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taildragger
06-28-2014, 08:27 PM
So I am 10 days into being the proud owner of the 1053 truck. I have described the condition of the truck when I brought her home in another post. So far I have put the motor back together and fired it. It has good oil pressure and no leaks so we are on the right track. The motor went back together without a hitch. The only things I had to buy were gaskets and one push rod. Funny thing happened the first time I went to start it. I pulled a battery out of my old Dodge and ran to the shop after work and tossed the battery and 5 gallons of gas in the truck. I flipped the power on for the truck and BAM! both doors lock. Of course the only key I have for it is in the ignition and I don't have any tools to break into the truck so I did the only honorable thing, I punched the lock out of the passenger door and the rest is history. Back to the progress on the truck. I couldn't stand the way the flares looked on the truck so I yanked them off. We have stripped all of the tin out of the back of the truck as well as the interior, hood and fenders. I am going to go over every weld and fix the fixable ones and cut out the bars that can't be saved. Then it's on to the electrical. I have taken a ton of pictures of how it sits now. Take a look http://s1289.photobucket.com/user/waneshear/library/

taildragger
06-28-2014, 08:32 PM
This is my original post a few nights after I brought the truck home.


I wanted to give you guys an update on the 1053 truck. I bought the truck last week. I had no previous knowledge of the truck and when I talked to Mr. 1053 he seemed very knowledgeable about what had been done to the truck and it seemed to have lots of good parts in it. When I picked the truck up it was all there and everything that Chris told me about the truck seemed to be true. I was/am sceptical of the 1300hp claim and the 8.20 pass he told me he made. I figured that if the chassis was a total wreck I was still getting a steal on the motor, ecu, and blower and worst case scenario I put the running gear into my '69 Cuda and yard sale the truck. The truck had the heads sitting in the front seat and the blower sitting under the hood when I pulled it on the trailer. I didn't do much further inspection at the time because the heads were in good condition, the blower looked like brand new and the FAST XFI was there so I had my money's worth right there. When I got it home and took a good look at it to figure out the whats and whys of it I was more confused than when I started. The truck has a ton of very nice parts and most of the parts seem to compliment each other but, as everyone on here has seen, the chassis leaves much to be desired. I decided to search the internet to see if I could find out a little bit more about the truck and boy did I find out! I had no idea what a celebrity Mr. 1053 was. I figured I owed it to you guys to give an outsider's description of the truck and show what it takes to make 1053 hp. The head gaskets were blown in 4 holes. I was told that the truck ran 28 degrees of timing at full boost (whatever that was) on 91 octane so I am suspecting that played a huge roll in the head gasket failure. The block looks very nice. It is machined for O rings and the lifter bores are bushed. It has some sort of dished piston in it and uses ARP head studs. I noticed the piston to wall clearance was pretty big and the pistons rocked in the cylinders a little bit more than I have seen before so the skirts may be collapsed, but I tossed a set of head gaskets in it and bolted the heads on yesterday and I'm going to get it running and as long as it doesn't rattle like a diesel truck I'm going to give it the what for and see what happens. It has a solid roller, nice 5/16" push rods, and nice Crower 1.7 rockers. The intake ports have quite a bit of work done to them. The roof has been raised a bunch and they have been ported right to the push rod holes. In some cases they broke through into the push rod holes and were epoxied up. One of the ports had lost some of the epoxy and exposed a hole in the port. I had some epoxy laying around from way back when I actually thought I was a head porter so I smeared some in the port and bolted the head down. The M1 intake has been port matched and the runners have been smoothed. It is a nice piece. The elbow and throttle body look to be in great shape. and the blower doesn't have any shaft play and the impeller looks brand new. The fuel system consists of an Aeromotive Eliminator pump and -12 feed line with -8 return, all braided stainless line and a nice Aeromotive regulator. The fuel cell is aluminum with a sending unit for a gauge. The transmission looks like it was recently pulled and at least cleaned. It has a deep sum pan on it. I won't dive into it until it becomes a problem. The rear end is a 8-3/4" housing with a 742 case. I was told it has 4.56 gears in it, but I have not confirmed. It does have a spool and Wilwood discs. The tires are like brand new. There is the run down of the good stuff.
The roll cage, as you guys have seen, needs work. None of the welds that he did were good, but I think I can clean most up with a wire wheel and go over them with a tig torch and make them look much better. There doesn't look to be any porosity in the welds, they are just ugly. The door bars are beyond repair. I will have to cut them out and install new ones which isn't a big deal. It looks like someone else welded the back half in. The frame is boxed and it looks ok. I still might go back over those welds while I am in there. The fuel cell is mounted at the very rear of the truck and it also happens to be the lowest part of the truck so any dip in the road will drag the pickup right off. From the JB weld on the bottom of the tank I assume it has happened at least once. I am perplexed as to why he welded the bed to the cab. Maybe to look like an El Camino? Either way it's too far done for me to fix. I spent 5 or 6 hours Sunday with a DA and 80 grit pads trying to get the bondo on the truck reasonably smooth and ready to take another round of bondo. The wiring has me baffled. I found a roll of red 16 gauge wire in the cab of the truck when I brought it home and thought nothing of it until I looked at the electrical job on the truck. Every wire run on the truck was red 16 gauge wire. There is red wire zip tied everywhere on this thing. It's going to need a complete rewire which is also no big deal. The fuel system although consisting of nice parts is mounted poorly and is not safe. The lines run unshielded next to the rear end. A broken drive shaft would probably turn it into a firecracker. The regulator and fuel lines are mounted on the firewall so they will have to be moved. The fuel pressure gauge mounted inside the cab is an external gauge so there is a fuel line running through the cab. The original dash is there but it is hacked up pretty good. I will have to replace the dash and put new seats in it. Overall there really isn't anything that totally scares me away from the truck. I have seen much worse. With a little bit of work I should have a descent bracket truck for my wife to drive. One thing that I did notice while the truck was up in the air is there has never been any rubber in the wheel tubs. I mean none so this thing has never done a decent burnout so it probably has never been down the track. Sorry for the long post, but after all of the great discussions that this truck has been the center of I thought I would give you guys the dish. I will give updates as I find out more and I will get this thing on a dyno and settle the argument as to how much this thing does make

