• Registration trouble? Please use the "Contact Us" link at the bottom right corner of the page and your issue will be resolved.

1959 Cj-5 302 Swap. Help Me To Help Myself......

Not really much to say this week. Drove the Jeep all week to work, and really had no issues. I did take the time this morning to install a new center console.... Yeah, its a "fat 50" ammo can.... but, its waterproof, and lockable, so a good place to throw my wallet and registration when driving.... I may add a cupholder to the front of it, havent decided yet on that..... :D

9Dd7chB.jpg


I am waiting on the next shipment of parts... I have a new steering wheel on the way. The current adapter doesnt quite fit the column right, so its loose on the splines... no bueno... I have a wheel that will fit the adapter that came with the column due in today... I also have a tach, new shift knobs for the D-18, a speedo cable, and a few other odds and ends that will make next week more interesting... Including a "new" set of valve covers.... But Ill leave those as a teaser... I need to change the gaskets anyway, so I got something that will replace the ****ty breather as well....
 
and the new steering wheel is here... Not totally enamored with the "chrome" look, but I do think the "banjo" style fits the Jeep.... either way, the splines fit the column better, so I dont have slop there to deal with, nor the fear of totally stripping them out, losing steering.... I can deal with a bit of OOOHHH SHINY for that...

MqePFwH.jpg


I really need to weld in some patches for the holes in the dash.... Then I can cut a new one for the tach when it gets here Tuesday.....
 
ScottInAZ said:
and the new steering wheel is here... Not totally enamored with the "chrome" look, but I do think the "banjo" style fits the Jeep.... either way, the splines fit the column better, so I dont have slop there to deal with, nor the fear of totally stripping them out, losing steering.... I can deal with a bit of OOOHHH SHINY for that...

MqePFwH.jpg


I really need to weld in some patches for the holes in the dash.... Then I can cut a new one for the tach when it gets here Tuesday.....
Click to expand...

Sunny days make me hate the chrome steering wheel spokes on my '71 so much...
AP1GczO7TyXyjszNqV27fy0-0YgL9_lxJ81oOkiqr6RC40jNRTRB46f7DybjzbLKlKKvEQsSRzLCJ7mF9g8F1wzPwnX6hcqsq-ehlhRr7MFiSomoTJ2sI3vLwWv2pLmJTRG0mk-Gq94IKNcPQIeFu1a8UqMcsA=w600


...that I went with black on the DJ-3:
AP1GczMTRDn13s3HjJmz2NtSVU2Bb9je2cs_aY5W83W8tZxhY3Noow_xGMc3eXWDfJHF86voapEWVUcemd_q91WbS7sqK1-ehUv8wurDEGK3OxjgVW2_ifRzl8NANeI8KIdjgOwYX7j2PgA0TnpAoIS7vHvPNQ=w600


I need to paint the spokes on the '71 some day.
 
and more reasons we do shakedowns close to home.... Was headed to the local grocery store for some ribs (on sale of course) and lost all power... No fuel... Seems when the tank is less than half full or so, the tank can keep up, and doesnt have venting issues (I cut a slit in the line connecting the emissions bungs). when its full or near full, I dont get enough air in the tank to prevent fuel starvation... So I need to modify the vent... ill just get some longer line and mount it higher. I need to find some kind of a cap, similar to a diff vent, to prevent bugs from making a home in there..... Very easy fix for now... loosen the gas cap before taking off....
 
well..... $hit...

Took the Jeep on errands again this morning, and nothing has changed... No fuel cap on it, so it cant be a venting issue....

I get about a mile or two from the house, on the main drag (35-45 mph) and it will start stumbling and cutting out... sometimes it dies dead, and will not restart right away. Happens just as the temp gauge comes active at about 145-160.... Today, it stumbled, I pulled off the road, and it cleared up and was fine the rest of the trip out and all the way back home.... It started after I pulled the distributor cap to check the advance mechanism.... which was binding, but cleared up with a shot of PB Blaster... Only thing I can think of at the moment (it doesnt stay dead long enough to diagnose, so its parts cannon time) is that the 12v power wire from the coil to the module was partly backed off and the connector is crap... but usually a bad connection doesnt come and go... perhaps the module is going belly up (GM HEI style aftermarket distributor).... Methinks a tuneup kit is in order with a new harness and module..... I hate parts cannoning things, but when it restarts and wont die again, thats a problem...... and I have seen HEI do just this before.. change the pickup and module, and it starts behaving again....

anyone got any ideas??? im all ears!!!!
 
