1936 Ford Pickup Refresh

[DRIVEN]

More wiring. Pile of heat wrap and tape:

Unused wires:

VATS simulator. I actually bought this for my Quad4 wagon but it didn't work. Should be fine for this though:

ECM rerouted to the rear. Still in the midst of lengthening and shortening circuits. In fact, I cannibalized another harness I had so I could keep the proper wire color coding on the wires I needed to make longer. All connections are soldered and shrink-wrapped. It just takes time but the end product is cleaner and more reliable:

This is my current stopping point. Next I'll be putting power to it and cranking it over. That should let me check for spark, injector pulse, DTCs, etc. before I finish taping the harness up. Total harness time is between 8 and 10 hours.

I gotta get a new camera. My pics really suck.

[Oldsmoletick]

Vats simulator? I thought there was a way to trick the vats system with a simple resistor matching the resistance that the key had? Though I could be mistaken, that conversation took place a few years and a few beers ago. Looking good at any rate, very professional job there.

[DRIVEN]

The ECM looks for an input signal from the passkey decoder module. Depending on the year and version it can include the car's gauge cluster too. So in order to work correctly you would need a corresponding key and tumbler along with a decoder module. The keys can loose calibration over time and seem to fail at the worst possible moment. What this simulator does is send a generic signal to the ECM making it possible to eliminate all the other pieces. You could also have it tuned out of the ECM. Once it's up and running we may do that anyway if we get a custom tune flashed. My uncle has the equipment to do it but it's hard to get him pinned down to actually get the job done. At least this way we can get it fired.

[Oldsmoletick]

Gotcha, we had one in the shop a couple weeks ago with a pass key problem, turned out to be the cluster, after thinking, must be the passlock module, .

[DRIVEN]

Chapter 5, Getting ready:
My brother slipped in while I wasn't looking and started the firewall. He said he welded up 31 holes before starting the body work. Probably about 3 hours into it:

Here's a little tip/trick you guys may or may not have seen before. We use the knock-outs from breaker panels to weld up larger holes. They come in various sizes and are similar gauge as factory firewall sheet metal. My buddy's dad is a county electrical inspector so I occasionally come home to a hand full of presents he's left on my doorstep.


Still not 100% decided on what the finished product will look like. We discussed all the typical firewall treatments like white, black with pinstriping, checkered flag look, and even some non-traditional twists like lace or large airbrushed engine turning. At this point he's leaning toward a dark red. Officially, it's TBD.

[DRIVEN]

Did a test fit the low-mount alternator kit and took some measurments. Looks like I'll be notching the front crossmember just as anticipated. Might even be into the framerail a bit.

Also hooked up the spark tester, noid light and scanner to see if I could verify spark and fuel. Looks good on the stand. Hopefully I can just hook up the dozen or so wires when I drop the engine in and be good to go. We shall see.

[Oldsmoletick]

Good idea with the knock outs, . Any reason the alternator can't be mounted up top or higher rather than as low as it is? (keep in mind I have 0 knowledge of chevy engines, ).

[DRIVEN]

On the B, D, and F bodys, all the accessories are located on the passenger side. Once you remove the AC compressor and PS pump you are left with a large, awkward aluminum bracket that doesn't allow you to run a belt without adding idler pulleys. The water pump gets in the way too. We just went this route to clean things up. It creates extra work in the front crossmember area but that's not a big deal since someone torched out a hole for the old mechanical fuel pump decades ago. I'll actually be cleaning up that scar at the same time so it's a 2 birds /1 stone deal.

[DRIVEN]

Shortened the driveline. I didn't really take any other pics. Just this one after I had shortened the tube and hammered the end back into the tube before being welded.

My brother came by last night and shot the firewall and inner fenders. My camera really sucks but it's kind of a blood red shade in person.

Hope to do the crossmember notch and get the engine in this weekend.

[Oldsmoletick]

Did/will you have the shaft balanced after that, or is it just for mock up? I was given quite the rash of shit for shortening my own drive shaft and not bothering to have it balanced. It didn't shake so I saw no point, I trust my welds too, lol.

[DRIVEN]

Depends on how it feels when it's back together. The factory balance weight is at the other end so I doubt I upset it too badly by removing 3.5" of bare tube. I've been flamed too for shortening my own on my wagon on a different forum. I shortened it and used the hose clamp method to balance it. It was actually noticeably smoother after I was done than before I started. Even though I had posted pics with my description of the process, those chimps were under the impression that the clamps were somehow holding it together. I ran it that way for quite a while then sent it out to be retubed and balance. It has never been as smooth as when I had the clamps on it. Go figure.

[DRIVEN]

Chapter 6, Dropping it in and hooking it up:
Firewall and inner fenders painted. Frame pre-surgery:

After making room for the alternator and reinforcing the crossmember:

Engine back in it's home:


Still need to get the transmission reinstalled then begin the real time consuming stuff. My feet and back are tired so I'm calling it a day. I've set a deadline of September 26th. Seem like a lot of work to do in 10 days. Wish me luck.

[Oldsmoletick]

Good luck , and man that's a tight fit. Is it just an illusion in the photo, the air itake tube and MAF sensor looks to petrude out past the fenders? Kinda like an "is there room for the radiator"? I Like contrast of the black exterior and red under the hood .

[DRIVEN]

Not an illusion. There's plenty of room for the radiator and fan. Without the air filter it all looks like it'll fit inside the hood too. Still not decided on the final layout. possibly a 90* to point the MAF and filter down or back. May even flip all of it to the passenger side. Plenty of options still. Sometimes you just can't tell how things will fit until it all gets mocked up.

I've got the transmission in now and just got back from Napa with some exhaust gaskets/donuts, a rear U-joint and a set of plugs. Filling my belly with Taco Bell and trying to muster the ambition to get out there and get to it.

[DRIVEN]

Gotta admit, I've been really bad at documenting my progress. I've taken no pics at all. Just a bunch of boring little details.
-Exhaust is done with the exception of the O2 sensor bungs.
-Driveline is installed.
-New, proper battery cables installed.
-Finally located the EGR vacuum harness that was missing.
-Removed and plugged some vacuum ports on the intake.
-Modified throttle cable
-Added fittings and Ts for the oil pressure and temperature gauges.
-Mounted transmission cooler under the bed.
-Welded in wishbone reinforcements and fabbed spacers.
-Shifter linkage hooked up and adjusted.

I have purchased most of the fuel system components but still haven't decided if I'm completely happy about my plan. May put it off for a couple days and think about it. Having trouble finding 3/8" high pressure hose. Apparently, Gates recalled all of it recently. My brother wants to do the radiator/fan mount so he was over a couple nights ago and we mocked it up. Hopefully it'll be done by the end of the week.

I need to do a 250 mile trip today to pick up a new project for my dad so I probably won't do much on the '36 today. I'll post it in the Compound Thread when I get home and get some pics.