• Welcome to The Truck Stop! We see you haven't REGISTERED yet.

    Your truck knowledge is missing!
    • Registration is FREE , all we need is your birthday and email. (We don't share ANY data with ANYONE)
    • We have tons of knowledge here for your diesel truck!
    • Post your own topics and reply to existing threads to help others out!
    • NO ADS! The site is fully functional and ad free!
    CLICK HERE TO REGISTER!

    Problems registering? Click here to contact us!

    Already registered, but need a PASSWORD RESET? CLICK HERE TO RESET YOUR PASSWORD!

1994 K3500 extended cab dually

I got the positive cables past the disconnect switch done. 4/0 from the switch to the starter. 1/0 from the starter to the junction at the breaker. 2 gauge from the junction at the breaker to the power pass-thru into the cab and 4 gauge from the breaker to the alternator. I know the breaker placement is a little unconventional, but my thought was more for protection to the rest of the power circuit in case that cable got damaged and grounded out. Once it’s all done I’ll do a video to explain the circuits since it’s such a departure from stock.

0EDA6671-2202-44F6-BC37-296EF7F2B191.jpegCB3D47AE-8909-4D40-A238-A1927E76ADC3.jpegBA7040B9-31D9-4252-A4F6-149DA0BED5D9.jpegD2E8F2B0-507B-438A-8C33-EF8234DABC4A.jpeg58B803DC-FFD1-497D-98D1-BA973C2442A5.jpegA566CC2C-2F15-4697-BEA1-BA7166565C1C.jpeg5D0FE4BF-292A-474C-8300-68272CEA92FE.jpeg3E0EA6A8-8594-4B25-97C2-8CAF7EF3E03D.jpeg35666513-53C0-406A-9D8B-6974C26125C0.jpeg
 
Will L. said:
I always hated those things. Not like they failed or gave problems- just looked ugly and seemed like a cheap way out to me. I like your solution better.
Click to expand...

I don't mind the buss bar so much, but I'm not a big fan of fusible links.... I know they're standard practice and they're a proven safety device, I just hate the idea that if one goes while you're out in the middle of nowhere, you're kind of screwed. At least with a breaker you get some chances to try to fix the problem so you can carry on your way. I may have kept that buss bar if all the factory circuits were drawing power from that side of the firewall, but when I rerouted harnesses, there weren't the same number taking power over there, so there wasn't a reason to keep it.

FellowTraveler said:
The harness across my firewall was melted directly over the 6.5, GM should have included thermal sleeves across that entire area...
Click to expand...

Yeah, all of mine have been a little crusty back there. My main motivation is I want to be able to easily and safely add a center mount turbo there at some point, so having that area clear of wiring was the main motivator for me.....well that and I just didn't like how it looked with that honkin' harness running across there.
 
So Nate can you school me on heat shield and header wrap? I'm thinking I probably should wrap my down pipe, I've never done anything with header wrap. Any products that you think are better than others? Any installation tips?
 
ak diesel driver said:
So Nate can you school me on heat shield and header wrap? I'm thinking I probably should wrap my down pipe, I've never done anything with header wrap. Any products that you think are better than others? Any installation tips?
Click to expand...

This could probably be it’s own thread like in the exhaust section, because there will be plenty of questions and input from others.
 
ak diesel driver said:
So Nate can you school me on heat shield and header wrap? I'm thinking I probably should wrap my down pipe, I've never done anything with header wrap. Any products that you think are better than others? Any installation tips?
Click to expand...
I don’t know that I’m qualified to “school” anyone on this subject, but I’ll be happy to share what I’ve used and what I think of it. Soon.....
 
Today was a nice milestone - I got the batteries installed under the bed and finished all of the main power and ground cables. The only thing left was to put some heat sheath on the grounds coming from the block and frame to the distribution stud on the cab and then fasten them to the stud, but I ran out of time before dinner. The best way to share what I did was via video, so if you have 10-ish minutes to waste, here ya go....

