New to mightyram50, not to Mitsubishi...

[geezer101]

Greets guys, My name's Neil and I'm from Adelaide in South Australia (exciting stuff - I know...). I've been a member of Sigma-Galant here in Oz for a while now and as of last October, the 'proud' (read as crazy and/or stupid) owner of a 1985 Mitsubishi L200 Express. My intention was to get it running as a work horse but it is proving to be challenging. What I wanted - tow bar, air con (yes, AIR CON!), RWD, 5 speed with a G63B SOHC engine, tub body and a rear step. What I got - shredded bottom end, twisted crank, completely shot tail shaft support bearing and what I can only describe as the worst head casting Mitsubishi has ever made. Oh, and a list of missing parts, awesome DIY wiring, one nasty audio install and some borderline cancer. I'm in the process of rebuilding the engine as it is running the original factory numbers and reworking the head. No heavy mods are planned other than getting it to breathe, deletion of the EGR garbage, balance shaft removal, retrofitting points ignition (I am a fool for neanderthal tech http://www.mightyram50.net/vbulletin/images/icons/icon10.png) and dialling up the cam - might throw a Weber into the mix yet as I am not big on the resin body factory Mikuni carby. As soon as I figure out why I can't post pics from my photobucket account, I'll play show and tell. Thanks guys! p.s. good to see some familiar users from S-G lurking here http://www.mightyram50.net/vbulletin/images/icons/icon14.png

[woodrat]

Hi Neil...I have had 2 L200s a 2x and a 4x both were great trucks with one problem...too small for a tall person like myself...I now have an 88 Triton Club Cab and I have all the leg room I need! :) I'm loving the fact that there are others here that share my love of these little trucks...

I'm in NSW :)

Cheers

John

[camoit]

The easy way to do an image is to just upload it directly to the board. There is a little picture button you would click. http://www.mightyram50.net/vbulletin/showthread.php/89-How-To-Pictures-and-Attachments-Tips-and-tricks

[geezer101]

I figured out how to get images up my posts now - for some reason I was getting booted off and having to log back in. I'll slowly scrub the smell of noob off myself lolololol. As for the L200 being a bit on the 'cozy' side I am 6'3" tall and it's not too bad to get into. I'm probably gonna change the seats as the drivers' side seat is a bit of a mess. Well, here's where my mightyram journey starts - http://i1089.photobucket.com/albums/i351/geezer1011/L200%20Express/L200Express004_zps304c1863.jpg

[Law Dog]

Welcome!

[royster]

Isn't it about time to up-date this thread...or are those cob webs still on the grille?? :D

[geezer101]

Ouch Royster, those spiders need somewhere nice to live :lmao: I've been doing all the background stuff that nobody sees unless they have been checking my other posts. My block is ready for hot tanking round 2 from grinding out and polishing the crank case walls, buttresses and oil return journals. My inlet manifold is now a bathtub as a result of mods needed to accommodate the obscure 34DATA 4/100 C8 Weber I salvaged from a twin cam Lancia Beta 2000 and I'm hunting down a few parts to reconfigure the air con, upgrade the front brakes and find a decent oil pump (that won't cost me $280-660 AUD). I'm going to have a shot at balancing my own rod and piston assemblies over the Christmas break too.

All this stuff needs coin - which my DD needs to stay on the road (I'm having to fork out for a full set of new tyres, front brake rotors and pads as mine are past their usable lives and this is just the basic stuff...) All in good time ;]

[claych]

Isn't it about time to up-date this thread...or are those cob webs still on the grille?? :D

Hey !!! welcome geezer !!! post some pics of Your build ahahahaha buhahahahaha (sarcasm)

[geezer101]

Hey !!! welcome geezer !!! post some pics of Your build ahahahaha buhahahahaha (sarcasm)

~insert super facepalm here~ Yeah, I know. This is one long winded process that has endured roadblock after roadblock, changes in direction and cash flow issues. If I could just 'throw cash at it' then this would be a done deal and I'd be motoring along by now nicely (but I ain't got no cash!). My head was trash and I wanted another mechanical head - couldn't get one. So I extensively reworked what I had (fingers crossed it pays off). Making it work required some serious port finishing that I couldn't afford so I used what I'd learned on previous engines and raised the level (plus the cam journal caps were shredded so I used one very dubious method to repair them :pray:) .

I could've left the EGR crap alone but I knew this would hinder getting it to run as smoothly as I wanted so I went the whole 9 and completely deleted it from the inlet manifold and sealed the EGR gallery in the head (I did a similar job on my G32B powered Celeste and it ran sooo much smoother) And then the carb. Previous idiot cleaned the base gasket it off it with the garage floor - yep, it's junk. This idiot buys a good clean Mikuni from a wrecker, then finds a Weber a few months later...
Yay, more work - and the Weber should have a kit put through it before I install it (more money goddammit :cussingblack:)

[royster]

Wish you a rainfall of money, Geeze.

I looked around for your build thread but couldn't find it. Might you clue me in on that?

Or is this it?

[geezer101]

It's secretly encrypted in every other thread I've been spamming the bejezus out of lol. Have an eyeball of my photobucket album to see what lunacy I've been engaging in - http://s1089.photobucket.com/user/geezer1011/library/L200%20Express I've kept all the image descriptions up to date as I have various forms of OCD. Grab a hot beverage and a high fat/sugar snack as you may be going through this album for a while :rolleyes:

[royster]

Wow, what a remarkable buncha WORK!

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I do remember, now, you sent me to photobucket to see pix. You've certainly added more and clearly did some articulate work.

[geezer101]

Roy, how the !@#$ did you get that freakin' image tag to work for you? I've been fighting this biatch for ages and I either get invalid URL's or a direct image that blocks out the sun...

[royster]

Oh, the images just follow me around. Ya gotta hum songs they like, tho.

15198

Actually, I right-clicked the Photobucket image (enlarged) to save the image to my computer, then use the picture icon on the forum. The image is then downloaded from my computer.

Not bad for an analog computer-illiterate, huh?

Nice valve cover, Neil. Your articulate work and caring focus are very obvious in the photos.

[geezer101]

There be a change in the air - watch this space :wrench:

[mitchi]

Watching.......and wanting to know how you got the valve cover to look like that.....??????.....!

[geezer101]

Watching.......and wanting to know how you got the valve cover to look like that.....??????.....!

Ground off all the rough casting around the edges, file finished the rocker gasket seat then sanding blocked the whole thing til all the faces were as flat as I could get them. Then I used a linishing block so the grain followed the same direction. Gave it a clean and hit it with a can of coloured lacquer. I was aiming for that 'extruded' look. A lot of work but it looked pretty good IMO. Click on my photobucket link in my post above (they're not in complete order but once you see a rocker cover image pre-painted the rest are sort of grouped together)
p.s. haven't updated my photobucket for a while due to #1 - photobucket being a dick, and #2 - my expensive DSLR camera frying :green:

[mitchi]

Ground off all the rough casting around the edges, file finished the rocker gasket seat then sanding blocked the whole thing til all the faces were as flat as I could get them. Then I used a linishing block so the grain followed the same direction. Gave it a clean and hit it with a can of coloured lacquer. I was aiming for that 'extruded' look. A lot of work but it looked pretty good IMO. Click on my photobucket link in my post above (they're not in complete order but once you see a rocker cover image pre-painted the rest are sort of grouped together)
p.s. haven't updated my photobucket for a while due to #1 - photobucket being a dick, and #2 - my expensive DSLR camera frying :green:

Thanks man. I did do some polishing on mine, but I'm trying to come up with a color scheme.17999

[geezer101]

Thanks man. I did do some polishing on mine, but I'm trying to come up with a color scheme.17999

Shiny :P. Sort of job you only want to do once. I've done the black ripple paint and the OTT polish before so I wanted to try something different and the coloured lacquer was out on sale at the time. Looks good mitchi!

