Gary Lewis

Oh, I forgot you got the AEM. Should be a good gauge. But, I think 13.9 - 14.2 is a bit rich. I'd be shooting for 14.7 if you are running pure gas. That's the stoichiometric ratio, meaning where supposedly all the fuel will be burned. However, since you are seeing the average of the cylinders on that bank then some may be leaner and some richer than that. So to me 14.7 is a good target, and it'll help your MPG. As for it being higher in cold weather, certainly. Colder air is more dense and has more oxygen molecules per unit of volume than warm air. And since the carb doesn't know the difference, it doesn't give cold air any more fuel than the same volume of hot air. So fuel/air ratios in cold air are leaner than in warm air - unless you have a fully functional factory air cleaner system that keeps the air at a constant temp. And even then there is some variance.

Dane - I didn't know such a thing existed. Good to know.

I wasn't thinking. I didn't know about different fastener grades. Don't think Dad knew, so I didn't learn it until during that project. Bought a full-sized Chevy van that was open and empty behind the second seat and created a raised platform using angle, plywood, and 1/4" fasteners. The platform was covered in carpet matching that of the rest of the van, and a mattress was on top of it. I learned pretty quickly that a G2 1/4-20 is SOOOOOFT. I twisted several of them off as I was building that thing. And this was long before I got air impacts and long before battery-powered ones that worked, so it was all by hand. But I don't think I've purchased a G2 fastener since.

Looking good, Gregg! Take it easy on the grandpa talk, guys, I are one. But Cory, if you bought it you could strip all that "stuff" off and sell it. Just think how much you could make. Surely there are lots of us grandfathers wanting it.

If you have the equipment and before you spend much time and money chasing the problem on #4, I'd do a leak-down on all cylinders. I thought I was going to freshen up the 460 in Big Blue, but discovered two cylinders with 47% leakage and no cylinders with acceptable leakage. Wanna buy a 460?

Can the wheel arches be fiberglassed?

Don't remember buying 144 of anything for a long, long time. I remember getting that many 1/4-20 G2 bolts long ago and discovering G2's are way too soft for most things. Took forever to use them up.

And you found our pic in Google images? Cool! So, what's the plan on the engine? Did everything but the one cylinder pass the leak-down test? If so, you are looking at the valve guide and seal, and then pulling the head?

Yes, what AFR meter is that? And is it a wide band? I ask because I have an Edelbrock narrow band and learned that all it can really do is to tell you if you are lean or rich, but not truly how lean or rich. From what I've read, a narrow band is right at 14.7 AFR, but not elsewhere. In any event, it looks like you have your truck dialed in. Wonderful! Can't wait to see what kind of MPG you get.

Those are good looking parts! Well done!

Funny story, Jim. The absolute best time I had in school was when at the age of 60 I went back for lathe and mill schooling. I had a huge list of questions stored up when class started, including one about #14 screws. I actually had a #14 tap but couldn't find anything in our text book about it so asked the instructor. He said there wasn't such an animal, and before I could say "I have one" the guy in the front row said "Then why does that chart behind you have it listed?" I wrote my research paper on fasteners and learned that there was a whole lot of consolidation of fastener sizes during the late 1800's and early 1900's. Forgetting what other countries had, the US had a different set of fastener sizes for each industry. So as things standardized some sizes were left off. And the #14 fasteners were one of those. Almost but not quite the same as 1/4", and we didn't need both.

That's a good point, Bill. And I do have the ones from Huck. But I think that will only account for part of the problem. I'll check it out fully tomorrow and bore y'all with lots of pics.

I agree, well worth the drive. Just need to find a bellhousing and it will all be complete. E-One is a less than reputable company here. E-One and Lockheed Martin are great jobs until the contracts are completed and you're laid off. He was laid off by E-One, and what you've heard is what I've heard.

I like the in-bed spare idea. I can't do that on Big Blue due to the tool box, but when I get the bumper built I'll have that whipped. On yours, I'd Line-X the carrier part that goes up against the bed. It'll cushion things a bit and, like you said, won't wear like powder. And I'd also paint the inside of the hole with touch-up paint, but after priming it. You sure don't want rust there.

I'm just gonna turn the truck into a tractor at this point. That is great! Good find. As for fire trucks, you are in the right place for that. My DiL's father used to build them there in Ocala. But I didn't know there were HD versions of the 1356, nor one with a PTO. Cool!

I have no idea what that valve is. I've never seen one and it isn't supposed to be there. I'd put a new PCV hose on and ditch the valve. As for the idle, it may be the idle air screws, but I'm betting you have a blown power valve.

Yes, it shouldn't have been EFI in '86. But for $500 if you can easily get it home it is probably worth it. However, it can be a LOT of work and a fair amount of money to get it going. On the scooters, that's probably a blessing that they were sold.

Excellent! Things are coming together!

Other than the engine plate there is no spacer for the flex plate on an M-block:

Sorry, Scott. It was Jonathan that got it for me. I was confused. But, I do think it was from an E350 with a polygroove system. And, as Jim said, it should fit. But I did turn the bracket around today and didn't find a way that it will fit. However, I'll try again tomorrow.

The pump and the bracket both came off of an E350, right Scott? And that had a poly-vee belt? Or am I mis-remembering? Jim - I'll work it tomorrow and see that the pulley will line up with the crank pulley. And I'd already thought about the L&L-supplied bolts. That one will have to be replaced if I'm going to put anything under it. Speaking of that, I wonder if I can make a tab that goes under the bolt and intersects the brace?

I don't remember installing the transmission, so I can't truly answer the question. I didn't rebuild the engine, although I did install two different transmissions behind it - a ZF5 and the C6 that's behind it now. The ZF5 was used probably 5K miles, but of course that used a solid flywheel. As for the C6, I'm going to guess that I put a couple of thousand miles on it. I know I pulled the ZF and had it rebuilt long before I sold Rusty, so it had the C6 for a while. But again, I don't know that the dowel pins are there. I just don't remember. Sorry.

Hey! Watch it there!

Well, you thought that since I scanned a 300+ page document and posted it and another pic to the website today that I'd not get anything done on Big Blue. Au contraire. I installed the Saginaw power steering pump. However, there's a minor problem - the brace doesn't fit. In the pic below it is roughly 1" below and 1" too far forward to reach the header bolt, which I assume is where it is intended to go since there's nothing anywhere close. I can probably bend it to reach back to the bolt, but it isn't going to come up enough as it is up against the return fitting in the pic. So if it is needed then I'll either have to take a ~1/2" bite out of a 1" strap to get it to come up far enough. And that will significantly weaken it. So, how badly is that brace needed?

Wow! Just WOW! I love it.