Intro and current project

[My427stang]

Did you order the Duff traction bars?  Wondering if they worked out well, I am planning to buy a set too

[turbohunter]

Yes, I have them in my possession. They are wonderfully simple.
Haven't had a chance to install yet but did a mock up, it's pretty easy.
As soon as I get a day I'll install and show pics as well as a comparison rolling burnout.:-)

[cjshaker]

You don't suck as a narrator, but you will get a much fuller video if you turn it sideways and fill up the whole video frame. Vertical shots have such a narrow frame that you lose a LOT of reference in the video and are losing 2/3 of the useable frame. If it's a cell phone video, the cell phone should automatically adjust if you turn it sideways.

The engine sounds GREAT! Smooth and a LOT of low end grunt. Perfect for a truck

[turbohunter]

The engine sounds GREAT! Smooth and a LOT of low end grunt. Perfect for a truck

Thanks Doug
It's nice when a plan comes together.
I'll try to work on my camera skills.

[turbohunter]

Ok, had a day to get the t bars in and no sweat.
Easy job. First side took an hour just to mock and check then do.
Second side twenty minutes.
Hardest part is drilling holes.
It's super clean and really, I wouldn't bother building my own after doing these as they are cheap and easy.
Thanks for turning me onto these Ross.
Vid below.



Quite a bit of difference between this vid and the last.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bgiyzFoo4yI

[turbohunter]

Couple observations after a couple days with the traction bars installed.
First, as I mentioned in the vid, peddle flop from the rear end moving around is gone.
If you're a NP 435 driver you know what I mean.
Also 435 guys know if you don't give it enough gas when you take of you can chatter the clutch a bit which translates back to the rear. All that movement is gone. Since I drive in traffic a lot that really helps.
The driveline is much more solid. Thumbs up on these. Can't believe the difference.

[My427stang]

Awesome!

Can't wait to get mine on, I have a lot less spring than you and they wrap up BAD.  I have the same chatter issue due, despite a pretty decent Ram 11 inch clutch, looking forward to seeing how both issues change

[cjshaker]

  You know, as soon as you started driving I realized it would  be much easier to hold upright. I laughed pretty good at the end. Next time, just turn it sideways.....and tape it to your forehead

Looks like a great setup. Definitely a noticeable difference in the video! I'm gonna have to check out a set of these. Glad they worked out for you.

And yes, I know exactly what you mean about "pedal flop". In my Highboy, I also have an issue with "driver flop" when driving through crop fields to get to a woods. Got anything up your sleeve for that, Ross?

[turbohunter]

Aaaaarrrrrggggghhhhh
Things were going so well.
I noticed on my way home from work that my water temp was up a bit.
Got home and parked it, was throwing the ball with my dog in the front yard and looked over at the truck. Had a drip under the radiator over flow hose.
Oil in the coolant. Crap.
Well, that was fun for a while.

[jayb]

Wow, that sucks!  Been there, done that    Probably a head gasket, hopefully not something more serious.  How does the oil look?  Is there water in the oil too?  Pull the drain plug after it sits overnight and see if you get some water coming out before the oil does.

I would try the easy way out first if I were you, maybe retorque the head gaskets, tighten the intake manifold bolts, and throw some ceramic sealer in the cooling system to see if you can get the leak to stop.

[fastback 427]

Dang turbohunter, that sucks. Happened to me as well. Mine was a crack in the block from cam tunnel to rockers. Wondering what temp thermostat is in it and how hot did it get? Hopefully it's something easy like Jay said, but the block can be fixed if its leaking where mine was. Best of luck, maybe the fe gods will smile on you again!

[cjshaker]

Wow, that really sucks! Sorry to hear about that.
Like Jay said, try those things first. If there's no water in the oil then that's a very good thing. Hopefully it's not the oil transfer passage in the block and a head torque will take care of it. There shouldn't be any way for oil to get into the water due to the intake, but still wise to re-torque.
Keeping my fingers crossed for you.

[turbohunter]

No temp problems, it always runs cool.
Have a 160 t stat in it since I sit in traffic a bit. Was waiting until the super hot weather (this week we have 100 plus of course) to see if it made a difference then was going to install a 180 and see how that did.
Will check the pan oil in the morning.
Block was magged (though a passage may not be seen) before build and has run cool so fingers crossed.
Radiator is a mess with frothy oil.
Gonna keep a good attitude, all in all, still a hell of a lot of fun playing with these things.
Come on FE gods.

[fastback 427]

Frothy with oil? Seems like a big leak for the block to be cracked. When mine leaked it was just enough to make my hoses slippery ( coated with oil) on the outside, and a small buildup on the radiator cap. Hopefully head gasket!

[rockittsled]

Ouch  Keep us posted