Jesse builds a pickup #329 - Front cowl and hood

[PMD24]

Congrats Jesse. Big Milestone. Almost as satisfying as first start.

Pat

[Blitzboy54]

Radiator and Grill

Taking a break from wiring I moved on to the cooling system. I will eventually powder coat most of this but want to get through first start before breaking it back down. The plan is to start it with water and use proper coolant after re assembly.

I mounted the grill and it's a really sharp piece. I put it on the ground to check clearance and we have plenty





Pulled and and started the radiator/condenser assembly. This is another area I think I want to warn anyone interested that the instructions don't fully match the reality of the hardware. The condenser is a new design and requires no assembly. The instructions still show the older unit. The issue is the radiator doesn't actually fit inside the grill as shown and I would imagine requires spacers. None of that is mentioned. The other problem is there is virtually no way to mark and line up the holes to the grill as shown in the instructions as a result. I am not sure what I would do differently next time but I came dangerously close to screwing up.

The real issue is they pre drill the holes in the grill, it would be better if they didn't. That way you could stack everything together and drill direct through before putting in the rivnuts.



The spacers provided are only the correct size if you also install the hinges. As of now this truck will have a hood so I put them in, but I had to make my own spacers for the lower tabs as the gap is significantly bigger.



This is all to say it looks great once installed.





I picked up a thermostat and housing. The LS uses a unique design where it seals with a rubber gasket on the thermostat itself. This allows for the housing to be made like this. It's really clever in that it fully swivels. I suspect this will help as it's pretty tight under there. Any flexibility helps.

[Blitzboy54]

Engine Harness and Holley Wiring

Getting back to wiring, I have now completed most of the wiring. I have dry run the heat/ac harness but hold off on testing that for a while. Everything else is wired accept the power windows and shaved door poppers. I have power to the poppers at the relay's and the windows will run off the ACC circuit.

I ran the Holley harness and have that mostly buttoned up. Need to add the coil packs but need my valve covers back before I finish that.



It looks like a bit of a mess but but there will be several pass though points with grommets on the trans tunnel cover.





Now that I have the sensors in, I want to power up and get the Dakota Digital talking to the Holley system and get everything calibrated. Then I'll unpack the lights and do a hard test. From there, finish the mechanical connections and head toward firing this puppy up.

[Guardm16]

Curious, Has FFR fixed the Lower Radiator outlet/hose issue? Mine was about 50% blocked by the chassis lower shock support plate. It is definitely a tight fit to make that turn.

[Blitzboy54]

Curious, Has FFR fixed the Lower Radiator outlet/hose issue? Mine was about 50% blocked by the chassis lower shock support plate. It is definitely a tight fit to make that turn.

I'm not sure if it's been "fixed" as this is my first build. I will say it is very tight. My plan I have a 90 and 45 degree elbows on order to see which one fits better. I will essentially make an S out of the lower outlet and then it will run along under the chassis (I don't love this part). The only other option is to have it run through the wishbone suspension and that seems like a bad idea. Like Paul said in his build "It's under the grill and the mid point of the chassis behind the firewall". I would like it better protected if it could be but like you said, it's really tight in there.

[Guardm16]

I made a rock guard, just a piece of 1/8 aluminum, easy to bend by hand. I think I could have done 1/16th. The curve helps strengthen the guard.

Rock guard.jpg

[Blitzboy54]

I made a rock guard, just a piece of 1/8 aluminum, easy to bend by hand. I think I could have done 1/16th. The curve helps strengthen the guard.

Rock guard.jpg

That's smart, I might do something similar.

[Blitzboy54]

Lower radiator hose

Talking about the lower radiator hose I decided with the jenky nature of the bends it needs to make I don't want to use the corrugated metal hose. It will pinch and rub. I looked for an over the counter solution and had no luck so I decided to piece my own unit together. I like silicone and figured I could Lego something together. You basically need an S shape coming out of the return. Using 2 90 degree bends, 1.5 inch couplers and a couple gates fasteners I came up with this.



I then measured up to the thermostat housing and it was 20 inches (give or take). I found an one piece flexible AC Delco line and completed the line. Nice thing here is the flexible hose is already black. It's also rubber coated so no worries about any rubbing damage.



