83 Holiday Imperial refresh

[Eyez Open]

It was a experience that is for sure. Riding a bicycle? Well kinda.It is working quite well right now,it actually had a lean pop/ backfire on startup.Just a smidge of enrichment on the idle circuit and gone. The choke setup was old hat,the self tapping screws in the kit were perfect, they the screws were tapered, and setup a perfect tap. And true to form just as 40yrs ago I managed to snap the housing adjustment cover...it was very bad issue for me yrs ago..and still is. Such is life.

Now for timing recurve as they call it today..It once was called a tuneup. Lol so many wordy titles they use now.
Below is a good example of timing a carbed/hei engine, just part of the process. It starts at about 24 minutes, the big part of that video is Morris making note of the plugs.

https://youtu.be/5KuGe5UXYAs?feature=shared

[Oz]

I wonder how much the person gets paid to rename things. I want that job. Lol@

[Eyez Open]

I wonder how much the person gets paid to rename things. I want that job. Lol@

Agreed OZ,Below is a thread that actually goes into detail what used to be called a tuneup. Once upon a time, it was just part of service. What is interesting Lars actually visits what I call combustion efficiency and yes a Quadrajet can be the equivalent or more efficient than EFI.
 Take a close look at the below commentary and the IDLE MIXTURE screws...they greatly effect higher rpm afr's...along with higher tourqe and net horsepower gains...read fuel economy.

https://www.corvetteforum.com/forums/c3-tech-performance/4703199-rebuilding-joserpaq-s-1980-q-jet.html

We're now down to test-n-tune time!

The vacuum ports on the carb were capped off and the carb was mounted up on the test engine with the idle mixture screws set to 6 turns out from seated. My test engine is actually a very close representation of Jose's engine, using the same cam and similar heads along with a set of headers. Carb bowl was filled with fuel, the electric choke was hooked up, and the engine fired up instantly on the first hit of the starter. Jose's carb running on the test engine:



Running cold with the choke closed and cracked open by the pulloff:



The air/fuel numbers were showing a slight rich condition, which would be indicative of too much fuel coming through the main metering system with the high fast idle and closed choke... Fast idle was set to 1250 rpm:



I let the engine run until the choke fully opened:



...and let it drop down off fast idle. The idle mixture went to 18:1 and the engine died. A quick pump of the throttle and it fired back up. I raised the idle speed and started backing out the idle mixture screws. At 9 turns out, the idle mixture hit 14.5:1. Raising the rpm and getting the carb into a 2700 rpm "cruise" mode showed the light throttle cruise mixture to be 10.5:1. Throttle response was excellent and very snappy, but this is not acceptable.


     


                                  VS
https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/earth-and-planetary-sciences/combustion-efficiency

9.2 Air and combustion
The theoretical, sufficient concentration of O2 to achieve complete combustion is that needed to react with the total C in the combustible material, that is, fuel. The air needed to achieve this is known as "theoretical air" or "stoichiometric air," which depends on the chemical makeup of the fuel and the fuel feed rate. The feed rate is expressed as a volume or mass per time, for example, L hr− 1 and kg hr− 1, respectively.

The ideal combustion process, that is, stoichiometric combustion, is that that burns the fuel completely. The deficit between stoichiometric combustion and incomplete combustion determines the percentage of combustion inefficiency (see Fig. 3.8 in Chapter 3). Therefore, at or above theoretical air, the process is 100% efficient. To avoid products of incomplete combustion (PICs), especially carbon monoxide (CO), excess air is usually added.

The excess air or excess fuel for a combustion system is based on the stoichiometric air-fuel ratio, the precise, ideal fuel ratio in which chemical mixing proportion is reached. For safety reasons, prevention of explosive conditions from fouling and generation of high temperatures, and because fuel composition and conditions even in well-controlled reactors vary, combustors are designed to achieve "on-ratio" combustion, that is, requiring a known amount of excess air, often 10%–20% above the expect stoichiometric air value [1] (see Table 9.1). Fuel-lean mixtures have air content greater than the stoichiometric ratio; fuel-rich mixtures have air content less than the stoichiometric ratio.

