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1968 IH C1300 2wd Restomod/Build

stopped screwing around with adapting the OEM hydroboost-to-rack line and just ordered the right adapters and 6AN (3/8JIC) fitting and hose to connect it all up

I can't imagine going to the local NAPA would be any cheaper than this guy was, and I don't have to spend an hour or two on a trip.

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had to pull the hydroboost to modify the input rod for the pedal connection. should have it all buttoned back up with pressure/return lines in place soon

been ordering some more parts

the 8.8 rear I found looks like it had the pinion nut back off. Debated just throwing in the crush sleeve replacement with the existing shims/setup it has now, but I have the LSD already. So do it right, do it once, gonna gut the axle and install the LSD with the 3.73's that are in it. I MAY drop it somewhere for the actual setup to save myself the time, but it should be easy if I have it sitting on sawhorses.
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got ahead of myself and ordered the famous Toyota Halogen headlight kit. IH8mud and some other sites blew up with these. I don't have a local dealer to get them for $40 like lots of people did, but $56 shipped is good to me. I don't like the look of the cheap LED options, and I like light at night
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and then I spent $55ish on a fancy rear diff cover. I may not keep it, not sure yet. but I'm hoping to be 350ish HP and reading up online it sounds like those bolts pushing on the bearing caps aren't a bad idea. I may decide OEM is fine and save the $$
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budget76 said:
had to pull the hydroboost to modify the input rod for the pedal connection. should have it all buttoned back up with pressure/return lines in place soon

been ordering some more parts

the 8.8 rear I found looks like it had the pinion nut back off. Debated just throwing in the crush sleeve replacement with the existing shims/setup it has now, but I have the LSD already. So do it right, do it once, gonna gut the axle and install the LSD with the 3.73's that are in it. I MAY drop it somewhere for the actual setup to save myself the time, but it should be easy if I have it sitting on sawhorses.
1715703247395.png



got ahead of myself and ordered the famous Toyota Halogen headlight kit. IH8mud and some other sites blew up with these. I don't have a local dealer to get them for $40 like lots of people did, but $56 shipped is good to me. I don't like the look of the cheap LED options, and I like light at night
1715703472394.png
1715703492373.png


and then I spent $55ish on a fancy rear diff cover. I may not keep it, not sure yet. but I'm hoping to be 350ish HP and reading up online it sounds like those bolts pushing on the bearing caps aren't a bad idea. I may decide OEM is fine and save the $$
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Thanks for the cheap cover for the 8.8 in my YJ.
 
I've been mulling over PCM / Harness options. I have to wire the whole truck itself so I have some time, but I need to make a decision eventually. there's a chance I go #1, gamble on the cheap harness, and if it winds up giving me issues yank it off and spend the $$ on a name brand.

  1. Ebay harness with tuned factory PCM. $100ish harness + $300-400 tune. Potentially hours of verifying pinouts / checking continuity / etc pre-install, or a shitload of troubleshooting later. Still need some sort of gauges or at least Torque+dongle to start. No risk of obsolescence

  2. name-brand harness with factory PCM. $500-600 harness + $300-400 tune. In theory, the fastest option to get it running. barring surprise issues with the harness that I hope don't exist if I pony up the $$. Still need some sort of gauges or at least Torque+dongle to start. No risk of obsolescence

  3. Holly Terminator X harness+PCM+display. $1400-$1500 + $$ or time for tuning. has a small display or pony up more $$ for the big one. So probably need a couple gauges later for the dash. VERY known entity, low risk of obsolescence

  4. ACES Jackpot harness+PCM+display (Holly knockoff). $800ish + unknown time or $$ spend for tuning. Comes with a 7" display. Somewhat of a gamble, but in theory plug and play like the Holly. I'd guess moderate risk of obsolescence


there's virtually no chance I drive this thing this year with kid #2 on the way. I'm trying to get the bulk of the fab done, figuring I can spend 30 minutes here and there wiring and make progress versus trying to spend 30min at a time swapping in a rear axle. Even now, I'm lucky to get an hour at night some days of the week
 
I just ordered Holley with 6L80E control for my CJ8. Also the BIM for the Dakota Digital gauges.
 
I'm leaning towards factory PCM for reliability. I do not envision this thing ever getting boost or anything more extreme than what it is, so I'm struggling to justify the $$ of the Holly. End of the day I just want this to be a reliable turnkey driver and materials hauler.

