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Dabomb's 1985 Jimmy - Rust Repair/Floor Replacement/Upgrades: TPI Swap

Overview Gallery Discussion
Rugger187 said:
Gonna sidetrack you for a minute. You mentioned EBL Flash systems and I just looked them up. Is it pretty handy? I was about to start getting the stuff to data log and what not my ECM. Right now I am running a 305TPI but I am going take be dropping in a 350 sometime down the road. Does the EBL allow easy programming with different mods like can you add headers or a different can later and it helps figure it out?
Thanks
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Easiest response. Yes it does. Tomorrow I can give you a more detailed answer once my minds got some rest. Was a long day.

In the mean time if you want to read up on it. Thirdgen.org has a DIY PROM forum that has a EBL specific thread with loads of info. I would first recommend reading everything you can on EBL's webpage. Think the two things he has on there that is really helpful is intro to tuning part 1 and 2. Something like that. It's on the webpage for EBL. But that's exactly what I did when I was first researching that. Read, read, read, sleep, read and repeat. Loads of information to take in with tuning EFI.
 
1/8" is huge overkill on the floor. Stock is 22 gauge. Even 16 or 14 gauge would be just fine.
 
tRustyK5 said:
1/8" is huge overkill on the floor. Stock is 22 gauge. Even 16 or 14 gauge would be just fine.
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Yeah, I figured it would be. Then once I found out how much a 4'x8' sheet of 1/8" diamond plate was and started doing the math for how many I would need I decided it wasn't worth the looks of being heavy duty. So, I will go with either 16ga or 14 ga. Once I see it in person I will decide. I figure I will be ok with going with the 16ga over the 14ga because I will be building a "frame/brace" for it to sit on that is going to be more substantial then the stock ones that are under the rear floor.

I came up with a idea for doing my floor and tracing it and something that might be helpful for other people once finished...I work at a civil engineering firm and am basically a draftsman here. This spring will be my last year in school for drafting. So I figure tonight or this weekend I can draw up some really good drawings on paper of the rear floor showing dimensions and everything.

Then I can draw it up over lunch Monday in AutoCAD. Once that is done I should be able to figure a way to plot it out on our 36" wide plotter in two sections split down the centerline of the truck. Cut it and tape it down the middle and have a full size paper version of the rear floor. Then once I take it home to make sure its correct size I can plot it off in Mylar (sp? think a thin transparent plastic sheet) for more durability and use that as a template. Sounded genius to me last night as I was drifting to sleep.:dunno:

Once I know its correct size and all I can load up some pdf's of the finished product. :waytogo:
 
Rugger187 said:
Gonna sidetrack you for a minute. You mentioned EBL Flash systems and I just looked them up. Is it pretty handy? I was about to start getting the stuff to data log and what not my ECM. Right now I am running a 305TPI but I am going take be dropping in a 350 sometime down the road. Does the EBL allow easy programming with different mods like can you add headers or a different can later and it helps figure it out?
Thanks
Click to expand...

Ok, here is my attempt to be a little more detailed for you. If you end up needing any more feel free to pm me. And take this with a grain of salt cause I am not trying to say that I am a professional at tuning. But I do know enough to get my TA running with a "big" (in terms of EFI) cam, heads/headers/bigger injectors/etc.

Here is the site for the EBL and their first intro to tuning. http://www.dynamicefi.com/Tune_Intro.php

The EBL allows you to use its "heads up display" and program on the laptop/tablet in my case to do whats called a "VE Learn" depending if you have a Wide Band o2 sensor or just a regular narrow band decided if you can do a learn in open loop or closed loop only. Or WOT/Decel or other circumstances. I recommend doing a WB o2. "VE" is Volumetric Efficiency. In simple terms its your fueling.

You can also do datalogs and have up to 8? (Cant remember for sure been car is parked for the winter for the transmission project) different tunes to switch between as long as it's connected to the computer. You can also monitor basically every sensor in real time with it connected.

Once you have datalogs/learns you can then go and change every aspect of the tune inside the program called tuner pro. You have to load in the EBL "XDF" file so it can translate everything in the tune then you load in your latest tune. From there you normally smooth out your VE Tables if needed and can change anything else you want/need once you have your fuel situated, to include your Acceleration Enrichment (think accelerator pump on carb).

