- Sep 4, 2014
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There was some mention of a return line being run to an o2 bung in the exhaust pipe.
I’m no expert, but I have think that may have had something to do with the noise.
Cooter, Help! Zambo gets Betty too hot
- Thread starter bradgator2
- Start date
There was some mention of a return line being run to an o2 bung in the exhaust pipe.
I’m no expert, but I have think that may have had something to do with the noise.
- Jun 23, 2020
- 1,549
- 2,626
Just make sure she gets her fair share (at least 3/4ths) of the bar space for wine and wine mom humor.
- Sep 4, 2014
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Dammit, my phone was on silent, Zambo. Just saw that you called. Hopefully you were able to dismantle the latch hasp from the auxiliary drainage line without me. That’s a big job.
Never been in a thread title before, so I’ll relish this while it lasts.
Never been in a thread title before, so I’ll relish this while it lasts.
- Jul 20, 2014
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rookie........Never been in a thread title before, so I’ll relish this while it lasts.
- Jun 12, 2014
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Man, sometimes it feels like pullin teeth trying to make any progress on this thing. So I did the last bit of mechanical wiring (stlll some 'house' wiring to go, but not much) and prettied it up with some protective sleeving. Then I put the radiator back in and filled everything up, excited to finally be able to drive this thing around.
So I started it up using the new fuel injection and as expected it runs like a top. Temp went up to 185, which is what the thermostat is set for, and set right there like a champ. Quick trip outside to make sure there aren't any little last minute leaks dribbling about.....and ho lee ****....
The oil is draining out the back of the block like a fookin river. So I shut it off and I'm like damn, that must be a rear main seal. I'm psyching myself up to tackle this job, which basically requires me to pull the oil pan, remove the rear main cap that holds the crankshaft, and push the seal around the crank and put in a new one. Several hours.
Then I start thinking that must be the biggest rear main seal leak in history. So I crawl under there (after the lovely fun job of cleaning up all that oil), and start really looking hard at the area. The inside lip of the circular area at the back of the oil pan seems suspiciously roomy. In this pic, you can see that I reached up there with a 90 degree pick to feel around and you can see the tip of the pick visible in the area that should contain the rear oil pan gasket. No bueno, but at this point I'm like "yay!"....I don't have the change the rear main seal!
So I pull the pan off, which thankfully isn't a hard process because the low sump is forward of the beam axle and there is some clearance between the two, so all I have to do is unbolt it and drop it down a few inches and slide it forward and its off. Now is when the fun starts. The first thing I notice is that there is actually a gasket there, but its waaaay too small to fill the gap. WTF? So I head off to the machine shop to ask what the dealio is and what gasket do I need.
BTW, all that white trash in the pan is assembly lube in case you were wondering. So I get to the machine shop with the pan and we start looking at it compared to some other dodge motors that are laying around and "we" realize that the pan I have, which came off the original 318 motor doesn't fit on the 360 that I have now. How "we" didn't already know this, or how "we" didn't figure this out when "we" were putting the damn oil pan on the engine will remain one of life's mysteries.
As it turns out, the 360 is the only version of this motor that uses a slightly different pan. But wait, there's more! Evidently, after a ton of research both in catalogs and online, there is no such thing as a stock 360 pan with a front sump like the one I need. Friggin great! That means all the pans in existence are going to probably interfere with the undercarriage of this damn bus. I took some measurements and hunted around for the best option that looks like it might have enough clearance. So i ordered that, plus a new pickup tube since the sump will be in a slightly different spot. It should be here sometime tomorrow and we'll see soon enough whether it'll work off the shelf. I am betting however that I'm going to have to cut the bottom off my old pan and the new pan, and weld a hybrid contraption together to make this damn motor work in this chassis.
Nothing is ever easy!
So I started it up using the new fuel injection and as expected it runs like a top. Temp went up to 185, which is what the thermostat is set for, and set right there like a champ. Quick trip outside to make sure there aren't any little last minute leaks dribbling about.....and ho lee ****....
The oil is draining out the back of the block like a fookin river. So I shut it off and I'm like damn, that must be a rear main seal. I'm psyching myself up to tackle this job, which basically requires me to pull the oil pan, remove the rear main cap that holds the crankshaft, and push the seal around the crank and put in a new one. Several hours.
Then I start thinking that must be the biggest rear main seal leak in history. So I crawl under there (after the lovely fun job of cleaning up all that oil), and start really looking hard at the area. The inside lip of the circular area at the back of the oil pan seems suspiciously roomy. In this pic, you can see that I reached up there with a 90 degree pick to feel around and you can see the tip of the pick visible in the area that should contain the rear oil pan gasket. No bueno, but at this point I'm like "yay!"....I don't have the change the rear main seal!
