Builds Putting the rust demon at bay (2 Viewers)
- Thread starter archie73
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- #343
I think I have something for that, but if not that would be cheap insurance. I’ll keep it in mind. Thanks
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- #344
Went down to Vernal, Ut for some mtn biking with the family. Gotta get the cruiser down there one of these times.
This put a cramp in shop time, but we’ll worth the effort. We came home a day early, so I got some stuff done.
When I first made the bumper, I told myself I’d never tow anything with it. The receiver was just so I could put my bike rack on. Life changes and I decided I liked options, so I made up a set of braces for the rear bumper. I tried to mimic the original design with some 3” square tube halved. 1/2” grade 8 nuts and bolts with the beefiest threaded bungs I could find. Should I ever feel a need to tow anything, I’ll have more confidence in the bumper.
This was a small item(that took more time then I like admit) on the list that was infinitely easier without the body in place. Much like running the exhaust when access was available. So that leads us to the next step and it’s exciting- at least for me
Yep, it’s time to start mounting the body. I took the time to refill all the dash pieces that were going to be easier without the tub attached. The pedal bucket was a fight, but I won. So now the cowl is bolted down and steering shaft is hooked up, so what’s a guy to do? Well I needed to get it on a trailer (so I could haul it to a different shop), so I hooked up the winch and pulled it out of the garage. I got to drive it!!! This is how far I made it, but that was enough to get it on the trailer and the rear tub set in place.
I babysit the plant over the weekend, which equates to shop time for the cruiser. Hoping to put in the gas lines and figure put the engine wiring harness locations. Wish me luck.
When I first made the bumper, I told myself I’d never tow anything with it. The receiver was just so I could put my bike rack on. Life changes and I decided I liked options, so I made up a set of braces for the rear bumper. I tried to mimic the original design with some 3” square tube halved. 1/2” grade 8 nuts and bolts with the beefiest threaded bungs I could find. Should I ever feel a need to tow anything, I’ll have more confidence in the bumper.
I babysit the plant over the weekend, which equates to shop time for the cruiser. Hoping to put in the gas lines and figure put the engine wiring harness locations. Wish me luck.
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- Thread starter
- #345
Another partial milestone and this one has been a longtime in the making- the fuel delivery system. To recap -
Initially, I used a muriatic wash that wasn’t much fun. And I’m sure it helped, but the real badass on this treatment turned out to be white distilled vinegar. There was was still a good amount of tar/residue left over after the muriatic wash, but the distilled vinegar soak pulled it all off. Output is still clogged, but I don’t need it anymore. Plus disposal was a lot less problematic.
- Stock 73 tank( mercifully without pin holes, yet, clogged out put tube) triple acid rinsed and modified for:
- 03 Tahoe pump per @reddingcruiser suggestion. It fits nicely in the stock tank and is readily available and that fits my build criteria.
- I bought a split ring (tanks inc) for inside the tank and made my own hold down ring out of some sheet plastic I had laying around. Only downside is the threaded holes needed to be chased- I’m not fond of finishing the job for something I paid for.
- On the upside they sold a matching gasket that is advertised for E85. I know no one likes to use the ethanol, but realistically it’ll be in ge tank more than not
- Recycled Mtb tubes for buffer against the rhino lined aluminum tub. This may have lowered my carbon footprint, but I doubt it.
- Earls Vaporguard hose(20’). Supposed to be upto the ls needs and saved my ass on the AN fittings & stainless hose. Time will tell...
- Pics:
May not be pretty, but it should serve the job
Kinda nice to be able to reuse the old tank
Pay no attention to the mess of wiring- I’m still working on the layout on the engine harness and where all the plugs attach
Future thoughts:
- When the original tank starts leaking I have a new one that I bought (due to the clogged output tube).
- In the future I’ll get an external pump and mount it as a backup.
- I have corvette fuel pressure regulator I bought last year, but turns out the LM7 is regulated on the fuel rail. I’ll keep the corvette regulator in case I need it.
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- Thread starter
- #346
Progress continues. After the fuel plumbing was sorted, I turned back to the engine wiring harness. After trying the ecu in numerous spots in the engine compartment I decided it needed to be in the cab. Off it came again and I proceeded to feed it through firewall. The brain will mount below the glovebox and duct on the firewall. I ordered a bracket after finding the final location.
The engine fuse/relay box is in engine compartment, but I forgot to take pictures…
Tunnel is in and and the interior is starting to resemble something again.
This was a a nice closing touch to the day. I had pulled it for the paint, but the pillar was naked without it. The orange grows on me more every time I see it.
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- #347
Nothing monumental, but I wanted to document the radiator hose numbers I ended up using. Just to recap for anyone doing a search- I’m connecting a stock radiator to a 5.3 lm7.
I got lucky on the upper radiator hose, I found a single hose (Gates 23460) that I had to trim the end off and add an ICT coupler with a steam port.
The lower hose took a bunch of attempts with the same hoses. I was trying to recreate a pic I had fund elsewhere on mud of an 180 off the engine to a 90 going in the radiator, but the angles never quite lined up. Ultimately, I realized I could simply 90 to 90 and my angles would be near perfect. Once again I used an ICT coupler.
