ROTM- klinetime574

[klinetime574]

Got my alternator rebuilt. Great success. No more dimly lit “BRAKE” light. And FWIW the shop that rebuilt this said it took them three hours to do and it was in really bad shape. Said he wouldn’t have rebuilt this unit for his business because of its previous condition lol

Before:

After:

Sweet victory

 

[klinetime574]

Drove out to Rockford today and got some of the good stuff. Hour long drive. Totally worth it.

 

[klinetime574]

Status report. Got some maintenance done. Attempted valve stem seal replacement with the head still installed. Hardest part of that was being able to compress the valve springs enough to get the retainers off. My friend said the valve springs on this motor are “stupid” and was increasingly frustrated with this process lol. The tool we were using just couldn’t compress them enough. Don’t recall the brand. I attempted to make a lever out of unistrut I saw posted on here. Unfortunately had some installation faux pas. Only got the first two cylinders done. Ran out of time and couldn’t get more seals.

Threw it back together. Cold valve adjustment yielded a couple of slightly loose valves. New valve cover gasket. (ITM from Rock Auto with grommets, no complaint with quality.) New spark plugs. NGK BPR5EY (1233) gapped to 0.031. Out of the box they were slightly over or on. Old plugs were trashed. No surprise.

Attempted to check timing. Timing light bad. Lean dropped carburetor, last done in Texas. It needed to be done, especially after replacing the float not too long ago. 20-21 inches of vacuum at idle. Runs good.

Oil change with 10W-30 Shell oil from Farm and Fleet. STP oil additive. Mobil 1 filter.

My plan behind all of that was to get the valve stem seals replaced before installing the Sniper. I haven’t been working on it enough and obviously still haven’t installed it. Going to visit my mom and wanted to drive this thing, IL to TX. This should be the carburetor’s last hurrah.

 

[klinetime574]

Did the first leg of our journey last night after I got off work. Stopping in Indiana for a 4th of July family vacation with the wife’s family. Ran great on the highway. Got my A/C charged yesterday before I left work. Working great again (for now). Wife had a blanket on lol. Shorts and t-shirt for me.

That’s all for now. I’ll think of more later I’m sure.

 

[klinetime574]

Made it to Texas around 8pm Monday night. Been feeling under the weather, must have a cold or something, haven’t driven it around much since getting here. Just checked the oil level and it’s still right at the top. Over 1,000 miles this trip so far.

The carburetor did act up once yesterday, just a short drive leaving my Mom’s house. Engine cut out rolling to a stop. Fired it back up and kept driving. Next stop light it stayed running. Been fine since. Just need to make it back to Illinois lol.

Found some ethanol free gas at Buc-ees in Royse City (East of DFW). Don’t mind if I do.

So I’m kind of flabbergasted about this oil burning problem I had because I replaced 1/3 of the valve stem seals (Cylinders 1&2) and it doesn’t seem to be burning oil anymore. Thoughts? I did perform some other maintenance at the same time, but new spark plugs, and a lean drop othe carb wouldn’t have any impact on burning oil… leave well enough alone?

Driveway shots are the best shots.

 

[ad20k]

Welcome back to Htown Alex

 

[klinetime574]

Welcome back to Htown Alex

Thanks Aaron. I’m visiting my Mom in Belton actually. Wish I had time to see my Houston people!

Wouldn’t you know it the gas station I always filled up at in HS now has Ethanol Free at every pump. Murphy USA at Belton Walmart. Crazy.

$3.179 per gallon, not bad

 

[LandyCruiser]

Just officially wrapped my steering wheel with 550 paracord.

100' of "Charcoal Gray" from Paracord Planet (Outdoor Bunker) on eBay. $7.99 shipped to my door.

I had roughly 33.5' remaining.

View attachment 960440

View attachment 960441

When I looked at the color online I thought it was going to match the steering wheel, but I think the color works. Gonna stick with it. Probably looks a little different in person too.

Just wanted to share

Think I’m gonna steal this idea

 

[LandyCruiser]

Think I’m gonna steal this idea

Really makes me want a 60 steering wheel rather than the 62

 

[HemiAlex]

Less talking, more sniper.

 

[klinetime574]

Overdue update. Got the Sniper EFI installed the day before leaving for SAS5. Spun it around the block. Drove it to dinner and left the next morning.

I left Illinois on Sunday August 1st around 10:30am. Got to Ouray area Monday morning. Had some coffee. Then hit the trail. Drove up Imogene Pass with a crew. Took a nap at the top in my truck.

 

[klinetime574]

Took these engine bay pics in camp

 

[klinetime574]

 

[klinetime574]

@Kleatus

 

[klinetime574]

So all in all an awesome week was had. Met some people, and reconnected with old friends. Got to see others fix their rigs on the trail, helping where possible. The Sniper did great. Fuel pump is noticeable mounted on the frame. Turn the beats up.

I did stall once, driver error. No other issues.

It’s been in the garage since I got back. Need to replace the front spring bushings. Rears held up fine. The sleeves are welded in place on those leaf eyelets.

Sorry for the overdue update. I still hop the forum regularly, just don’t post too much. Ask questions about anything. Sniper, Colorado, driving with no sleep, beers, etc.

 

[klinetime574]

Finally did something worth having a laugh at. Remember those front spring bushings that I said needed changing?

Had the new SB1’s stockpiled from a OLD order from @cruiseroutfit Thanks y’all.

