Builds POTM - March, 2014 - Javelina By Pablo Cruise

[PabloCruise]

Great build! Thanks for documenting and posting all this helpful information. I had no idea there was a torsion bar for the tail gate! I don't think mine is actually assisting anymore...

You are welcome my friend! I spend way too much time, and take all kinds of pictures when I do this work. I enjoy it.

The funny thing is, the last time I actually needed to review one of my pictures, I took such a bad picture (lacking in detail) that I screwed things up anyway!

 

[PabloCruise]

I am feeling the bug to clean up a few things on the Pig.

The tailpipe has always bugged me. It just does not look like a very clean install. At the time of the engine swap, back in Spring of '08 (Eight years ago?!?) the Pig that donated the 3FE had a complete exhaust, so I opted to transfer that to this Pig vs. the $ expense of fabbing up a new 3FE to Pig exhaust. But the exit looks bad, and I cannot fit the spare underneath, so it is time to get the rear portion of the exhaust re-worked.

Ron @scrapdaddy has done all the hard work by designing a tailpipe that looks very squared away. So goal #1 for the summer is to take these pictures to the local exhaust shop and ask them to re-create this:

Pictures from Ron's build: SLOW 71

 

[PabloCruise]

For comparison, you can see a portion of my exhaust here. Now I see it might not be a slam-dunk to recreate Ron's design since I am sprung under and have sway bar in place.

I'll just have to see what they can do!

 

[PabloCruise]

It took 23 gallons to fill the tank. I went to the gas station with the lawnmower gas can and got exactly 2 gallons. I was so proud of how exact I got the volume. I wondered if 2 gallons in a completely empty tank would be enough fuel that the Pig would start?
Pig would not start!
So back to the gas station with the lawnmower can for another 2 gallons.
Pig would not start! Dude...
I am moving the Pig around up and downhill to see what I need to do to see fuel in the clear plastic pre-filter and nothing! I can hear the pump. I go back the as station with the lawnmower can for another 2 gallons, and this time I am going to pull the line off the tank that the pump pulls from and submerge the end in the gasoline. I do this and no fill. Serious?!? I remember when I went to hook up the electric fuel pump that I referred back to my pictures, but that picture was a little unclear. I look closely at the pump and I can make out little tiny "+" and "-" signs.
First I think, "Damn, do I need glasses?"
Then I think, "Damn, I hooked the pump up backwards, hope I didn't cook it."
I hooked up the pump correctly, and when my wife turned the key, the pump immediately filled the clear filter with gas!
So much for my experiment to see if the Pig would fire on 2 gallons of gas. Oh well. At this point the day is done, it is dark, work and school beckon tomorrow morning, so that is all for the night.
The next night I load the pup in the Pig and head off to the gas station. 17.017 gallons later and the tank is full! I notice that the gauge does not go all the to FULL, but I can handle it. Next time I feel like huffing gas fumes, I will pull the sender and see if it needs to be bent.
I take off for a 50+ mile drive that night. I pull over a few times to check for leaks and find none.

Sometimes even a blind squirrel finds a nut!

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This business with the sender not registering a full tank is Goal #2.
I am having a hard time tanking up. Not sure if it is my fill hose? Maybe the bend in it, or the ridged hardwall creating some splash inside when I fill? I am going to replace the fill hose with an aluminum 90 and the "Super 45" from Filler Neck Supply.
More thoughts on fill hose here: Fuel Inlet Hose

 

[PabloCruise]

Wow, I just found a gem!

I was looking through a backup drive and found some pictures from Cruise Moab '08, the Pig's Maiden (and fairly unsuccessful) Voyage.

At one point when we were stopped (probably troubleshooting), we stopped to change my son's diaper. So glad I captured the moment in an image.

Hopefully one day he will be driving the Pig, and I can remind him, "we used to change your diaper on the tailgate!"

 

[abqcruiser]

Hey Pablo,

I used Ron's exhaust as a template as well. It will fit with your sway bar. I, unfortunately, fabbed up my exhaust first and then tried to install the sway bar after, not good. Rather than cut the exhaust out and starting over, I ended up doing a little heating and bending of the sway bar to get it to clear the exhaust. There are a few pics in my build.

 

[PabloCruise]

Hey Pablo,

I used Ron's exhaust as a template as well. It will fit with your sway bar. I, unfortunately, fabbed up my exhaust first and then tried to install the sway bar after, not good. Rather than cut the exhaust out and starting over, I ended up doing a little heating and bending of the sway bar to get it to clear the exhaust. There are a few pics in my build.

Thank you! I will go back to your thread and see what I can find...

 

[PabloCruise]

Hey Pablo,

I used Ron's exhaust as a template as well. It will fit with your sway bar. I, unfortunately, fabbed up my exhaust first and then tried to install the sway bar after, not good. Rather than cut the exhaust out and starting over, I ended up doing a little heating and bending of the sway bar to get it to clear the exhaust. There are a few pics in my build.

Found it! This is a great image, from here: New Mexico Pig Build

The above image, combined with this one are just what I need:

I love that last picture showing the spare all tucked up in there. Your Pig looks so good with the Breath Green, desert sky, KO2's, the orange "4" emblem and the classic New Mexico tags... Nice!

I forgot about your comment about lengthening the tire rod now that we have BIO bumpers from Mike. It is always something, isn't it?

 

[Honger]

So, upon wrapping up scrapdaddy's build I read up on yours. Wonderful build, great story, and I love how you an see your son grow up throughout the process. She's a beaut man, you've done a fantastic job.

