The "Hulk": Ugly green truck to Juneau??

[KRB64]

Did you try a genuine Mopar voltage regulator? There's been a lot of talk in the past about inferior regulators, even several in a row. Good move on adding the extra grounds, that's a known weakness too.

If you put the old alternator back in, as I'm reading your post, you still get the high/erratic readings right?

[oldndcctrucks]

No don’t have a Mopar regulator.

Yes, tried the original alt; never did a voltage check before starting the mod.

The erratic condition is now gone- nice, steady, (too-high) voltage. I attribute the steadiness to good solid grounds.

[oldndcctrucks]

So I got the two adjustable voltage regulators today.

They are TRANSPO-CN brand; a subsidiary of WAI International. Probably Chinese (go figure).
I got them on eBay for $17 each plus some shipping.

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Note that factory regulators are not adjustable.

The first one stabilized at 14.08 volts; unmounted, just plugged in with a jumper connecting the case to ground,
with the dial on the back turned all the way down. Connecting a jumper from the output stud terminal on the
alternator to the red ignition wire on the regulator plug brought the voltage down to no output (dial still turned
all the way down) and the regulator was more adjustable. That is to say, the voltage out of the alternator was
below the battery voltage, but came up to above battery voltage with adjustment of the dial on the back.

The second stabilized at 13.7 volts, without the jumper from the input plug to the alternator output.

The factory manual states that the voltage at the moderate temperature I am in should be 13.8 volts.

I am running the second one, mounted and no jumpers, with the dial turned all the way down.

If I have more but minor trouble, I will install a local relay that picks up with ignition ON” which will connect the
alternator output to the red wire regulator input (ignition).

These tests were with the original 65 amp alternator; I will test the 78 amp unit soon.

*******************

There is chatter on the interweb that the ammeter in the gage cluster is prone to smoking; I attribute this to
under-sized wires (factory is only #10 which is normally rated for 30 amps in common building wiring). Continuous
current at alternator max is bad. If I install the 78-amp unit, that’s 10% more; with a camper and it’s loads, and
headlights at night, the ammeter will be running hot.

So I will try paralleling the #10 alternator output wire with a #14. This should be enough resistance to still see
movement on the ammeter but allow about 33% of the current to bypass the ammeter circuit. Of course, if the
original circuit fails open, then all 78 amps would be pushed through a 15 amp wire; I will probably install a fuse.

[712edf]

This is a good write-up on the factory Dodge ammeter.

https://ramchargercentral.com/techni...ted-solutions/

Bucky

[oldndcctrucks]

That’s GOOD STUFF thanks for the link!

[oldndcctrucks]

Suggested upgrades noted in the web article referenced above:

http://madelectrical.com/electricalt...-gauges2.shtml

There are a couple of things I would do differently:

1. I would pass the new wires through a new hole and bushing in the firewall instead of through the existing plugs- I personally don’t like the restriction of the plug by a continuous wire, and it will be less work and less danger to existing wires by not drilling through the plugs.

2. I would not install new fusible links; true, using them eliminates the extra points of contact compared to using fuses, but fusible links require extra tools to replace and are harder to remedy when burned “in the field”.

Otherwise, that is a GREAT article! I had no idea the electrical system was that weak...!

[KRB64]

Yea, a common weak leak. Look at most ammeter gauges in the dash and they are misshapen due to heat.

Here's another old popular write-up:
http://www.madelectrical.com/electri...p-gauges.shtml

I understand why they use/suggest fusible links but I'm like you, not good for field fixes. They can fail and not even show it. I've converted most of mine in my '92 CTD.

[oldndcctrucks]

I have just about finished the new exhaust.

I installed 2 1/2", replacing 2":

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What can't be seen is the old pipes were crushed about 10% - 15% at every bend due to the bender used.

I don't have a bender, so I bought a kit:
41PhZE+pS8L_pipe kit_edit.jpg


AMAZON, Speedway, $149

I can attest that the parts I received had very little crush; I'm very happy with the quality of this kit. Also, the couplings were a nice
tight fit.

I used all the straight pieces as well as all the 90's, plus one U cut into two pieces for two more 90's, as well as one 45.