Well the good news is it’s probably something simple. Just so many little things to check. From the ignition switch, ignition system to a fuel pump beginning to fail or even a bad ground. I would say that a loose/bad connection or damaged wire can be and can cause an intermittent problem. It’s definitely worth checking all the connections and terminals especially if there’s old crimp connections, old unprotected wires or corrosion anywhere .
 
Last edited:
53A1 said:
I've had similar symptoms from vapor lock and over heated coil. Maybe a clear fuel filter would be a good way to id? You have hei so probably not the 2nd.
Click to expand...
I'm thinking its NOT vapor lock because, 1st, it still isnt up to temp, 2nd, its a sudden start, and 3rd it goes away too fast.... like within 3 minutes. If I had to bet, its an electrical connection, but that usually isnt intermittent... It all started after I pulled the distributor cap to check the mech advance... I had an issue with the 12v to module wire coming out of the connector, and I couldnt quite be sure it wasnt doing it again when I got home... It wasnt seated when I pulled the connector, but I couldnt see it real good before I pulled the connector off.... I will be replacing the harness soon... nobody but Summit and Speedway seem to stock them anymore.... Hell, I cant even get a module or pickup here in town..... My second thought is the pickup is going goofy... had that happen before and it causes all kinds of issues....

Sierra Bum said:
Well the good news is it’s probably something simple. Just so many little things to check. From the ignition switch, ignition system to a fuel pump beginning to fail or even a bad ground. I would say that a loose/bad connection or damaged wire can be and can cause an intermittent problem. It’s definitely worth checking all the connections and terminals especially if there’s old crimp connections, old unprotected wires or corrosion anywhere .
Click to expand...

the good news is all that is "new" but that doesnt rule out failure... The whole harness was replaced by me, as there wasnt anything left. But that doesnt rule out a connection failure on one that I made... The "one and done" nature of the failure does concern me though... that doesnt "seem" connectorlike... they usually quit, and either do it constantly or stay dead.... This failure is fairly specific, in that it happens in the first 2 miles, and not again on initial cold startup....
 
well, the saga continues.... I replaced the fuel pressure gauge in the fuel rail at the carburetor.... the old one was garbage, but kind of worked, and then fully quit.... New one tells the tale nicely though.... I got garbage fuel pressure.... varies between 0-6 psi at random intervals..... some times its good, others, its sitting on zero... so, I pulled the fuel line off the rail.... and volume is not there either... cranking for 15 seconds or so barely nets an ounce to an ounce and a half of fuel in the bottle.... so Im calling the pump junk... That sucks, because its a brand new, brand name pump (Delphi....) Naoa is supposed to have one in stock, so after my morning run, ill swing in there and see if they actually have the darn thing..... if not, Ill probably order one from Summit... Im done ordering pumps from Amazon... a good portion of the parts I get there are junk out of the box, even if name brand.... Im done... I cant keep replacing parts that I just put on to save a couple of bucks... Amazon wont warranty anything, and the manufacturer says the seller is responsible... so their warranty isnt worth the paper its printed on.... been there, done that.... never again.....
 
Maybe time to switch to an electric. That's my plan when my next pump dies. Seems to be once per year.
 
well, lets see what that does... Bought a new mechanical pump from Napa this morning, got it installed, and I have fuel pressure again.... Running between 4-6psi at all engine speeds, so lets see if fuel starvation was the issue, or if I have multiple things causing me headaches.... at the very least, I should now have VOLUME, which I didnt have before.... i could care less about pressure, but I need it to be pumping SOMETHING.....
 