[geezer101]

Today, after a 5 hour round trip I brought home this -

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I felt that my truck had been off the road for far too long and was going to take more time and parts chasing than I was able to put into it. So I'll be scavenging a very healthy 4G63 and 5 speed out of it, near new steel off road wheels, headers and sports exhaust system, some reasonably good 3 way adjustable seats and anything else that survived the double roll over it had been put through. Come Xmas break and school holidays I'll be calling in favours and turning spanners. And hopefully I'll be able to do the upgrades I've been planning during the tear down...

[dash]

4g63 was maybe a little too healthy:) .....to stay on 4 tires
at least, it died so yours' may live

[mitchi]

A screwdriver and a little buffing....good as new..............

Good catch.....Like the bed.....

[pennyman1]

I'd love to have the air dam - not as much damage as you would think for a roll over - a new roof and straighten the doors. But then we can't see the other side...

[geezer101]

The cab is a mess - the ledge of the cab roof has folded over the tops of the doors leaving the passenger side door pinned down and the drivers door unable to close (which was lucky or I wouldn't be getting into or out of it without cutting it up). The passenger door is also folded in towards the inside of the cab, but I should be able to save all the freshly tinted glass which is in way better shape than mine. I actually drove it to make sure the drivetrain wasn't garbage and it's a shame it got rolled - it was nice and solid and the engine is quiet and smooth even with the sports system. I'll be breaking out the hydraulic trolley jack and timber bearers so I can at least get the passenger door open. There is something wrong with the carb as it is hesitant on throttle - the guy I bought it from did say he put a kit through it recently, but I'll get onto my 34 DATA carb and hopefully install that instead.

[geezer101]

I'd love to have the air dam...

Wanna hear a dirty secret about that air dam? I have a suspicion that is a factory unit... wait for it - off a Volvo 240 :wtf:
(this one may be from a rarer 242GT)

When I swap the bump and air dam to my truck I'll be able to confirm it. So far it looks like I should be able to improve how it fits by trimming some off the upper mounting lip. It is close to perfect, I mean 1/4" in places. The PO drilled some holes to the underside of the bumper to bolt it all together but he also used 2 self tappers on the ends to mount it directly to the front fender arches (which would be unnecessary if it was flushed up against the bumper properly)

[pennyman1]

let us know if that is where it came from - that is something I could find around here. It would make sense that it fits so well, the shapes of the 2 are very close in that area under the bumper.

[geezer101]

CONFIRMED. Yes it is definitely the front air dam from a Volvo. If the guy took the time to fit it properly it would damn near look like it rolled from the factory as a sports option. He was rough with trimming the mounting lip back and if he had used the 2 small captive nuts on either end of the front bumper it would've pulled it up into shape and tucked in with the bumper ends nicely. I'll relocate one of the mounting bolt holes so it's not distorted and then drill 2 small pilot holes to clamp it all into shape. I may actually look for a replacement air dam as this one is a bit beat up and I wasn't happy with how it was executed in the first place.

[geezer101]

Hmm, ran into a situation with the 34 DATA carb I will be using sometime in the near future. It uses a water choke in exactly the same configuration as the Mikuni carb but it doesn't have a coolant barb to redirect coolant back into the plenum base of the inlet manifold, so I talked to a local machine shop about tapping a coolant barb into the side of the manifold (no biggie). As the conversation unfolded, another customer added his 2 cents worth - "why are you bothering with a water choke? They are the main issue you want to steer away from when swapping a carbie over". So I explained the deal with my carb being a water choked 34 DATA from a Lancia Beta and there not being a lot of resource info on them. "Use the electric choke from a 6 cylinder Ford carbie, it's a straight swap. And use the heater barb from a Ford too on the manifold so you can clean it all up..."
I gained some useful info, saved some cash and watched the guy behind the counter lose a customer :lmao:

[geezer101]

Oh, and here is the front air dam if anyone didn't see it from another post -

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I got it fitting reasonably well now after the trimming and bolting the ends up under the bumper. It is a little distorted in the first vent hole but I'm not sure if it's due to the air dam being a touch wider than the bumper or from the way it was mounted in the first place. I took a heat gun to it to 'sweat' the urethane back into looking fresher and shape it to fit a little better. The side wings still stick out all the way to the wheel arch lips but I can live with that.

[geezer101]

Well, I grew to hate the seats out of the wreck. They are grey (does not look right in my all black sports themed interior) and, although an improvement over the factory bucket seats, were pedestrian at best. So I scrounged around a U-pull-it and found some funky seats I liked the look and feel of. Unfortunately the seat skins are stitched directly to the bolstering which after years of butts sliding in and out of them has ripped (I'm gonna have a go at sorting this issue out)

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...and now it doesn't want to rotate image. But anyway these are seats from a Peugeot 306 Xsi. Picked up the pair for $99 AU and collected the seat belts with them so I could delete the floor mounted buckles. They are a little wider than the other seats but they are pretty comfy and have decent side bolstering. I am also considering installing a seatbelt warning light into the centre console. A bit of monkeying around to bolt the rails down but no worse than the first donor seats.

[pennyman1]

those look like it would be hard to see out the window with them sitting like that...LOL

[geezer101]

those look like it would be hard to see out the window with them sitting like that...LOL

I have the truck zip tied to the side of one of North Koreas failed missiles (I'm chasing an extra 10 HP if I can't get my Weber to work), thus the bad camera angle. They do have the range to reach Australian shores but they take a few months to wash up on the beaches...

[geezer101]

So not a lot of ground has been made on the truck of late. I completely disassembled the front end so I could find out what I'm in for - and the only parts I can salvage are the lower control arms and one caster strut rod. The sway bar is bent on the drivers side, along with the caster rod (which is bent in 2 places) and every other serviceable part is toast. This isn't really a big surprise but in retrospect this truck was still being driven like this until the engine siezed up. It must've been horrid on the road. The puzzle pieces are forming now. The truck has a bunch of scarring over the hood and the front apron is a bit beat up so I am taking a guess that the truck left the road one time in a hurry, hit something on the right side from underneath and went through a fence. That aside, I have been trickling cash into it and sourcing the parts I need or didn't realise I could use on the shoestring budget.

First and what initially was the most important - those brakes. They were past their serviceable life and I have been wanting a good brake upgrade so I did a field trip to the U-Pull-It north of me to do a nut and bolt research and scrounge the necessary parts. Found 2 Gen 2 2WD trucks, one of which had the front partially stripped down. One was missing a brake caliper but it was faster to get the steering hubs off it, in the process of taking the hubs off I mashed a caliper slide pin with a hammer (nice work, you monkey...) In between the Gen 2's was a wrecked Gen 3 which gave me a chance to compare the front end assemblies. Gen 3's have a taller steering hub and the calipers are 'out-board' compared to the Gen 2's which face towards the truck cab. Anyhoo I took a look around the yard for the cherry - twin piston calipers off a Monty (Pajero). Nada. I was ready to pack up my tools and leave but decided to take one last look for those elusive calipers and then I spotted a Mitsubishi Challenger 4WD. I doubted I could use them but it wouldn't take long to pull them off and check. They bolted up - damn near perfect. I had to take a solid brake line from a single piston caliper as the left set was missing the solid line off the back but it all went together*

[geezer101]

So my findings with the Gen 1 to Gen 2 brake swap. Use the whole steering hub and brake rotor assembly from the Gen 2 - it is a nut and bolt swap. The steering hubs have the same external dimensions and mount identically (for those who need to know dimensions and what-not...http://www.mightyram50.net/vbulletin/showthread.php/3289-1st-gen-to-2nd-gen-brake-swap?p=58180&viewfull=1#post58180)

*Now those calipers. They appear to be designed for a 276mm brake rotor - the Gen 2 rotors are 258mm. I can't find a rotor that will allow a bolt in swap but I don't think it is going to make that much difference. The pads overhang the edge of the rotor by 7-8mm and they are further away from the inside face of the rotor but I have seen new cars that are like this from factory. The hoses I had were fragged and I am not a fan of used hoses so I got a pair of braided stainless steel teflon sleeved hoses made up locally. So far my brake upgrade has cost me $268 and Ive gone from a solid rotor, single piston set up to vented twins with race quality hoses. I had to make a cut or 2 in the brake backing plate on the Gen 2 hubs to accommodate the ends of the twin piston calipers and bend it out slightly.

