I like your steering box brace! 
CK5
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71K5 - BP71K5's Just for fun build
- Thread starter bp71k5
- Start date
bp71k5
3/4 ton status
bp71k5
3/4 ton status
Update 5/6/2015:
Radiator is out and I do notice some joints that are broken between the side tanks and the fin area. I can tell the joint broke because the black paint they used isn't covering the broken parts. sample is here:
But after sealing up the hoses and spraying some soapy water to find the leak, I can't find any leaks in those areas, but I do find a leak in the upper hose clamp. So I removed the hose to see if the joint failed and don't see anything obvious. I covered the fitting with my hand and added some air pressure and still don't see bubbles leaking. So I put the hose back on and see the leak coming between the hose and the fitting. Even after really cranking down the hose clamp, I get serious bubbles like this:
This is a weird find. Guess I need to try a new radiator hose even though the inside of mine doesn't seem scored or damaged and maybe check that fitting for nicks or grooves.
Radiator is out and I do notice some joints that are broken between the side tanks and the fin area. I can tell the joint broke because the black paint they used isn't covering the broken parts. sample is here:
But after sealing up the hoses and spraying some soapy water to find the leak, I can't find any leaks in those areas, but I do find a leak in the upper hose clamp. So I removed the hose to see if the joint failed and don't see anything obvious. I covered the fitting with my hand and added some air pressure and still don't see bubbles leaking. So I put the hose back on and see the leak coming between the hose and the fitting. Even after really cranking down the hose clamp, I get serious bubbles like this:
This is a weird find. Guess I need to try a new radiator hose even though the inside of mine doesn't seem scored or damaged and maybe check that fitting for nicks or grooves.
I've seen people put silicone on the water neck.
Martin
Martin
It almost seams like it needs a bead rolled onto the edge of the water neck to help promote sealing.
bp71k5
3/4 ton status
There's a bead rolled into the water neck. This is the fitting that I resoldered though so I maybe damaged it? I went and got a new hose to try out so I'll know more in a couple days. There still might be other leaks and I want to make sure I find them all.
bp71k5
3/4 ton status
Update 5/8/2015:
Polished up the brass fitting to make sure there weren't any nicks or grooves and it still leaks.
Cut the end off of the old hose so it'd have a nice new surface to seal on the fitting and it still leaks.
Put a new hose on and it still leaks.
Swapped out three different hose clamps and it still leaks.
I'm positive it's leaking between the hose and fitting but I can't figure out why. It's as if it's just messing with me now.
Only thing left to try is the gates band clamps or some silicone. Silicone will be the last resort.
Polished up the brass fitting to make sure there weren't any nicks or grooves and it still leaks.
Cut the end off of the old hose so it'd have a nice new surface to seal on the fitting and it still leaks.
Put a new hose on and it still leaks.
Swapped out three different hose clamps and it still leaks.
I'm positive it's leaking between the hose and fitting but I can't figure out why. It's as if it's just messing with me now.
Only thing left to try is the gates band clamps or some silicone. Silicone will be the last resort.
bp71k5
3/4 ton status
Update: 05/19/2015
Kinda sick of posting updates on leaking radiator, but while I'm experimenting with ways to keep it sealed, I realized I never added anything about the stereo setup I finished recently.
First point: I'm using a retro auto sound deck that fits in the stock hole. It's an OK unit, not great but aesthetically looks good. Sometimes the knobs aren't as sensitive as they should. It's just a radio and no CD player, Bluetooth, or flash drive support for non-radio music.
A while back, (at the start of this thread) I had a modified kenwood stereo that had a special cable that connected and charged my iPhone so I could use the stereo buttons to select and play music on the phone. What I discovered what that the iPhone screen interface is 1000x better ( yea yea, I'm sure Android is even better) than the stereo so I sold that quick.
