Above 1200 Sq/FT The Warthog Hidey Hole

[OutlawDrifter]

JB after I made my goal of finishing the '49 for a specific show, I didn't touch it for like 3mo afterwards...didn't even feel like being in the shop. A break is a good thing every now and then! Keep your head up champion!

 

[jbmatth]

If you're discouraged you need to reread all you've done the past year. And remember you've got lots of people pulling for you, eager to see what happens next.

Thank you for the kind words Andy, it was a nice break and may have been worth it. The weather was great this weekend so I spent more time than I probably should have working on the S10 and it is about 95% of the way to being back together.

JB you have done heaps this year, we all need a break from time to time.
Keep up the great work..

Thank you 1/2, it was nice to relax a bit but now it is full steam ahead with a few days of nice weather before it gets cold again.

JB

 

[jbmatth]

Well at long last things are moving forward again. The 3rd fitting came in and it worked better than the first two. In the photo below you will see failed attempt at installing fitting #2, and successful attempt at fitting #3:
View media item 90372
With this done I could now work on the remainder of the installation, as I mentioned before it was great weather this weekend and I could focus on it more than I probably should have but I have it all back together. One cool addition I made this time was I had trouble with my spark plug wires burning on the headers. To help solve that I picked up a set of used NASCAR plug wires that probably see more heat than I ever will, and a set of their boots to insulate them that much more:
View media item 90373
Then "final" assembly, here is what the engine bay looks like now:
View media item 90374
All back together, I managed to start it and hear it run. Woo Hoo at long last. Then the first new teething troubles. I noticed an exhaust leak, turns out I didn't do the best job of getting the two V-bands to seal just after the collectors. Without cutting and welding I decided to try to make some gaskets. I picked up some 2.5" collector gaskets and cut them to the right ID and OD then put a small bead of high temp RTV on each side, let that dry and tossed them in. I think I have the leaks fixed, I can't tell for certain because of the tone of the new muffler but can't feel any leaks. I started on the Wide Band O2 sensor but ran out of time, I'll finish that up in the morning hopefully and then perhaps start the tuning.

Feeling much better,
JB

 

[oldironfarmer]

Looking great!!

It was nice weather, wasn't it!

I've been wondering, why didn't you thread the pan with a pipe tap then screw in an adapter and back weld it? I did that one time except I turned the threads off and basically made a socket weld sans socket base.

 

[jbmatth]

Looking great!!

It was nice weather, wasn't it!

I've been wondering, why didn't you thread the pan with a pipe tap then screw in an adapter and back weld it? I did that one time except I turned the threads off and basically made a socket weld sans socket base.

Hindsight being what it is I would have. I also couldn't find the right size fitting at the time. I'm using -6 AN (3/8") and the only pipe taps I have are 1/8" NPT and 3/4" NPT. I realized late in the game I needed a fitting so was limited on what I thought I could get delivered in time to not delay the project.

JB

 

[Bob Heine]

Hindsight being what it is I would have. I also couldn't find the right size fitting at the time. I'm using -6 AN (3/8") and the only pipe taps I have are 1/8" NPT and 3/4" NPT. I realized late in the game I needed a fitting so was limited on what I thought I could get delivered in time to not delay the project.

JB

JB, next time you visit Harbor Freight you might want to pick up their NPT tap and die set. It includes 1/4", 3/8" and 1/2" taps and dies in a wooden box. I have used them for aluminum and plastic so I don't know how well they would work with cast iron or steel. When I find cross-threaded sprinkler system fittings underground, not having to dig a big hole to replace them is worth the investment.

 

[jbmatth]

JB, next time you visit Harbor Freight you might want to pick up their NPT tap and die set. It includes 1/4", 3/8" and 1/2" taps and dies in a wooden box. I have used them for aluminum and plastic so I don't know how well they would work with cast iron or steel. When I find cross-threaded sprinkler system fittings underground, not having to dig a big hole to replace them is worth the investment.

