Big Blue's Transformation

[Gary Lewis]

Those lights are very impressive. Well done. I need to go back and read some updates I've missed.

I like where you are going with the keyless entry/security

I like the Viper 211HV. Simple remote but decent features. Despite what the manual says though, I haven't been able to make it set off the horn or lights if someone tries to start it while armed so not a good choice if wanting that feature.

Looks like it was a great outing!

Bob - I keep making "improvements" and we take a day trip. Work on it some more and take a day trip. And in doing that we probably have 1200 miles on the new engine, tranny, and front axle. But it sure feels good to be driving it, that is for sure. And thanks for the confirmation that the locks still work manually.

Scott - I already have been perusing the Viper 211HV. And at $50 delivered from Amazon it sure looks good. But, one statement in the owner's manual really put me off:

NOTE: This product is intended for installation by a professional installer only! Any attempt to install this product by any person other than a trained professional may result in severe damage to a vehicle’s electrical system and components.

Seriously though, let me ask some questions:

• Is this the system you've installed? If so, and if you are happy with it, then that's probably the way I want to go.

• Horn/Siren: It doesn't come with a siren. Right? Do you think it needs one? I know you've not heard the new El Toro bullhorn, but it is fairly loud. Not as loud as a siren, but louder than a regular Bullnose set of horns. And, it is distinctive. So if it was going off there's no way I'd not know it was my truck. And you couldn't get to it in an hour to cut its wires if I told you were it is. So, is there any need to put a siren on? Does the unit pulse the horn or just bring it on forever?

• Horn/Lights During Starting: I don't think I'm too worried about that. Unless I'm missing something, if they are trying to start the truck they've gotten into the cab and the horn and lights should be going off consistently. And, it seems to me that there are a few different ways to ensure that the engine won't start when that is happening. Let's talk about this offline.

Make sense?

 

[Gary Lewis]

Surprising your truck wants to run on, given it doesn't have a lot of carbon build up and should be in good tune.

Perhaps you need colder plugs, because nothing in the chamber should be hot enough to auto ignite gasoline.... even 87.

What you've said about compression being under 10:1 doesn't make me think that should be an issue.

I'd definitely be looking into why the idle varies that much.

Is the throttle shaft worn, or is there some other reason for the plate to hang up?

Jim - I do need to figure out why I have two different idle speeds. And I do mean that - two and only two. It almost always stops at 800, but if I blip the throttle sometimes it'll come down to 600. And at 600 it doesn't run on when I turn it off.

And, you are right that I shouldn't have carbon. So, if anything it is the plugs. Maybe a colder plug would be appropriate.

I'll work on the throttle issue, but I'm guessing it is a worn throttle shaft. I might see about installing the Street Demon and see if that makes a difference. I've been wanting to try it anyway, and it would let me give Brandon his AFB back.

I should also note here that since I now know where the linkage stud needs to be on the throttle it will be easier to set the Street Demon up. Guess I need to give that a try.

[ArdWrknTrk]

Jim - I do need to figure out why I have two different idle speeds. And I do mean that - two and only two. It almost always stops at 800, but if I blip the throttle sometimes it'll come down to 600. And at 600 it doesn't run on when I turn it off.

And, you are right that I shouldn't have carbon. So, if anything it is the plugs. Maybe a colder plug would be appropriate.

I'll work on the throttle issue, but I'm guessing it is a worn throttle shaft. I might see about installing the Street Demon and see if that makes a difference. I've been wanting to try it anyway, and it would let me give Brandon his AFB back.

I should also note here that since I now know where the linkage stud needs to be on the throttle it will be easier to set the Street Demon up. Guess I need to give that a try.

Don't discount that it may be the secondaries hanging open.

If it were me. I would have a go with all the linkages while the engine is at 800, just to see what (if anything) changes.

[kramttocs]

Bob - I keep making "improvements" and we take a day trip. Work on it some more and take a day trip. And in doing that we probably have 1200 miles on the new engine, tranny, and front axle. But it sure feels good to be driving it, that is for sure. And thanks for the confirmation that the locks still work manually.

