ta-da!

[that-son]

here it is.  haven't decided yet whether to call it a he or a she.  but i'm leaning towards he.  tires are badly worn 235 75r15s.

 

 

1. anyone know how much bigger they are than the originals and how they affect power?  was told that bigger tires cause a drain in torque and hp.  if it is significant then i might consider going back to the original tire size.

 

2. how do i find out if the front or back's  been lifted?

 

i need it to pass smog so that's all i've been working on for now.  did a compression test on the engine and here's what i got:

 

dry  130 135 135 140

wet  140 145 145 149

 

i'm getting a head pipe built and a new muffler installed.  but if those numbers are bad then maybe i should just non op the truck till i get a new motor.  anyone?

 

here's what i've tried for the exhaust leaks.

 

 

 

the repair only lasted a day.  cleaned out all rust, wiped it down with acetone and let it cure 2 days.  i even cut a strip of tin to patch the hole, put a layer over it, let it cure 24 hrs. then put another layer over it and let it cure another 24 hrs.

 

 

used quiksteel extreme (withstands up to 2400 deg!) for the egr pipe.

 

 

let this one cure almost 40 hrs before i applied heat.  this one only lasted about 2 hrs.  drove it around town, got on the freeway, went back home and when it cooled down, it turned to ash.  apparently my egr tube heats up to 2401 deg.  ended up macgyvering the tube. 

 

could not upload sooner cause i'm using an older camera and i could not find a sd card smaller than 4gbs.  found the cable today so i uploaded the images from the built in memory.  also found a 2gb card at cvs last night so will definitely take more pics and upload.

[Ranman72]

the stock recommended tire size is usually posted on the door jamb or the glove box door 

 

Nice looking truck 

[Justin Berni]

Look between the axle and leaf spring pack, if there is a metal block it has been lifted.

I'm sure there's plenty of other ways it could have been lifted tho.

[datzenmike]

The '81/'82 KC 4x4 came with GR78x15" 4 ply tires or equivalent to P215/75R15 metric.

 

At a true 50 MPH your 235/75R15s will read 47.5 MPH You are actually going faster than what the speedometer reads by about 5%.

 

In fourth gear...

Stock tires the engine would be revving 2,492 RPMs

Your tires ............................................... 2,390

 

4x4s are higher sitting on the frame that their 2wd brothers. Also higher sitting on the suspension. Foe example the 2wd leaf spring is slung under the rear axle. The 4x4 spring is on top.

[that-son]

will check to see if it was lifted or not.

 

so i'm guessing the 235's don't suck much power out of the engine...?

 

here's the macgyvered egr tube.

 

 

thought about smearing some refractory cement but that's like $50 a gallon.  lol.

[that-son]

btw...

 

any comments on the compression test?  motor good or a little tired?

[datzenmike]

Conpression? Worn but as long as the numbers are within 10% of each other it will run smooth. The Z22 4x4 had a nice 4.375 diff ratio so a little tire won't hurt it much. The EGR tube must be completely air tight so oxygem can't get in.

[that-son]

got some new numbers from a new compression test.

 

previously with lucas stabilizer it was...

 

dry  130 135 135 140

 

today, without stabilizer

dry   130 127 130 135

 

so my questions are:

 

1. add some lucas or not?

2. use thicker oil

3. what does this mean as far as smog goes?  i'm getting it done on tuesday.

[Z-train]

If SMOG results are bad,it's not those numbers doing it.While they are down for "normal",they are with in the acceptable percentage of each other.

[datzenmike]

Thicker won't make your compression better.It will raise the oil pressure slightly and burn less.  As long as the numbers are close across all 4 it will run ok. So this leaves the emissions system itself that's at fault.

[that-son]

so i think i'll make this my build thread.  not much progress since i passed smog. 

[Jeremiah720]

I would get a a/f ratio gauge if you concerned with smog make sure your burning everything up and your carbs tuned.

[84720FourWheel]

If you ever decide you don't like those fender flares, I'll take them ff your hands.

[that-son]

didn't know they made affordable a/f ratio gauges.  will look into it in about two years maybe.  that's right.  just passed smog and it was nerve wracking as hell.

 

 

If you ever decide you don't like those fender flares, I'll take them ff your hands.

i think i'm gonna hang onto them for a while but will definitely keep you in mind.  it's probably why she looks so tall and skinny.  but i'm saving up for some offset or maybe wider wheels so we'll see.

[84720FourWheel]

If you were closer I have a set of 15x7s. 

[Jeremiah720]

Eh there not too bad and it is really nice to have.

[that-son]

minnesota!  wonder why i was thinking colorado... not that it's close.  lol.

[84720FourWheel]

I move back and forth. The rims are actually in colorado. 

[720inOlyWa]

I really like what you have done under that hood. It makes everything else seem so possible, when the engine room is ship shape! Do you have a steam cleaner, or did you use degreaser and elbow grease? It looks great.

[that-son]

engine degreaser?  nah, i'm too cheap.  elbow grease, an old toothbrush, a garden hose and i've got this 10 yr old bottle of greased lightnin'.  i ahd already started when i took the first pic.  wish i took more before pics so you can truly appreciate the end result.   i don't think i'll ever do that again though...  she wouldn't start for a while after that.  almost gave me a heart attack.

[720inOlyWa]

Well, it looks great. I used a can of foamy degreaser to help me out, but I wish I had one of those hand held steam cleaners. One thing I discovered was that I was too effective on my tensioner pulleys, when I cleaned them. I removed the grease and they began squeaking. So I had to re-lube those.  I hear you on the before pics. I am lousy at taking them myself. It never never seems to occur to me to do it until I have completed my mission.

[that-son]

just bought a new to me speedometer, installed it and found that the needle wil fluctuate wildly until i get to 50 mph and up.  replaced the cable and now the needle still fluctuates like a vacuum gauge below 50mph.  is this normal for this speedometer.  i never had a working speedometer on this truck so i wouldn't know.  below 50mph even when i'm cruising say at 40mph, the needle fluctuates to 40-41.  a little annoying but i can live with it if it's normal.

 

btw, the speedometer has a different locking mechanism in the back so i just lashed the cable connector with hookup wire to keep it from falling out.

[720inOlyWa]

That part about lashing the cable furrows my brow a little. I am not sure what you mean there, or how that wold impact things. But my speedo was flat intermittent until I cleaned out the cluster. It didn’t take much to interfere with the magnet arrangement. after I cleaned things up, it seems to work perfectly, with a very steady needle float.

[that-son]

i'm just wondering why my 81 720 is wired like an 82.  i checked the wiring for the ignition coils and it matches up with the 82 wiring colors.  really strange.... should i get the 81 or 82 fsm?

 

also, i'm getting ready to rebuild my steering but i can't find a centerlink/drag link/cross rod for it.  rareparts told me they would make me a new one for $300.  however, i found some a site that has interchangeable part numbers with raybestos and other rebuilders.  but when i called up these companies they pretty said nope, not for the 4x4 and good luck.  anyone know the interchangeable part numbers for an 81 4x4?

[Charlie69]

Look on the drivers door jamb at the little sticker.  What is the Date of Manufacture?