1986F150Six Posted March 20, 2020 Share Posted March 20, 2020 Been working on the dash controls for awhile since the weather hasn't been great but did get a few minutes to install the battery charger. The 1/8 aluminum plate is mounted to existing holes on the core support braces and I tapped some holes to mount the charger to the plate. It's pretty close to the battery tray at the bottom but angles away at the top. Nicely done, Scott! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gary Lewis Posted March 20, 2020 Share Posted March 20, 2020 Been working on the dash controls for awhile since the weather hasn't been great but did get a few minutes to install the battery charger. The 1/8 aluminum plate is mounted to existing holes on the core support braces and I tapped some holes to mount the charger to the plate. It's pretty close to the battery tray at the bottom but angles away at the top. Yes, nicely done! So it is tucked in ahead of the battery in that unused space. Cool! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kramttocs Posted March 21, 2020 Author Share Posted March 21, 2020 Yes, nicely done! So it is tucked in ahead of the battery in that unused space. Cool! I knew the measurements beforehand but it was still a lot bigger in person than I expected. The original onboard charger that came with the truck was mounted in the same spot but on the drivers side. It was a much smaller unit and only did one bank. Had the day off so spent part of it working on the truck. First was trying to get an understanding of the GVOD wiring. Didn't pay a ton of attention when it was removed from the original truck as it is color coded but since I am integrating it into the custom dash panel I need to understand the wiring a bit better. Think I have everything figured out but having some issues with the 4x4 lockout (blue wire with a male spade). Figured it had to be scotchlok-ed into the 4x4 indicator down by the tcase which means it would be ground switched. Chatted with support but they weren't sure since the unit is an older one. Fortunately Jonathan (F834) had a better diagram which confirmed the scotchlok. So now I know the blue wire is looking for ground. Great. The problem is what when I checked that wire it didn't have any voltage. Not sure what is going on there. Tabled that for the moment but welcome any suggestions on tests I can perform. I don't care for scotchloks so made a jumper to go in the 4wd wire that is on the engine side of the firewall. Moved on to the interior. Cleared all the tools out and did some cleaning/vacuuming. Installed all the seat/seatbelt bolts and then installed the carpet. I talked about the carpet back when I bought it but this is the mass backed essex. Right now I would say the fit is ok. The material quality is great but it isn't quite fitting like I expected. I haven't installed a carpet since the 65 Mustang in high school though and I've slept since then. Hopefully once I start working it around it will fit better. It was also in the 30's in the shop so no doubt that made the mass backing a bit less pliable. Did some more work on the drivers side platform. Originally this platform was going to be for a fuse box, the duraspark, and the battery charger. Since the battery charger was way too big for this I gained a spot for something else. The threaded rods will be cut off. Due to the overflow tank hose and the washer fluid pump wiring, this platform has to be raised higher than the passenger side one so the rods were used with nuts underneath to find the right height. At this point I am thinking a second ssVEC might fill the empty spot. I don't have a need for it now but want to plan for it. I was going to place it in the spot near the firewall but with the cruise control there isn't enough height for it, let alone room to raise the lid. Now the plan is to place the duraspark in that spot, the fuse box will go where the duraspark is in the photo (near the motor), and the ssVEC will go in the corner near the washer fluid. I was planning to stack the durasparks for a backup but since the cruise control prevents that I am thinking I will throw the spare directly underneath the in-use one and bolt them together. It won't get much air there but would last long enough until the top one is replaced. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ArdWrknTrk Posted March 21, 2020 Share Posted March 21, 2020 I knew the measurements beforehand but it was still a lot bigger in person than I expected. The original onboard charger that came with the truck was mounted in the same spot but on the drivers side. It was a much smaller unit and only did one bank. Had the day off so spent part of it working on the truck. First was trying to get an understanding of the GVOD wiring. Didn't pay a ton of attention when it was removed from the original truck as it is color coded but since I am integrating it into the custom dash panel I need to understand the wiring a bit better. Think I have everything figured out but having some issues with the 4x4 lockout (blue wire with a male spade). Figured it had to be scotchlok-ed into the 4x4 indicator down by the tcase which means it would be ground