[geezer101]

More research and scrounging. My front sway bar was garbage. Not only was it bent, suffering from metal fatigue and rusted like hell, it is a bit inadequate for my liking so off to U-Pull-It again. Armed with my crusty Gen 1 sway bar I start sizing up possible donors (I was intending to pick up a pair of used gas sports shocks from a Gen 2 I noticed on my last visit with heavy duty springs but it was cannibalised by the time came back). Hmm, the Gen 1 and Gen 2 bars line up and have the same bend path, but the Gen 2 bar is thicker by a few mm. After a brief fight with it, I got the Gen 2 sway bar out and left the dying Gen 1 bar under the wrecked Gen 2. $23 later - mine! The bushes were garbage and I want all the bushes upgraded to urethane anyway. The original Gen 1 sway bar looks like it was 22mm thick while the Gen 2 is 25mm. Not a big increase but 10%ish is still an improvement.

[geezer101]

Ordered new upper and lower ball joints. They've cost me about $80 (AUD) but I'll need all the bushes. The stabiliser 'D' bushes need to be upgraded to 25mm and the link kits are NLA with all the hardware - 'D' bushes aren't a problem and the factory link kits were $51 each genuine so I think I can do better than that. I wasn't going to buy anything that didn't fix the truck but I spotted new repro 'L200' badges cheap. I have a feeling I won't be seeing them again and $9 delivered is trivial. I'm also scouting for front shocks. I'm hoping I can get away with a pair of foam cell, heavy duty gas shocks off ebay cheap as these things can be big ticket items.

Something like these - https://www.ebay.com/itm/2-Front-Foam-Cell-Shock-Absorbers-Triton-ME-MF-MG-MH-MJ-1986-1996-4X4-RWD-Ute/401442716020?epid=10003086234&hash=item5d77d9b974:g:e7gAAOSwdW9aDKZA&vxp=mtr

They have a slightly shorter stroke which won't be affected when I install my new lowered front springs that came with my donor truck. 40mm gas bore with the added protection from heat with the foam cell and a dust boot thrown in. I think I have to install it with the lower control arm in one hit as the body of the shock absorber looks pretty thick and I'll run into issues feeding it through the control arm.

[geezer101]

More research. Seeming I have taken the leap for a decent brake upgrade I am looking at a brake master cylinder and booster swap. Just as a comparison I found a Cordia turbo BMC/booster and looked at the differences to that and the Gen 1 BMC/booster. The actuator rods are centred the same and the mounting stud pattern has the same spread but the bottom studs are a different distance from the top studs. I figured out that I can re-drill the bottom stud holes without causing any issues (at least in this case) so there's a good chance I can source a newer assembly with a bigger master bore. The booster doesn't look like it will foul anywhere either so this looks like it could be do-able...

[pennyman1]

starquest master will work with the truck booster, and gives you a master with 1 inch bore vs a 7/8 bore of the truck

[geezer101]

starquest master will work with the truck booster, and gives you a master with 1 inch bore vs a 7/8 bore of the truck

Good to know but I am aiming for something a lot newer and the equivalent here in Oz is the Starion which is on the endangered list (might only see one or 2 a year). I have access to Mitsubishis built post 2000 and would prefer to use an entire assembly over the tired 30+ year old booster.

[geezer101]

Ordered new front shocks today. I wasn't going to take the plunge straight up but I received a discount code for 10% off when my ball joints came in and it expires by December. $119 all up with freight - it was a pretty sweet deal (their RRP on them was $171), just hope they are decent quality. I can't expect too much seeming the really cheap nitro gas shocks were $80ish and the premiums are over $330. Been burning some coin lately! Still nowhere near key-turn ready...

[geezer101]

My collection of 30 year old scrap metal...
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Mmmm, that radius rod look good don't it?

[geezer101]

...and the new shock, spring and lower arm urethane bushes and ball joint fitted -
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(Grrr, still uploading sideways :rolleyes:)

I'm gonna have grief with these shocks as the top mount fouls line of sight with a pivot mounting bolt. I'll cross that bridge when the upper wishbone is ready to be installed...

[geezer101]

So I've been hammering the electrics lately. Literally all of the connectors have perished so I bought a bulk kit of 30 harness plugs plus 3 rolls of electrical tape and started unwrapping the harness in the engine bay, cutting off the bad connectors and fixing the horrid efforts of owners gone by. I've needed a couple of oddball connectors like 6 and 8 pin connectors and had to buy them separately. The biggest change is the addition of a relay and fuse block next to the battery - and new headlight assemblies! I've modified the A/C wiring by locating the compressor and thermo fan relays into the relay block and converting the old glass style fuse to a regular ATO plastic blade fuse, and retrofitting a new ceramic socket headlight harness into the relay block as well (the good thing with the new headlight harness is all I needed to do was free all of the spade terminals and clip them into the relay block body). I'm installing an electric thermo fan for the radiator so that has it's own relay and fuse circuit which leaves me with one slot for a 4 pin relay. I'm relocating the glass fuse that's bridged into the ignition relay (well, I think that's what it is :lmao:) into the relay block as I have no chance of finding glass fuses around and it'll tidy up the wiring.

A work in progress -
21533215342153521536

[geezer101]

Forgot to mention the headlights weren't a straight forward swap as the rear housings on the new H4 assemblies wouldn't pass through the headlight buckets and the locator 'feet' in the corners of the headlights were too tall and needed to be ground down a touch to make them fit. The washer bottle was not much more than a pile of crumbling cheese so I found a suitable replacement for cheaps from the magical land of ebay. The new headlight harness was supposed to be a 4 ceramic socket kit but it turned out to be only a 2 socket kit. This actually solved a problem for me as I wanted full function of all the headlights instead of the inners running high beam only. I'll have a second headlight switch controlling the inner headlights from another headlight harness which I can run from the factory harness wiring where I've cut off the redundant headlight plugs. I can add a fuse to the relay block and run power through it straight from the battery. Admittedly this whole process has made the wiring appear more complicated but it should take a load off the factory headlight circuit and make it more efficient. The added bonus is once I have it rigged up, I can undo one or 2 plugs and remove nearly all of the front harness with it's own relays and fuses in one hit - headlights, thermo fans, A/C and some of the engine wiring as well without having to remove the whole harness from the truck.

[xboxrox]

Not an upgrade but NAPA in USA sells new (not rebuilt) replacement brake master cylinders for these trucks (not sure the brand name) I needed one to replace the leaking original part... Too bad I didn't notice the leak before all the inner fender paint got destroyed by the brake fluid, sad... Now it's rust city, sad... But the brakes work good again and no leaks...

[geezer101]

It all comes down to the freight. I don't have a problem with overhauling a BMC and I am opting for a newer assembly due to the sketchy split reservoir stock set up. They went to a single integrated reservoir for safety reasons. Iif you had a system leak, it would completely drain that circuit until it failed - with a single shared reserve it would need to drain all of the fluid before you were in trouble and there's more fluid in them. Not as lethal as old VW brakes (single circuit all round) but not far off it. It'll be easier to fix an updated set up as well. Gen 1 stuff is on the endangered list and rebuilding the rear brakes are gonna be a pain, so an LSD rear not only improves traction but gives me better braking and I'll have way more luck replacing components.

[xboxrox]

geezer, pennyman & a few others here; you really know Mopar/Mistubishi stuff & what parts interchangeability works with these trucks... I am very impressed by the knowledge of you guys... This truck of mine is the 1st Dodge (1st Chrysler product) I ever owned & 1st truck I ever owned... I am also impressed that it still runs good enough for public roads; thank you Japan...
:)

[pennyman1]

there is a divider in the 1st gen master cylinder so that you don't totally run out in case of fluid loss, as least Geronimo is like that...

