1955 Ranch Wagon Cruiser

[DJ3100]

driving report

Got it aligned today. The alignment shop is 9 miles through traffic from home. It tracks nicely and feels under control; not squirrely.

The temperature was closing in on 100 degrees, the temp gauge maxed at 180 on the way home.

Brakes work well, but they're a little touchy. Clutch works like a clutch - no complaints. Engine has a lot of torque and doesn't care too much what gear it's in. It idles at 400 -500 RPM, I have a hard time not blipping the throttle to keep it from stalling like I would in a carbed car. Punching the throttle results in a big smile.

The speedometer shows the correct speed when it's moving - not sure what's going on with it when the car is sitting still.

The car is reasonably quiet considering there is no upholstery or carpet and the windows were down. The Hush Power mufflers have a deep note and they're not too loud.

Overall, I'm really happy with it.

 

[akatao]

sweet good job! [cl

 

[soltz]

Very Nice Indeed [cl
Hard work paying off.

 

[Torchie]

Very Nice Indeed [cl
Hard work paying off.

^^^^X's 2 ^^^^^
Torchie

 

[Old Iron]

[cl [cl [cl

 

[animal]

Cool stuff! This has been a project I've really enjoyed following.[cl

 

[DJ3100]

The one problem I'm having is that the fuel seems to be running away from the fuel pump pick up during hard acceleration when the fuel level drops below 1/2 tank. It acts like the ignition is shut off for half a second (the other possibility is that the ECM is shutting the engine off for half a second).

We think that with EFI a small air bubble shows a lot more than a on a carbed engine because there is no reservoir (float bowl) in the system.

Went back and looked at the photos of the gas tank build. The fuel pump lives in the almost square opening in the front, center of the tank. The tank is deeper at the front. I can think of several things I should have done differently, but, for now, I'm looking for a solution with this tank.

The solution I'm strongly considering is the Holley Hydramat. Anyone have experience with these? Or got any other ideas?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yfE1v65fNZI

 

[I-R-POPS]

I've never seen one or know anything about it but it looks like a good idea that seems like it woold work.
Is it available now ?

 

[jfg455]

I've seen the demonstrations and am seriously considering it for my Datsun build. Looks like outstanding stuff.

Easy way to log if you are losing fuel pressure on acceleration is to put a fuel gauge on it and tape the gauge to the windshield. Stomp it and see if it drops below 42 psi. These systems are not going to get an "air bubble" so to speak due to the higher fuel pressure.

 

[DJ3100]

I've never seen one or know anything about it but it looks like a good idea that seems like it woold work.
Is it available now ?

They are available in several sizes, but they don't give them away: https://www.summitracing.com/search/product-line/holley-hydramat-fuel-pickups?SortBy=Default&SortOrder=Ascending&tw=hydramat&sw=Holley%20Hydramat%20Fuel%20Pickups

 

[DJ3100]

I've seen the demonstrations and am seriously considering it for my Datsun build. Looks like outstanding stuff.

Easy way to log if you are losing fuel pressure on acceleration is to put a fuel gauge on it and tape the gauge to the windshield. Stomp it and see if it drops below 42 psi. These systems are not going to get an "air bubble" so to speak due to the higher fuel pressure.

Hmmm, actually check to see if there is a fuel pressure problem instead of guessing at the solution? Novel idea. A fuel pressure gage would be a good addition.

John, is there any chance the stock ECM has a rev limiter? It seems to cut out somewhere over 4000 rpms.

 

[jfg455]

Hmmm, actually check to see if there is a fuel pressure problem instead of guessing at the solution? Novel idea. A fuel pressure gage would be a good addition.

John, is there any chance the stock ECM has a rev limiter? It seems to cut out somewhere over 4000 rpms.

Yes they do but it is usually in the 6200 rpm range. Only other issue I've seen is with a wonky speed sensor. If the PCM thinks it has reached the 110 mph cut off it will shut the fuel off. Most tunes remove the limiter and you can reset the rpm limiter to what ever you want it to be.

If it is just cutting out instantly I would lean more towards a wiring / ignition / tune issue more than fuel. if fuel pressure was dropping it would have a tendency to lose power right before it cuts out (unless the pump lost power then it may just cut out). Same with knock sensors activation. PCM would just pull timing making it feel lazy all of a sudden.

*edit* Is your fuel pump mounted in the front of the fuel tank? I'll go back and check the pics...