Then I got one of those Bluetooth adapters that stream to the headphone jack of the stereo. This worked ok, but the sound quality at 600+ watts was really poor. I've read the Bluetooth compression loses a lot of fidelity of music. In addition, the thing died after 6 months of barely using it. I also had trouble pairing it and keeping it paired since I turn off Bluetooth on my phone to save battery power.
So I've also been using this feature called "AirPlay" on my phone to stream stuff to my appletv. It's super easy to use, and works without data compression over wifi. Since I always have wifi enabled, no need to turn anything on or off.
So I got this thing which just sets up a wifi station in the truck and my phone automatically switches to it when I turn the truck on. I get to use the touchscreen to play music and not even touch the dash except to turn up the volume.
http://www.amazon.com/AirEnabler-Adapter-Kit-Apple-AirPlay/dp/B00EZWVZ44
Then I click a button on my phone to stream rather than play through the phone and I get the same good quality as indoors. And when I crank up the volume, it sounds noticeably better than the Bluetooth.
Only problem, was a whine that matched engine speed. So I tried this ground loop isolator which is supposed to remove it.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B001EAQTRI
It works awesome. Full volume has no static or unexpected noise. So far, it's just packed in the glovebox space so there's no wires visible.
That's it for now. I think I'm closing in on the radiator leaks so we'll see in another week or so after I test one more idea.
Kinda sick of posting updates on leaking radiator, but while I'm experimenting with ways to keep it sealed, I realized I never added anything about the stereo setup I finished recently.
First point: I'm using a retro auto sound deck that fits in the stock hole. It's an OK unit, not great but aesthetically looks good. Sometimes the knobs aren't as sensitive as they should. It's just a radio and no CD player, Bluetooth, or flash drive support for non-radio music.
A while back, (at the start of this thread) I had a modified kenwood stereo that had a special cable that connected and charged my iPhone so I could use the stereo buttons to select and play music on the phone. What I discovered what that the iPhone screen interface is 1000x better ( yea yea, I'm sure Android is even better) than the stereo so I sold that quick.
Then I got one of those Bluetooth adapters that stream to the headphone jack of the stereo. This worked ok, but the sound quality at 600+ watts was really poor. I've read the Bluetooth compression loses a lot of fidelity of music. In addition, the thing died after 6 months of barely using it. I also had trouble pairing it and keeping it paired since I turn off Bluetooth on my phone to save battery power.
So I've also been using this feature called "AirPlay" on my phone to stream stuff to my appletv. It's super easy to use, and works without data compression over wifi. Since I always have wifi enabled, no need to turn anything on or off.
So I got this thing which just sets up a wifi station in the truck and my phone automatically switches to it when I turn the truck on. I get to use the touchscreen to play music and not even touch the dash except to turn up the volume.
http://www.amazon.com/AirEnabler-Adapter-Kit-Apple-AirPlay/dp/B00EZWVZ44
Then I click a button on my phone to stream rather than play through the phone and I get the same good quality as indoors. And when I crank up the volume, it sounds noticeably better than the Bluetooth.
Only problem, was a whine that matched engine speed. So I tried this ground loop isolator which is supposed to remove it.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B001EAQTRI
It works awesome. Full volume has no static or unexpected noise. So far, it's just packed in the glovebox space so there's no wires visible.
That's it for now. I think I'm closing in on the radiator leaks so we'll see in another week or so after I test one more idea.
Last edited:
Slick solution. Damn all you guys with radios in your blazers!!!
I found the bluetooth adapter doesn't play well with the CB. I think the CB puts out a very powerful signal. Wonder if it will mess with the WiFi signal. Probably different signals but interested to know.
bp71k5
3/4 ton status
Slick solution. Damn all you guys with radios in your blazers!!!
Gotta have a way to keep the road noise down.
Also forgot to mention that San Jose had a giant rain and thunderstorm last Thursday.....
Same Thursday I drove the blazer to work with only the Bimini top. Let's just say the center console it not very water resistant.
lol, you know it!Gotta have a way to keep the road noise down.