I think the only way I can justify the Holly is if the self-tune program on it was good enough to not require more $$ for someone to tune it. But from what I've read it's not great, it gets you enough to run but you still want a tuner (AKA more $$) on top.


Jackpot is REALLY tempting to try out. but the future proofing on that one scares me. they're a proven company, but they aren't Holly. I've had too many tech gadgets go obsolete because of lack of support in the past
 
budget76 said:
I'm leaning towards factory PCM for reliability. I do not envision this thing ever getting boost or anything more extreme than what it is, so I'm struggling to justify the $$ of the Holly. End of the day I just want this to be a reliable turnkey driver and materials hauler.

I think the only way I can justify the Holly is if the self-tune program on it was good enough to not require more $$ for someone to tune it. But from what I've read it's not great, it gets you enough to run but you still want a tuner (AKA more $$) on top.


Jackpot is REALLY tempting to try out. but the future proofing on that one scares me. they're a proven company, but they aren't Holly. I've had too many tech gadgets go obsolete because of lack of support in the past
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Want a factory ECM and swap harness that's been run and is tried and true?
 
Grendel said:
Want a factory ECM and swap harness that's been run and is tried and true?
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I'll PM you, maybe. I'm early 24x crank & red/blue PCM, odds are you're the later gen. Though I'm now that I'm ditching the early DBW, I need to go refresh myself on the differences again. I have a red/blue 0411 PCM that can do DBC
 
well, I splurged on something unnecessary. Every manual car I've ever owned has had a short shift kit in it, except the Miata. I tried, but couldn't resist almost 50% off.

Now I'm looking back saying "shoulda not been cheap and spent the extra $150 on valve springs and a more aggressive cam". Owell...

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Interior is coming together. Clutch and brake pedals are in. Column is in. Heater box and duct are painted and temporarily reinstalled. Entire firewall and underdash area is sound deadened with Vevor 2-in-1 deadener than another 1/4" layer of closed cell foam. The entire cab is going to get heavy treatment, I wanted to get the behind-the-dash area done when I had easy access
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Hydroboost brakes/steering plumbing are finished. Pressure lines are one OEM, one 6AN adapted. Return line to the HB is OEM, return to the rack is 3/8 high pressure fuel line. This is why I almost went the iBooster route, would have kept the compartment WAY cleaner. but that was a whole other thing to learn and more $$ vs just using what I know, and had
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had to lop off the end of the HB shaft and make up some linkage. Had to use the OEM brake pedal due to packaging, Wilwood pedal would have to occupy the same place as the steering column.
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kinda overall shot of the mess. I need a bigger garage
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and what I found inside the 8.8. Looks to me that the crush sleeve failed, let the pinion go all haywaire inside. Gears themselves look fine, so as stated above, it's getting a china LSD unit and crush sleeve eliminator thrown in. Debated redoing the pinion and running it, but nows the time to get the LSD in.
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No pic but the axle is wire wheeled and painted. Need to hack the perches off in prep for new ones. hoping to join the Explorer e-brake to the factory pedal/cable with some cable clamps or something, we'll see.
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I'm back to / still debating engine harness

BP Automotive will make up a harness for my 2002 6.0 LQ9/Vortec with the early DBW setup red/blue PCM. They do not list it on the site but were super quick to reply to an inquiry. It's around $600, so $50 more than the H307 that they confirmed is the correct harness if I run the DBC throttle body.

PSI does not make a early-DBW red/blue harness. Their DBC setup is also $550

I'm cheap, but there's a very strong temptation to just buy the right thing off the bat and not screw with checking pinouts and all the fun that may come with the Ebay harnesses.
 
new perches ordered. think I'll have some alone time Saturday so if I do, that'll be fab day to get perches tacked on and housing stripped and ready for gear setup

will then call a local guy to ask what he charges if I drop off a housing/gears/install kit and his turn time, and decide if I drop it off or not