[Eyez Open]

On to other things...Entryway door, I've really been impressed with fabrication of this Holiday Rambler build. Built to last and made with very high quality materials. Aside from one feature,the entry door seemed to be a after thought. Very sturdy frame yet it seems quite apparent the merely skinned the door with a very light weight aluminum..Very...From there it was filled with foam to add thee needed  support. On this RV it well a failure..the door skin itself looked like it had seen much better days. The latch has worn out and the window frame was brittle and fractured..

So out comes the angle grinder and time for a new look. The old door insert dimensions were 26×70" the new door 26×72"..I need to cut and raise the frame 2". Not having welding equipment I will screw the cross brace back into place, it really does not carry any load of significance..hopefully that is.
.

[Potatochip P30]

Hey there,
Been awhile and just checking in on your progress, looking good... but the door !
Man does that look like a project lol. But agreed the door was an after thought on these, even though we are vastly different coaches there is a ton of HRC incest of parts going on.
Finally reworked kitchen counter with stone coat epoxy, new plank floors, 4k inverter and working on a mini split AC install. Hopefully end of summer we set sail somewhere.

[Eyez Open]

Hey long time no see..Yes things are moving along. This door is very simple to replace, using a angle grinder to cut things is the only way to fly. Now removing the old silicone sealant has turned into a major issue. I've never seen a sealant adhere with such tenacity, I wish I knew the What type it was, it would make fantastic sealant for roof repairs..unparalleled comes to mind.

Potatoe chip you need to start your own thread, the exchange of ideals,processes and products are invaluable. A mini split is on my to do list..a absolute must. As a inverter/converter...what a game this solar industory is playing. They make it incredibly complicated.

[Potatochip P30]

Yeah I am going to do that eventually, unfortunately it will have more narrative than pictures as I always forget to take the "before" or the "in the middle of" pictures.
Right now I have semi permanently mounted a Sungold Power 4k inverter with 2) Chins 200ah plus batteries and have run the Coleman pig of an AC for 2 hours so far with plenty to go. I figure 3 hrs and with the split ac those numbers will bet way better.The goal is to use the inverter to run the AC while driving instead of running the genset ( no dash ac).

As far as Carburetors - I am still fluent in "carburetor" and know my way around power valves, squirter pump cams and 4 corner idle circuit tuning (Holley).... After running the Holley Sniper kit that was a game changer especially with a 488 SBC with a large cam and single plane intake on the street.  Program in a few details of your build and drive it. Little stiff @ $1500 but it comes with fuel lines, pump wiring... Basically everything you are going to replace from the fuel tank fwd anyways.

[Eyez Open]

Once upon a time I tinkard with MEFI, the marine version of OBD/TBI. At first bite it was quite interesting, which later turned into something quite different..electronic squirt gun. Tweaking a Quadrajet is old hat, I grew up in a GM garage. Between Lars and Ruggles they really make it simple and quite inexpensive..now a low vacuum engine& single plain may very well cause some frustration with a carb...lol

Your views on AC are quite inline with mine, the AC units on the rig now and the old compressor  which is gone..are quite expensive with very little return. Speaking of new tech I've installed a tankless water heater, a milestone in front of the old tank jobs.

[eXodus]

Right now I have semi permanently mounted a Sungold Power 4k inverter with 2) Chins 200ah plus batteries and have run the Coleman pig of an AC for 2 hours so far with plenty to go. I figure 3 hrs and with the split ac those numbers will bet way better. The goal is to use the inverter to run the AC while driving instead of running the genset ( no dash ac).

I got a 3000W Inverter and 2x 24V 200AH Chins which are running the Roof A/C no problem for about 5-10 hours. Even without sun. 

[Eyez Open]

Right now I have semi permanently mounted a Sungold Power 4k inverter with 2) Chins 200ah plus batteries and have run the Coleman pig of an AC for 2 hours so far with plenty to go. I figure 3 hrs and with the split ac those numbers will bet way better. The goal is to use the inverter to run the AC while driving instead of running the genset ( no dash ac).

