Project Big Red

[tjsea]

I'm really digging your under seat speaker box. I'm gonna have to check it out at the rally. I've never built a speaker box, but have always wanted rear speakers in my 86. I may have to pick your brain when the time comes, haha! Looks great though!

 

[laserjock]

I'm really digging your under seat speaker box. I'm gonna have to check it out at the rally. I've never built a speaker box, but have always wanted rear speakers in my 86. I may have to pick your brain when the time comes, haha! Looks great though!

Pick away. There’s not much there so it won’t take long.

Just an FYI, you just about have to have a rear seat lift kit to fit speakers under it like this. I don’t think there would be enough depth to do it this way. You might but it would be stupidly close. These 6x9’s are about 4” or so deep. Box is stupid easy to build. This is the only practical use I’ve found for mdf board. It’s expensive but nice to work with on this type of thing. Glue and my air finish nailer put it together in short order.

 

[Tristan]

That looks like the same head unit I have. It is great having the Bluetooth phone setup. Has worked great for me even with the noisy old truck. I mounted the external mic right on the steering column and everyone says the can hear me clearly. I need to add some speakers in the rear, might do something under my rear seat like you did. It's looking great [emoji1303]


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[junk]

Laser - How's your ac work? Does it keep the cab cool when pulling down the road? My crewcab blows cold air, but it's like the cab either is gaining too much heat or looses too much cold. Just wondering how your truck does.

- Jeremy

 

[laserjock]

Laser - How's your ac work? Does it keep the cab cool when pulling down the road? My crewcab blows cold air, but it's like the cab either is gaining too much heat or looses too much cold. Just wondering how your truck does.

- Jeremy

Mine does pretty well moving. If it’s hot outside you are on max AC wide open but it cools. Sitting at idle is more questionable. It’s definitely cold but you aren’t hanging meat at idle. I need to put the gauges on it and check it again. Seems like it was doing a little better when I charged it last summer. I have less cab than you do too.

 

[Thewespaul]

Since were doing a Mike q and a... How do you like that turbo matched with that fuel? Money aside what would you change about the air fuel setup if any?

 

[laserjock]

Man. Good question. I feel like the turbo is about right for the fuel. It cleans up quick. I can pretty much digest the pump flat on the floor in OD with enough speed. Makes around 21-22 ish psi in that condition. Maybe a little more. I rarely get there with the 3.55 gears. I have to be going like 85 in OD to get there. In 4th it pulls like a freight train. I’m totally water temp limited. Egts come right down.

I have questioned if my hot side is too small. It is the 0.89 t3 housing which mates to the banks plumbing. I’ve also questioned if my IC is hurting me. Looking at its pressure curve, it’s starting to hurt me a little up on top. Is it enough to really matter? I don’t know. The thing boosts quick and the ball bearing turbo doesn’t spool down bad at all on downshifts so you don’t have to sweat picking the right gear really.

Overall I’m pretty happy. If I can get my water temps in check a little better, I think it will be a very solid package.

 

[no mufflers]

we have almost the same turbo but i think i have a bigger exhaust a/r. i have a 90cc pump and its not even close to over fueling.

 

[laserjock]

So I got a set of temporary rear shoulder belts today. Long story short, vendor is having manufacturer issues and my belts were taking entirely too long so they tried to make it right. Sent me a set of black belts to hold me over until they can get my maroon belts built and shipped.

So I start figuring out where stuffs going. Feel pretty good about the hardware. Did the hot nail poke up through the body hole in the rocker I’m going to mount the floor mount to and then I climb up in the cab and see this.

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Damn. Plastic covers the rocker. That means it’s all got to come out. Can’t get my vibrating saw down in there. So here we are.

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.

I hate doing interior. The way these are made there’s really no short cut either. Probably everything but the bottom middle back panel. Top has to be drilled and the plates installed. I found a picture from an OBS that will help me place the upper mount points.

