Wow! Stunning!

Once the bed is painted to match, it's going to look awesome.

The two-tone really looks even better when you see it in the natural daylight.

 

The only issues I have had were due to junkyard parts, the gp controller was not working g around 40 degrees or so. It would work great when cold and the engine would fire when hot but 40-55 degrees it would not cycle and would require some cranking. I replaced the controller with a Motorcraft unit and the harness with a 6.0 harness just to be sure. It now fires over easily at any temp. Usually within half a revolution of the motor.

Also, once it is warmed up you can hear fluid bypassing in the hydro boost, sounds like the is a bad seal on the spool valve. A new one is on order. Everything else is running great and I am getting all of the kinks worked out.

 

Yeah, the bed looks pretty bad, I joke that it is a 7 tone pickup. Ya have the blue, black, silver on the front then the different blue, primer, rust, and brown tailgate on the back. Hopefully I can get funds together soon so as to be able get the bed finished up.

I would probably be making better milage as well, but I really like the noise the turbo makes when I put my foot down and I still have not timed it. I will likely be doing that this weekend. I think it is close but want to verify it.

 

I love what you have planned for the front bumper too. I'll be welding my own up if I ever get around to my front clip swap on my '96. Was thinking something along those lines with something that comes up slightly above the hood so as to not block the light output like I feel my current Ranch Hand does.

Regardless of how that bed is, the cab is looking amazing!

I hear you on that turbo sound. I still need to get a better exhaust for mine, as well as incorporate an intercooler to help with the towing and hauling I do, but that won't come til the clip swap. Just need that core support!!

I'm certain you're glad to having it driving again, I know I would be. I'll be keeping a close eye on this as you continue to finish it. It's motivated me to eventually try my hand at paint and body on a far more detailed level.

 

So.... hydro boost is working great, I had the pressure lines reversed. Note: the hydro boost will still work if lines are reversed you will however hear fluid bypassing the spool valve any time the pedal is pressed, have less overall braking force, and if the steering wheel is turned there will be more braking force.
Right now, I feel like a dumba**...

 

Quick update: I currently have about 2500 miles on the truck so far. Only issue I had was a failed tank selector valve, I currently have it set to run off of the rear tank and will be replacing it as soon as funds come available.
This turbo setup is incredibly efficient on the IDI motor. pulling the Lewiston grade (7%) at 65mph I am running 780° egts at 7 lb of boost. I am currently running 8° of timing advance so I am probably going to bump it back to 7° and see how the truck likes it. That is all for now!


The old truck kinda sticks out. No, I mean literally I am backed up against the curb and she still sticks out of the parking space!

 

Now this is what a build thread is supposed to look like!

I'm really curious about any blow by with those tight ring gaps, have you checked? Noticed any oil consumption since its almost time for an oil change?

 

 

Since I am running a rdt instead of a cdr it is noticeable, but it is still CONSIDERABLY less blow by than my service truck and the service truck still has the cdr hooked up. I will probably convert it to an exhaust evac when I get the time.

I will try to get a couple of videos soon to show both that and the response of the turbo sometime in the near future.

I have had light oil consumption (roughly 1.5-2 quarts total) but I expected slight consumption with the rings still breaking in. I will possibly have some light usage from the valve guides as they were slightly worn. Hopefully not too much though, I still should have had the heads done but with the lack of funds at the time.... well... I will have to see how the oil usage acts as time progresses even if it is not enough to really concern me at this point.

 

Looking forward to the videos!

Thanks for elaborating on the rdt and such

 

I still like my paint!!

Been a while since the last update so here goes!

4800 miles on the truck so far, oil usage is now virtually nil!
Found out that until 4000 miles I had never gotten above 3/4 throttle due to the pedal hitting g the floor, as it turns out the aftermarket cable I bought was built a little long or the housing was a little short and not allowing full pedal travel. I am now peaking at about 21lb boost with a very light haze.

A/C system is workin very well!! I didn't want to use r134 as it doesn't work well in systems designed for r12 so I mixed up my own refrigerant. I DO NOT RECOMMEND TRYING THIS AT HOME THERE ARE RISKS ASSOCIATED WITH USING REFRIGERANTS WITH A LOW FLASHPOINT. I used a mixture of 79% r600 and 21% r290. Otherwise known as propane and isobutane. Current vent Temps are 22°F I have to be careful to ensure that the fan is not run on low or it will freeze up the evaporator core, noticeable when the airflow stops. .. Wife is impressed but not impressed, I have seen her wearing 2 sweaters in the cab when it was 90°F outside.

 

Impressive vent temps, I'm running that envirosafe propane/isobutane refrigerant and haven't seen below fifity unless driving through a rain storm

 

Just picked up an old farm truck 15' flatbed. It should be a perfect donor. It will take some significant modification but I picked it up for $200!

 

R&D bronco on the dyno


R&D bronco first run

R&D bronco second run





I decided to take the old beast to hunting for horsepower yesterday. I had not planned on running on the dyno but after about 30 tries to convince me from 03wr250f and a couple other friends I caved to peer pressure. My original intention was to run on a local dyno where I could get torque numbers as well rather than the portable dyno at h4h but my curiosity got the better of me.

On they dyno I put down 232 on the first run and 237 on the second. The max boost I hit was about 15psi which is lower than the 21 that I am able to consistently hit on the street. I was still putting out a bit of smoke although it had cleared to a light haze once I had spooled up to 15 lb. After talking with several others who ran that seemed to be the norm. After talking to the dyno operators, the dyno we were running on was only a 20% load dyno so that would explain a lot of the results. I may still have to run on another dyno just to verify what I am making as well as get some torque numbers. I personally think if I were spooled all the way I may make a couple hp more but honestly I am very happy with what I am making. This rig was intended to be a solid reliable family vehicle and it meets that purpose perfectly.


After the dyno run I was able to talk with a bunch of other IDI guys and compare setups. Macrobb was there as well as Racingndrummin, and I got a couple videos of the R&D bronco running on the dyno and the dirt drags. As well as a 33 minute video of the inside of my pocket, the beginning of which is my gages while running on the dyno.



A great time was had by all and I will try to get some videos posted up as soon as I find a place to host them (YouTube ticked me off so I no longer have an account with them).

 

I saw this truck at H4H yesterday. I am extremely impressed. Pictures do not do the paint job justice - it's just amazing!

Also, the engine bay is very very clean and well done. Again, you look at pictures and go "Yup, there's the turbo, that's an IDI", but don't really notice the... lack... of wiring until you see it in person.

The dyno we all ran on at H4H was only loading to 20% or something, and yeah, it just kept producing disappointing numbers for everyone involved - stock setups that didn't need much load weren't hurt much, but anything that needed to spool(like my own S360 setup or Justin's bronco) just felt like we weren't getting good results.