Builds Max Powerzz gets Max Power, or Watch Me Pull a Rabbit out of my Hat! (1 Viewer)

[Max.Powerzz]

And here are some pics of the rear sliders attached to the bumper and the frame underneath. These are very stout, and I love how they follow the new lines of the chopped rear:

 

[alaska60]

glad to hear she is strong and you are enjoying this fantastic and well built rig!
Enjoy it well my friend. And tell your Dad to get your 40 back to the barn already... need to button her up too!

 

[Max.Powerzz]

So we about have the air conditioning figured out. It kept blowing a fuse and dumping all of the coolant. Everything was hooked up but there is a regulator that tells the AC pump when to turn on and off. In hooking the Toyota AC up to the Chevy AC pump we lost the regulator somewhere, which must have been built in in different places. When we would charge the AC it would get ice cold but the pump kept pumping until it blew a release valve and would dump all the coolant. So we added a relay and ran the AC pump regulator with the fan.

It now blows ice cold but I've got a power drain. We haven't been able to track a drain down but after driving the battery dies. We think the alternator is not charging the battery back up quickly enough while driving. When driving with the AC on the alternator takes a big hit and only charges the battery at about 12.2 volts. Without the AC it charges at 13.5 volts. The alternator is rated at 160, shouldn't this be enough to charge the system? I'm on the 3rd alternator and this one has been going pretty well until we added the load of the AC. Is a mean-green in our future? Those seem awfully spendy, are they worth it?

 

[norsk]

So we about have the air conditioning figured out. It kept blowing a fuse and dumping all of the coolant. Everything was hooked up but there is a regulator that tells the AC pump when to turn on and off. In hooking the Toyota AC up to the Chevy AC pump we lost the regulator somewhere, which must have been built in in different places. When we would charge the AC it would get ice cold but the pump kept pumping until it blew a release valve and would dump all the coolant. So we added a relay and ran the AC pump regulator with the fan.

It now blows ice cold but I've got a power drain. We haven't been able to track a drain down but after driving the battery dies. We think the alternator is not charging the battery back up quickly enough while driving. When driving with the AC on the alternator takes a big hit and only charges the battery at about 12.2 volts. Without the AC it charges at 13.5 volts. The alternator is rated at 160, shouldn't this be enough to charge the system? I'm on the 3rd alternator and this one has been going pretty well until we added the load of the AC. Is a mean-green in our future? Those seem awfully spendy, are they worth it?

I got one for my 2f and I love it. Now it is in the back of the rig over at jakes, WAITING for the new engine build and installation. It is not doing any thing at the moment. You want to borrow it and try it out? It has a V belt pulley, but you might be able to get a serpentine pulley to put on it somehow

dougbert

 

[GLTHFJ60]

So we added a relay and ran the AC pump regulator with the fan.

How exactly did you wire this? Care to elaborate?

12.2v is not enough to charge your battery. I would think that 160 amps is enough to to power everything, but I guess not!

Is your alternator output hooked up straight to the battery?

 

[Max.Powerzz]

Thanks for the offer Norsk, I was just up at Jake's yesterday. Which cruiser is yours? They do great work when you can get in their line-up. To make my former East coast compadres drool, here are a few shots from the barn yesterday, they've got 40's, 45's, 55's, 60's, and even a 70 body now. They must have close to 30 cruisers up there now. Alex's coil-sprung 40 in the barn is going to be insane, my behind cries every time it gets near those heated leather King Ranch seats stuffed in there.

 

[Max.Powerzz]

How exactly did you wire this? Care to elaborate?

12.2v is not enough to charge your battery. I would think that 160 amps is enough to to power everything, but I guess not!

Is your alternator output hooked up straight to the battery?