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If you look, it’s just below the window screw. So since I have OBS windows, I can use that as a guide. To be continued....

 

[Thewespaul]

Thanks for the info Mike. The water temp issue is odd, I had a bad motorcraft thermostat once that opened up at 205* and never fully opened, causing overheating issues. I wonder if you maybe got one with issues. My 93 has no temp issues with water or egt, but I have the coolant mod done, I wonder if that’s what is hurting you.

 

[laserjock]

I don’t know what the deal is. I suspect it’s the fan. I don’t think it’s kicking on. Problem is I have to be towing heavy and hard to get hot enough that it should kick on. I’m slowly but surely working on a fix for that though.

Interesting. I did put a motor craft thermostat in. The other thing I’ve got going on here is that I’m dumping heat from the turbo into the water too. Remember I’m water cooled.

I put the front air dam back in which may help force air through the stack instead of over it. With AC and IC in front of the radiator, it’s shedding a lot of heat into the stack too.

Edit: fan clutch is a new motor craft part as well for what that’s worth.

 

[junk]

F250hd always preached oil coolers. They would help pull heat out of the oil thus pulling heat out of the engine. I would wonder about an oil cooler.

Ive never went the intercooler route because of the added heat. With my 093 and stock pump i have temp issues on a hot day pulling. I think the idi for heavy pulling is temp limited.

My next move is to go to 4.10 gears and gain the mechanical gear advantage over the 3.55’s. My theory is 4.10’s will pull easier and thus put less strain on the whole truck thus reducing strain on the cooling system. Ill gain rpm but a v8 diesel will run rpms. I run 4th gear frequently as is if pulling heavy.

 

[79jasper]

He's still around. Just hasn't posted since Nov17. Lol

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[Thewespaul]

F250hd always preached oil coolers. They would help pull heat out of the oil thus pulling heat out of the engine. I would wonder about an oil cooler.

Ive never went the intercooler route because of the added heat. With my 093 and stock pump i have temp issues on a hot day pulling. I think the idi for heavy pulling is temp limited.

My next move is to go to 4.10 gears and gain the mechanical gear advantage over the 3.55’s. My theory is 4.10’s will pull easier and thus put less strain on the whole truck thus reducing strain on the cooling system. Ill gain rpm but a v8 diesel will run rpms. I run 4th gear frequently as is if pulling heavy.

With the coolant mod done and 6.9 style headgaskets I have no issues with any temperatures, even with the big pump I was running. I don’t believe IDIs are cooling system limited when towing, but I do think the 7.3 headgasket with the blocked off coolant passages doesn’t help.

He's still around. Just hasn't posted since Nov17. Lol

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I believe he was given a permanent vacation from the forum.

 

[laserjock]

My thoughts on the 3.55 vs 4.10 thing has always been with 4.10 I would probably tow in OD almost all the time but dropping to 4th now has me screaming to get to 60. With the 3.55, I probably downshift a little more, but I can comfortably run 60-65 all day long if I’m heavy. Just uses more fuel (maybe).

The thing that has me baffled in all this is that I’ve always read and been told to downshift to bring rpms up and egts down. I know the heads on these things are a major source of heat to the water system as is the oil cooler. Lowering egts should lower the cylinder head temps and piston/oil temps but I seem to be experiencing the opposite. It’s like the longer I can hold OD the lower the water temp. People have tried to explain to me why the higher rpm even though in theory with the lower ratio and lower egt the truck is working harder and hence the heat. That makes no sense to me. I can back off the throttle (less fuel) more rpm (more boost) egts 900-1000 on about any grade out here with the camper 60-65 and the water temp just climbs like crazy. The truck doesn’t care at all except the water temp.

I just don’t get it unless either my fan isn’t working or the thermostat isn’t passing water. Both are new motor craft. I do have the water cooled turbo adding heat to the system but again, if the egts are down, it should be happier too.