*Edit x2* Ok, bear with my A.D.D. ...I looked back through the pics and you could be right in thinking that on hard launch the fuel will run away from the pick up point. At first I didn't think it would cause your issue but when I looked at the tank design I see it has a very flat bottom to it. Most GM tanks you will see a cup that the bottom of the pump sits in (Buick GN's had one in the tank itself) that had an opening to the front. Also the fuel return dumps the fuel back into this cup as well. This would hold a bit of fuel right at the pick up point until the G forces subsided. I would still put a test gauge on it and see if the pressure suddenly drops off to nothing. If it does then the mat would be the easiest solution.

 

[DJ3100]

JFG, thanks for all the info.

I have found 2 fixes:
Drive like an adult instead of a 16 year old.
Keep the tank over 5/8 full.

With those 2 fixes and your info, I think I'll order a Hydramat.

I have a couple other issues I'm attributing to the ECM:
The speedometer that receives it's signal from the ECM does not work when the car starts moving. Takes about a mile then it reads the correct speed.
I have yet to get the check engine light to work. It should turn on when the key is on and turn off when the engine starts. It never turns on.

Like the idea of having a permanent fuel pressure gauge. If I could go with an electronic gauge, I could mount it under the hood and move it to the interior for problems like these. Cheapest one I could find $200 +. Any recommendations on a less expensive one?

 

[jfg455]

I was just thinking of a shop unit for the test like a matco unit. They have about 3 feet of hose so you can get it to where you can see it while driving.

A permanent one is mostly just your choice of companies. I've always had good luck with Autometer but they are all going to be $200+

Yes the check engine light should light up key on then go out if no DTC's are set after engine is running. If I remember right it is a power feed from the PCM to turn the light on.

 

[Old Iron]

"I have found 2 fixes:
Drive like an adult instead of a 16 year old.
Keep the tank over 5/8 full."

I'll go along with one of the fixes.

 

[8literbeater]

Dang it! I've been away for so long that I missed the maiden voyage, by a mile. Literally. I spent some time and caught up on the whole thing. Dang belt tensioners. Eleven miles huh?

From what I understand, the check engine light is priority number one. I'm not very experienced with these though. I've been told that in your situation, it could be running in limp mode. Others here like JFG know more I'm sure. Just a thought.

 

[DJ3100]

tail gate support

I the last time 8literbeater came by, he pointed out that the brackets I had supporting the tailgate were flexing. I was already being careful not to put too much weight on the tailgate because of my home made cables.

So with it going to upholstery, I decided I better make it so it would hold at least 250 pounds (the upholsterer is a big guy -probably not quite that big in case he reads this).

Photo 1 is the original that 8 liter pointed out was an engineering failure. The new bracket is 1/4" thick and makes an almost straight pull. The cables are 2007 Ford truck.

It went to the upholstery shop Monday and he'll have it for about 3 weeks.

 

[DJ3100]

Dang it! I've been away for so long that I missed the maiden voyage, by a mile. Literally. I spent some time and caught up on the whole thing. Dang belt tensioners. Eleven miles huh?

From what I understand, the check engine light is priority number one. I'm not very experienced with these though. I've been told that in your situation, it could be running in limp mode. Others here like JFG know more I'm sure. Just a thought.

I just spent 3 days adding a belt tensioner to the 3100 so the belt wouldn't squeal with the AC on. I had forgotten I had to replace the one on the 5.3 - it only took about 15 minutes.

I am pretty sure it isn't in limp mode - it runs really well. Getting the check engine light working is pretty high on the list. However, fixing it requires opening up the wiring harness and trying to figure out where the problem is. It's also pretty hard to troubleshoot. It should have power with key on and no power when running, unless there is a problem. If there is a problem there should be power when it's running. How do you know?

Getting the front suspension down where it belongs is what I'll be working on first when it comes back from upholstery.

 

[8literbeater]

I assume you still have the OBDII plug in the system. If you do, plug in a scanner. For one, it will tell you if the light is on even if you can't see it. It says something like [MIL (on) or (off)]. Of course it will give you diagnostic codes too. I have a scanner if you need one.

Well, you have a few weeks to think about it anyway.

 

[DJ3100]

I assume you still have the OBDII plug in the system. If you do, plug in a scanner. For one, it will tell you if the light is on even if you can't see it. It says something like [MIL (on) or (off)]. Of course it will give you diagnostic codes too. I have a scanner if you need one.

Well, you have a few weeks to think about it anyway.

I do have a scanner and an OBDII port and no I haven't plugged it in, yet. Hey, I was amazed it even ran. The plan is to get it dyno tuned at some point- I have heard that tuning is different for a manual. In the mean time, it runs and sounds good, so I'm happy.