95 F150 Turbo 300
- Thread starter MECH_E
- Start date
I saw that, thanks for the tune. I haven't tried loading it into my megasquirt as I upgraded to the extra code and bought the registered version of TunerStudio to have VE Analyze Live. So far its been running quite well, pulls great. Only thing I've noticed is after I've driven somewhere and restart the motor after a few hours, the motor hesitates while cruising. I havn't dug into it that much.
I'll try loading your tune in just for the hell of it, who knows it might teach me something about my own tune.
Oh and the turbo install is about a month away. I finish moving in to my new house at the end of June so the truck can go back into the garage for a while.
I'll try loading your tune in just for the hell of it, who knows it might teach me something about my own tune.
Oh and the turbo install is about a month away. I finish moving in to my new house at the end of June so the truck can go back into the garage for a while.
So Im moving...again....finally found a house we liked and bought it, until now we've been renting. Puts the build back even further :arg:
On a side note, the megasquirt has been running flawlessly. Drove the truck to the beach and back, about a 3 hour drive without any issues, other than my clutch fan spinning itself off once
All good, one more move and finally begin work. In other news, I sold my MR2 and bought a 280z. Its near perfect though so it wont take away much time from the 300.
Thanks for staying tuned
On a side note, the megasquirt has been running flawlessly. Drove the truck to the beach and back, about a 3 hour drive without any issues, other than my clutch fan spinning itself off once
All good, one more move and finally begin work. In other news, I sold my MR2 and bought a 280z. Its near perfect though so it wont take away much time from the 300.
Thanks for staying tuned
So I can finally say with confidence that I will not be moving again anytime soon. Now, after spending two months getting the new house into shape, I can focus on the cars again.
Went out to the junkyard and cut some exhaust pipe out of a few diesels, got about 7-8 feet of 3" and about 3-4 feet of 3.5" all for $15. Most of the time LKQ can really suck, trying to charge for every little thing, and sometimes they really dont give a sh1t (just realized the forum replaced sh1t with doggie doo - lol).
So then work began on the turbo manifold. Cut off the old flange and tried mounting it horizontal as shown below.
THis ended up hitting the motor mount so I knocked off the tacks, cut the manifold so the flange would be at more of a 45 and tried again.
Now she fits in there real nice (need to clock the compressor a little). Had to remove the wastegate actuator and dont see room for it in the stock location so I'll have to get creative with that, got something in mind though. As for the actual welding process. I have an oven in my garage and tried to preheat it but (unknown at the time) had it wired wrong and it only ran off 120v. So I went ahead and welded it, pinging it along the way and got a halfway decent weld. However, I think I'll grind out most of the weld, properly preheat it to 500F now that the oven is working, and weld it again. The cast iron was not very willing to mix in with the weld pool so Im hoping a proper preheat will help with that. As it sits, it would probably hold up fine but I would like to feel better about it.
I will post more pics of the welding process as I know thats always a topic of interest (Mild steel to cast iron). Im using a 240v mig welder but with flux core wire, my bottle is only a 20 cuft and I hate refilling that thing, $25 for a 20cuft or $40 for a 80cuft...such a waste of money to have the small tank. As always, any tips welcome.
Went out to the junkyard and cut some exhaust pipe out of a few diesels, got about 7-8 feet of 3" and about 3-4 feet of 3.5" all for $15. Most of the time LKQ can really suck, trying to charge for every little thing, and sometimes they really dont give a sh1t (just realized the forum replaced sh1t with doggie doo - lol).
So then work began on the turbo manifold. Cut off the old flange and tried mounting it horizontal as shown below.
THis ended up hitting the motor mount so I knocked off the tacks, cut the manifold so the flange would be at more of a 45 and tried again.
Now she fits in there real nice (need to clock the compressor a little). Had to remove the wastegate actuator and dont see room for it in the stock location so I'll have to get creative with that, got something in mind though. As for the actual welding process. I have an oven in my garage and tried to preheat it but (unknown at the time) had it wired wrong and it only ran off 120v. So I went ahead and welded it, pinging it along the way and got a halfway decent weld. However, I think I'll grind out most of the weld, properly preheat it to 500F now that the oven is working, and weld it again. The cast iron was not very willing to mix in with the weld pool so Im hoping a proper preheat will help with that. As it sits, it would probably hold up fine but I would like to feel better about it.
I will post more pics of the welding process as I know thats always a topic of interest (Mild steel to cast iron). Im using a 240v mig welder but with flux core wire, my bottle is only a 20 cuft and I hate refilling that thing, $25 for a 20cuft or $40 for a 80cuft...such a waste of money to have the small tank. As always, any tips welcome.