[geezer101]

I encourage everyone to ignore some of the stuff I do due to the madness in my method :lmao:I'm looking at a complete BMC and booster assembly swap and newer Mitsubishis' brake boosters have a different mounting pattern (the 2 lower studs are further away by maybe a centimetre?) That means blasting 2 new holes not only through the firewall, but also the end of the steering column mount inside the cab under the dash. The holes will be hidden by the brake booster spacer. The trick is finding one that won't foul the side of the engine bay in that corner as there's not a lot of space to be had. I have a Cordia Turbo one that just squeezes in there but I'm not planning on going boosted (might add a twin cam head off an early Hyundai which is the same as Mitsubishi's 4G63 :shrug:)

[geezer101]

Haven't really updated this thread of late so I thought I'd add a pic...(it's probably in a link from my PB account but I'm done with photobucket holding my property to ransom)

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I've been getting my bargain hound on and hitting ebay for replacement harness sockets, headlight wiring harness upgrades, gas hood struts, a 5" monitor with dual cameras and a 6 switch induction panel. So far the main focus of my work has been on the truck wiring. It had a dealership A/C fitted but all of the harness sockets had perished and the relays themselves were originally anchored to the engine bay frame channel and had broken apart. I've bundled them into an aftermarket relay block with an accessory headlight harness and the engine cooling thermofan so all of the systems are protected in one case.

[geezer101]

21875

At this point I've only installed the headlight harness (the rest of the relays are only dummied in there) I've split the harness for the A/C from the truck, chucked the old relays that were fitted to it and wired up the new relays that came with the relay block and mimicked the wiring pattern for the A/C fan and compressor layout. I didn't like the way the top cover was designed to sit on the block so I trimmed one locator tab and rotated the top cover so the bevelled edge faced into the engine bay instead. There is still a ton of wiring to do - I'm replacing all of the harness sockets (they've turned to chalk and the terminals are all corroded), taping it all back up and rerouting some of the wiring in the process.

[Mechanic]

Oh, and here is the front air dam if anyone didn't see it from another post -

18991

I got it fitting reasonably well now after the trimming and bolting the ends up under the bumper. It is a little distorted in the first vent hole but I'm not sure if it's due to the air dam being a touch wider than the bumper or from the way it was mounted in the first place. I took a heat gun to it to 'sweat' the urethane back into looking fresher and shape it to fit a little better. The side wings still stick out all the way to the wheel arch lips but I can live with that.
Can't wait to see this bolted on that front end. It looks awesome!

[geezer101]

I might dummy it in later with the grille and take pic of it when I'm not going at the speed of life lol. As mentioned, the wiring is a mess and I need to finish assembling the front end suspension with the Gen 2 hubs but time is one resource I don't get a lot of. Just keep chipping away at it whenever I can. :rolleyes:

[geezer101]

Hmm, thought about the bike carb thing and came to the conclusion I'm making it too hard for myself. If I get the chance I'm going to split the intake from a 4G64 and use the lower half for the quad carbs. It'll still take a lot of sculpting and a trip (or 2) to a welding shop but at least I won't be starting from scratch and it solves a few issues like the coolant flow at the back of the intake manifold. Bike carbs are still expensive but I am looking at CBR900RR carbs as a first pick - big throats and roughly the right configuration to match the intake design.

A decent carb kit for my nutty 34DATA carb is going to set me back $100AUD once I've swallowed the bitter pill of freight but who knows - it might be enough for me once it's tweaked properly. I have it operating mechanically on the bench now I've completed the choke swap and got the throttle linkage mods nailed down. I've been stupid busy and the weather is cooling down. Really need to tie up the wiring and get the front end back on terra firma.

[geezer101]

Well, I was able to order the 34 DATA rebuild kit from a supplier in the eastern states. It did set me back the better part of $80 AUD delivered but it is a comprehensive kit with all of the diaphragms and gaskets etc (most only have body gaskets and O-ring seals, so this was worth sitting on the fence for) So I got serious and started breaking this weirdo carb down and clean every component properly - there was gunk packed into every crevice on it in places I couldn't see. The auto choke was sluggish from the get go and I thought that was simply a quirk of this Weber but after stripping it I discovered the shafts were clogged with fouled up grease that looked like tar. A blast or 2 with the oven cleaner, a scrub with an old toothbrush and cotton buds (you guys called them Q-sticks or something like that...) and I discovered this grey stuff called 'die-cast metal' under it. I polished up the shafts on the internal linkages and reassembled them. The tensioner spring in the choke linkages was fiddly to reinstall but once I had it in place, the auto choke was snapping like a mouse trap. A lot easier than adjusting the choke butterfly tension on the Mikuni.

I've test fitted the auto choke release assist, accelerator enrichment pump and the idle up solenoid diaphragm with only one diaphragm left to install - a small one that for the life of me I have no idea what it does, but I have to pull apart the throttle linkages to get to it. As an added bonus the Carbole 42S fuel pump came in the mail this week. Baby steps but steps none the less...

[geezer101]

I got to the mystery diaphragm yesterday. It has a screw through the middle of it that acts as a linkage pivot point for what appears to be a bowl vent. The diaprhragm itself was not only as hard as a rock but the screws on the cover were loose. As a result, gunk had found it's way inside of it and clogged up vacuum galleries. If the Lancia this carb came off was still running, I'd imagine it wasn't running nicely. I'm about to take the big step and pull all of the throttle shafts and butterflies out of this sucker as it will be the only way I'll be able to give it the thorough clean it needs before properly installing the rebuild kit. Man, there are a ton of springs, linkages and shims in there. Nothing like the Mikuni...

[geezer101]

I got my Scooby Doo on and figured out what the small diaphragm is - it's the diaphragm to the power valve. The carb is now down to the bare body and she was clogged up bad. Lots of debris and garbage in the gallery passing through the throats that joins the fuel bowl from either side. The emulsion galleries were sludged up along with every other air or fuel gallery, and the small check valve in the power valve assembly was jammed from gunk. To top it off the secondary throat was bypassing due to the body of the carb not being true. A half hour of rubbing it back with 400 grit paper and water on a sheet of glass refaced it to an acceptable finish (I did accidentally roll the carb body on one or 2 passes but it only rounded the far outer edge next to 2 of the top cover screws so fingers crossed it should seal ok with the new gasket)

I pulled the main jets and emulsions, soaked them in a citric acid bath and polished them back up. The butterfly shafts are a bit on the worn out side but should be serviceable with a blast of white lithium spray. The linkages and shafts aren't moving freely so the lithium should stop the binding and protect the metal from future wear. I cleaned up a few small sharp edges in the main venturis and polished them up. Last job on my list is to clean the auxilliary venturis up and have a shot at reassembling this thing.
If it's a fail I'll have a nice paperweight to add to my collection :lmao:

[geezer101]

Did a JY field trip today in search of a brake booster and master cylinder upgrade. The Gen 1/L200 will only allow a booster with about 220mm diameter max or it'll foul the inner fender. I pulled one but by the time I'd got it out and cobbled another master to it, I'd realised I'd goofed and picked a unit that didn't have long enough mounting studs. During this frustrating exercise, one very rotten and beaten up 4x4 L200 was in the row behind me that I hadn't noticed (this would be a great place to grab an old school truck right now - a Datsun, 2 Toyotas and a Mazda or 2 - rough but mostly complete bodywise...) The Gen 1 had a tray rear (unusual), no interior to speak of other than the factory wheel but the windscreen was new. Pristine NEW. With my boy next to me, we rolled as much of the bad rubber seal back from the cab, put our feet up on the glass and gently pushed it out a little bit at a time. Came out without a hitch :woo: While we were trying not to destroy my new acquisition, my rear end was getting destroyed by the junk on the cab floor. I dug some of it out of the way in an attempt to get as comfortable as possible and I unearthed a factory analog clock from the truck! Bonus round!! My $220 replacement windscreen issue was laid to rest. I cashed in a yard credit note that was dangerously close to expiring and walked out with new glass and a rough but possibly salvageable analog clock for $23. A good day for a field trip indeed.

