...in the event you don't find a good one we have a great machine shop here in the 'Springs 
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'86 Ramcharger / 8HP70 Eight Speed
Had this truck for 13 years and it's had the normal upgrades, locked 60's, crossover steering, 10pt cage etc. When I first got it I dropped in an '82 360 and '88 TBI. Drove it for a few years then dropped in a '90 roller 360 with a mild Hughes cam, intake and headers, still fed by the factory TBI. During all that time it was still just an old rattletrap beater.....but I've been doing some work on it in the last year.
My goal isn't boner inducing build quality, just a nice driver/capable wheeler to pull a 20' camper with. Getting old, like to go see a few things and run a few trails before I kick it. Before you ask why the new A/C t'll be getting a soft cover to enclose the back of the cab and some fresh paint before long. Still have considerable work to do first. Just talked to a guy about the cover, he was stitching up an interior for a damn nice '30 Model A street rod. Told him to put me on the list, be August or so before he can get me in.
So anyway, that's the plan and here's how she looked about a year ago.
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My goal isn't boner inducing build quality, just a nice driver/capable wheeler to pull a 20' camper with. Getting old, like to go see a few things and run a few trails before I kick it. Before you ask why the new A/C t'll be getting a soft cover to enclose the back of the cab and some fresh paint before long. Still have considerable work to do first. Just talked to a guy about the cover, he was stitching up an interior for a damn nice '30 Model A street rod. Told him to put me on the list, be August or so before he can get me in.
So anyway, that's the plan and here's how she looked about a year ago.
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Talked to the guy at Automotive Machine here in town a couple months back, he said he was two or three months behind, busy as a three toed hillbilly in a pair of flip flops. Went by two weeks ago and he'd went out of business....in the event you don't find a good one we have a great machine shop here in the 'Springs
There's another guy that's been around here for ages, balances cranks and all that but he's semi retired. See if I can talk him into it. May have to go to Lubbock or Abilene. Never thought getting a block bored would be such a hassle but that's life in today's throw away society.
Got the trans mount 98% done. Now before you start mumbling what's that crap to yourself, I had a few reasons for going this route vs building a new crossmember.
First, I ain't real sure this trans is going to work, hence there are no modifications done that would be a pain in the arse to undo. Even so the mods done should be 100% reliable long term.
Second are the sliders and skid plate. You can see in the pic the cage/slider mounts are welded to the frame and positioned to get added strength from the stock crossmember.
The bomb proof skid plate bolts to the outside of the frame fore and aft of the slider mount as well as to the crossmember. Some 18 bolts in all, 10 of which are in the crossmember. The skid plate is designed to reinforce the cage, sliders, frame and crossmember.
So...the twisting force you were wondering about caused by the new trans mount cantilevered off the rear of the crossmember becomes a non issue once the belly pan is in place.
I should add that while the 8HP appears considerably longer than the 727 in these pics, it is only approximately 1.5" longer overall from bellhousing face to adapter face. With the 13/16" spacer required to mate the 208 it is some 2 3/16" longer overall. The difference in trans mount position on the tailhousing is what required some of this overhang. The plate on the crossmember is made from a piece of 1/4" x 8" strap and as you can see I reused the stock 727 rubber biscuits and added a 2 1/2" riser and plate to the stock mount.
![Wood Tool Bumper Gas Bicycle part]()
![Automotive tire Wood Gas Composite material Automotive wheel system]()
![Automotive tire Wood Rim Automotive wheel system Bumper]()
![Tire Wheel Automotive tire Hood Tread]()
![Tire Wheel Automotive tire Motor vehicle Tread]()
First, I ain't real sure this trans is going to work, hence there are no modifications done that would be a pain in the arse to undo. Even so the mods done should be 100% reliable long term.
Second are the sliders and skid plate. You can see in the pic the cage/slider mounts are welded to the frame and positioned to get added strength from the stock crossmember.
The bomb proof skid plate bolts to the outside of the frame fore and aft of the slider mount as well as to the crossmember. Some 18 bolts in all, 10 of which are in the crossmember. The skid plate is designed to reinforce the cage, sliders, frame and crossmember.
So...the twisting force you were wondering about caused by the new trans mount cantilevered off the rear of the crossmember becomes a non issue once the belly pan is in place.
I should add that while the 8HP appears considerably longer than the 727 in these pics, it is only approximately 1.5" longer overall from bellhousing face to adapter face. With the 13/16" spacer required to mate the 208 it is some 2 3/16" longer overall. The difference in trans mount position on the tailhousing is what required some of this overhang. The plate on the crossmember is made from a piece of 1/4" x 8" strap and as you can see I reused the stock 727 rubber biscuits and added a 2 1/2" riser and plate to the stock mount.
Been getting the wiring harness etc for the trans installed. The controller, reverse light relay and harness will all be hidden in / under the console. Installed a wiring grommet in the floor to route the harness to the trans. The ALDL and laptop connectors will be accessed at the rear of the console.
Since the Proflow 4 doesn't support this controller via canbus, I'm using the optional analog sensor inputs of which there are only three required. TPS, RPM and a brake switch signal. The other wiring to the dash is for switched 12v, constant 12v and a ground.
I added wiring to the harness on the trans side to mate with the stock neutral safety switch harness. The controller now provides a ground path for the starter relay in park and neutral, and a ground path to operate the reverse light relay. That relay gets it's switched 12v from the stock reverse light circuit. The wiring is pretty straightforward but soldering wires together is a task I don't think I'll ever develop a liking for.
I could have unpinned and removed the canbus wiring and shortened up the remaining harness but there may come a day when this controller could be needed for a different vehicle or engine combo. Decided that coiling up the excess and hiding it away would be a wiser choice.
![Wood Wire Art Font Bicycle part]()
Since the Proflow 4 doesn't support this controller via canbus, I'm using the optional analog sensor inputs of which there are only three required. TPS, RPM and a brake switch signal. The other wiring to the dash is for switched 12v, constant 12v and a ground.
I added wiring to the harness on the trans side to mate with the stock neutral safety switch harness. The controller now provides a ground path for the starter relay in park and neutral, and a ground path to operate the reverse light relay. That relay gets it's switched 12v from the stock reverse light circuit. The wiring is pretty straightforward but soldering wires together is a task I don't think I'll ever develop a liking for.
I could have unpinned and removed the canbus wiring and shortened up the remaining harness but there may come a day when this controller could be needed for a different vehicle or engine combo. Decided that coiling up the excess and hiding it away would be a wiser choice.
181 - 200 of 294 Posts
