I've been very happy with mine, always taken me where I wanted to go and back.
I have gotten out of many hairy situations, only because they like to dig.  To each his own I guess.

You have learned well young grasshopper. See what going beyond your limits does.

Looking good! I especially like the bandaid on the PS pump!

Hey MM i see you still didnt find a more permenant Fluid Resevoir for the Nacho, Why not try one of these babies.



It's the Power Steering/Plow Resevoir off a 1970's Sno-Commander/Sno Fiter.

Roughly a 1.5 Gallon capacity (just the Resevoir alone).  Works pretty good for me.  If you can find a Sno-Commander/Fiter in a junkyard just grab the Tank & Both Power Steering Pumps & The Lines.  The Lower P/S pump has a tank, Upper P/S Pump has no tank, just lines running from the Resevoir.

I think thats a great explanation.

........ok..........the verdict is in, and I've made a major decision.  I've been doing a lot of thinking...and I've decided to make two major changes to El Nacho.  First...I've decided to pull the 452 and swap in a 6BT Cummins.  I am less than satisfied with the power - actually the problem isn't the engine, it's too much weight combined with highway gears.  I like the highway gears - I don't want to sacrifice highway drivability to gain off-the-line response.  I don't want to re-gear the rig to make it feel quicker - that would be curing the wrong problem.  Second, I've had it with the air bags, so they're coming out and good ole' leafs are going in.  This is the route I should have gone with origianlly.

So why the changes?  Several reasons, but it mostly boils down to the fact that the air bags are not holding up their end of the bargain, literally.  Despite my best efforts they continue to lose pressure and sag, leaving the truck tilted, etc, and that needs to stop.  My best guess as to why they're sagging is because the trucks weight is too close to the bags' max weight capacity, and it's a battle I will never win....and I know the truck is not going to get any lighter.  I've had it with the air bags.  They may work great under something with 2/3 the weight, but I have to keep adjusting the psi to maintain ride height, and that is not how this truck was meant to be maintained. 

Secondly, I don't want to re-gear the RC to make up for the weight.  While it makes real good power, the 452 does not have the power I was hoping for...and (and this is the main decision-maker) I'm cursed/spoiled by the 300-hp 6BT Cummins currently under the hood of my '93 Cummins Ram tow truck.  The '93 is running the same wheel, tire, and gearset (35" tires and 3.55's) as the Nacho, and it runs effortlessly, weighs the same as the Nacho...and get's 20 mpg (bonus).  The Nacho moves around well enough but has no where near the effortless 'feel' of the Ram, and while I could re-gear the Nacho to 'feel' faster it'd be curing the wrong problem.  I want the truck to glide down the freeway at 75 mph all day long...and get decent mileage...and there is only one way to do that with a truck this big - stab in a Cummins. 
I would rather spend the $ on converting the driveline to burn #2 then pumping in the same $ making the big block have the same torque or changing gears, or both, or more.  For this heavy of a truck...not to mention the weight of the trailer we're building for it...and because it's not primarily a trail rig but rather a camping rig, the diesel is a no-brainer. 
Plus the 6BT will add another 400 lbs to the front end weight and that will be over the max capacity of the bags.  So, the bags come out and good 'ole leafs are going in. 

I really have no gripes because it was a fantastic learning experience and a lot of fun fabbing the suspension.  Thought about coils but I have decided on simple leafs.  I like leafs and there is a lot of great tech info out there to make them solid and offer great flex.

The truck is too picky...and I'm tired of it.  I'm spoiled with the '93, and that is the power I want in the Nacho...and there's only one wat to do that - install a 6BT  .  600 lbs of torque is hard to pass up.  Not sure when the conversion will start - we just put our home on the market.  We're looking for another home on property zoned for horses, so we have that going on.  It's always something! 

So, looking for a donor truck with a good engine and tranny - one will come along sooner or later.  I won't piece one together from several independent sources - it's a full doner or nothing.

- M2

OH NO!!! That means I'm going to be addicted to another 30 pages of your build! My wife's gona kill me!

Yeah I like them to..call me old school but I like simple myself as well.
Uhhhh, good luck,again!
Brian

Nice Sam so does this mean we will have a smokde screen to follow at Moab?