When I welded my EFI manifolds to mild flanges I preheated to 500F in a working oven. Used Ni55 rod and burned in from 2-5oclock and from 7-11oclock then put the manifold back in the oven to stabilize. Then burned in from 11-2 and 5-7 oclock and then back into the oven. Then made a final 360 degree weld and back into the oven. Waited a few minutes for the temp to stabilize and then turned the oven off. I waited until the oven was cool before removing the manifolds again.
About 23k miles and no signs of trouble yet!
About 23k miles and no signs of trouble yet!
Nice, if I had access to a stick welder I would definitely go with the nickel rod but flux core has worked in the past for me so, we'll see. I preheated to 500F last night, started welding and got marginally better results. Ran out of wire on the last inch and a half of weld. So I stuck it in the oven and left it there to cool slowly.
With your EFI manifolds+Y pipe setup, your gonna see a lot more vibration, bending stress, etc given its location. My setup should see much less vibration and bending stress but will still obviously see thermal stress. Hoping it holds up but if it doesn't I have a few people I can get help from to weld it with a nickel rod properly.
Thanks for all the input, plenty more to work on to finish the setup but seeing the turbo on the motor gives me a nice pep in my step to get it all done.
With your EFI manifolds+Y pipe setup, your gonna see a lot more vibration, bending stress, etc given its location. My setup should see much less vibration and bending stress but will still obviously see thermal stress. Hoping it holds up but if it doesn't I have a few people I can get help from to weld it with a nickel rod properly.
Thanks for all the input, plenty more to work on to finish the setup but seeing the turbo on the motor gives me a nice pep in my step to get it all done.
yeah man! looking good! gotta feel nice to be settled in.
thats the same course i'm planning on taking with my turbo flange, should make for a really easy install.
it looks like if you cut the manifold a bit lower (ha, too late for you), where it makes the bump out, you can make a angle that should bring the flange a few degrees closer to horizontal and still catch the entire cross section, i'm hoping that will get my compressor tipped out from the engine mount. I've also got a much much smaller snail to cram in there so i'm hoping that works in my favor.
the wastegate linkage is going to be tough no matter what. my turbo need clocked but the wastegate linkage only bolts on in one orientation... haven't figured that out yet... maybe weld some new pads to bolt the wastegate on a different place, or an external bracket to relocate.
thats the same course i'm planning on taking with my turbo flange, should make for a really easy install.
it looks like if you cut the manifold a bit lower (ha, too late for you), where it makes the bump out, you can make a angle that should bring the flange a few degrees closer to horizontal and still catch the entire cross section, i'm hoping that will get my compressor tipped out from the engine mount. I've also got a much much smaller snail to cram in there so i'm hoping that works in my favor.
the wastegate linkage is going to be tough no matter what. my turbo need clocked but the wastegate linkage only bolts on in one orientation... haven't figured that out yet... maybe weld some new pads to bolt the wastegate on a different place, or an external bracket to relocate.
Couple more pics of the welding...this was before I ground the welds back down and did a proper preheat. Cant say they look much better either way though.
And now for the downpipe...I plan on welding in a flex section on the end and then run it to the flowmaster that was already on the truck....Opinion: Should I do a side pipe out the passenger side in front of the rear tire or a straight down dump under the body? Side pipe would look nice and unique but underbody dumb would sound pretty sweet.
And now for the downpipe...I plan on welding in a flex section on the end and then run it to the flowmaster that was already on the truck....Opinion: Should I do a side pipe out the passenger side in front of the rear tire or a straight down dump under the body? Side pipe would look nice and unique but underbody dumb would sound pretty sweet.
Found some cracks in the welds on the manifold, and thats before I've even run it. Think I might head all the advice I've received and try to stick weld it with Ni55 rod after preheat. I know this isn't a welding forum or anything but figured I'd throw this idea out there.
I have seen where people have converted a mig welder to operate as a stick welder http://www.instructables.com/id/Convert-A-Wire-Feed-Welder-To-A-Stick-Welder/.
It's DC current so it should work, although there is a difference between CV (constant voltage) and CC (constant current) on stick and mig welders, I figure I can find the right amperage using the feed rate control. It wont be as easy as with a dedicated stick welder but I never do things the easy way.
My idea is to solder a welding tip to a length of heavy gauge wire with an electrode holder on the other end. Disengage my feed roller wheel from the feed wire and thread the tip into the mig gun. Clamp down the trigger and then give it a go. I'll be able to dial in the amperage by changing the feed control (without it feeding wire). I'll test it on some scrap before going to the manifold, but hopefully this is a reasonable means of stick welding.
I have seen where people have converted a mig welder to operate as a stick welder http://www.instructables.com/id/Convert-A-Wire-Feed-Welder-To-A-Stick-Welder/.
It's DC current so it should work, although there is a difference between CV (constant voltage) and CC (constant current) on stick and mig welders, I figure I can find the right amperage using the feed rate control. It wont be as easy as with a dedicated stick welder but I never do things the easy way.
