WhitsEnd Transformation

[WhitsEnd]

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I'm working on the final short list now...more on that will follow.

One of the things on that list is getting the A/C hoses sorted out so I can have the system charged. I cut the hoses to length and marked the orientation of each fitting.

Today I took them to a local place called Cavalier Hose & Fitting, expecting to drop them off and pick them up at a later time. The guy grabbed the box out of my hands without saying a word and went to the back of the shop. The lady at the counter didn't look like she was about to take my name or anything, so I asked "I quess he's doing those now, and I'll wait?" She said "well, you can come back for them, but it isn't going to take 5 minutes".

Sure enough, he was done before I got a chance to look around the place. Done with all 6 hoses in 5 minutes. I felt terrible when she rang me up for $1 per fitting. They refused to take more money.



6 hoses crimped at both ends for $12.64 (including tax). Unbelievable.

[WhitsEnd]

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With just a few things left to finalize this truck, I've started to put a couple miles on it each week to purge any teething issues. In addition to a few minor things and the items I was already aware of, a couple issues have been identified that a little more serious.
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The first is the engine detonating under high load, such as right before the transmission kicks down. I've gone through the simple timing setup offered by the handheld controller and verified the fuel and timing feedback when it happens. I also dropped the advance settings substantially for WOT and cruise and it still pings. Also tried at lower temps and with fresh 93 octane. No change.

I need to dive into the full mapping and tables in the EFI to understand what's going on, so I ordered the cable from Holley to enable that as well as real-time diagnostics with my laptop.
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The second issue is an annoying vibration that comes on at about 1700 rpm and dies off around 1900 rpm. I've determined it's either within the motor or torque converter because it happens in park as well as while moving. I've ruled out front drive accessories and the balancer at this point and have removed the inspection cover to view the flexplate. Although I do see an inconsistent motion in the flexplate, I haven't ruled out everything else. Once I get the cable to diagnose the ignition and fuel situation, I'm hoping I see something that could induce a miss in that rpm range. It seems to idle very well and rev fine above this range.

If the vibration isn't caused by some sort of ignition or fuel problem, I have to suspect the torque converter. First order to verify that would be to pull the tranny back from the engine and run the rpm up.
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The list of things beyond the two major items above:

1. Headlights. Driving this at night reminded me how bad the headlights in these old vehicles are. I have a set of 7" round LEDs to go in.

2. Charge the A/C system. This has been dragging on, but now that the hoses are done, it's just a matter of scheduling. I would like to sort out the vibration issue first because the engine may have to come out, depending on the diagnosis.

3. Drop the rear end 3 1/2". I've decided on moving the front hangers of the rear springs up about 6" to do this. I've ordered new spring perches from Calvert Racing to re-orient the axle for proper pinion angle. I don't care for shims - welding new perches is the proper way to do this. I may move the forward upper overload pad or remove the upper overload spring altogether. We'll see.

4. Check/grease/tighten front end. After a few miles, it's time to go through every nut and bolt as well as grease the fittings that have zerks and make sure they're well lubed.

5. Secure anything that can move or rattle. Transmission cooler lines and brake lines are on this list.

6. Differential service. I don't like the amount of slop in the carrier. May upgrade to a Tru Trac limited slip. May as well throw the axle bearings on the list.

7. Alternator squeal on startup. The upgraded alternator causes a belt squeal for a few seconds at startup due to increased load. The plan is to add an idler to cause more wrap of the belt on the alternator pulley and increase the diameter of the pulley itself. That should more than double the belt contact. Hopefully, that's all that's needed. I can't go to a dual pulley arrangement with my layout.

Beyond that, the only thing still on the table is shortening the bed. I'm still going back and forth with this in my head. Not only if I should do it or not, but how I should do it. If I shorten it, I've already decided it will be a single section of 12 to 13 inches forward of the axle and leave the rear as is (I've talked about this earlier in this build and shared images). The issue is where to make the cut. I'm starting to convince myself that sectioning it at the front and re-welding it at the front edge is the way to go. This way there's no bodywork issues or a seam in the middle of the box. The floor would be a simple cut if done right, without having to weld across the corregations. Need to think more on this one.

[Manny]

I did it the thing is awesome. I would leave it long bed. The short bed thing has gotten a little out of hand. Yeah short beds are great but nothing like sliding an 8 ft sideways. Heck we keep going the long beds will be rare!! still curios to see once you vacuum and charge the ac what she does. I have a factory unit and some r12 here. But i like to hang meat in my vehicles! Great progress can't wait for more.

[JoshT]

I received the 3/8" Teflon tubing I had ordered for my fuel return line inside the tank, so I installed that today.
For those playing at home, you may remember I had plumbed the return into the neck, but I didn't have a line connected.

Regular fuel line will turn to jelly in submersed condiitions. The line that came with the EFI kit assumed a normal tank between the frame rails, so it was way too short. Attached with a 90 fitting at the neck and clipped tapers at the other end so it can flow even if against the bottom of the tank.

Just started working on my 68 and will be using the same EFI system right from the start, so I'm trying to get parts lined up and on hand quickly. I noticed the same that the return tube supplied will be too short. It would work, but when tank gets low it would be audible and probably annoying, so I was figuring on coming up with a different solution as well.

I was wandering why not use submersible rated fuel hose instead of the Teflon? Don't know how price compares, but the submersible rated hose is made for in tank situations and usually available locally.

I can probably scrounge scrap aluminum tube with AN fitting already installed from work, so I'll probably use a hard line inside the tank myself. If that doesn't pan out I was planning to go with submersible fuel hose.