00DakFlameRT
06-28-2014, 08:48 PM
I think I see your problem, that 6th red wire should be butt connected to the 4th &7th red wire not on it's own....lol good luck man that looks like a hell of a cluster f*#k. Some people should never touch a welder.but that engine is kick ass.

madboy
06-28-2014, 09:01 PM
Clearly you are a patient man! Great start - sounds like it has ended up in the right hands. Looking forward to seeing what you do with it and more importantly what kind of power that mill is making :biggthumpup: :r/t smile:

KTK00R/T
06-28-2014, 09:30 PM
Holy mother of god. It probably should be scrapped. Just pull the good stuff out of it

Steve '02CC
06-28-2014, 09:35 PM
I know this example is thoroughly halfassed, but isn't fusing the cab to the bed of a truck like this a bad idea? Isn't that a place where a truck is designed to handle the forces it is exposed to by flexing, and if you fill it in then that filler is going to be bound to fail to handle those extreme forces? This seems especially problematic on a truck with a powerful motor.

Addicted2Blue00
06-28-2014, 09:57 PM
just my opinion. it would be cool to actually fix this hack job but to me it wouldnt be worth the time, part it out and scrap the rest besides what you want to put in your 69.

hskr
06-28-2014, 10:02 PM
I know this example is thoroughly halfassed, but isn't fusing the cab to the bed of a truck like this a bad idea? Isn't that a place where a truck is designed to handle the forces it is exposed to by flexing, and if you fill it in then that filler is going to be bound to fail to handle those extreme forces? This seems especially problematic on a truck with a powerful motor.

I would think with a full cage and a frame brace the twisting forces would be greatly reduced enough to not be a factor. If anything, as long as it was done properly it would actually aid in stiffening up the frame for less twist.

hskr
06-28-2014, 10:04 PM
Those are some pretty epic welds on that roll bar. I haven't welded since high school and think I could do better than that.

Adobedude
06-28-2014, 11:06 PM
Wow....

Keep the good stuff and junk the rest, no way I would trust any of that, the welds are pathetic.

Adobedude
06-28-2014, 11:08 PM
I know this example is thoroughly halfassed, but isn't fusing the cab to the bed of a truck like this a bad idea? Isn't that a place where a truck is designed to handle the forces it is exposed to by flexing, and if you fill it in then that filler is going to be bound to fail to handle those extreme forces? This seems especially problematic on a truck with a powerful motor.

With a properly built chassis, no problem. On this thing....:jester:

Duner
06-29-2014, 12:05 AM
I wish Taildragger the absolute best of luck in fixing that mess. I have no doubts that he will be able to weigh what is salvageable and what should be trashed. He's also a better man than I to even dive into it. :hail:

I know if it were mine to "fix" I'd probably just cut the entire cage out of it and start over with that part…. same for the wiring. Some of the back half might be salvageable - but a whole bunch of that would leave too. I know I cringed at the photos when the original owner posted some. I know the kids in my high-school shop class would have done cleaner work. The "engineering" presented in the pics would make me also double-check everything related to the rearend and suspension for sure. I'm betting the thing is NOT square unless he had that done by somebody else.

