'Enviro-tab' is the name of this product, Gary. It's being marketed internationally now, but I'm not sure re the US, as someone tried to copy it (no offense intended). I know it is being shipped direct to end-users over there though.

www.envirotab.com/Info_Scientific.htm

When I bought the first pack of tablets, I was told - 'don't expect a result until 6-7 tanks of fuel have been treated & used'.
I'm at that now, but for at least the last two tanks, I've noticed a power improvement - not 100hp gain, but definitely driving with a lighter foot/higher vacuum.
I'm waiting for a suitable run to get mpg figures. I'll let you know.

 

Can we get an update about Rusty there, Gary ?

 

Ken - I'll read up on that. Thanks. But, please let us know the results of your "suitable run".

Rusty is patiently awaiting his reconstructive surgery while I work on Dad's truck. But, at this point I don't know if the guy who thought he was going to buy Rusty sans engine is really going to do it. If not, I'll put Dad's engine and tranny in and sell Rusty.

 

Awesome. Thanks for the update, Gary.

 

Well, Rusty's reconstructive surgery is now underway. The 351M that was in him when I bought the truck is back after having served in Dad's truck for about 5000 miles. It was freshened up with all new gaskets to fix an oil leak and I had the valves ground as well, so it is solid.

Today I pulled Dad's ZF5 off the tranny jack and put the C6 on it. (Took a bit longer to do than to type as the C6 was in the attic.) Then I took a stab at installing it, but ran out of time as it didn't want to slide all the way in. Don't think it is the torque converter as it hasn't been out of the tranny, and I made sure it was all the way back anyway. Oh well, it should go in tomorrow, as should the transfer case.

Once the driveline is in I plan to pull the seat and carpet and cut out the floor for the tranny cover. You may remember that Rusty was originally a 2wd auto and someone used a torch to open the floor up for the transfer case and NP435 shift levers. So I'm going to make it "right" as I'm going back with an auto and don't want a hole in the floor. And, I will probably go back with the blue carpet I saved from the 85 I parted as I don't like the carpet in Rusty nor the hole where the shift lever was.

 

Got the C6 installed in Rusty. Took 3 tries as it wouldn't pass my test of the torque converter being easily moved when the tranny was bolted up tight. I do that test by installing the nuts on the studs loosely after they pass through the flex plate, and then trying to move the TC back and forth by hand. And two times I got it up there it wouldn't move, and yet the TC wasn't up against the flex plate. Then I found a burr on the crank that was apparently keeping the TC from going into the crank all the way. I polished that out and then the TC went in nicely and turned easily even when the tranny was bolted up tight.

I'm going to busy the next 3 days on other things, but should get back to it on Thursday. Hopefully I'll get the mounts and torque converter torqued down and the transfer case mounted. Maybe even a couple of drive shafts installed and/or a bit of fluid dribbled in. Who knows, he may come to life in a week or so.

 

Discovered today that the transmission cross-member for a 2wd is different than for a 4wd. I installed the cross-member from a 2wd w/o the mount and realized that the tranny wouldn't go up far enough to allow the mount to fit. I had thought that a C6, which is what is going back in, would take a different one than one for the NP435 that came out. But, that's not true as I reinstalled the one that came out and everything fit.

However, I also discovered that the 4wd cross-member takes different braces, the things that go up to the top of the frame, as I tried to install the others - no go. And, then I remembered that Rusty didn't come with those braces - the same guy that used a cutting torch on the floor to cut through for the shift levers put it together w/o those braces. Fortunately I had a set that fit. Unfortunately they were for Dad's truck. They were marked:

• Passenger's side: E0TA-7R 314-BB
• Driver's side: E0TA-7F 468-BB

So, I have to find them before getting Dad's truck back together. But, at least Rusty is put together correctly.

 

Made some progress today:

• Tightened the torque converter nuts down to spec
• Installed the transfer case
• Installed the front drive shaft - no problemo
• Installed the rear drive shaft - after remembering that the rear axle has to be raised when the truck is on the lift in order to get enough space for the shaft
• Removed the seat and carpet and cut out the floor for the tranny cover. Yes, as you can see in the pictures, Rusty was originally an auto trans/2wd truck and was converted by a man with a torch. (The tranny cover shown is actually the tall one for the ZF in Dad's truck, but the other one wasn't available for the shot, so this one stood in.)
• Primed the floor opening to prevent rust.

 

Do you have to cover one of the two holes in the tranny cover?

 

Yes, but how did you come to that conclusion??? My post said: "The tranny cover shown is actually the tall one for the ZF in Dad's truck, but the other one wasn't available for the shot, so this one stood in." If you really went back and looked at Dad's Truck Build thread you'd probably find where I cut the other cover for both the ZF5 and the transfer case shifters before I realized that it wouldn't clear the ZF. But surely you didn't do that and just got lucky?

I still have the piece I cut out of it though, so plan to braze it back in so it'll be "whole" not "hole".

 

It's amazing that the ZF even fits in the tunnel (as tall as it is)

 

Yep. But when you see how much room the C6 has you realize they didn't scrimp on the tunnel size.

As for what I got done today, very little as it was Sunday and we had lots of church activities. I got the t-case and tranny shift linkages installed - after a bit of struggling with the plastic grommets that are used in the linkages. Two of them were bad and I needed to remove and replace them. Took a while to develop a technique to pull the linkage off of them as well as them off the stud, but I finally figured out that silicone spray and two pry bars will do the trick. As for installing them, my 15MM socket and the vise did a good pair of pressing things together.

And, I got 1 lock-out hub installed. The other hub won't go on as there is a burr on the end of the stub shaft. Or, maybe I should say burrs as there are several. I used a file to take them off and almost got there before running out of time. Should get that done first thing tomorrow.

But, I came up with a question for y'all: The carpet I took out is AWFUL. Falling apart, rotten, filthy, and just plain disgusting. I might be able to clean it some and put it back, but I have a decent carpet I pulled out of an '85 - but it is blue. My thinking is that blue but decent carpet is far better than color-matching tan carpet that is disgusting. Agree?

 

You've spent all that time, effort and $ on the color scheme of your interior.

I really hope you are joking.

 

Don't forget, this is RUSTY. He's ugly as sin on the outside and the plastic panels on the inside look......gross. On some of them I can use my fingernails to scratch off the mealy plastic. I plan to put carpet back, but used carpet as I'll sell Rusty to someone, some day so don't really care what the color is - too much. In the interim I'm going to use him to take the ZF to be rebuilt, take Dad's block to be machined, and tow a trailer to move Dad's truck home or to another body shop. I'm just thinking that reasonably clean blue carpet is better than rotten, disgusting brown stuff.

 

Since Rusty is spare parts, blue carpet isn't going to hurt.