Keep the chassis and suspension as is and store it, then buy a new frame to swap the body onto..  might be easier / and alot less time involved....

then maybe look into coil overs for the chassis you'll still have....

Well this is news.  Definitely man bites dog, for sure.  I have to agree with ya Sam.  As soon as I stuffed my built-to-the-hilt engine in my RC, I found a running Dodge Ram CTD for about the third of the price of my engine.  I've been kind of kicking myself for it ever since.  I'll eventually go the 6BT route, but not for a while.  But with you going there, I have a good opportunity to learn from you.  Your build-up has been a big inspiration for my own RC.

So you keep posting and I'll keep reading, and one of these days, I'll get around to putting all that inspiration and knowledge to work!

Too bad about the airbags, but the CTD sounds like a winner to me. I know what you mean about being spoiled by them.

yeah...mine too   


ha HAA  - naww, I'm thinking I'll keep the big fuel tuned down a bit - maybe even stock sticks and just a tuned up pump - no custom fuel pin, etc, but I am thinking about a 12 cm collar, 14 for sure...and certainly a 3400 spring.  I really don't want it to smoke at all, so if I can keep the sticks in check it should be 'okay' to be behind 


   driving your rig, Andy, has never left my mind.  Why they didn't do a CTD-powered RC from the factory I'll never know.  I definitely want to come up there soon and pick your brain bud, especially about your conversion, and about your suspension.  I want to install the long rear leafs and as long as reasonably possible front leafs.  I'll call ya tomorrow.

Thanks for all the props fellas.  I'm actually relieved in a way to be going back to 'normal' on the suspension.  I'm just going to pull the body back off and redo the frame stuff - shouldn't be to bad.  I'll do the rear flip and just set it all up for good drop articulation.  The steering will be the same as will the brakes.  It should pretty much be just bolt the bracketry back on and bolt in the leafs, weld on the spring perches, and slam it back down.  Getting the intercooler and all that to fit should be fun - probably have to cut a bunch out of the front core support - dunno - have to wait until it's all in there to find that out. 
Mean while I'm just going to drive it as is and enjoy it - it ain't broke, but it's not how I really want.  Not sure what I'll do with the engine and tranny.  They definitely aren't broke  - engine makes good power, just not the kind I'd hoped for.  Again, spoiled...but that's okay.  I'll most likely sell the 452 (with or without the EFI) to one of my musclecar bubbas - that 452 would be killer in a car  , and if the EFI doesn't go with the engine then it might make its way on top of the 446 in my '71 Demon, maybe.  Dunno - would like to sell the engine complete as is, but who knows.

Fortunately, the elecrical system won't be altered much - mainly removing some components and re-routing others - not too much change there.  Have to alter the dash too - have to add in the CTD message center and the boost and pyro gauges, and I'm not sure what I'll do with the tach...ahh shoot - too much to consider this late in the day (I got off shift a little bit ago and am still wired), but I think I'll call it a day.

Adios amigos    ZZZzzzzzz.....

- S

lol I bet I know who has that!

When a 440 gets between 9 and 11 mpg (personal experience only here, not Sam's necessarily ) and a Cummins will probably get 18+ in the same truck, slight fuel cost difference still favors the Diesel.

  don't poke the bear

I honestly thought the big block would do the job...and it does 'do the job'...but I hoped it would get the truck moving like the diesel does...and it doesn't.  After all, I had the 440, and the 3.55 geared D70, so I went with those two pieces for the RC build.  But, alas, in order for me to use the RC the way I want I'd rather install the diesel and get the big torque numbers so I don't have to change out the gears.  The RC is my camping rig, pulling the trailer with the quads, etc, and the 440 doesn't have the torque to do all that going up hill at this altitude.  A Cummins doesn't care what gears are in the axle...or how much weight is behind it...or how fast you want to go...or how tall the Rockies are...ever.  The mechanical injection, the low revs, the turbocharger...all big plus factors for a high-altitude low-speed off-road machine.  The added weight will only help out in the snow.  The tranny will have to be 'built' in order to handle the torque (a Cummins' achieles heel has always been the tranny...) - the magic ingredients for a 518 are a fresh rebuild, a good low-stall converter, a shift kit/valve body, good line pressure, and a great cooler.