switched. Chatted with support but they weren't sure since the unit is an older one. Fortunately Jonathan (F834) had a better diagram which confirmed the scotchlok. So now I know the blue wire is looking for ground. Great. The problem is what when I checked that wire it didn't have any voltage. Not sure what is going on there. Tabled that for the moment but welcome any suggestions on tests I can perform. I don't care for scotchloks so made a jumper to go in the 4wd wire that is on the engine side of the firewall. Moved on to the interior. Cleared all the tools out and did some cleaning/vacuuming. Installed all the seat/seatbelt bolts and then installed the carpet. I talked about the carpet back when I bought it but this is the mass backed essex. Right now I would say the fit is ok. The material quality is great but it isn't quite fitting like I expected. I haven't installed a carpet since the 65 Mustang in high school though and I've slept since then. Hopefully once I start working it around it will fit better. It was also in the 30's in the shop so no doubt that made the mass backing a bit less pliable. Did some more work on the drivers side platform. Originally this platform was going to be for a fuse box, the duraspark, and the battery charger. Since the battery charger was way too big for this I gained a spot for something else. The threaded rods will be cut off. Due to the overflow tank hose and the washer fluid pump wiring, this platform has to be raised higher than the passenger side one so the rods were used with nuts underneath to find the right height. At this point I am thinking a second ssVEC might fill the empty spot. I don't have a need for it now but want to plan for it. I was going to place it in the spot near the firewall but with the cruise control there isn't enough height for it, let alone room to raise the lid. Now the plan is to place the duraspark in that spot, the fuse box will go where the duraspark is in the photo (near the motor), and the ssVEC will go in the corner near the washer fluid. I was planning to stack the durasparks for a backup but since the cruise control prevents that I am thinking I will throw the spare directly underneath the in-use one and bolt them together. It won't get much air there but would last long enough until the top one is replaced. So, what do you think kills DSII boxes? Hours of runtime? Age? Underhood heat? My 'known good' spare is just kicking around under the seat with my jumper cables and stuff. I've found they tend to die somewhere between 80-120kmi. Maybe newer ones are better? The TP-40 I have now hasn't hiccuped yet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gary Lewis Posted March 21, 2020 Share Posted March 21, 2020 I knew the measurements beforehand but it was still a lot bigger in person than I expected. The original onboard charger that came with the truck was mounted in the same spot but on the drivers side. It was a much smaller unit and only did one bank. Had the day off so spent part of it working on the truck. First was trying to get an understanding of the GVOD wiring. Didn't pay a ton of attention when it was removed from the original truck as it is color coded but since I am integrating it into the custom dash panel I need to understand the wiring a bit better. Think I have everything figured out but having some issues with the 4x4 lockout (blue wire with a male spade). Figured it had to be scotchlok-ed into the 4x4 indicator down by the tcase which means it would be ground switched. Chatted with support but they weren't sure since the unit is an older one. Fortunately Jonathan (F834) had a better diagram which confirmed the scotchlok. So now I know the blue wire is looking for ground. Great. The problem is what when I checked that wire it didn't have any voltage. Not sure what is going on there. Tabled that for the moment but welcome any suggestions on tests I can perform. I don't care for scotchloks so made a jumper to go in the 4wd wire that is on the engine side of the firewall. Moved on to the interior. Cleared all the tools out and did some cleaning/vacuuming. Installed all the seat/seatbelt bolts and then installed the carpet. I talked about the carpet back when I bought it but this is the mass backed essex. Right now I would say the fit is ok. The material quality is great but it isn't quite fitting like I expected. I haven't installed a carpet since the 65 Mustang in high school though and I've slept since then. Hopefully once I start working it around it will fit better. It was also in the 30's in the shop so no doubt that made the mass backing a bit less pliable. Did some more work on the drivers side platform. Originally this platform was going to be for a fuse box, the duraspark, and the battery charger. Since the battery charger was way too big for this I gained a spot for something else. The threaded rods will be cut off. Due to the overflow tank hose and the washer fluid pump wiring, this platform has to be raised higher than the passenger side one so the rods were used with nuts underneath to find the right height. At this point I am thinking a second ssVEC might fill the empty spot. I don't have a need for it