I wouldn't trust anything. There might be a whole bunch of good parts in it - but the assembly and workmanship is beyond poor. There's no way that would have passed tech on any track I've raced at unless somebody bribed the inspector!

Good luck Taildragger! We're all going to be interested in watching the progress and hopefully the original owner will get a chance to see what he should have done with it.

Adobedude
06-29-2014, 06:09 PM
^^^ I agree.

bruizer28
06-29-2014, 07:09 PM
not trying to be a dick but whats going on with the tranny pan? plus you should part it and sell me the 4-link and coilovers haha. good luck with your project:biggthumpup:

moparracer89
06-29-2014, 08:10 PM
Gut it for all the usable parts, scrap the rest, and buy Lewds roller.

Slow RT
06-29-2014, 09:51 PM
Subscribed. Good luck sir!

Five9Dak
06-30-2014, 03:54 PM
I would buy a new roller with or without cage and scrap that body/frame.

Dakotas without drivetrains are worth practically nothing. How much is your time worth?

PeteRT
06-30-2014, 05:17 PM
wow. wow. wow.

easier to start from scratch. you've got some big nuts.

taildragger
06-30-2014, 09:34 PM
I'll get it put back together correctly in no time. I think I will be able to salvage about half of the cage. The wiring will be a snap and I'll reroute the fuel line and make some nice clamps for a clean install on the wiring and plumbing. Once you get past the wiring, welding, and bondo it's not all that bad of a truck. I don't think the truck needs to be scrapped just yet. It might never win any shows, but I think it deserves to be kept together. It has been the topic of some pretty good conversations over the last few years and it would be a shame to not at least try to get it together and see what it will do. Once I am convinced it is a safe truck I am going to throttle stop it and let me wife drive it.

taildragger
06-30-2014, 11:32 PM
I uploaded a few pictures I took this weekend. The blurry one is from the night that I brought the truck home. The other is how it looked yesterday and the third is the pile of wire I yanked out of it. I've also got a couple of '71 Challengers. This one has a descent little 440. My other one I drove to high school and it's in a million pieces but it's got a Hemi and a Jerico. We cut part of the roof off of the truck today so we could cut the rear bars out of it. I will post some pictures of that tomorrow.






9511

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9515

y2krtaf
07-01-2014, 12:08 AM
I uploaded a few pictures I took this weekend. The blurry one is from the night that I brought the truck home. The other is how it looked yesterday and the third is the pile of wire I yanked out of it. I've also got a couple of '71 Challengers. This one has a descent little 440. My other one I drove to high school and it's in a million pieces but it's got a Hemi and a Jerico. We cut part of the roof off of the truck today so we could cut the rear bars out of it. I will post some pictures of that tomorrow.






9511

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Love it!
Thanks for sharing!

madboy
07-01-2014, 01:19 AM
Nice progress and love the Challengers!!

taildragger
07-03-2014, 05:33 PM
More progress. The old down bars are out and new ones are in. Door bars are next.

RTchas
07-03-2014, 11:58 PM
Someone isn't wasting any time ! Your getting it done!

Kingst3r
07-04-2014, 02:36 AM
Damn, you are the mopar man! Lookin good!

White Turbo
07-04-2014, 04:45 AM
That truck needs some Mopar TLC!

:drums1:

MOPARS&FiREARMS_66
07-05-2014, 12:14 AM
That's the way to get it done man, kudos to the determination of the new owner :biggthumpup:

taildragger
07-12-2014, 08:27 PM
I got a few minutes today to spend on the truck. I decided to start to tackle the rewire. I hauled my FAST box, MSD box, relay/fuse box and terminal blocks to the office and decided to mount them all on one panel and make it about 11"x17". I mocked everything up on a piece of paper, liked what I saw, designed it on the computer and blasted the plate on the water jet. It turned out great I think. Now it's off to be powder coated so I can wire it up and get it back in the truck. Water jets are fun to play with. I'm going to try to get a fuel cell designed up tomorrow. The old one was huge, hung too low and had a hole ground in the bottom of it so I'm going to salvage what I can from it and put a small tank high enough to be out of the way.

Adobedude
07-12-2014, 08:36 PM
Can't believe you are rewiring it? It was so well done by Mr. 1053, it put mine to shame.

bad360rt
07-12-2014, 08:57 PM
Love the 1053 on the plate! :biggthumpup:

Adobedude
07-12-2014, 10:40 PM
Love the 1053 on the plate! :biggthumpup:

That is a nice touch...

madboy
07-13-2014, 01:45 AM
I got a few minutes today to spend on the truck. I decided to start to tackle the rewire. I hauled my FAST box, MSD box, relay/fuse box and terminal blocks to the office and decided to mount them all on one panel and make it about 11"x17". I mocked everything up on a piece of paper, liked what I saw, designed it on the computer and blasted the plate on the water jet. It turned out great I think. Now it's off to be powder coated so I can wire it up and get it back in the truck. Water jets are fun to play with. I'm going to try to get a fuel cell designed up tomorrow. The old one was huge, hung too low and had a hole ground in the bottom of it so I'm going to salvage what I can from it and put a small tank high enough to be out of the way.