Scott - I already have been perusing the Viper 211HV. And at $50 delivered from Amazon it sure looks good. But, one statement in the owner's manual really put me off:

NOTE: This product is intended for installation by a professional installer only! Any attempt to install this product by any person other than a trained professional may result in severe damage to a vehicle’s electrical system and components.

Seriously though, let me ask some questions:

• Is this the system you've installed? If so, and if you are happy with it, then that's probably the way I want to go.

• Horn/Siren: It doesn't come with a siren. Right? Do you think it needs one? I know you've not heard the new El Toro bullhorn, but it is fairly loud. Not as loud as a siren, but louder than a regular Bullnose set of horns. And, it is distinctive. So if it was going off there's no way I'd not know it was my truck. And you couldn't get to it in an hour to cut its wires if I told you were it is. So, is there any need to put a siren on? Does the unit pulse the horn or just bring it on forever?

• Horn/Lights During Starting: I don't think I'm too worried about that. Unless I'm missing something, if they are trying to start the truck they've gotten into the cab and the horn and lights should be going off consistently. And, it seems to me that there are a few different ways to ensure that the engine won't start when that is happening. Let's talk about this offline.

Make sense?

If only you had a little knowledge of the electrical system in your truck before you go and cause some severe damage

Will shoot you an email tomorrow regarding the viper. I think we can make it do what you want but there may better out of the box options. Viper alone has a slew of models. The hard part I ran into was trying to find the difference between them all.

[swampedout]

If only you had a little knowledge of the electrical system in your truck before you go and cause some severe damage

Will shoot you an email tomorrow regarding the viper. I think we can make it do what you want but there may better out of the box options. Viper alone has a slew of models. The hard part I ran into was trying to find the difference between them all.

As it looks like I may be moving to a city some day, the security system is something Ive been thinking about.

My truck is much less likely to be stolen than Big Blue but Im curious what you guys come up with. I understand the desire to keep it off the forums...

[kramttocs]

As it looks like I may be moving to a city some day, the security system is something Ive been thinking about.

My truck is much less likely to be stolen than Big Blue but Im curious what you guys come up with. I understand the desire to keep it off the forums...

Hey Sam!

Yeah, as you alluded it's kind of a tough line to draw. We all want to share ways to do something and help someone make their truck more secure but doing so openly, if seen by the wrong eyes, works against it

I think you and Gary are possibly looking for something with a heavier emphasis on security than the 211hv offers but I'll email Gary my thought on it and go from there.

Hopefully others that have systems will chime in with feedback also.

[ArdWrknTrk]

Hey Sam!

Yeah, as you alluded it's kind of a tough line to draw. We all want to share ways to do something and help someone make their truck more secure but doing so openly, if seen by the wrong eyes, works against it

I think you and Gary are possibly looking for something with a heavier emphasis on security than the 211hv offers but I'll email Gary my thought on it and go from there.

Hopefully others that have systems will chime in with feedback also.

I've considered a way of using the Bluetooth pairing feature of my radio to enable the ignition.

But the fact that it takes more time to pair than the LRC regulator times out would leave me with a squeal at startup.

And (of course) I'd need to have my phone -always-

But RFID like a modern vehicle is not looking hard or expensive to implement.

It could be a lot more discreet than a hidden switch

[Gary Lewis]

I've considered a way of using the Bluetooth pairing feature of my radio to enable the ignition.

But the fact that it takes more time to pair than the LRC regulator times out would leave me with a squeal at startup.

And (of course) I'd need to have my phone -always-

But RFID like a modern vehicle is not looking hard or expensive to implement.

It could be a lot more discreet than a hidden switch

Jim - Yes, the radio doesn't show connected to the phone for a few seconds after it gets power. And, while I'm thinking about it, the Google Maps feature in the Sony Music Center app is worthless. It doesn't display anything but Google Maps on the display, which means you don't see the song that is playing or the time or battery voltage. And while it does play the turn-by-turn through the speakers, so does going directly to Google Maps.

Speaking of the battery voltage, it shows 13.9v with everything else off in the cab. And the Rocketman voltmeter shows just a tick off max, and max is 14.0. And the aftermarket voltmeter watching the aux battery is just a tick off 14. So I sorta have a way to monitor in-cab voltage since the other two voltmeters are tied directly to the batteries.