now but want to plan for it. I was going to place it in the spot near the firewall but with the cruise control there isn't enough height for it, let alone room to raise the lid. Now the plan is to place the duraspark in that spot, the fuse box will go where the duraspark is in the photo (near the motor), and the ssVEC will go in the corner near the washer fluid. I was planning to stack the durasparks for a backup but since the cruise control prevents that I am thinking I will throw the spare directly underneath the in-use one and bolt them together. It won't get much air there but would last long enough until the top one is replaced. The carpet looks GREAT! And I'm sure the heat will soften the backing and let it lay in even better. On the GVOD, is it possible that there's no voltage there until the unit goes into a certain mode, and it isn't at the moment? As for the DS-II box, if you bolt them together the bottom one will sink some of its heat into the top one through the bolts. Or you could put the top one upside down and against the bottom one, with some compound between them. And maybe an aluminum plate to cover the bottom of the top one? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FuzzFace2 Posted March 22, 2020 Share Posted March 22, 2020 The carpet looks GREAT! And I'm sure the heat will soften the backing and let it lay in even better. On the GVOD, is it possible that there's no voltage there until the unit goes into a certain mode, and it isn't at the moment? Yes the carpet looks good. Reminds me I need to bring the carpet I got from a buddy as it is hanging outside. On the GVOD do you have the 4x4 light on the dash? If so how about a relay to be tripped when the light comes on to ground? Dave ---- Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ArdWrknTrk Posted March 22, 2020 Share Posted March 22, 2020 The carpet looks GREAT! And I'm sure the heat will soften the backing and let it lay in even better. On the GVOD, is it possible that there's no voltage there until the unit goes into a certain mode, and it isn't at the moment? Yes the carpet looks good. Reminds me I need to bring the carpet I got from a buddy as it is hanging outside. On the GVOD do you have the 4x4 light on the dash? If so how about a relay to be tripped when the light comes on to ground? Dave ---- This relay would accomplish, what? I can understand if it shows the transfer case is engaged (4X4) but otherwise what's the point? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kramttocs Posted March 22, 2020 Author Share Posted March 22, 2020 The carpet looks GREAT! And I'm sure the heat will soften the backing and let it lay in even better. On the GVOD, is it possible that there's no voltage there until the unit goes into a certain mode, and it isn't at the moment? As for the DS-II box, if you bolt them together the bottom one will sink some of its heat into the top one through the bolts. Or you could put the top one upside down and against the bottom one, with some compound between them. And maybe an aluminum plate to cover the bottom of the top one? Jim, good question. I've always assumed heat was their only kryptonite. I've only ever had one go out on me. It wasn't an all or nothing thing in that case. The truck would just die randomly. Fortunately it would also start right back up and since the truck (the 80 1 ton) is a manual it wasn't a huge problem. As for the DS-II box, if you bolt them together the bottom one will sink some of its heat into the top one through the bolts. Or you could put the top one upside down and against the bottom one, with some compound between them. And maybe an aluminum plate to cover the bottom of the top one? My plan is: Active DSII (right side up) ==================1/4 aluminum plate Backup DSII (upside down) I will drill out the threads on the active unit and sandwich it all together using bolts coming from the top and using the Backup DSII's threads. The Backup DSII will only be used for short times until I get the Active one replaced. Or life happens and I forget to replace the top one until they both go bad... Ether way the aluminum plate ought to help dissipate some heat even though the bottom one won't get much airflow. ...... On the GVOD. Turns out I wasn't working with all the right information. I didn't have a manual with my unit so I purchased one awhile back. It is for the current control box whereas mine is the 'analog' model with a build date of '95 Your thoughts Gary aren't all that far off for some functions of the unit. I was trying to test the controls/lights but nothing was working. Turns out they don't work unless the solenoid is hooked up (had to call tech support on that one). That stumped me for quite awhile. I was afraid I was going to have to go the route Dave just mentioned. Where I would have a NC connection that would be for the power to the whole unit and upon being grounded (via the 4x4 switched ground indicator) it would kill power to the whole unit. Fortunately that turned out to not be the case. The manual I have states that "The lockout is designed to lockout Gear Vendors until the ignition has been cycled. If the truck has been shifted into four wheel