The only other item of interest is the the ECU mount. Hoping to expedite the process, I ordered a mount off glamazon. Unfortunately, it’s not quite a fit for my needs. On flange had to be cut off and welded back on facing inward. The other one needed to be trimmed to not block the intake for the heater blower. Oh well, custom builds go like that…
The only other item of interest is the the ECU mount. Hoping to expedite the process, I ordered a mount off glamazon. Unfortunately, it’s not quite a fit for my needs. On flange had to be cut off and welded back on facing inward. The other one needed to be trimmed to not block the intake for the heater blower. Oh well, custom builds go like that…
- Thread starter
- #348
It was a momentous weekend!
Brake lines are in(still need to bleed)
Cold air intake is routed (waiting on clamps and support)
MAF in the longest straight section I have
Check engine light is hooked up
Fuel pump wiring is done and working
O2 sensors in and hooked up
Need gauges- planning to use a obdLink to a phone
So I asked the wife to pick up some gas. she came back with the kid and father-in-law to watch the first fire of the engine. I let the kid turn the key- fuel pump primes the system(yes), engine cranks(yes), but no firing(no). 2 out of 3 ain’t bad. Wife is not happy- “you pulled a perfectly good engine for this?” (Truth is this is the 2nd “perfectly good” engine I’ve pulled out of this truck). They leave me to keep tinkering.
Next day, I’m back at it looking for “that” wire I had forgotten to hook up. I shoot some ether down it’s throat, just to make sure it’s capable of firing- yep, it pops for a second. After a bit I remember the third fuse box on the truck. Sure enough, blown fuse soon to be followed by sweet sound of the engine coming to life. I’m a happy man. Wife is happy once she sees the proof- “How long til I get to drive it again?” Soon baby, soon….
Brake lines are in(still need to bleed)
Cold air intake is routed (waiting on clamps and support)
MAF in the longest straight section I have
Check engine light is hooked up
Fuel pump wiring is done and working
O2 sensors in and hooked up
Need gauges- planning to use a obdLink to a phone
So I asked the wife to pick up some gas. she came back with the kid and father-in-law to watch the first fire of the engine. I let the kid turn the key- fuel pump primes the system(yes), engine cranks(yes), but no firing(no). 2 out of 3 ain’t bad. Wife is not happy- “you pulled a perfectly good engine for this?” (Truth is this is the 2nd “perfectly good” engine I’ve pulled out of this truck). They leave me to keep tinkering.
Next day, I’m back at it looking for “that” wire I had forgotten to hook up. I shoot some ether down it’s throat, just to make sure it’s capable of firing- yep, it pops for a second. After a bit I remember the third fuse box on the truck. Sure enough, blown fuse soon to be followed by sweet sound of the engine coming to life. I’m a happy man. Wife is happy once she sees the proof- “How long til I get to drive it again?” Soon baby, soon….
- Thread starter
- #349
Another good weekend-
Had a little head scratching session with the OBD2 wiring. I wasn’t getting any signal in from the dongle or the scanner. Pulled it apart and redid the pins and found out my labeling on the wires isn’t the greatest. In the end I have a working port and most of the gauges I was hoping to have on the app
For those running an app to monitor gauges-is there an app that has oil pressure? I was disappointed that the OBDLink MX+ doesn’t have it. I bought the Torque app, but was Irked that they requested $69/yr to use the app. So I’m looking for other options for the oil pressure.
The app is paying off though. I rolled the dice on this engine, I didn’t have time to rebuild it, so the initial start up I was preparing myself for something terrible. I only had the word of the guy selling it and my fumbling through the wiring harness at the beginning of Covid. But the stars aligned and this is the diagnostic screen
So I bled the brakes/clutch enough to be operational at slower speeds( working solo) and drove it around. Later let the wife take it for a spin
Immediate question- “when’s it going to safe enough for me to take to town?” Soon baby, soon…
Had a little head scratching session with the OBD2 wiring. I wasn’t getting any signal in from the dongle or the scanner. Pulled it apart and redid the pins and found out my labeling on the wires isn’t the greatest. In the end I have a working port and most of the gauges I was hoping to have on the app
For those running an app to monitor gauges-is there an app that has oil pressure? I was disappointed that the OBDLink MX+ doesn’t have it. I bought the Torque app, but was Irked that they requested $69/yr to use the app. So I’m looking for other options for the oil pressure.
The app is paying off though. I rolled the dice on this engine, I didn’t have time to rebuild it, so the initial start up I was preparing myself for something terrible. I only had the word of the guy selling it and my fumbling through the wiring harness at the beginning of Covid. But the stars aligned and this is the diagnostic screen
So I bled the brakes/clutch enough to be operational at slower speeds( working solo) and drove it around. Later let the wife take it for a spin
Immediate question- “when’s it going to safe enough for me to take to town?” Soon baby, soon…
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Oil pressure on a ls motor in gm vehicles is relayed to a body control module and then to the gm gauge AFAIK. You should be able to adapt a Toyota oil sender easily into the LS motor which will run your factory gauge.
