Back       Next

7/21/03
A little progress was made on the Duramax conversion project. I have learned a little more about Allison transmissions, and am still searching for a trans to mate up to the proposed Duramax purchase. It will be educational, to say the least. I feel the project is reasonable, and while certainly not cheap, will represent a good value once completed. It will take several months to line up parts, etc. before commencing the actual install. More fodder for updates. Now that swap WOULD free up the motor for the TR-6-JUST KIDDING! Don't know what I'll do with the engine, but that's not the major issue at the moment, although if I could get it sold, that would dramatically help the whole process along.

8/19/03
I put the two big block motors up for sale in the Recycler this week, and no calls. Also been unable to reach Josh Hendricks, Tiffany's diesel mechanic friend.

8/28/03
Remember that dream list of a few days ago? In an astonishing turn of events (could it be Mars at its closest affecting all this?) a fellow named Josh Nasbitt called from Anaheim inquiring about the two BBC motors. I told him the Gremlin's BBC blown motor is gone for all practical purposes, and the motor is available. Short story: he came out, heard it run, handed me cash, ALMOST took the TR-6, and bought the Mercruiser injection as well. So in one fell swoop (once we get the engine out today), two HUGE pieces of gear are OUTA here! Buick Bill expressed interest, but asked that I wait a week or two until things settled down for him. No problem now. In order to do this removal, we had to move the Bird forward, the TR-6 sideways, and the race car into the trailer. AND, we had to figure a way to get the 1300# of separate engine and transmission out of the bed of the . Using some clever strapping and NO bolts, we put the Duramax in three slings and using the garage hoist system set it on a dolly, and ditto for the Allison trans.
So those are both on dollies and wheelable. The bad news is the Duramax motor is much more damaged than QC Parts suggested. Several brackets are broken, and the intake is snapped off the manifold. So the parts hunt is on. Maddeningly, this appears to be a mostly metric bolt motor, with a lot of 12-point heads. This will require some new tools.

In pulling out the motor, we found the starter was bad (which explains a lot of the won't-start stuff for quite a while), and AutoZone is making good on their warranty. I snuck in just as they closed the store, and they had one in stock. So Josh will get a new starter in his bargain.
Sergei did most of the pullout work, with a bit of help from me, and the motor is out, on the pallet, ready for anchoring for shipping. We cleaned it up a bit with lacquer thinner, and it is a turnkey piece, ready for his Minaro (Camaro in Australia ). He'll need his own mounts, as we're holding onto mine in case the Duramax can use them. I'm giving him the trans yoke, as the Allison yoke is HUGE. I have no clue as yet as to how that engine and trans will or won't fit. All I can do for now is bolt them together. Get it on the hoists, and start pushing it in and out (probably a lot). And I really need a Duramax-savvy guy to give me some info on what I need and where to get it.

8/29/03
WHEW!! What a 24 hours! Literally aerobic. Got the engine on a pallet today, including some major cutting down of large lumber on the pallet to JUST get it to squeeze into a rental truck (60 inches wide through the tailgate opening). I had to rent the truck as they needed a CALIF license (their international licenses weren't good enough). All done, got all the money, and he's on his way to Carson to drop off the pallet. I'll see him in a few hours to return the rental.

8/31/03
I put a called into Nick at the body shop and asked if he had any diesel guys for the Duramax questions. He said he thought he might have someone. He is supposed to come by today to look over the install and give me his thoughts. It's 1:09 PM, which is early in the day for him, and no show as yet. I will be leaving soon to go help good buddy Baida with some more framing at his new house. He was SO kind to front me the money for the Duramax, and I want to demonstrate my forthrightness to the max. He and I are having great fun dong stuff together. Qwikdick and HyperDick make a riotous team!!! He looked up a bunch of Duramax stuff for me on the web to help me get a handle on the new system. This guy is all action and no BS.

9/2/03
I joined the Diesel Page for $20, and lo and behold they have a Duramax conversion happening. This is only the first installment, but one important point was mentioned: the rheostat throttle. These motors are throttle-by-wire, there is no linkage to the motor at all. Completely computerized. So the shifter, throttle, and MUCHO wiring need to be changed. The "conversion" at Diesel Page is putting in an all new dash.
I hope I don't have to go THERE. Nick is still trying to remember a guy who does just such installs.