drive, the vehicle must be shut off and restarted in 2 wheel drive, in order for Gear Vendors to be operation again. To test whether this feature is working correctly. Turn vehicle ignition on, shift transfercase into four wheel drive. Once the 4x4 indicator illuminates on the dash board, shift transfercase back into 2 wheel drive. Now depress Gear Vendors foot switch while looking at Red Autodrive light. Nothing should change. If the red light turns on and off with the foot switch, something is not correct. If everything is wired correctly, the ignition must be shut off and turned back on in order for Gear Vendors to work." Some notes on that- The Red Autodrive light is on IF the unit is going to go into OD automatically. This means either Launch (1st over) if in Manual mode or 4th gear in Automatic mode (these modes don't refer to the transmission type). Whether in Manual or Automatic the foot switch can be used to toggle the Red Autodrive light. When the unit is in OD the Green OverDrive light comes on (and the Red light goes off) - it's either one lit, the other lit, or neither. My moment of panic was that even when grounding the 4x4 lead and then disconnecting it, I was still able to toggle the red light with the foot switch. My next test, thankfully as it explained the whole 4x4 issue, was to see if the solenoid actually engaged. Hooked a drill to the end of the speedometer, put the unit in Manual mode with the Red Autodrive lit since this is Launch and means the unit should engage OD at a lower mph, and started the drill. Sure enough the red light went out, green light came on and I could hear the solenoid click. Put it in 4x4, did the same test and, phew, the red light always stayed on - no OD engagement. Put it back into 2wd, did the same test and the OD kicked in. Huh? The manual says it should require an ignition cycle Well after a number of tests in all the various configs and the different mph engagement thresholds with, I have to assume that the analog unit doesn't require that power cycle and is simply interrupted by the presence of ground. I actually prefer this as having to kill the truck seems a bit of a pain but I do see the safety in it. That may not mean anything or matter to most but I hadn't come across that information before so maybe it will help someone. Doing those tests and routing the wires is about all I got done today. I did get the tailgate installed last night. Never realized how many alignment points there are with it. Everything looks good except it's too close to the passenger side. Will take some photos and post a question about that in the main forum later. On another note - I first learned about Big Blackie when it was put up for sale the first time. Found the FTE thread at that time but admittedly never read beyond a few posts here and there because all of the photos were missing. So all I'd ever seen were the eBay listing photos (which were impressive). Well this afternoon I was googling something and that thread was returned, clicked on it, and was surprised to see all the photos showing up. That led to reading the vast majority of the thread Wow! Incredible work. Knowing how much work was involved between each photo update is crazy. There is a ton of good information and tips in there that everyone should read. Part of me wishes I had before I started but the other part is afraid I would have been scared away .Now I entirely understand the references when you guys mention that truck and what it sold for. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FuzzFace2 Posted March 22, 2020 Share Posted March 22, 2020 This relay would accomplish, what? I can understand if it shows the transfer case is engaged (4X4) but otherwise what's the point? He needs to ground the GVOD wire when in 4x4 and I don't know of any other way to ground that wire so if he was to use the live power 4x4 wire to trigger a relay to ground the GVOD wire would that not work? It would add a little more wiring but unless he finds a wire that grounds when in 4x4 what is he to do? How would you ground the GVOD wire when in 4x4? Dave ---- Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FuzzFace2 Posted March 22, 2020 Share Posted March 22, 2020 This relay would accomplish, what? I can understand if it shows the transfer case is engaged (4X4) but otherwise what's the point? He needs to ground the GVOD wire when in 4x4 and I don't know of any other way to ground that wire so if he was to use the live power 4x4 wire to trigger a relay to ground the GVOD wire would that not work? It would add a little more wiring but unless he finds a wire that grounds when in 4x4 what is he to do? How would you ground the GVOD wire when in 4x4? Dave ---- Well the last post looks like it was for nothing Scott, good to hear you got the 4x4 lock out figured out and tested and works. So are you saying you can run the GVOD in OD under a set speed with your unit. The latest unit I think will not go into OD under a certain speed and most of the time left 1stOD out. Cant wait to hear how it works when out on the road. Dave ---- Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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