Bob,
Wow thanks for the info, HF just has the best stuff don't they!? Well maybe not the best stuff but some usable stuff all the same. I'm going to tell you a little secret, don't tell but at some point in the near future they are opening a store in the town where I work. My wife is even the one who let me know the news so I'm taking it that she is completely on board with all future tool purchases from them.

JB

 

[Bob Heine]

JB, Harbor Freight closed the store ten miles from my home and opened a new one four miles closer. At my age, a "lifetime warranty" isn't that important so I find a lot of Harbor Freight tools are perfect for me.

 

[jbmatth]

Bob, I may be wrong but I think a lot of their hand tools by Pittsburgh are lifetime warranty. I have a few of their hand tools and buys lots of other odds and ends from them, I'm really a big fan.

All,
In other news I'll be in the market for a "new" truck in a few years and have been keeping an eye on the new truck market because that is what I would be buying used when the time comes. Have a look at the new GM HD series of trucks here:
2020 Silverado HD

The two big highlights for me are the diesel has a tow rating of 35,500 lbs (16,107 KG), and they are introducing a new 6.6L (403 in^3) with 401 hp and 464 lb-ft of torque. The external dimensions are the same as the LS/LT engines.

Now from Ford yesterday they introduced the new gas engine for their Super Duty line here:
2020 Ford Super Duty

The one thing to note here is a new 7.3L (445 in^3) V8. (Cue Tim Taylor grunts) No numbers but some highlights are that it is a cam in block engine with many similarities to the LS/LT engine family. Yes the LS had a lot of similarities to the old Windsor engine family but oh well. Something I'm wondering is if this will eventually be offered as a crate engine and what manual transmission will bolt up to it. The biggest question I have is will it fit under the hood of something like my cobra... things to ponder.

JB

 

[drivesitfar]

JB: i'm not a fan of buying imported tools cause I love the old pre WWII stuff, but I know there are some good deals to be had at the HARBOR. I bought a propane torch weed burner there 3 years ago and it was the first time i'd been in their big store 3 miles from me and I haven't been there since even though the burner is working great.

nice fix on the spark plug wiring and love the little BOOTIES.

keep up the great work and any big pics of the engine on the frame you might have to post please do.

cheers

 

[oldironfarmer]

JB, next time you visit Harbor Freight you might want to pick up their NPT tap and die set. It includes 1/4", 3/8" and 1/2" taps and dies in a wooden box. I have used them for aluminum and plastic so I don't know how well they would work with cast iron or steel. When I find cross-threaded sprinkler system fittings underground, not having to dig a big hole to replace them is worth the investment.

I have that set and they work fine on steel.

Congratulations on the PCHF!

 

[jbmatth]

JB: i'm not a fan of buying imported tools cause I love the old pre WWII stuff, but I know there are some good deals to be had at the HARBOR. I bought a propane torch weed burner there 3 years ago and it was the first time i'd been in their big store 3 miles from me and I haven't been there since even though the burner is working great.

nice fix on the spark plug wiring and love the little BOOTIES.

keep up the great work and any big pics of the engine on the frame you might have to post please do.

cheers

Thank you Drives, the plug wires were cheaper than buying new and if they are good enough for NASCAR who am I to argue. I would prefer to buy nice old american iron when I can but I reserve that for mostly equipment, vises, table and band saws, mills, lathes, etc. So I don't have others I don't have the money for so I'll go after the next best alternative I can find and afford. You won't see me buy a band saw from HF but a port-a-band I'm all for. One of the things I buy from them a lot are the 4.5" angle grinders when they go on sale for $5, spend $15 and have one with a flap wheel, one with a cutoff wheel and another with a wire brush. Or I could spend $75 on one grinder that may or may not last much longer. (I'm thinking of my dead Craftsman when I typed this.)

Sadly no photos of the engine in the frame that I haven't already posted.

I have that set and they work fine on steel.

Congratulations on the PCHF!

Thanks Andy, looking forward to having 5,000 blue flashlights, yellow batteries, and magnetic parts trays laying around the shop.

JB

 

[shortykorte]

Looks like you’re making good progress. So I have it straight you’re working on the 57 and the S10? Is a LS going in both?


