Lifted 77 Westy with 4.3l Vortec

fastmc25 · Post by **fastmc25** » Thu Nov 15, 2007 8:22 pm

Mine are at 21-22 degrees..... My max allowable is 24.... I want to go 930's but had to settle these......cost...

..... My axles are are 21-1/4" long also......

The rear shocks i have are from a Chevy i think..... A 4x4 bud gave them to me......( FREEBIE !!!)...

...... they center compression at ride and have 5" travel each direction....... I have to get some larger bolts for the shocks..... The bushings are a bit larger than Vw ones....

This weekend may see the roof installed........ I'm gonna work on it...... weather permitting....

.......I have some wood/fiberglass work to do in the roof then i can mount the windows and roof vent..........

I've been fighting the door seals..... Man they are a B$tch..

...on the sliding door....... I have original German rubber and it's very hard and doesn't give much.......... I still have to do all the other doors and hatches this weekend........

Living Large · Post by **Living Large** » Sat Nov 24, 2007 9:29 pm

How is the bus coming? Have you had a chance to test drive your new v6 bus? Any advice and or thoughts would be great, thanks again.

fastmc25 · Post by **fastmc25** » Sun Nov 25, 2007 4:48 am

Hi Living Large,

If the question is for me.......... checkout

http://www.shoptalkforums.com/viewtopic ... 9&start=90

I don't want to hi-jack Superwrench73's thread....

Peace,

Living Large · Post by **Living Large** » Sun Nov 25, 2007 6:29 pm

I am sorry, my post was meant for super wrench. I am curious about the power and cruising RPM, as well as overall driveability and the suspension mods. Thanks again, Rusty.

superwrench73 · Post by **superwrench73** » Thu Nov 29, 2007 8:54 am

Unfortunately, I haven't been able to drive it yet. I haven't been able to get my injectors to fire. This model of the vortec has poppet valves downstream from the injectors that I think are stuck shut. Not sure yet, but I just bought a house and with Christmas coming, I haven't been able to spend any time on it.

The good thing is that there is an injection module that replaces the whole injection assembly and does away with the poppet valves. I'm going to install that and see if it solves my problem.

My biggest driveability concern is cross winds and stability. I plan to install front and rear anti sway bars and use stiff gas shocks and see what happens. Hopefully the test drive will be soon!

I don't have the numbers in front of me that I used, but the gearing I spec'd for my trans should produce about 2,000 rpm at 65 or 70 with my 33" tires.

Eatoniashoprat · Post by **Eatoniashoprat** » Fri Nov 30, 2007 2:22 pm

This is an awesome bus!! I have a '69 with a 2.2 subie that I've been dreaming about lifting for some time now. This may just give me the inspiration to do it.

fastmc25 · Post by **fastmc25** » Sun Dec 09, 2007 7:28 am

superwrench73 wrote:
My biggest driveability concern is cross winds and stability. I plan to install front and rear anti sway bars and use stiff gas shocks and see what happens. Hopefully the test drive will be soon!

MEE TOO !!!

I am really anxious to see how bad the wind will affect my Adventurewagen with the high roof.......... I know i won't be top heavy as the roof weighs less than 80 lbs........ About as much metal weight removed to make the hole in my roof.........
But, This thing is going to be like a wing in the wind........... I'm guessing, i'll have to not get too heavy footed on the highway so i'll be able to recover from a gust once in a while...

I have KYB Gas Adjust shocks on it but may have to look into extra swaybars....... We'll see......

I should of called "Clyde"........ "The Louisiana Clipper"........

fastmc25 · Post by **fastmc25** » Tue Jan 29, 2008 6:14 pm

Hey Superwrench......

I may need to go with the 930 cv's........... Did you have your stub axles drilled for 930 joints or what did you do?

That's the only thing i can't seem to find for the changeover....

My joints seem to be clicking from what i think i'm hearing......

so i'm betting i'll need to change........

Thanks in advance for any help....

superwrench73 · Post by **superwrench73** » Tue Mar 04, 2008 9:38 am

No, I didn't have them redrilled. I had adapter plates made at a machine shop. The plates bolt up to the stub axle on one side and the 930 cv bolts to the other. I have some photos and a drawing that I can post to help explain.

I looked all over the place and called several offroad shops but couldn't find anyone who made type II stub axles with the 930 pattern. Guess they're not high in demand. I still haven't driven my bus so can't say how well my layout works, but with the axles I used, the length seemed to work out well.

fastmc25 · Post by **fastmc25** » Tue Mar 04, 2008 9:47 am

Hey, I had some 930 stubs made at Avery's Aircooled....... They did a fantastic job and the stubs worked well............... I have 930's on the bus now............. Been driving around and they do work............ I have some offroad prepped joints with smaller balls on the bus right now.......... They make noise alot...

.... I'm switching back to the stock 930 CV Joint balls today......That should eliminate the noise..... Otherwise it drives great........ The axles are at 22-23 degrees operating which is fine...

I still have some front tire rub with 2 people in the front seats though...... I may have to remove the front Jack points.... Not that i could use them anyway......

fastmc25 · Post by **fastmc25** » Thu Mar 27, 2008 5:57 pm

Hey, Hows it coming............ are you getting close to being on the road?

I just wanted to tell ya that mine is not liking the side winds......Being so high with the short wheelbase and large side area. ( Like a Box).

...... At 70 on the highway a good gust has pushed me 1/2 off the lane onto the shoulder a couple of times.....

so i slow down when it's windy....

I upgraded to a larger swaybar up front and am going to get a rear one to help......... The front bar helped some......

We've had some good wind for a couple of weeks with 25-40mph gusts ........ Clyde don't like that ............

Just be careful..... and let us know how your projects coming.....

superwrench73 · Post by **superwrench73** » Wed Jul 02, 2008 10:14 am

Unfortunately, with my house remodel project that I've had going since Dec. 07, I haven't made any time for the bus. Hopefully that will change at the end of the month since my house project is about complete!

superwrench73 · Post by **superwrench73** » Wed Aug 27, 2008 6:59 am

Well, back to work after 8 grueling months of remodeling my house. Trying to do all the work myself saved $$, but took forever.

I've replaced my fuel injection spider with a new unit that doesn't use the clog prone poppet valves. Now it starts, but will not continue to run. Next task is to install a different fuel pump. Looks like the MSD pump that I tried isn't keeping up with the high pressure required by the vortec. I've ordered an Airtex e8248 that I've heard good things about. It's actually the pump that the guy who made my wiring harness recommended. Should have listened to him the first time I guess...We'll see.

superwrench73 · Post by **superwrench73** » Fri Sep 05, 2008 12:15 pm

Well...it wasn't the fuel pump after all. Changed it out and still have the same problem...just with higher fuel pressure

Next up is probably what is actually the culprit...the PCM (powertrain control module) for the 4.3. I'm going to have it reprogrammed to get rid of the VATS (vehicle anti-theft system), egr, and other functions that I'm not using.

More to come.

fastmc25 · Post by **fastmc25** » Fri Sep 05, 2008 12:48 pm

I really wanted to retain my F.I. system but opted for the simplicity of my carb setup.... no troubleshooting and it really sped my project along....

Later i'll probably change back over to F.I. again when i get bored.....

Keep at it........ You'll get it figured out...

I just took mine on a 800+ mile trip in the Ozark Mountains and got 19.5 mpg towing a trailer..... so i really can't complain...