Recent Posts

81

Fuel Systems and Drivability / Re: new 20 gallon tank

« Last post by bd on May 08, 2025, 09:24:36 am »

With the signal wire grounded, the fuel gauge should indicate Empty.  With the signal wire disconnected, the fuel gauge should indicate well past Full with the needle pointing ~3:00 o'clock.  Correct the connection issues between the gauge pins and PCB.  The clips (image) may need to be gently retensioned using needle-nose pliers.  Don't overbend them or you'll introduce gauge fitment problems! 

Excerpt from the Application Notes in "Functional Tests of Factory GM Electric Gauges" previously linked:

"The instrument cluster gauges (excluding speedometers, clocks and tachometers) establish electrical connection with the flexible printed circuit board (PCB) through shiny metal spring clips (Fig. 8) that snap through the back of the instrument cluster housing.  The PCB and clips are notorious for accumulating dust and tarnish to the point of degrading electrical connections, while the spring clips tend to lose tension over time, degrading connections even further.  Hence, anytime the cluster is disassembled for gauge service or new gauges are installed, the clips should be burnished along with the PCB where the clips make contact.  But, be careful - the copper foil of the PCB can peel easily from its plastic backing.  A soft pencil eraser or crocus cloth works well for burnishing the copper foil.  Once the spring clips have been removed from the housing, they can be gently reformed to increase contact pressure with both the PCB and gauge pins.  Furthermore, inspect and burnish the connections between the wiring harness plug and PCB."

82

Fuel Systems and Drivability / Re: new 20 gallon tank

« Last post by Rough75C20 on May 08, 2025, 06:11:12 am »

So troubleshooting the wiring shows that the contacts on the printed circuit aren't touching on the back side of the gauge cluster. when pulling the gauge out slightly the Fuel gauge drops to past E. I would say between the 9 and 10 o'clock position. Is that normal for an empty reading? I went to go fill up the tank to test, but I have the filler neck upside down on the driver's side which wasn't allowing fuel to go in. also have a building pressure issue in the new tank I need to figure out. Shouldn't the vent in the top of the sending unit vent the tank from doing this? Maybe the line is pinched somewhere when installing the tank. I also thought i purchased a vented cap. It's the gates one from amazon that looks like the original tank cap. My plan was to open the tank cap and blow air through the vent to see if its plugged.

83

Members Rides / Re: Hello all.

« Last post by Shifty on May 07, 2025, 12:09:57 pm »

Thieves suck.   

84

General Discussion / Re: Some cool old cars

« Last post by jeremy.farlow on May 06, 2025, 08:37:39 pm »

There was a suspension difference on the WR chassis. I do believe you are most likely correct that WR stands for "wide ratio", but it was also more oriented towards trail riding. I'm guessing what dad did was stick the YZ 490 engine in the IT chassis and that's what became the WR.

At least the way dad tells the story that was HIS intent. He was trail riding mostly. He liked the engine of the "widow-maker" big YZ, but didn't need the motocross suspension. Didn't want it.

One of the earliest pictures of me standing is me, barely head-height to the peg of dad's first YZ 490... in the world color yellow and blue. I'm 6' 3" and dad might have once stood 6' 4". But still the big YZ was too big for anything tight.



Jeremy

85

Members Rides / Re: Hello all.

« Last post by jeremy.farlow on May 06, 2025, 08:15:33 pm »

I love my brown truck. I'm the second owner and know the whole story. It's a good truck, but I had no preconceptions about economy with it. I was able to get fairly consistent 10 mpg... and even as high as 12 on a roadtrip. That was the truck bone stock, save aluminum wheels with effectively 31.5" tires.

I made myself an exhaust and put 33" tires (285/75r16) on the truck and haven't been able to get much better than 9... also the tripmeter doesn't work anymore, so it's all an estimate. It's probably not as good as 9 a lot these days.

My suburban has the same tires, with 3:73 gears to the Ford's 4:10's. Best to keep the Ford under 70 to even manage 9 mpg. The suburban still gets not quite 11 mpg, which is honestly better than I could have ever hoped when I started the project. As with the Ford... I knew what it was.

Truthfully I never expected to like the Ford as much as I do. Initially I bought it for my now-wife as a replacement for her truck. I was driving hers and got t-boned. She used the brown Ford for her truck needs (horses) while we put her truck back together.

And I made the brown truck mine. I'm still seething a bit at the moment. I came back to my shop the other day to discover someone had stolen my ammo can with my straps in it out of the back of the truck:

I guess I should be glad they didn't take my oil as well. Or the funnel... or the antifreeze bottle full of water.
All of it has been back there so long I guess I just figured no one would ever take it. I've had a jug of oil disappear probably...
Somehow I just don't see the person willing to steal an ammo can full of ratchet straps ever having need of either. Definitely not the straps.

I've got some new ammo cans on the way.

And plenty of straps.

And now I'll have to bolt the stupid ammo can to the thing already bolted to the truck bed. Thanks dumbass thieves.



Jeremy

86

General Discussion / Re: Some cool old cars

« Last post by JohnnyPopper on May 06, 2025, 08:01:43 pm »

More great stories...

I owned that 356 for about 20 years, knew peeps that had your same model, they swore by that car, never drove one.

The WR I bought from a local dealer whose custom was to take a new bike each year and let the parts manager trick it out with all the fun aftermarket gear. He would ride it for a few months and sell it with a warranty. Lucky me.