Very nice! :hail:

And the 1053 kicks ass! :biggthumpup::biggthumpup:

taildragger
08-01-2014, 12:56 AM
A small update. I got the door bars out of the truck and we are just about ready to re install the door and sill bars. I got tired of looking at my other Challenger so I put it on the lift and pulled the Hemi and Jerico out so I can weld the 4 speed hump in. I snapped this pic and I thought it was pretty neat.

RTchas
08-01-2014, 03:02 AM
That is a badass pic!

More challenger pics plz!!

KTK00R/T
08-10-2014, 02:35 AM
damn

steelhorse5778
06-08-2015, 09:46 PM
Any updates...its been almost a year?

taildragger
07-19-2015, 01:02 AM
I finally got the 1053 truck back running this weekend. The 65-70 hour weeks, two kids, and too many other projects put this truck on the back burner. The wiring came together nicely. It only has the basics but it will work great for what the truck is. We replaced six bars in the roll cage and rewelded the welds that were left. The fuel system was reran and fastened with the correct tabs. I added some plates to reinforce the rear of the frame so the frame wont pull in two if I hang the laundry. The body still looks like hell. Not sure how far I'm going to go with that. I replaced the studs in the back axles and installed a good set of adjustable coilovers. Im going to convert the trans to full manual because i cut the whole harness out of the truck and started over. We cleaned up the tin work and rattle canned it black. Its amazing what a can of spray paint will do. Its still got some work to be done to it but hearing it run has got me excited. Ill take some pictures next time Im at the shop.

taildragger
09-06-2015, 03:28 AM
Another little update on the truck. It would start and idle but barely so I took a look at the tune that was in it that was supposedly cut by a professional. The VE was set to 115% at idle. No wonder it chased everone out of the garage every time I started it! Not only was the VE fubared the timing map was ridiculous. I put a tune in it much more suited for an engine that will actually run. It starts and idles much better but I've got some electrical interference somewhere that is goving me a funky RPM reading so the afr is all over the place. I dhould have time this weekend to address that. I started on a toneau cover today to hide the shotty tin work in the bed. It's actually starting to look like a respectable race car. I should be able to cut all of the pieces for a new fuel tank and water meth tank this weekend. I bought a set of 32x14.50 slicks for it so it should get down the track. I hacked out the warped tailgate and cleaned that up. The guy had bondo'd a piece of angle iron between the roll pan and the tailgate to "smooth" the back I guess. I'm going to find a tailgate at the junk yard and make a mount to bolt it in. While the gate is out I think I'll fab up a parachute mount. Things are looking up for the old 1053 truck after all! I had been doing some serious thinking about pulling everything out and launching the chassis but I think that would be doing it a disservice. There has been enough crap talked about this thing in the past that I feel it needs to be rescued. Besides that I can't bring myself to sell any of my crap. I call it collecting but my wife and the producers of the hording show probably feel differently.

Osee
09-06-2015, 03:38 AM
Are you making the tonneu cover from aluminum?

madboy
09-06-2015, 05:06 AM
Keep up the good fight and let's see some updates pics :biggthumpup:

Every time my wife comes in the garage she's says "oh did you get a new truck" :dumbass234:

KTK00R/T
09-07-2015, 07:00 PM
I want pics!! lol

moparmadman
09-08-2015, 02:53 PM
Keep up the good fight and let's see some updates pics :biggthumpup:

Every time my wife comes in the garage she's says "oh did you get a new truck" :dumbass234:

Every time my wife comes in the garage she says "you know you're married and have a kid right?":roflmao:

Steve '02CC
09-08-2015, 05:13 PM
I want pics!! lol

Agreed! :ttiwwp:

taildragger
09-18-2015, 04:27 AM
I took a couple of pics when I was at the shop but I can't figure out how to post the damned things from my phone. Ill get them posted from my office tomorrow. Im still fighting a bad electrical interference. Ive tried everything I can think of but I still get a funky tach signal. I have rerouted wires, grounded everything again, chased all of the wires in the ecu harness and still no luck. I cut all of the pieces for a new fuel tank and water meth tank so those should go in next week if I can get them welded. As soon as I can get this ghing to run descent I'm going to get it on a dyno and see how much power it really makes. This interference is not something that I created which leads me to believe that the truck was never tuned. Well that and the tune that was in it was outrageous. I think the head gaskets popped because the ecu had no idea what the motor was actually doing the first time the guy put his foot in it. The transmission looks like its never been run either. It was spotless when I dropped the pan and calve body.

