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Thanks. It's a definite work in progress but it's fun. Hopefully taxes are gentle so I can buy the suspension system I've got sitting in the cart. Wife and I both started new jobs before we got our bonuses so now I gotta wait for taxes to see if I can get it then. Otherwise I'll have to go the old fashioned way of saving.
Turns out the distributor that was on this truck was an ECS distributor that was connected but the wire to the knock sensor was cut. So that's all gone now. Also found out that one of the hold downs wasn't tightened and so the inside was filled with grit and dirt.
New distributor, new wires, new and correct spark plugs gapped at .045, all new carb. Cranked for about 15 seconds and it fired right off. Sounded awesome. I need to pick up some timing tape so I can actually time it but for now I've got it set by ear best I can. Idles at about a 1000-1100rpm in park and 600-700rpm in drive. I had to stop and clean up and get ready for people to come over but it's running way better. Was able to get it up to 5000rpm without any missing or popping or just not wanting to.
Got a timing light on it today after fighting with that crappy msd timing tape. It was at 30* with no vac advance hooked up. Oops. No wonder it was hard to start when hot. Got it set to about 10* with no vac and it looked like 30* or so with vac. At that point the tape flew off again and I sad screw it. Had to make my own timing pointer since the stock position is completely covered by the power steering reservoir.
Ceramic coated long tubes arrive tomorrow. True dual exhaust arrived yesterday. But it's supposed to rain most of the week so that'll wait until next weekend maybe.
The really exciting news is our bonuses came in so I'm calling ORD on Monday and ordering new springs, shocks, shackle flip, new body lift, all new bushings, crossover steering, brake lines, u-bolts, hardware, etc. Finally dropping this thing down from 9" of hacked together suspension//body lift to a well thought-out and put together 5" suspension//body lift.
Headers came in and gotta say, I'm impressed. For $250 for ceramic coated long tubes I'm surprised they are this nice. Each tube is fully welded on the inside. Bends are nice. Coating looks solid. I can't wait to install these. Also got the dual exhaust system in. This will be fun to piece together.
A whole bunch of money later, I've got ORD customsprings, ORD F3 Bilsteins, u-bolts, extended shock mounts, drop pitman arm, body lift and bushings, front shackle, 6" rear shackle, and Kevlar greaseable bushings all the way around. The front springs are getting setup to push the front axle forward an inch. David and tech support were hugely helpful in making sure I picked the right parts to meet my goals. It'll be 4-6 weeks before the springs ship which is going to put them delivering during spring which will be perfect weather for this project.
I'm slowly unfuckering everything on this truck and getting it done right with the right parts. The new suspension will ride, drive, and flex better. Expensive but it's an investment in the future of this rig.
02-01-2020, 09:33 PM
