I'll be using this for meanderings about my truck this season.

Randii

After a relatively successful trip to Moab, I motored Uzi back into the garage for some work. First goal: reseal the front end to avoid those embarrassing drips and oozes. Oddly enough, most of them are on the passenger side -- I blame Michael, who was riding shotgun. <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/pfft.gif" alt="" />

If blueprinting the knuckle shims with the factory alignment SST doesn't fix the oozes, that's another strike against the Toyota axle and another argument for the Dana 60 I have on the axle rack.

Next task will be to identify why I was popping fuel pump fuses like mad... I musta gone through eight 7.5amp fuses in Moab! Ohming out the harness should be simple enough, but I'm also gonna check the gauge wire at the pump and see whether I just underspecced the fuse. I was pretty careful (I took my time, at least!) with all my electrical connections, so I am surprised to see a failure.

After that, I will have to consider body work. My wife thinks I should just spend the season with this set of sheet metal and relearn the behavior of the vehicle, but crinkled tinfoil just aint't my style. Worse yet, the driver's side took the most damage, and that's the one I gotta look at!

Sidenote -- while disassembling a fire hydrant for cleanup and eventual use in the local dog park, I performed a nearly surgical removal of the fingerprint of my left thumb. Not too painful to do (sorta gross, tho), but the cleanup and bandage operation was less than nifty. I definitely got into less trouble when I was just sitting around, with my thumb up my...

Randii

Generally, the truck worked pretty well. The motor ran nice and cool at trail temps, but a little warm at highway speeds when moving uphill. My concerns about insufficient radiator area appear to be unfounded, though I still have some burping challenges for the crazy hose routing.

The V8 was simply a blast. I had a hard time keeping my foot out of it... it was simply music to my ears. Perhaps music run a little too loud -- I need to get a few more miles on it to day for sure. I joked about doubling up on the throttle return spring, but it is a bit of a concern, as it is just too, too easy to stomp the gas -- I'll probably come up with a way to augment resistance. I really like the throttle action -- I machined up a nautilus-looking offset round throttle plate that gives me more throttle movement at low throttle and progressively less movement at high throttle. My thinking was that I'd actually care about throttle near the bottom, but would probably have matted it to the floor at high throttle conditions, and would care less. So far this seems to be true.

Dan gave me an excellent opportunity to test out the roll-on throttle characteristics and rev limiter -- thanks, buddy! <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/cyclops.gif" alt="" /> This thing is nothing but grins from a roll... a bit too much wrap from a standing start. It pulls strong right up until the cutoff -- should be even more fun in that range after I get it through smog with the current bits and then add my Explorer intake and other high-flow bits after.

One last comment -- the low-idling capability built into the V8 makes my already low gears seem even that much lower. The 302 creeps predictably down to 250rpm under no-load conditions, which puts me even slower in super-silly-slow range. I have a few bugs to work out in this range for load conditions, since I'm used to stepping on the brakes to load up the 4ZE1 against the throttle. Either I need to unlearn that habit (no need for it anymore, the V8 will idle down without juggling throttle and brakes), or I need to tune the EEC to handle slow rpms without surging under load... or both.

That's the update, folks!

Randii

All of that time in a warm, damp place must have softened the skin, thus making it easier to cut. That's my semi-professional opinion anyway. <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/lol.gif" alt="" /> HOW ABOUT SOME PICTURES!!!

Easier to cut? Hell, I nearly tore the thumb pad all the way off. <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/rolleyes.gif" alt="" /> Hell on the space bar, for a keyboard guy! <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/scared.gif" alt="" />

Whatchoo want pictures of? The fire hydrants?

Randii

Shots of UZI in action. I may have missed an album; but all I have seen is one shot of it laid down in the hot tub. After all these years of anticipation, you'd figure there would be pictures all over the place. <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/shiner.gif" alt="" />

I blame Michael, who was riding shotgun.

EXCEPT, when you dumped it over on one of the most easiest obstacles in Moab. Remember that? I think it was something like: "Earn your keep, take pictures."

m

I was going to point out that we're off topic--this thread is about Randii's truck work. Then I noticed he used the word "meanderings about my truck" and not "my truck's meanderings."

Thus it's not about Isuzu moving, it's not about Uzi repairs, it's just Randii talking about his truck and what it might, or could possibly do.

That's what he gets for years of sitting in a jeep, it bit him in the backside and now he's got the full bug.

And they say non-jeep people wouldn't understand.

Randii, more pictures, more construction, and good luck.

I was driving... I guess I just wasn't very photogenic! <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

Actually, I think the truth is more that the folks I was with were moving fast, not really taking too much time for photos. I'll ask a few other folks:
* Kammy took a few pictures on Golden Spike but was mostly focused on our pooch -- there were a few other cameras out on that trip, so that may be the best bet
* KayLyne was taking some pictures on Hell's Revenge and Poison Spider -- I'll bug Dave about those...
* MichaelW was taking some pictures on Poison Spider, but he may be holding onto them for later blackmail use <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/pfft.gif" alt="" />

Michael did take a few pictures of my truck dumped on its side, but they really add little to what Todd posted... still, I'll get them online and pursue the others.

Randii (who actually got more pictures taken when he didn't dump his 4x4 on its side!)

I'll lateral out to another Uzi build-up discussion, as it relates to accessory drive belts:
http://www.4x4wire.com/forums/showflat.php?Cat=&Board=UBB86&Number=450570
I have a belt squeal issue that needs a stiffer AC pump bracket (visible slight deflection under load) and may also need higher belt tension... it squeals only coming off idle and transitioning to higher revs, and infrequently, at that. Manhandling the steering can force a squeal, as well, but that's minimally tolerable.

Randii