norcal*PWRstroke
Adventurer
Very nice that you don't have to take that off everytime you load the camper! I had to get rid of my aluminum highway products one it wouldn't fit with camper. So I am going to build my own
7K of USA
- Thread starter Colorado_Outback
- Start date
Colorado_Outback
Adventurer
Back to business on this thing. Like always I got excited and started taking stuff off before I took a before pic.
Got the fluids drained, radiator out, and started unhooking a bunch of odds and ends. Next step is disconnecting all the electrical from the motor and labeling it and getting the old motor out of the way. :costumed-smiley-007
20161001_165016 by colorado_baja, on Flickr
20161001_165029 by colorado_baja, on Flickr
When I bought this truck I noticed that the support on the driver side was broken. Earlier this spring I noticed an odd popping sound when I had a substantial load in the bed (2k lbs-ish). The passenger one separating and rubbing on the frame must have been what I was hearing. Kinda a relief since I was worried it was my rear suspension or something else out back.
20161001_165243 by colorado_baja, on Flickr
Got the fluids drained, radiator out, and started unhooking a bunch of odds and ends. Next step is disconnecting all the electrical from the motor and labeling it and getting the old motor out of the way. :costumed-smiley-007
20161001_165016 by colorado_baja, on Flickr
20161001_165029 by colorado_baja, on FlickrWhen I bought this truck I noticed that the support on the driver side was broken. Earlier this spring I noticed an odd popping sound when I had a substantial load in the bed (2k lbs-ish). The passenger one separating and rubbing on the frame must have been what I was hearing. Kinda a relief since I was worried it was my rear suspension or something else out back.
20161001_165243 by colorado_baja, on Flickr
Colorado_Outback
Adventurer
Well that looks like a quick fix there Mr Colorado. Just get out the old welder and give it a pass. Glad to see you are getting into the teardown on your rig. We are all excited to see how things go. Cheers, Chilli.
Ill probably replace it with some beefier tube after I get the engine bay cleaned up!
Got the old motor out today.
20161005_133759 by colorado_baja, on FlickrLabeled every connector so I can find what I need later.
20161005_155153 by colorado_baja, on FlickrEngine bay needs a power wash. The timing cover, distributor seal and oil pan were all seeping oil pretty good. The worst offender seems to have been the EVAP canister. It was spraying the drivers side with a fine mist of oil that coated everything back to the firewall.
20161005_155400 by colorado_baja, on FlickrI'm starting to get excited :sombrero:
chilliwak
Expedition Leader
Ill probably replace it with some beefier tube after I get the engine bay cleaned up!
Got the old motor out today.
Labeled every connector so I can find what I need later.
Engine bay needs a power wash. The timing cover, distributor seal and oil pan were all seeping oil pretty good. The worst offender seems to have been the EVAP canister. It was spraying the drivers side with a fine mist of oil that coated everything back to the firewall.
I'm starting to get excited :sombrero:
Well Mr Colorado I can certainly see why you are getting excited. That new motor in the background with the old one in the forground of the pic looks like it was staged for a Hollywood blockbuster! Can you give us some details on the new motor? Cheers, Chilli..:Wow1::drool::wings:
Colorado_Outback
Adventurer
The motor is a pretty much all stock 8.1L from a 2005 Kodiak. No power mods besides the Howell tune and removal of TQ Management.
I started by replacing the drivers side fender liner so that I could bolt up my new ECU mount, washer bottle and 2nd battery tray.
20161008_165630 by colorado_baja, on FlickrThe ECU mount was no problem but I couldnt get all the supports in for the 2nd battery tray. I bought this truck knowing it had been tapped on the drivers front corner so I guess today was the day I got to figure out how bad it really was...
I removed the grill and found this gaping on the driver side, at this point I assumed that the core support had been tweaked.
20161008_194003 by colorado_baja, on FlickrSo I decided that the core support would have to come out so I could see where exactly it was bent and how bad.