ScottInAZ said:
well, lets see what that does... Bought a new mechanical pump from Napa this morning, got it installed, and I have fuel pressure again.... Running between 4-6psi at all engine speeds, so lets see if fuel starvation was the issue, or if I have multiple things causing me headaches.... at the very least, I should now have VOLUME, which I didnt have before.... i could care less about pressure, but I need it to be pumping SOMETHING.....
Click to expand...

That's perfect fuel pressure. I'm running an engine that was over pressurized with an electric. I'm still blowing out carbon chunks. The goal is to have 4-6 while hauling or crawling. Crawling is when the vapor lock starts and fuel pressure will drop to zero if you don't have a good setup.
 
More baby steps today. Installed a set of new plug wires with 90 degree boots. The straight boots I had were not playing nice with the exhaust….. now nothing is gonna get cremated on a primary tube…. Also attempted to install the speedo cable. New one fits the speedo, but the threads at the transfer case are different ( metric vs SAE?) either way, it’s only in about a thread or two… I need to see if I can get the bushing piece from Omix, as hopefully their crap all fits together. Wish I still had my lathe, I would just whip up a custom bushing…..
 
alright, these are close enough to being ready to go on, its time to show some pics.... Picked up a set of "classic" Mickey Thompson valve covers for the Jeep. Always liked these, and I cant even say why.... These were cheap, somone had wrinkle-black painted them all over. A couple of minutes with a DA, and I have nice aluminum highlights (that I prefer over full unpolished aluminum, actually....). Im going to finish with some 320 grit by hand, and leave a nice "brushed" finish on the aluminum fins... I have polished them in the past, and they are a PITA to keep looking good... every little fingerprint of ding shows up like a sore thumb....

the chromed ones on the engine are getting rusty, and some genius bashed in the baffles, so adding oil is an effort in futility..... the gaskets leak as well... so, these will get fresh gaskets, fresh bolts, a new oil cap, and a breather.... Gimme a couple of weeks, as these are NOT high priority, and I have a bunch of little crap going this weekend.... and more important things to work on than "cosmetics"...

59yG31t.jpg


They aint perfect, but they werent $200+ either.... :D
 
ok, yesterday was a pisser.... Started having fuel pressure issues AGAIN.... starts off great, then decays to nothing, no pressure no volume.... alright... is it actually vapor locking.... answer is "possibly" in the suction side of the line, or in the pump when it is "freewheeling" not needing all of the output... Todays solution is to put in a filter with a built in return line to keep the pump PUMPING at near full capacity... I can fill a 1 gallon gas can in less time now than it took to get a couple ounces out of the main line before... That is a good thing... You can physically see the fuel hose to the carb bouncing with each pulse now.... So, now I need to run the return line back to the tank, and hook that up.... a few feet of copper line (that I already had) and a pack of 1/4" rubber line should do the trick..... lets see if THIS helps with or fixes the stumbling issue....
 
ok, its time to fill the holes in the dash to the left of the steering column.. I have a tach I want to mount over there, so I need some clean metal for that... besides, I dont need the holes, so they can get filled....

NWtAudU.jpg


yeah, that speaker hole is fugly, and needs to go... the other two, I dont know what they were for, but there is nothing in there now....

EC8URN2.jpg


chunk of old Chevy tailgate aught to do it....

AE5w2WU.jpg


that looks better already... I have a piece of scrap 22 gauge behind here to catch anything that blows through from destroying my "awesome" wiring job....

EP01zhH.jpg


and a couple of minutes, and a few choice words later, its in

zqQh7e2.jpg


thats looking a LOT better than the random holes.....

STCoGxU.jpg


and the other two are in and ground down

HrtW8ie.jpg


a little primer, a little massaging with a hammer, and a little bondo will have it perfect.....
 
well, this seems promising (yeah, I've said that before)... took the Jeep to the grocery store this morning, its nice and cool, and thats when I usually start having the stumbling/quitting issue.... today, no problems... Knock on wood.... I need to change out the ignition module (spare for troubleshooting from the Mechanic at work is installed ATM) to my original, and see if the issue comes back. Hopefully not, as I fully believe that the fuel pressure/volume issue is now at least identified if not solved with the return line.... Ill need to do something more permanent than it being zip-tied to the feed line, but that can be for another day....
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom