The Dodge Challenger Message Board

That steering shaft coupling looks nice. Is that a u-joint type connection there?

I'm working on installing my firm feel power steering box today and can totally relate to your setup.

Jon wrote:That steering shaft coupling looks nice. Is that a u-joint type connection there?

Yes it is a U-joint. The original coupler kept coming apart. This one is good solid steel.

Great progress Dave. I also appreciate your craftsmanship and knowledge. Keep up the pics and your health.
Bob

Some nice progress there Dave. And we all have some workshops that look the same. The plant needs a little water.........

dave-r wrote:Some progress but not enough to get me to the Euronats with the Challenger.

Same goes for me, I'm expecting the driveshaft to be delivered today. I'm not sure on the 1000-mile maiden voyage with a new drivetrain...

I painted the steering column today and fitted the new Grant Steering wheel which I like very much!

Bring the new one, I'd like to chek it out!

Edit : I got it!!! my new driveshaft, all wrapped up, weighs in at 24 lbs! Can't wail till tomorrow...

Hey Dave, following in your theme of carbon fiber paneling, I've made stainless steel panels for most everything in the interior except the console. These are my side panels. Yes, I know the logo's crooked, I havent decided how I want to permanently mount it yet.

They dont look quite as good as your original Texan wood ones, though!

Not bad.

I have hardly touched my car since last weekend. I have been so tired!

Going to get back into it today though.

You're very close to done now! It'll be the meanest thing on the streets when you pull it out of the garage.

I have become stuck with this Painless wiring harness at the steering column wiring.

The instructions suggest you remove the male pins from the two existing connectors at the underside of the column and replace them with the supplied pins in the kit.

However, looking at them, the supplied pins look nothing like the pins in my original connectors. What gives? Are these the wrong parts? Do they fit somehow?

I just can't see any way these will work.

Photo shows two original pins from the connectors (with wires) and two supplied Painless items.

Do those 2 wires have a "harness connector" that they fit into? Why not re-use your old connectors? Maybe get a new connector that accepts those new style pins? The painless pins look like the newer spring loaded connectors that new cars use.

Eddie. The two wires shown are from the two plastic connector blocks that connect the steering column wiring to the harness. I have removed them for the photograph.

The tech guy at cuda-Challenger.com is saying Painless supply GM connectors in their mopar kit.

A lot of fing good that is. I am going to have to either find someone that can supply the pins for the original plastic blocks or grind the ends down so I can solder the new wires on.

I tried to find Bill Evans website. No luck yet. He custom makes MoPar wiring harnesses from complete to a single part.

Is this Evans' website? http://evanswiring.tripod.com/

It doesn't look as if they touch dash/steering column harnesses at all.

The guys on Cuda-Challenger.com have found some Radio Shack parts that might work.

Panic over.

It is a lot easier than I thought to grind them down on the ends to bright copper that will easily solder onto the ends of the wires and cover with a little shrink sleeving.

It will be fine doing it this way.

Looks like a great fix . !

Well I fired the engine up yesterday to break the cam in.

To make sure it fired right up I filled the center carb fuel bowl to the max and also poured some fuel down inside the fuel line.

It fired up straight away and I got the revs straight up to 2500 and kept it between 2K-3K for about 30 seconds. Then it died.

Zero fuel pressure. The lines are empty.

Well maybe the mechanical pump just didn't have time to drag the fuel along that big old 1/2 inch line and fill that big fuel filter?

So today I have had another go. Twice. Filled the carb both times. Both times it died after 30 seconds. Still no sign of fuel in the lines.


I think my next step will be to remove the pump to make sure it is OK. Then somehow fill the line from the tank to the pump as well as the lines from the pump to the carbs.

Any other suggestions?

Dave, Here is a suggestion. Have the young lady in your avitar put her lips over your fill tube, stick her finger in your vent tube and give a good blow. In no time you should be squirting go juice all over. Still probably will not last more than 30 seconds though.

dave-r wrote:Well I fired the engine up yesterday to break the cam in.

To make sure it fired right up I filled the center carb fuel bowl to the max and also poured some fuel down inside the fuel line.

It fired up straight away and I got the revs straight up to 2500 and kept it between 2K-3K for about 30 seconds. Then it died.

Zero fuel pressure. The lines are empty.