Sent from my iPhone using The Garage Journal mobile app

 

[rixtrix1]

I'd recommend an old Milwaukee PortaBand saw off ebay before I'd get one from Harbor Freight. SWAG Offroad has a great video comparing the various saws they make tables for. I paid 90 bux for a Milwaukee and I've been through about 40 blades so far and it runs like a champ, only draws 6 amps, is reasonably quiet and replacement parts are readily available. I got one from HF first and it screeched so loud out of the box, I immediately returned it. That said, it's 2 miles to HF, or on the way home from work and I have a pretty good selection of their sockets and wrenches at home, that will probably last far past my retirement when I bring the big toolbox home full of the Snap-On tools I use at work. I too have a bunch of weird stuff I may only use once or twice that would cost a fortune from the tool truck and were just a pittance from HF. I dislike going international( except for German tools), but I don't have money to burn for handtools at home.

 

[jbmatth]

Looks like you’re making good progress. So I have it straight you’re working on the 57 and the S10? Is a LS going in both?


Sent from my iPhone using The Garage Journal mobile app

Thank you for stopping by Shorty, yes I am working on them both but not concurrently if that isn't as clear as mud. I did a bit of work on the '57 until I get a little burned out then switched to the S10 and have done that for two years in a row now. My thinking is that I will get the S10 "done" and then divert that money to the '57 going forward. However, the cobra could use some love too so who knows.

The S10 does have a 6.0L LS known as an LQ4 out of a 3/4 ton truck. The '57 will get a 5.3L LM7 out of a Suburban.

I'd recommend an old Milwaukee PortaBand saw off ebay before I'd get one from Harbor Freight. SWAG Offroad has a great video comparing the various saws they make tables for. I paid 90 bux for a Milwaukee and I've been through about 40 blades so far and it runs like a champ, only draws 6 amps, is reasonably quiet and replacement parts are readily available. I got one from HF first and it screeched so loud out of the box, I immediately returned it. That said, it's 2 miles to HF, or on the way home from work and I have a pretty good selection of their sockets and wrenches at home, that will probably last far past my retirement when I bring the big toolbox home full of the Snap-On tools I use at work. I too have a bunch of weird stuff I may only use once or twice that would cost a fortune from the tool truck and were just a pittance from HF. I dislike going international( except for German tools), but I don't have money to burn for handtools at home.

That is a good idea on the Milwaukee Rix, I don't have either but may have to go that route. I generally stick to Craftsman when I can but have started having some troubles with them in the past year or so. I have a few HF hand tools but not many, I'll spend money on some quality tools like the Knipex pliers, they are top notch in my book and I really like them but can't justify the money for Snap-On for a hobby shop. Saying that I did just buy my first Snap-On tool not 5 minutes before posting. I have broken a few T-50 torx bits trying to take a bolt out that holds my S10 seats in so I bought one on Ebay for $3.99 plus $3.50 shipping, lets see if it works.


All,
I "finished" installing the wideband O2 sensor other than the pillar mount that hasn't arrived so really tuning is all that should be left for the short term. I'm starting to roll to nights this weekend so I'll be staying up all night and have nothing else to do but play on my laptop and play with the truck. Too bad it snowed and sleeted last night leaving nasty roads and salt, I hate driving in salt.

JB

 

[jbmatth]

I would like to say I am deep into tuning the truck but not so much. The wideband O2 sensor was in and working fine but it wouldn't connect to my computer for some reason. I finely broke down and called for help. I was told the one I bought was only meant to be used on Can Bus equipped vehicles. My truck and engine are not so it appears as though I wasted some money. I might have been able to use the same gauge and sensor and just replaced the cables but decided to just order the right setup instead. It was supposed to arrive today so tomorrow I will try to get everything working as it should.

In the mean time I did a little cleanup around the shop, installed a new defrost vent cover as the old one was so dried out it came out in a dozen pieces. I also got my new rearview mirror ready to install. I picked one up that tells direction of travel and temperature, repined the old harness to the new mirror and installed the temperature sensor. Everything was going great until the mount came off of the windshield, this is the 3rd time that has happened so nothing new really.

