alwaysFlOoReD's race truck

[alwaysFlOoReD]

Rain forecast pushed the job back till next week. So I spent the day getting parts for the truck and finishing the hose routing. I modified the thermostat housing so it would be easier to connect to the tube going to the rad, unfortunately it has a pinhole leak. I'll fix it next time.;



Here is the final rad position I chose. I put a fairly hard 3/8" strip of rubber between the rad and the cross-member. I then screwed the bottom of the rad to the cross-member to hold it from moving. I then used a couple of long "bolts" that are used to hold wire drums together. I bent the end and threaded it thru a hole then connected the end to the rad Still to come is a piece that will connect the side of the rad tanks to the frame, hopefully preventing the rad from moving up or down while going over jumps or when landing. The rad I took out of the front has a noticable bow along the bottom, because it was supported at the tanks only.;







Here's the modified thermostat housing with a wheel rim inflation air valve at the top. This is to get rid of trapped air as this is the highest point at the front of the truck. These work great, I've used one in the heater hose fill cap ever since I first r+r'd the motor on this truck years ago. They are rated to 65 psi. I use it for pressure testing before I fill with rad fluid. I found leaks at every joint...glad I did this instead of losing fluid.;



Some brackets I modified to hold the tubes from rattling in the firewall holes I drilled. I use hose-clamps to hold them to the tube and screw the clamp to the firewall;



Final hoses clamped and testing pressure;



Pressure testing;



So far I've spent ~$80.00 on hoses, $40.00 on clamps, and $20.00 on emt tube. The rad I got in trade for two 15"x10" aluminum turbine rims 5x5.5"

Still to do is mount the overflow tank, fabricate a shroud and mount electric fans and associated wiring and switches.

 

[alwaysFlOoReD]

I haywired the overflow tank temporarily. Got the fans mounted. Its been holding 14 psi for the last 1/2 hour. Things are looking up. If I can get it back together there's a race I can enter this weekend. Wish me luck....

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[MagicMexican]

Good luck!!

 

[alwaysFlOoReD]

Thanks.

The cooling system dropped from 14 psi to 4 psi over the last 14 hours, that's good enough. I got most of the engine bay wiring hung out of the way. Got the airbox secured. Still need to wire the fans in and finish the engine bay wiring. I can see the light at the end of the tunnel....

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[alwaysFlOoReD]

Finished everything. Took it for a short burn and it is pegging the gauge. I hope its a air bubble. The tubes running thru the cab were cold when it first pegged, but then the top tube started warming up. So the thermostat works. The top tube got quite hot but the bottom tube didn't. It was a used rad and not having running water, I never flow tested it. I hope it isn't clogged. I'll run it again tomorrow morning and see if anything changes.

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[alwaysFlOoReD]

It still pegs right at the "H" but I'm hoping its just the gauge. I don't have time to check into it and if this motor is pressurizing the cooling system it needs to come out anyway. I do have a spare motor so I'm going for it....to the RACES!

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[alwaysFlOoReD]

I'm beginning to suspect the temp sending unit or the gauge is wonkie. I was out on the track for 3 laps of a 3 mile course and no problems. The expansion tank overflowed into a catch can, about 3/4 gallon. I'll run it with the same amount of fluid and see what happens. Perhaps there needs to be a head space the same as on copper radiators? Anyway the rad and associated tubes and hoses held up just fine. I was pleased, to say the least.
A few pics of the truck;

On the trailer;



Got the fans installed. These are the ones I was using with the chrysler rad I had in the front previously;





Used some battery hold down pieces;





And the finished product, well, finished for this race. I have the fans pulling towards the cab. I watched mythbusters awhile back and they showed how the airflow circled down behind the cab. I'm trying to use that to feed the rad. I blocked the top airspace between the rad and cab with some flashing, and then used a cookie sheet attached the the roll cage down bars to help direct airflow to in front of the rad.;



Later I'll fabricate some more ducting to direct the airflow a little better and to help protact the rad from wheel flung mud. At the same time I'll build it to protect myself from the same mud that hits my left shoulder and helmet.

Update tomorrow.

 

[prerunner]

I'm curious why you didn't mount the rad higher. Say at the rear window area of the truck. At speed you'd get more air through plus the cap would be the burp point.

I'm sure you thought of these things, just wondering why you chose this route.

 

[alwaysFlOoReD]

Lower center of gravity and less frontal wind resistance area.

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[RonD]

I wouldn't think air flow would be an issue with electric fans.

The weight of the coolant may be...........

"A Pint is a pound the world around", lol, that's how I remember it from school
So 8lbs per gallon

Water pump might be fighting to push all that extra weight thru the system, so less flow, could also be eating a bit of horse power trying to do it.

Electric pump might be a better option, but not cheap.
Although you may be able to MacGyver a booster pump from spare parts

 

[alwaysFlOoReD]

I put in about 18 liters, so 4 imperial gallons or 5 american. About 40 lbs. I'm not sure what the stock capacity is but I moved some of the weight off the front end, which is always good with a front engine vehicle.

In other news, the two front runners broke down, so I'm guaranteed third place.

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[RonD]

Stock V6 would be just over 3gal, so 5gal would be running about 12 extra pounds for the water pump to push thru the system, that's almost a 50% increase, 3gal = 24lbs

 

[alwaysFlOoReD]

Thanks for the input.
The modified radiator position seemed to work and there was no problems in the mounting. I need to make some longer rad arms and maybe use d44 knuckles for width and wheel travel if I want to excel at this track.

The truck performed well. I definitely need more seat time, by the time I felt comfortable in handling the truck, the races were over. I still ended up with 3rd place.

And a pic just because;

 

[alwaysFlOoReD]

Today I picked up a pair of King racing shocks, 16" x 2.5".

I paid $200.00 for the pair and I may have overpaid. The shank is pitted and one shock doesn't want to extend under its own power like the other. They are rebuildable but I suspect by the time I'm done I'll have the same amount of money into them as if I had bought new. Oh, well, I'll learn a new skill set....
The plan is to use them in the front of the truck. I may be able to utilize the sway bar mount on the front of the axles. I have three weeks to get the truck ready for the race. I took it into tech and there are some things lacking, like a body, brake and parking lights. This race, like the last one, is on a track that isn't as groomed as I'm used to. I'm going to see about making longer radius arms for more travel.

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[1qaz]

WooHoo! on 3rd place!! Hope those shocks work out for you.