skishop69

Correct. As previously stated, you loose the scavenging effect and suffer a loss of low end torque and HP.

Nice! A few questions though to point some things out. Did you put EA82 SPFI pistons in the EA81 to bump up the compression? If not, you're going to loose about 15% of you're HP since propane has a lower BTU rating. Also, your idle quality will most likely be a bit lopey. Secondly, did you install new, hardened exhaust seats? Stainless exhaust valves? Propane conversions eat exhaust valve seats up if they're not hardened and can do the same to the valves over time if they're not stainless or at least high quality. I've built several V8 propane engines but never a 4 cyl though the basics are still the same. I believe Ivansimports here on the forum has one though. One other thing.... I'm not sure about the laws down under, but here you can't just throw a tank in it and drive. Huge legal and safety issues. Has to be a special, automotive use, mounted tank. Propane is great for off roading though, as it will run the same no matter how bumpy the terrain or how steep the incline! Stay away from deep water though! lol

I would go the fuse route. Even though this is a low current ground circuit to turn the fan relay on, the paper clip is going to heat up. When off, it will cool down. After several cycles of this, it will either start to corrode or even break. Either can cause issues. I'm all for afro engineering to get out of a sticky situation as I've done it WAY too many times, but regular, daily driving requires a modicum of safety. Even a jumper wire is better than the clip.

That gasket they gave you is the head to 'manifold'. You want the pipe to manifold which is the Fel-Pro # and the inner opening on it is slightly bigger, but not enough to cause any sealing issues.

Did everyone miss my Fel-Pro # or what?

Fel-Pro #MS91075 It is actually a thicker gasket with a better sealing ring. I've never had one blow out and I reuse them all the time.

Nope. that's a valve that the head broke off of and punched through the cover. ouch! Nice paint job. Looks great so far! Interior will be fun but worth it.

The tranny will take 250hp make before the input shaft goes. As for shaving the heads, you can't. I'm surprised no one else got this. You can have them surfaced, but that's it. Because the intake bolts from head to head, it will no longer fit. You say you are going dual carb. Yes, you could shave them then, but you're going to need custom made pushrods or your lift and geometry will be wrong. NA, dual carbs, the best you can hope for is about 150HP. I would forgo shaving the heads and install EA82 pistons. That will bump you to 9.5:1 compression. I would also loose the dual carb idea and install the EA82 Tbody FI. I've built a lot of high performance engines in my time and put a lot of thought and research into the EA81 build up as I'm starting mine in the next couple of months.

You could most likely modify an MSD dizzy to work if they make one for another vehicle that has similar shaft length and diameter. The blaster coil will work, just be sure to get the ballast resistor. Truth be told, on a stock application, any gain you might get will be negligeable at best and not really worth the money. Hotter spark only helps with higher compression and more fuel.

G is correct.. If it's not attached or the bushings are shot, it's allowed undue pitching against the tranny mounts (which were hokie to begin with) and they're toast.

The pitch stopper is the metal rod that runs from the back of the engine/front of the tranny to a bracket on the firewall just under the spare tire. It stops the tranny from pitching or jumping up in conjunction with the tranny mounts.

Or the pitch stopper is either broken or the mount for the pitch stopper is broken on the firewall. I've seen both and just had to weld up my firewall mount.

Yep, mice love them HVAC housings! Can't tell you how many dead mice, rats and nests I've removed over the years. A few months back we had an 03 Duramax ext cab come in that wreaked of urine. Only 37K miles on it, so you can see the guy hardly ever drives it. Because of the strength of the stench and the fact it sits, the smell had permeated everything. I had to completely gut the inside. Carpet, trim, dash, steering column and HVAC box. Had to tear the box apart to clean it out and wipe everything else down with Clorox wipes and spray, put it back together and then run an ozone generator in it for 2 days. Best advice if you live in an area with mice issues.... A strategically placed box of Decon under the hood. Diagnostic fee for raunchy smell - $125 Repair bill for raunchy smell - $3500 Finding the mouse still there - Priceless

I assume we are talking about your Brat? If so, it's all cable and lever controlled. That 'switch' inside the control head is for the vacuum control for the recirc setting which changes door position to pull air from inside the cab, not outside. The control lever on the bottom (defrost, heat, bi-level, AC) has a cable that goes to the blend door behind the radio console. Either the cable is unhooked at either end, the blend door lever is broken or the blend door shaft itself is broken. Trace the cable to the door and check it. If you can manually move the blend door lever and the settings change, the door is probably ok and you could just wire it in the defrost position if the problem is not obvious.

Aggreed that it can be done. I have a '78 Suburban SB 400 that I built to 300HP and transplanted BB FI onto. I had to re-write the fuel and timing maps and write a seperate PROM for passing emissions. Of course, that was years ago and now it has passed the 25 year mark. I'm no stranger to tuning or hodge podging parts together to make something unique or better. Just pointing out that for his particular situation, it's not practical nor will it pass. If it were for an offroad buggy, I'd say go for it. It would be a great learning experience.

Nope. Wouldn't ever pass in Ca. They do an underhood inspection. Very tough state. Plus, you have all of the problematic issues listed above. For the money you would spend alone on trying to put in a distributor, you could buy a good used Subie. Add to that the fuel and timing maps in the ECU being different..... Get the correct harness and ECU.

If you use green Loctite sleeve locker on the helicoils when installing and let them dry overnight, they will never come out unless you use a torch. Guaranteed. I've had to remove parts that had the green on them and it's damn near impossible unless you break out the smoke hatchet.

Easiest thing would be to wire in a 0-50 ohm potentiometer inline on the positive feed to the gauge lights so you can dim them independently. If you tie them to the dash dimmer, you will end up not being able to see the dash by the time you get the gauges adjusted so they don't blind you.

Helicoil. The reason they strip out is the aluminum in the heads is too soft. It'll just strip out again.

Still around. I talked to him 3 days ago. Just busy...

I believe they were made by Enkei, but I don't remember their name.

To my knowledge, there is no pre-load adjustment on any rack unit, just regular steering boxes. I found nothing in my manual suggesting otherwise. 3-4 degrees is nothing to worry about. The manual racks are different internally than the power, so the free play is more noticeable.

Yeah, the only reason I bolted mine in is that we use it for camping. I tow it behind the camper and we use it for bombing around with the kids/friends and hauling firewood so I wanted to be able to remove the seats in short order and put them back.

Good call!!! +1

The 87's did not come with seats, so the lower headrest bracket is not there. You would have to weld one (2) in. Also, the seats are welded in as well. Bolting them in is not a good idea unless you reinforce the tubing of the frame. It is thin walled and will buckle while tightening and most likely buckle or break with people in the seats if there were ever to be an accident. If bolting in, I recommend 4 pieces of 1/4" plate drilled and tapped to the appropriate bolt size then tack welded to the underside of the bed in the appropriate places. Reinforce the tubing with angle iron to form a half box over the top of the section you are going to run the bolt through. That's what I did when I put seats back in my '84.