Rescue rig project

[milner351]

Any progress is good!

You'll want to make sure you vent the exhaust from the generator out of the canopy - or at least make sure the windows slide open easily for ventilation. (I've had some truck caps with windows that would not slide for sh!t)

We were running a small gen set in the bed of a truck with a canopy/cap/topper/camper shell with an extension cord out running 110v lights for a christmas float.... the engine started stalling out.... we figured out it was choking out on it's own exhaust - it didn't take very long either - we opened the side windows and it ran OK.

[SuperBuickGuy]

thanks John.... I kind of misspoke - I'm going to put a generator on the diesel that I'll either steal from a generator I already have; or from one I find off CL.... figure I'd be pointless to reinvent the wheel (this kind of parallels what I asked in the tech section about generators)

[SuperBuickGuy]

so this is how it looks now with the 'new' wheels

[SuperBuickGuy]

So updates.... I finally got a winch 12,500 lb chinese winch (nope, won't buy American when the cost of the similar winch is 4x more than what I paid for this one... and this one is engineered and sold by an american company).. cool bit is the wireless control.


of course, I expected to buy an 8k winch - so it wasn't a bolt in deal

fortunately, in my garage sale bumper deal, I got another winch plate as well and welded it in.


and installed

[SuperBuickGuy]

well fixed 2 more things....
one of the issues you get with a lifted truck is bump steer - the fix is to replace the steering arm... sounds pretty easy, right?

just pop the ball joints apart and pull those three nuts off.....


oh yeah, there are some conical washers.... no problem loosen the nut to get it even with the top, spray penetrating fluid on it, let it set for a day.... the whack the mother-loving nut - the trick is to hit that nut hard enough that the stud goes into the solid block of cast iron and then pushes the cone nut up just a bit.....



then install a raised arm


easy, no?

[SuperBuickGuy]

putting a ford relay on the GM starter

Squirrel's kid was having trouble with his wiring... the fix is using a ford relay then the wire is dead (unless starting) at all times.... no chance of burning the wires and driving along at 60 mph at night with no lights or motor...

the problem - my new gear reduction starter is starting the "click" and no start routine - so I'm replacing it with a stock starter



Here's the steps in a nutshell - disconnect the batteries, remove the starter, pull the wires up the firewall, wire the starter solenoid to the main wire, put the Ford relay on the firewall, run a cable up the firewall to the relay, run the old wires to the hot side of the relay, run the old cable to the hot side, connect the purple wire to the "S" side of the relay....

first... here's the rats nest that GM installed - it goes next to the exhaust manifold, and those red wires are charged all of the time.... the round black blocks are fuses. I've seen lots of trucks where the fuses blew, so they hard wired it - thus the next time it shorts, it burns the truck to the ground. Also, on my truck they hotwired from the battery to the alternator (which I will fix soon) so I figure that the burned fuse is probably blown....

those wires need to be pulled up the firewall - GM is nice enough to wrap them around the trans dip stick.... the toughest part of the job... really.



my highly technical way of deciding where the relay goes is stretch the wires out and where they meet is where to put the relay.... okay, so I'm lazy



those with sharp eyes will note that I really like doing things at least twice (the starter wire goes to the "S" or "K" terminal, not the "R" terminal



Here is the finished wiring




I still need to remove the wiring that powers the truck and rewire it with something a little less burned - but for now it'll work lots better than before. Notice, also, the really nice 2 gauge wire? it's really only feeding the starter as they've bypassed the fuses with a wire straight to the alternator.

[SuperBuickGuy]

I learned something... not all lifted trucks need a steering arm, and if it doesn't need the arm - it'll drive lots worse.
So with that said - I now know that the rod from the steering arm to the axle needs to run parallel with the spring....

this is how it should look


this was the mistake

[1931s/x]

it didnt look like it had enough lift to need the arm to me, but ive been wrong before. i like the truck.

[SuperBuickGuy]

it has a 4" lift - the stiffest riding 4" I've ever had... I've had 8" lifts that rode softer... but I digress, on 2 other trucks the steering arm was just what the doctor ordered (both 4" lift trucks)... ah well, live and learn

[SuperBuickGuy]

I finished up the wiring issue - I can't recommend enough doing the same re-wiring if you own a 73-87 Chev truck....

Issue 1:
there are two cast-in-place fuses that tend to blow on these trucks (because they short out to the exhaust manifold) - you can see one is melted ....


If you wonder whether or not anyone else has had a problem with the fuses on the truck you're looking at - look for a wire like this.. the one within the nice flexi-covering.... they did a nice job installing it, except no fuse, and it'll back feed thus making other wiring issues (like charging) exceptionally hard to find


easy fix, though
one 50 amp fuse


beside the melting, note the over-sized ring connector


amazingly, I'm not going to have to replace the alternator...
I may, however, need to run a heavier gauge wire down to the starter - it seems to be at its limit on starting when cold...

[SuperBuickGuy]

well, rescue rig has been employed in transporting our chief sniffer to go out and wander in the woods.... but who cares about rescue, here's the reason for the update
two, actually
first - finally got around to replacing the other fuel tank with the bondo patch


and found this little addition on CL

[stangbanger]

and found this little addition on CL

MMMMMM boost.....

[STINEY]

The new additions is a dog? And the dogs' name is Boost? Cool!

[SuperBuickGuy]

The new additions is a dog? And the dogs' name is Boost? Cool!

that would be a good name for him - and quite fitting.... however, his name is Groucho (or backup dog)

[milner351]

BOOOOOOOST! what's the psi limit for that kit? static compression on this beast from the factory?

does this have wet cylinder liners?

If yes - make sure you're running the right coolant with proper additives to prevent cavitation. The IDI fords have an issue with this at high mileage and boost seems to make it show up rather quickly.

Don't think I've ever seen a cable going to a starter that was too big - especially on thess high compression beasts - big cables and batteries and fresh (never champion) glow plugs are darned good insurance.