Video 1

Video 2

Video 3

Very little left to do before I can start it, so I think tomorrow will be the first start 😬
 
ak diesel driver said:
So Nate can you school me on heat shield and header wrap? I'm thinking I probably should wrap my down pipe, I've never done anything with header wrap. Any products that you think are better than others? Any installation tips?
Click to expand...
I’ve been really happy with pretty much anything from Design Engineering (DEI). The first thing I used of theirs was their silicone exhaust paint years ago, when I was just trying to find a high heat paint that would last. It definitely holds up, even on a vehicle daily driven in Michigan winters. I put that on my HX40 downpipe adapter when I made it and it’s still holding up well. Later I discovered that paint is designed to work with their header wrap, so that’s what I used to wrap the header and the crossover pipe. I sprayed it on the pipes as a base coat and then per their instructions as a top coat to seal the wrap. I had to rewrap the crossover pipe because the wrap got damaged while sandblasting the underside of the Hoe.... the pipe was starting to get a little rust on it under the wrap, but certainly it wasn’t rotting out. It wouldn’t be as good as having it coated with a high heat ceramic product since it adds that layer to trap moisture, but it works well for a DIY application. It’s also pretty readily available because you can get it off Amazon, and even Advance Auto Parts and Oreilley stock some of their stuff. I just follow the directions for the wrap and it goes fine.....it just makes my hands sore after a while manipulating it and holding it tight, but oh well. Then secure the loose end with stainless cable ties.

For heat sheaths, I also like the DEI stuff - it has a nice heft to it. I also used some cheaper stuff on the Hoe that I have looked at now after it was on there for a couple years....I chose it for price, it has held up OK, but certainly not as well as the DEI stuff did. All of the heat sheaths on this truck are DEI with a couple exceptions - on the driver side, I used a different product to wrap the fuel lines to keep exhaust manifold heat out of the fuel. I chose a product from Earl’s. I chose it based on cost and also because it was black.....I was trying to keep everything on the truck black for looks. I think it’s going to work ok, but I was disappointed that it’s only available in 12 or 18 inch lengths. It does seem like a good product though for keeping heat out of what it’s covering, but not necessarily heat protection like why I’m using the DEI sheaths around the header/turbo/downpipe if that makes sense. And then on the 4/0 cables near the engine I’m using a product from Techflex. I chose it when shopping Summit based on cost and size, but now that I have it and have installed it, it feels like the perfect product for that application - it has a really nice heft to it when compared to the more flexible DEI sheaths. I expect it to offer a really good level of protection for the cables. And that is the same manufacturer that made the nylon braided sleeving on my cables and hoses....so far I’m very happy with the Techflex products I have used and plan to use more in the future. I guess that would be my comparison of the DEI sheath and the Techflex tube: my gut feel is that they’ll offer about the same protection, however the DEI costs more, but the DEI is more flexible so it’s easier to work with.

Oh and then the shielding on my firewall is also DEI - Floor and Tunnel Shield II. I really like it, it covers well and is relatively easy to work with.

Hopefully that’s helpful info.
 
Regarding the Earl’s heat sleeve, I thought of better words for my thought there.....in that application I was looking for heat rejection, not heat protection.....since one of my goals of the fuel system is to keep the fuel cooler, I didn’t want the proximity of the exhaust manifold adding unwanted heat back into the fuel.
 
I finished the grounds on the passenger side.

BCC7B3A7-61D2-45F6-B939-3884E8C92D85.jpeg

Then after that it was knocking the last few things off the list before it could be started. The last step was priming the fuel system.


It’s alive.


Man, look how much junk that filter caught already. Looks like I’m going to have to flush that out a few times, but at least that isn’t getting into my new heater core.

27A7C1F6-23FF-4ACD-A5EB-A6D9CB2EA96E.jpeg

I’m going to knock off a little early today and sit and enjoy a nice 70 degree evening.
 
ak diesel driver said:
Woohoo! Sounds good! I'll have to post a video of my new raptor pump. I had to smile when I heard the familiar whine of the older one.
Click to expand...
Thanks! It feels good to have things working for the most part. I’d love to hear what your newer pump sounds like. To be honest it was definitely louder than I remembered, but I would guess with the new plumbing it should be able to really sing now. Oh and thanks for your old pump - I took it apart to see how they do the regulator and then took mine apart and made a spacer to 100% bypass it....even with the screw turned all the way in it would still allow some to bypass.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top