Installed it fits as cleanly as possible considering the space. I will keep the metal clamps on both ends in case it needs to be removed although they will get powder coated like the rest when the time comes.








Heater / AC wiring

Routing out the heater harness I got that connected and landed. The blue and black wire that connect to the trinary switch are a path from the fan relay to ground. I checked to make sure when powered on that the fan would trigger on by touching those wires together. It worked as expected. The other thing I did that I didn't picture here was created a weather pack connection from the RF harness to the fan. This the third time I have connected one of these fans together and I fall for the connector looking like it will fit but doesn't every time!



I made the AC compressor connection as well. Single wire as there is no ground on the unit. Come to think of it I hope that's not a problem, I assume the compressor grounds to the engine but it has been painted. If the compressor won't kick on I suspect that will be why.

[Blitzboy54]

Fluids

I put 30 weight break in oil and filled the transmission. I also bled the clutch.





Engine dress complete

Bigger news is I got the valve covers back from PC and finished the engine dress. I have the harness routed and tied down. The fuel line has been run. I am waiting on a connection for the upper radiator hose (90 degree elbow 1.25 to 1.5) then I can install that.








Once in the last thing to do is make the last few connections to the over flow tank and steam vent, put water in the system, test the fuel for leaks and turn the key. Planning on attempting first start this week!

[tnt_motorsports]

looking good Jesse!

[Blitzboy54]

Upper Radiator Hose

I pieced together the upper radiator hose. I purchased this slick filler neck from Canton Racing at Summit, it has a 3/8 npt port for a temp sensor that also works well as a steam vent port. It's billet aluminum so will powder coat nicely when the time comes. Same with the 90 degree bend. I thought about trying to use another silicon bend with a coupler but the angle is a little too tight. All this will eventually be assembled with Gates power grip couplers but for now it all has to be broken down it's a mish mash of worm clamps.

[mkassab]

For what it's worth, I had leaking issues with the Gates Power Grips... I ended up with T-Clamps on all the radiator hoses. I just placed the clamps over the Gates Power Grips.

Mark

[KZGUNS]

FYI if you go with the shrink clamps get them from McMaster carr. They a significantly cheaper. Just search shrink clamps.

[Blitzboy54]

Well, I don't know about the water fittings yet but I tested the fuel system last night and I had 2 fittings fail. I was suprised as this is the 3rd time using these and I have had great luck. Both were 90 degree 6an to PTFE. I suspect I got a couple of bad fittings. I ordered some new ones and will re make those 2 lines and re test.

Fingers crossed.

[Guardm16]

This is looking great, I am impressed with the speed of your progress. Great job. In regards to the hoses. You are spot on about waiting to use the shrink clamps, but maybe not for the reason you think. The truck and I suspect the 33 hot rod both have adjustable grill angles depending on hood, radiator grill and personal preference. I found that for me to get the look I wanted and to have the hood fit, I had to change the hoses after what I thought would work.

Disclaimer: All situations are different your results may vary. lol

[Blitzboy54]

This is looking great, I am impressed with the speed of your progress. Great job. In regards to the hoses. You are spot on about waiting to use the shrink clamps, but maybe not for the reason you think. The truck and I suspect the 33 hot rod both have adjustable grill angles depending on hood, radiator grill and personal preference. I found that for me to get the look I wanted and to have the hood fit, I had to change the hoses after what I thought would work.

Disclaimer: All situations are different your results may vary. lol

Excellent point!

I will have to wait until the hood is fitted for sure.

[Blitzboy54]

She's ALIVE!

Well, I setup my phone to get a first start video and after I did it I discovered I never actually successfully pressed the record button. Doh!

So this will have to do. So more "first idle" than first start. Speaking of which it idles way too high. When hot it creeps up near 2000 RPM. I will go over the IAC and TPS setups tomorrow, after I figure out where the IAC set screw is on an LS3 throttle body is. lol. I think it's hiding behind a cover but it's late and I don't want to get into it tonight. The engine was setup at Blueprint but I would be surprised if they spent a lot of time with the idle

We officially have a heartbeat so all in all a pretty good day.

