Project Big Red

[Pork_Chop50]

I feel for all of you in the rust belt. There isn't much salt in Oregon and where there is snow typically sees sand and cinders.

I still think she’s giving me dirty look over it every time I pull the daily into the garage.

That is the difference between discipline and abuse Big Red will respect you for. Discipline keeps it safe over the winter, while abuse would be letting it oxidize just to get miles. They know the difference

 

[no mufflers]

Well, I stayed v belt for a few reasons.

1. I’m stubborn.
2. I like the idea of loosing a belt and still going.
3. I’m nonstandard because I ditched the vacuum pump.
4. I’m stubborn.
5. I like watching the V belts whip around.
6. I don’t have a serp setup on hand.
7. I’m stubborn.

I think that about covers it.

I had the v belts and hated them. I was able to find a 94 motor with everything on it. I just think it looks cleaner on the engine.

 

[tjsea]

I had the v belts and hated them. I was able to find a 94 motor with everything on it. I just think it looks cleaner on the engine.

I like the serpentine setup too. I remember reading somewhere that a single groove v-belt didn't give enough contact area to drive some of the 3g alternators unless you went to a larger pulley which spins it slower.

 

[no mufflers]

I like the serpentine setup too. I remember reading somewhere that a single groove v-belt didn't give enough contact area to drive some of the 3g alternators unless you went to a larger pulley which spins it slower.

that makes sense. I put a 3g on my plow truck with a single belt and it has to be really tite or it will slip when I power the plow. I put a pretty beefy belt on it too.

 

[tbirdfiend281]

You did an electric vacuum pump? V belts are not so bad, but you definitely get a lot more grip with a serp.

 

[laserjock]

Yes since I hydroboosted it, I went superduty electric vac pump for the heater controls.

I need to tighten the alt belt. It’s loose. Then I need to adjust the AC compressor a touch and I think it will be fine.

 

[laserjock]

Well, after a bit of a break for the winter, it’s time to get back at this thing. We need her to be rally ready and I have another trip in May so need to get some stuff done. Here is my short list.

1. Find/fix water leak.
2. All the same color
3. Fix fuel leak on rear tank
4. Adjust fuel senders
5. Rear shoulder belts
6. Door pulls inside

The longer list in no particular order:

7. Aux power plug 12V for winch power.
8. Inverter
9. Backup camera
10. Radio
11. Glass cockpit
12. Better mirrors

So all that said, I’ve been getting a little puddle of antifreeze that I had tracked up to the front pass corner running down the manifold. I thought the hose connection out of the head was leaking but I think I finally found it. The other end of that hose feeds my filter head manifold and that clamp was loose. The crud forming on the fitting was the giveaway. Fingers crossed.

Okay on to body work. Temps in the 50’s are warm enough for me to make enough heat to shoot paint so it’s time to get cracking. Pulled the bed mat and bed liner. Tailgate. Decided to go ahead and pull the aluminum caps while I was at it. I was getting ready to pull the bed again and I found this.

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I figured on a little surface rust but nothing like that. Then there’s this.

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So now I have a problem. There are holes all the way through up there. With the rot there and the rot in the fender wells, I’m looking at full bed sides. I could try to patch it in but it’s going to look like crap. Full bed sides are a grand to the door. Then a ton of work and by myself, I’m not sure I can get them right. The final option is a clean bed. A place local lists them for ~$1800. If I can get a good clean one, that’s probably the route I’m going. Just have to break open my piggy bank.


[emoji21][emoji20]

So that’s where things are. I started toying with mirrors too but that’s not ready for prime time.

Stay tuned. Business is about to pick up.

 

[Macrobb]

...I wish my beds looked as good as that. That's nearly perfect!

 

[laserjock]

Trust me, it’s not that good. It needs wheel arches real bad and sitting back a looking at it, the rear trim on the pass side is crooked as poop. So either it’s been worked on or the guy at the factory was really cockeyed. The inside looks perfect. It’s had a bedliner in it probably since day 1.

If it’s beds like this you want, they are plentiful out here. Come get them.

 

[Thewespaul]

Road trip to Texas? I’ve got beds I’ll donate to the project.

 

[laserjock]

Well that’s a lot closer than the Arizona trip Rob was trying to talk me into.

I’m going to cogitate on it a bit for now but you never know. Might take you up on that.

So now for something completely not on my list (I just forgot it).

I’ve been wanting to put a glow plug kill on the truck for a long time but just hadn’t got around to it. With my controller relocated, it seems like it doesn’t matter how hot the truck is, I still get a full, long, GP cycle. So I wanted to add a manual override but keep the controller in the loop so I now have a relay that activated the controller instead of the key on power in stock configuration.

Added it to the overhead next to the high idle. While I had it down I took a couple more pictures.

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Here’s the back side of the panel. Need power for the switches. Power for the lights, grounds for everything and of course the signal wires out.

Here’s the mounts in the ceiling.

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I ran everything to a molex connector up there so I can just unplug it to take it down if I need to.

Here it is reinstalled.

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I pulled the other wires through so maybe I can put the other switches in without taking it down again but I doubt it.

Not much to show up front. I pulled the wire loom around there I made up for the aux stuff last year and just wrapped and connectorized it. It’s all ready to me hooked up for the other circuits.

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So that’s where we are for tonight. Stay tuned.

 

[david85]

I'm liking that overhead console. Might have to revisit mine, since the angle on yours looks like it would be easier to read the gauges.

 

[laserjock]

I'm liking that overhead console. Might have to revisit mine, since the angle on yours looks like it would be easier to read the gauges.

It’s not bad. The water temp and volt gauge are a little tough due to looking at them at an angle. They both look “higher” than they are. Had to calibrate myself a little especially on the water temp. If I take it back down again, I may swap the oil pressure and water temp because honestly, oil pressure is pretty much a yes or no where as with the water temp a little difference either way can mean a lot.

 

[theSHERPA]

It’s not bad. The water temp and volt gauge are a little tough due to looking at them at an angle. They both look “higher” than they are. Had to calibrate myself a little especially on the water temp. If I take it back down again, I may swap the oil pressure and water temp because honestly, oil pressure is pretty much a yes or no where as with the water temp a little difference either way can mean a lot.

They make little angled wedges for those little gauges--you can aim them at your face.


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[david85]

It’s not bad. The water temp and volt gauge are a little tough due to looking at them at an angle. They both look “higher” than they are. Had to calibrate myself a little especially on the water temp. If I take it back down again, I may swap the oil pressure and water temp because honestly, oil pressure is pretty much a yes or no where as with the water temp a little difference either way can mean a lot.

Ah yes, at that angle you would get a bit of parallax error. My other thought was to make a pod to cover the gaping hole in my dash. Gotta love the 80-86 dash rot, you bricknose guys have it easy with all that hard clunky plastic