When I finally got everything unclipped and unbolted, I discovered that the driver front body mount had taken the brunt of the impact damage. it caved the side of the frame rail in pretty good.
20161010_131146 by colorado_baja, on Flickr
20161010_152859 by colorado_baja, on FlickrTo add insult to injury the passenger side body mount welds had failed and when I finally got all the bumper bolts out it just fell off haha.
20161010_131202 by colorado_baja, on FlickrBoth sides are going to need to be cut out and replaced, hard to tell in the pics but there is cracking running in between the holes.
All this because 2 bolts wouldn't line up haha
20161010_154644 by colorado_baja, on Flickr
chilliwak
Expedition Leader
Well its sure a good thing you found out about it now and not after install of your new motor. With your fabrication skills I am sure you will have it together in no time. I love the new motor. I am asuming that you have removed all the fancy electronics so that the motor is more simple to install and run. Please give us any details you can as I am totally lost when it comes to engine computer stuff..:ylsmoke:
Colorado_Outback
Adventurer
Thats where the Howell harness and ECU come in. You can do this swap by merging a factory 8.1 and 350 harness but its a crazy amount of wires to sort through and every one has to be right for it to run correctly when your done.
I opted to have Howell do all that for me. They sent a custom harness and ECU, there are only a handful of wires you need to hook up to make it run. They remove the VATS (Vehicle anti theft system) and let you select a whole bunch of options to customize your harness. ECU position in the engine bay, harness length, all the correct connectors for the options I detail below, a bunch of stuff.
I live in a non emissions county so I turned off the rear 02 sensors. I won't be running cats and the motor only needs the front 2 to run. I also opted to use a non ecu controlled alternator and a mechanical throttle body from a 454 GMT400. If I wanted to keep the drive by wire throttle body I would have had to add an electronic throttle pedal from a GMT800 (and more wires).
I'm sure there is more stuff I'm forgetting, ill get into as I remember :sombrero:
Colorado_Outback
Adventurer
Got both sides back to solid metal
20161011_152410 by colorado_baja, on Flickr
Refitted the core support and everything with the fenders, fender liners and core support is good.
20161012_155110 by colorado_baja, on Flickr
Unfortunately the driver side core support mount was too twisted to reuse.
20161012_155402 by colorado_baja, on Flickr
All that because these 2 bolts didn't line up.
20161012_155031 by colorado_baja, on Flickr
I went to the junkyard today and cut a good looking set of core support mounts off a truck, hopefully by lunch time tomorrow ill have them welded on and be back to where I was a week ago.
20161011_152410 by colorado_baja, on FlickrRefitted the core support and everything with the fenders, fender liners and core support is good.
20161012_155110 by colorado_baja, on FlickrUnfortunately the driver side core support mount was too twisted to reuse.
20161012_155402 by colorado_baja, on FlickrAll that because these 2 bolts didn't line up.
20161012_155031 by colorado_baja, on FlickrI went to the junkyard today and cut a good looking set of core support mounts off a truck, hopefully by lunch time tomorrow ill have them welded on and be back to where I was a week ago.
chilliwak
Expedition Leader
Well its good to see you making some progress :Wow1:there Mr Colorado. Thanks to your fabrication skills it looks like the truck will be ready for motor install soon enough. Looking good! Just curious how much your wiring harness cost you? Keep up the good work and lets see lots of pics. Cheers, Chilli..
Colorado_Outback
Adventurer
Ill have to look for my receipt it was a while ago now. I gave them a whole bunch of money for an ECU core, 02 sensors and bungs and some other stuff.
Got plenty of penetration on the patches.
20161014_105305 by colorado_baja, on FlickrCore support mounts I got from the yard are much better.
20161014_104108 by colorado_baja, on FlickrFixed my broken frame supports.
20161015_172529 by colorado_baja, on FlickrInstalled the new GM flywheel and Centerforce dual friction clutch.