9/6/03
Still never heard from Josh on the Duramax, so contacted Rob Anderson, who is considering the project. He said if he doesn't do it he will find me a competent person to do so. I went and looked at a new Duramax truck, crawled underneath, and got my first round of scoping the actual install. There are LOTS of little things we'll need to do, and many parts to procure. Rob is the PERFECT person for this project, as it will take repeated and patient assays of what's needed, scouring for parts, and a diligent and relentless plan of action with qualified techs. I can get the parts hopefully at cost from good friend Peter Chinn at FH Dailey in San Leandro , and that will help this along mightily. I'll go on record here as saying this is going to be a $5-8K deal, and will take 2-3 months if done by someone else. As I sold the 454 crate motor, turbo 400 trans, and Mercruiser injection for $4500, I have essentially gotten the Duramax and Allison for nearly free. So that swap will entail just the install costs, as guessed above. This will still be dramatically cheaper than a $43K new truck, with essentially all of the benefits. I MAY need a new radiator, intercooler, trans cooler, hydro brake/power steering unit. AC evaporator, and motor mounts. And that's just for starters. The alternator may work, the AC compressor appears to be too large to work, the exhaust will obviously need reworking or outright replacement, although since I have true dual exhaust it might work with just a Y-pipe and the addition of the HUGE stock catalytic converter.

9/9/03
Rob Anderson is out of town, so no progress on the Duramax. I finally reached Josh and he said he was interested in the diesel project, and would get back to me in a few days. I have one other fellow referred by Nick Johns for the install as well.

9/15/03
Rob Anderson has not made a decision on the Duramax as yet (he was out of town all week), but will peruse the possibilities over a glass of Merlot tonight at home.

9/24/03
On the Duramax front, I'm going to have the first session on the with Roy Ransom on Friday. We're going to adios the AC condenser and core support and attempt to bolt up the engine and trans for a trial fit. As I still have no metric tools which appear appropriate to the bolts on the Duramax, I may have to visit my friendly Sears store for some Craftsman metric or order some Cornwell tools (Dean Skuza's sponsor).

Rob Anderson is still pondering the project, and has not gotten back to me since my follow-up call to him a week after our initial talk. Ditto for Josh Hendrickson. I may end up doing this whole thing myself (not the preferred route here).

9/27/03

Roy Ransom came by yesterday and today, and yesterday we got the entire front off the truck: grille, bumper, AC condenser and compressor (had to drain off the freon, damn), and the core support. Today we got the engine and trans bolted up, and hoisted it up and inside the frame rails!! I had to torch off the top of the "C" frame rails on both sides to permit the oil filter on the left and the exhaust on the right to clear. The trans mount crossmember is out, and can be reinstalled, although about 8 inches rearward of its original position. We're going to air-nibble the floor pan open tomorrow or Monday, and we're  going to see if raising the trans 3-4 inches levels the motor out sufficiently. If not, then we'll have to do some major surgery on the front crossmember, and come up with a dropped drag link for the steering, as that hits the pan as does the major crossmember carrying the front end steering and suspension. The very good news is that the AC box on the firewall clears, and the master cylinder will clear as well. There's still a lot of clearancing to do, but I'm WAY pleased at how far we've gotten in only two days. We don't have any clue as to how the mounts will work, but we're certainly doing great so far. Once we've got the rough install covered, we'll go for the extensive parts list, pull out the assembly, start prettyfying the install, and put the major hunt on for the parts. Roy was the chief mechanic for LA City heavy trucks and formerly did the same in the Marines.

He is quietly VERY sharp. As noted before, it appears we'll  need to get the whole cooling package from a newer truck: radiator, intercooler, AC condenser. The existing Harrison AC compressor appears too big to fit on the motor right now. The alternator, as noted previously, looks good so far. If this were Monster Garage, this would be running already!!! Once we get the motor situated, we can see how to move some things around, like the fuel filter that is VERY close to the AC air box on the firewall. Fortunately, the fuel filter is on a bracket, and can be easily relocated. No conclusion on the power steering pump as yet. Don't  know how hood clearance is as yet. I am taking pix galore, so documentation will be available for others, such as readers of the Diesel Page.