[geezer101]

Another trip to the JY has yielded results. This time I found a very good brake booster off a 2.8 TD Pajero that someone had already removed the master cylinder from. Only difference between the turbo diesel brake booster and a regular unit is a vacuum sender switch fitted to it. My previous trip was a bust due to me removing a brake booster that didn't have a spacer behind it (the mounting studs were way too short) but the master cylinder was probably the best one I could find in the yard. I abandoned it at the gates but it made it's way to the salvage bins where I put it through round 2 and bolted it to the second booster (finally got it right this time!). On the way out of the yard I decided to find a seatbelt warning light out of an old Volvo that I might be able to rig up in conjunction with the Peugeot seats. I liked the big, chunky look of the warning light bezel and Gen 1's are pretty spartan on the safety stuff.

I got my haul home, looked over what I needed to do to make it go together and cleaned up the brake booster assembly. This wasn't a bargain like the windscreen but the discount I got from the last visit made it reasonable and I did eventually get exactly what I wanted - $83 AUD (I had to get a new cab overhead valet light for the Hung Dog as the wagon had been broken into and some a-hole damaged it while trying to find a viable light source to burrow through all of the garbage on the floor). I picked up a 9mm high speed drill bit so I could make the necessary mods to fit the brake booster (the lower mounting holes are about 10 mm further away). I swapped the pedal yoke from the original brake booster (the new boosters' pedal yoke is shorter) and I used the booster firewall spacer as a drill guide. I had to adjust the pedal yoke so the pedal had a little free play and bent the crap out of the stock solid lines to make them fit as the rear brake line out on the master cylinder is facing the wrong way and the booster is wider and thicker. The only thing I need to address now is the brake level warning sender which is actually in the side of the single reservoir tank and the wiring from the harness is not long enough to reach. So now the 'guts' of the braking system has been fully upgraded. The new booster just fits with a few mm to spare (overall width is approx 220mm) and the 2 separate brake reservoirs have been replaced by one single standard reservoir. The master cylinder body is alloy with a 15/16" bore which should be ok with the twin piston fronts I've got waiting.
I feel like I've finally made some progress - all I need to do now is post the pictures or it didn't happen :lmao:

[tortron]

There should be a blanked off seatbelt light in your 1st gen cluster geezer, the ones i have here do

its all set up, just needs a bulb and being connected


edit*
i have the guts of the one i cut up for my holden gauges to go in to. i would say that the framework of any markets instrument cluster would be identical, but maybe yours could have a solid blanking piece rather than the coloured plastic behind the face. if it does i can just send you the appropriate bits, they will fit in a letter

[geezer101]

^ is it the idiot door light? I'll have to look up how to wire the seatbelt sensor switches. I have the base cab instrument panel but that is being stashed away as part of my parts stockpile.

[geezer101]

And now, dem brakes -

22787
Booster is off a 2.8 TD. The master is from a Gen 3 or similar vintage Pajero

22786
My not so beautiful brake line reroute. You can see the brake fluid level socket in the side of the reservoir.

22785
The booster spacer is the same thickness as the original and allows clearance for everything on the firewall.

22784
The booster is close to the inner fender but not in any risk of being fouled by anything.

Next up will be control arms and the Gen 2 hub assemblies with the twin piston calipers and the braided brake hoses and the last few parts of the front end assembly (stabiliser bar and radius rods hardware) and I can call the front done!

[tortron]

No it's a seatbelt light
It's between charge and oil lights on the right of the unit (there's another battery symbol on the opposite side too)
22788

[geezer101]

In my neverending quest to resuscitate my L200, I've made a discovery or 2 about the truck and it may lead to some explanations on how a few of the options were different to my donor wreck even though they had the same G63B engine and 5 speed gearbox. Judging by the size of the universal joints in it, mine's a half ton truck (68mm across the outside of the joints from cap to cap...?) It would also explain why the front stabiliser bar was a little on the puny side compared to the one on the donor wreck (24mm vs 28mm I think?) It also might touch on something else that has not really been explained - why there are 2 different types of front UCA pivots. Maybe there are 2 different specs for the half ton and one ton trucks :shrug:

That aside, I've finally taken the tail shaft apart and got a shop to install my new centre pinion carrier bearing. I had to smack the old universal joints out with a 4lb hammer and an impact socket as a drift. After a huge battle with the first joint, I took an angle grinder to the other joints and cut through the pivots - everything was rusted in hard. The centre yoke retaining nut was on barely finger tight. It was probably due to how shot it was and the subsequent vibration that it had been exposed to. Now I'm trying to source reasonable priced uni joints to put it all back together. It is hard to believe this truck had only 180,000 km on the clock. The slip yoke is a bit beat up and has some pitting and a few grooves but fingers crossed, it will pass as serviceable. I've stepped back from my business for a few weeks to reign in my domestic stuff but still haven't got the free time to get wrenching on the beast...

[xboxrox]

geezer, your brake booster is on the wrong side of the truck..! :P

[geezer101]

geezer, your brake booster is on the wrong side of the truck..! :P

So am I lol. It seems I'm always on the wrong side of this truck - I'm never 'in' it, either under it or hanging out of the engine bay. Winter is about to kick in hard here so I won't be doing much to it. I'll see if I can reassemble the Weber and have it waiting for install. It's one of those jobs that doesn't require me getting outside top do anything. I'm probably going to pull the entire dash out of it and remove the steering column/brake booster mount to do a mod to it (I am determined to fit a starter safety switch into the clutch pedal which requires a bigger retaining nut to be welded into the place where the pedal travel stop bolt is situated). I can give it a coat of paint too and tidy up some of the ghetto wiring that's hiding under there...

[geezer101]

Been a looong time since I've updated. Had not been able to find a viable used radiator for my Gen 1 anywhere and due to the AUD being toilet paper + morbidly expensive freight, I've not even thought about shipping one from ebay so I went on a field trip to my go-to yard in search of something that might be useful. I was close to trying a radiator out of an early Volvo (one that still had brass tanks and copper cores with a remote filler reservoir), then trawled though a bunch of different wrecks until I decided to go for a slightly harder target and try my luck with L300 vans. I lucked out on this path before when I found a brand new, unused radiator from a 90's van but the core height was way too tall to fit but I did spot one in an earlier model 2.0 that the core measured up to be the right size. If you've ever worked on a van engine bay, this is one sucky job to tackle. Me and the apprentice (my boy) started a fight with this thing that ended up with me taking half a litre of fouled coolant straight to the face before it finally gave up.

In comparison, the 2.0 van radiator has the same size cores and the inlet/outlets are oriented the same but the mounting frames on the sides are completely different. The fact that it had coolant in it indicated that it hadn't rotted out and the cooling fins although a bit battered, were all intact - this purchase was out of desperation and I hadn't figured out how, who or where was going to be able to modify it for my needs. A search around via the net for shops locally that did repairs came up with 5 local shops - 3 of them had shut down and not edited the listings. Great... there was a shop not far from my dad's place that was still in business but the trick was will they do the mods and how badly was I going to get gouged for the privilege? It was a family owned business (tick this one as a positive) and after talking to the guy he assured me there were no problems with my instructions (second tick earned). So this is what it came down to - swap the mounting frames I'd already taken off my dead radiator onto the donor radiator and graft a thermofan sender bung into the bottom tank and pressure test the thing.

He calls me 3 days later - "it's done, pick it up when you're ready. I had to replace the drain cock on it as the tap was chewed up - that'll be $70..." EPIC WIN (third tick of approval, awesome). Only thing I wasn't hot on was the acrylic spray can paint job but I planned on repainting it myself anyway.

[geezer101]

Well that isn't what I had planned (I uploaded a bunch of pics and now I can't remove them from the post...)

An explanation of the above mess

image 1 - mocking up my new A/C condenser core.