[PNWTim]

That's a big milestone Jesse, congratulations. You are moving right along on this build. And first start, first idle, who's really keeping track? Well done.

[TXeverydayDad]

Congrats Jesse!

[Blitzboy54]

Quick update, I have to test it tonight but I think I figured out my idle issue. The vacuum port for brake assist on the back of the manifold was open. It had a cap but was removed when painted. I plugged it back up but it was too late to start it again. It's warm out and windows are open in the neighborhood. Will test this afternoon but I'm pretty confident that will fix it.

[Jeff Kleiner]

Congrats on the major milestone Jesse Yeah, big vacuum leak will definitely affect the idle.

Jeff

[Blitzboy54]

Congrats on the major milestone Jesse Yeah, big vacuum leak will definitely affect the idle.

Jeff

Yup that was it. All sorted out now, sounds so mean.

[cv2065]

Looks and sounds awesome Jessie. Loving those gauges.

[PMD24]

Congrats Jesse. Sounds great!

Pat

[Guardm16]

Awesome job. Congratulations!!!!! next up: Go-cart?

[Blitzboy54]

Awesome job. Congratulations!!!!! next up: Go-cart?

Yes, as soon as I can figure out a seat. I don't actually have any yet. Might end up being a milk crate. lol

[Guardm16]

Yes, as soon as I can figure out a seat. I don't actually have any yet. Might end up being a milk crate. lol

I can send you mine. Made from some left over cedar fence boards

seat1.jpg

[Blitzboy54]

I can send you mine. Made from some left over cedar fence boards

seat1.jpg

Brilliant!


Unintended Consequence

I ran the engine up and down a few heat cycles. Setup the cooling fan temps and decided what to do about my fuel pump. I have opted to do nothing and leave it on the RF harness, there just isn't enough upside to moving it to the Holley with all the other wiring I would have to move with it.

I did have a few other issues that came up however that required some attention.

1st issue is the fuel sender. After putting 5 gallons of gas in the tank and programing the gauge cluster to "Ford 20-180 ohm" it read below empty. I measured the resistance of the level sender and it as still reading 15 ohms. I suddenly remembered on my 2nd MK4 build the sender crapped out after a couple weeks. I think FFR has a sender supplier quality issue. I purchased a replacement part, tested and installed and now the fuel gauge works like it should.

2nd issue is I get some coolant seepage out of the return line at the thermostat housing. I cranked down on the clamp but it's a bit of goofy angle. I have a plan to add a 30 silicone elbow that should sort that out. When I drain the system to PC all the components I will implement the that fix.

3rd was both an issue and a small success. I was idling along and heard the dash alarm. Took a look and it was faulting for low voltage. It read 10.5 volts. I went over to the battery and took a reading and got the same. I moved over to the alternator output and it was also reading 10.5 volts. Good news is my low voltage alarm works! Bad news is because of the paint the alternator is probably no longer grounded. Sure enough I created a clean metal spot on the housing and took a read back to the chassis and it was reading open or very high resistance. I then checked the AC compressor because that probably is going to have the same issue and sure enough it did. To fix this the simplest solution seemed to be a direct ground to the chassis. So that is what I did.

I cleaned up the ground lug on both the AC compressor and alternator.





Both now have a dedicated ground wire to the same chassis lug as the engine block.




While I was down there I figured it as good a time as any to mount the horns. I am always so surprised how loud these things are. lol. It's like a Jack in the Box, I always hold my breath a little before I test it. I am also starting to paint bolts black that I am not longer going to have to put a wrench on.



I will be moving onto the transmission tunnel soon. One of the things I have been concerned with is the shared space with all the wiring and the drive shaft. It clears but I wonder about wiring harness droop. Solution ended up being pretty simple. I had some left over 3/8 SS tubing that I cut into 2 equal lengths. I secured them to the inside of the safety loops and then zip tied the looms to them. They are now rigid.

[Blitzboy54]

Go Kart Time

I got her outside for the first time. I wanted to take a video but I just couldn't find good way to mount it to the chassis on short notice.



I had to get a little creative with the seat. "Captain Sketchy McSketcherson reporting for duty!" Funny thing is it puts you in an almost perfect driving position. I did need to flip the shifter around. Once this is thing is buttoned up for good I suspect it will be a straight stick.