So I pull the pan off, which thankfully isn't a hard process because the low sump is forward of the beam axle and there is some clearance between the two, so all I have to do is unbolt it and drop it down a few inches and slide it forward and its off. Now is when the fun starts. The first thing I notice is that there is actually a gasket there, but its waaaay too small to fill the gap. WTF? So I head off to the machine shop to ask what the dealio is and what gasket do I need.
BTW, all that white trash in the pan is assembly lube in case you were wondering. So I get to the machine shop with the pan and we start looking at it compared to some other dodge motors that are laying around and "we" realize that the pan I have, which came off the original 318 motor doesn't fit on the 360 that I have now. How "we" didn't already know this, or how "we" didn't figure this out when "we" were putting the damn oil pan on the engine will remain one of life's mysteries.
As it turns out, the 360 is the only version of this motor that uses a slightly different pan. But wait, there's more! Evidently, after a ton of research both in catalogs and online, there is no such thing as a stock 360 pan with a front sump like the one I need. Friggin great! That means all the pans in existence are going to probably interfere with the undercarriage of this damn bus. I took some measurements and hunted around for the best option that looks like it might have enough clearance. So i ordered that, plus a new pickup tube since the sump will be in a slightly different spot. It should be here sometime tomorrow and we'll see soon enough whether it'll work off the shelf. I am betting however that I'm going to have to cut the bottom off my old pan and the new pan, and weld a hybrid contraption together to make this damn motor work in this chassis.
Nothing is ever easy!
- Dec 31, 2018
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- Jun 12, 2014
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Founding Member
- Dec 31, 2018
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Well remember how that ended for Captain Ahab and everybody on the Pequod (other than Ishmael of course).Its really become my white whale
- Jun 12, 2014
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- Dec 31, 2018
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That's one opinion. I heard he was "a grand, un-godly, God like man."
- Jun 19, 2014
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Founding Member
That's a name you don't hear much anymore.
After a long, sustained run of last names as first names, now we're seeing a resurgence of old timey names like Noah, Charlotte, Oliver, Hazel, Elijah, Olivia, Silas, etc.
Haven't run into an Ahab yet though.
Alex.
- Dec 31, 2018
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- Jul 15, 2014
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- Jun 11, 2014
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- Jun 12, 2014
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Founding Member
Today as I waited for the arrival of my new oil pan, I decided it was time to switch gears away from mechanical stuff and do some carpentry.
Got started today making the first cabinet. Just inside the front door will be a 48" long cabinet that houses the mini fridge and a set of drawers. I built the ends of the cabinet today out of 5/8 plywood. I used pretty heavy gauge stuff because the ends also act as a truss to strengthen the whole vehicle laterally.
The forward end had to extend down into the footwell where the entry door is. Also, the gap behind the entry door frame was thinner than 5/8 so I had to mow off one edge of this piece. I have never used a router before so today was a good day to learn. After my father passed, one of the tools I kept was his old Craftsman router. It must be 50 years old. It has a really cool old instruction manual that also gives a lot of tips and pointers for how to do different kinds of cuts. Basically I had to whittle down about 3/16 from the overall thickness where it slides behind the door frame. The only thing I had to figure out what how to set the depth, which was fairly straightforward, and how to set up a guide fence for a straight cut. All I had to do was draw the line I wanted to cut, then take some calipers and measure the distance from the edge of the bit to the edge of the tool body, and clamp a straightedge so I could make a precise cut. I have a piece of 1x6 hardwood that is nice and straight that I use for a guide. It was quite fun pushing through that piece and seeing a perfect trench as the result.
The next cabinet end had to extend up past where the countertop will be and support the end of the overhead fiberglass cabinets. There used to be a big closet and full size fridge in this area but I wanted to open it up so I installed that window over where the new countertop will be. A simple cardboard template helped me make the top curved part. Was pretty happy with the way it fit.
Aft of this cabinet will be a bench/bunk that will extend to the rear of the cabin. Should get that framed in tomorrow. Still deciding how I want to build the faces of the cabinets. I know the classic way is to take quality boards and join them together using pocket holes or some other joinery technique. I think I may opt instead to just use a single sheet of quality plywood and use the router to cut out the holes where the drawers go. @crosscreekcooter if you have any suggestions I'm all ears.
Got started today making the first cabinet. Just inside the front door will be a 48" long cabinet that houses the mini fridge and a set of drawers. I built the ends of the cabinet today out of 5/8 plywood. I used pretty heavy gauge stuff because the ends also act as a truss to strengthen the whole vehicle laterally.