Ebay purchase listed as CNFP1421KT - 14" x 21" parallel flow condenser with dryer and fittings included. I decided bigger was better and I guesstimated that this would go in - barely...

image 2 - the comparison in size of the old condenser vs new.

image 3 - the single wire thermofan sender installed into the bottom tank of the donor radiator.

image 4 - front view of the modded donor radiator installed.

image 5 - 2 x 10" fans that are being mounted to the back of the condenser and will be sandwiched between the condenser core and the radiator.

If you are considering installing an aftermarket A/C consenser for your Gen 1, a 13" x 18" will be easier to fit in there and won't require notching the upper core frame rail to clear the hood catch mechanism like I've had to for the 14" tall core assembly (yes, it is that tight I had to hack a section out of the top mounting frame rail...)

[xboxrox]

COOL Mod geezer ;]

1) Why place the fans between the condenser & radiator V.S. behind them as a puller..?
2) Please tell the brand of fans..?

Thank you for doing your part to curb global warming :thumbup:

[geezer101]

COOL Mod geezer ;]

1) Why place the fans between the condenser & radiator V.S. behind them as a puller..?
2) Please tell the brand of fans..?

Thank you for doing your part to curb global warming :thumbup:

1) - because I could :lmao:Well the plan is to save as much space as possible, try to prevent direct heat transference between the condenser and radiator and the fan stealth factor (plus nobody is ever going to get the chance to stick their hands anywhere near them during operation - this is probably going to come back and bite me on the ass in the future but I'll see...)

2) - the fans are a generic no name fan that happened to be identical to the fan I used on my Colt project which, for a single fan, worked really well (these fans were branded "Calibre" - 10" fan, 7.5 amp max current draw. The upgraded alternator will handle both of them no sweat)

Global warming? I won't be affected by it once this A/C is cranked up. Good chance fossil fuel will be depleted by the time I get this thing on the road though...

[BradMph]

Will that make the fan work harder since it's not drawing in open air. Kinda gives me the idea like sucking thru a straw that has obstruction. One of my TBirds, I put a push & pull low profile fans in. The pull fan is thermo switch started and the push is toggled on off in cab if I sit in congested traffic and see a heat rise. Personally IMO I think pull fans work better when a condenser sits in front of a radiator and always use a shroud.

LOL, by the time you finish your truck Geezer, we will be living on Mars and flying hovercrafts. :P

[xboxrox]

Global warming? I won't be affected by it once this A/C is cranked up. Good chance fossil fuel will be depleted by thetime I get this thing on the road though...
:clapyellow:

[geezer101]

The fans are small but I have restricted area to work with. My guess that 2 x 10" fans would fit side by side is actually a miscalculation as the open face of the radiator is only 19" wide at best. The whole thing is a compromise. If I put the condenser right up against the front face of the radiator, the radiant heat of the radiator will affect the efficiency of both the radiator and the condenser (that was how the original A/C was set up - I'm guessing the condenser was struggling to keep up with the huge evaporator core in the cab and the tiny fan running it wasn't helping either). I've rigged the fans so the primary radiator cooling fan is on the hot side of the radiator under the top inlet and the A/C fan is on the other side. When the A/C is on, the A/C fan will push air through the cooler side of the radiator above the outlet back into the engine. I'm going to paint everything in satin black to help the heat exchange. I'm using a NipponDenso rotary compressor over the ancient Sanden SD-508 that came with the truck so fingers crossed this will be a good, efficient system. I have never messed with A/C before so doing a retrofit like this is all new to me...

[geezer101]

Had a meddle with the spare fuel tank yesterday just to get ideas on how to put it to use. There's a little surface rust in the bottom of the tank but otherwise it appears to be sound. After checking out can1991ram's thread and his great boat tank retrofit, I've grown more to liking the idea of a secondary fuel tank. Only thing was I wasn't hot on having to cut a hole in the middle of the floor of the tray for a fuel filler, so I've I'm going to investigate using the filler neck and hose from an L300 van and the idea of mounting it to the inside of the tray behind the tail light out of the way. I'll still need to cut a hole somewhere but it will be discreet and mostly out of the way of tray access and raising the filler neck should reduce the risk of water contamination. Meh, might not do it yet - got plenty of other things to fix before I start on a mod like this.

[xboxrox]

you're in business now geezer, nice find :thumbup: your photo bucket is full :thumbdown: 'n too slow so keep posting a pic or two here, thanks...

[geezer101]

you're in business now geezer, nice find :thumbup: your photo bucket is full :thumbdown: 'n too slow so keep posting a pic or two here, thanks...

...don't get me started on turdbucket. First they break all of my links and attempt to hold my intellectual property hostage (whoever came up with the P500 fix needs to be given a small country to rule over...) I get continuous emails to 'update my account' (pay through the eyeballs for storage) I click on anything on my account and I get redirected to 'update my account'. And now I have something else fun happening - getting likes. Great! Someone is remotely interested in what I was uploading 3 years ago. Wait, nope. They're linking their advertisements to me so I can go to some sketchy adult site or get scammed. Photobucket is DEAD.

*is there a way I can bulk upload to my library? I really should have a home page album but it's going to take decades to upload each image...

[geezer101]

OK rant over. I've made a bunch of small purchases through the magical land of ebay. Some may or may not make it onto the truck depending on how it pans out. On the shopping list -

https://www.ebay.com/itm/AN6-6AN-10-Feet-3-Meters-Nylon-Stainless-Steel-Braided-Oil-Fuel-Gas-Line-Hose/323790410923?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649

https://www.ebay.com/itm/2x-Non-Return-One-Way-3-8-Fuel-Oil-Diesel-Gas-Aluminium-Inline-Check-Valve-DFHH/123858263492?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Portable-Pneumatic-Rust-Blasting-Handheld-Sanding-Gravity-Sandblasting-Gun/143403259040?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649
(don't know if it'll work with soda but it was really cheap so I'm gonna road test it...)

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Racing-Steering-Wheel-Hub-Adapter-Boss-Kit-for-MIATA-323-626-Mazda-MX6-RX7-TX5/132181741486?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649
*This one was an impulse buy - I'm either going to mod it to fit the hung dog wagon or the truck, but it was too cheap to pass up.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/4-350mm-6-Bolt-PU-Leather-Car-Auto-Sport-Racing-Steering-Wheel-Horn-Button/401785168655?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649
*Yet another impulse buy - if I really like the look of it I'll swap it into the truck. It was dirt cheap and has a classic look to it that might tie in with the rest of the interior.

Last item and the one that'll allow me to reassemble the front end once I get time -
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Whiteline-Front-Radius-Strut-Rod-Chassis-Bush-W81191/382697069418?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649

I'll have plenty to keep me busy over the next few months and I shall endeavour to post with pics with any progress ;)

[geezer101]

I came up with a solution to my twin fuel tank dilemma - sort of. I found a bunch of listings for 'dual fuel tank switching valve (https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_trksid=m570.l1313&_nkw=dual+fuel+tank+selector+switching+valve+FV1+F V1T&_sacat=0&LH_TitleDesc=0&_osacat=0&_odkw=fuel+tank+selector+switching+valve+FV1+FV1T) ' and they all appear to be either 3 port (one in/two out) or 6 port (same - doubled up). The vast majority of the 3 port valves are identical (they look like copies of Ford and GM OEM fuel tank selector valves) and the prices can be vastly different (from $25ish USD to $50ish USD) but as always the freight is brutal. It will eliminate the need for 2 pumps, should simplify the install but the part is specified for a non-return line fuel system and the selector valve must be installed with filters into both inlet ports from the tank - that means the pump must be installed in the main fuel line after the selector valve. Not ideal with an electric fuel pump.

[geezer101]

A minor milestone yesterday - I cranked the engine for the first time since the engine swap sans ignition. It was only a power circuit test which exposed a couple of faults with the upgraded wiring. Now I have to tie in the A/C wiring route with the cooling fans and the headlight loom and secure it in a way that doesn't foul the condenser. I'm trying to made the upgrades modular so if I have to do anything after it's all back together, I don't have to pull half the truck apart to access something.

