1994 C1500 Fleet Truck

[Erik the Awful]

My son and I used his truck to tow his old car out of my mother-in-law's driveway.

Here's something you'll never see - we grabbed the wrong keys and didn't have keys to the car. The shifter's broken, so getting it into neutral was just a matter of wiggling the popsicle stick right, but the front wheels were locked straight, and I got the trailer straight. We towed the car up on the trailer with the steering wheel locked. I'd buy a lottery ticket if I played the lottery.

You must be registered for see images attach

The truck towed the car low and slow, but it got us fifteen miles just fine. The truck has JB5 brakes, and they're adjusted good. I had a light turn yellow on me and I stopped the whole mess with no fuss. The trailer doesn't have brakes, so I thought that was pretty good.

I shot some video this week of rewiring the trailer, so I'm hoping to get that up on the YourTuber site soon.

 

[Erik the Awful]

If we could get the TBI on the 305 running right, it would be a fantastic tow pig. We scrapped the TARP Racing BMW today.

You must be registered for see images attach

I've commented a lot on other threads about roll cages. I've scrapped a handful of cars over the years, and the grappler always crushes whatever it grips. Not today. He plucked the chassis right off the trailer by the roll cage, and when he placed it on the pile the rollcage was just as straight as ever. This is how you want your rollcage to work.

You must be registered for see images attach

 

[Road Trip]

GREAT Action Photos! Plenty of visual tension with 'The Claw' hovering over
the car. And the final shot is proof that Racers are Recyclers too!

Greta T. would approve...

 

[df2x4]

We scrapped the TARP Racing BMW today.

I've scrapped a handful of cars over the years, and the grappler always crushes whatever it grips. Not today. He plucked the chassis right off the trailer by the roll cage, and when he placed it on the pile the rollcage was just as straight as ever.

Did its' job up until the very end, that's awesome. What a car.

 

[Erik the Awful]

What a car.

Indeed.

xc_hide_links_from_guests_guests_error_hide_media

 

[Erik the Awful]

He brought the truck by yesterday afternoon because it was starting to struggle to get above 45 mph. We replaced the IAC valve connector because the existing connector was destroyed and barely stuck in there. That made a significant change, and not just at idle.

The truck was dieseling on shut down, and we checked the timing. We had it at 10° BTDC, and the info we found says it was 0° from the factory and that 4-6° BTDC is optimum. We dialed the timing back to 5° and it struggled to get over 25 mph. I pulled out the vacuum gauge and we set it by max vacuum. It really liked 25° BTDC, and now runs stronger than ever.

Engine-wise the truck is running better than ever, but the transmission's slipping on hard-throttle shifts now. Ugh.

The passenger door window crank was stripped and he hasn't been able to open or close the window in the last month. We pulled the passenger door apart and replaced the regulator and crank. I've already replaced one of the window regulators in WCJr, so I have the proper rivets on hand. We got it done, but he texted me this morning to report that one of the door rods keeps popping off. Dang it.

I've decided it's time to invest in an ALDL tool so I can pull data stream. I'm looking for a bluetooth ALDL so I can read data stream with my phone. Anybody have good information on an ALDL adapter and app? Also, if I wanted to do a deep dive with the laptop, would it work and what software would I need? Note that I don't want to spend more than $150 because it's a limited-use tool for me.

 

[Komet]

Bluetooth ALDL: https://www.1320electronics.com/products.html

Non-Bluetooth ALDL: https://boostednw.com/emulation-cables/boostednw-aldl-12-pin-gm-datalogger

ALDL Droid is a paid app you can use that can do basic datalogging and stuff. The 1320 Bluetooth one has its own app, but I haven't used that one. I went with the Non-Bluetooth solution (covid times, got it from moates.net) and used an adapter to connect it directly to my phone and datalogged with ALDL Droid.

 

[Erik the Awful]

1320's ALDL is "Not available". Also, wow, their website sucks.

I found this one. Anybody have any experience with Red Devil River?

GM 12 Pin ALDL Scan Bluetooth

ALDL to Bluetooth Available in 12 USA,16 USA or AUS, or 6 pin Holden/Commodore AUS versions Connect to your OBD1 GM vehicle wirelessly 12 Pin ALDL - GM 82-93 & some 94-95 Supports both 160 Baud Pin E and 8192 Pin M protocols. Used mainly in US GM vehicles. 16 Pin ALDL - GM Some 94-95...

reddevilriver.com

 

[Komet]

Took Red Devil River 11 months to ship one of those my buddy. They never responded to any of his attempts to communicate with him. The cable did work when he got it.

 

[Erik the Awful]

I still don't have an ALDL cable, but the truck is running better than ever. We used it yesterday to tow the Crown Vic to scrap. Scrap prices are way down, but my shop is much clearer now.

He was noticing that his driver's side front tire has significant wear on the outside edge, so we played with the front end for a minute and discovered the idler and pitman arms are pretty worn. If looks like we'll be doing a front end rebuild on the truck soon.