Lastly I'm planning to lower the truck a couple of inches so I pulled one of the rear leaf springs out and ordered lowering springs for the front. That is really all for now, things are progressing but slowly. I'm working nights on an outage until early March so they won't get any faster for a bit.

JB

 

[jbmatth]

I know things have been a little dead around here but I assure you I have been "working" on my truck. I have everything done physically on the Lil' Blue Truck other than a bit of suspension work. I've just been playing with the electronic side of things. I'm figuring it out slowly but surely, well very slowly and hopefully surely. I drove it to work tonight for the first time, keeping an eye on the AFR (Air Fuel Ratio) gauge and I'm happy to report everything is looking good so far. Here is a photo that isn't exciting as far as action but it has been close to 40 hours of study and punching a keyboard to get there:

I've played with the tune a bit more tonight on my smoke break and will give it a little more gas when I head home in the morning to see how the tune is in the higher rev ranges.

JB

 

[jbmatth]

Well I'm going to call the tuning as good as it is going to get until I get to a race track, I am to the point where I have to lock it into 2nd gear and go up to 95% throttle. I'm getting a bit of wheel spin when I do that and 1st is almost useless over 50% throttle, both rear tires just spin.

It is a blast to rip it up to 6,200 rpm in that little truck, I can tell I'll need new tires sooner rather than later.

So I moved the truck back into the shop to replace all of the steering components from the steering box on and some 1" lowering springs. We got some snow today so I decided the Lil' Blue Truck would be useless and drove my Saturn, all went well until I lost it:

Well I can't seem to upload photos right now. Anyway someone came by after about 30 minutes with chain and towed me out. Now onto my long cold night shift.

JB

 

[RickP]

Well I'm going to call the tuning as good as it is going to get until I get to a race track, I am to the point where I have to lock it into 2nd gear and go up to 95% throttle. I'm getting a bit of wheel spin when I do that and 1st is almost useless over 50% throttle, both rear tires just spin.

Sounds like you got the tune just right!

Sorry about the Saturn finding that ditch - good thing you only had to wait 20 minutes. Hang in there until you get paroled from night shift. Does the warden give early releases for good behavior?

 

[jbmatth]

Sounds like you got the tune just right!

Sorry about the Saturn finding that ditch - good thing you only had to wait 20 minutes. Hang in there until you get paroled from night shift. Does the warden give early releases for good behavior?

I don't think it is just right yet, but it is much closer, the biggest thing left to do is clean up the transition area right at idle. Here is the photo of the car:

It could have been much worse, I wasn't going too fast but still too fast for conditions and skill level obviously. I think the opposite is true, if you are on good behavior you get to stay longer.

JB

 

[OutlawDrifter]

Sounds like the tune is coming along. Glad to hear it was just a minor "ditching".

 

[oldironfarmer]

Don't park there, JB. Some idiot will come along and slide off the road.

You get all the luck. We didn't get any snow and it was 45F and sunny today.

When I went to HD today I turned too late and barely got in my parking spot. I checked and was barely inside the line on the passenger side. When I came out a guy had just parked next to me and I backed out in a hurry to give him more room to get out. He waved as he got out so I rolled down my window and shouted "I know how to park, I just didn't do it". He laughed and I felt better.

Night Shift vacation!!

I know your motto: "Days will fix it"

 

[jbmatth]

Sounds like the tune is coming along. Glad to hear it was just a minor "ditching".

As was I, of course I'm glad I wasn't hurt, but the car as well, it isn't worth much of anything other than savings. I save ~$2,163.31 a year driving that over my Duramax in fuel costs alone.

Don't park there, JB. Some idiot will come along and slide off the road.

You get all the luck. We didn't get any snow and it was 45F and sunny today.

When I went to HD today I turned too late and barely got in my parking spot. I checked and was barely inside the line on the passenger side. When I came out a guy had just parked next to me and I backed out in a hurry to give him more room to get out. He waved as he got out so I rolled down my window and shouted "I know how to park, I just didn't do it". He laughed and I felt better.

Night Shift vacation!!