[xboxrox]

I came up with a solution to my twin fuel tank dilemma - sort of. I found a bunch of listings for 'dual fuel tank switching valve (https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_trksid=m570.l1313&_nkw=dual+fuel+tank+selector+switching+valve+FV1+F V1T&_sacat=0&LH_TitleDesc=0&_osacat=0&_odkw=fuel+tank+selector+switching+valve+FV1+FV1T) ' and they all appear to be either 3 port (one in/two out) or 6 port (same - doubled up). The vast majority of the 3 port valves are identical (they look like copies of Ford and GM OEM fuel tank selector valves) and the prices can be vastly different (from $25ish USD to $50ish USD) but as always the freight is brutal. It will eliminate the need for 2 pumps, should simplify the install but the part is specified for a non-return line fuel system and the selector valve must be installed with filters into both inlet ports from the tank - that means the pump must be installed in the main fuel line after the selector valve. Not ideal with an electric fuel pump.

geezer, I 1st became aware of a fuel tank switch at GSA Auctions of a 1983 Chevrolet Truck (it needed it replaced in the auction write-up) internet images of this type truck showed the switch located about center of the dash... https://gsaauctions.gov/gsaauctions/aucbdcls/

I searched for: "fuel tank switch" within the results of a list of "Closed Auctions" At the GSA Auctions home page, click on "Browse by Status" then click on "Closed Auctions" this will show 2 years of auction history... You will see the aforementioned 1983 Chevy truck on this list...

LOOK at this link, it explains the Chevrolet Fuel Switch systems: http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/showthread.php?t=754061

Ya think Australia is big enough for two fuel tanks (?) without driving off the other side..? ;]

[geezer101]

geezer, I 1st became aware of a fuel tank switch at GSA Auctions of a 1983 Chevrolet Truck (it needed it replaced in the auction write-up) internet images of this type truck showed the switch located about center of the dash... https://gsaauctions.gov/gsaauctions/aucbdcls/

I searched for: "fuel tank switch" within the results of a list of "Closed Auctions" At the GSA Auctions home page, click on "Browse by Status" then click on "Closed Auctions" this will show 2 years of auction history... You will see the aforementioned 1983 Chevy truck on this list...

LOOK at this link, it explains the Chevrolet Fuel Switch systems: http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/showthread.php?t=754061

Ya think Australia is big enough for two fuel tanks (?) without driving off the other side..? ;]

I'd like to use the factory style dash switches that are available on ebay as part of this install (I'll put it in the centre console if it happens). The dual fuel set up in GM/Ford trucks are a main + auxiliary tank? Some of the control systems utilise the fuel level as a trigger to swap over the tanks (I'm going to opt for a manual override) To give you an idea of what travel time from city to city in Oz is like - Adelaide to Melbourne is 8/8.5 hours via road non stop. That is the nearest capital city from my home town. The main reason why I'd want to add a tank is the cost in fuel spikes. We are now paying $1.70ish AUD/Litre at peak price. On the low side of the pricing cycle it isn't going lower than $1.29/L. And I like having an ace or 2 up my sleeve. Thanks for the links xboxrox :thumbup:

[xboxrox]

Off Topic
Need more charging stations & aftermarket sound effects for me to consider owning an electric truck 4x4 or Jeep
Gas is high priced in Hawaii too

[geezer101]

Off Topic
Need more charging stations & aftermarket sound effects for me to consider owning an electric truck 4x4 or Jeep
Gas is high priced in Hawaii too

...ask tortron how much he's getting gouged at the pump :shakehead: NZ folks are paying through the eye sockets for fuel. And another off topic to the off topic - there are some car makers that are already 'fudging' their products by adding noise makers to them. Look up Volkswagens "soundaktor (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=px9rWbwUG1A)". Give me the gasp of an air intake and the bark of an obnoxious sports exhaust every day...

[xboxrox]

The Land of Oz is on this List..!

Top 10 Countries With The Cheapest And Most Expensive Gas


Venezuela. Price per gallon: $0.02. Average daily wage: $16.14. ...
Kuwait. Price per gallon: $0.88. ...
United States. Price per gallon: $2.57. ...
Luxembourg. Price per gallon: $4.69. ...
Saudi Arabia. Price per gallon: $0.91. ...
United Arab Emirates. Price per gallon: $1.80. ...
Switzerland. Price per gallon: $5.58. ...
Australia. Price per gallon: $3.57.

[geezer101]

New Zealand should be on that list way before Australia. Man do they get gouged for fuel...

On another note and tangent - the Hung Dog took yet another hit a few weeks ago and is pretty bent up (hooray for guys who let their autistic princesses borrow their Focus ST turbos...) Both front chassis rail are bent, passenger fender and front bar took it side on but it is still driveable. A war is ensuing with the other parties' insurance co and I've dealt with these guys before so I know what I'm getting into. After assessing the upcoming years' massive expenditures we are making a few changes. The truck has been taking far too long for me to get back together and operational so it is time for me let go of it and pass it into someone else's hands. Waifu's car is 16 years old and she's landed a new job that is a little harder to commute, and there's every chance my wagon will be written off even after pouring nearly $2k into it in the last 12 months which SUCKS. The Hyundai has been perfect for hauling work crap and as taxi service for the kids. She's getting new wheels (don't know what yet) and I either have to get a replacement myself or formulate a strategy to solve my working/taxi situation that doesn't leave me stranded in the interim. I'm not tapping out - just a change in plan ;)

[Salteen]

Yeah lol we have front and rear facing cameras on every car in the yard. Protects us against these autistic princesses.

Fortunately for me I am dating someone who can actually drive lol.

I would reccomend a Toyota Camry or Avalon, both the I4 and V6 models are very reliable, but the V6 tends to get more mileage and has more grunt, and the V6 models also have bigher brakes and more options.

[geezer101]

The Focus ST has rear proximity sensors and I was on the horn the nano-second I saw those reversing lights go on but she stood on that pedal like she was killing a cockroach - twice. Once on initial impact, and again after she knocked it out of gear and back into reverse a second time while she was still pinned to me. I knew I was talking to a winner when the first thing she said to me was "do you think I can get it (my boyfriends car) fixed without him knowing?" My reply was - "he's a guy... he'll notice - but that won't get that (pointing to my somewhat crushed plastic and metal modern art sculpture) fixed..."

Oh FFS, it was only 18 months ago I had a kid on a Kawasaki try to embed himself in my passenger door. He was a winner too :slap: This is the crap that makes me scared to put my truck on the road. The only upside is the Gen 1 is like tank armour compared to most new cars. If anyone rear ends it or backs into the front of it, they're gonna get messed up badly before I see any real damage.

[Salteen]

Lol. My brother had a 82 2wd Model d50 with the 2.0L. Someone in a 90s model lifted chevy pickup rear ended him at a redlight. It tore the front end out from under the chevrolet and it bent the bumper and tailgate on the d50. So yes they are tanks. He had the infamous fuel pump leak and he would drive from spartanburg to saluda, stop at the house, top off the oil (with whatever as long as it was slick) and go to whatever football game or school or something. And he put well over 400k and it still ran when he parked it. It's in his backyard now but it has sat over 10 years and time has taken a toll on the poor little thing. I still think its salvageable though.

I love these trucks they are basically bulletproof if you take care if them and keep coolant in it.

[geezer101]

The Hung Dog lives... again... sort of. The insurance company tried to pass me off with a sympathy vote and a bus ticket but I wasn't having none of that. Carsguide listed the premium price for a GLS 2.0 and then I looked up what the worst offer online was for a similar mileage and optioned Hyundai, dropped the value for rust and paint, then factored in the accessories and told them what I wanted (not a stupid offer but what I'd pay if I was buying it before post-modernist sculpting) I took a heat gun, timber chocks, a pry bar, a concrete breaker bar and a ratchet strap, pulled the worst of the damage out of it and picked up a few parts at my UPI yard to replace the busted corner indicator and a dodgy power window switch bank for the drivers door (which still has a bad switch but meh, I can rebuild it...)

