Rembrant's new non-Bullnose project

Wow!  Wonderful!  Well done!  

I think you are wise to run grounds to everything.  I can't hurt but certainly might help.  

As for the cooler, it is on the return or low-pressure side.

Oh...and for what its worth, I'm not overly happy with this variable speed radiator fan controller. It's working now...I think I finally got it set where it needs to be, but I think the fan might run more often than it needs to. I have the temperature sensor installed just under the radiator inlet as per instructions. The controller came preset to 180F supposedly, and I'm running a 195F thermostat. I've actually turned it below 180F...probably at 175F or lower now for it to operate properly. The problem is the stick-on temp sensor...there is a delay for it to read the actual temperature (compared to an actual immersed sensor that is IN THE COOLANT). Derale recommended I set it to 10F above the thermostat temperature, so 205F. Driving down the road the engine temp is fine...but if parked and running, the engine will basically overheat to 230F area before the temp sensor will tell the fan to come on. I think it's just because of the delay between actual coolant temp and the temperature soaking into the sensor that is stuck on the outside. Maybe I'm wrong? Anyway, where it is set now it will come on early enough to not overheat, but then it will run more often once it is running. I don't know how to get around that...I think it's just a funky system.

Gary Lewis wrote

As for the cooler, it is on the return or low-pressure side.

Thanks for confirming Gary. I think I might stick one of these coolers on it:

https://www.summitracing.com/parts/der-13223?seid=srese1&gclid=CjwKCAjw8-OhBhB5EiwADyoY1fjET9os3EgRegR_OKCAjz1i92ycBSX34rsS5fhTOBHEmDebvvnhJhoCd78QAvD_BwE

I don't know how much heat it would shed, but it would be better than nothing. The fluid is running a little hotter than I like. It's probably fine, but for a few bucks and a little time I can cool it down a little bit.

Awesome job on the truck!

It is looking good.

That power steering cooler looks like it'll do the trick. I always like the curly line Ford used.

Yes, that cooler should help a lot.

Big milestone today! I surpassed 1000kms on my newly built '52 Merc. I took it on a 300 mile round trip to visit my folks. I have good news and bad news lol.

The heater core failed this week, and it is a 100% obsolete and unavailable item, so a rebuild is the only option, and it's not cheap. A local rad shop has to order in a custom made core, and then sweat the old tanks on it for me. Its stupid expensive, but the only other option is to find one that is similar, and then spend how much time and energy trying to adapt the heater box to hold it. I decided to bite the bullet and get the shop to fix it.

Anyway...that wasn't the real bad news...lol.

The good news though, is that so far the truck appears to be getting 17+ MPG! First full fill up was 17mpg even, and that was with a mix of local driving and about 40% highway. Now, with almost another full tank burned all on the highway, it appears to be doing even better...maybe 18 MPG? I'll let you know when I fill it up. I'm a big fan of having overdrive...I wouldn't be getting anywhere near that mileage without OD. The truck isn't really even "tuned" yet...I more or less have it set at a baseline, with plans to improve it. AFR? No idea at this point. So far, the little Summit carb is working well as far as mileage goes...if I can get the idle issue sorted out, I'll be super happy. (By the way, I have the speedometer calibrated with GPS, so it's accurate at least...not guessing).

I don't have a tach, but using online calculators, it appears that my little 302 is spinning at approximately 1950 RPM at 62-ish miles per hour. The 4R70W and 3.55 gears is a nice match...which is probably why Ford used that combo so often.



Now for the bad news...lol.

At the half way point of my 300 mile round trip today, I pulled in off the highway and then when I got back up to speed on the rural road, the trans made a hard "thunk" shifting into OD. It has been shifting fairly hard into OD anyway, but I assumed it had something to do with the shift profile in the Quick4 controller, which I was basically too lazy to try to reconfigure. I just wanted a stock trans with a stock program to run it...I didn't want to do anything special. Anyway, when I started my return trip, after a while I happened to notice that my Quick4 controller was showing an error: "Transmission Slip in 4th Gear". The trans temp was high at 177F (it normally runs around 147-153F). It said something else that I missed also...something to do with full pressure in 4th and slip detected, but that one went away. I stopped and started the truck a few different times on the way home, and it would run along fine each time for a while, but the error kept coming back.

