Good insights Ralph

 

Okay, the front Driver's side fender is kicking my butt.

I've removed all the bolts I can find and it still seems stuck.

I've removed:

battery shelf and all bolts
two bolts by radiator support on top
two bolts by radiator support on front
two bolts on wheel well below battery shelf
bolt underneath wheel well towards cab
Cowl
Two bolts under cowl on top
Two (?) bolts underneath corner of panel towards door
All harnesses and plastic splash guard grommets that hold to frame

I have a question about (?) bolts....These are bolts with a retained washer. One came out, but the other one spins freely and I can't find anyway to get behind it to hold whatever nut is on the other side. It looks like maybe it holds the fender, but it also looks like the fender skin may come off and expose the nut and these two bolts are holding something else to the frame.

Service manual is of no help as it doesn't show half of the above.

 

Front Clip is off.....So, the problem with the driver's side was that one lower bolt at the pinch weld...I guess the clip inside had broke so it was just spinning, not allowing the bolt to come out. A little pressure, and voila. Now that I knew what I was doing, the passenger side came off in 15 minutes.

 

Been there. Many times neither the FSM or parts manual have the diagrams you need for that level of detail.

Glad to hear you are making good progress

 

Same here, we're here for ya if we can help.

 

Thanks guys....here's a couple of pictures of her....have a shop down the road that's going to sandblast everything and POR the frame in a couple of weeks. Have until then to get the brakes removed as the rear drums are rusted tight.

A few questions:

For those that ran new brake lines, are those coil protectors readily available or did you just run naked lines?

I'm hoping the ABS modules are ok and don't have issues that McRobert had with the bleeder. The ABS is a self contained system to the ABS controller correct? I traced the electrical diagrams in the manual and didn't see a tie into the PCM which I'm deleting.

I took the fuel lines off in one long piece so that I could use as a template to rebend a new line. Part of my fuel project is I'd like to go pure mechanical pump on the magnum (already built in the crate engine I have). So, I'll have to at least convert the tank pump to a suction...I don't want to mess around with additional electric pumps and regulators. Any suggestions here? And the relief valve that runs back to the charcoal canister. I'm eliminating this canister, so anywhere I should run it? Can it just vent to atmosphere?

 

I ran naked lines for both fuel and brakes.
The theory is that the coils protect it from rock chips, which can cause rust, but the darn things generally just hold debris against the line, which makes it rust faster.
To prevent chafe, I attached the lines to the frame with new rubber lined clips, and used a short piece of rubber hose, around the line, where the brake line clips onto the rear axle.

I had considered using something other than simple steel line, but since the original line lasted as long as it did, in a winter+salt environment... I figured that since it will only see summer use, painted steel lines were fine.
I've seen plastic coated lines with the coating peeling off, and stainless is a PITA to flare it.
I used bulk line for both fuel and brakes.


It's self contained from what I've determined.
If my ABS modulator doesn't work once the truck is running, I'll just remove the RWAL completely.
Can't seem to buy the part anymore, even if I wanted to pay the $$$$ to get one.



I don't have experience with the other questions, but....

The canister is to prevent fumes from getting into the air. So if you remove the canister, the only option is to vent to the air anyhow.
I'd make sure the line has no chance of water or debris getting in to it.

I've never switched to mechanical. It's always been the other way around.
At the very least, I'd pull the pump assembly out of the tank, remove the pump itself (to remove any line restriction), and fully disable the power to the pump so you don't risk a fire or explosion. You may need a slightly larger fuel line depending on the needs of the mechanical pump/engine.

 

I had planned on going with an old school vented gas cap, so I guess I could plug the rollover valve....But then that brings up the issue of an actual rollover and safety, and the environment. I saved the canister, so I guess I could mount it and use it again. Just wasn't sure with a carb and mech pump if that was all feasible. Don't recall ever seeing a rollover vent valve/canister on a carb set up.

On another note just for education, I pulled the pump assembly....what's that big *** spring in the tank for?

Edit: Maybe just keeping the stock pump and putting a return style regulator on it is the best way to go? I'd read somewhere that trying to regulate the high PSI pump to carb as problematic, but Holley seems to say it works fine....hmmmmmm

 

I'm in agreement with RobertMc on the brake lines, I don't put much trust into the wound wire around the factory lines. I really believe it leads to early rusting because they trap debri. Just use the coated steel lines or the new rust-proof alloy lines they sell at Advance and AutoZone. If you route it tight to the frame and keep it tucked behind or inside the frame it should be fine.

Regarding the fuel pump, I modified a '94 pump module for return-style operation. To do that I drilled a hole in the top of the module and added a return fitting. You could remove the pump as RobertMc suggested, and add a larger, 3/8 fitting to the module. If you decide to go that way make sure you keep in mind that clearance between the tank and bed is limited, and be sure to use a good quality, fuel resistant sealant around the fitting. Any submersed fuel lines in the tank should be rated for submersion in ethanol-added fuel. The new fuels will disintegrate the old stuff they used in tanks.

 

The 90 fuel system w/ TBI is already a return style.

Leaning now towards keeping the stock setup and just putting a bypass regulator on the carb. Only question, is the fuel pump hardwired into the ignition circuit/oil switch, or is it part of the fuel management computer?