I also used two flex couplings; while not factory, I feel they will help prevent manifold gasket failure by reducing torque
applied to the manifold by the long, heavy pipes while driving. Additionally, they may reduce felt and heard vibrations in the cab.
They are located just after the 90 bends, after the manifolds.
51eFLLlNlsL__SX522__flex coupling.jpg
AMAZON, Remarkable Power, $12.34 each
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For small bends and bends not exactly 45 or 90, I notched, bent, and welded:
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The notch and weld method makes the pipes ugly, but I don't really care. I used a MillerMatic 211 machine.
walker muffler.png

I used two Walker stainless steel mufflers, #21337, $45.85 each at AMAZON

This is what I replaced:
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Note the large number of stainless baling wire hangers; also the taillight wiring lying on the pipes.

The new exhaust exits out the passenger side in front of the rear tire; I now have room for the new in-frame
gas tank I intend to install, as both pipes hang on the passenger side. I used copper anti-seize on all the
non-welded joints, the manifold flare couplings, and all the bolts. Also, the ahead-of-tire exit means
no interference with the spare tire in the rear under the bed. Lastly, I painted all the non-stainless pipes
with flat black hi-temp spray paint; these pipes will start rusting immediately (as happened when it rained
on them last week).

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I installed a piece of 14 gauge aluminum above the mufflers and under the rear of the cab to hopefully
reduce heat and noise at that location.

[oldndcctrucks]

Took the old beast for a test drive and there was considerably more low-end power, as well as more power at highway speed (55-60 mph).

I know that it's easy to believe that kind of thing after doing a big job, but it seems very apparent that the old mufflers were probably rusted and restrictive, as well as the new, bigger, shorter pipes letting the engine breathe a lot better.

It wasn't really any quieter, which I thought it might be with new "Quiet Flow" mufflers, but I can live with it I think.

There is either an exhaust leak or possibly a burned exhaust valve on the passenger side; this is the side that had no coolant flow and I had driven the truck several miles over several short trips before correcting that.

A thorough external inspection is next.

[KRB64]

"There is either an exhaust leak or possibly a burned exhaust valve on the passenger side"

What makes you think that?

[oldndcctrucks]

Because I can hear it.

I looked into it the other day- there is a new gasket/installer failure at cylinder 2 between the head and the manifold. This was a FelPro set, so either I screwed up the install or there is a mating surfaces flatness issue. I cleaned both head and manifold surfaces and inspected for cracks, but I don't have a machinists' straight edge, so I couldn't check the surfaces properly.

I will have to pull the manifold again.

[oldndcctrucks]

On a different note:

Since purchasing the truck, I have been unable to lock the cab due to door lock failures caused by broken plastic operating rod clips.

Last weekend I finally got around to replacing the clips and getting the locks working. While doing that, I took off all the inside panels
and cleaned out the bottoms of the doors:
84.jpg
This is from the front passenger door.
When I was done with all four doors, I had more than a gallon of dirt and debris in a bucket.

Also, I got a parts bag full of cigarette butts:
85.jpg
If some assembly line worker is looking at this, he's probably laughing his *** off....

And finally, a REAL TREAT:
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This appears to be the original build sheet! Having it drop out at my feet really made my day

[oldndcctrucks]

I am having a REAL problem with posting pictures to this site.

The post just previous is showing pictures other than what I inserted, and other than what is shown while in "edit" mode.

All of the four images I downloaded and tried to post are less than 95 kb.

???

[oldndcctrucks]

I will try again:

On a different note:

Since purchasing the truck, I have been unable to lock the cab due to door lock failures caused by broken plastic operating rod clips.

Last weekend I finally got around to replacing the clips and getting the locks working. While doing that, I took off all the inside panels
and cleaned out the bottoms of the doors:
84.jpg
This is from the front passenger door.
When I was done with all four doors, I had more than a gallon of dirt and debris in a bucket.

Also, I got a parts bag full of cigarette butts:

85.jpg
If some assembly line worker is looking at this, he's probably laughing his *** off....

And finally, a REAL TREAT:

87.jpg

88.jpg
This appears to be the original build sheet! Having it drop out at my feet really made my day

---

[oldndcctrucks]

The rear bumper is coming along:
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I'm using 2" x 5" x .125" rectangle tube with 3/8" frame brackets and a
2 1/2" x 3 1/2" x 1/4" angle stiffener; 1/2" grade 5 bolts with 3/16"
opposite side backing plates where it bolts to the frame.

I used 1/4 sections of 4" steel pipe for the ends.