This is a used transmission I bought with I think 140,000 miles on it. It's one I ordered through Car-Part, so the history is 100% unknown other than the supposed documented mileage, and that the fluid was clean and clear.

I'm not sure if this means a small problem or a big one, but either way it can't be good news. It didn't feel like it was slipping, and is otherwise working just fine.

I'm going to try and hunt down another transmission regardless, and maybe have one that's ready to install.

That's all.

It was super fun cruising in the old truck though. It can manage 60-65 MPH on the highway OK, as long as the asphalt is nice and smooth. If I hit a rough patch or rutted surface...the fun is over in a hurry lol.

one thing that gets my attention. the rpm vs speed. i am running practically the same setup but with 3.73 gears and at that rpm I am going 72. double checked by a couple different gps sources and the occasional highway speed box. gosh I love making them flash.
my concern is more with a solenoid being used to engage the overdrive band. not sure it's a bad trans. check fluid condition for signs of cooking.

I don't see any mention of tire size but that's certainly a big factor.

mat in tn wrote

one thing that gets my attention. the rpm vs speed. i am running practically the same setup but with 3.73 gears and at that rpm I am going 72. double checked by a couple different gps sources and the occasional highway speed box. gosh I love making them flash.
my concern is more with a solenoid being used to engage the overdrive band. not sure it's a bad trans. check fluid condition for signs of cooking.

ArdWrknTrk wrote

I don't see any mention of tire size but that's certainly a big factor.

I'm running 255/60-15's in the rear and they're only 27" OD.



In order to do 72 MPH at the same RPM with 373 gears and 4R70W, Matt's tires would have to be much larger than mine. 32.5" OD according the calculator I used.



Maybe the calculators are wonky, I'm not sure, but I tried a couple of them and got the same results.

I don't think the calculators are wonky, and I know for sure 35's are at the limit of stock fender openings when turning.

I'm just glad to hear you're out enjoying your truck to go see your folks.
Teething problems with used parts are part and parcel of the game.

You'll get it figured out. And you'll get it fixed.

ArdWrknTrk wrote

You'll get it figured out. And you'll get it fixed.

Ya, I'll get it sorted. Question is, do I go looking for another used transmission, or buy a reman, or have mine rebuilt? I do have a small issue that I cannot use my existing transmission for a core return with a reman. The cast-in bracket for the factory shift cable is busted off the housing. It wasn't an issue for me, but it means that it cannot be used in its intended application.

Just catching up on your project.
We all have teething issues when they first get on the road.

On the transmission I take it the controller uses input from the TPS right?
I also seen a post about the carb, TPS and not being able to get the idle speed as low as you wanted.
What other inputs dose the controller use to make the transmission work right?

I ask because I had an issues with my 02 Durango where it would unlock and / or down shift out of over drive but only on the high way going 60 to 65 MPH. Turned out to be the wiring harness to the TPS was bad and would not send the right information to the computer and make it do what it did.

I am thinking maybe the needed information going to the controller is dropping out?
The other thing I might want to do is hit up a auto trans shop and run by them what your setup is and is happening.
Good luck
Dave ----

ps if the trans temp has gone up it is either slipping or not locking up as it should in my book

Cory - Glad things are coming together.  And yes, there are teething problems.  But eventually you'll be able to go as far as you want - today we did 525 miles/841 KM in Big Blue.  However, there have been some teething problems along the way.

Bummer on the tranny.  Not sure what to tell you, but I'd lean to a rebuilt one.  I've not bought a fully tranny from them, but I've purchased a lot of parts from Midwest Transmission Center, and that's where I'd go if I were to be buying one myself.

As for the RPM, I think you are spot on.  Here's what our calculator says:

Gary Lewis wrote

Bummer on the tranny.  Not sure what to tell you, but I'd lean to a rebuilt one.  I've not bought a fully tranny from them, but I've purchased a lot of parts from Midwest Transmission Center, and that's where I'd go if I were to be buying one myself.

Thanks for the tips Gary. I'm going to do some transmission testing today after I re-install my gold plated heater core lol.

