The Official Hot Rod Thread - Part 4: Burnouts for Distance

[ChristianPatriot]

and it gets good mileage.

Smiles per gallon would be off the charts

 

[Bigtanker]

That’s probably not a bad price….

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According to KBB, it's a little high

 

[femurphy77]

According to KBN, it's a little high

View attachment 203957

Kinda what I was thinking too.

 

[thunderchicken]

That’s probably not a bad price….

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Can't have one built like it for that price. It's definitely a nice car and light weight too with all that carbon fiber inside and carbon fiber body.
You should pull the trigger on it

 

[thunderchicken]

Smiles per gallon would be off the charts

Trust me when I say as the performance levels go up, so does the aggravation and headaches. Sure there are plenty of good times and smiles, but the work dedication level can become a love/hate relationship.

 

[jeffsqartan]

I was gonna ask you guys something about the 302 with the vibration - is it at all possible there's a timing issue? Maybe a timing chain problem? The car has 205,000 miles on it, and I have no idea if it's the original engine and what's been done. I think it's entirely plausible that it's the factory timing chain.

 

[thunderchicken]

I was gonna ask you guys something about the 302 with the vibration - is it at all possible there's a timing issue? Maybe a timing chain problem? The car has 205,000 miles on it, and I have no idea if it's the original engine and what's been done. I think it's entirely plausible that it's the factory timing chain.

Honestly, I would bet the issue is more along the lines of worn out bearings allowing excessive end play (forward and back) on the crank and or connecting rods.
The chain probably is stretched and sloppy but I doubt that's causing the vibration. I would be more inclined to believe that to be the issue if it was running noticeable worse or hard to start etc.

 

[gregkl]

Oops! Made an error today. I used RTV instead of a gasket on my diff cover. Applied a nice bead and proceeded to torque the cover to spec, no wait time. Doh!

Guess I'll be re-doing that!

 

[thunderchicken]

Oops! Made an error today. I used RTV instead of a gasket on my diff cover. Applied a nice bead and proceeded to torque the cover to spec, no wait time. Doh!

Guess I'll be re-doing that!

Why would you need to re-do that? Most diff covers are sealed with RTV from the factory

 

[gregkl]

Why would you need to re-do that? Most diff covers are sealed with RTV from the factory

Aren't you supposed to finger tighten the bolts, let it set up for an hour and then torque them down to spec?

 

[thunderchicken]

Aren't you supposed to finger tighten the bolts, let it set up for an hour and then torque them down to spec?

Lol. I have never done that and have never had one leak. I always apply the rtv (I use Right Stuff), slap the cover on and tighten. Heck, I even usually add fluid within minutes and not have it leak. If it bothers you wait 45 minutes before adding fluid. It's just a cover, it's not that critical

 

[gregkl]

Lol. I have never done that and have never had one leak. I always apply the rtv (I use Right Stuff), slap the cover on and tighten. Heck, I even usually add fluid within minutes and not have it leak. If it bothers you wait 45 minutes before adding fluid. It's just a cover, it's not that critical

Okay, I'll go with it. In the times I have used RTV, I never waited either.

But today I read the instructions, lol.

 

[femurphy77]

There're instructions?

 

[jeffsqartan]

Y'all, I'm livid. Got my new brakes on, went out to bed them in.

Made it half a mile and my alternator wet the bed. I bought it just over two years and 30k miles ago.

I've had 4+ alternators on this truck in 6 years and 80k miles. WHY on God's green earth can I not get an alternator to last?? I've tried reman, brand new, reman again, different brands. The last three were Napa because I had a warranty through them. Of course they're closed today so my only options are buy from elsewhere and lose even more money on it, or wait until tomorrow.

What gives? What is the secret to a good alternator cause I'm sick and tired of replacing these every year/other year.

 

[churchmouse]

Y'all, I'm livid. Got my new brakes on, went out to bed them in.

Made it half a mile and my alternator wet the bed. I bought it just over two years and 30k miles ago.

I've had 4+ alternators on this truck in 6 years and 80k miles. WHY on God's green earth can I not get an alternator to last?? I've tried reman, brand new, reman again, different brands. The last three were Napa because I had a warranty through them. Of course they're closed today so my only options are buy from elsewhere and lose even more money on it, or wait until tomorrow.

What gives? What is the secret to a good alternator cause I'm sick and tired of replacing these every year/other year.

This is a deep question.
Solid wiring harness with good/clean connections is a start. Solid grounds everywhere they are needed.
Clean posts on the battery with good cables etc.

 

[ChristianPatriot]

Well the truck left me stranded today

Battery is good but it doesn’t even try to click when I turn the key.

 

[jeffsqartan]

This is a deep question.
Solid wiring harness with good/clean connections is a start. Solid grounds everywhere they are needed.
Clean posts on the battery with good cables etc.

Every time one has failed, it's been a mechanical failure. I've seen bearings fail, internal bolts rattle loose (today), external bolts rattle loose, etc. I had this issue with my Dodge, too. It seems like every alternator I buy only lasts for two years max.

Would the items listed above still cause the mechanical failures I listed?

 

[thunderchicken]

Y'all, I'm livid. Got my new brakes on, went out to bed them in.

Made it half a mile and my alternator wet the bed. I bought it just over two years and 30k miles ago.

I've had 4+ alternators on this truck in 6 years and 80k miles. WHY on God's green earth can I not get an alternator to last?? I've tried reman, brand new, reman again, different brands. The last three were Napa because I had a warranty through them. Of course they're closed today so my only options are buy from elsewhere and lose even more money on it, or wait until tomorrow.

What gives? What is the secret to a good alternator cause I'm sick and tired of replacing these every year/other year.

Like CM said, wiring can be a cause.
However, I've had more than one occasion where I've replaced one after a short period of time. I recall two occasions where I had to open 2 or 3 before I found one that worked and those were new OEM. It can be a roll of the dice

 

[thunderchicken]

Every time one has failed, it's been a mechanical failure. I've seen bearings fail, internal bolts rattle loose (today), external bolts rattle loose, etc. I had this issue with my Dodge, too. It seems like every alternator I buy only lasts for two years max.

Would the items listed above still cause the mechanical failures I listed?

Generally speaking no

 

[femurphy77]

Every time one has failed, it's been a mechanical failure. I've seen bearings fail, internal bolts rattle loose (today), external bolts rattle loose, etc. I had this issue with my Dodge, too. It seems like every alternator I buy only lasts for two years max.

Would the items listed above still cause the mechanical failures I listed?

Might try having yours rebuilt as opposed to installing another "remanufactured " unit.