I got a 3000W Inverter and 2x 24V 200AH Chins which are running the Roof A/C no problem for about 5-10 hours. Even without sun. 

These roof tops are quite odd, my front roof top is just anemic, and draws enough power to trip the breakers. I bought a cheap $120 5000 btu wall Mart window job and it never trips the breakers. And it chills the front room..not cool it. The roof top is old and quite a machine, it both heats and chills. Old Coleman mach 3 I believe.

I'd have a mini split in and done but I don't like the condenser layout, if I find one that lays horizontally it's a done deal. Setting up a solar system is a work in progress...lol I'm quite sure I will leave that to my son.

[Eyez Open]

The door is finished,I had to screw the horizontal support for the door on, more than enough to to support the door. The RV has very large vertical beams for door support..almost 8' 1/4"  inch thick aluminum  beams.

I used 5/8 foam insulation sheeting and FRP sheets  from homedepot. Glued the two together with 3m 77 spay adhesive to create a new wall. Cut the door to fit, once again used 3m adhesive to glue it to the frame and its done...a little paint and better than new.

[Eyez Open]

Spring is here and almost time for the first road experience. Some house keeping is required first. Gauges this time, the cluster seemed dead. The below video really helped me re enable the package. These gauges are very simplistic..not to much can go wrong with them aside from light corrosion and a 90 watt ceramic resistor. This resistor is no longer made so junk yard diving seems to be in order here.



https://youtu.be/Bq3YfCLq4So?feature=shared

[RockwoodMike]

https://www.ebay.com/itm/355386776442?itmmeta=01HTWRAHMP90BN58DQ4M33Z3P5&hash=item52beb3db7a:g:BAcAAOSwel5lp4SA&itmprp=enc%3AAQAJAAAA4Bm2e4bP0P6THmw4zH0RAmIJLfrgvF40goGMLzo2l5dEj8g8ypSsRawjXK96TxXFlCtw1ZU8YPhtRiqD18oUhoVPR%2BVC8TKGDMBBM9A%2BuBGmfvQVqLAqC1xCdtsb4Rqm%2B8BoES4hNZXtTv%2BU4STlWTvhcU%2Fw9uH%2F%2BR5FzSW81I35ct6LQ4jkASro0EQ3R%2B8eXog%2BqQgJGFOrxHrATmODGjazPPAZxdETdYdyL5c8Yca4braQJDxT5zCu4nkaTJhRKIc%2FOZsa6O44OEu%2F3iSla7Za9%2FDUM73cjcAJhxRCDJCN%7Ctkp%3ABk9SR7iaqpjXYw

Any way you could use some sort of resister like this..I am very weak when it comes to electronics

[Eyez Open]

That makes two of us. I really get a attitude at  times chasing electrical issues. And then there is the junkyard bandits...not all of them of course.

I have a solution but I am attempting to get it back to original condition..a fully functional dash brings about 2 hundred and a digital dash is weighing heavily on my mind. A 200 dollar gift might just nudge me over the edge...time will tell.

The below will work,two 180 5 watt resistors in parallel that gets 90 ohms and 5 watts of power handling capacity.

https://youtu.be/LRQU7chppLg?feature=shared

 

[RockwoodMike]

You are on your own on this one..I have never done anything on GM products..Other than crush them when I was working at the wrecking yard!

[Eyez Open]

Yep I get that completely. I was raised in a GM shop. That was yrs ago, not to much inhibition goes on with this RV servicing I'm doing right now speaking for myself. When working on a vehicle my greatest fear is not knowing how it will end, there are only so many possibilities with a GM.

Now mopar stuff I know the crush it theroy...lol I get a headache just looking at some stuff,aka when I saw that recessed combustion chamber you have in that 440 I was shocked. Speaking to that I ran into a video about such things, if I can find it again I will post it. Pretty interesting stuff.