Build Project: Midnight Panic

[Penetrode Offroad]

 

[arse_sidewards]

I’m not sure, this might explain it all better.

You're selling your own work short by referring to off the shelf **** you bought as "custom"

 

[Skipped_Link]

You're selling your own work short by referring to off the shelf **** you bought as "custom"

Which shelf part are you referring to?
Edit, maybe “specialized” would be a better word for the timing cover,
Being a limited run part, I’m not sure “shelf ****” would be a great description either,
It’s closer to my RTC parts, sure, I keep them in stock, but you’re not going to just pick them up anywhere.

 

[arse_sidewards]

Which shelf part are you referring to?
Edit, maybe “specialized” would be a better word for the timing cover,
Being a limited run part, I’m not sure “shelf ****” would be a great description either,
It’s closer to my RTC parts, sure, I keep them in stock, but you’re not going to just pick them up anywhere.

Yeah the timing cover stuff.

I guess limited run does kind of blur the line.

 

[ridered3]

Excellent latest video! Only complaint is that one of the time lapse musics kinda makes me want to dance a Riverdance style jig and I can 1000% assure you, that no one wants to see that!

 

[rattle_snake]

Did you add the 4 bolt main caps to a regular production block, or did that block come that way? I believe you said you filled the jackets.

 

[Skipped_Link]

Did you add the 4 bolt main caps to a regular production block, or did that block come that way? I believe you said you filled the jackets.

On one of the blocks I had the 4 bolt mains added, the other I did them myself, then had them line bored & honed, but both blocks started life as 2 bolt blocks.


Kind of a short update this week since it's just more of the same as has been posted the last couple weeks,
After pondering a couple cylinder scratches all week, I did start off the days off by pulling all the pistons back out, & inspecting the oil rings & rails very carefully, & even though I didn't really see anything, I went ahead & replaced them with the ones from the second set of rings for the second block, my engine consultant assures me I am worrying over nothing, "Once those rings seat all of that will be log gone, but you do what you got to do"

So, I moved on to finally installing the heads, since moy head gaskets showed up early in my work rotation.

I then used a chunk of 2" Ouverson chro-mo rockwell axle shaft & built a new crankshaft washer.

With the heads installed I was able to mock up the intake manifold & get a visual on what work it needed, after a few hours on the Bridgeport I had the top opening cut out to the same size as the blower bottom opening, an o-ring groove cut so I don't have to use a gasket between the manifold & blower. then the most important part, offsetting all of the mounting holes so I could slide the manifold back about .050" aligning the port openings better to the heads.

Then I went on a bit of a side quest for a little over a day, I really wanted this manifold powder coated, but I didn't want to wait until next days off to install it, I thought "If I could fit that manifold in my oven, I could easily do this myself,

So, I whipped up a frame out of 1" square tube, & lined the inside with 16ga steel,

Then cut 1" R-max insulation to fit within the tube frame,

AND BAM!
I've got a lean-to for my oven!

I guess technically its an addition since all sides are enclosed,
But it does have a door!

Doing this manifold took a little while, that's a big chunk of aluminum to heat up, & I basically doubled the cubic ft this oven was designed to heat,
But it got done, & was faster than waiting 5+ days.

 

[Skipped_Link]

I was ready to bolt the manifold on, & I even remembered to install these first.

With the manifold in place I got to finally set this blower on top, I also got a measurement for a blower snout, & put the order in for that this morning,

I still have to do rockers & girdles, but maybe I'll get started on pulling the truck apart next days off,

For those that have been enjoying the YT stuff, here's the latest video.

 

[arse_sidewards]

Man, I should copy that oven box. I've got a double oven so I've got four heating elements.

 

[Chkn]

The the most and least redneck thing I’ve seen a while. Badass

 

[Austin]

AND BAM!
I've got a lean-to for my oven!

I guess technically its an addition since all sides are enclosed,
But it does have a door!

Doing this manifold took a little while, that's a big chunk of aluminum to heat up, & I basically doubled the cubic ft this oven was designed to heat,
But it got done, & was faster than waiting 5+ days.