I find the phone screen much easier to use as well. One of the reasons I picked the JVC unit was because they claimed that the JVC app would control the deck which sounded pretty cool. In practice it only works for stuff playing from the phone and won't control the deck completely but maybe later updates will.
bp71k5
3/4 ton status
Update 05/29/2015:
Radiator seal: I've done a whole lot of testing over the past few weeks to figure out exactly where this thing is leaking and trying to reseal it.
First thing was to install a real drain fitting that a hose barb fits on. This lets me empty the radiator without spilling coolant in the ground. This earned me 3 "friend of the environment" points. It also helped out my wallet a bit so I could recycle coolant back in to the radiator after each attempt to seal it. I made over 10 attempts to empty and reseal this thing so it was worth it on both counts.
For what I could see at the time, coolant was slowly making its way out between the hose and the fitting. I tried a few different clamps and a new hose and then decided to pull the radiator again and resolder the fitting extra well just in case the hose wasn't the problem. When it still leaked, I tried the following methods to seal it:
1. Getting better clamps and tightening as much as possible before breaking the clamp.
2. Used some silicone repair tape on the fitting to force the hose to stretch over the barb more when I installed it. This almost worked, but the spot where the tape ends leaves a small void where coolant can seep through.
3. Used black RTV sealant inside the hose and on the fitting. This didn't work any better than raw hose.
4. Used permatex #2 non hardening sealant on both hose and fitting. Actually leaked worse that originally.
5. Used the silicone tape from attempt #2 under the hose clamp to try and add some extra clamping power. Nada...
6. Used two hose clamps to squeeze both sides of the hose nipple in case the hose swelling is contributing to the problem. This seems to help a little bit but not sure.
After the last attempt, I notice that there is coolant actually seeping out from the new solder joint holding the hose fitting to the side tank. There's no crack or missing solder I can see (I've actually soldered plumbing fittings in our last house so I'm not a total newb).
After all that I've determined that the radiator is junk. So last ditch effort to keep things running, I grabbed the 5 minute epoxy and slathered it around the fitting and let it dry. After letting the engine get up to temp, there's no more leak from the fitting or the hose. I'm guessing it was the fitting leaking all along and I just couldn't see it. Here's the ugly repair:
So the plan is to drive it a bit to see if any new leaks pop up after the frame fix. Hopefully that way I can be sure the frame movement was causing the original leaking problems. If that works out to be true, I'll order up a new radiator and hopefully be done.
In other news, I seem to have picked up an extra MPG by replacing my spark plug wires and being careful to route them so they don't cross each other. I used to be able to hear more misfires than I do now so at least something is kinda working.
Radiator seal: I've done a whole lot of testing over the past few weeks to figure out exactly where this thing is leaking and trying to reseal it.
First thing was to install a real drain fitting that a hose barb fits on. This lets me empty the radiator without spilling coolant in the ground. This earned me 3 "friend of the environment" points. It also helped out my wallet a bit so I could recycle coolant back in to the radiator after each attempt to seal it. I made over 10 attempts to empty and reseal this thing so it was worth it on both counts.
For what I could see at the time, coolant was slowly making its way out between the hose and the fitting. I tried a few different clamps and a new hose and then decided to pull the radiator again and resolder the fitting extra well just in case the hose wasn't the problem. When it still leaked, I tried the following methods to seal it:
1. Getting better clamps and tightening as much as possible before breaking the clamp.
2. Used some silicone repair tape on the fitting to force the hose to stretch over the barb more when I installed it. This almost worked, but the spot where the tape ends leaves a small void where coolant can seep through.
3. Used black RTV sealant inside the hose and on the fitting. This didn't work any better than raw hose.
4. Used permatex #2 non hardening sealant on both hose and fitting. Actually leaked worse that originally.
5. Used the silicone tape from attempt #2 under the hose clamp to try and add some extra clamping power. Nada...
6. Used two hose clamps to squeeze both sides of the hose nipple in case the hose swelling is contributing to the problem. This seems to help a little bit but not sure.