The forward end had to extend down into the footwell where the entry door is. Also, the gap behind the entry door frame was thinner than 5/8 so I had to mow off one edge of this piece. I have never used a router before so today was a good day to learn. After my father passed, one of the tools I kept was his old Craftsman router. It must be 50 years old. It has a really cool old instruction manual that also gives a lot of tips and pointers for how to do different kinds of cuts. Basically I had to whittle down about 3/16 from the overall thickness where it slides behind the door frame. The only thing I had to figure out what how to set the depth, which was fairly straightforward, and how to set up a guide fence for a straight cut. All I had to do was draw the line I wanted to cut, then take some calipers and measure the distance from the edge of the bit to the edge of the tool body, and clamp a straightedge so I could make a precise cut. I have a piece of 1x6 hardwood that is nice and straight that I use for a guide. It was quite fun pushing through that piece and seeing a perfect trench as the result.
The next cabinet end had to extend up past where the countertop will be and support the end of the overhead fiberglass cabinets. There used to be a big closet and full size fridge in this area but I wanted to open it up so I installed that window over where the new countertop will be. A simple cardboard template helped me make the top curved part. Was pretty happy with the way it fit.
Aft of this cabinet will be a bench/bunk that will extend to the rear of the cabin. Should get that framed in tomorrow. Still deciding how I want to build the faces of the cabinets. I know the classic way is to take quality boards and join them together using pocket holes or some other joinery technique. I think I may opt instead to just use a single sheet of quality plywood and use the router to cut out the holes where the drawers go. @crosscreekcooter if you have any suggestions I'm all ears.
- Jun 11, 2014
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You guys have had enough wildfires out there so that's out. If that old blue pickup of yours still runs, maybe the safest thing to do would be to hookup after dark and haul it away to another neighborhood. Maybe you could leave it in a Walmart parking lot. Be sure and take the tags off.
- Jun 11, 2014
- 11,023
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@Zambo - I would opt for building the face frame out of components. There's no need to go to the expense of buying a pocket hole boring jig unless you have future plans for one. You can buy clear pine (cabinet grade) 1x2 thru 1x5 at HD for a somewhat reasonable price and assemble the frame square edge (90 degree joint) and pre-drill a countersunk pilot hole and assemble with 4" trim screws and glue or use wood dowels or biscuits and glue.
Another method is to use a backing tab of thin scrap wood and let the backing tab lap both sides of the joint a couple inches, glued, clamped, and face nailed. Whatever you do determine the drawer sizes you need and guide types first.
Does that vent in the outside wall have fine mesh screen on it? Bugs and road dust will get inside that cabinet. Why not panel the outside walls first before cabinets? Are you going to move that electrical outlet for access?
Your dad bought the nicer model of Craftsman router. I have a lesser model that I bought in the early 70's that finally gave up the ghost a couple weeks ago. Rather than the micro adjustment dial, mine has a knurled steel knob that stripped the threads in the aluminum body.
Another method is to use a backing tab of thin scrap wood and let the backing tab lap both sides of the joint a couple inches, glued, clamped, and face nailed. Whatever you do determine the drawer sizes you need and guide types first.
Does that vent in the outside wall have fine mesh screen on it? Bugs and road dust will get inside that cabinet. Why not panel the outside walls first before cabinets? Are you going to move that electrical outlet for access?
Your dad bought the nicer model of Craftsman router. I have a lesser model that I bought in the early 70's that finally gave up the ghost a couple weeks ago. Rather than the micro adjustment dial, mine has a knurled steel knob that stripped the threads in the aluminum body.
- Jun 12, 2014
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Thanks coot!
I have an inexpensive Kreg jig already. Pretty handy for 35 bucks or whatever and fairly adjustable. I've just been watching some videos on making the faces and it seems fairly straightforward to use components like you said.
The area of the cabinet toward the front has to fit tight to the fridge. Once I slide the fridge in there I gotta make another wall so there is very minimal gap on either side. Evidently you have to keep the dimensions pretty tight or it just keep circulating hot air around the sides and it doesn't work well. I'll be putting mesh on the inside of those vents before I button everything up.
The only parts of the cabinets I'm doing just yet are the ones that add structure to the frame of the cabin. I have to tie these into the wall studs to help support everything. I was worried if I put paneling up first in that area it would be harder tie in. There are two electrical outlets on that wall, the lower one is for the fridge and it'll be under the counter. There is another one above the counter, aft of the window.
I ordered a big roll of Thinsulate, it should be here in a week. Hopefully when it arrives I'll have all the lateral parts of the cabinets in (like the ones I've done so far) and I can then put in the insulation, put up the paneling, then finish the cabinets. The other side will be a little trickier, that's where all the plumbing is.
- Jun 12, 2014
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