Success! At least I'm pretty sure, time will tell. Thanks for the post on the wire GLTH, it turns out the alternator wire was too wimpy and got so hot it was over-heating and melting the shrink wrap. Replaced it with some heavier 4 gauge and it's charging at 14.3, woo-hoo! The alt was charging ok before in the low 13s, but with the added load of the AC turned on it would take hours to recharge the battery so it wasn't replenishing the battery after the load of starting it. After a few days it would drain the battery down and be dead. When I charged it overnight with a battery charger it would be good for a few runs, but kept eventually dying on me. Hopefully this will fix it, that's about all of the bugs on the conversion. I still need a gear reducer for the speedometer, it's reading about 10% high, and there are some leaks here and there, but I think it's ready for its first major road trip in cooled AC comfort. I'm hoping to bring it to Kurt's Cruiser bbq this Friday, should be a great time.

 

[GLTHFJ60]

Success! At least I'm pretty sure, time will tell. Thanks for the post on the wire GLTH, it turns out the alternator wire was too wimpy and got so hot it was over-heating and melting the shrink wrap. Replaced it with some heavier 4 gauge and it's charging at 14.3, woo-hoo! The alt was charging ok before in the low 13s, but with the added load of the AC turned on it would take hours to recharge the battery so it wasn't replenishing the battery after the load of starting it. After a few days it would drain the battery down and be dead. When I charged it overnight with a battery charger it would be good for a few runs, but kept eventually dying on me. Hopefully this will fix it, that's about all of the bugs on the conversion. I still need a gear reducer for the speedometer, it's reading about 10% high, and there are some leaks here and there, but I think it's ready for its first major road trip in cooled AC comfort. I'm hoping to bring it to Kurt's Cruiser bbq this Friday, should be a great time.

Glad to help! FWIW, I've got a 2AWG wire going from my 160amp alt to my battery.

How did you wire the relay in to get your chevy compressor to cycle?

 

[norsk]

Success! At least I'm pretty sure, time will tell. Thanks for the post on the wire GLTH, it turns out the alternator wire was too wimpy and got so hot it was over-heating and melting the shrink wrap. Replaced it with some heavier 4 gauge and it's charging at 14.3, woo-hoo! The alt was charging ok before in the low 13s, but with the added load of the AC turned on it would take hours to recharge the battery so it wasn't replenishing the battery after the load of starting it. After a few days it would drain the battery down and be dead. When I charged it overnight with a battery charger it would be good for a few runs, but kept eventually dying on me. Hopefully this will fix it, that's about all of the bugs on the conversion. I still need a gear reducer for the speedometer, it's reading about 10% high, and there are some leaks here and there, but I think it's ready for its first major road trip in cooled AC comfort. I'm hoping to bring it to Kurt's Cruiser bbq this Friday, should be a great time.

great discovery

yeah, I had TWO 6 gauge wires on the positive side AND two on the negative size, you need to balance both sides as they carry the SAME current through the battery. (I will go to 4 or 2 gauge when I put the SBC in.

He has 34 rigs there. That FJ-55 (with a SBC), he just took off those front springs and axle last night.

My rig is to the right of the blue sedan in pic #3. Took the driver's wheel well off just last night, as well as the front bulkhead. Tonight I should get the passenger well off.

Two tone color, brown on top, with solar panels on the roof, and black Herculiner on the lower part of the body. Naked front end - just wheels and frame.

FROM http://www.powerstream.com/Wire_Size.htm we get the following UGLY table, I marked out the 1 and 2 gauge lines:

AWG gauge Conductor
Diameter Inches Conductor
Diameter mm Ohms per 1000 ft. Ohms per km Maximum amps for chassis wiring
OOOO 0.46 11.684 0.049 0.16072 380
OOO 0.4096 10.40384 0.0618 0.202704 328
OO 0.3648 9.26592 0.0779 0.255512 283
0 0.3249 8.25246 0.0983 0.322424 245

1 0.2893 7.34822 0.1239 0.406392 211 <---------
2 0.2576 6.54304 0.1563 0.512664 181 <---------