EBL comes with a whole selection of "base" tunes to start off with. My guess is yours will be similar to a auto 5.7 F-body tune. Unless you go with bigger injectors. Injectors changes EVERYTHING. Ask me how I know :doah:
The 305 inj are 19lbs and the 350 are like 21 or 22 I think. Want to lean towards 22. Im running 36's. I was fine with the 22's I had with my 406 until I added the cam/heads. I needed a LOT more fuel after that.:whistle: (read bye bye mileage)

One think to let you know. Be very...very....VERY...conservative with your Spark advance tables. I may or may not have had to rebuild the 406 2 times due to not having a good knock sensor and running two much spark. It was all due to detonation. But don't let that scare you. If you have a motor close to stock specs or atleast head wise then you should be fine to use the base tables. Just keep an eye on your knock counts and listen to the motor. Don't run open headers for the first couple hundred miles or at all for that reason :thumb: Plus it will screw with how your o2 sensor reads.

I think that gives you a pretty good start. As I said, feel free to pm me if/when you need help.
 
Just ordered up some Zinc Chromate. Going to order my own Argon tank tonight too. Then I will work on getting some angle iron and some 14 or 16 gauge sheet metal either Monday or Tuesday to start on the rear floor. Next night off is Tuesday so hopefully will have some progress done that night.

I also got a hand sketch with all the dimensions for the rear floor. Monday I will try to work on getting it drawn up on AutoCAD so I can print it off full size. I want to get it printed and checked to see if it is correct before I go and start cutting out the floor.

Once I know it will fit I might even draw up some plans for my bracing out of the angle iron so I can get a estimate of how much I will need. Plan on doing the perimeter and then a few going across for some cross braces to support the center of the floor. I won't be able to do the whole floor in one piece so I will have a seam. I plan on having the seam meet on a cross brace so it can be welded with a bead hopefully.
 
Got the templates drawn out in AutoCAD and test fitted last night. Fit pretty good.







Made a couple little adjustments to it and now have it in pdf form. If your wanting to be able to print this off you need access to a 36" wide printer. It is split up to 2 sheets split down the center. So 36" edge to edge. That's why there aren't any outer edge lines. Then it is 63" long. I also included a full size version. (72"x63")

View attachment REAR FLOOR BLAZER-PASS SIDE.pdf
View attachment REAR FLOOR BLAZER-DRIVERS SIDE.pdf
View attachment REAR FLOOR BLAZER-Layout1.pdf

Today during lunch I will be getting metal. About 30' of angle iron. Half being 1 1/2" and the other half being 1". Then possibly 2 sheets of the 4'x8' sheet metal. Tonight I will begin rear floor removal!
 
Well I started work on getting the rear floor out last night. Found out pretty quickly that the wheel wells are spot welded along the perimeter to the floor lip. We got the passenger side floor loose from the wheel well. Drivers side was in better shape and putting up a fight. It was getting late so we called it quits. I'm going to look into getting a step drill bit. I borrowed one before and it cut real well. The drill bits I was using just didn't want to bite last night.

We were working at it with me drilling the spot wells I could see and her up in the bed with a hammer, pry bar, and chisels. It always ended up I would be slightly off and only get part of the spot weld and it would hold on for dear life no matter how hard we wacked at it. That's were I started wishing I still had that step bit I had used before.

Not gonna lie I was pleasantly surprised how much of a help my girlfriend was. This was the first time she's really ever helped me out there and seemed to be enjoying it. She sure could throw a hammer that's for sure.:whistle:

Her first job was getting the top unbolted and then the wiring undone for the topper light. Finished that pretty quick and then was asking whats next. Gave her the hammer, pry bar, chisels and said go to town just don't bend the wheel well. :saweet:
 
After reading around and looking at some other custom rear floor builds I think I will need to decide on how I am going to do the 4 rear floor mounts. The two in the middle are...well lets say one is gone and the other is pushed up through the floor. The two in the back aren't as bad but the rubber is shot and I am sure I will find issues with the structural integrity of them. I'm thinking the back ones will be easy to fab up something with my left over 2"x3" tube. The middle ones will need to wait till I have the floor removed to be able to even see what my options are.

My questions I have are, what should I do for the rubber. Should I replace them with rubber/poly mounts. Or since I am making a custom mount do I need to just mount them solid and go from there? Any one have pictures of how they did theirs?

Thanks,
Patrick
 
82355 said:
Get new rubber body mounts from LMC.

Martin
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I think I will end up going with a poly body mount kit. Substantially cheaper. I'm not looking for it to ride like a Cadillac. Only thing the ride can do is get better because it already has beyond worn out shocks.

Still wondering if anyone has any pictures of how they redid their body mounts in the rear. I remember seeing one thread that showed a guy doing it exactly the way I want for the 2 far back ones. He did the same thing for the tail pan that I did and then welded the supports he fab'd to the 2"x3" tube tailpan.
 
