Modern Repower

[Josh]

Great job Brett! I can imagine how excited you are!

[Brett]

Alright here are some of the pics I promised you guys

Here you can see how I moved the rear tcase crossmember back 6"

The lengthened pass side tcase bracket

The trans mount. the 3"angle spans both crossmembers and the driverside tcase bracket bolts to it

The finished Dr side exh manifold

Trans cover, Other than closing up the hole it only needed minor changes

Column shifter



view of the trans shift cable mount

Brett

[SOTVEN]

WOW!!! I AM IMPRESSED WITH THE HEADERS, BUT THE MOST IMPRESSIVE THING IS THE SHIFTER YOU FABRICATED!!! I LOVE IT!!! PERHAPS YOU MAY COVER UP THE OPENING THERE WITH A SOFT LEATHER BOOT, LIKE THE ONES' USED ON FLOR SHIFTERS OF PASSENGER CARS, TO KEEP THE DUST AND GRIM OUT? IS THIS THE ORIGINAL M37 SHIFTER KNOB ON IT? KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK

[Brett]

And some more pics

Custom wooden radiator

Radiator mounts



I'm really impressed with the quality of this radiator especially at only $160 and that included a cap.
I also added a 3/8" rod to tie the core support together it was about a 1/2" wider at the top than the bottom. This should help fight off the saggy fender syndrome.


The trans cooler lines fit perfectly, and come out right under the rad.

Custom redneck cruise control

in-tank fuel pump module

The fuel return


Brett

[Brett]

And a few more

This shows where I'm mounting the PCM and underhood fuse panel. Obviously I have some work in rebundling and securing the harness

ignore the one wire grounded to the battery terminal this was a temporary ground for the fuel pump for my test fire. It will be grounded to the frame near the tank

ignition switch from the van. its tied into the column shift so that it locks in park with the key off for security. I was also able to keep the GM Passlock security system so that it cannot be started(hotwired) without the key

combination fuel filter/Pressure regulator from 1999 corvette $19 from Oreily. Quick connect fittings are from the van fuel lines

Gas pedal from the van with a custom bracket

New screen that I soldered into the fuel filler. Not sure what its from but It fit well



Autometer Sending unit was an easy fit No modification needed




Santa called up jegs for christmas this year

Thats all for now. I'll try not to wait so long between updates. With a little luck all this progress will continue and I'll be driving it someday.

Brett

[Brett]

by SOTVEN » Mon Jan 10, 2011 5:17 pm

WOW!!! I AM IMPRESSED WITH THE HEADERS, BUT THE MOST IMPRESSIVE THING IS THE SHIFTER YOU FABRICATED!!! I LOVE IT!!! PERHAPS YOU MAY COVER UP THE OPENING THERE WITH A SOFT LEATHER BOOT, LIKE THE ONES' USED ON FLOR SHIFTERS OF PASSENGER CARS, TO KEEP THE DUST AND GRIM OUT? IS THIS THE ORIGINAL M37 SHIFTER KNOB ON IT? KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK

I may end up putting some kind of boot on it, but I haven't come up with a plan for that yet. Its a tighter fit than it looks in the pic. The shift arm was the gear shift in my parts truck. I cut it down, bent it, and welded it to the stub of the van shift lever. If you look close I drilled a 1/8" hole and inserted a roll pin. that will be a pointer and I'll have a brass tag stamped P R N D L for the gear shift indicator.

Brett

[SOTVEN]

NICE WORK!! I NOTICED THE PIN-HOLE ON THE SHIFTER, BUT I WOULD HAVE NEVER THOUGHT THAT IT IS TO INDICATE THE GEAR. VERY SMART! AS FOR YOUR BATERY TRAY, I HAVE MOVED MY BATERIES UNDER THE DRIVER SEAT. THIS WAY, I HAVE FREED THE ENTIRE CAVITY UNDER THE PASSENGER SEAT WHICH I USE AS A LARGE STORAGE SPACE. PERHAPS YOU COULD DO THE SAME IF INTERESTED

[Master Yota]

Thats a fantastic amount of work work Brett! I'm impressed with how you've solved some of the swap issues, and the coloum shift setup is pure genious!!.