 

[PabloCruise]

So, upon wrapping up scrapdaddy's build I read up on yours. Wonderful build, great story, and I love how you an see your son grow up throughout the process. She's a beaut man, you've done a fantastic job.

Thank you! I see you are from Abu Dhabi? That is interesting, as I have friend I see every year at a local car show who is from Dubai. We park next to each other every year. For some reason he likes my Pig. He has had 6-series BMW, Corvette Stingray, and this year he brought a 2015 Jaguar F-Type. People seem to enjoy seeing our vehicles together!

 

[Honger]

Thank you! I see you are from Abu Dhabi? That is interesting, as I have friend I see every year at a local car show who is from Dubai. We park next to each other every year. For some reason he likes my Pig. He has had 6-series BMW, Corvette Stingray, and this year he brought a 2015 Jaguar F-Type. People seem to enjoy seeing our vehicles together!

I'm from Kansas originally... Abu Dhabi has been my home for about 8 years though. My wife and I moved here to "see the world" and my engineering job made that possible. I love the UAE... No current plans to move.

Is your friend an Emirati? Or another expat?

 

[PabloCruise]

I'm from Kansas originally... Abu Dhabi has been my home for about 8 years though. My wife and I moved here to "see the world" and my engineering job made that possible. I love the UAE... No current plans to move.

Is your friend an Emirati? Or another expat?

He is native, not expat.

 

[PabloCruise]

I am starting to build up a nice little punch list for the Pig!

A/C would be a good move this summer.

To do so will mean running new PS lines, or at least the high-pressure side.

While I am looking at how the interior controls are wired, might as well swap out center dash panel so I can add the nice CEL and stereo mentioned earlier.

Scope creep...

 

[PabloCruise]

I am starting to build up a nice little punch list for the Pig!

A/C would be a good move this summer.

To do so will mean running new PS lines, or at least the high-pressure side.

While I am looking at how the interior controls are wired, might as well swap out center dash panel so I can add the nice CEL and stereo mentioned earlier.

Scope creep...

Any of you guys get stuff from Cool Stream?

 

[scrapdaddy]

Pablo,

I can't remember the man's name at Cool Stream, who was on MUD, but he's gone and I'm not sure they're as helpful now.

 

[PabloCruise]

Pablo,

I can't remember the man's name at Cool Stream, who was on MUD, but he's gone and I'm not sure they're as helpful now.

I think they laid him off and then he changed his user name from Cool Stream (or something like that) to another user name.
@Coolstream

 

[PabloCruise]

This business with the sender not registering a full tank is Goal #2.
I am having a hard time tanking up. Not sure if it is my fill hose? Maybe the bend in it, or the ridged hardwall creating some splash inside when I fill? I am going to replace the fill hose with an aluminum 90 and the "Super 45" from Filler Neck Supply.
More thoughts on fill hose here: Fuel Inlet Hose

I got a chance to work on this over the weekend. I ordered up an aluminum 90 degree elbow and the Super 45 degree rubber hose and got to work.

2" inch 45° Gasoline, Diesel Fuel Filler Hose Super Elbow 32" Long

Filler Neck Supply Co Stocks The Best Selection Of Fuel Filler Hoses Available. 45 and 90 Degree Elbows, Straight Sections By The Inch, Foot or Roll.

www.fillernecksupply.com

I let the fuel level in my tanks get low so I could hopefully pull the fill hose without pouring fuel all over the driveway. How low? I don't know, b/c the sender unit that came with the new tank has read weird the entire time. So I cleaned up the old sender, which always read well for me and plunked it in.

Then came fitting the aluminum elbow. When placed through the hole in the inner quarter, the neck was too long to join up with the fill port. So I measured a bunch of times and cut it. I cut it well, but to hit the fill port, the outlet of the elbow would be pointing towards the underside of the Pig, not at the tank inlet. If I pointed it at the tank inlet, I could not hit the fill port. Hmm...

Javeline had a date with Project Moviestar, so I had to keep things rolling. I opted to see if the Super 45 could work. The more I looked at the angles, I thought it could. I remember @scrapdaddy saying it did not work for him, but I thought I might have some different angles in play on my '74.

Long story short, it works really, really well! I measured a bunch of times, and then measured a bunch more times, but I got the bend in just the right place, and I really like the final fit.

I went to the gas station and put in 18 gallons and it filled really well, no problems, no fuel gushing back out down the side of my Pig. I also shortened up the overflow line, don't know if that was part of my problem? You can see in the Before and After how I had a dip in both the fill line and overflow line before, and then a nice, smooth run in both lines after.

And the gauge reads full again! Nice when things work!

Before:

After:

 

[PabloCruise]

Picture at the fill port:

 

[PabloCruise]

I should add that it was not too difficult to get the 2" (~51mm) ID rubber hose over our 54mm OD metal connections.

I filled up a Pyrex measuring cup with boiling water and soaked the end that would go to the fill port first. I let the hose sit in the hot water for several minutes. I put a little engine oil on both the ID of the hose and the OD of the fill port and started shoving. Suddenly it slipped right on! Same routine for the other end of the fill hose, except now I am lying under the Pig, holding the boiling water up to the end of the hose with some work gloves. I am pleased with the results, I got the hose on the fittings quite a bit, and I got to use the expensive hose clamps I got initially with the flex hose.

Hope it works!

 

[PabloCruise]

I also felt a subtle vibration when driving the Pig last week. After I got the fuel fill hose install complete, I ran my wrenches over to the driveshaft flanges and got them all to turn - front and back flanges.

Check your nuts!

Make sure they are not stretchy...