[WhitsEnd]

I was wandering why not use submersible rated fuel hose instead of the Teflon? Don't know how price compares, but the submersible rated hose is made for in tank situations and usually available locally.
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For me, it was ease of purchase. Most of the submersible fuel line either came in 12" or a very long roll. A couple clicks on Amazon and the Teflon was on it's way.
Teflon can sit in fuel for eternity without issue. Even the submersible rubber line has a finite life, although it's likely longer than I will own this truck.

I thought about metal line, I just don't like the idea of the end possibly scraping on the inside of the tank.

[WhitsEnd]

Update on the detonation:

I checked the actual timing on the balancer and it was at 26 degrees at idle!!!! That means it was 10 degrees more advanced than the ECU thought it was. No wonder it was detonating. The question is, how and when did it change from when I initially set it up and locked it down?

I have 2 theories: either the timing light had some dial back adjusted into it, or the new CD box has the magnetic pickup polarity reversed. All the initial setup was done without the CD box, as was the initial driving, that didn't reveal any pinging. I'm thinking the mag pickup needs to be verified. Research on this says an MSD box can advance the timing over 20 degrees with reversed polarity. I'll call Pertronix and try to get their insight.

On the vibration: I also have identified a pop out of the exhaust at higher rpm. I'm thinking this could be connected to the vibration and may be a miss in the ignition. New wires and a large style cap on order.

[Manny]

Update on the detonation:

I checked the actual timing on the balancer and it was at 26 degrees at idle!!!! That means it was 10 degrees more advanced than the ECU thought it was. No wonder it was detonating. The question is, how and when did it change from when I initially set it up and locked it down?

I have 2 theories: either the timing light had some dial back adjusted into it, or the new CD box has the magnetic pickup polarity reversed. All the initial setup was done without the CD box, as was the initial driving, that didn't reveal any pinging. I'm thinking the mag pickup needs to be verified. Research on this says an MSD box can advance the timing over 20 degrees with reversed polarity. I'll call Pertronix and try to get their insight.

On the vibration: I also have identified a po out of the exhaust at higher rpm. I'm thinking this could be connected to the vibration and may be a miss in the ignition. New wires and a large style cap on order.

26 degrees at idle is ambitious for sure. Did it still crank over good? Either way glad you are making headway. I bet it's a strong runner.

[DuckRyder]

Glad to see the detonation was a no cost fix.

On the pop out the exhaust, does the sniper show the learning % on the handheld? How many miles are on the FI?

FWIW I think I’d leave it a longbed.

[JoshT]

More questions...

Since installing the sniper, have you had any issues with tank venting or pressure build-up? Your tank looks like mine that doesn't have any vent lines, just the fuel feed line. Concerned that the vented tank cap might not be enough to handle the hot fuel being returned and the draw of the electric pump.

I finalized the A/C install last weekend...

The kit uses the factory control unit, but the lower selector labels are completely irrelevant once the kit is installed. AT LEAST SOME LABELS TO STICK ON THERE WOULD HAVE BEEN NICE. I'll probably end up 3D printing a new face-plate.

Was just skimming back through your thread and saw this. I'm leaning towards the same kit when I get around to doing AC. Like it using stock controls and the way it fits up behind the dash, especially seeing your install that doesn't affect the glove box, but the face plate thing annoys me as well. If you do make a 3D printed face-plate, please save the file I might be begging for a copy of it. I bought a 3D printer a few months ago (cheap used Anet A8) and still learning to use it, but hoping I can eventually do stuff like that as well.

[WhitsEnd]

More questions...

Since installing the sniper, have you had any issues with tank venting or pressure build-up?

No. The vented cap should be more than adequate. I haven't driven it a lot, but enough to go through a couple tanks of fuel.

[WhitsEnd]

Glad to see the detonation was a no cost fix.

On the pop out the exhaust, does the sniper show the learning % on the handheld? How many miles are on the FI?

FWIW I think I’d leave it a longbed.

Well, I recently downloaded the Holley software package and purchased the USB cable, so I will be "learning" it

The timing table was sparse, to say the least. I've generated my own timing table and will see how that works out. Unfortunately, I won't have time to play with it for a week or so.

[WhitsEnd]

26 degrees at idle is ambitious for sure. Did it still crank over good? Either way glad you are making headway. I bet it's a strong runner.

My CD box has 8 degrees of timing retard programmed at cranking speed, so I never noticed it. Otherwise, I think the starter would have been tested beyond its limits.

[Manny]

26 degrees at idle is ambitious for sure. Did it still crank over good? Either way glad you are making headway. I bet it's a strong runner.

My CD box has 8 degrees of timing retard programmed at cranking speed, so I never noticed it. Otherwise, I think the starter would have been tested beyond its limits.

Makes perfect sense now was wondering how the heck that was even rolling over.

[WhitsEnd]

I loaded the custom timing table and it runs quite well. The higher rpm popping is gone (changed the AFR targets slightly as well). A pic of the timing table is below.
The vibration is still present at around 1700rpm, so I'm convinced it's the converter. We'll find out soon enough.

[WhitsEnd]

My last effort in ruling out the ignition as a cause for the vibration was to install a large distributor cap in place of the small one. This was also to convert to male cap terminals for a more positive connection with the plug wires.

Well, that didn't work out so well. I experienced an issue with the Sniper with the large cap that I can't explain. Trying to understand it on the Sniper forum, but for now, I'm leaving the small cap on.