Demon4x4.com

That's right, I couldn't keep it under wraps any longer, and so the first stage of the conversion and re-vamp of the whole truck begins.

In short, which I'll go into detail once I get back to labratory this evening is:

Complete front clip transformataion in sheet metal work, including custom fenders and hood, front bumper w/winch and lights.

Slick roof line.

Complete drivetrain conversion (from engine, tranny to transfer case) and custom wiring harness.

Super soft 6.5" front springs and hiem joints on the adjustable extended radius arms.

With 5.13's front a rear with already existing Lincoln Locker out back and LSD clutch style modified in the front.

Although there are about 80% of the parts already collected, there are still a few more to obtain and or fabricate up to make this happen, I will go through and document and keep you filled in on ever aspect of this adventure as I plug away at it, this will take some time, and the buget is nill, but when I get back and fill you in on how I got some of the existing stuff, and how I plan on working the rest of it, you'll see than anyone on any buget can do this to.

I hope you all will enjoy this, and although this was way more premature of a posting that I wanted to do, it was like waiting for Santa to show on X-Mas.

If you don't know what's already been done to my truck you can click the link "My Junk" below in my sig, and this will be the next exciting phase in it's evolution.

If you have questions, lemme be the first to say, "PLASE ASK"

[QUOTE=jtsmith]So I leave you alone for 1 day and you get this bored? :p:[/QUOTE]



Bored???!!!! eyes:


Oh please! I have actually be contemplating this for a while, really the Cummins 4BT was the initial plan, but this was something that was easier on my pocket book, and something that I could barter/work my way towards, as for trying to out source at Cummins, yeah that would have been uber cool, but way outta my bartering range I think, but hey revision # 3 could always happen down the road, but lets not concentrate on that, lets get on with the 4 popper gas motor for this project.



So as yo could tell from my previous thread I had found an 88" T-Bird Turbo Coupe in an old school junk yard and worked my magic to pay for the $300 car for basically nothing, yes nothing, pre-sold the body and some other of my car parts/labor to fund the doner car here:







So I loaded it up back in December and took it to a friends shop and stored it there till I had the chance to bring it home for the drivetrainand wiring removal.







After pulling the drivetrain out of the car, I found the reason that they stopped driving it was that turbo took a shit, as the compressor wheel had bent edges from the bearing wobbling.

No biggie, the (Borg) Warner IHI turbo is a highly unwanted turbo for most people in these applications, not so here this IS the turbo I want, and with that these turbos are found to be very cheap when going to buy one used, as is the case here (waiting on a reply as I type this).

The engine turns freely, as I never did start this motor, but in past cases, there really isn't a lot that goes wrong with them, and due to the fact the original starter was on it, and all the other accy's are original, the interior was in great shape, and this was a one owner car, it's pretty good the motor is fine.




Ok if some of have gone back and touched base with teh current config of my rig, you will know that is was an auto, and was converted to a 5spd stick, yuppers, that new motor and tranny I put in there years ago, that prolly have 2000 miles on them are comming right back out, and yes this is getting converted back to an automatic truck.

A modified A4LD for a 2.3 to 4WD, I have traded an old A4LD case to a tranny guy who will take another 4.0 A4LD 4WD case and swap the output shaft and tail housing for me, and while he's in there check it over and make sure it's all ok inside, re-seal it and bam done, this way I can also run my manual transfer case and get rid of my hopptie auto transfer case converted to ghetto manual.

Of course they'll be also a lot of cleaning and checking as this conversion takes place, and not only do we want it to work, but we'll try to clean up the cluttered look of the Navajo/Explorer engine compartment, with all that jumbled wiring and vacuum hoses and whatnot.

A/C will not be the forefront, but it's in consideration, and I have kept all the T-Coupe couplings to make my own A/C high and low pressure hoses, so it can be done, yes both systems are orfice tube designs and can be modded to work, in therory of course, we'll takle that further down the road.

I have also accurired a set of Ranger 2.3 motor mounts to bolt to the block as the car mounts are completely wrong, how much? Free I just asked for them off a core motor I noticed sitting at this guys shop I visited.

Never know what you'll get till you ask

I also have to replace all the automatic shift linkage that I canned when I converted it to 5spd, luckily I have a friend also dismantling a 4dr Explorer ans is not in need of the pedal assy, linkage and shit lever that I will need, how much? Free I thnk, not to say I will offer my tech seevice if he needs it for his project, and the rear wheel wells are also something I need out of his truck, so I can do mini tubs on mine, damn I for got to mention that in my first post, per when I stuff tire, during flex, it rubs horribly in the back on the inside of the wheel house, so I'm going to graft another set of wheel houses to do a psudeo tub in the rear to give a bit of extra clearance.

With the need for more clearance for my metric 35-12.5's tires and the desire for a stock look on my Navajo, Kris Guilbeaux chose to make some fenders for me. since I have fenders just sitting around why not.


First Kris cut out the Fender saving the part he cut off as he'll will be reusing the lip.



After removing an inch and a half of metal he welded the natural curve back on the fender



Ground the welds down and used a little fiberglass filler.