Well maybe the mechanical pump just didn't have time to drag the fuel along that big old 1/2 inch line and fill that big fuel filter?

So today I have had another go. Twice. Filled the carb both times. Both times it died after 30 seconds. Still no sign of fuel in the lines.


I think my next step will be to remove the pump to make sure it is OK. Then somehow fill the line from the tank to the pump as well as the lines from the pump to the carbs.

Any other suggestions?

Dave, what micron size is that fuel filter? And where precisely is it located in the fuel line in regards to the mechanical pump? Is it possible the pump cannot produce the necessary suction due to the restriction from the fuel filter if it's below 100 microns it should be after the pump, above that size it can be before the pump. Just a thought Another option is to see if a small Holley Blue would help the situation, I'm sure it would. You could temporarily splice it in the rubber section and hook it up to see if it alleviates your problem and keeps it running. Of course it might have to be regulated depending on how much pressure it makes. Also is the fuel pump pushrod in the engine? Just curious Dave, but why dont you have an electrical pump with your rev potential and power output and fuel system size?

jh27n0b wrote:Dave, Here is a suggestion. Have the young lady in your avitar put her lips over your fill tube, stick her finger in your vent tube and give a good blow. In no time you should be squirting go juice all over. Still probably will not last more than 30 seconds though.

I would bet he would 'blow his O-Ring' before the test was complete! (I would just thinking about it)

I have a 3/8 " line to the tank with a Carter Street Hemi Pump as my only fuel system mods. Since I havent had the engine to 6k yet, close but not that high maybe 5500, I dont no for sure if the fuel system is capable of higher RPM's in my R/T. If however it couldnt 'keep' up or I suffered from "Vapor Lock" I would install an electric rear mounted 'helper' pump. Probably a Holley Blue or newer Aeromotive one they are supposedly very quiet.

Well.

I unhooked the fuel line from the pump. Sealed my air line to the filler neck. Quick blast of air and the fuel shot out - missing the bucket I placed under the end of the pipe - and made a mess all over the floor.

Then I filled the rest of the lines as best as I could and tried again.

SUCCSESS!

Fired up, got fuel pressure revved between 2K-2.5K until warm and set her away at 2200rpm while I checked around the car for problems.

She came up to exactly 180 degrees and held steady.

The headers were glowing red hot though. Very red hot.

Then after 5 mins or so the bottom hose blew off dumping all the hot water around my feet. So I switched it off and am now waiting for the steam to clear.

Oh well. It is a start.

I don't like electric pumps Eddie. Had loads of greif with them in years gone by. I do without where i can.

The starter motor is giving me grief now. Will hardly turn the engine over and the battery lead connection is getting red hot.

Time to call it a night before I break something. I will worry in bed tonight about a sized engine or melted starter motor.

Cool, sounds like you just had a air bubble until the fuel volume kicked in. I bet your cool if it ran at that RPM's for 5 minutes, as far as the cam wear pattern being established. Are you going to do it again? Was the exhaust to your liking? I bet it sounded really good! Oh, and Congrats Dave I know you've been waiting and working a long time for this moment.

Thanks Eddie. Not sure about the exhaust sound. Not too bad I suppose. Not too loud either. About right.

Bit of an anti-climax for me really. I wanted to run it for 15 mins and then get the timing and idle mixture set before pulling the valve covers off to check the valve lash.

I dream to run the 100 metres but always find myself in the hurdles instead.

Well put!

I guess you know that there is a fuel filter inside the tank!? Have you replaced it lately? Mabe it is cogged and needs to be replaced since the fuel pump failed to deliver fuel to the engine during that 30 seconds. I mean that is a quite ling time, so I think it should have managed to do that. Just a suggestion...

Everything is new Christer. The tank, the 1/2-inch sender (and sock filter), all the lines.
The only bits I have used before are my trusty mech pump and very large 10 micron fuel filter.

Mechanical pumps do not suck air very well. It would have got there eventually but it would have taken a lot of cranking. Having half inch i.d. lines makes it a slow progress. It seems to be providing plenty of fuel now it is "wet".

dave-r wrote:Mechanical pumps do not suck air very well. It would have got there eventually but it would have taken a lot of cranking. Having half inch i.d. lines makes it a slow progress.

I agree with that.

It feels like you are on the right track I hope everything falls into place during the next days.