IT (International Trials) came before YZ (no idea what it means) WR stood for wide ratio transmission. Lower 1st, taller 5th, ergo pulling away from identical standard bikes. The lower 1st made technical stuff a breeze while standards were burning up their clutches 

87

General Discussion / Re: Some cool old cars

« Last post by jeremy.farlow on May 06, 2025, 10:30:06 am »

I cannot remember which way it went... either YZ engine in a WR-chassis to make the IT, or YZ motor in an IT chassis to make a WR... but dad got credited with building such a thing based on the YZ 490 engine in 1984...

That was how it was at the Yamaha east coast division in the 80's... grab your calipers and head down to the warehouse and see what you can make fit.

It wasn't the most honest thing he's ever done, but dad still has a pre-production FJ 1100 he "liberated"... the deal was that the factory would let certain employees test new models and give the company feedback. The company would apply for a temporary registration and when it was up, the employee was to "destroy" the motorcycle and send the evidence back to Yamaha Japan.

"Destroying" the bike meant cutting the frame with its preproduction VIN and smashing the case halves to get that VIN and put them in an envelope to Japan...

Well dad really... REALLY liked that FJ. When the call came in to destroy the bike he did as he was told... mostly. He had access to the YMUS school and all of its tooling... including the number and letter stamps just like they used in Japan. So he went a the cheapest replacement case half he could, punched it with the preproduction VIN. He did have to cut his frame, so he waited until someone foolish enough to campaign such a heavy bike wadded one up. Happened at turn one at Road Atlanta sometime around 1986. He's not clear if he straightened that frame or just cut the frame numbers out and welded them back in, but he had his FJ, free and clear.

Like my RZ, very little of the original FJ running gear remains. Most of it was later model FZ 1000 stuff, I think the top triple came off a TDM 850, with handlebar mounts. All of this done with parts either outright stolen from the factory or bought at cost.

Tapatalk wouldn't let me upload these pictures last night, here's the project that will take the place of the EMPI dune buggy when it's done. The missus got herself a Porsche:


We're gonna stick an LS in it. We have *most* of it in hand... I'm sure what we're missing won't be cheap to source, but I was super glad when she didn't take any convincing to NOT put a Porsche engine back in it.




Jeremy

88

Members Rides / Re: Hello all.

« Last post by zieg85 on May 06, 2025, 09:39:45 am »

I have an older motor head friend, 80's or more, who stated that by advancing the timing chain by one tooth you will increase your mileage by better than the 8-10 mpg so common with the venerable 460.

Not a Ford guy, but have no reason to doubt him.

I sold it and bought Chevy with a 8.1 6 speed.  It got horrible mileage as well but nothing rattled inside.  Rode really nice for being a 2500HD

89

General Discussion / Re: Some cool old cars

« Last post by JohnnyPopper on May 05, 2025, 09:49:37 pm »

Not an expert on expansion chambers, just know that the science behind the concept is nothing short of genius.

Basically pick your power/rpm range and build your pipe, right?

I still have my '89 Yamaha YZ250WR, haven't ridden her in over 15 years. Bought a aftermarket pipe, and boy, what a difference!!

While in the throws of competition, used to really tork the minds of like 250's that I could walk away from at top speeds. WR was a concept that escaped many at the time.

I should pry dig her out and go for one last ride. Any takers in SoCal?

90

General Discussion / Re: Some cool old cars

« Last post by jeremy.farlow on May 05, 2025, 09:25:29 pm »

Look at a modern, high-performance snowmobile some time... works of art!!

I am far from a two-stroke guru, much as I like the idea of building myself a set of expansion chambers, I know well enough that I *MIGHT* be able to pull off the execution given someone else's patterns... building a proper-functioning expansion chamber system tuned for the engine is FAR beyond my capabilities. The cutting, fitting and welding of someone else's design would tax my skills.

My understanding is that, in effect, a properly designed expansion chamber system will create a "tuned resonance"... effectively modulating the exhaust back-pressure to make the most out of the engine. The shape and distance from the exhaust port, of the pipe is highly important... even before you make it fit the chassis.

Mix in an amount of pure wizardry to make the whole package work... and you'll get a ring-dingey thing that makes power where you need it to... "comes on the pipe" as they used to say... Four-strokes come on the cam. 

The RZ needs to leave before this one, but I've also got this thing in the shop:




This is a friend on mines. It is the original(?) EMPI kit... predecessor to the famous Meyers Manx kit. VW Bug-based... this one with some interesting provenance: originally owned by Gene Berg, of VW fame, himself. My dude has the original California pink slips to prove so. Gene Berg had a VW Beetle shifter and did a lot of the early hot-rodding for those cars.

Apparently there were a few ways to buy the original kit. Released in 1963, the end client could buy a painted, running car. Or the assembled tub and "roll their own"... or the panels in a crate, formed... or finally, the kit could be purchased flat-packed, like an IKEA shelf... and the end user had to form, fit, fasten and weld the whole affair together. I'm pretty sure it could be put together without welding, but it it seems the folks at Gene Berg Enterprises had themselves an early wire-feeder:


As well as someone on the payroll who claimed they could weld...

My buddy likes the "patina", so I'm just doing the cage-work to make it slightly death-trappey. Mounting up some vintage Porsche seats as well.

It seems Tapatalk has me throttled on pictures to a post, so to be continued: