Lots of changes and updates.
Finally completed the rear installation. It's been in and out three times!!!! I made a big dumb mistake and I practice self humiliation, so, this is what happened. I worked for a half a day fab'n my slider brackets and bolted them to the springs. Grabbed the empty moser 9" housing and jacked it in place, centered it, set my pinion angle, and proceeded to weld it in. I just finished the last weld and my 14 year old nephew came up to check it out. He's looking at the housing and sliders and welds and says, 'Hey Arch, how come there is a hole in the bottom of the axle tube'? Yep, I welded the g&^%$Om thing in upside down!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Out she came, I carefully cut the sliders off the tubes, ground 'em clean and welded it, again, back in place. Spent the next day setting up the ladder bars and looking at it. The front of the bars stuck down 6" below the frame. I've seen plenty of mud trucks like this and they work fine. However, I just wasn't happy with them. So, out the rear comes again and the second round of cutting off the sliders destroyed them. I fab'd up a new lighter set and placed the rear above the springs. Set ladder bars and tacked in place. I love the rake for sand and mud racing, but, she's gonna look goofy at the drag strip. I may try to source some 14" rims and tires to run on the front for drag racing. I will be switching to 29.5 swampers on the front when running in the mud. These combined with the scoops/cut 35's gives her a bad azz stance.
Some changes. I decided to move the firewall back. This will make things much easier when I go to mount the turbo and exhaust. Also, when we pull the Injection pump off, we had to hack a bit on the firewall to get it loose. I have also decided to drop my weight goal to 3000 lbs. So, I started gutting and cutting. She will still be street legal, however.
I received my 1.625 x .083 roll bar tubing (chrome moly) and have wasted the whole day today trying to get a good bend. I have never used chrome moly before so I had no idea it was this difficult to bend. The first attempt looks like this.
I jumped on the internet and read that filling with sand helps.
The old bender. This 'ol girl has never failed me.
Sand plug and Sand packer
My little helpers. Nothing beats a family that races together!!!!
And the result
What a huge disappointment. I even took the rosebud and heated the next attempt and it just isn't working out. The 'ol bender is fine for mild steel, but, I'm gonna have to step up my tool game to get this chrome moly bent.
I'm still studying turbos. I am definitely going with a single and I am leaning towards an S480 ish. I had the pleasure of watching Brian Vannest pull at one of our local fairs this weekend. His pump is very similar to the one I'm getting. Brian is making way above HP numbers than what I've got my goal set at. I mean waaaaay above. He's running a S480.
Powerglide hit the dyno last week and I should see it some time this week. Gregg with FTI said he got the converter to work using a 1/2" midplate. He said he saved all the programming and is ready for more. So, If you want a glide in your ride, he'll get 'er done with the 13" converter. Problem solved!!!!!
