If you want people to underestimate your car’s potential, undersell it without a lot of visible go fast parts and without the appearance that no expense was spared to go fast. The ugly ducklings are generally under estimated. Sounds like a solid plan and should definitely get you a go at the duct tape drags.
The fan would be useless, but I first thought of thr dodge pickups that have a small radiator on one side and the a/c condenser next to it instead of front to back. Or radiator in front of the grill. Or remote mount radiator?
I'm just going to put a big radiator in front of the fan, it doesn't bother me. Started looking at the wiring harness. I'll take out the old EFI wires, because I like doing that kind of stuff.
One thing I'll mention, take a look at the seat risers. They are some 'fit the solution' engineering. Make sure they aren't cracked or rusty.
They're solid. I think the only body/structural problem found so far is the driver door upper hinge broke off and got welded back on.
I would just move the radiator out to in front of the grill, then extend the bumper outward, think like an old continental spare tire look, on the front bumper, just around the radiator. That would have to be worth extra points.
I've had lots of ideas like that, it's a puzzle with lots of parts that can be assembled many different ways. Got the turbo in the mail today...the exhaust manifold will probably get here at the end of the week.
Have you considered recessing the firewall? It would help to get the engine a lot lower and give more room for various gadgets. But we're talking advanced butchery ..
Oh, the though entered and immediately left my mind. The main reason is that I want to run a 5 point roll bar, not a cage. And if you modify the firewall, and run tens, you have to install the front part of a cage.
Sounds like fun, I put this one together for way under $9k, no idea what it will run though. Just turned it up to 8 pounds before winter, have to get it out and test before bumping it up more. I don't bother with the factory harnesses anymore, its much cleaner IMO to go through an Ebay harness and make some changes to make it right. 200k mile 4.8, mild cam, decaps, and a VS 7875....and yes when the loud valve opens the exhaust goes out the passenger fender port holes LOL
The pictures make it look like the front of the motor is real high in the chassis, is that because of the angle of the pictures, or is the front of the motor actually that high? Are your plans to run the motor as it now sits?
I need to get the motor set in proper position, I think it is a little nose high right now. But I have to get the exhaust figured out before I get too far with mounts. I bought a stock driver side manifold that won't fit, I'm searching now for something that will, or parts to make my own header.
When I did mine I found the driver side manifold for a Chevy Colorado with a 5.3 to be the tightest fitting to the motor, had to cut and angle the pipe to clear the th350. 5 or 6 years ago found it on line, nos oem for like 80$.
No, it is a boost activated valve, you can see it in this build picture. Exhaust goes out a full exhaust out the back of the car unless the loud valve opens up, then exhaust dumps directly out the fender ports. I am still playing with it, so far it did not open at 3 pounds, but will be testing at 8 pounds as soon as the weather improves.
that looks like a slick setup, thanks Is the wideband sensor on the rear downpipe, controlling the mixture, etc? or just a gauge?
Looking at that picture, I started thinking about the MAT sensor, and how to mount one in my intake. I did a little research, and discovered that I could probably just use the sensor that was in the Jeep, it has the same connector on it. And since I made a block off for the EGR valve, I could drill and tap that to fit, instead of the normal method of grinding down a plastic one and gluing it in place in the purge solenoid hole (the big round thing on top of the intake). I don't like glue. So I got to work...I still need to make the retaining bracket, but it might work.
Wideband O2 is in the down pipe is tied to a gauge as well as feeding an analog input signal into the factory P01 pcm. I am not running a Holley terminator setup, which I have been told is easier to use, but I plan on doing this more than once so the harder budget way is for me. I am running a 99-02 P01 pcm in speed density mode, open loop for now, I log the wide band readings and then make VE table adjustments. I also have the narrow band O2s installed on each bank as a reference but they are just collecting data at the moment. Still tuning, I have a very conservative timing table loaded and am running pump 93, but I have a content sensor to install to try E85 in the future so I can turn it up. For the P01 operating system 125 has the flex fuel option. If you run the Holley you don’t have to worry about any of that, this is my first turbo build and I just want to learn it all.
Reading through these posts I'm realizing how much I don't know!! Maybe if I pay attention I might learn something. Thanks for taking us all along. Great thread.
thanks! Got another manifold for the driver side, this one looks hopeful...it's a universal engine swap design, I think. Not very expensive, of course they come in pairs, so I have the other side I don't need.
Looks good, I think I have a pair of those on the shelf as well. Keep in mind the wonderful fact that the factory truck exhaust manifolds are made of cast steel and not cast iron, you can cut them up and mig weld them back together with ease. I preheat with a MAPP torch even though not needed, but it cuts back on the unsettling pops you hear as they cool off LOL. Lots of people just flip them around backwards, weld V band flanges on them, and run the crossover up front under the crank pulley. I used turbo headers only because I found them cheap on Marketplace, but still had to modify them and make my own crossover.
I did a little more looking into this, seems that they are not very good at naming the parts on these things...since the system is set up for LH and RH front beam axles, they're talking about Fords, not Jeeps, and of course the ones they have are actually 4wd. Good lead, though. I'm still interested in your friend's axle, but still need to do some more looking around down here first. These are not truck manifolds, which stick out way too far to the side. These are aftermarket Chinese castings.
For those new to world of EFI, go on line & read all there is about “ mega squirt” ; a DIY EFI. Sure a lot to understand. A few hours of light reading. ? ? ? We had it running in a day, only problem was cold start. When start & change setup, engine heats up, shut down & refine when engine cold again. Took 3 evenings of cold start tune wait until next night. Runs great.
The Jalopy Journal
