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84 K20 "Ethel" Not an Sbc/NV4500/241C

Semi restoration of a 1984 K20 pickup. 5.3 LS, nv4500, np241c.
its louder.. put it this way, I extended the pipes behind the cab adding a total 50 inches and all it did was move the sound back lol.. I can tolerate loud but its bad when you are tired at 1 am cruising across the desert.. Scotts even mentioned he can hear me from a mile away. When hes inside the house.
 
Am I the only one that wants to out loud the Harley crowd?
Sorry, but I think that Harleys are quite often, stupid loud. It's not like they are stupid fast.....
So why wake me up at 3 A.M. for nothing??

And I am sure some if my perspective is due to listening to a big cam Cummins going up and down mountain passes for too long. (A stack that is only 16" above the cab)
 
Sorry, but I think that Harleys are quite often, stupid loud. It's not like they are stupid fast.....
So why wake me up at 3 A.M. for nothing??

And I am sure some if my perspective is due to listening to a big cam Cummins going up and down mountain passes for too long. (A stack that is only 16" above the cab)
Or an 8-71 with twin straight stacks
 
Or a 6v71 with a short stack.. ughh my ears are still ringing..

So I removed the bottom two leafs so I don’t kill my and my dads kidneys this weekend on the poker run, been playing with the VvE tables (virtual volumetric efficiency) (don’t ask what it is) (no idea) to get rid of the flat spot during cruise. I am closing in on what I think the motor is happy with, the computer was happy it got all it’s inputs just fine but the engine was not.
Now it really is quick, makes a lot of noise and gets to 80 quick.. which is sketchy at best with toasted tie rods and leafs.
Here’s a shot of the height now, I also lost zero crawl ability, and I think I picked up some! She’s still got it! Hope to show some jeeps up this weekend.. bumpers are the only things stopping me, and I don’t care about those!
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And here is a gem, calculated torque on a 5.3... that’s enough lb ft for me! I was reading this is 10-15% off from reality, I’ll still take it though.. super stoked how this is coming out.
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I find the DBW deal is laggy, which leads to a deadish feel at light throttle cruise. My 2015 is pretty bad for that. I asked Russ to try and tune out as much of the lag and laziness out of the pedal on my Blazer, but haven't driven it enough to know for sure how good it is. It seems pretty crisp around my neighborhood at low speeds...
 
I find the DBW deal is laggy, which leads to a deadish feel at light throttle cruise. My 2015 is pretty bad for that. I asked Russ to try and tune out as much of the lag and laziness out of the pedal on my Blazer, but haven't driven it enough to know for sure how good it is. It seems pretty crisp around my neighborhood at low speeds...
I have no torque management turned on and I adjusted some of the airflow tables at idle and it’s as snappy as I can move my foot..
 
I have no torque management turned on and I adjusted some of the airflow tables at idle and it’s as snappy as I can move my foot..

How stiff is the pedal? All 3 of mine require a fair amount of stomping to get to the floor. I assume this would be different with the DBW adaptation?
 
Well I been off a week and I have not rested, actually 100% serious. I am beat but I managed to pretty much help finish 3 trucks, Ethel is on the road to completion or close to it, I finally am dialing in the tune how I want it, (hand shaping the VE table) but still took her out to the poker run and she ran flawless for my and my dad. It was super cool to have him along for the maiden voyage. He got to meet Matt and a couple of the other squarebody guys out there.
I’ll say this, in the dirt Ethel is a dirty biotch there is no traction in 1-3 gears and it’s a hell of a lot of fun and sounds like a demon screaming... I’m really liking the loud pedal!

The other awesome trait I didn’t loose was her insane crawling prowess, you pretty much cannot stop this truck.. which to most does not look like much but will surprise ya if given the chance. On the rti ramp she impressed a few fellows and I even got a serious offer to buy but turned that down quick..
overall I am 100% satisfied with this swap and would recommend it to anyone.. so far in her untuned state I have best avg 13mpg and that’s with the midrange still laying down some so I know there is more in it, plus I haven’t played wit timing aside reducing it 10% for a safety net when dialing in the fuel.
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I finally felt proud to stick my Save the Squares sticker on! 4F3B202E-2004-4053-9FC3-A4004F73FAA0.jpeg
Our small crew
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