SUPER CREW!!!

[Mark Nixon]

Pretty good chance the D80 off of a C&C will most likely be a 4.10 geared axle.

Dunno about that, I have 2 of the D-80 C&C axles here, one 3.54 peg legger, the other a 3.54 Power Lock.

A good compromise would be putting 3.73s in there.
The show stealer would be a 6 speed with 3.54s and taller tires.

Mark.

[m880cummins]

Well, a rough estimate is with 3.54s, 37" tires and the NV overdrive ratio at 70 mph, my engine speed will be 1688 RPMs Talk about cruising! Mileage should be great on the highway with those RPMs and a dialed in AFC. Just need a quick spooling turbo to get the anchor moving.

[Mark Nixon]

Generally optimum torque is right @ 1800 RPM, any lower and you start working it harder, which diminishes mileage.
Also, take into account that the "first gen" era stuff is a brick in the front, which increase wind loading and also affects mileage.

I forget the factor of loading over a certain mile per hour, but it seems these trucks have exponentially higher wind loading over 65 mph.

Mark.

[m880cummins]

Yeah, with these trucks, I'd say they reach a terminal velocity lol. The drag created by that front end will get to a point where an engine can't push the truck much faster.

4th gear on the NV4500 will be used for typical driving up and down state highways. That should be comfortable at 60mph.

[Mark Nixon]

Actually, yes it would, I don't know the numbers on it, but it shouldn't be revving obnoxiously high, for sure.

Mark.

[m880cummins]

Looks to be about 1900 RPM at 60mph

http://www.ringpinion.com/Calculators/Calc_RPM.aspx

4k springs will make 1900 a really nice beginning to a power band. Won't be lugging it at 1900 rpm and with 4k springs and enough fuel supply, that should really have some kick if I get in it.

Engine stats:

4k springs
rack plug
afc tuning
not sure on a fuel plate yet
either 215 or 5x.013 injectors
HE451 or S300 with a .083 A/R
60lb springs
24v tappets (in case i upgrade cam in the near future)
.060" fly cuts on marine (non IC pistons)
Brazil stuff
Minor head port work

This combination should be in the 400hp range all dialed in. Should be a fun motor. Probably will be a bit of a bi*** to start in the cold weather with nothing but block coolant heater and maybe on board either shot for the really chilly days. Probably going to plug it in at night if it dips below 45*. Don't want to do hard cold starts with a new motor. Want to see it last a while.

[CREWCABGOD]

holy frig thats alot of work. i thought i was in way over my head. crazy mods man! WHAT COLOR U GONNA PAINT??

[BC847]

Hello Charlie, thanks for posting the progress of your project, I have enjoyed watching your progress and I realize how much time it takes to take all those pictures post them and then add the text. In addition you open your project up all kinds of criticism
I have had my truck for 10 year and have merely done what it takes to keep it going and I am impressed with the amount of effort you are putting in this project.
Is your objective to merely post what you are doing or are you looking for feedback?
I am very curious to see what results you obtain from your virtual analysis. This is such a great opportunity for someone your age to be able to apply these concepts. You say you intend to be an engineer? What do you want to do in particular?
My older brother and I work as engineers at a large agricultural/construction manufacturer near you.
My brother does virtual load modeling (finite element analysis) on structural components. I design, build, and run tests in a lab to verify the virtual results, verify the life of structural components, and failure modes.
Depending on how powerful the software is that you are using at school, it should show you that you will have significant stress riser at the transitions between the boxed section and the open channel at the front of your frame and also in the rear at the spring hanger.
Twisting the frame like driving over a large mound with one tire will be the load that will create the most high stress areas.
The thing that the software will not tell you is the stress riser that you have induced in your frame by where you have located some of your welds. When dodge developed this frame, as did other truck frame manufactures at the time, they went to great lengths to eliminate/minimize the amounts of welds on the frame rails.
Even the powerful software we use at work struggles to estimate the effects of how welds weaken the metal surrounding the weld. (That is right, even a really good weld, by the mere act of welding, has weakened the metal surrounding the weld)
As improvements have occurred in virtual modeling, manufacturing welding (welding machines have improved, there have been improvements in wire materials), and testing of frames. You do see welding on frames on trucks now. Generally there is a lot of work into designing those frame weld joints and they are only designed to last a finite amount of time.
I have worked on quite a few frames (channels, rectangular tubes, castings, and combinations), 85% of the failures occur at welds.
Where you have welded across the top and bottom of the frame rail you have drastically reduced the life of your frame in those locations. Whether those areas will crack before other areas or whether it will last as long as you want who knows? You may just have to re-weld a spot or two every so many years. But Dodge knew how long there frame would last (under certain conditions) because they tested it.
If you are interested we often have high school kids come and tour the facility. It could be just you or maybe your engineering class depending on the number. My brother and I would be more than happy to show you some frame related projects and could make some suggestion on how to make those transitional pieces and how to weld them in.
This is not theory, these are facts, I have piles of broken parts that prove these very things.

Good info! Thanks for posting.

[m880cummins]

Got my D80 rear!







Was in the salvage yard with a 9/16 socket and ratchet ready to pull the cover off and then saw it still had the data tag! Saw something along the lines of 3.54 and L-S so I didn't even bother pulling the cover and went up to pay the $275 for it. It is missing a hub, axle shaft, both drums and one backing plate. The passenger side backing plate is bent so I basically have nothing for brake parts. Then, I brought it home and disassembled it to find this:



Couldn't turn the nut without a pipe wrench and bar for leverage. End was mushroomed over and cracked in the keyway. This axle looks to have had the outer bearing fail, seize up and then start rotating on the spindle. Friction melted the spindle end and twisted it and the weight of the vehicle warped it so it wasn't straight anymore. It has an upward curve to it.

