Rumbles SLC Build

[Mike]

The main problems were:
I got a an engine check light. I had OBDII 172 & 175 codes, which indicate the the motor is running rich.epper:

Bill - IIRC you are using a salvage engine. You may want to check the MAF sensor to make sure it's clean, fuel pressure I believe and did you get the fuel injectors cleaned & tested. On my several used engine installs I will send out the injectors for testing and cleaning. I've used the "witch hunter" WitchHunter Performance - Injector Cleaning & Flow Testing Services - their turn around time was 3-4 business days - there are other services available that may be closer. I also don't like using "oiled" air filters - over oiling them by accident can have some ill effects on the MAF.

Just some thoughts...

Oh BTW -- congrats on 1st start & drive.

 

[Jim]

This morning was the big event!

I got my replacement low pressure fuel pump yesterday afternoon and installed it last night. I woke up bright and early to a wonderful Fall day where all the pieces fell into place.

I fired up my motor and took my SLC for its first drive. It ran, shifted, steered and stopped great! I scored bonus points for not bottoming out at the end of my driveway, not having to push my car, and not needing my fire extinguisher.

The main problems were:

• I still can't get into reverse
• I got a an engine check light. I had OBDII 172 & 175 codes, which indicate the the motor is running rich. After some troubleshooting I discovered that the air filter is too restrictive. I put a new filter on order today.

The Fall 2013 Charlotte Auto Fair is next weekend. Its one of the largest cruise-ins in the country. It's been my goal to have my SLC drive-able by then, so I can debut at the show. My SLC will be in a raw fiberglass state, but I think I'm going to make it. epper:

Some video and/or pictures of this monumental event would be great. Yes I am still living out my dreams through other people's builds :thumbsup:

 

[Jim T]

This morning was the big event!

I got my replacement low pressure fuel pump yesterday afternoon and installed it last night. I woke up bright and early to a wonderful Fall day where all the pieces fell into place.

I fired up my motor and took my SLC for its first drive. It ran, shifted, steered and stopped great! I scored bonus points for not bottoming out at the end of my driveway, not having to push my car, and not needing my fire extinguisher.


The main problems were:

• I still can't get into reverse
• I got a an engine check light. I had OBDII 172 & 175 codes, which indicate the the motor is running rich. After some troubleshooting I discovered that the air filter is too restrictive. I put a new filter on order today.

The Fall 2013 Charlotte Auto Fair is next weekend. Its one of the largest cruise-ins in the country. It's been my goal to have my SLC drive-able by then, so I can debut at the show. My SLC will be in a raw fiberglass state, but I think I'm going to make it. epper:

Congratulations Bill!


Oh...ooh...ooh; I'm so jealous; when my SL-C grows up it too what's to do all of those things.....except for the reverse and code issues!


Good luck and knock their socks off at the car show!
Jim

 

[Jack]

Excellent news Bill, congrats!

 

[Bill]

Once I removed the restrictive air filter, the OBDII codes went away. I put the filter back on to see if it would generate the error code again. It did, so I'm pretty sure the new larger filter will fix the problem.

I'm not getting any OBDII codes now, so I'll probably leave it as is for the moment.

 

[Bill]

OOPS! I meant to say "404 High Density Adhesive Filler" instead of "406 Colloidal Silica"

Yup, I had my doubts about a TV star in the racing series, but it's more engaging that I expected.

I attached my seat bottom with West Marine epoxy resin (105/205) mixed with 406 Colloidal Silica.

 

[Bill]

I got my door gas struts installed.

There are some templates floating around for where to drill the hole for the lower strut mount. I found it easier to:

1. Remove the door
2. With the strut attached to the door arm, extend it to the full open position
3. Place the other end of the strut against the foot well about 8" up from the bottom, and mark it. This will account for any variability you may have depending on where you positioned your body on the chassis.
4. There isn't enough room between the body and footwell to drill the hole. Measure the horizontal/vertical position of the hole and transfer the mark to the inside of the footwell.
5. Assume your transferred mark will be somewhat close, but will probably not be exactly where you want it. So drill and very small peep hole and place a light in the footwell to see where it lands on the outside. Then adust as needed for the full size 5/16" mount hole.

