I knew a gal named Sara Connors, she had a Terminator, said she had a lot of problems with it...
Cool set up sir I am stoked for you!!
Cool set up sir I am stoked for you!!CK5
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'72 K5 - Greg's @MightAsWellK5 Build
- Thread starter Greg72
- Start date
This is the build description. I will improve this later. (GB)
More motor is cool. Although in my head the current 502 was already pretty damn cool.
Its your money, but IMO for how heavy your rig is, the TQ numbers is what will really matter and it doesn't sound like you will be improving that number much
But im probably just playing devils advocate as usual.
Its your money, but IMO for how heavy your rig is, the TQ numbers is what will really matter and it doesn't sound like you will be improving that number much
But im probably just playing devils advocate as usual.
I knew a gal named Sara Connors, she had a Terminator, said she had a lot of problems with it...
I could certainly use your expertise.... I think the Cyberdyne Systems ECU has a dedicated harness for the 4L80E... And I "think" that it needs a VSS signal from the transmission as one of the inputs. However, the VSS is upstream of the transfercase so if I'm in anything other than 1:1 range it won't represent my actual 'road speed' in those cases.... Does that matter?
Advance Adapters makes a product that goes on the rear output and supposedly is always accurate no matter what gear the transfercase is in.
This thing:
http://www.advanceadapters.com/prod...transmission-spacer-and-reluctor-adapter-kit/
I guess I'm just wondering how I need to spec-out the transmission / Atlas-4 so that the new Miles-Bennett Dyson-inspired computer will know what do do......
From what I've seen in the manual, it's a neural-net processor, a learning computer....and it learns as a geometric rate!
-G
You win for most Terminator references in a single post!
The A/A adapter will be the way to go to get full function with the trans in all TC ranges. When you order the Atlas ask them if they have a 32 spline input for the stock length 4x4 4L80E output shaft or if a longer one will be required due to the VSS adapter plate. They can call me if need be, I know a lot of the guys over there since we have been building transmissions for them for a number of years.
The A/A adapter will be the way to go to get full function with the trans in all TC ranges. When you order the Atlas ask them if they have a 32 spline input for the stock length 4x4 4L80E output shaft or if a longer one will be required due to the VSS adapter plate. They can call me if need be, I know a lot of the guys over there since we have been building transmissions for them for a number of years.
Thanks Greg!
I already have the Atlas04 with a 32-spline input. I was going to reuse my existing NP241(?) intermediate adapter from my old TH400. I think I need to open up the center bore by a few thousandths (IIRC) to make it sit flush but otherwise all the holes line up with the 4L80E, and (again IIRC) it is marginally shorter than the "correct" 4L80E AA Adapter. If it is going to create too many issues, I'll just scrap it and buy the correct adapter. I remember that when I first tried to bolt up the Atlas to my old TH400, I didn't check the output stickout with a straightedge first and ended up bottoming it out on the input gear in the Atlas.... which I think pushes the internal bearing out of position and means I have to tear into the whole thing to resolve it.
I bought the Atlas-4 back in 2007..... and like almost everything else in this build, it's never seen a single road-mile of driving and hasn't even had fluid inside it yet!!
A couple years ago, I spoke to one of the techs at AA and they mentioned that they could go through the entire thing and upgrade it to the newer gearsets (stronger gears, better highway oiling, etc) and since the case had never even been run they would do all the updates for around $600.... I never took them up on that offer because there was still SO much to deal with on the build, but at some point in the not-too-distant future I will give them another call and see if the offer still stands. If so, maybe I can coordinate that with one of your contacts there so that you guys can collaborate on EXACTLY what needs to be done in terms of output shaft lengths, adapters, VSS parts, etc. That way I know that it will all fit together properly, and I can get the proper types of signals to/from the transmission for the new ECU/TCU controller.I've got a 4L80E case that I bought from Craigslist for mock-up purposes. No idea what year it is, or how valuable it would even be as a core for you.... so I'd probably prefer to just have you build what you want from your own selection of good cores, and at the end of the process if it makes financial sense to ship you my existing core I'll do that.
-G
Sounds like a good plan, I have some stock 4L80E to 6 bolt round adapters if you need one or need a measurement
2015.12.09 - UPDATE! - ON THE 3RD DAY OF CHRISTMAS BROWN SANTA GAVE TO ME..... 
....a way to breathe more eas-i-lyyyy
It's been a rather long wait for these. Apparently this set of BBC heads is just about the most popular item that Brodix sells right now, and there is no such thing as "in stock" on this item. My order was put in line for production and just finished up at the end of last week, and UPS delivered them to my shop last night.