The leaf springs are the easy part.  I originally decided to do the air bags in the RC as a test experiment for eventually doing air bags on my '93 CTD tow rig.  Well, now I know that I don't want air bags, and so now I'll put similar (if not the same) leaf springs on the RC as I would ont he diesel (longer length, decent lift), figure out the technicals, and in the end I'll have the formula for both rigs.

Tracy and I met up with Dave (ImitationDave) last night for dinner, and we talked about a bunch of stuff insluding t-cases.  Most likely I will do a doubler on the RC by mating up a 241 behind another t-case (what was it Dave, a 231?), and twin stick the RC.  I won't use the 205.  That plus a low rev diesel and the RC should have no problem at all crawling, and the overdrive and 3.55 gear will give me an easy 75 mph...and the extended length leaf springs will give me a good ride, and that should do it.

Too bad too - the 452 is a great engine - makes real good power, just not the kind I am accustomed to with the Cummins.  It is reaaaal hard to argue with 300 hp and 600 tq at the tires at this altitude.  Although I most likely won't bomb the RC's diesel like I have the '93s, but I'm sure I'll do an HX-35 turbo/14cm collar (maybe a 12), ATS manifold, decent injectors, and a 4" exhaust.  Nice part is I can reroute the intake straight to the snorkle, and the single exhaust will just be enlarged to 4". 

- S

What's this?  A 241/231 doubler?  So all I need to do is buy a 231 and a kit instead of two other t-cases?  Please elaborate.

Ya know Sam-this just sucks royally!! I finally just caught up on the last 30 someodd pages of the Nacho build and now you're going to start over!!??? Wish you'd figure out what the hell you're doing!! ... Just kidding there boss. Hope this next configuration works a bit better for ya and gives ya less headaches. While I like the airbag setup that ya had in there I can see how the frustration of constantly adjusting bag pressures would ruffle the feathers. I can't wait to see all of the new parts once everything starts. I've said before and I'll say it again that I look forward to your build and Spoons everytime I log into this site. It's almost like Christmas ya know! Keep the presents coming!!!

well for one they are in step vans. and they get between 15 and 20 from what i herd. and step vans have the airodinamic fo a brick fyi. also herd some people geting 25+ with them in their vehic but some say 19 depending on the setup

Why not go leafs front and coil rear?

I don't believe they are getting 25+ with two less cylinders, but if that's what they want to believe...  Probably that new math.  I'll take a 6BT any day, but that's just me.  If you're gonna go diesel, might as well go big.  I'd stuff an 8.3 in there if I could.

I guess I was lucky the first time it popped out, I was just down hill from him!

Dave did you make it up to Denver?  I thought about trying to make it up there but got swamped down here.

Regarding leaf spring theory...does anyone have good intel on the pros/cons of thinner vs thicker leafs and more vs less leafs per pack with regards to weight capacity and articulation?

I've seen leaf packs with so many leafs i nthem that it's a wonder the leafs 'spring' at all.  I know they are designed to handle increased weight, but I don't want 1-ton springs.  My last power wagon (4-door long bed 4xdually) was very, very heavy and it had a set of skyjacker 1/2 ton leafs and it rode like a dream.  The trucks weight actually made use of the springs and it did not ride badly.  Going by the model id it should have had 1-ton springs, but that would have only cracked the frame sooner and made me get dentures.

For example, I'm going to need a set of springs that'll hold up the weight of the truck and also articulate well.  Holding the weight will be #1 priority.  I have a couple options for leafs, either off the shelf or made custom locally.  Both are about the same $.
One of the features I want is to have on all 4 leafs is a second main leaf that fits directly up under the main top leaf providing double the support through the spring eyes.  Here is an example:



I think this is called a military leaf style - with one additional main leaf (only without the eyes).  I want to go this route, and use thicker (and less of them) leafs (first example vs the second).  I also do not want a lot of arch, rather locate the leafs lower to get the lift I want and provide long strong shackles for good articulation.  Thoughts?

- S

I think I can say with great confidence, that you are the only person in the motor sports world that seeks "heavy". Weight is the enemy!