Thats Awesome!!

 

[Skipped_Link]

The the most and least redneck thing I’ve seen a while. Badass

If it was much more redneck we’d have to call it a mud room!

 

[WaterH]

Ha-ha, I could see my wife’s face if came in the house with that thing.

 

[ridered3]

Enjoyed the detail in the video and the DIY powder coat oven extension too!

 

[JDNobodi]

Was the wife away seeing her mother when you power coated the manifold?

 

[tsomctl]

Ha-ha, I could see my wife’s face if came in the house with that thing.

It would be the last thing you ever see.

 

[CarterKraft]

Was the wife away seeing her mother when you power coated the manifold?

From the other vids with her in them I'd say she was down for it.

 

[Firstram]

From the other vids with her in them I'd say she was down for it.

A good woman will get used to it, I put my boots in the oven when I Sno-Seal them!

 

[Penetrode Offroad]

Gonna see that trend all over now. Heard about dishwashers for parts cleaners and ovens used for warming parts for install and whatnot but....



Kudos.

 

[Skipped_Link]

I sure didn't take many pics this week, I guess there just wasn't much that I found interesting,
I started off the week with planning to pre heat the engine so I could re-torque the heads, but before I could plumb, or fill with water, I needed an upper water neck, so I employed the CNC router to whittle this out of a chunk of 3/4" 7075 aluminum.

For the first attempt at heating the long block I tried using a canister type block heater, but the engine itself just dissipated to much heat, & the best it could do was about 150* at the front of the block/heats, & about 125* at the rear,
So the next attempt was an old turkey deep fryer setup, simply boiling water & circulating that through the block,

At first even this setup was able to keep the water at the boiling point, the pump circulating through the block would drop the water temp enough I would frequently have to stop the pump & allow the water to nearly boil again before restarting,
Eventually I added a weed burner, putting even more heat into the water while cycling,
This process thill took some time, eventually getting the block & heads to 180*-185*, I'm sure I could have pushed it to 200+ but it was getting late, & I was pretty well over the whole mess, I will likely still end up pulling all the valve train apart & retorquing the heads after a few good "real" het cycles anyway.

While giving the engine time to heat up, I did get the truck moved to the other side of the shop.

I also got the splined coupler that will drive the front steer pump machined down & fit in the crank support mandrel,

That part was then tig welded in place, but not pics of the finished part.

The next day the heads were re-torqued, & the remaining valve train parts were installed,

I played around with a new distributor as well, but I did not take a single pic of that process, I still have some finish work to do there, so I'll make sure I get pictures & document that here when it is actually finished.

I'm thinking new stand-offs for the crank support, a few spacers for between the motor plate & one head, & a bushing at the back of the crank shaft, & this thing will be ready to go in the truck,,,,,hopefully next weekend!

Here's this weeks associated YT video.

 

[ridered3]

Employing a turkey fryer and weed burner was not on my BINGO card for this build but I like it!

 

[Skipped_Link]

I've been slacking a little on the updates, mostly because I've been short on post-worthy content,
Days off before last was primarily focused on finishing the distributor, & the engine swap,
A couple friends came in from out of town to lend a hand, having visitors, & staying busy did not leave a lot of time for taking pictures, (one or two pics of any engine swap pretty much covers that part of the job anyhow)
Before installing the new engine I had to build 4 new crank support spacers, & a new alternator mount, (Pretty simple lathe work for the most part)

That pretty well finished up the front of the engine,
The oil pump was primed, & the distributor dropped in, then since the enderle was pulled off the old engine, it was set in place for one last pic before going in the truck.

The old engine didn't put up any fight coming out, (I was a little sad knowing it'll be a while before it sees any time in the truck again)
After a pretty full days work the wife brought dinner down & fed us before installing the new power plant.

Not much of a break before getting right back to it,
I built a small bushing for the back of the crank (makes this industrial truck crankshaft accept a passenger car style torque converter) then we bolted on the flex plate, & lateral link mounts.

Pulling the engine was easy, but I think installing the new one was even easier, It really went very smooth.

