Hi folks.
For those that shared my woes during the last 'enhance bout', here are some
results.
Whirlwind 3 1/2 weeks of GMC travel ends back at home with toad still
attached
Blaine WA --> Stockton CA --> LA CA --> Dallas TX --> Return via Denver,
Salt Lake in 72 hours.
Average speed 60-65, 65-70 as we neared home
Temperatures encountered were normal to 100+.
All the goodies installed prior to departure worked well. I did have an
Alternator failure and may need some PowerPlant work, but both got abused
terribly with constant and hard usage during the trip.
The Toad towed great. The new hitch/towbar worked well. Easy to hook/unhook
as long as it's reasonably level and rig and toad are reasonably straight.
If not it's a litt;e tougher to get pins out etc. but that's to be expected
I guess.
I especially liked the way the towbar stored on the hitch/rig end when not
attached to the toad. It keeps it off the ground and allows rig moving
without taking the whole hitch off.
The toad braking system worked well, was easy to connect/disconnect and no
fluid is lost during hookup. Only thing to remember is to turn the valve so
that the correct master cyl is being used. I am satisfied that toad brake on
2 wheels is adequate (half the cars' brake system) and it leaves at least 2
wheels braking even if you do forget to turn the valve back on to the car
system when toad becomes a car again.
All downhill travels where without panic caused by toad. In most cases
engine braking was adequate and when braking was required it was reasonably
light. I.e. the Toad looked after itself, as was hoped for.
The ported fuel injection also worked well. Few bugs to work out yet in
tuning/calibration, but ample power when needed and never let me down, i.e.
never stalled. It handles fuel starvation well... no aprupt silence. (Fuel
guage called it quits so tank switching was done by milage... not the most
accurate
The rig was definately happier in the NorthWest, i.e. normal temperatures.
It virtually 'smoked' over the I90 pass as we neared home.
Overall the lowest up-grade speed was second gear at 35mph. This compares to
2nd and 40-45 without toad in the past. This includes the Grapevine and all
other climbs encountered. I can only assume that that's somewhat normal as
until GMCnet came along I was very much a lone GMC'er
MPG ranged from 7-8 and down to 6 as we neared home and increased MPH's
some.
Also glad I did the Serpentine Belt conversion as it made changing
alternator a little easier and it definately keeps the belt at better
tension.
Anyone thinking Serpentine, which usually includes replacing the fan-shroud,
I suggest you split the fan-shroud before installing so that the lower half
can be removed to provide easy access.
Macerator Pump made it easy to empty and hoses stayed inside bumper without
problem. Have to dress the hose holder scheme up a little though.
As with every trip end... more ideas, more things to do. That's ok though as
I've got a month or so in drydock before rushing out and around again.
First on the agenda will be a compression test to see if the cylinder that
swallowed the exhaust valve is holding after redoing the heads.
Heinz - www.bytedesigns.com/gmc
'76 Transmode
For those that shared my woes during the last 'enhance bout', here are some
results.
Whirlwind 3 1/2 weeks of GMC travel ends back at home with toad still
attached
Blaine WA --> Stockton CA --> LA CA --> Dallas TX --> Return via Denver,
Salt Lake in 72 hours.
Average speed 60-65, 65-70 as we neared home
Temperatures encountered were normal to 100+.
All the goodies installed prior to departure worked well. I did have an
Alternator failure and may need some PowerPlant work, but both got abused
terribly with constant and hard usage during the trip.
The Toad towed great. The new hitch/towbar worked well. Easy to hook/unhook
as long as it's reasonably level and rig and toad are reasonably straight.
If not it's a litt;e tougher to get pins out etc. but that's to be expected
I guess.
I especially liked the way the towbar stored on the hitch/rig end when not
attached to the toad. It keeps it off the ground and allows rig moving
without taking the whole hitch off.
The toad braking system worked well, was easy to connect/disconnect and no
fluid is lost during hookup. Only thing to remember is to turn the valve so
that the correct master cyl is being used. I am satisfied that toad brake on
2 wheels is adequate (half the cars' brake system) and it leaves at least 2
wheels braking even if you do forget to turn the valve back on to the car
system when toad becomes a car again.
All downhill travels where without panic caused by toad. In most cases
engine braking was adequate and when braking was required it was reasonably
light. I.e. the Toad looked after itself, as was hoped for.
The ported fuel injection also worked well. Few bugs to work out yet in
tuning/calibration, but ample power when needed and never let me down, i.e.
never stalled. It handles fuel starvation well... no aprupt silence. (Fuel
guage called it quits so tank switching was done by milage... not the most
accurate
The rig was definately happier in the NorthWest, i.e. normal temperatures.
It virtually 'smoked' over the I90 pass as we neared home.
Overall the lowest up-grade speed was second gear at 35mph. This compares to
2nd and 40-45 without toad in the past. This includes the Grapevine and all
other climbs encountered. I can only assume that that's somewhat normal as
until GMCnet came along I was very much a lone GMC'er
MPG ranged from 7-8 and down to 6 as we neared home and increased MPH's
some.
Also glad I did the Serpentine Belt conversion as it made changing
alternator a little easier and it definately keeps the belt at better
tension.
Anyone thinking Serpentine, which usually includes replacing the fan-shroud,
I suggest you split the fan-shroud before installing so that the lower half
can be removed to provide easy access.
Macerator Pump made it easy to empty and hoses stayed inside bumper without
problem. Have to dress the hose holder scheme up a little though.
As with every trip end... more ideas, more things to do. That's ok though as
I've got a month or so in drydock before rushing out and around again.
First on the agenda will be a compression test to see if the cylinder that
swallowed the exhaust valve is holding after redoing the heads.
Heinz - www.bytedesigns.com/gmc
'76 Transmode