The transmission shifts really smooth but the engine struggles a little at low RPM. It definitely needs to be tuned. I also need to re bleed the breaks, still a little air in there.

All in all she sounds amazing and has way too much power. I feel comfortable building around it now. We are on our way.

[Salty Chief 35]

A little spray chrome out of the rattle can and you got a nice set of bomber seats… that’s fantastic!

[Jeff Kleiner]

That's awesome Jesse! It's all looking really nice (especially the seat! )

Jeff

[Guardm16]

Congratulations. much better seat than mine.

[Blitzboy54]

Transmission Tunnel

This was a LOT harder than I expected it to be. Some of that is the way I had it wired and how I routed it. To prep I cleaned the underside of the tunnel and sprayed it with 2 coats of bed liner. I forgot to take a picture of it. I know you can't really see it but if it's up on a lift it looks nice. Biggest issues for me were the pass through holes. The Holley main harness and the front RF harness both required 1 5/8 inch holes to get the connectors through. I do not have grommets that big so I ordered some and will install them later.

I thought about making this removable but it's just not practical. It will have heat mat, carpet, and a center console on top. If someone is hell bent enough to remove all that I guess they can drill out the rivets too. Otherwise you will have to service the drive train on a lift like any other car.





I also ran a 12 inch pigtail for the Holley can bus that I will leave in the foot well. After I got everything reconnected I fired up the engine and to make sure I hadn't broken any electrical connections. You can see here how big the pass through hole needs to be. I will have grommets in a couple days



For the cover I decided to cut in in a few pieces while cutting out space for wires. This way I can seal it up when the time comes without disconnecting anything. I still have a bunch of wiring left in the center so it will stay open for a while. Heat AC controls, windows, and charging ports will all be in the console.



Part of what kicked my butt on this so hard is the limited space. There really isn't a lot of room and site lines from underneath are limited. I also used a ton of zip ties and as it turns out the cut offs are dangerous little buggers. Like working around barb wire. lol

[Blitzboy54]

Body on

I have been storing the cab in my back yard since October so It was nice to get it where it belongs. All in all it fit pretty well first try. I had to trim a little bit from the lower firewall area and the bottom front frame to make everything fit correctly. But man it looks good. I think I will use a few button head screws with rivnuts for the firewall to the body but it naturally fits pretty flush so almost not necessary.



I test fit the front cowl. I will post more about this later, needed a little trimming but what sticks out on that early is the aluminum that is used to attach it to the frame does not fit as designed with AC. The evaporator gets in the way. I will have to modify it, no biggie just an FYI.



I got to set the hood to see how she looks. This how it will be run, no sides with a hood. So far so good.

[THUNDERSTRUCK]

Jesse
Sorry for late question on something in post. Lower stop on Rear Shocks looks like you moved it from bottom to upper location. Mine came on bottom but doesn't seem right looks like you moved yours up over course of build

[Blitzboy54]

Jesse
Sorry for late question on something in post. Lower stop on Rear Shocks looks like you moved it from bottom to upper location. Mine came on bottom but doesn't seem right looks like you moved yours up over course of build

I did, another builder pointed out that on his truck it was squaty in the back fully extended and recommended I change the collar position. I did as he recommended. There is a snap ring that can be moved (it's quite easy) and move the collar up. It seems like depending on ride height it can go either way. Good news is I am going to setup my height in the next couple of days so I will let you know.

[Blitzboy54]

Front Cowl and hood

With the initial mock up I decided to make some changes to the front cowl.



I will not have sides so the rectangle that the front lower A arm resides in is a little out of place as well as the inner flange that the sides would press against.



Removed and marked some areas for removal.





I adjusted the radiator position and re installed the cowl. I am not sure I am done making changes but this is is it for now. It clearly needs rounding and shaping. I also had to make a few adjustments to the lower aluminum to fit with the AC condenser and I discovered the kit came with a couple spacers to keep the nose from dipping in toward the hood. I will get some pics for that in a future update. I think I will go ahead and install the hood hinge before moving onto the doors and bed.





I will probably update both this thread and the new site soon, kind of waiting till an official launch before committing to it.