I had originally planned to build BBF to BBC adapters however with the engine in place I realized the material I had on hand was not quite thick enough to achieve what I was after,
My last day off the help went home & I spent quite a bit of time considering my options, after a few hours of research I decided on two options,
1) A set of off the shelf truck puller headers that looked like they should fit the chassis, If so this is a great option for quick easy replacement if they get damage in the monster truck applications.
2) Order thicker material for adapters, in case the shelf headers do not fit, & even if they do fit, I can still build adapter to run the custom headers if desired,

The orders were placed & I returned to work so I could earn that bread!


Here's the YT vid that covered that weekends activities, this video also goes over some of the distributor info that I missed in here as well.

 

[Skipped_Link]

I received the headers in just a few days, so they were on hand when this last set of days off started, however I had other activities to attend on saturday,
While at work Jerrod Compton reached out & asked if I would drive his Anubis monster truck at the Redmond show (about a 6 hour trip for me) Of course I'm not going to turn down an opportunity to drive when a show lands on my days off, so Friday after work the family & I headed out, getting to Redmond just before midnight, caught a nap & rolled into the event center the following morning,
Turns out Jerrod was working on getting me a seat in another truck, but that didn't pan out, so we continued with the original plan of me driving his truck, He mentioned him possibly driving for free style, Which was absolutely fine with me,
The cool thing about the Anubis truck is it's a 2 seater, center position front & rear seats, So,,,we made sure to pack Allisons fire suit & HANS/helmet,
First thing when we arrived I climbed in & found I do not fit in the truck very well, I'm really not much, if any bigger than Jerrod, (aside from a little extra padding in the mid section, I have a kid & he does not, so it's my responsibility to wear that dad bod I suppose)
But there is a difference in how we fit in the truck, for me the seat was tight but good tight. I really had to pull my legs back to get on the pedals, & my head was about an inch from the roof. Visibility was awesome though, also his rear steer switch functions the opposite of how many of mine do, He offered to change the switch, but I did not want to make any changes to the truck, like I told Jerrod, the truck does not have to fit me,
I did not realize until I moved the truck for pit party, I could not reach the shifter very well at all, it is mounted about 2" too far back for me to pull the shift lever all the way back, None the less, I was going to drive since nothing was what I would consider unsafe,
We decided I would drive for intros, two trick, & racing, & since the rear passenger seat is not a full containment seat, Allison would sit out until racing,

All in all the first show went well, A rear steer issue & having to shift with my elbow slowed me down a little in racing, but I got a couple rounds in, & got a couple decent jumps in two trick, Jerrods truck is really short wheel base, & pretty tall, it jumps like an old Ford bronco, (flys perfect & seemed easy to keep it level as long as you don't chop the throttle,)
Jerrod went out for freestyle & drove the truck great, afterwards there's about a 3 hour lul between the morning & afternoon shows, We did a quick bolt check, topped off fuel, & repaired the rear steer return to center,
One other truck was pretty much problem free & ready to go, the other 3 had some pretty dang busy crews getting them ready for show #2,
The late show went pretty much the same as the morning with the exception of me going out the first round in racing, But I was glad to hand the truck back over in one piece,

Even after Jerrods freestyle, only minimal repairs were needed before his next show this weekend, which he had another seat lined up for me with one of the trucks that were also in Redmond, unfortunately, I had to do the adulting thing & report to work for my 5 on.

The opportunities & connections this guy is hooking me up with are amazing, I don't know that I'll ever be able to get even.
I have to go through what footage we have yet, but there may be a video on this later if there's enough content to put something together.

(Edit) I also have to mention, while Allison, Jerrod & myself were at the autograph/after party, My wife decided there was no reason she needed to be there, & mentioned getting started on cleanup as she left, the other pit guy followed her out & by the time we got back to the truck it was half way tired down! due to that Anubis was the first truck tore down & loaded, even with the other trucks having a bit more support, pretty dang cool I thought.