I know your motto: "Days will fix it"

I was afraid someone might, but luckily they were all better drivers than I was/am. We got about 5" at our house but only about 2 here in at work. I am glad he was nice about it as were you, I get very tired of some people at work parking like dummies when there are plenty of places less intrusive to park.

The nights motto usually is: "Days F&*k Nights". I'm sure you've heard it before.

JB

 

[1/2 Cup]

That a lucky one JB

The tune is just right though

 

[jbmatth]

Thank you 1/2, and it sure was. I'll get the tune better eventually but I am happy with where it is so far.

JB

 

[Redwolf947]

Awesome work JB.. being able to self tune a vehicle is pretty sweet.. I know you mentioned it before but what tuner and software are you running? Was it sct I think? What OS are you working with on your laptop? I'd love to learn more about this.

 

[jbmatth]

Awesome work JB.. being able to self tune a vehicle is pretty sweet.. I know you mentioned it before but what tuner and software are you running? Was it sct I think? What OS are you working with on your laptop? I'd love to learn more about this.

Thanks Redwolf, I'm having a blast learning but it seems like the more I dig into the tuning the more I learn I don't know or have a clue about. I'm using HP Tuners, it is the most commonly used tuning software for the GM LS and LT series of engines. I think my computer is running windows 7, I'm not really sure sadly. I'd share if you like or a better bet would be to dig into specific aspects you are trying to learn about then expand from there. I'll put a couple of links to the write-ups I've found the most helpful below.

Idle Tuning

Overall guide to get you started

JB

 

[jbmatth]

With the weather we've had recently it was a good time to take the Lil' Blue Truck off of the road to do some updates I've wanted to do for a while, namely steering and suspension work. To start off with I noticed one of the ball joints in the steering system was a little loose so I decided to replace everything:

Not shown are the anti-sway bar end links, somehow one of them disappeared, I suspect it happened when I had the truck in for an alignment last year, I also suspect that is when the upper control arm bolts were left loose allowing some shims to disappear. As you might guess this caused some interesting steering feel. I believe I'll go over the suspension after I receive it back from the alignment next week.

Anyway I also wanted to lower the truck slightly, this is what it looked like after removing the middle leaf spring last year:
View media item 90694
The back is about where I want it and where I suspect it will be once I buy and install 2" Cal-Trac split mono-leaf rear suspension in the not too distant future. The front I wanted to bring down 1-2" to give it a little rake. Now the fun part about working on past/other peoples projects. When my brother owned the truck the mechanic he used said the truck was lowered the "wrong way" and insisted he put unmodified springs in the truck. I ordered 1" lowering springs for a 4 cylinder thinking the springs I had were factory 4 cyl. springs. Well here is what I ended up with:
View media item 90695
I didn't measure because I forgot before I pulled the springs but it looks like it lowered close to 3". I'll drive it like this a little with a rough alignment and see how I like it or if I want to raise it back up.

JB

 

[oldironfarmer]

Don't you admire people like your brother's mechanic who just insist that any modification to a factory system just can't work?

It is a mark of lack of understanding, but still they seem to make it through life.

 

[OutlawDrifter]

That 4L80e is a heavy pig, and I think an iron block LS is 60-100lbs lighter than a SBC. I would never make it to the paved road with that ride height!

 

[jbmatth]

Don't you admire people like your brother's mechanic who just insist that any modification to a factory system just can't work?

It is a mark of lack of understanding, but still they seem to make it through life.

He was right in how it was lowered, the previous owner (before my brother) took a torch to them from what I've learned, collapsed the coils and gave a distinct bend to the leaf springs at the hangers. However, the Extreme package this truck came with included a ZQ8 RPO code suspension that is 2" (I think) lower than stock and I suspect he put standard springs back in.

On another note he is one of the few people I know that died before I met them, and probably the only one who was dead for ~10 minutes before coming back. In that accident he lost 3 fingers and half of his hand. Nice guy though.

That 4L80e is a heavy pig, and I think an iron block LS is 60-100lbs lighter than a SBC. I would never make it to the paved road with that ride height!