20161017_100842 by colorado_baja, on Flickr
20161017_105200 by colorado_baja, on FlickrAnd wrestled the motor in.
20161017_152052 by colorado_baja, on Flickr
20161017_152354 by colorado_baja, on FlickrIt looks at home in there.
chilliwak
Expedition Leader
Ill have to look for my receipt it was a while ago now. I gave them a whole bunch of money for an ECU core, 02 sensors and bungs and some other stuff.
Got plenty of penetration on the patches.
Core support mounts I got from the yard are much better.
Fixed my broken frame supports.
Installed the new GM flywheel and Centerforce dual friction clutch.
And wrestled the motor in.
It looks at home in there.
Some really nice :drool:looking work you have done there Mr Colorado! I also think the Chevy bowtie emblem looks great:Wow1: on there. Things are coming along nicely. cheers, Chilli..
Colorado_Outback
Adventurer
Since I wanted my gauges and AC to still work when I'm all done I had to retain some wires and sensors from the original harness/engine.
Oil pressure sending unit on the right is from the 350TBI the one on the left came with the 8.1. Same thread size but different connector so I just installed the 350 sensor in the 8.1. Nice and easy :sombrero:
20161020_105710 by colorado_baja, on Flickr
Coolant temp sensor for the dash was located on the drivers side cly head twards the front on the 350. The 8.1 has a 1/2" NPT port into the coolant passage on each head, the passenger provides coolant temp to the ECU so I decided to use the one on the driver side for the dash. All I needed was a 3/8" to 1/2" NPT bushing to adapt the threads.
20161020_101755 by colorado_baja, on Flickr
The alternator is just one wire so I swapped the plug on the end to fit my new alternator. Only other thing I retained on the passenger side was 3 grounds that I ran to a ring lug that will go on the back of the passenger head.
20161020_154640 by colorado_baja, on Flickr
The connectors for the AC were actually the same as my old AC compressor but since the compressor is on the other side of the motor now the wires needed to be extended. Here you can see my new AC/coolant temp harness.
20161020_154601 by colorado_baja, on Flickr
Last thing I got done today was installing 2 1/2" NPT brass plugs in the oil galleys where the oil cooler lines would normally go.
20161020_155504 by colorado_baja, on Flickr
Oil pressure sending unit on the right is from the 350TBI the one on the left came with the 8.1. Same thread size but different connector so I just installed the 350 sensor in the 8.1. Nice and easy :sombrero:
20161020_105710 by colorado_baja, on FlickrCoolant temp sensor for the dash was located on the drivers side cly head twards the front on the 350. The 8.1 has a 1/2" NPT port into the coolant passage on each head, the passenger provides coolant temp to the ECU so I decided to use the one on the driver side for the dash. All I needed was a 3/8" to 1/2" NPT bushing to adapt the threads.
20161020_101755 by colorado_baja, on FlickrThe alternator is just one wire so I swapped the plug on the end to fit my new alternator. Only other thing I retained on the passenger side was 3 grounds that I ran to a ring lug that will go on the back of the passenger head.
20161020_154640 by colorado_baja, on FlickrThe connectors for the AC were actually the same as my old AC compressor but since the compressor is on the other side of the motor now the wires needed to be extended. Here you can see my new AC/coolant temp harness.
20161020_154601 by colorado_baja, on FlickrLast thing I got done today was installing 2 1/2" NPT brass plugs in the oil galleys where the oil cooler lines would normally go.
20161020_155504 by colorado_baja, on Flickr
chilliwak
Expedition Leader
Wow looking solid there Mr Colorado! I always was the guy ripping off the anti pollution stuff so when I see someone like you that can figure out how to make the modern engines work with all those electronics I am trully impressed. Sometime we are going to have to meet so you can give me the low down all all that stuff. In the meen time keep up the good work as I am enjoying following your build. Cheers, Chilli...