You will need some sort of spacer on the footwell mount for the strut to clear the edge of the chassis. I found that a 1" x 5/16" coupler does the trick and is a common item at most hardware stores for about $1.

On the driver's side I needed to reroute the electrical harness to clear the strut. On the passenger side I fabricated a taller spacer to clear the HVAC hoses. The spacer bracket has a wide base to support the 130lb force. I also added an abrasion guard to protect the HVAC hoses from the sharp corner of the chassis.

The 12" 130lb struts seem to work fine with the door panels and hippo mirrors installed.

The 130lb force of the strut causes some body flex when opening/closing the door. The flex is especially noticeable in the windshield frame. I don't know if slamming the door could cause stress on the windshield. To be sure, I added body mounts toward the front of the windshield frame. The body is quite solid now with no noticeable flex.

Peter, thanks for letting me have your 12" 130lb struts!

 

[Bill]

Heads up: I ran into another ISIS system problem today. The wiper runs but doesn't automatically go into the park position. 12v is supposed to be supplied to the Park terminal on the wiper when you turn it off, but it wasn't there on my system. I traced the problem back to the wiper relay and discovered that an incorrect relay came with the ISIS system.

A Song Chuan 871-1A-C relay was installed, but the correct relay is the 871-1C-C. The correct relay has 5 terminals instead of 4.

I called ISIS and they are sending me the correct relay.

I've attached the Song Chuan 871 Relay Data Sheet, where I found the correct model.

 

[Jack]

Good catch Bill!

 

[Bill]

I got reverse!

You guys were right, it was just a shifter adjustment.

 

[Jack]

Good to know it was simple! Now you'll have more fun.

 

[Vidal]

I got reverse!

You guys were right, it was just a shifter adjustment.

Ah Yeah!epper:

 

[Vidal]

The Fall 2013 Charlotte Auto Fair is next weekend. Its one of the largest cruise-ins in the country. It's been my goal to have my SLC drive-able by then, so I can debut at the show. My SLC will be in a raw fiberglass state, but I think I'm going to make it. epper:

Bill,

The impatient me is eagerly awaiting and update. With lots of cool pictures, if available :thumbsup:.

 

[Bill]

I had a great weekend at the Charlotte AutoFair.

As you might have guessed, my SLC got a lot of attention and was the target of a "click, click, click" photo-fest for most of the day. Here are some PICs of my SLC in a rare moment at the end of the show when it wasn't surrounded by spectators.

In the interior PIC, you can see that I modified the dash and went with a different gauge cluster

 

[Dave Forster]

Nice looking gauge cluster! Can you tell us a bit more about it?

 

[PeteB]

Is that a Dakota Digital VHX-1016?

 

[Bill]

Yup, that is the Dakota Digital gauge cluster I used.

It comes with its own senders for oil pressure and water temp that work well with the LS engine.

The gauge cluster just barely fits within the width of the driver's pod on the dash. I cut the pod's sides way back to fit the gauge, and then fiberglassed the sides back in. I left the pod's upper lip and shaped it into a visor.

When I retracted my steering column, the left/right stalks would ram into the stock dash. So I also cutout the section under the gauge cluster and recessed it forward to add clearance.

 

[Jim T]

Very nice Bill! Madden voyage, had to be exciting....maybe one day I'll get to have a madden voyage too!
Jim

 

[Michael]

Wow. I'm sorry that I missed seeing you there. I came out early on Saturday, and left around 2:30. Looks like it's really coming along nicely Bill. No doubt that you had a crowd of people at any given time.

Mike

 

[Bill]

You may have noticed in my AutoFair Cruise-in PICs that I put used 60mm high beams. They require a little fabrication.

1. I glued the standard SLC fiberglass light cups to the nose.
2. I used the springs that came with the 60mm lights, but replaced the screws with long 10-32x2" screws. I then made a mounting plate from thin aluminum sheet with 10-32 rivnuts for the adjustment screws. The thinking is that the thin sheet will flex to allow the angle of the adjustment screws to skew as you aim the lights.
3. The SLC light cups were cut to allow the rivnuts and screws to pass thru.
4. Lastly, I used 2 rivets near each of the adjustment screws to mount the aluminum mounting plate to the fiberglass light cup.

The result is a solid mount with a good range of adjustability.