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- #351
After doing some research that is my plan. I accidentally bought a adapter for putting an analog sender down by the oil filter, so I’ll do that. Just need to order another sender. I’m also looking to put a temp sender in the block for the original gauge. My dash is about the only thing that is stock and I’d like to keep it that way.
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- #352
Fun with wiring…
Fuel pump stopped pumping. After going through all the connections multiple times, I finally found the relay connection for the switching ground had come apart- that cost me more time than I’d like to admit. In the process I made a couple discoveries:
1) In removing the plug for fuel pump I had removed the inner plug in the tank. I would have thought this would be hard wired honestly.
2) The plastics hold down ring I had made for the pump had shattered. I taped it up so I could use it as a stencil on some sheet metal. Another step back, but at least I found it now.
3) I need to revisit how the passenger seat is bolted down. It’s a royal PITA to remove. It also sits a bit higher than I’d like, so maybe I can revise the mounts.
4) When I had dropped the cage onto the body I was concerned about scratching the paint and didn’t think about the fuel lines or the wiring to the pump. Well they didn’t look happy being pinched by the seat cradle. Since I was solo in this endeavor, I used the high lift to raise the cage enough to extract the lines and wires. I guess this the type thing you figure out as you go on this type of project or is it just me…
I took it for a spin around the neighborhood as a victory lap, spun the tires a little and smiled. Decided for another easy win, so I mounted the bib. It was a good day.
Fuel pump stopped pumping. After going through all the connections multiple times, I finally found the relay connection for the switching ground had come apart- that cost me more time than I’d like to admit. In the process I made a couple discoveries:
1) In removing the plug for fuel pump I had removed the inner plug in the tank. I would have thought this would be hard wired honestly.
2) The plastics hold down ring I had made for the pump had shattered. I taped it up so I could use it as a stencil on some sheet metal. Another step back, but at least I found it now.
3) I need to revisit how the passenger seat is bolted down. It’s a royal PITA to remove. It also sits a bit higher than I’d like, so maybe I can revise the mounts.
4) When I had dropped the cage onto the body I was concerned about scratching the paint and didn’t think about the fuel lines or the wiring to the pump. Well they didn’t look happy being pinched by the seat cradle. Since I was solo in this endeavor, I used the high lift to raise the cage enough to extract the lines and wires. I guess this the type thing you figure out as you go on this type of project or is it just me…
I took it for a spin around the neighborhood as a victory lap, spun the tires a little and smiled. Decided for another easy win, so I mounted the bib. It was a good day.
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- #353
More fun with wiring and I could use some input on this one. The next challenge is the fan relay switch power and I’m not very confident in electrical modifications. Im using a ground switch wire from the PCM, but I can’t get it to switch the relay (Volvo or 40 amp) for some reason. For clarification I’m running a Taurus fan with a Volvo 2 stage relay that I’d like the PCM to control the high and low speeds of the fan. I have my high and low speed wires from the PCM and have confirmed they show ground(-12v) when the engine reaches the respective temp on the multimeter. I’ve confirmed both relays function properly when hooked directly to the battery, but I can’t get the PCM to trigger either relay. Initially I thought the Volvo relay was to big, so I tried the 40amp just for the switch power- nothing. Is the 40 amp to big as well? I could run an auxiliary temp switch, but this is one of those perks I wanted to run off the PCM.
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- #354
Last question of the day and it’s a quickly I think I know the answer to, but I wanted to throw it out- should there be two crush washers on this banjo fitting, on on the inside as well?
I wanted to check the group before I try torquing it anymore.
I wanted to check the group before I try torquing it anymore.
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- #355
This saga seems to be continuing… went to fire it up yesterday and same problem- no fuel pump. Gave the PCM wires a wiggle and pump came to life. Now I get to pull the ecm again and go through the pin outs. Maybe this’ll fix the fan relay problem too…
Did you have your ecu flashed so that the fan operation is enabled? On some ecm's its not enabled unless you have a tuner reflash the ecu for it.
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- #357
I didn’t specify and I’m not sure it’s actually turning on after reaching a certain temp. I did some further testing and I think it’s showing voltage any time the key is in the ON position. It’s still not enough to trigger the relay and that’s the part that’s sending me in circles.
It might do a low voltage circuit check during key on but not enough to trigger the relay. You will need to specify you using electric fans for sure with the tuner person.
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- #359
Talked the shop that flashed the ecu, they said that they currently set the ecu up for fans, but didn’t when I had mine done. That means I need to pull the ecu and take it back in. It’ll be bit before I head back in town, so in the mean time the low speed is wired to the on position through the Volvo relay. I’ll run a switch in center console for the high speed fan.
Without fenders, bib or hood and the fan on high, I haven’t gone above 190 yet. If I understand it right, these engines are good to 230. It’d be pretty awesome to not need high speed on this engine…
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- #360
Its skin deep in a way, but this felt like a milestone.
Panel alignment is 10 footer, but it’s good to get some metal back on the front. tomorrow I’m going to take it for a test drive and see how well it cools with the front clip on. Windshield should be one tomorrow as well.