After the last attempt, I notice that there is coolant actually seeping out from the new solder joint holding the hose fitting to the side tank. There's no crack or missing solder I can see (I've actually soldered plumbing fittings in our last house so I'm not a total newb).
After all that I've determined that the radiator is junk. So last ditch effort to keep things running, I grabbed the 5 minute epoxy and slathered it around the fitting and let it dry. After letting the engine get up to temp, there's no more leak from the fitting or the hose. I'm guessing it was the fitting leaking all along and I just couldn't see it. Here's the ugly repair:
So the plan is to drive it a bit to see if any new leaks pop up after the frame fix. Hopefully that way I can be sure the frame movement was causing the original leaking problems. If that works out to be true, I'll order up a new radiator and hopefully be done.
In other news, I seem to have picked up an extra MPG by replacing my spark plug wires and being careful to route them so they don't cross each other. I used to be able to hear more misfires than I do now so at least something is kinda working.
Man.....that sucks Brian.
Hundreds of dollars-worth of sealers, fittings, hose clamps and labor to save a poor-quality radiator.
Those kind of struggles are the worst.
-G
Hundreds of dollars-worth of sealers, fittings, hose clamps and labor to save a poor-quality radiator.
Those kind of struggles are the worst.
-G
bp71k5
3/4 ton status
Man.....that sucks Brian.
Hundreds of dollars-worth of sealers, fittings, hose clamps and labor to save a poor-quality radiator.
Those kind of struggles are the worst.
-G
It does for sure. AJ sent a link to the entropy radiator option which looks like it has more durable mounting points than the previous aluminum radiator I had so I will probably go with that. It also happens to have a lifetime warranty which in my case may provide some peace of mind.
Of all the little leaks I've been fixing on the new motor, the radiator isn't one of them.
bp71k5
3/4 ton status
Update 06/06/2015
Expected news first. The epoxy repair has failed and coolant leaking again. No surprise there.
Finishing up the steering box brace. Added some 3/32" bracing to the back to prevent it from flexing.
And gave a good epoxy black paint job after cleaning up the welds and edges.
The radiator will wait a bit. I'm super close to being 100% debt free so I'm going to make sure that happens before spending money on the truck. Will make it feel that much sweeter.
Expected news first. The epoxy repair has failed and coolant leaking again. No surprise there.
Finishing up the steering box brace. Added some 3/32" bracing to the back to prevent it from flexing.
And gave a good epoxy black paint job after cleaning up the welds and edges.
The radiator will wait a bit. I'm super close to being 100% debt free so I'm going to make sure that happens before spending money on the truck. Will make it feel that much sweeter.
Nice, that looks pretty good.
Nice work, Brian. That looks like a nice piece that you fabbed up there.
bp71k5
3/4 ton status
Thanks. Still driving it here and there. Doing some garage cleaning again and selling a few things I won't need.
Also spent some time wrapping up my roll cage pads with tape. The sun was starting to deteriorate the foam.
One thing I could use some advice on is how to finish off the edges of the pad. I tried wrapping it over onto the tube itself but it just wrinkled and looks horrible. So for now I just overlapped it by a half inch hoping to find a way to cover the edges of the foam so they are not exposed to the elements, and make it look nicer.
I know J**ps have a bunch of canvas foam covers, but the tape brings back a little nostalgia I remember enjoying back in the day.
Also spent some time wrapping up my roll cage pads with tape. The sun was starting to deteriorate the foam.
One thing I could use some advice on is how to finish off the edges of the pad. I tried wrapping it over onto the tube itself but it just wrinkled and looks horrible. So for now I just overlapped it by a half inch hoping to find a way to cover the edges of the foam so they are not exposed to the elements, and make it look nicer.
I know J**ps have a bunch of canvas foam covers, but the tape brings back a little nostalgia I remember enjoying back in the day.