3 0.2294 5.82676 0.197 0.64616 158
4 0.2043 5.18922 0.2485 0.81508 135
5 0.1819 4.62026 0.3133 1.027624 118
6 0.162 4.1148 0.3951 1.295928 101
7 0.1443 3.66522 0.4982 1.634096 89


2 gauge will handle 181 amps for chassis wiring above, even that gauge WILL NOT handle the green machine output, need a 1 gauge that would handle 211 amps.


as for Kurt's BBQ, I will have to come in my Cavalier - sigh

Pic of more TLCs that you missed

dougbert

 

[aroising]

Its funny when I see photos of my 40 floating around mud. I finally fired the 6.5 in the 40 for the first time, filled up the whole shop with smoke. I've corrected the transmission issues I was having, so I hope to have it mobile here in the next few weeks. Until next time I see ya

 

[norsk]

Its funny when I see photos of my 40 floating around mud. I finally fired the 6.5 in the 40 for the first time, filled up the whole shop with smoke. I've corrected the transmission issues I was having, so I hope to have it mobile here in the next few weeks. Until next time I see ya

He has a really, cool build on that 40, coil springs and all

dougbert

 

[Max.Powerzz]

Recently returned from Cruise Moab 2014, great trip! The cruiser did great in the desert. She's since been upgraded with 4-runner front discs and rebuilt rear drums. Also added wiring for towing. Plenty of power to tow, and going down to Moab from Provo we kept around 16mpg driving mainly in the cool evening towing a 3,000lb camper with brakes. She handled great, no problems at all (except with oncoming semi's, they would blow us all over the place). Driving back in the heat of the day was a different story, but overall she did really well.

 

[Max.Powerzz]

"Carnage" exploring the trails in Arches for Cruise Moab. A borrowed tire deflator slipped off between the drum and rim, but Neal saved the day with his surgeon's hands which no other tool could get

.

Edit: looks like we lost most of the build-up pics in the move to the new site?

 

[alaska60]

Thanks for the lender pintle hitch. Trailer worked out great too.

 

[overlandman]

Cool post guys! Really wish I lived that close to the mountains!

 

[alaska60]

still holding a charge Jeff?
big changes in my world. I moved to Taos New Mexico. currently looking for shop space and opening a land cruiser shop down here. its a slow process but a dream that will become reality fairly soon. I miss the barn and all you boyz too. Ill keep in touch and answer any questions that may arise with Rocky and Bullwinkle. cheers.

 

[Max.Powerzz]

still holding a charge Jeff?
big changes in my world. I moved to Taos New Mexico. currently looking for shop space and opening a land cruiser shop down here. its a slow process but a dream that will become reality fairly soon. I miss the barn and all you boyz too. Ill keep in touch and answer any questions that may arise with Rocky and Bullwinkle. cheers.

No way!! I'm happy for you and the New Mexico artist colonies, but sad for us. I might have to bring Rocky and Bullwinkle down for custody visits .

Power drain is doing much better, thanks to your expert doctor care. At least you'll have access to plenty of rust-free cruisers, your cruiser shop will be awesome. We'll be sure to stay in touch.

Good luck!!

 

[alaska60]

I am very excited to be here in Taos. Your right about the artist colonies.... im right at home Jeff.
Ill keep in touch for sure. And when the cruiser shop opens, ill send an invite for the shop warming party.

 

[Max.Powerzz]

Update on the stock fuel pump for the 5.3 Vortec. I went through a couple of Walbro fuel pumps and they would whine and fail. Tom had heard you could use the stock fj62 fuel pump so we tried it and it's been doing great. With the Walbro it would blow a fuse on me when I stepped on the gas and leave me stranded in the middle of the road. So far the stock fj62 Toyota fuel pump has been great. When I called Walbro they said there was a chance we had a Chinese knock off with illegal Walbro labeling so watch out for that.

 

[alaska60]

Chinese knock off? We bought both of those Walbro pumps from summit racing. I bet they got a better price from ding mow and got free buffet too. Glad to hear the 62 pump still working strong. Bought a 1973 factory soft top last month.