Bushings on the right next to the Lubriplate are lower front shock bushings. I had to install brass bushings on the shaft because the bushings that came with the shocks in 2007 were too large. Pretty sure I got these precise replacements from @lcwizard after asking him about it. EDIT - Yes I did get those extra bushings from Dave in 2015 when I bought the rear u-bolt flip kit! Lol

Say all you want about OME shocks but these things are still absorbing and wiped clean with a dirty shop rag. See the lower shock body in the next pic.

And I just discovered the last place that did my alignment must have broken or forgot to reinstall the bolt and nut for my toe link collar (you can see it missing in the pic above). Two years ago. Cool.

I’ll keep working on this thing. Hopefully the shackle pins come out as easy as the fixed end.

Artsy pic for good measure

 

[klinetime574]

I’ve been chipping away at my list slowly but surely. Ended up ordering new front springs. CS004F from @cruiseroutfit Thanks folks! Got the springs installed. Got new u-bolts from @lcwizard Thanks Dave! Lastly I finally finished the Saginaw PS pump swap from @orangefj45 Thanks Georg! I had a heck of a time getting the pulley installed on the pump I purchased. Had to take it to work, put it in a vise, use pulley installation tool (OEM Tools 25298) with LONG wrenches and have my coworker hold the pulley from turning with a pry bar. Needless to say I’ll probably never be removing that pulley haha. High pressure power steering hose fit perfectly. Low pressure hose very snug but got it on. Bled system, wheels off, axle in the air. No isssues.

EFI on the other hand had a surprise for me. Hose clamps which were tight in the past were no longer tight. The engine bay clamp where the soft line meets the hard line before wrapping around the front of the engine needed a good snug. The others needed a little bit too. Fuel spraying in the engine bay is fun. After tightening the clamps I ran the engine a while longer while bleeding the power steering. Did not see any more leaks.

I’m on the quest for Bilstein shocks. I ordered some before realizing they would be too long for my application; 4Plus U-Bolt Flip Kits front and rear. So I’ve got 4 shocks in the garage that won’t fit my vehicle. They should fit a 60 with OME lift and stock spring plates. I’ve got some tech on shocks but I’ll save it until I have complete information.

Pictures!

Engine bay

Close up of new Saginaw pump

New high pressure and low pressure line routing

New springs

That’s all for now. Hopefully can get back out there tomorrow afternoon or Sunday.

 

[4runner2FJ60]

@klinetime574 I had the exact same issue with the pulley, broke a cheap installation tool, then rented a heavy duty one. Those things are on there! Ive been rocking the Saginaw for about three years now and its been great so far. Nice thread!

 

[klinetime574]

Thank you @4runner2FJ60 ! Labor of love. Yeah not sure why this pulley was so hard to put on. I used the same pump and pulley previously when assembling one for another rig. It went on no problem.

I drove my rig to work and back today (Monday). 60 miles total. Oil change on Sunday and threw the front end back together with old shocks (better than none). Really wanted to drive this thing. The Sniper is being kinda weird. Probably need to do a relearn since I adjusted the throttle/pedal. It didn’t want to idle this morning, and then died at a stop sign later in the day. I’ll consult the Sniper troubleshooting to be sure when time allows. It still runs, so whatever. It wants to go fast. Really seems to run best at 50mph+. It will go 80mph no problem.

Proof it does leave the garage every so often!

Tires were pretty low. Checked all and they were at like 21lbs. Set them all to 32psi. Seems happy.

I’ve noticed it seems to smoke more than usual. Like after sitting at a red light or even in a drive thru. Big plumes of smoke.

Either way I’m enjoying it.

 

[klinetime574]

Got the 60 out of the garage last week when the weather was nice. Been sitting on the trickle charger since mid-November. Finally got some Bilstein shocks on it. Also installed a Holley Sniper throttle lever extension and it made a WORLD of difference with my set-up (Lokar cable through firewall attached to gas pedal on hand-throttle spot). I would recommend everyone who is running a Sniper to put one on.

Lets start with shock talk. I am running OME CS004F and CS004R(A/B) springs with 4PlusProducts U-Bolt Flip Kits. I had been using the older OME shocks that came with my kit circa 2007. The all yellow shocks. Here is what I measured for extended and collapsed lengths of these particular shocks:

Front: 23.00" extended - 13.75" collapsed
Rear: 23.75" extended - 14.25" collapsed

With the suspension at full droop (extended) and subtracting distance from bump stop to top of axle plate for "collapsed" I measured:

Front: 22.00" extended - 16.00" collapsed
Rear: 20.875" extended - 12.875" collapsed

Enter the Bilstein custom fit applications chart where I found:

Part # 33-230337
Front: 24.40" extended - 15.00" collapsed

Part # 33-185590
Rear: 21.54" extended - 13.58" collapsed

The Bilstein front shocks are perfect as far as I'm concerned. The rear shocks do not collapse enough. I should technically extend my bump stops. I will just be mindful when carrying heavy loads or (when going off-road) I will avoid any sweet jumps. I had to compromise because there were no rear shocks from Bilstein that I found to have the correct collapsed length while maintaining enough extended length. Only option was 18.50" extended - 12.03" collapsed. I would rather have the extended distance accounted for versus the collapsed. Which again if I was concerned I could add some bump stop spacers. Additionally, the Bilstein shocks are a better fit than the OME I pulled off.

Didn't get any pictures of the rear shocks installed yet. I'll get some once Illinois decides to stop snowing and having terrible weather.

Holley Sniper Throttle Lever Extension

Yes. Do it. Best <$20 mod you can add to a ~$2,000 modification. And the cable is chewed up because thats where the set screw was previously. I don't think it will be an issue.

I have another modification coming that involves a BSPT to NPT adapter which I'm hoping will work.