 

[Skipped_Link]

After a loooong Saturday & a pretty solid sleep, the family & I skipped town, 5+ hours on the road home netted some pretty good conversations on where we could go with this whole deal, My wife is already working on getting swag going for the truck.
And after watching the kids reacting to Allison actually being in a driving suit, in the truck, & interacting with them, I really think she probably needs her own swag/product that could be succesful,
We were back home by 3:00 Sunday, so I changed the oil in my pickup, & got back to work on the truck,

Turns out the headers did in fact fit, & fit pretty dang good for a shelf part. I started out by bolting them both on, backwardsof how they were designed on the engine,

While they did clear with the current tires, I know they will not fit once the 66's go on, so before I got to attached to them angling out the back, I went ahead & turned them around, basically like every other monter truck that runs this style header.

When all said & done I will be cutting the collector off close to the transition, & welding on a v-band arrangement, that way I can easily switch between a slight turn out, or a small muffler when required,

Before I could bolt the headers on for good, I had to install an 1/8" pipe bung in each primary tube for the EGT probes, along with weld in bung in each collector for the crank case evac system,
I bought the angle bungs for the evac, but I wasn't spending $8 each for 1/8" pipe weld in bungs,
So I spent about $12 for a handful of 1/8" pipe couplers, split them in half, & machined a small register on each one, it really didn't take long, even for me.

After buffing the "temporary" paint off the headers, & drilling a 7/16" hole in each primary, all 8 bungs were tig welded in place,

Basically the same was done with the evac assemblies before bolting each header in place. For being a fairly large change, everything hooked up to these headers without modification.

After double checking the timing at cranking RPM, I dumped a 50/50 mix of coolant & distilled water in the radiator, then fired it up for the first time,

I have some tuning to do yet, hopefully I'll get straight into that early next week, right after I finish mounting the new transmission coolers. more on that next week.

And for those interested, here's the video lead up to & including the first fire on the new engine,

 

[Penetrode Offroad]

 

[bdkw1]

The old motor sounded better. Or maybe it was just the shaking camera that enhanced the blower surge.

 

[Skipped_Link]

The old motor sounded better.

To be fair, the old engine is 75 cubic inches bigger, better heads, & while this 10-71 is fine piece of equipment, the 14-71 on the other engine is at the top of the scale for a roots style blower,

But before we completely condemn the new engine, give me a minute to tinker with it.
I bet it’s still capable of nearly 3 times the power of the average “cam & tuned” LS.
😉

 

[gt1guy]

To be fair, the old engine is 75 cubic inches bigger, better heads, & while this 10-71 is fine piece of equipment, the 14-71 on the other engine is at the top of the scale for a roots style blower,

But before we completely condemn the new engine, give me a minute to tinker with it.
I bet it’s still capable of nearly 3 times the power of the average “cam & tuned” LS.
😉

Ouch. That one stung a bit.

 

[ridered3]

To be fair, the old engine is 75 cubic inches bigger, better heads, & while this 10-71 is fine piece of equipment, the 14-71 on the other engine is at the top of the scale for a roots style blower,

But before we completely condemn the new engine, give me a minute to tinker with it.
I bet it’s still capable of nearly 3 times the power of the average “cam & tuned” LS.
😉

But the box and my tooner said this this cam was good for 600 horsepressure torques!!!

 

[ridered3]

Love the detailed updates and videos!

1000% think you should do some monster truck swag for the truck, driver, and daughter! Did she end up getting to ride along for the races?

May be worth looking into diecast style 1:64's of the truck too. I know, I'd be down for buying a couple of them for myself and my little dude too. Plus they'd sell like hot cakes at events.

Here is a link to an independent monster trucker semi local to me (45 minutes away) to show you his info, swag, and diecasts too.

Allen Pezo

Allen Pezo (born June 13th, 1968) is a monster truck owner/driver out of Brentwood, Tennessee. He is the owner and driver of Predator and its eponymous racing team which includes Prowler, Pouncer and Lone Eagle. He is also the Vice President of the International Monster Truck Museum's Board of...

monstertruck.fandom.com

https://www.etsy.com/shop/PredatorRacingInc