86' Power Ram 50 Project: Desert Hunter

[Acuta73]

Gonna finally get around to moving this over here. I'm lazy, I admit it fully and in the light of day.

First off, I'm just going to link the old thread so the posts can be seen, then I'll just pop in the old pictures to start things off again.

OLD THREAD

[Acuta73]

So where am I now?

The MSD box is long since installed, but not yet hooked up (see? lazy...)

Dizzy has been replaced with a new OEM

Water pump has been replaced along with the radiator hoses and thermostat

New cam is at Oregon Cam for a street/tow grind

The cylinder head was replaced with a NIB 8 valve light port and polish (I lost my photo program when I built my new machine, no purdy graphics anymore):


Still need to get a pic of the shiny new head on the block, thought I had one, seems I don't!

Edit: Going to pull the engine this summer for a re-paint and to clean/paint the engine compartment. On the "to do" list.

[Acuta73]

The ever-growing pile of suspension/brake parts for the IFS:

[Acuta73]

The "to do" list, ever growing and often changing:

Montero rear axle swap and 2"-3" lift (summer)

Install the new cam and hydro rollers soon as the cam gets back (2-4 weeks)

Finish the ignition install and get the new alternator in at the same time (still having issues figuring the regulator wiring)

New radio/speakers (radio died on the way to work this week...)

IFS rebuild (duh?)

Find a damned 2" or 3" body lift kit for this thing...then get it installed (would like to do it same time as the IFS, but not looking good)

Start cleaning up the surface rust/cancer on the body/frame and get some quotes for paint

New radiator

Second fuel tank

Interior (will likely wait til Fall for this)

Build my headache rack (summer)

Tear out the old dash and box with aluminum (Fall, possibly early next year)

Find/fab bumpers I like and get a receiver mounted

Fab a new grille next week or week after, mesh is on the way from Minnesota

Mod for and install my HID kits I have here now, get my LED markers mounted

Get off my ass and put an anti-vibration mounting on my fuel pump before the buzzing drives me nuts

[Acuta73]

Found some Peterson resin-sealed markers. These are 4-chip SMD LED units. My old lenses and fixtures were just too FUBAR (google it) to deal with. They cover the OEM hole, just need to find a mounting base for them to fit the body lines and drill a couple holes.



I finally got my HID kits in. The projector housings are Bi-Xenon for high/low beam. The OEM H4 housings are (illegal) super bright high-beam/off road lights. Putting the reflector housings on a rocker switch to avoid large tickets....high beam will be effected by the projectors. (God help the sonofabitch that blinds me!!!)



2x Pilot H4x200mm reflector housings
2x 8000k Chinese metal/acrylic projectors with CCFL Angel Eyes and "Evil Eyes" daytime lamps (more to follow)
2x generic HID ballast
2x 8000k HID conversion kit for reflector housings
2x CCFL ballast (connects to parking circuit)
1x LED controller (connects to parking circuit)
1x Bi-Xenon relay harness w/high-low switching plug

To mount the projectors will require a fair bit of modding to the existing headlight holders. Will need to use my heat gun and some perspex or polycarb to create a sealed and adjustable unit, but I'm up to this minor challenge! The "Evil Eye" is stock red with the white CCFL "Angel Eye", my brother-in-law is a county cop, my Dad's best friend's son is also a county cop (different counties). I gave em both a call, red and blue forward-facing lights are a no-no for non-emergency/police vehicles. $250+ ticket here in Oregon. SO?? I have to replace the LED in the projectors with "ANY color except red or blue!!!", I went with a 4-chip SMLED unit in green. Should look cool enough and avoid tickets. They should be here by next weekend, along with the honeycomb modder's mesh for my new grille!

Tomorrow I get the electric fan installed. Woulda been today but I need some spacers/washers to blank the old fan hub on the water pump pully.

[camoit]

I would have done the same thing but I need to pass a brake and lamp inspection in the near future, so all of the lights need to have the DOT approval on them.

[DroppedMitsu]

Awesome, finally someone who is doing a true HID upgrade. I plan to do a retrofit also but that wont be for a while, so I'll be watching this for sure.

[Acuta73]

I would have done the same thing but I need to pass a brake and lamp inspection in the near future, so all of the lights need to have the DOT approval on them.

As far as I understand USDoT regulation, as long as the headlights are properly aimed and not "diffuse" (not in a reflector housing without a baffle), they are fully approved. The illegality comes in with the baffles missing (creates a cut-off line in the light) and/or un-aimed lights that are the equivalent of running your high beams all the time and blinding people.

However, you live in California, all bets are off...

Thanks DroppedMitsu, will do my best to pull it off cleanly.

[camoit]

During the inspection I go through all the safety lights. IE: brake, marker, turn, head. All of them must have an SAE, DOT number on the lens or I'll fail. I have only found 1 DOT legal HID replacement light setup for our trucks. It was $1000 for it. But it did come with the projector style lights, the rear mounting base and adjuster.

[Acuta73]

This was easy as pie...

Removed the old fan and clutch, used stainless 14mm M6 hex heads (1.00 pitch), stainless washers, and stainless lock washers to blank out the the pully:



Installed a Torqflow 14" reversible fan (puller):



Put the relay unit/adjustment pot next to the headlight relay:



...and finished the wiring with some split loom:




Got her fired up to operating temp and got the potentiometer adjusted. Damn fan cools insanely fast. If I wanted it to run all the time, I swear I could run ambient temp..