Speaking of which.... the "shop" has been getting a LOT of love over the last week or so. For a few reasons:
1. It's a mess and was cluttered with "tuition pile" debris which, while funny to watch accumulate, was getting to be a real trip-hazard and was just taking up space in a shop that isn't all that big to begin with.... So I gathered up all my scrap steel and took it to the local recycler.
This is what 460Lbs of mild-steel "tuition" scrap can be converted to these days:
Big money!
2.. Winter and snow is coming in a hurry, and that means that my bride will be parking her car in the garage every night.....slush blobs will be dropping off and splashing everywhere and the floor will be constantly wet. Keeping steel or anything valuable close to the floor just basically insures that it will get ruined and rusty, so I needed to get organized.....REALLY organized.
In the past, I've used "Bankers Boxes" from the local STAPLES store. They are cheap and stackable and mostly do the job, but the don't keep out moisture and if they get wet (which they always do) then the bottoms get all soggy and the contents can get ruined as well. I started out buying some el-cheapo Sterilite bins, but realized that the tops don't stay on well so I moved up to a much higher quality Hefty-brand storage container (72Qt) with the integrated locking handles (for the big stuff) and then a bunch of random-sized Ziploc bins with lids for all the small takeoff stuff (bolts, washers, misc shelf supplies)....
One thing that I never really noticed until recently was how gloomy my workshop had become over the past few years. Originally, I painted most of the ceiling with KILZ primer to brighten-up the space and really bounce the light around from all the overhead florescents I'd installed. Over time, the paint had gotten dirty and brownish-looking and the overhead lights lost their brightness. Some bulbs burnt out completely, but even the "good" ones were nowhere near as bright as they were when new.... it happens so slowly that you really don't notice it, until you swap in new bulbs!!!!
Here's a shot of the ceiling paint (old vs. new)
I also painted the garage door completely. Having a bright-white door really helps to get the light to the underside of the truck as well and gets rid of shadows in the corners of the shop.
By adding some extra lengths of chain to the lights in the upper ridge board area, I was able to get the lights down a couple extra feet which really improved their effectiveness in throwing light over the top of the truck and it's interior spaces.
I've still got a couple more days of painting to get ALL of the ceiling areas completed. The original wood is a very dark brown and it soaks up the KILZ like you wouldn't believe. It takes about 3 coats to get a pure-white, and uniform appearance... but the result is really worth it. As a lot of you know, I get pretty depressed in the winter months and my motivation to work in the garage all but disappears... I'm hopeful that with a bright, clean and cheerful space again it will really keep me fired-up and anxious to work through the dreary winter and make a lot of progress on the build....
One final thing that I've been putting off was taking all my piles and piles of receipts from desk drawers and toolboxes and random folders and finally get them all in ONE place (sorted chronologically of course!) For anyone wondering what 15 years-worth of truck receipts looks like:
Yes.... there is a receipt TOTAL on the last page of that 3-ring binder, but I'd rather not discuss it.
Lunati promises me that they will have more Gen-VI cam blanks by December 18th, and they will be able to grind my special-order cam profile at that time.... with any luck it will arrive by Christmas and I can start pulling the motor apart on an engine stand and begin assembling it with the new parts!!!
-G
....a way to breathe more eas-i-lyyyy
It's been a rather long wait for these. Apparently this set of BBC heads is just about the most popular item that Brodix sells right now, and there is no such thing as "in stock" on this item. My order was put in line for production and just finished up at the end of last week, and UPS delivered them to my shop last night.
Speaking of which.... the "shop" has been getting a LOT of love over the last week or so. For a few reasons:
1. It's a mess and was cluttered with "tuition pile" debris which, while funny to watch accumulate, was getting to be a real trip-hazard and was just taking up space in a shop that isn't all that big to begin with.... So I gathered up all my scrap steel and took it to the local recycler.
This is what 460Lbs of mild-steel "tuition" scrap can be converted to these days:
Big money!
2.. Winter and snow is coming in a hurry, and that means that my bride will be parking her car in the garage every night.....slush blobs will be dropping off and splashing everywhere and the floor will be constantly wet. Keeping steel or anything valuable close to the floor just basically insures that it will get ruined and rusty, so I needed to get organized.....REALLY organized.
In the past, I've used "Bankers Boxes" from the local STAPLES store. They are cheap and stackable and mostly do the job, but the don't keep out moisture and if they get wet (which they always do) then the bottoms get all soggy and the contents can get ruined as well. I started out buying some el-cheapo Sterilite bins, but realized that the tops don't stay on well so I moved up to a much higher quality Hefty-brand storage container (72Qt) with the integrated locking handles (for the big stuff) and then a bunch of random-sized Ziploc bins with lids for all the small takeoff stuff (bolts, washers, misc shelf supplies)....
