oliver foster

That will be an awesome Crew when you get done with it. I have read your build thread many times. I am glad to hear you are still busy finishing it up.

MrFusion

Are you bringing it to Carlisle????

NJTman

Who ya talking to Willis? Ollie or CE?

Ollie should be sleeping in the RC by then ..

oliver foster

The plan is for my daughter and I to drive down to Carlisle and put the Gauntlet in the show field during the day. We will be spending the nights down in the vending section, camping on a few spots that my Dodge bro. will have set up for his Power Wagon parts. He goes to a hotel at night, so I will drink beer, camp out and keep an eye on his trailer. The night life at the show is pretty amusing. The Mopar people are a happy group and everyone is having a blast that weekend.

T-man is right I will likely be sleeping in the RC.

I have been putting more miles on it the past few days and it has been a joy to drive.
My new throttle rod kit from Cummins just showed up so that will be my next little thing I do to it.

oliver foster

A few things got done recently. The passenger side power window stopped working the other day.
I followed Jim Lane's great write up in the sticky and it now is back to working like new. THANKS JIM! $1.50 later in hardware store parts it is good to go!

With the door panel off it and watching the electric motor work I was a little shocked to see how much the door panel flexes. I am looking into welding a support bar across it now. T-man has a nice write up on the subject, I am looking at following.

I am also working on modifying a 2nd gen style metal waste gate tube to run the 2nd gen turbo from an air port on the head of the motor to the WH1C turbo.

NJTman

Best door mod,

Thanks wheelie king...or Ramcharger builder..

Lol

oliver foster

I got the new throttle rod assembly mounted up and adjusted perfectly today.
The 2nd gen metal waste gate tube is also mocked up and fitted, I just need to pick up the proper brass nipple to thread into the head to finish mounting it up.

oliver foster

It was the first day of my daughters summer vacation so I took most of the day off and we spent some quality time in the shop working on the RC.
She torqued down the wheel spacers again while I got the new leaf spring clamps installed on the rear custom spring packs.
I then re-torqued the u -bolts on the axles and checked the u -bolts on the driveshaft u -joints. I checked motor mounts, transmission bolts, leaf spring bolts, crossmember bolts, exhaust clamps and hangers, cab mounts, fuel tank bolts, and most any other important nuts or bolts that was touched during the build while it was on the lift. My daughter worked on some of her art while I did this.

After lunch we drained and re sealed the front Dana 60.
She cleaned up the bolts and diff cover while I got the axle scrapped and cleaned up. She then applied the RTV after I brake cleaned the surfaces. I will let it cure with the bolts just lightly cranked down for the night. I will snug them down and fill the diff tomorrow.

NJTman

Sweet, Ollie...

Glad to hear Charlotte is having a fun beginning to her summercation...



Now all you need is to get her own "YooHoo" refrigerator for when the heat starts a cranking..


88* here today, but the storms just pulled in, bringing in better weather over the next couple days...

Thank god !

Cali can keep that heat crap !!!

BHD

Man, this mid 80's is great firewood cutting weather. Its almost warm enough to take my coat off.

oliver foster

We got a little done on the RC this morning before breakfast. The windshield washer fluid tank was installed, plumbed, filled and is working.
The front diff was filled after tightening the bolts about a quarter turn. The 2nd gen waste gate metal line is also routed up and working. I am seeing more road testing in our near future.
Carlisle is fast approaching.

As far as chainsawing firewood when it is mid 80F*, I would be in shorts and no shirt. I am with T-man I prefer being cold than hot.

oliver foster

I took the girlfriend and my loyal dog Uma on a nice road trip through the northern VT country side this afternoon. I threw another 100 miles on the Gauntlet. It runs great and is a real pleasure to drive. It is the best driving, braking, steering and handling 1st gen I have ever driven, at least basically unloaded. I would pick something else if I needed to tow heavy obviously.
Uma likes sitting on the back seat floor with her head on the center console under my arm as I stir the pistol grip shifter.
When I got home I turned the fuel screw in one complete turn and the idle screw out several turns, because I just couldn't help myself... One more short test drive put a big smile on my face so I celebrated with a nice cold IPA. I am off to adjust the throttle rod for maximum throw off the new low idle screw starting point now.

Good time in the shop on a Sunday...

thrashingcows

Sweetness...sounds like the project has turned out really well....making me jones for getting Sno-ball converted....

I have decided to leave my pistol grip shifter out...at least for now. I was starting to feel the desire for the stock round ball type shifter just before the mount broke and I HAD to put the OEM NV4500 shifter back in. I am actually enjoying the old OEM shifter now more then the pistol grip.

oliver foster

Yesterday my daughter and I did some cleaning of the interior and installed the nicest grommets we could find in our collection in the floor.
We installed the sun visors without the headliner and most of the trim for the road trip, and heck that look is growing on me.
I then turned down the turn down exhaust tip, as after I turned the fuel screw in exactly one turn the rear bumper was getting a little sooty. I had it pointing straight back before...I will clean it up and see if that keeps it any cleaner.
We will be picking up some more 1/2 metal square stock to weld into the doors for structure next as we just did that on Poncho and really liked the results.

oliver foster

Well the RC suddenly died on the road today. I was just leaving town where it turns into a 50 MPH zone. I rolled on the throttle and it suddenly total died. I dropped it into 3rd and popped the clutch...nothing. I rolled to a stop off the side of the road while I still had some speed left.
I was hoping the FSS wire had fallen off, was already running threw my head. I popped the hood, saw the wire loose, plugged it back in and closed the hood. The RC fired right back up and I may have had the world shortest on the road "break down" ever.

Earlier I had filled the fuel tank and had averaged just over 20 MPG on a 400 mile tank. That was mostly short trips, so I am hoping for a little better on the trip to Pa.
I have about 1000 miles on it since getting it on the road this spring.