taildragger
09-18-2015, 03:37 PM
http://i1193.photobucket.com/albums/aa342/clarkmcgehee/Mobile%20Uploads/20150906_115221.jpg (http://s1193.photobucket.com/user/clarkmcgehee/media/Mobile%20Uploads/20150906_115221.jpg.html)

As you can see the body work still leaves much to be desired, but the rest of the truck is coming together. No show truck by any means, but it will be safe and that is my main concern. The original exhaust was cut off right under the cab so it was a brain rattler. I ran the exhaust back, up and over the frame, and out the side of the bed right in front of the tire. I shrouded it with a piece of stainless. I think it looks pretty good and it sounds 10 times better.http://i1193.photobucket.com/albums/aa342/clarkmcgehee/Mobile%20Uploads/20150906_115315.jpg (http://s1193.photobucket.com/user/clarkmcgehee/media/Mobile%20Uploads/20150906_115315.jpg.html)

A quick shot of the cab, It is full of crap and I've been chasing wires so it is a mess in there, but all of the welds have been fixed, the door and sill bars have been replaced, the holes in the firewall have been capped, I tossed a Kirkey seat in the drivers side and we laid a piece of carpet in the floor. Now with the Kirkey I can almost wedge myself behind the wheel and not worry about my helmet hitting the cage or my knees hitting the dash.
http://i1193.photobucket.com/albums/aa342/clarkmcgehee/Mobile%20Uploads/20150906_115201.jpg (http://s1193.photobucket.com/user/clarkmcgehee/media/Mobile%20Uploads/20150906_115201.jpg.html)
I've just got the old fuel cell jammed in the bed to test fire the truck. I still have some tidying up to do, but it's looking much better. The wife and kids are out of town tonight so I hope I can get a little bit done to the truck.

MOPARS&FiREARMS_66
09-18-2015, 03:57 PM
Making great progress man, keep it up! :woot:

KTK00R/T
09-18-2015, 08:42 PM
Yessss Photos!!! I dig it, keep them coming. This is one of the best threads, the story behind it is priceless. :biggthumpup:

nevr2fast01
09-19-2015, 12:27 AM
Looking way better!

Adobedude
09-19-2015, 03:20 AM
I agree...Epic thread due to the history of the truck.

Love what you did with the exhaust. I don't like my pipes dumped under the cab...Hello winter mod.

9t9-5.2
09-19-2015, 12:33 PM
I like the exhaust, your exhaust mod is what I have planned for this winter. If you think about it can you post a closer pic?

taildragger
12-23-2015, 11:14 PM
I've been seriously neglecting the old girl. I had't looked at the truck for months. I've been out of town working quite a lot. My business sells the first of the year so I'm going to get this thing running decently and get it back together. If I can't get it to run with the efi I'll yank it and put a good CSU blow through carb on it and run it on alcohol. I've got the shop cleaned up and ready to hit hard in a couple of weeks. I'll post some pictures when I get started. Happy Holidays everyone!

Adobedude
12-24-2015, 12:17 AM
:rockwoot::rockwoot::rockwoot:

Mark
12-24-2015, 12:31 AM
:r/t smile::r/t smile::r/t smile::r/t smile::r/t smile::r/t smile::r/t smile::r/t smile::r/t smile:

KyleDedrick
12-24-2015, 05:46 AM
3" or 4" exhaust outlet?

taildragger
01-16-2016, 02:49 AM
Ok so I got to spend some time on the truck over the last week. I decided to swap the engine wiring harness because it didnt look much better than the chassis harness that I cut out of it last year. I gingerly unhooked each sensor and began to fish the wires back through the firewall. The hole in the firewall looked smaller than any of the other holes I had put in firewalls for the engine harness. When I cgot the first connector up to the hole it wouldn't fit through. So I did a little head scratching to make sense of the whole thing. I pulled the cover off of the wires and noticed that they had been cut and spliced back together. "No way did this guy cut a perfectly good harness up instead of drilling a bigger hole" I told myself. So I took another part of the harness apart, then another and sure as sh.t stinks that is what happened. Ok so maybe he was using an existing hole and didn't want to butcher up the fire wall (I know, long shot considering the rest of the truck) so I had another look at the hole. Nope it was an oblong hole that he drilled. Must have been the biggest drill he had. So I said screw it and cut the harness in half and yarded it through the firewall. No use reusing that one. I drilled a new hole with a hole saw and slid another harness I had laying around and plugged it into the ecu. The truck fired up and ran but still ran like crap so I swapped ecus with another one. Now the truck starts every time and runs markedly better but Im still getting a funky rpm signal from the distributor. I took a vidie of the ecu dashboard and posted it on youtube. It is called "oscilating rpm signal FAST XFI 2.0" I dont know how to post a link so vheck it out and see what I'm dealing with. I know I keep promissing to take pics but every time Im down working on the truck I am rushing because I should probably be doing something else. I will take more pics and post them soon. Im going to get my challenger on the rotisserie so I can get the truck in the air. Ive also been working on my wifes 55 Chevy chassis truck and we are just about ready to fire the 1271 blown all aluminum 540. I know its not a Dodge but its pretty sexy. I have also built a radius arm front duspension and triangulated 4 link under my '88 chevy 1 ton crew cab family cruiser. We built a bad ass flat bed for it and installed a Cummins 6BT/NV4500 into it. I built an individual runner intake manifold and have a collected a gr3788r and gt4788 turbos to stack on it. That should be a fun one too. Right now my main goal is to get the Dakota running so I can give it a good raping on the dyno and see what she will do.