I heated the end and used the nut to collapse the end back together so I could get the nut off.



Have decisions to make on the housing but for $275, I got a carrier and gear set, sway bar and a damaged housing which will need repair. It was out of a 1994 3500 gasser.

Video on the axle to come!

Got this today also. $300 has a loose pinion shaft (up-down,side-side). I'm guessing the pinion shims are gone inside. Needs gears but luckily I have 2 sets of 3.54 R/Ps sitting around with the shims needed.



Charlie

[m880cummins]

My Dana (mainly D80) tech video!
http://s393.photobucket.com/albums/pp19 ... 832D-2.mp4

[m880cummins]

So far this week:

Metric 63" prothane chevy bushing sleeves being drilled to 3/4"





What a mess!



Tube brush:





Worn diff races. The reason the pinion had slop was the front pinion bearing was shot. I could almost pull the cage off!





Cleaned up all the forging lines on the housing, knuckles and caliper brackets:



Twisted off king pin bolt:



Fixed that:



Plan to go down tomorrow (Sunday) and finish axle clean up, start a radiator support and work on rear springs. Tuesday, I'll sandblast all the axle parts and hopefully have some paint on the axles Saturday. Went to look at an NV4500 today and committed to buy it. The trans is in good shape and has 120,000 miles.

Charlie

[m880cummins]

Going to work on it this weekend but in the last several days I worked on it I accomplished a fair amount:

Black!











Added a little more of a weld to the pedals:



Rear springs painted, bushings installed and mounted!







Used some leftover paint on the rat cab:







Blasting pile for (hopefully) saturday





Rear rotors/hubs with a fresh cut on the rotors



Axle shafts I need to rebuild



Welds ground a little more on frame:



Cab mounts



Gutted fuel filler neck:





Rear coolant exit plate I bought. Should resolve any possibility of rear freeze plug leaks and will clean up the routing of heater hoses especially with vintage air, quite a bit!



Blasted and ground down a little for firewall clearance:





Started washing parts off:





Little stuff:





And, picked up a good VE lower half for my 93 with a shot h/r. It's been getting bad and now has to have the KSB on all the time to even fire on all 6 and won't idle at all now.





Rebuilt at work yesterday with gaskets and seals:









Cut my front rotors at work today:





Action video! BEWARE, rotors being cut may make an unpleasant noise through speakers! Also, notice how the bearing bore is centered but the rest of the casting has wobble. Every dana hub I have worked with does this on the lathe and its only because they didn't machine the outside. Pretty goofy though.

http://s393.photobucket.com/albums/pp19 ... ae5874.mp4

Charlie

[m880cummins]

Got some work done tonight on the truck. I picked up all the bearings I need to do the differentials and started on cleaning, removing old bearings and installing new ones.

Rear power lock carrier. The original clutch pack was organized as such:



This seemed really goofy to me as they should alternate to increase the area of friction and spread the force of the spring cup across multiple plates rather than only a couple areas. After I cleaned them, I separated the best/good/average plates into piles and reorganized the packs so the best plates are now contacting and the different plates now alternate. The Dana 60/70 axles are set up like this. This should make the tires bite better. These are different than the Dana 60/70 plates because they do not have friction material. All these plates have are grooves and slots that contact and grab eachother. This style is actually quite effective because with the discs set onto one spider gear, I found it very difficult to turn the spider gear and hold the tabbed friction plates at the same time.











I need to pick up new case bolts for the powerlock. 2 had rounded off heads.


I then cut the filter mount off the oil cooler plate. I plan to tig a piece of 1/4 aluminum plate over the area then install AN6 fittings for the remote filter and weld those in as well. This is after sandblasting and a quick cleaning:





Final door is finally getting body filler. This is the second SKIM application. I then use a cheese grader and take the high stuff off then long block it. Once blocked to my liking, I will give it 6 coats of high build primer then one coat of epoxy before the orange.



My new exhaust manifold and a buddies after sandblasting and one coat of 2000* cast iron grey. Need to tap an EGT probe hole, port the manifolds and give 1 more coat of grey.



Hit this 1/4 mile from my house tonight around 11PM. Some sh**brain let his backhoe footer come off and I hit this 70lb lump with my RT front tire at about 30 MPH. It was snowing so visibility was not very good. Made quite a noise. Pretty sure tire is junk and I guess the morning will tell if it still holes air or not. Great start for those new king pin bushings I installed a month ago.



Charlie

[PToombs]

Charlie, those friction discs are set up different ways depending on how much slip you want. The way you stacked them is the most aggressive. I looked around online because mine were like yours and I thought it should be like you stacked them. Stock is like you found them. I stacked mine like you did because I wanted it to not slip too easy.

You do know they make oil filter housings with holes for remote filters right?

[m880cummins]

You know the price of one right? Cummins #3284170. The chinese are at it again making knockoffs of them but I figured I would give this a shot as it has been done before. I'd love to have the remote plate but the price is to high for my non existent funds!

Hint: Its more than I paid for my motor!

I like to have an aggressive posi unit. If the tires are chirping and it really is nasty around a tight turn, I may drop it back out and flip one pair so there's one less plate engaged on each side....

Charlie