One thing that I never really noticed until recently was how gloomy my workshop had become over the past few years. Originally, I painted most of the ceiling with KILZ primer to brighten-up the space and really bounce the light around from all the overhead florescents I'd installed. Over time, the paint had gotten dirty and brownish-looking and the overhead lights lost their brightness. Some bulbs burnt out completely, but even the "good" ones were nowhere near as bright as they were when new.... it happens so slowly that you really don't notice it, until you swap in new bulbs!!!!
Here's a shot of the ceiling paint (old vs. new)
I also painted the garage door completely. Having a bright-white door really helps to get the light to the underside of the truck as well and gets rid of shadows in the corners of the shop.
By adding some extra lengths of chain to the lights in the upper ridge board area, I was able to get the lights down a couple extra feet which really improved their effectiveness in throwing light over the top of the truck and it's interior spaces.
I've still got a couple more days of painting to get ALL of the ceiling areas completed. The original wood is a very dark brown and it soaks up the KILZ like you wouldn't believe. It takes about 3 coats to get a pure-white, and uniform appearance... but the result is really worth it. As a lot of you know, I get pretty depressed in the winter months and my motivation to work in the garage all but disappears... I'm hopeful that with a bright, clean and cheerful space again it will really keep me fired-up and anxious to work through the dreary winter and make a lot of progress on the build....
One final thing that I've been putting off was taking all my piles and piles of receipts from desk drawers and toolboxes and random folders and finally get them all in ONE place (sorted chronologically of course!)
For anyone wondering what 15 years-worth of truck receipts looks like:
Yes.... there is a receipt TOTAL on the last page of that 3-ring binder, but I'd rather not discuss it.
Lunati promises me that they will have more Gen-VI cam blanks by December 18th, and they will be able to grind my special-order cam profile at that time.... with any luck it will arrive by Christmas and I can start pulling the motor apart on an engine stand and begin assembling it with the new parts!!!
-G
y5mgisi
1 ton status
Jebus! That binder is awesome and horrifying!
y5mgisi
1 ton status
Oh and also, I think you will benefit from the improvements in lighting in the shop!
I don't think there is a thing as too much lighting.
Bigblue7-2
1/2 ton status
25/ton at the local scrap huh? Funny I was planning on doing the same on Monday morning. I guess anything is better than paying to dispose of things!
Shop looks great!
Wait, you have a binder full of expenses on your blazer and you're MARRIED? Hell hath no furry then when she finds that binder. Do you hide that binder with your porn collection?
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Yeah, well 2nd-Times a charm....
As I've mentioned before, she is REALLY good with numbers and even without any knowledge of the receipts (or the fact that they are 3" thick!) she made a disturbingly accurate guess at the total expenses....
I tell her that it's really not fair to consider the cost of tools as part of the build cost, so that helps a little bit... but it's still a big number.
-G
Will it ever be revealed? As long as we promise to keep it a secret? Maybe at the launching ceremony?
The "number" is still growing at a frantic pace... so there's not much point in talking about it until the big reveal. Only THEN will people be able to look at the final product..... consider the total $$$ and thousands of man-hours (which aren't added to the build totals) and say "Hmmm......Yeah, I see where the money went"....
Or then again, maybe they won't.
Ultimately, this build is such a personal thing and educational multi-year journey for me that it just seems crass to put a dollar figure on it and say: "That's what it's worth".
-G
For those who can appreciate it, the build has been educational, inspirational and a whole book full of other adjectives.
Also you need to find a scrap yard. I get .08/lb for shred.
Good to know.....my truck probably weighs almost 6000LBs.... if my finances ever get desperate, I can get almost $500 for it!!!
-G
It's gauche to talk about money. Especially for projects
As to your "flourescents" (baking the lights, are you?) I whole-heartedly love LED's. You can get four-foot LED tubes in various flavors (drop-in to use ballasts, or ballast-less that require a smidge of rewiring) ... see the thread about my shop. They won't add TOO much to your costs (plus could qualify as a "tool" line item) and you can get the nice "cool white" 5000 kelvin ones instead of the yellow-tinged luorescent. That alone is worth 25hp for the eyes, I say.
-- A
As to your "flourescents" (baking the lights, are you?) I whole-heartedly love LED's. You can get four-foot LED tubes in various flavors (drop-in to use ballasts, or ballast-less that require a smidge of rewiring) ... see the thread about my shop. They won't add TOO much to your costs (plus could qualify as a "tool" line item) and you can get the nice "cool white" 5000 kelvin ones instead of the yellow-tinged luorescent. That alone is worth 25hp for the eyes, I say.
-- A
