rang-a-stang's summer project/build

[rang-a-stang]

Sorry, no Juicy pictures today.

Saturday my Daily drive broke it's upper motor mount sending the engine down into the bottom of my engine bay. That tore a power steering hose and my A/C stopped working. Parts don't get here until Wed so the need for my Jeep to be on the road became real.

This weekend I spent a lot of time on my Xfer case and trans. It's all in the link above between the 2 pictures. I drove it to work today and it cruised pretty nice. I am backfiring above about 60MPH and and when cruising over 50MPH. I will get some new plugs and a better Dizzy cap on the way home from work. I also took data and will update my fuel tables before I head home. I am in the ball park with this guy. It's usable but not reliable yet. I still hear my rockers, too. I adjusted them to .04" preload (4/5's a turn vs. 1/2 turn) and that didn't really make a difference. It really bothers me hearing them. I feel like they are pounding on my cam lobes...

[rang-a-stang]

Drove my Jeep to work Monday. Other than backfiring over 50MPH, it seemed to cruise OK. As I was cruising in the gate to base, I noticed my Voltmeter only showing about 12 volts. I figured, "Meh, cheap gauge doesn't know what it's talking about." I also took data and burned a new tune at work and installed that on the way home.

After work, I drove to a plumbing store for some stuff and my truck wouldn't start after. Dead battery. Guess my voltmeter knew EXACTLY what it was talking about. I killed my rectifier. Waiting on parts again. More money out of my pocket. More waiting around. More time wrenching on stuff I would rather not wrench on.
Alternator thread with pictures

Some good news, I found some carpet on Craigslist. Its the ACC front kit with extra sound backing, never installed, light tan color, for $25! It's not the color I want but for $25, why not?

[rang-a-stang]

Swapped spark plugs this weekend while I wait for my new bridge rectifier. They looked pretty good (they better)! The picture makes them look cleaner than they were but they were still pretty clean. These are Autolite platinums with about 5K miles total on them. I am sure they have plenty of life left in them but I swapped to Autolite copper core. I want to make sure I "know" I have good plugs as I tune.

[rang-a-stang]

Got my new rectifier today and swapped it into my Alt. Check this old one out! Geesh! That was hot!


AAAannndd... I met a cool dude from Craigslist and gots me some solid rear flares! Woooo hooooo!!! I have been looking for solid rear flares at a decent price since I bought my rig. My only rust is in my flares and my passenger side flare is munched. These are not perfect flares but they are in good shape and he gave me a good deal (not a steal but a good deal and I had to cut them out). It also felt good cutting them out because the rig I was cutting on was indeed a turd and not worth saving. It was odd becuase the drivers side took a good hour to cut out and about 6 grinder wheels because the front rocker had been replaced and it was welded in all sorts of odd places. The passenger side took 2 wheels and about 15 minutes.


I'll get them stripped, removed from the left over quarter skin and will probably just prime them and safely store them for now. I have tastier deserts to eat before I even start to think about swapping flares.

[SOLSAKS]

SCORE !!!
dave in NC

[rang-a-stang]

OK, this weekend I finally got my Alternator installed. It took a new Rectifier and a new voltage regulator. Both of the units I bought are "Heavy Duty" units by Transpo and supposedly high quality. I wrapped my header tube before I installed the alt, too. I am holding off on the heat shield for now. But I did create a burly ground wire.

I have 14.3 volts across the battery at idle, with the fan running. I did not try the headlights or any other loads.

I took it for a spin and it is still backfiring out the exhaust. I have new Autolite copper core plugs, new 8mm RFI supressed wires, a new brass terminal cap, and a new rotor. Its odd because it only does it when I am over about 50MPH. When I am cruising around town, it's pretty awesome and runs great. Get over 50 and I can hear/feel backfiring.

Next thing I am looking at. This is what my headliner looks like:

I think this is why:


All 6 brackets are like this.

I have the new rubber cinch nut things from BJs to re-seal these and hope to get to that before the end of this month. My plan is to remove the whole roof rack, wet sand/buff/polish the roof, then carefully re-install the roof rack. I will probably have my son take some polish to it but know it will only get marginally better. When it's on, I may try to copy Driftwood:
Driftwood's headliner thread
Or I may just save my money for a few months and bite the expensive bullet and buy the BJs kit. I don't know yet. My Mazda needs a new timing chain and variable valve actuator ($500 and a weekend to do it myself). I can also still hear my lifters at idle when the engine is at operating temp and it REALLY bothers me.

[Wagoneer Taylor]

Nice Work Marc!

Those roof racks and rubber nuts are not too hard to replace at all, I did mine when I first got my rig to prevent any more roof leaks.

As far as the backfiring, do you thing its still a problem with the tune on the fuel injection? Side note my crappy old rebuilt 2 barrel carb is doing great! Hehe maybe its time to back track and sell that fuel injection and buy yourself a monster carb.
Just kidding you will get it in the end!