9/29/03 Some more frame cutting (lots), and the motor is down and level in both
directions. Hood clearance appears not to be an issue now. Roy had to cut a little more out of the trans tunnel, I had to do some more frame notching, and the monster is at least in position. We looked at the old motor mounts and there is NO WAY they are going to be of any use. It appears we'll need to fab up two plates, one on the engine and one on the crossmember and fit some urethane doughnut between with a LARGE bolt. The driveshaft appears only to need to be shortened an inch or two, and a different yoke and u-joint fitted to match the rear of the Allison trans. I have forwarded some pix to Rob Anderson to give him a sense of what I've done so far, and to get his thinking going on what I might need to do to beef up the frame and make some motor mounts. I also talked with Peter Chinn today who suggested I order a Helm's manual for the Duramax. He is not familiar with this motor, so I will have to do most of the research on the parts. Roy has proven extremely helpful here, as he has spent decades working on heavy trucks. I should get a wiring manual for the original 86 truck as well to see just what the old wiring was, as we need to interface both together. Roy says my diesel motor is a 12-volt unit (and 12-volt starter) but should have two batteries for the starting amperage (and I presume to help maintain the voltage for the computers). So we're at the parts list stage. Thankfully, with Roy 's immense help, we are moving quickly after only three or 4 days of work on it. It continues to amaze me how much more I can get done with one other person here. I just leap into decision/action, rather than just aching over "should I do this, should I do that…..". While not quite Monster Garage, this thing has moved well, and a major hurdle appears to have been cleared to date. There will be a LOT of issues to conquer: fuel system, wiring, exhaust, shifting, throttle, etc. Getting the engine mounted will answer a lot for now.

9/30/03
Peter Chinn called this morning and sent me some FAXes on parts drawings. I will be getting a manual for the engine soon, and meanwhile I will have him start ordering parts we clearly need: rear mount, intake manifold neck, turbo waste gate controller vacuum diaphragm, and idler pulley, and like that. I need to get some brackets welded, and learn a LOT more about how this motor communicates. Rob Anderson has not responded, but I hope he does soon. Roy has been beyond wonderful: he just can't wait to keep going on this. I need to turn him to the Condor while we wait for parts on the Duramax.

10/3/03
On the Duramax front, I met another fellow today, John Santiago, who owns one and is a gearhead, too. He will come by in a few days to chat about cars. I also spoke with a service tech for Dodge who knows diesels, Ruben, and he MIGHT come by next week to take a peek. He knows ignitions, too.

I have not ordered any diesel parts yet, so we are at a bit of a standstill. I spoke with Joe at Lucas AC about the air, and he will attempt to be of help soon in determining what can be used or not.

10/5/03
Duramax owner John Santiago offered to tow the FC to Palmdale or Famoso at my leisure. I'll take him up on it in two weeks, as next week is full with my mom's 90th birthday celebrations. It is now cool enough to make going out there worthwhile. I also need to get out to have the Cool Suit examined and tested. I also need to get some Duramax parts ordered. I rode in Santiago 's truck and it is AWESOME!!! I am extremely excited that my will run like that. Wow!!

10/27/03
No progress on the Duramax install. Just so busy with work that I haven't made connections to continue on. As soon as the Condor can fly, we'll turn our attentions back to the diesel.

11/13/03
The truck needs finishing (DUH!), and that is a major undertaking in itself. I need to get someone going on the mount fabrication, to allow for someone else to come in and start figuring out all the computer connections.

11/25/03
John Santiago came over Sunday and we brainstormed on motor mounts. He eventually decided to use some front tabs on the block to attach, quite far forward. He is fabbing up the mounts at his home, and when he returns, we'll make the pads on the front crossmember and set the engine back in. We also found more broken parts. Joe Ziola will have a grand time tig-welding a lot of stuff on this motor. We had a TERRIBLE time getting the motor out, in contrast to the approximately five minutes it should have taken, The folds of metal where the firewall pieces are spot welded together at the factory caught on one of the left side head studs and locked the engine in at a bad angle. That was 30 minutes of prying, trying, crying, sweating, fretting, and fortunately no blood-letting. Gonna trim those tabs today!!!

11/26/03
John Santiago has not finished the motor mounts (first stage) as yet. I also need to blow out a little more of the crossmember and start welding up the re-beefing there.

11/30/03
I spent the day today, after a 2.5 hour mountain bike ride, working solely on the mounts. John Santiago came over and did his second phase of temping up some mounts. I would simply have welded some together and been done. He is taking his former NASA experience route, setting up for a milspec production run. This is really NOT what I wanted from him, but at least we are making progress, if at excessive expense and protracted time. It will certainly be beautiful stuff. Meanwhile, I just wet ahead and boxed in the crossmember with 1/4" steel plate. I did the whole deal, per my discussion with Randy wherein I suggested adding some stiffener bars inside the crossmember. Did so, welded them beautifully, and welded the outside saddle plate mostly not so beautifully. I neglected to clean the slag off the main plate after torch cutting it, and that was a way big error. Got it all done, but it wasn't pretty in some areas. Other areas are the best welds I've ever done. Bottom line: it has to hold to do its job, and I think it will.