taildragger
01-16-2016, 02:51 AM
The exhaust is 4"....sorta. It's 3" from the headers to the mufflers uneder the cab. I just welded 4" tube to the muffler and took it from there. Its a little bit okie but whatever. Im putting an ear ring on a pig and the way I see it anything is better than it was.

Lonesoldier79
01-16-2016, 02:54 AM
Pics of everything you just wrote about please! You got more going on in one thread than most all year brother :biggthumpup:

taildragger
01-16-2016, 03:55 AM
I have more skeletons laying around that I have half finished. Its a terrible addiction. The worst part is I lose all interest as soon as I get a car running. My other '71 challenger has been done for a year and I have driven it maybe 10 miles. Its a shame to see it sit in the garage right next to my '09 Jeep Cherokee SRT8 with a turbod 426. I have put less than 500 miles on it over the last 2 years. All it needs is a good tine and it will be 750+whp but there it sits. Kinda sad.

krs1r/t
01-17-2016, 07:42 PM
Pics? Of challenger and jeep

madboy
01-17-2016, 08:27 PM
I have more skeletons laying around that I have half finished. Its a terrible addiction. The worst part is I lose all interest as soon as I get a car running. My other '71 challenger has been done for a year and I have driven it maybe 10 miles. Its a shame to see it sit in the garage right next to my '09 Jeep Cherokee SRT8 with a turbod 426. I have put less than 500 miles on it over the last 2 years. All it needs is a good tine and it will be 750+whp but there it sits. Kinda sad.

Since you are neglecting that Jeep I'll be happy to be the caretaker for you :idunno:

taildragger
01-26-2016, 08:07 PM
http://i1289.photobucket.com/albums/b507/waneshear/20140320_171756_zpsf48e675f.jpg (http://s1289.photobucket.com/user/waneshear/media/20140320_171756_zpsf48e675f.jpg.html)

Here is the jeep and one of the '71 Challengers. The Challenger just has a mild 440/727. It's a cute little car that I pulled out of a garage where it sat since the early 80's.

taildragger
01-26-2016, 08:14 PM
http://i1289.photobucket.com/albums/b507/waneshear/20151016_134518_zpsgznvbexk.jpg (http://s1289.photobucket.com/user/waneshear/media/20151016_134518_zpsgznvbexk.jpg.html)
http://i1289.photobucket.com/albums/b507/waneshear/20151016_134619_zpsqe62agcj.jpg (http://s1289.photobucket.com/user/waneshear/media/20151016_134619_zpsqe62agcj.jpg.html)
Here's my wife's '55. It's a fuel system away from firing now. I've never messed with Big Stuff 3 before, which is what is on this thing, but I'm sure it can't be a whole lot different than the FAST stuff.

taildragger
01-26-2016, 08:24 PM
http://i1289.photobucket.com/albums/b507/waneshear/20160106_151528_zpsmqsqq9zm.jpg (http://s1289.photobucket.com/user/waneshear/media/20160106_151528_zpsmqsqq9zm.jpg.html)
Here is how the truck sits now. I pulled my old 'Cuda out of the moth balls and tossed a new set of shoes on her. I hope to get a few passes in this spring. I'm going to fab up a little twin turbo setup for it. I've got all of the material and the turbos, just need the time.
http://i1289.photobucket.com/albums/b507/waneshear/20151203_131829_zpsff8a9yao.jpg (http://s1289.photobucket.com/user/waneshear/media/20151203_131829_zpsff8a9yao.jpg.html)
This is an air filter plenum that I designed for my big '71 Challenger. I couldn't find air filters that I liked for the Hilborn stacks on the Hemi so I came up with this. It should fit under a fairly low hood. I've yet to machine the top for it but it should turn out pretty cool. I'm going to run lexan tops on the filters so you can look down into the plenum and see the bells and throttle blades.http://i1289.photobucket.com/albums/b507/waneshear/20151215_172938_zpsawlazscu.jpg (http://s1289.photobucket.com/user/waneshear/media/20151215_172938_zpsawlazscu.jpg.html)
Here is the IR intake I fabbed up for the Cummins in the crew cab. I've yet to pull the head off the cummins to machine the intake off but it's on the list of stuff to do.