Then sanded, primed and painted.







More clearance with a stock look.

His next project will be to graft the Turbo Coupe Scoops and intercooler duct work into a stock Navajo/Explorer hood with a twist :





Because this truck won't see speeds to actually make the intercooler duct work function properly, I will install and moderate size electric fan which I already have on top of the intercooler to pull cool air in from the scoops and push it over the intercooler making the intake charge more dense, allowing for the 18psi of boost, without detonation, and more agressive spark timing, with a N/A 2.3 TFI modual.

And of course the bumper, which too will need a fairlead mount, light tabs welded on, and some brackets fabbed to adapt it to the frame rails:




Then we have to tackle the wiring, since I want a very clean and non-congested engine compartment, I'm opting to not get too carried awy with this part till I can set the engine in the frame rails, so I can properly mesure and cut to length the harness how I would like, thus keep a clean but funtional look to the engine bay.

Plus I have to graft this into the Navajo wiring also for the guages, starting system, and fuel pump controls, mounting of the PCM is also a concern, placment will prolly not be the stock location, also the plastic inner fender wells, or what's left of them will be removed and not put back in, seeing as though Texas has passed the "Section 401" law about not being able to wheel in navagable water ways looks like the Submarine Captian has been beached!

That is going to be pretty fawkin sweet, way to be different. I will be eagerly watching this conversion, the V8 swap is always in the back of my mind.

To add about the 4 cylinder swap, the 2.3 has a nearly infinately adjustable power band, you can get an adjustable cam sproket and (unlike the old slotted ones in 2* incriments) in less than 60 seconds adjust the cam timing, advance or retard to put the power band where you want it, like off idle to midrange in this case, to make power down low, coupled with using a N/A TFI ignition modual which has a more agressive timing curve than the Turbo TFI modual which has a more gradual timing curve.



Not to mention then you can play with base timing on the distributor too.

A little more indepth is swapping the 2.3 crank for the 2.5 Ranger crank, simple bolt-in/swap, no serious mod work to make this happen.
Even more radical would be the custom 2.9 crank from Esslinger, discontinued but still able to be found kit punch the block to make 3.1liters

But it's not hard to mod nor get 200+ hp out of these motors.

Lets look at a few numbers:

1992 Navajo 4.0 V-6
160hp and 225tq

1988 T-Bird Turbo Coupe
190hp and 210tq

See there pretty close, dialing this motor in and doing some mods will put me right back to where I was to begin with and a bit more, and shaving wieght of the nose of the truck, but having the ability to adjust my power band is even more benifical.

Yes a stall maybe needed, but well see about that after the shake down runs, the main thing is to make it where it doesn't have what we call "Peaky" horse power, you want it to come on smooth and predictable, not a sudden rush and non-managable (Peaky).

Cam changes ane easy and take no less than about an hour, there is everything from two primary roller cams to more than a handfull of flat tappet cam available, all the way to custom ground.

Clipped and trimmed turbos for as far as the eye can see, and bleed valves to tune to the boost levels you want.

The heads will accept over sized valves, in the 1.90/1.65 range and porting and polishing are also welcome, headers are available, from cheap log styles like this:



To radically over priced equal length's, which I have never seen any of the numbers they claim are to be gained:



I honestly belive a 200-250hp motor will work great in this set-up with a set of 5.13's, and one day when I'm rich and not so famous an Atlas with the 4.3:1 ratio would be the cherry on the pie.

The nice thing is that if you break the timing belt the motor just shuts off, install another $9 belt and away you go again, no piston to valve clearance issues, nothing broken, and a 30min repair trail side with a minimal amount of effort and tools.

Fuel consumption should also be less of a factor, cause as long as your not in the boost, it's mearly a 4 pot motor.

Upgraded fuel pump and FPR are manditory for tuning and can net you an easy 5-8hp from fuel tuning along with inital timing.

Turbo motors take to free mods like a fat kid on a cupcake too, open elemet filters, removal of all accordian intake hoses/restrictions/air cleaner assy, and exhaust restrictions, underdrive pulleys, sythetics, and ALT draws.





Then of course we can get into personal programming, but that is way down the line from this point:





http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xZvhCSYIIjA

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3BNqDdlzjxI

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cBNCT4AvzMc

well i had a hint of this not to long ago, but great read, well laid out man and can't wait to see you waiste deep inside the frame rails

What's the difference in this truck?




Bailey again wanting to go wheeling!

Thought I would post a few side by side pics, of the two different power plants so you have an idea, as to size, and configuration:

Just in case you don't know, the 2.3T is on the left, 4.0 is on the right:








This is the difference in the intercoolers, the Turbo Coupe on the left, SVO on the right, note the difference in surface area:






Sorry this is NOT the power plant out of the Navajo, yet!

Mmmmmmmmmm Smoothies

Kris igot here around 10:20ish and after a little delay caused by a Mark VIII, they started removing her heart around 3ish. :





A little glimpse of what she will look like when she is done. :p:

the easy way to remove a starter....just sit under the truck.