Anyway, on the security system, I think we can discuss the needs on here, but there are some things that Scott and I won't share here regardless of which systems we go with.

So, on to my wants/needs:

• Shock Sensor: I want it to sense if someone climbs in the bed, breaks a window, etc

• Door Lock/Unlock: I'd like it to have internal relays to control the lock motors

• Siren: I'm coming to the conclusion that I don't need a siren, that honking the Bullhorn would be good. But part of the reason for that is that I don't want to have to run more wires to under the hood, and I'd have to if I added a siren.

• Hood Lock: I originally thought I wanted a hood lock and a sensing switch/pin to detect when they open the hood, but don't think so this morning. And my reasoning is that they can't get under the hood w/o getting into the cab.

So, what are your thoughts?

[ArdWrknTrk]

Jim - Yes, the radio doesn't show connected to the phone for a few seconds after it gets power. And, while I'm thinking about it, the Google Maps feature in the Sony Music Center app is worthless. It doesn't display anything but Google Maps on the display, which means you don't see the song that is playing or the time or battery voltage. And while it does play the turn-by-turn through the speakers, so does going directly to Google Maps.

Speaking of the battery voltage, it shows 13.9v with everything else off in the cab. And the Rocketman voltmeter shows just a tick off max, and max is 14.0. And the aftermarket voltmeter watching the aux battery is just a tick off 14. So I sorta have a way to monitor in-cab voltage since the other two voltmeters are tied directly to the batteries.

Anyway, on the security system, I think we can discuss the needs on here, but there are some things that Scott and I won't share here regardless of which systems we go with.

So, on to my wants/needs:

• Shock Sensor: I want it to sense if someone climbs in the bed, breaks a window, etc

• Door Lock/Unlock: I'd like it to have internal relays to control the lock motors

• Siren: I'm coming to the conclusion that I don't need a siren, that honking the Bullhorn would be good. But part of the reason for that is that I don't want to have to run more wires to under the hood, and I'd have to if I added a siren.

• Hood Lock: I originally thought I wanted a hood lock and a sensing switch/pin to detect when they open the hood, but don't think so this morning. And my reasoning is that they can't get under the hood w/o getting into the cab.

So, what are your thoughts?

These trucks are stupid easy to defeat the steering wheel/ignition lock without causing collateral damage.

(Ask Jonathan. I walked him through it)

Nobody needs to open the hood, and no thief is going to attract that kind of attention.

Now we see the downside to these trucks gaining value! 💡

Though honestly nobody is stealing these trucks to part them out or swap vins.

They are uncommon enough now that you are not going to hide.

So that leaves meth heads and someone who wants 'goodies' for their own vehicle.

Just having a manual gearbox is enough of a deterrent for most joy riders.

It's not like you live in a crime capitol.

If I saw someone screwing with a truck at the trailhead I'd likely beat them half to death with a tire iron before I started asking questions.

 

[Gary Lewis]

These trucks are stupid easy to defeat the steering wheel/ignition lock without causing collateral damage.

(Ask Jonathan. I walked him through it)

Nobody needs to open the hood, and no thief is going to attract that kind of attention.

Now we see the downside to these trucks gaining value! 💡

Though honestly nobody is stealing these trucks to part them out or swap vins.

They are uncommon enough now that you are not going to hide.

So that leaves meth heads and someone who wants 'goodies' for their own vehicle.

Just having a manual gearbox is enough of a deterrent for most joy riders.

It's not like you live in a crime capitol.

If I saw someone screwing with a truck at the trailhead I'd likely beat them half to death with a tire iron before I started asking questions.

Yep, I don't live in a crime capitol. But I don't know where we are going nor where we are going to stop, so do want to have the bases covered since it is pretty easy to do. Shock sensors are built in, so just getting the right system ticks that box.

But I do have a plan for keeping the truck from running, even if they get past the ignition switch. Sent you a note on that as I'm not sharing it online.

And, you are right that the manual tranny will deter many people.