12/2/03
On the lighter side, I welded on the crossmember for about 4 hours, including cutting 1/4" plate for the saddle and stiffeners inside the crossmember. I forgot to wear a sweatshirt, and REALLY "sunburned" my upper arms!! Yeoww!! I made an error in not grinding off the torch slag on the main plate, so I did some "goober" welding. I had Jaye grind all of it flush, and it actually came out pretty nicely. I do have some spots that don't look strong, and I'll re-weld those. But overall that sucker should be REAL strong now. I am also going to weld some 2" angle to the OUTSIDE of the frame rails in the areas where I trimmed off the "C" channel on top on the INSIDE to make room for the engine. And, if clearance permits, I'll add some vertical ribs both inside and outside the frame rails. John Santiago is doing his milspec usual on the motor mounts (he used to do machining for NASA), and is frankly doing a WAY overkill. I'd just have cut up some plates, drilled them, tacked them, and finished them up right on the motor. He's approaching it like a production run of motor mounts. I do appreciate his innovative capabilities, I'm just more quick and dirty about some aspects of this project. My approach would also be about $400 cheaper. Whatever, it's getting done, and that's the important thing.

1/5/04
The Duramax front mounts are mostly done, just needing to pull the motor to weld at some tough to reach areas. The trans mount needs to be fabricated. Then it's off to finding parts, welding cracked pieces, and figuring out how to wire this monster. Oh, and some brake line and fuel line changes, and the remake of the drag link.

Stay tuned.

2/1/04
Rob Anderson came down and has agreed to take on the finish of the Duramax install (for money, of course). The front mounts are done on both the motor and the frame. We have discovered a problem: the right front wheel has NEGATIVE camber, meaning the top of the wheel is further in than the bottom. Not good. Randy and I thought it was because of the relief I did on the right frame rail, but it appears it was pre-existing. So some frame geometry needs to be corrected at some point. I will still be beefing up the frame rail with angle iron and some gussets, once the engine location is secure, and I confirm that I can get the engine in and out with gussets in place. Rob has also said he would design a trans mount, so we're waiting on that.

2/9/04
Solved the trans mount problem. I'm using two more rubber isolators from Grainger, identical to the motor mounts. Sweet. I drilled the rear crossmember, and am just hunting the City for a 17/32" drill bit to tap the tailshaft of the Allison trans for the 5/8" x 11 (thread) bolts.

2/17/04
AAA Tools has the bit, and I will get one later today.

2/28/04
Nothing done in several weeks. Concentrating on the outside cars.

3/2/04
As soon as Roy finishes Ray's SC, we'll  get back to working on the Duramax. I'm going out right now to shoot some pix for the site.

3/16/04
DURAMAX
Roy and I installed the engine and trans in the truck, and I drilled out the tailshaft on the Allison trans to accept the new trans mount bolts.

Randy talked me out of threading them good call. The engine fit perfectly on the mounts and crossmember. We marked some frame areas for a slight bit of grinding, and pulled it out. I will do a little gusseting to help restore some frame stiffness in the liberally hacked out areas. The front driveshaft (it is a split driveshaft with a center support bearing) needs to be shortened 1-1/2", and a new Allison compatible u-joint/yoke put on the front driveshaft. I will run the unit over to Wenco for that operation tomorrow.

3/19/04
DURAMAX
Took the driveshaft to Wenco, and Mike said the center support bearing was shot. We both agreed that an upgrade to the differential yoke might be in order, and Mike suggested I bring it in. Much easier said than done. After buying $55 of sockets (which wouldn't fit in the cramped yoke quarters, but which I managed to return for full credit), I got a $12 socket that did fit, but the damn nut on the pinion yoke won't come loose. Heat is the next alternative. We might just leave it on and build the driveshafts to work with it as-is. Randy informs that there are tougher u-joints available without going up in size, and that the one-ton Dana 70 rear in the truck is likely about as close to BIG as it gets.
He also noted that the driveshaft tube is considered to be a sacrificial part in the driveline. I never thought of it that way.

3/29/04
No real movement there, as I am waiting for both Roy Ransom to clear his schedule and for Rob Anderson to find some techs for me at Vortech.

4/7/04
Picked up the driveshaft from Wenco for a mere $650! So we have achieved mounts and the driveline.
Rob Anderson got me in touch with Lance at Vortech and Lance is coming down Saturday morning to view the install and hopefully spearhead it towards completion. Monster garage this is not. Chip Foose or the Dominator Car Shop might be a closer thing, time wise at least (for those of you who watch the car TV shows on cable).

4/10/04
Got the keys and pink from Nicole on the 41 GMC, thanks to the help of Hillorie Rudolph, my typist friend who knows her. Now we have to find a place for the truck!

