So fransvd contacted me to sort out electrical issues on his GQ which he had purchased.
The previous owner had done the conversion.
As a previous owner of a conversion I have first hand experience in what so often happens with conversions like this.
Somebody realizes that they can get a v8 for cheap at R6k and they don't consider the (very, very) many peripheral issues. It pays to have conversions done by experienced builders who can help you through this maze. Honestly, a R6k motor is only about 5-8% of the final cost.
I've had the vehicle for a few weeks and have not done much (relatively speaking) besides removing all the door panels, dash panels, switches and starting to strip all of the tape and sleeving off of the wires in the engine bay so I can see what goes where.
I'll load a few progress pics as I go....
This morning I removed the bonnet and started stripping, identifying what wire is for what, what relay operates what, cutting out a lot of redundant cable and starting to get a handle on whats happening.
there are cables which are routed all around the engine which could simply have gone through the grommet in the firewall close by
Frans just wants the car to be reliable. He uses the vehicle for towing and launching boats and touring. He's already had a few things sorted out, like the cooling system shroud and fans.
Here are a few pics of the wiring in progress...
This is an overview of the engine bay as I start. At this point I had already done a lot of stripping of the sleeves and tape, but it gives a good Idea of the work to be done.
The next 2 pics are of the passenger side of the engine bay, also stripped of sleeve at the start of the day
scary spiderwebs behind the grille
the next 2 pics are of the drivers side of the engine bay before i really got into it
This is the fuse and relay panel next to the window washer bottle. I wanted to re-use it, but it has been badly molested
So here are some pics at the end of today.
In many ways it looks worse than the pics before I started but I have to tear it apart and rewire most of it. I also pulled out a lot of redundant wiring and marked up many of the wires
Tomorrow's progress to come.... in the next installment....
GQ with Chevy 350 V8 gets a major electrical ovehaul
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GQ with Chevy 350 V8 gets a major electrical ovehaul
Intelligence is measured in smarts, stature is measured in hearts
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Re: GQ with Chevy 350 V8 gets a major electrical ovehaul
Nice !!!!!..... Going to be quite a challenge I see
Regards
Cedric
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Cedric
Nissan Patrol GL 4.2 Diesel Turbo (Iron Maiden)
Nissan SANI 3.0 V6 4x4 (SOLD)
Isuzu KB 280 DT 2x4 ('ol Smokey) - SOLD
Suzuki TL 1000R "V twin" (Growler) - SOLD
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- Senior Member
- Posts: 466
- Joined: 07 Apr 2016 09:46
- Full Name: Anthony Forgey
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Re: GQ with Chevy 350 V8 gets a major electrical ovehaul
I've been busy with the wiring and it looks worse now than what it did
I havent taken pics of it, but its a mess still, but with labels.
However, in the meantime Frans has elected to change carbs from the Edelbrock to the more economical Quadrajet. He got his Quadrajet carb back from Wolf in Walkerville where it had a bit of an overhaul, repairs and calibration
The Quadrajet is a spread bore and the dual plane Wieand intake manifold is for a standard 4 barrel carb.
Heres a pic with the spreadbore gasket in place showing the problem.
Heres the solution: a standard 4 barrel to spreadbore adapter plate
The adapter needed some modification to improve airflow so I used a burr to shape it
Aaaah, that's better
But, there's a problem. The adapter isn't dual plane, so you would lose all of the torque advantage and improved idling and off idle response that the dual plane manifold offers. So I cut a piece of stainless steel and slotted the adapter plate to receive the stainless steel divider
Here's the new gaskets for the dual plane adapter with the lip ice which I apply to both sides of the gaskets. Its a trick I was taught. It prevents the gaskets from sticking to the metal surfaces when you remove the carb.
Here's everything in place on the manifold
and with the carb mounted
and with the new carb cap (Peter Connan design)
I also bought a bunch of deutch plugs for some of the electrical components
I havent taken pics of it, but its a mess still, but with labels.
However, in the meantime Frans has elected to change carbs from the Edelbrock to the more economical Quadrajet. He got his Quadrajet carb back from Wolf in Walkerville where it had a bit of an overhaul, repairs and calibration
The Quadrajet is a spread bore and the dual plane Wieand intake manifold is for a standard 4 barrel carb.
Heres a pic with the spreadbore gasket in place showing the problem.
Heres the solution: a standard 4 barrel to spreadbore adapter plate
The adapter needed some modification to improve airflow so I used a burr to shape it
Aaaah, that's better
But, there's a problem. The adapter isn't dual plane, so you would lose all of the torque advantage and improved idling and off idle response that the dual plane manifold offers. So I cut a piece of stainless steel and slotted the adapter plate to receive the stainless steel divider
Here's the new gaskets for the dual plane adapter with the lip ice which I apply to both sides of the gaskets. Its a trick I was taught. It prevents the gaskets from sticking to the metal surfaces when you remove the carb.
Here's everything in place on the manifold
and with the carb mounted
and with the new carb cap (Peter Connan design)
I also bought a bunch of deutch plugs for some of the electrical components
Intelligence is measured in smarts, stature is measured in hearts
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