My idea is to solder a welding tip to a length of heavy gauge wire with an electrode holder on the other end. Disengage my feed roller wheel from the feed wire and thread the tip into the mig gun. Clamp down the trigger and then give it a go. I'll be able to dial in the amperage by changing the feed control (without it feeding wire). I'll test it on some scrap before going to the manifold, but hopefully this is a reasonable means of stick welding.
hmm i typed a post the other day but it didn't show up? weird.
anyhow, i was saying you might want to get someone to weld it for you, the preheat is the biggest factor, you absolutely cannot get a solid weld on cast iron without a lot of preheat. If you have a very very awesome wife like i do and she is willing to let you put it in the oven, or if you have a gas grill big enough to fit it, or something like that, you can get it heated yourself, but without preheat you'll crack right at the edges of your welds. A welding shop will have the ovens and pyrometers to get that right.
I've stick welded cast with Ni-55 and 7024 'rocket rod' and both weld pretty nice. Rocket rod is awesome, if i did stick welding i'd probably keep that stuff around just for anything that needs to be crazy strong.
the part of the nickel welding process that nobody ever explained to me, is that you are actually using the nickel rod to alloy the base metal into an alloy which is tougher and more flexible than pure iron. If you understand that, its a lot easier to see what is happening, the edge that is burning into the cast, is burning pure iron which is very runny and washes away from the base metal, the pool becomes an alloy more like steel which is gooey and easier to build up, and melts at a lower temperature.
The first pass you just want to burn into the casting and create a pool, then the second and third passes you actually work back and forth and build a structural connection burning the steel plate into the cast base metal, and capping it.
the last couple times i've had to weld cast, i've been lucky enough to have a TIG handy. That is definitely the way to go because you can put more heat into the steel and weld pool and not blow out or undercut the casting.
anyhow, i was saying you might want to get someone to weld it for you, the preheat is the biggest factor, you absolutely cannot get a solid weld on cast iron without a lot of preheat. If you have a very very awesome wife like i do and she is willing to let you put it in the oven, or if you have a gas grill big enough to fit it, or something like that, you can get it heated yourself, but without preheat you'll crack right at the edges of your welds. A welding shop will have the ovens and pyrometers to get that right.
I've stick welded cast with Ni-55 and 7024 'rocket rod' and both weld pretty nice. Rocket rod is awesome, if i did stick welding i'd probably keep that stuff around just for anything that needs to be crazy strong.
the part of the nickel welding process that nobody ever explained to me, is that you are actually using the nickel rod to alloy the base metal into an alloy which is tougher and more flexible than pure iron. If you understand that, its a lot easier to see what is happening, the edge that is burning into the cast, is burning pure iron which is very runny and washes away from the base metal, the pool becomes an alloy more like steel which is gooey and easier to build up, and melts at a lower temperature.
The first pass you just want to burn into the casting and create a pool, then the second and third passes you actually work back and forth and build a structural connection burning the steel plate into the cast base metal, and capping it.
the last couple times i've had to weld cast, i've been lucky enough to have a TIG handy. That is definitely the way to go because you can put more heat into the steel and weld pool and not blow out or undercut the casting.
Motzing, your exactly right. Even though I did preheat in an oven to 500F (a spare one I have in the garage) the flux core just doesnt play with the cast very well. At times I could get the two to come together into one pool but most of the time the pool just sat on top of or ran into the cast, kinda like a drop of water trying to mix with oil. It just isn't meant to be.
I'm going to a coworkers shop this weekend and gonna have him tig it for me. He said he usually uses stainless wire when working on cast iron. I may still try my ghetto mig to stick welder theory but on some scrap, gonna get this piece done right.
I'm going to a coworkers shop this weekend and gonna have him tig it for me. He said he usually uses stainless wire when working on cast iron. I may still try my ghetto mig to stick welder theory but on some scrap, gonna get this piece done right.
hmm stainless is interesting, i usually use stainless wire when welding mild steel because it is more forgiving and works easier, but i have never tried welding cast with it.
the rocket rods or nickel rods work great as tig filler rod. you can whack the flux coating off of them or run them just fine (albeit a little messy) with the flux still on them. you can use a torch with them too, but gawd you would need some heat to do it.
the rocket rods or nickel rods work great as tig filler rod. you can whack the flux coating off of them or run them just fine (albeit a little messy) with the flux still on them. you can use a torch with them too, but gawd you would need some heat to do it.
sthorvictor
Well-known member
subscribed! curious to see that hx35 in action!
Small update:
I've been fighting with the turbo manifold I've built lately. Just an fyi for anyone who plans to use the carb manifold on a EFI head. The alignment bolts DO NOT match up. Without those bolts you have very little to line up the manifold for install. What I ended up doing was installing the intake manifold (since its alignment bolts/pins still line up) and then bringing the exhaust up to meet it. Got the flanges close to looking right (since they use the one bolt - two flange method....which I hate) and bolted her down.