taildragger
01-26-2016, 08:37 PM
http://i1289.photobucket.com/albums/b507/waneshear/20151129_123707_zpsqyffvv0c.jpg (http://s1289.photobucket.com/user/waneshear/media/20151129_123707_zpsqyffvv0c.jpg.html)
Here is how the crew cab sits today. The Cummins and NV4500 are in. I am waiting to fab an engine cage until the turbos are mounted and the piping ran. I'e got some neat parts collected for this one.
http://i1289.photobucket.com/albums/b507/waneshear/20150920_135024_zpsajyx3hub.jpg (http://s1289.photobucket.com/user/waneshear/media/20150920_135024_zpsajyx3hub.jpg.html)
This is how the wiring is turning out. Disregard the rats nest in the back ground. I have been chasing the electrical interference. It will clean up nicely.
http://i1289.photobucket.com/albums/b507/waneshear/20150920_133752_zpsf7jgkj7p.jpg (http://s1289.photobucket.com/user/waneshear/media/20150920_133752_zpsf7jgkj7p.jpg.html)
This is slightly okie, but I figured when in Rome... This it the transition from 3" to 4" on the truck. It is a lot nicer having the exhaust exit behind the cab and outside. It was a brain rattler for sure before.

taildragger
01-26-2016, 08:46 PM
http://i1289.photobucket.com/albums/b507/waneshear/20150920_133726_zpserydfdfh.jpg (http://s1289.photobucket.com/user/waneshear/media/20150920_133726_zpserydfdfh.jpg.html)
This is the exit right in fron of the rear tires. Looks pretty wicked I think.
http://i1289.photobucket.com/albums/b507/waneshear/20150926_161413_zpswhkhtxvt.jpg (http://s1289.photobucket.com/user/waneshear/media/20150926_161413_zpswhkhtxvt.jpg.html)
Here's the flake job my buddy and I put on a Kellison Super T dune buggy a buddy of mine gave me. It needs more flake!
http://i1289.photobucket.com/albums/b507/waneshear/20150807_145001_zpsjmb5kafl.jpg (http://s1289.photobucket.com/user/waneshear/media/20150807_145001_zpsjmb5kafl.jpg.html)
Another project of mine. My Wife needed a ranch truck so I found this 3/4 ton 4x4 with 300K on the clock. We built the flat bed, steps, and front winch bumper. I also tossed a remote mounted T76 turbo on it for good measure. I actually got it running on a speed density tune this morning so it will be either smoking tires or head gaskets shortly.
http://i1289.photobucket.com/albums/b507/waneshear/20151006_145429_zpstbcdv1xf.jpg (http://s1289.photobucket.com/user/waneshear/media/20151006_145429_zpstbcdv1xf.jpg.html)

madboy
01-26-2016, 09:01 PM
:biggthumpup:

Holy projects dude!! How you get all that done is beyond me... :idunno:

taildragger
01-26-2016, 11:47 PM
I work on one for a little while then shuffle it to the back of the line. On a really great note I FINALLY GOT THE 1053 TRUCK RUNNING! After changing the wiring harness, ecu, and distributor, it has come to life. I cant exactly put my finger on what finally fixed it but I think there was something screwy with the ground wire setup on the old dizzy. It idles and drives now. Nothing more than a fast idle in gear but it moves under its own power. I will work on a tune over the next few weeks but it runs and after the headache its been that is a huge accomplishment.

taildragger
01-26-2016, 11:59 PM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jisVvmc08tc
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=geNK_NljEUk

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BnMB8ativpw
Here is my proof! Videography is not my strong suit but it gets the point across. I'm pretty stoked about the whole thing actually. I have no idea where the timing is on it. I turned the distributor until it fired up and left it for now. I played with the fuel tables until it would idle. I don't have the O2 sensor hooked up because it would require that I wedge my fat ass under the truck to swap the old one out and I'm just not ready to do that yet. It's only going to get better from here. Maybe even 1053 horsepower better!

moparmadman
01-27-2016, 01:20 AM
That charger is deafening.... I love :biggthumpup:

dakrt23
01-27-2016, 02:18 AM
Damn, that thing actually sounds like it has 1053 hp!