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Probably the last update of any significance for a while. not only is kid #2 coming by August, but now we've decided to make the summer complete hell and move in early July. Upside is the new place has a 3 car garage. Downside is it has no shed right now, so all that crap will wind up finding a home in one bay


pedals are done. Ready to bleed and fine tune when it's running at some point in the future. As you can see, I finalized on DBC vs DBW
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plenty of space for cooling system in the engine bay. Hoping to mount it off the frame and not the front clip, we'll see what happens. mech fan will probably go but its there for storage for now
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front clip back on. was able to do it solo
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dash is in temporarily. needs a screw or two to hold it in place. Shifter cover is cutout and sitting there. I need to buy a steering wheel so I can move it easier. Probably going to pack all the loose parts into the cab so I don't have the temptation to spend time on it when I should be packing/prepping the current house for sale
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side shot. it should sit pretty good with the rear axle flip and swap. Mildly concerned I'm 1-2" too forward with the front suspension/axle, but can't do anything about that now. I thought I bumped it back an inch or two from stock with the idea the reverse shackle let it move backwards, but it's been a while
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I'm late to the party, but I'm in for this one.
 
budget76 said:
don't hold your breath for updates for a while :emb: aside from maybe pictures of boxes spend money on then shove in a corner
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I have plenty of catching up to do to get my fix. I feel you on the no updates situation. My 24 studebaker has been engine out for 2 years. My samurai has been in the middle of a simple 1.6 swap for 5 years. I finally sold my 69 and 70 ford station wagon projects and over payed for a running and driving 70 wagon. I'm done buying stuff now. I just try to do o e thing in the shop each day to make progress.
 
OK, non-exciting update or three will come over the next week or two before this thing really gets buried and starts collecting dust

1. pulled the brakes off and shafts out of the 8.8 rear in prep for dropoff for gear rebuild. I don't have the time. $350-400 gets the new LSD carrier / bearings / etc installed. Not cheap, but it gets it done and if I wait, it's 30 minutes further from the new house than current. Just need my trailer back from my buddy

2. need to pull the trigger on a steering wheel asap
 
I don't think I like it. But I have a steering wheel now. It's nice quality but I thought I'd like the look more than I do. Not much out there for actual classic looking wheels at a reasonable price
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oh, and in my moving-clearing out I made the decision I'm an idiot for buying a 4 piece driveshaft out of a box truck with the idea I'd be able to use that as the intermediate shaft on a 2-piece setup. Thinking was for $80 I'd save a bunch of $$ buying a carrier bearing setup and re-using what it had. it was 5" or 6" steel tube, giant u-joints, and heavy as shit. It went to the curb

wasted money, but at least I'm not moving 100lb of useless driveshaft to the new house. Thought about hacking the ends off and keeping the tube itself, then realized that's just going to sit in a pile somewhere too. I am keeping the stock Explorer rear shaft for now.

had I kept the OEM driveshaft setup and not tossed it like an idiot, I'd have a driveshaft setup for the cost of re-balancing after I modified it. Idiot
 
I have a wooden rim steering wheel for you.

And a Travelette cab and chassis ... :flipoff2: on a IFS front 3500 chasiss.
 
At the new house from the move a couple weeks ago. Little HF 2k atv winch and a snatch block pulled it right up, even with the bed filled with steel and tools. It fit on the uhaul by about 4in. Cut it close for sure

1/2 ton Yukon towed it fine but didn't love it. Dad's 150 would have been better but he already had the cargo trailer hooked up
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Baby is here so basically just going to be stocking parts for a while.

Found what I'd call a great price for flat glass mentioned on a fb group so I ordered new door and vent glass. I'll need it all and other sites were basically 30-50% more. Might as well put it on the shelf

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Grendel said:
Would have been nice as a crew... Chaz has the cab now.
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maybe in a year or three he'll still have it un-started and I can buy it from him :emb:


there's a complete one in PA that I'd love to grab too, but its the same issue as your offer - no space to keep it
 
so I've almost got the garage usable and the truck un-buried of moving shit. I might be able to make some progress soon

it's got a nasty lean to it in the front after the crown vic swap and there's no way it was my fabwork. We're talking 1.5" lower on the pass side than the driver, you can kind of see it in the trailer pics above. fairly certain its one coil spring being weaker than the other (possibly PI vs civvi). I ordered a set of Interceptor complete struts for cheap off Ebay to get it leveled out.

decided the PI vs Civvi setup because they're supposed to be a sportier, less pillowy ride and sit an inch or so higher. I don't want the truck slammed

hoping to throw these on quick one night, should be an easy win.

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next on the list is emptying the cab out so I can pull the seat, so I can access/pull the fuel tank again. Hack the tank for the GM fuel pump adapter, hack the floor for a marine access panel so I don't have to drop the tank if the pump shits the bed, and get fuel system run. Not a ton of work but time is scarce
 
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