82355 said:
The LMC kit is $200, and it comes with ALL of the hardware.

Martin
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I will look into that. A few problems with that though.
A: I might need to do something custom for the two rear ones. (see below)
B: I don't want to have to spend that much on some hardware and rubber, especially if I am going to be doing a custom setup with 2 out of 4 of the mounts it comes with. But if it's my last resort then so be it.

Got some good news brothers.....the rear floor is OUT! :woot:

I know how everyone likes pictures so here we go.






Someone was happy for the accomplishment.





At this point I grabbed one of my 1 1/2" angle iron sticks and started planning some. Cut a few inches off and tacked welded one going straight down the center. Clearence to the gas tank was close but will work. I shouldn't have to touch that tank until I replace it with a TBI tank with TPI fuel pump. And at that point I will be doing different fuel lines.







Turned out good and with just 2 tacks on each end I could put some force on it and it was pretty solid.

Next I took a scrap piece of my 2" x 3" that was a few inches long and set it next to the rear body mounts for some brainstorming. I think once I remove those rear mounts I can take and fit that 2" x 3" to fit. Then drill it and decide on some form of rubber/poly mount to go between it and the frame.







I grabbed a scrap piece of the 1 1/2" angle and put it with it resting on the bottom lip of the wheel wells. It was the perfect height to meet the floor with it resting on the bottom lip. I was worried it would be too long resulting in the lip needing removed around the whole wheel wells.

Looking at the two middle body mounts I was kind've stumped on what to do. You can see that the passenger side was pretty must rusted through.



So I guess I can either weld a decently thick piece of sheet to replace the flat part of the mount. Then drill for the bolt and replace the rubber. Or I was thinking what if I went further forward on the frame where the little hump up is and drilled through it for the mount? It looked like it was just about perfect in height to have a piece of rubber between the frame and where the floor will end up being. Not sure what I will do on that one...

Also, I know the exhaust is horrible. Wasn't my doing and will be replaced.
 
Rear Floor Subframe Design

Got more work done on the rear floor over the weekend. Worked on the subframe that I am building for the floor to be welded onto.





Was able to make the cross brace out of one piece of 1" angle. I notched the 1 1/2" angle going down the center so that the 1" going across would sit more flat on top of it. It has just a little bit of raise to it. Once it is fully welded in I will grind it down to be more flat.







I also notched the ends of the 1" so that it would meet up level with the 2 outer 1 1/2" angle. Turned out pretty good and you can stand on the center cross brace area without it flexing too much.



I have almost convinced myself to not worry about the 2 body mounts in the center of the rear floor area. I think what I will end up doing is welding a 1/8" piece of sheet to get some solid metal there then later on down the road if I decide I need to add a mount there I can just drill it and put the rubber between the floor and the 1/8" metal.

Next up I need to decide on the 2 rear body mounts and how I want to go about redoing them. I guess I need to drop the tank and try to remove them first before I go about cutting it out.

With the holidays here I might not get around to working on it till after this week. I need to do some shopping still yet and I leave Wednesday morning to head to Fort Knox. Won't be back in town until the 28th.
 
swettysblazer said:
Looks real good bud.
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Thanks Brian!

Got a little bit of time in the garage last night. Got the fuel tank dropped down. Of course in the process I snapped the stud on the drivers side strap. And the screw for one of the hose clamps on the filler tube. :rolleyes:
I then started inspecting those two rear body mounts. I am not sure how the heck I am supposed to get them out without cutting them off. There is this metal bracket up under there that either the bolt or the bracket is bent enough that the bolt/nut is up against the bracket making it impossible to get a socket on said nut...:doah:

No pictures but maybe someone knows what piece I'm talking about? It is a pretty thick piece of metal. Maybe 1/8". I will try to get some pictures tonight if I can. Have a ton of things I have got to do tonight after work before I leave town tomorrow morning.
 
Cut off the snapped part of the strap weld a piece of all thread or a carriage bolt to it. If you use a carriage bolt grind it smooth to match the thread. works really well and a bunch cheaper then new straps.
 
kgblazerfive said:
Cut off the snapped part of the strap weld a piece of all thread or a carriage bolt to it. If you use a carriage bolt grind it smooth to match the thread. works really well and a bunch cheaper then new straps.
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Great advice! Hadn't even crossed my mind. And why not now that I got a welder right? :woot:

Merry Christmas everyone!
 
hey, sorry I didn't get to look at this thread.. promise I'll read it tonight when I get home and post up... :D
 
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