Lance from Vortech is now about a half hour late for his Sat 8 AM appointment to view the project. I have all possible digits and members crossed that he will actually show up. Roy was here yesterday and we were talking about what it might take for the intercooler to be mounted, relocating the radiator forward, etc. Probably the easiest thing to do at this point is use the Vortech water/air cooler for the turbo, leaving everything just as-is. As noted previously, it appears that the AC compressor and power steering pump will have to be replaced. It also appears the Duramax has TWO alternators, to keep the required twin 12-volt batteries up. That's what Lance is supposed to be here to tell us.

4/27/04
Jorge helped me get the motor back in, and I FINALLY took off the fuel filter, which has been damaging the evaporator box. I'm SO stupid sometimes! I also had Jorge put back on the master cylinder, which then had to come off to get the motor in. We're learning the nuances of this install as we go. Jorge also drilled the rear crossmember/trans mount and has 4 bolts going into the lower frame section. We are having the predicted interference problem between the front portion of the cast aluminum pan and the steering arm. It first appeared it is far less than originally thought, but enough to matter. We're going to shim up the front mounts and see if we make it. If not, it's Joe Ziola time (welding) on the steering arm. Notwithstanding the prior sentences, it turns out the arm is WAY interfering with the pan. I had the core support (radiator surround, etc.) in, and Jorge took that out today to make it possible to get the motor in. It appears we can not mount a standard intercooler, and will be relying on a Vortech system, which still needs a radiator of some sort mounted somewhere.

5/14/04
No material progress, although Randy and I brainstormed a little today on the steering, and I got some FAXed materials from Scott at FH Dailey on the front end geometry of the newer trucks. Bottom line at this point: still gotta remake the center steering link to miss the pan, OR raise the engine about 5". I'm  going to do that as a test, but I'm  nearly certain at this point that the hood will not close. Modifying the hood might be the cheaper way out. Roy claims he will be coming out more steadily to push the Duramax along this coming week. We just need time, manpower, and incentive. Oh, and a fat wallet.

5/22/04
Roy did come by the other day as noted above, and the engine is now sitting 2.5 inches higher and JUST clears the hood. I don't know if it will clear with the AC compressor and alternator on. More fun.

5/26/04
Roy first reported he had located a supplier for a one-inch dropped Pitman arm and center link. That would not do us much good on the pan interference problem. He now reports it is a 3" drop, WAY better. I've asked him to secure it, and we'll make it work. Still waiting on the part.

8/29/04
At this point I have fabricated motor mounts on the engine and crossmember, and notched the crossmember saddle about 3", boxed it heavily with 1/4" steel plate, and purchased some motor mount pucks from Grainger's which seem to work fine. We have also moved the transmission crossmember back about 6" (after cutting away the muffler support brackets), and re-drilled the frame to accept new bolt placement. I also drilled the crossmember to allow bolting the Allison trans through the same pucks onto the crossmember. Would that the whole install could be done so easily.
We found that the drag link, the center steering arm, went directly through the pan at the engine height we wanted. We tried raising the engine 2.5" to clear, but it puts the intake tubing too close to the hood, and I am NOT going through another hood fiasco (after the Condor).
So after investigating a dropped drag link, and finding that would likely cause bump-steer problems because of changing the tie-rod geometry, I have opted to have Joe Ziola cut the drag link and drop it about 3.25", as well as angle it forward at the bottom about 30 degrees.
This will put it forward and in the most open area, and allow it to miss the crossmember and A-arms. We found that the tie rod ends just hit the outer gussets of the crossmember motor mounts, so Roy torched those gussets off the other day. Once Joe completes the drag link drop, we'll  bolt it back together, drop the engine down, and start working on exhaust, wiring, etc.
The most challenging aspect of this install is not the physical portion, but rather the electronics. The Duramax system using gauges as part of the electronics circuits, and that will require changing the cluster above the steering wheel at the very least, if not the column and entire dash. Mr. Montana kept his column, but changed out the whole dash. I would prefer not to go that route, and he says it is not necessary. I have had the driveshaft shortened and beefier u-joints and yokes fitted, along with a new center support bearing, as it is a two-piece driveshaft. Our driveline alignment seems quite good on the front half, and the back half remains unchanged as the center support bearing will go right back in the stock location.
Sadly, the truck had been painted just before the 454 install, and is getting steadily scratched by workers running in and out of the garage. This is a very sad affair, and will require perhaps a thousand dollars of repainting once the truck is done.

Back    Page 1   Next