A stroke of bad luck turns fortune in my favour so now, I have potential funds to use on my truck! :grin: The front end on the Hung dog isn't super straight but it drives without griefing me. It's needed a front wheel alignment since I replaced the struts and control arms last year so hopefully someone will be able to sort it even though it's taken a hit. Time to fix my drive line, finish reassembling the control arms and maybe scrounge the LSD I've had on my Xmas wish list...

[xboxrox]

geezer, you're HAPPY & we're HAPPY for you too :thumbup: have fun using the money... One thing: the names of your tools are different ;) I think one you mentioned using "ratchet strap" is what we commonly call a "come along" ?

[geezer101]

geezer, you're HAPPY & we're HAPPY for you too :thumbup: have fun using the money... One thing: the names of your tools are different ;) I think one you mentioned using "ratchet strap" is what we commonly call a "come along" ?

I didn't use something like a recovery winch, it was literally a ratchet strap (a tie-down for cargo etc) I wrapped one end around the end of the passengers side upper chassis rail and hooked it up to the big @ss tree in my yard and cranked it until I got 3/8" stretched back into alignment. Not perfect, but enough for me to adjust the panels to disguise the worst of it. Extra good news - wheel alignment was successful which means the damage was only cosmetic (I haven't paid for a wheel alignment the entire time I've owned it lol) I also cobbled together a power antenna from a late model Hyundai (massive PITA) as EVERY Hyundai sportswagon has a broken power antenna. It was fit for a tutorial for the Hyundai forums :P I may very well have the only working antenna in Australia lol...

[xboxrox]

OMG geezer, you're too much fun dude..! :drinkingdrunk:

[geezer101]

OMG geezer, you're too much fun dude..! :drinkingdrunk:

I'm not sure if I qualify as 'fun' but if I keep up with my shenanigans, eventually the locals are going to start lining up on the footpath with camp chairs to watch my acts of lunacy. I decided today was a good day to start stripping window tint from it - apparently it wasn't... Took 1 1/2 hours to remove tint from the quarter window and door glass from the passenger rear door and I discovered the window channel is severely rotted out for my efforts. So now more parts scrounging and money on a car I'm trying not to spend on. However me buying crap for the Hung Dog and some new tyres got me out of some potentially bad sh*t this evening. Took my dad out for dinner and on the way driving him home I got pulled up by a roadside testing station. 3 days earlier I had a front indicator out, a back brake light and 2 very dubious tyres. Dodged a proverbial bullet :thumbup:
(and I don't ever drive if I plan on the rare occasion to have a drink, so I blew the big 0.0 and was sent on my way - a totally non-sh*t night :))

[xboxrox]

Good Job geezer, especially the part about taking your pop to dinner, excellent :thumbup:
Google says try: remove tint glue with 0000 wire wool and a mixture of hot water, dawn and ammonia.
Me & the wife made a trip from Kailua to town (Honolulu) today; here is a pic of Kamehameha Hwy & Pali Hwy intersection on the windward side of Oahu... Temp gauge musta got "UNSTUCK" it seems to have found a new place to rest on the gauge face arch (about 1/3 into the arch length) previously it always stayed right on the 1st black line on the arch...
24443

[geezer101]

Google recommends a number of things... but I have found that a hot gun to lift the film, then premixed sugar soap in a spray bottle and a fresh break away blade not only removes the water based glue cleanly but also preps the glass leaving it spotless (bloody cleanest I've seen glass ever). Steel wool can bite into the glass - game over. I'll also remove all door glass to strip and install the new tint. Biggest headache will be the tail gate rear window. The heater/demister grid can easily get damaged so using a blade is off the options (maybe a melamine block and the sugar soap...) Been a while since I've done tint - I must be due for a reminder why that is the case :rolleyes:

[geezer101]

And now I'm finally updating my thread. Thanks to the entire planet being forced into isolation I've taken a chunk of my day to try out a budget trim idea I came up with while haunting ebay.

First thing I ordered back in January was this stuff -

https://www.ebay.com/itm/135x50cm-PU-Leather-Adhesive-Sticky-Rubber-Patch-Sofa-Fabrics-Textiles-Home-Fix/313048272709?_trkparms=aid%3D1110006%26algo%3DHOME SPLICE.SIM%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D20190212102350%26meid% 3D16ffdd67a00d4f03b458e28548617fb9%26pid%3D100012% 26rk%3D1%26rkt%3D3%26sd%3D401959665178%26itm%3D313 048272709%26pmt%3D1%26noa%3D0%26pg%3D2047675%26alg v%3DSimplAMLv5PairwiseWeb&_trksid=p2047675.c100012.m1985

Then this -

https://www.ebay.com/itm/5M-Car-Styling-Interior-Exterior-Decoration-Line-Moulding-Trim-Strip-Flexible/263599521089?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649

I didn't want to go overboard with the carbon fibre look film and I also felt like it needed something to bring a little detail to the interior. The end result was -
2482924830
The self adhesive stuff looks decent. Pretty close to the quality you'd normally find in a car interior. The red trim strip simply tucks into the gap at the top of the door card. All up I got enough to theoretically cover the entire top of a dash if you had to fix one that was badly cracked and 5 metres of trim strip for just under $20 USD. I did try the trim strip around the the dash bezel but I wasn't sure if I liked it. I went to town with it in the Hung Dog wagon and it works in that dash and centre console (the COVID's encouraged me to sharpen up the wagon so I bought an early Tiburon steering wheel, covered it with a real leather DIY stitched cover, made my own quick shifter and replaced the head unit with a nice JVC 4 RCA channel out multi media/disc player and fixed a number of little gremlins that have resided in the wagon for ages)

[xboxrox]

Slick geezer :thumbup:

[geezer101]

I have to get a decent camera (I uploaded from my phone via my desk top and the horrid 18 pixel camera I bought won't focus and is hell light sensitive) I'll be buying more of the adhesive vinyl stuff to finish off a bunch of cab trim and maybe re-do the passenger door top as there is a reoccurring bubble in one spot and I ham-fisted the cut down one edge.
Next on my to-do list... SEAT RAILS! :woo: I got a local shop who welds stuff cheap and I can cut and jig the brackets myself.

[geezer101]

Oh, and thanks George ;) This sorta stuff is easy to pull off - it looks presentable and is dirt cheap. I did need a little help with rolling the vinyl over into the window gap as it wanted to stick to everything (kudos to my girl Lilly - thanks :P)

[Bjamin]

Geezer, that looks awesome dude, nicely done.
I haven't even started thinking about what to do with the interior yet, still trying to do some component additions and whatnot. It definitely needs help though and the dash pad is pretty much useless. Cracked to metal and warped all over the place

[geezer101]

Thanks Bjamin :thumbup:. I really am impressed with how that legit the cheap PU leather grain adhesive stuff looks. I took the passenger door card off and pulled the adhesive up in that one spot where it was looking janky. Came up easy enough and allowed me to take out the air bubble along the edge. Hopefully Bjamin you'll find a nicer dash pad to swap in. It's not impossible to fix a busted up pad but it is a lot of work. I haven't looked on ebay to see if there are bigger cuts of that adhesive PU leather but a sheet about double the width would be enough to cover a whole Gen 1 dash. They send it folded up so you will end up with fold lines in it but it's acceptable.

[Bjamin]

I think a little heat might help smooth the creases (speaking hypothetically not from experience).
I tell you what though, big enough piece or not, it is excellent inspiration and this is why my project list has no end:(

[geezer101]

I think the PU leather will not like heat being put into it - badly. You probably could get away with a little heat to shape it but I'd expect the grained finish to go weird or it possibly turn matt or even glossy which would look horrid. I'd experiment with an offcut just to be sure. The fold lines aren't that obvious and it depends on how light hits it. But considering how cheap you can get it it's worth trying it out. Using it to cover the untrimmed metal sections of the inside of a Gen 1 cab would really make it feel a lot different.