[SOLSAKS]

on the headliner / well nut job

I went one step further after putting in new well nuts and roof rack gaskets

I used 3M strip caulk, got inside vehicle with headliner removed

after installing roof rack and all hardware, I would get a ball of strip caulk,...

roll it around to get it soft and pliable, then I formed it to the bottom of the well nut

completely sealing it off, even feathering it out onto the roof of vehicle around the well nut and hole.

in addition, I applied a small amount of sealant to the stainless screws

before screwing them into the roof rack gaskets.

just an idea.

take care
dave in nc

[rang-a-stang]

Nice Work Marc!
Those roof racks and rubber nuts are not too hard to replace at all, I did mine when I first got my rig to prevent any more roof leaks.
As far as the backfiring, do you thing its still a problem with the tune on the fuel injection? Side note my crappy old rebuilt 2 barrel carb is doing great! Hehe maybe its time to back track and sell that fuel injection and buy yourself a monster carb.
Just kidding you will get it in the end!

Thanks, Taylor. Yeah, I am not too worried about the roof rack. Other than seized hardware. I am sure most of it is siezed. You'll notice a half backed out screw in one of the pictures above. I think someone tried to remove it in the past and gave up. That hardware does not look factory to me either...maybe it is. IDK.

Nah, I think the backfiring is either a dying coil or cheap crappy plug wires arcing (see more below).
HAHA! I hear you, My 2150 was just getting perfectly dialed when I removed it. I will say though, it sure is nice to be able to just reach in the window and turn the key to start it. Cold or hot it starts quickly, every time. It's nice.

on the headliner / well nut job
I went one step further after putting in new well nuts and roof rack gaskets
I used 3M strip caulk, got inside vehicle with headliner removed
after installing roof rack and all hardware, I would get a ball of strip caulk,...
roll it around to get it soft and pliable, then I formed it to the bottom of the well nut
completely sealing it off, even feathering it out onto the roof of vehicle around the well nut and hole.
in addition, I applied a small amount of sealant to the stainless screws
before screwing them into the roof rack gaskets.
just an idea.
take care
dave in nc

Fantastic advice! I was thinking of using body sealer but strip caulk would be much cheaper and much less permanent if I ever need to remove the roof rack again (which I hope I will when I paint this rig... someday ).
************************
I have been mulling my alternator. It bothered me that I only had 14.3 volts AND my charge light never came on. At first I thought "well, the fan and computer must be pulling more amps than the alt can make at idle so, 14.3 volts." But I kept reading about how these CS144s should make close to 100amps at idle and there was NO WAY I was pulling 100 amps.

So I swapped out the Charge light socket/bulb in my harness. no change. I got my multimeter out and started tracing wires. Found that my alt connector (cheap rockauto part) was bad. the 11.3 volts on the backside of the bulb was not making to the female pin on the connector. Swapped a new connector on (from the pile off connectors I have) and BLAMO! Charge light with key on engine off, light goes out immediately after I start it, and I have 14.7 volts across the battery! Woo Hoo! a victory!

I ordered an MSD coil last night. I love Summit racing. I ordered it at 5pm last night with standard free shipping and I got the notice this morning saying it will be delivered today before 5pm. Awesome! I figure backfiring is either
a) my coil is dying
b) my cheap generic wires are arcing.
babywag recommended pulling a plug and checking the spark for fat whiteness. I decided to just order a coil. (Tony you get to giggle at another "I told you so" when I post up tomorrow that the new coil did not fix it AND I lose my right to nag/complain that I am wasting money on parts). Murphy's law says that since I ordered the coil without checking to see if my old coil was bad, my problem will be cheap crappy wires.

[rang-a-stang]

Coil installed. It looks sweet but I didn't get it to look sweet. My throttle seems crisper and it seems a but peppier, espeacially mid throttle but that might be placebo effect. It still backfires getting on the freeway and cruising over 50. I must be arcing across plug wires. Today I will order new, good quality plug wires. This coil puts out 44kv and a 300uS. I saw somewhere that stock is about 30-40kv (window varried wildly) and a 200uS spark. I don't know if my other coil was "dead" or "Dying" but my truck seems to run better with this coil so I am OK with that $55 spent. Today I will order new, good, wires. (yes, I know that heat sink is hideous, but it is functional; I'll deal with it when I have time).

Oh, I was going to post this picture with my last alternator post. Here's my wrapped header tube. it's hard to see where it is.

[Driftwood]

Let me take this engine off your hands. You need to start fresh.

[Wagoneer Taylor]

I think you got this now!

[rang-a-stang]

Let me take this engine off your hands. You need to start fresh.

If you were closer, I would have plopped it on your driveway weeks ago.

I think you got this now!

Sort of.
***********************
My new wires showed up Saturday and I spent a good 2 hours installing them. I spent alot of time just making sure no wires are touching each other and they are not laying on bare metal. You can see how I routed them, avoiding going over the top of the cap.


Fired it up, took it on the freeway, got to about 70, let off the gas and POW! POW! POW! backfires.

Drove it home (about 2 miles) at a steady 50'ish and I could hear and feel missing with the occasional pop out the tailpipe. I parked it in my front yard, threw it the stank eye, cursed a little under my breath, and went inside. Later that night (in the dark) I popped the hood and watched the new wires arc to each other, the air filter, the headers, the intake, and the TBI. These wires are going back and yet ANOTHER set in route.

The idea of an LS swap is getting stronger. grrrr..... Brad, you got any Hemi's sitting in your shop?

[bkilby]

The idea of an LS swap is getting stronger. grrrr..... Brad, you got any Hemi's sitting in your shop?

Lol. I understand the frustration. You're so close..... and no. No Hemi's at the moment but you never know when one might pop up.

[Rusty76]

Keep at it!