Randy's 1950 Wagon Project

I take it the booster has a vacuum leak then. Great they found it as now you will have better brakes as well. :)
Yes, the power booster diaphragm has a vacuum leak that is allowing air to enter the intake downstream of the MAF sensor, so the computer is going from rich to lean trying to compensate each time the brake pedal is depressed.

Randy
 
I just read through your last page. As you probably saw on my Ls engine there is a big learning curve. I am hoping that it will be worth it in the end. I hope everything works out for you after they get it tuned correctly.

Keith
I do think it will be worth the frustration once it gets set up correctly. It's the fear of the unknown for me. This is my first experience with computer controlled motors.
I can tell that it already runs alot better than it did before just from pulling on and off the trailer. The tuner guy changed alot of the engine and transmission settings and will fine tune them on the dyno once I repair the vacuum leak.

Randy
 
Last edited:
You are going to be absolutely thrilled with your set-up once finalized. I had no experience with computer controlled engines or transmissions and was intimidated by the project. My Ls was all from one donor , Painless wiring conversion and I had them re-flash the ecu. It ran erratic upon initial start up due to faulty maf sensor, once replaced has given me 2 years of trouble free service during almost daily driving.
Hang in there !
 
I found the problem when I removed the vacuum booster. Pieces of plastic fell out of the rubber boot where the brake rod is located. Guessing it was cracked when I bought it?
The replacement booster won't be here until one day this week so I snatched the booster from my Model A PU and installed it temporarily, so I could check out the new engine tune. After a short drive in front of my house I decided to take it on a real first drive. Ended up being around 25 miles to the gas station and back. Still plan on taking it back for the final dyno check but it runs and shifts pretty good now! Whoohoo!


PhotoGrid_Plus_1620065600077.jpg

Randy
 
Last edited:
I found the problem when I removed the vacuum booster. Pieces of plastic fell out of the rubber boot where the brake rod is located. Guessing it was cracked when I bought it?
The replacement booster won't be here until one day this week so I snatched the booster from my Model A PU and installed it temporarily, so I could check out the new engine tune. After a short drive I front of my house I decided to take it on a real first drive. Ended up being around 25 miles to the gas station and back. Still plan on taking it back for the final dyno check but runs and shifts pretty good now! Whoohoo!


View attachment 98117

Randy
Congrats. Glad it worked out that way.
 
Took my wagon back to the tuner for the final tweaking yesterday with a new vacuum booster installed and no vacuum leaks. The engine is now running really good. Glad I took it there because tuning the motor/computer is just what it needed.

So, had to make an ice cream run, with passengers!

Randy

20210505_191429.jpg
 
Took my wagon back to the tuner for the final tweaking yesterday with a new vacuum booster installed and no vacuum leaks. The engine is now running really good. Glad I took it there because tuning the motor/computer is just what it needed.

So, had to make an ice cream run, with passengers!

Randy

View attachment 99356
Congrats. It’s got to feel good having it run well. Now you can start wearing out those tires!!:cool:
 
Loaded the wagon on the trailer and took it to get the front end alignment done. They would only align per 1975 Mustang II specs in the computer. I had some different settings from Fatman Fab for my Model A PU front end but they wouldn't use them. It drives OK, so I think it's fine.

PhotoGrid_Plus_1623120730234.jpg

To prepare for some short trouble shooting drives I bought a jack and handle that fits in the under seat compartment.
Also bolted the extra tire in place to see if it would fit in the spare tire mount. It's a little tight, squeezing the upper corner of the passenger seat. It's the same size as the other four, but I'm thinking about buying a thinner tire or using one of those "pretend temporary spare tires." The smaller tire would fit better inside but the limited slip rear diff requires both tires be the same diameter. If I had a flat on the rear, I'd have to put the small tire on the front and install the front tire on the rear. I haven't had a flat in a long time so it probably wouldn't be a big problem.

PhotoGrid_Plus_1623120667109.jpgPhotoGrid_Plus_1623120652903.jpgPhotoGrid_Plus_1623120636676.jpg

Decided to take a short spin around the neighborhood, backed it out of my shop and noticed something wrong. Oil was spraying out from under the motor. Turns out it was the pressure side power steering hose leaking. Made a mess, but didn't hurt anything. Have a new one ordered and will be operational in a couple of days. Just one more "new" part failure. May start going to the wrecking yard for used parts instead of new ones if this keeps up.

Randy

PhotoGrid_Plus_1623120553469.jpg
 
I'll try that, but I don't think the width will change much when deflated. The tire I have is about 2 inches too wide for the room between the seat and the window frame area.

Randy
I hate dealing with spare tire locations. So much so that I don't even carry one in/on my
'47 Dodge. That's not an option on a vehicle that is built to be off road part of its life.
I feel your pain.

We carry plug kits and a 12v compressor plus at least one spare and sometimes two on our Jeeps and ATVs while off road.

Good luck with your dilemma.
 
Probably over thinking it, but there's just something about having a spare tire and not being stranded on the side of the road in a vehicle that I don't want to leave on the side of the road...

I carry a plug kit, air compressor and a spare in my Wrangler, but I kinda expect to have a tire issue when climbing sharp rocks in the boonies with the tires aired down. I used to own a car with run flat tires but was lucky enough to not ever need to verify whether they work or not.

Randy
 
Probably over thinking it, but there's just something about having a spare tire and not being stranded on the side of the road in a vehicle that I don't want to leave on the side of the road...

I carry a plug kit, air compressor and a spare in my Wrangler, but I kinda expect to have a tire issue when climbing sharp rocks in the boonies with the tires aired down. I used to own a car with run flat tires but was lucky enough to not ever need to verify whether they work or not.

Randy
Hey Randy, I have been wrestling with the spare tire dilemma myself, partly because I’m wrestling with locating the gas tank on my hybrid. Here’s an idea for you to consider. Coker tire has 5” rims and 5” tread width military tires with 29.8” OD. That combo works for my future situation and I would disguise the mismatch with a tire cover w/Willys logo. I don’t know your tire size but you get my drift, eh? Another thought.......if you find a tire and wheel combo that fits your space but is slightly short in OD, you could ”air down” the opposite side to fool the posi long enough to drive to a repair shop. Good hunting to you!
 
Randy,
If you raise the tire up a few inches and move it forward just a bit, can you get the shoulder of the seat to end up in the dish of the wheel?

I know it's not a great solution as it further blocks the view out that window from the driver's seat. And those back seats might be set up as fold and tumbles, so you might not want to do that.


Maybe pick up a spare seat for experimentation, strip the seat back cover off, and find out what it would take to rework the left edge of the framework to make it narrower at the top? The stitching pattern in the seatback upholstery seems advantageous to "snip and stitch" narrowing surgery.


For the "next guy": How much space do you think could be gained (to position the tire back closer to the glass) if someone got creative with a cutoff wheel? And then welded back in some structure. "French" the spare.

1623284409867.png
 
Back
Top