I made a couple of transmission inquiries and joined a couple Facebook 4R70W groups and basically came away with two things:

One guy said to bump up my line pressure in the Quick4 controller and see what happens. He seems to think that I have not caused any damage to the transmission yet, and that it's worth trying some incremental changes in the controller to see what happens. This guy also seems to think that the 177F temp reading is nothing at all. He said nothing to worry about until after 200F.

Another guy says that it's probably the torque converter clutch slipping, and that it's at the very early stages of wear. He said to throw in a bottle of anti-slip additive and the problem will likely go away for 10,000-15,000 miles, but that the torque converter will eventually need to be replaced.

Baumann Controls said to run a data log with the Quick 4 and send to them and they'll be able to better pinpoint the problem. Since the Quick4 controller has an engine RPM input, and an output shaft speed sensor, it will know precisely when the transmission is slipping, at least when the torque converter is locked up. I could set the torque converter to NOT lock up, and I'm sure the fault will disappear...unless the Quick4 knows exactly how much slip there is in the system overall?

I dunno...

In any case, I bought a complete spare transmission to have as a spare. I have a bit of a "rare" transmission here...it being from a 1996 F150. The 1994-1995 4R70W trans is different in several ways, and the 1997-up does not have the SBF bellhousing. It was semi local, and the only '96 F150 specific trans available for 1000 miles, so I grabbed it. I might drop the pan on it today and see how things look in there...how much debris is in the bottom and how much metal fuzz is on the big magnet;).

Anyway, no panic yet...I'm still mobile.

I think the Baumann approach is what I'd do first.  If that indicates slippage then maybe they have a recommendation?

On the anti-slip additive, you have brand new lube in it - right?  If so then it has plenty of the additives the tranny needs and giving it something else would seem to be the wrong approach.  It could cause the other clutches to lock up abruptly and make the shifts harsh.  And once it is in there you have to replace the fluid to get it out.

But changing the line pressure might help the clutch engage fully, and it is adjustable.  So if Baumann doesn't have a good suggestion that might be a reasonable next step.

Gary Lewis wrote

I think the Baumann approach is what I'd do first.  If that indicates slippage then maybe they have a recommendation?

On the anti-slip additive, you have brand new lube in it - right?  If so then it has plenty of the additives the tranny needs and giving it something else would seem to be the wrong approach.  It could cause the other clutches to lock up abruptly and make the shifts harsh.  And once it is in there you have to replace the fluid to get it out.

But changing the line pressure might help the clutch engage fully, and it is adjustable.  So if Baumann doesn't have a good suggestion that might be a reasonable next step.

Actually, I misspoke there a bit Gary...it was actually Baumann that suggested the trans additive, and that if it didn't work, to run a data log and send it to them. I figure they know the AOD/AODE/4R70W as good or better than anybody, so after pondering their advice for a few days, I took it and threw in some additive. I have always been extremely skeptical of additives like that, but so far the stuff seems to be working. I went out with the truck and drove it for two hours, and could not get a fault to show up on the Quick4 controller. I'm not saying that the jury is back yet, but so far it looks promising.

But yes, the trans is full of new fresh fluid also.

I'm hoping to buy some time and do a swap later on. I now have a spare trans, although the mileage on it isn't much lower than the one in the truck now. However, it's working well, and if I can get the season out of it and swap the trans in the off season, I'd be much happier with that.

I'm going to pull the spare trans pan off and get it all cleaned out, install new seals, etc. That way it is ready to swap in on short notice if need be.

On to other news, I ordered some of the parts to install front disk brakes on the solid axle spindles. Speedway sells these kits that use 1973-1993 Ford F-Series front rotors with Chevy car calipers. So far I just bought all of the brackets, hardware, and fittings. I'll have to source the rotors and calipers later. The one issue I have had with buying this kit is that nobody could tell me with any certainty if the disk brake kit pushes the wheels out or in (or keeps them in the exact same spot), so I need to do some bench tests first, before I install.

Interesting, I'm not usually big on additives, but some work and have their place.

I find this interesting because our Suburban transmission used to "hunt" for the right gear.

Did some research and found a TSB for this problem and it said to drain and install synthetic ATF, and it cured the problem.

I'm not big on additives in a new fill as I think the ATF should do the trick.  But if it works it works, and I'm glad it does!  

And I hope the brakes keep the wheels/tires right where they should be.  Not only does that change the looks but it also changes the mess created when you drive in the rain - or especially mud.