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I can still beat a dump truck off the line but that’s about it hahaha. Haven’t thought as much about the LS swap as I have an OD transmission. I’m doing 4.88’s next spring and the rpm’s will be crazy high. Right now with 3.73’s and 37’s I’m running about 2750-3000rpm at 70.
It was so nice to drive today. It ran awesome. Temps and pressures. Tracked straight. Rode great.
Sunday the wife and kids are going to a friends house so I’m going to install the new fan shroud I bought along with the light and run through all the bolts to make sure everything is as solid as can be.
TH350's are awesome haha. Dunno yet. I'm leaning towards the 700r4 for simplicity but a 4L80 would be bullet proof in this truck even if I build a hopped up 383 or go LS. They are both about the same price but the 80e would need electronics and wiring. I got time to look though. This truck usually don't go over 55mph but it would be nice to make it more streetable and get some better mileage. 50 miles today was a 1/4 tank.
Not much but some little things. New tail light and new air filter. The PSC pump must be machined slightly differently than the factory pumps. Not only did I have to space it out about a 1/4” to make it clear the engine, but even with the adjustments maxed out I couldn’t get the belt tight enough and it would squeal whenever turning at a stop. Issues I didn’t have with the stocker or reman. Decided to buy new belts today because who knows what’s on here. I take the old ones to o’reilly’s and we start looking and sure enough they are the right belts so I’m guessing they were just stretched out. I get the new belts and had to use a pry bar to slip it over the pulley they were so much smaller. Once on the pulley they had some slack but only about a 1/2” which was perfect. Got them tightened up and no more squealing. Also got more clearance around the frame for the hoses which was a nice benefit and the reservoir is sitting straight up and down now also.
The truck came with a 454 radiator in it and pieces of the factory fan shroud zip tied every where. Trashed that a long time ago and ordered a new 1 piece fan shroud for a 454. Made some brackets to drop it an inch to account for the body lift and get the fan centered in it. Still had to do some trimming on the bottom to make it fit. It’s not finished as I’ve gotta patch up the gaps around the sides and top but it’s better than nothing. It looks like I’ll need about a 1/2” spacer to get the fan deeper in but I’ll confirm that once the shroud is permanently mounted. I also bought new radiator mounting parts since I threw the ones I previously bought away in the trash this week.
Decided to go after my transmission leak today. If I drive it constantly it only has one or two drops but if sits for a week it creates a huge pool under it.
Figured it was probably the detent cable and dipstick tube. Dropped the pan for the third time in a 100 miles and was greeted with some nasty fluid again. It’s only a matter of time before it dies.
Good thing is I think I found the leak. Dipstick seal was trashed. Of course moose knuckle decided to secure the dipstick not with a bolt to the transmission but with double twist bailing wire wrapped tight around a spot on the fender that was near impossible to reach.
09-11-2020, 01:51 PM