Luckily I have the exact head that this manifold came off of sitting in the garage. That head will get a DIY port and polish, valves lapped, rockers swapped, etc whenever something breaks.
Got the intercooler mounted...Had to do a lot of cutting and dont think the stock grill will ever go back in but I think it looks mean as hell as is. I love that you can buy a intercooler that big for under $100....gotta love Ebay.
Its coming along slowly with the change in weather.
I've been fighting with the turbo manifold I've built lately. Just an fyi for anyone who plans to use the carb manifold on a EFI head. The alignment bolts DO NOT match up. Without those bolts you have very little to line up the manifold for install. What I ended up doing was installing the intake manifold (since its alignment bolts/pins still line up) and then bringing the exhaust up to meet it. Got the flanges close to looking right (since they use the one bolt - two flange method....which I hate) and bolted her down.
Luckily I have the exact head that this manifold came off of sitting in the garage. That head will get a DIY port and polish, valves lapped, rockers swapped, etc whenever something breaks.
Got the intercooler mounted...Had to do a lot of cutting and dont think the stock grill will ever go back in but I think it looks mean as hell as is. I love that you can buy a intercooler that big for under $100....gotta love Ebay.
Its coming along slowly with the change in weather.
I did have one quick question for you all. I will need to install my Walbro 255 fuel pump soon. Where exactly should I install it? Do I leave the stock fuel pump wired up and in the tank and just put the walbro somewhere inline between the stock fuel pump and the fuel rail?
Then as for wiring? Splice it into the same wires feeding the stock fuel pump or wire it seperately? Just never done this and curious how others have done it.
BTW its a inline Walbro, not an in-tank one....found this and it seems pretty simple.
http://www.usrallyteam.com/downloads/in ... lation.pdf
Then as for wiring? Splice it into the same wires feeding the stock fuel pump or wire it seperately? Just never done this and curious how others have done it.
BTW its a inline Walbro, not an in-tank one....found this and it seems pretty simple.
http://www.usrallyteam.com/downloads/in ... lation.pdf
hmm... you are sure you need the bigger fuel pump? are you worried about flow or pressure or what?
is it going to be a problem that the big pump is sucking through the other pump?
from what i've heard these stock ford pumps are pretty potent, i'd definitely try to hook it up and see what it can do before modifying the OE plumbing. Its pretty good stuff, with o-ring connections and hardlines everywhere.
if you have to go bigger on the injectors - you'll probaby want to replace them with High-z anyhow, be easier to go big on them than modify the existing fuel system
is it going to be a problem that the big pump is sucking through the other pump?
from what i've heard these stock ford pumps are pretty potent, i'd definitely try to hook it up and see what it can do before modifying the OE plumbing. Its pretty good stuff, with o-ring connections and hardlines everywhere.
if you have to go bigger on the injectors - you'll probaby want to replace them with High-z anyhow, be easier to go big on them than modify the existing fuel system
I already have high z 82lb injectors that will be going in. I know they are huge but remember I'm going to run E85. The combo of huge injectors pumping lots of e85 is what made me think the stock fuel pump wouldnt hang.
I can always hook the injectors up and I have a fuel pressure guage I'll be installing. See how it does and throw the walbro in if needed.
Also, I dont think the inline to inline setup would pose an issue. The way I see it, the stock fuel pump is pumping fuel from a relative 0 psi to 50ish psi. If I add in the wablro and it starts flowing more than the stock fuel pump then it will lower the output pressure of the stock pump. In turn the stock pump will flow more due to the lowered pressure difference.
Ultimately, this will likely turn into a test it and see what happens scenario.
I can always hook the injectors up and I have a fuel pressure guage I'll be installing. See how it does and throw the walbro in if needed.
Also, I dont think the inline to inline setup would pose an issue. The way I see it, the stock fuel pump is pumping fuel from a relative 0 psi to 50ish psi. If I add in the wablro and it starts flowing more than the stock fuel pump then it will lower the output pressure of the stock pump. In turn the stock pump will flow more due to the lowered pressure difference.
Ultimately, this will likely turn into a test it and see what happens scenario.
Looking good man!
The fuel system on my 89 is a little different than yours. My 36lb injectors began to outflow the HP pump around 7psi boost. I have a pump which is similar to your 255, no problems with fuel delivery now!
I think its worth running the stock pump until the truck is reliable - one less thing to troubleshoot!
The fuel system on my 89 is a little different than yours. My 36lb injectors began to outflow the HP pump around 7psi boost. I have a pump which is similar to your 255, no problems with fuel delivery now!
I think its worth running the stock pump until the truck is reliable - one less thing to troubleshoot!