Slow RT
01-28-2016, 08:01 AM
That blower whine is a beautiful sound! Nice job man, she's coming along nicely :biggthumpup:

Kingst3r
01-28-2016, 01:13 PM
Damn that procharger is loud. What headunit is on there again? I know its a big boy..

MOPARS&FiREARMS_66
01-28-2016, 05:03 PM
Damn that procharger is loud. What headunit is on there again? I know its a big boy..

I believe it's an F1, but I could be mistaken

taildragger
01-28-2016, 07:09 PM
It's an F1R. I think it should make good power. It has lots of good parts it's just ugly.

OldKota
01-29-2016, 01:48 AM
I'm starting to think you don't actually drag a lot of tail taildragger.... you get shit done bro, well almost done :) :biggthumpup:

blackknight
01-29-2016, 02:25 AM
Dam! It's alive ! Coming along !

taildragger
01-30-2016, 04:28 PM
I'm starting to think you don't actually drag a lot of tail taildragger.... you get shit done bro, well almost done :) :biggthumpup:

Haha. I've had the handle taildragger for years. Back in 2002 my Dad and I built a pretty serious Honda Civic. It is kinda cute with 26" x 10" slicks in the front and skinnys in back. It's still sitting in the shop. We made maybe 15 passes with it then parked it. Anyhow, I have always been a muscle car guy and the front wheel drive wasn't really my style but it was different than the norm so we gave it a whirl. I was sitting on an airplane one day thinking about front wheel drive cars and realized that the way they propel themselves was exactly how a dog drags it's ass across the carpet with it's front legs and the name taildragger was born. How's that for a story!

blackknight
01-31-2016, 07:38 PM
Pretty cool!:rockwoot:

taildragger
12-24-2016, 02:37 AM
Well I had the chance to get back to the 1053 truck. I got my laptop connected to it and got it to where it would idle at a constant afr. I think the injectors are much smaller than the 160lbs that he thought were in it. The VE table at idle is about 140 to make a 12.8ish afr. I will check the part numbers next week and see. Thats the only reason I can come up with as to why the screwey VE table. I think once I get that problem solved I can get it on the dyno and really see what kind of numbers it really puts down. The ignition table was way, way aggressive in the tune it had. I can see why it would kill head gaskets with a n/a timing curve and who knows what size injectors. I dont know of anyone rinning a 140% ve at idle. It doesnt make sense to me. In case anyone is wondering the truck still looks the same but with an inch of dust and a few rat turds added in for style.

Mark
12-24-2016, 12:45 PM
Been wondering what been happening with this truck.

madboy
12-24-2016, 01:01 PM
Need pics of said turds :roflmao:

Looking forward to dyno results!! :biggthumpup:

taildragger
02-19-2017, 08:17 PM
I have decided that I have messed with the xfi tune for long enough. My schedule only allows me to work with the truck for short periods and just when I make a descent amount of progress I have to leave it alone and I forget where I was going with the tune. If I had a good two days to play with it I am sure I could make a descent go of it. With the self learning efi systems these days being pretty good i have decided to go that route. I pulled the trigger on a fitech 1200hp tbi. What-s the worst that can happen? Im going to swap manifolds in the next couple of weeks and bolt the tbi on and give it hell. If it sucks I can go back to the xfi. If it doesn't make at least 1053 hp I can always blame the tbi right? At yhis point i will be happy to get the truck running consistantly and reliably.

blackknight
02-20-2017, 01:40 AM
Pics or it didn't happen ! :rockwoot:

taildragger
02-25-2017, 02:19 AM
Change of plans. I was playing around with my crawler yesterday. Its got a fast classic and i had a lean condition that I couldnt tune out of it no matter what I tried. Its got a twin turbo 502 bbc. Its been sitting for longer than the Dakota has. It never did run right so I said to hell with it. The Fitech was sitting there so I took the throttle body off, plugged the fuel rails and bolted the fitech on. It tok a total of 3 hours to have it running again. All I can say is wow. The adaptive learning on it is phenominal. It statrted the first shot. I had to adjust the idle and it sat and learned itsself how to idle. It is nice and crisp when I stab it. I will hook the turbos back up in the next few days and report back on how it goes. Ill post pics too. Fast has a 2.0 upgrade that has adaptive learning so my xfi boxes are going back to fast next week to get the fixins. Ill start with a fresh tune and adaptive learn the Dakota. Ill play on the dyno with the jeep and see what the Fitech is made of. As of now Im a big fan. It makes a dummy like me look good.

Mark
02-27-2017, 03:02 PM
My Son is building a 69 Charger for a customer and he's using the Fitech set up, I'm anxious to see how it works out.

Wiggsy72
02-28-2017, 03:21 AM
Great posting, subscribed.