All in all? Probably the easiest mod I've ever done and now I can idle in 4-low across the desert without melting my engine!

Cost: $68 for the fan, $32 for the relay harness, $8 in stainless, and about an hour of my time.

[camoit]

Very Cool.... Your wiring is starting to look mine in the Camo truck. 30 years of mods have taken it's tole on it. My battery post connector looks like a Porcupine mating with the battery.

[Acuta73]

Yes, I hate wiring and it just keeps getting uglier. Got a few tricks up my sleeve for that later. Need to pull the old harness and the rest of the vacuum lines/evaporative emissions, first. Gonna go with a couple of distribution blocks in a box. Should clean things up nicely. Need my new alternator, the Optima's, and an isolator on board first, though.

[camoit]

Here is a place that can help you find what you might need. I don't think they would have a problem shipping to you. They have all the trick things for lighting. I go there all the time. http://www.thelighthouseinc.com

[pennyman1]

I went the industrial route for all my power wiring under the hood. I used Phoenix contact blocks that are DIN rail mounted and can be bridged or isolated to fit your needs. It allowed me to run 1 wire from the battery to the contact block through a fuse, then hook each relay off a terminal on the assembled block. Each terminal on the block can source up to 60 amps each at 12VDC. I will take pics soon as I have time to get out there and pull the battery; I hid the block in front of the battery at the back of the core support. That's what happens when you used to work around high powered industrial controls for a living like me.

[Acuta73]

Thanks for the link, Camoit. Place seems to have plenty of fun toys!

@Penny- Pics, damn you! Looked up the blocks in question, but I wanna see how it's done.


__________________________________________________ ________________________________________

Got sick to death of no tunes in my rig today. I get anal about any little odd sound, so I gotta cover it up. Stopped by Stereo King and bought a Kenwood HD head unit, a pair of Alpine coaxial 6" (gonna take em back tomorrow and get components), a pair of Alpine coaxial 6x9's, and a pair of 6x9 boxes. May consider a sub down the road, but I hate to lose what little room I have.

[Acuta73]

Got it all installed finally! Had to mod the door holes a bit to fit the thicker Alpines, nothing too major.

Bass response without a sub is still enough to turn my mirrors to a blur. Good nuf for me!

[Acuta73]

Went to Auto Battery & Electric last Friday. Picked up an Optima red top and a 105a alternator. New radio+the engine fan kicking in = almost stalled truck.

All better, now!

Will get a pick tomorrow or Sunday. Keep forgetting about it. Alt is a bit bigger than stock and required some minor Dremel work to fit (nubby bit meant to strengthen the lower bolt hole was in the way). Other than that? Bolted right up. Got stainless hardware to mount it up for durability/shinnies.

[Acuta73]

Just adding the pics like I said...

Battery:




Alternator:

[Acuta73]

Well, for as good as the stereo is, I just had to gild the lily a bit. My high range hearing is just about gone thanks to years of gunning ducks, I really want a bit more bass response in my stereo to make up for it (mids are AWESOME, atm).

Well, I went to Stereo King locally to ask about one of the Pioneer shallow mount subs scguy put in his. They were out, but the guy pointed me at a Kicker 10" shallow mount and said it was a bit better but more spendy. He ended up cutting me a deal and charged me $10 more than the Pioneer (was gonna bail when he priced the Kicker). Well, $295 later I walked out with the sub, a Rockford Fosgate Amp, wiring, and some split loom.

Looks really good...better when I get it in, I think:


The dog, however, was not so impressed (she watches more TV than I do):


(No, I'm not white trash, just recently single. Ex took all the good furniture, I like toys better than furniture. Sue me.)

[Acuta73]

So, does everyone just hate my thread or....?


Got the wiring mostly done for the MSD, can't figure the signal wiring yet, though. Posted a thread about it with pics, not gonna rehash my stupidity.

Sub is about 80% in. Just need to hook up the pot adjustment and the speaker wire.

Amp fuse in, stuck on with "Tape of the Gawds" (google it):







Wall O' speakers, and not much room for anything else now....:




Ran outa light and answers, more tomorrow.

[Stunner]

I check your thread out, dude. Regularly.
But, like I try to do on most threads here, I sit back, shut up, and try to learn something. I've spammed a couple of threads up here already (although unintentionally), and don't want to make a habit out of it.
Post on, and I'll continue to read and enjoy.

[Rickdees]

I read the threads, But if I don't have the facts I keep my opinion/thoughts out of a post. In my garage I chase my own tail around enough for everyone here. As for your new MSD box, Mine is a 6A and has no led light, with a MSD distributor.
The only input I will share with you is when you get it right, Mother BEAR they'll shock the FU^% out of you!
I don't go near they dam thing when the engine is running

[Acuta73]

Makes me think of a buddy of mine that accidentally (sure as hell wouldn't have done it on purpose) bridged the coil terminals on a VW with an end wrench. We all thought it was funny as hell, he wasn't of the same opinion...

[LethalEthan]

The only input I will share with you is when you get it right, Mother BEAR they'll shock the FU^% out of you!

I can vouch for that one, I was adjusting my carb one day and I guess my coil wire had some small cracks in it. Bad for business

[Acuta73]

Bump!