Well done!

[SOTVEN]

ARE THOSE AUTOMETER GAUGES THE SAME DIAMETER WITH THE ONES IN OUR M37? IN OTHER WORDS, WILL THEY FIT THE M37 CONSOLE, OR ARE YOU GOING TO FABRICATE A NEW MOUNT? ARE THEY BACKLIT, OR GET LIGHT FROM SIDE OPENING LIKE THE ORIGINAL EQUIPMENT? I LIKE THE BLAZE ORANGE OVER THE BLACK DIAL FACE. LOOKS NICE. I ASSUME YOU ARE GOING WITH A 12V SYSTEM. DO YOU HAVE A PART NUMDER FOR THAT SENDING UNIT?

[Master Yota]

ARE THOSE AUTOMETER GAUGES THE SAME DIAMETER WITH THE ONES IN OUR M37? IN OTHER WORDS, WILL THEY FIT THE M37 CONSOLE, OR ARE YOU GOING TO FABRICATE A NEW MOUNT? ARE THEY BACKLIT, OR GET LIGHT FROM SIDE OPENING LIKE THE ORIGINAL EQUIPMENT? I LIKE THE BLAZE ORANGE OVER THE BLACK DIAL FACE. LOOKS NICE. I ASSUME YOU ARE GOING WITH A 12V SYSTEM. DO YOU HAVE A PART NUMDER FOR THAT SENDING UNIT?

I have an almost identical set of gauges Sotven, they are back lit and they do fit in the original cluster holes.

[Brett]

The fuel sender is an Autometer 3262 from jegs as well. The guages are in the stock panel now and I've wired the panel re-using a un-used conector from the van. so it can be easily removed.

Brett

[Josh]

I used weatherpacks everywhere, and love them, tehy make plugging and unplugging stuff for service or to get access to other stuff so easy!

[SOTVEN]

ARE THOSE AUTOMETER GAUGES THE SAME DIAMETER WITH THE ONES IN OUR M37? IN OTHER WORDS, WILL THEY FIT THE M37 CONSOLE, OR ARE YOU GOING TO FABRICATE A NEW MOUNT? ARE THEY BACKLIT, OR GET LIGHT FROM SIDE OPENING LIKE THE ORIGINAL EQUIPMENT? I LIKE THE BLAZE ORANGE OVER THE BLACK DIAL FACE. LOOKS NICE. I ASSUME YOU ARE GOING WITH A 12V SYSTEM. DO YOU HAVE A PART NUMDER FOR THAT SENDING UNIT?

I have an almost identical set of gauges Sotven, they are back lit and they do fit in the original cluster holes.

THANX MASTER YOTA. AS I HAVE MENTIONED IN THE PAST, I LEAVE MY TRUCK "TOPLESS" FOR LONG PERIODS OF TIME. SO IF THESE UNITS ARE BACKLIT, THEN I ASSUME THAT RAIN MAY FIND ITS WAY IN AND FOG THEM, IF NOT WORSE. I WONDER IF THEY MAKE ANY 12V SIDELIT LIKE OUR OEM 24V. I WILL HAVE TO RESEARCH MORE.

[SOTVEN]

The fuel sender is an Autometer 3262 from jegs as well. The guages are in the stock panel now and I've wired the panel re-using a un-used conector from the van. so it can be easily removed.

Brett

THANK YOU BRETT. I THINK I WILL GET ONE OF THOSE.

[SOTVEN]

I used weatherpacks everywhere, and love them, tehy make plugging and unplugging stuff for service or to get access to other stuff so easy!

HMM... WEATHERPACKS ARE A NICE SOLUTION TOO. HMMM... FOOD FOR THOUGHT