off so the switch isn't sitting in tight enough.  It looks like I'll have to glue it in.  I also still have the indicators to sort, if I can't get the LED's working, I'll have to put the normal bulbs back in temporarily. Aside from putting the tax in the screen and bolting the seat in when I get it, it's pretty much good to go.

[M44K TS]

Well, there was bugger all on the tv tonight, was bored so decided to crack on with some more small jobs.

 

First off was the indicator and hazard relays, got them wired up and they work perfect....

 

(Ignore the music, spotify was on random and it just so happened that ZZ Top was on, rather apt music!)

 

Happy with that, I started on the doors.  The new handles are on along with the new door panels and refitted the window frames.

 

Glovebox is now back together

 

The liner isn't properly fixed in yet, it needs a few screws along the top and bottom

 

Might tackle the headlining tomorrow.

[carboy001]

Looking good Mark, looks spot-on!

[M44K TS]

Cheers dude.

 

These last couple of days have been awesome.  Monday, the seat frame was ready to collect, pops gave me a hand bolting it in, it still needs an extra couple of brace bars for the seat back as it flexes a little, but it's quite comfortable and looks alright.  The fabricators are going to powder coat it black then I'll carpet round the base.

 

I'll add a thin sheet of ply to the back of the seat then cover it in the black suede I ordered a while back to finish it off too.

 

So, with that in, it was time to take it home via a petrol station, I noticed on the drive home it wasn't changing up into 2nd, luckily, the route I took was quiet 30 mph roads so I could hold it around 2000 rpm in 1st at around 25-30 mph.  Found out that the vacuum advance hose had came off the dizzy and was causing a vacuum leak, and as the gearbox uses the vacuum line to know when to shift up, it didn't do it, so, plugged the hose and tried again and everything was ok again.

 

Back home again next to the daily golf.

 

Once I was sure everything was ok, I went out for a bit of a drive along the coast between Roker in Sunderland and South Shields, that put a nice 50 miles on the new engine of mainly trundling about at sub 2k rpm. Not at all strenuous for the engine.  It was a really nice night and being on the coast, in the sun, windows down listening to the V8 burble along pretty much at idle was just heaven.  Words can not express how happy it felt to just be cruising about with people breaking their necks to watch it drive past.  I can't wait for the weekend, because if it's nice, I'm going back down to have another mince about in it.

 

Obviously, I couldn't resist taking a couple of pics along the way...

 

I think I need a surf board in the back just for ******* and giggles

 

Not that you can really make it out, but tonight, I hit the 100 mile milestone on the new engine, (I had already done 28.4 miles on the previous engine once I had set up the gauges)  In total when I got home, I had covered around 110 miles in total

 

My mother also found a bottle of JD in the back of the cupboard, so I've been reacquainted with that tonight, forgot how much I like it.  I'm trying to empty the bottle as quickly as possible, (hence why I'm currently feeling half pissed) as I want to use it as the new washer bottle, I'll speak with the fabricators who did the seat frame and get them to make and powder coat a bracket that'll sit it on the bulkhead.  I've just bought an in cab in line washer pump so all you will see is just the bottle with the hose disappearing into the cab, then coming out in the middle of the bulkhead above the cowl vent drain tube then up to the washer jets on the bonnet. 

 

That's it for now, I'm taking the truck to work tomorrow afternoon as I'm off to see a client who is a massive petrolhead and will no doubt appreciate it.  He was kind enough to take me out in his DB9 Aston last year so I can only repay the favour!  Plus it's a great excuse to go for a drive!  Then, it's the monthly hot-rod, classic & American meet at the Metro Centre so I'll be taking it  there too.  I can see it costing a fortune in fuel alone!

[sonikk4]

Brilliant its looking really good and glad its out and about.  

[xrocketengineer]

Awesome build! Enjoy it now!