Sxy Flxy
- by Pete Snidal (C)2002
The Re-power
The first thing to do after Flxy got towed home was to get him mobile.
Examination of the DD4-71 sitting back there enveloped in an amalgam of
road dirt and diesel slobber, up to 3/4" thick in some places, revealed
that there was little sense in trying to revive _this_ boat anchor! The
reasons were many:
- The engine was obsolete. They were pretty good when they were
developed during WWIITheBigOne, but since then, diesels have come a long
way, and the ol' 2-valve MKI DD failed to distinguish itself long ago -
poor economy, narrow powerband, extreme weight:power ratio
- The engine was dead. A quick check of parts availability and
prices suggested beyond a doubt that it just wouldn't be economic to
attempt a rebuild
- It was HEAVY! I didn't want poor flxy to continue to support that
monstrous colonic tumour for any longer than it would take to get it
out.
- Gearbox. It had a 5-speed (read 4 road gears) Spicer trans,
which imo is just not enough gears for a narrow-band engine and the
mountain driving we encounter on all our trips. Whether the Sierras of
California/Nevada, or the Rockies of our home province, 4 gears just
won't make it - not with the narrow power band of a diesel. Besides, I'm
retired, and I don't like gear-jammin'! Not with a 35-foot long shift
linkage and an engine I can't hear, especially.
So it would have to be a combination of wider power band, and a
Heavy-Duty automatic transmission. And, by some strange
coincidence, I just happened to have a dead schoolie with a very
live 391 Ford Truck engine - a gasser, with the correspondingly wide
power band, and an Allison AT534 Automatic! A marriage made in heaven!
Now, all I had to do was a little re&re!
1. The Removal
First step was to get the old tumour out of the engine compartment.
Fortunately, the rear bumper and cross member are removable by simple
unbolting - just like a VW Van! Once they were out, it became apparent
that I should jack the weight off the motor mounts by jacking and
blocking the engine/gearbox unit, and torch off the mounts where they
met the frame of the rig. Then, it was a simple matter to hook up the
ol' 3/4 F150 4X4 to the front, and pull the bus forward, leaving a lump
of close to a ton of scrap metal behind. What a lovely way to get
engines in and out! Once again, just like the VW van!
The schoolie was another matter. I found myself wishing that it was a
"flip" front end, but it wasn't. I solved the problem by making it one
- removed the radiator, and unbolted the fronts of the fenders, grille,
radiator bracket, etc. Then I cut throught the backs of the fenders
with a cutoff disk, and was able to flip the front end, all right -
right off the chassis and onto the ground. Rolled it out of the way,
removed the hood, and there was the engine, sitting in the frame, ready
for a little activity with a chain hoist and tripod.
Now, it was time for cleaning. I cleaned off the schoolie engine - which
wasn't very dirty, since I'd rebuilt it about 4000 miles previously.
For the engine room of the Flx, I used various heavy-duty industrial
cleaners and a high-pressure water hose, finishing off with Gunk(TM),
and finally washing down by hand with lacquer thinner. Then a few days
of sanding got it to the point at which there was some likelihood of
success of sticking on primer and white gloss auto enamel. Now the
engine room was ready for a new tenant!
Removed the 391 and Allison from the schoolie, fabricated mounts, using
the old crossmember from the schoolie, and bolted the Allison up in its
new home. Some welding and assembly required. After this, the
engine was introduced, and it was bolted up to the Allison.
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The Beauty And The Beast. Seems odd that the little 391 makes as much
power as the DD471 |
But it's proven itself in vehicles much heavier than the Flx (such as
gravel trucks). Longevity may not be as great, and economy a little poorer,
but, hey!... |
The Ol' DD looks nice all cleaned up, doesn't it? Don't judge a
book....
This all sounds so easy! However, it took up the entire summer, working
about 5 hours per day. Removal of 2 power packs, various cross members,
fabricating new cross members and mounts for the Flx, and getting it all
in there. So the fall of 1999 saw Flx sitting pretty with his new power
pack in place, pulley end of engine still sitting on blocks on the
ground. But the hard part was done - the main mounts were in, and the
pack was in place!
The next summer saw the front (pulley-end) mount in place, the
driveshaft fabricated and installed, and the air compressor (brakes)
that I'd managed to locate over the winter in place and hooked up.
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Engine In Place And Drivable - June, '01. Ya gotta
wonder how that tumour fit in there! |
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During the rest of the year, the linkages and cooling system were dealt
with - by June, we were driving it around the farm. The rest of the
season was used to begin the interior conversion work. Lots to do,
there!
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