I think I could make it okay with this ride height but I don't know if it is really worth the risk, the bumper cover isn't cheap and needs to be replaced, I only want to do that once. I'd be surprised if I didn't add over 300 lbs going from the 4 cylinder with 4l60ER to the LS and 4L80E. Sadly the only way to know is to try, wish me luck.

JB

 

[oldironfarmer]

Maybe I was hasty in my assessment. I was comparing a guy I don't know to several I've known who were very narrow on what they thought should be done.

 

[jbmatth]

Maybe I was hasty in my assessment. I was comparing a guy I don't know to several I've known who were very narrow on what they thought should be done.

No worries Andy, I agree there are some that insist on up-selling no matter the problem or perceived problem. This mechanic on the other hand was a really good guy we trusted entirely and he really cut us some slack when we didn't have any money. One example was when he tried to fix an RX-7 my brother had that wouldn't start, he spent 9 hours one evening/night working on it and was thrilled when he got it running. Called us and said bring $100 and pick it up.

JB

 

[Kirk T]

I came across your thread and being an Okie and having a very similar barn I was instantly hooked. I looked through every page and enjoyed seeing the progress. Great Story!

 

[Kirk T]

I went to the farm today while there I took a few pictures of my barn to share with you.

 

[jbmatth]

I went to the farm today while there I took a few pictures of my barn to share with you.

Cool photos, it is interesting to me the differences in the structure in your's compared to mine. There are a few other Okies that are on GJ, Andy (Oldironfarmer) is one of the more active ones on the board, others that I can think of that have commented on my thread include Roadhouse, jbrentd, vonhef, Seansmitty42, TMcCay, and dchance, perhaps some more I've forgotten.

JB

 

[mybigwarwagon]

I was sitting out back watching it rain ( like it has constantly in NC for about 3 months now) and I was looking at my project 88 C1500 short bed that I have been putting a 5.7l engine in for about ummm 3 years now. Then I started messing with my phone and this thread popped up. And then I got to thinking about the one ton Chevy van I have around back with the 6L and the 4l80 and I think my project will take a different direction after we get moved next year and I hopefully have a garage.

Nothing is getting down outside right now. I had to go pull a friend out of his yard yesterday. He pulled in and started sinking and stayed on the gas. He sunk it to the frame in what is usually solid ground.

I nearly got my 4wd Ford 1720 tractor stuck in my yard. Geezh. I miss dry weather.

 

[jbmatth]

I was sitting out back watching it rain ( like it has constantly in NC for about 3 months now) and I was looking at my project 88 C1500 short bed that I have been putting a 5.7l engine in for about ummm 3 years now. Then I started messing with my phone and this thread popped up. And then I got to thinking about the one ton Chevy van I have around back with the 6L and the 4l80 and I think my project will take a different direction after we get moved next year and I hopefully have a garage.

Nothing is getting down outside right now. I had to go pull a friend out of his yard yesterday. He pulled in and started sinking and stayed on the gas. He sunk it to the frame in what is usually solid ground.

I nearly got my 4wd Ford 1720 tractor stuck in my yard. Geezh. I miss dry weather.

That would be a cool swap, I've been asked to help a couple of power tour friends with their LS swaps in the coming months, both are going into square body Chevy's, but can't really remember the years. I think you should go for it, it'll be fun when you are done.

I am glad it hasn't been too wet here recently but when it does rain I get really tired of it in a hurry.

JB

 

[jbmatth]

That 4L80e is a heavy pig, and I think an iron block LS is 60-100lbs lighter than a SBC. I would never make it to the paved road with that ride height!

Well I was wrong...I didn't take a photo because I was pretty ticked, but ripped the bumper cover off of the truck last night pulling into the shop. I also broke the new fog light I just installed so I had to order another one. I pulled the new lowering springs out and installed the factory ones back in. I'll revisit the lowering springs later.

JB

 

[Bob Heine]

JB, if you like the ride with the factory springs, you could keep those and install 2-inch lowering spindles. The only thing worse than too weak springs is too strong springs. OK, maybe messed up camber fits in there somewhere. Until you get it set up the way you want, I wouldn't replace that bumper cover (buy it, paint it but don't put it on). Not that I would know anything about that kind of stuff.