9.19.21 BACK TO WORK

 

Well, a lot has happened in the last few months. Austin had its hottest three months, I launched a self-published book, and my freelance activity has never been busier. All these events took precedence over the truck and in truth, I was ready for a little break. 

Break time is now officially over. 

TWO STEPS FORWARD, ONE STEP BACK. 

As those who are following this blog know, I decided to run EFI on my crate motor. That decision alone created more work than I ever imagined. Regrets. None. Extra work? You betcha. Te payoff will be consistent starts and much better fuel delivery. 

 The in-tank Holley EFI unit is at long last in. Just getting the proper part sent to me was a genuine PITA. Blame a combination of COVID, combined with a genuine disinterest in producing a kit for the relatively obscure Suburban's gas tank.  

I'm cautiously optimistic the hard work is behind us as far as the fuel pump is concerned. On the plus side, the stock tank was in remarkably good shape thanks to the fact I had it boiled out and restored it with a POR-15 restoration kit a dozen years ago. 

After weighing my options and realizing there wasn't a proper sending unit/ Holley EFI pump for 1965 Suburbans, I opted to keep my stock sending unit and installed a Holley EFI in-tank fuel pump. This unit required me to cut a 3.25" hole in the top of the tank. 

We have the wiring done at the tank, the replumbed tank reinstalled, and are now plumbing the wires forward with an eye towards keeping the loom away from heat sources. This is also the point at which we realized Holley doesn't provide long enough wires on their pumps to plumb to all the way to the firewall, the battery, etc. Annoying, but not the end of the world. 

So anyway, we've made progress on the tail end of the truck and are now moving forward towards the firewall again, and yes, the new engine.

IF AT FIRST YOU DON'T SUCCEED DO IT AGAIN.

When I reupholstered my door panels in barkcloth (one of my favorite details on the truck) I didn't do myself any favors in terms of the fit of the OG door and window handles. The added padded material made it difficult to properly mount the stock, or the aftermarket handles I ended up using. 

The aftermarket parts ended up looking good but were inferior to the stock parts in function. The same held true for the fancy little mirrors I decided to run a dozen years ago. They sure they looked cool, 

but the blind spots they created were a lousy tradeoff.

NO MORE DRIVING BLIND.

 

Sure, they looked good, but try using them. This time around, function wins over form. I've gone back to reproduction door and window handles and stock style mirrors which will frankly do a much better job. I found extenders online and when they arrived I was as underwhelmed by them as I've been with most of with the aftermarket pieces I've used.

The extensions made the door handles and window registers stick out too far and the ellen screw attachments felt a little janky. No bueno. After studying the existing set up and knowing removing the upholstery was not a viable option, I formulated a modification for the factory splines and modified the passenger sides first. 

A little measuring, and some thinking and I knew what had to be done. I cut the splined heads off of the passenger side registers, cleaned up the metal, and broke at my best friend. Quick Dry JB weld. 

Starting on the passenger side, I bonded the extensions onto the shortened shafts and drilled pilot holes for the ellen screws. This, combined with JB Weld made for a solid mount. With the JB WEld dried and in place, the extensions now felt and functioned like one piece.

A lot of extra work, but this time around, I make no exceptions for things not working as well as possible. 

Function over form is the new order. One side down, one to go. 

WHICH BRINGS US TO THE MIRRORS. 

Removing the small mirrors was a major pain but I was fortunate enough to have the internal stock plates on the insides of the doors which made it relatively easy to install the stock style mirrors which provide much more visibility and will make the truck much more enjoyable to drive.  

I'll definitely be using Loctite Blue when installing the stock mirrors as both small peep mirrors I had installed a dozen years ago had loosened from all the vibration. Nothing a little diligence, threadlock and nylon collared backing nuts can't fix. Overkill is my friend. 

I did find myself installing the new OG style mirrors higher and tighter to the body than stock given I had to reuse holes drilled for the smaller mirrors. That said, making sure they didn't interfere with the back edges of the vent windows was important.  

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