M1010 fire rig to camper conversion

[Skinny]

Health and Performance

The 6.2 snaps cranks, cracks blocks and heads...makes about 160hp but gets 18mpg

The 8.1 is so stout it survives a 300 hour dock test so it's used in boats, generators, medium duty trucks, and in the Chevy lineup...makes upwards of 500 foot pounds of torque stock but drinks fuel.

Sorry you don't need a log book. Not exactly a ton of 6.2's driving around anymore. I've yet to run into a 6.2 generator. Although I have run into a turbo 8.1 generator. So tell me again what proof of durability you were looking for?

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[cruzer747]

Health and Performance

The 6.2 snaps cranks, cracks blocks and heads...makes about 160hp but gets 18mpg

The 8.1 is so stout it survives a 300 hour dock test so it's used in boats, generators, medium duty trucks, and in the Chevy lineup...makes upwards of 500 foot pounds of torque stock but drinks fuel.

Sorry you don't need a log book. Not exactly a ton of 6.2's driving around anymore. I've yet to run into a 6.2 generator. Although I have run into a turbo 8.1 generator. So tell me again what proof of durability you were looking for?

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Unless you are donating a good running 8.1 for me to swap in I don't really care about this tangent being part of this thread anymore. I already gave you my reasons. Please respect that and feel free to start your own thread about your cool setup. Really you do have a nice motor. It just has nothing to do with my camper build at this point. Thankyou for your advice and again I am open to donations

Is this clear enough?

 

[Skinny]

Look, I'm not trying to troll your thread. In think you missed my point. You're investing money into an old underperforming plastform with questionable reliabilty.

I'm advocating that upgrading it to overdrive, turbo, etc. is wasting money because a better option exists. It's buy once cry once.

Don't be such a douche because I gave you news that you don't like. You can continue to cry about your 6.2 now.

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[cruzer747]

For not trying you are proving to be pretty good at it.

I have had less work due to covid, was evacuated for a month due to fires, and and starting to slowly put the working pieces of my life back together and don't have the time for my planned camping trip. I dont even have the money to get the next project on the camper which will be an additional trans cooler. I am very lucky to still have a house to come back to. This is the state I am in. Like I said, unless you are going to be extremely generous the 8.1 is nowhere in my foreseeable future. I recently went through with a motor rebuild and swap on my work truck which cost me a good penny. I am tapped out. It will be a good year of working before I have enough meat on the bones to do anything fun. The only thing that I need for this is about 50 more hp. I am very pleased with everything else on it at this point. I am considering a turbo from a 6.5 add on or a rebuild on my 6.5 because it is sitting there staring at me. both of those are at least a year down the road, in the mean time it does run amazingly well and makes for awesome camping.

I will cry about power and you will cry about your mileage (seems that you have been ignoring that as your real world numbers are probably like what...6-7 when you are moving a gross 8k lbs? (pulling your watertoys or whatnot). Probably getting 9 on a good day?) And you dont share your mileage numbers because you know it's that bad. At least probably get to know the gas station attendant pretty well, what's her name? Also, when you send that 8.1 motor can you include a prepaid fuel card as well? That'd be great!

Anyways, Ill let you have the last word as this is it for me on the subject, have a good one!

 

[chevymike]

Look, I'm not trying to troll your thread. In think you missed my point. You're investing money into an old underperforming plastform with questionable reliabilty.

I'm advocating that upgrading it to overdrive, turbo, etc. is wasting money because a better option exists. It's buy once cry once.

Don't be such a douche because I gave you news that you don't like. You can continue to cry about your 6.2 now.

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Yeah, sorry to say you are trolling this thread. I don't recall cruzer747 asking for opinions on 8.1L nor looking to swap one at this point in time. I would love to swap to a 8.1L but that will be an issue if/when my 6.2 blows up. Everyone has the right to their own wants, needs and opinions for their own rig.

Now, lets get back to actual M1010 stuff.

 

[Skinny]

Cool...good luck with your 30 year Detroit diesel bro. You and the 6.2 love posse can keep tounging each other now.



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[Sharecropper]

Now boys, please behave. All that 6.2 needs is a new Turbo Encabulator.

 

[Skinny]

That's a great one. I used to play that on the first day of automatic transmission class. Kids would get very scared.



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[Mad Texan]

They all suck!!! Put a Cummins in!!!

I'm sorry... I couldn't help myself...

 

[cruzer747]

They all suck!!! Put a Cummins in!!!

I'm sorry... I couldn't help myself...

Hah hah.... cummins? I was actually thinking of going green and doing something like this

EV West develops Tesla crate motor that fits LS, small-block mounts - Autoblog

EV West, a company that sells electric car components such as motors, controllers, batteries has a Tesla crate motor that fits Chevy LS, small-block mounts

www.autoblog.com

 

[chevymike]

Hah hah.... cummins? I was actually thinking of going green and doing something like this

EV West develops Tesla crate motor that fits LS, small-block mounts - Autoblog

EV West, a company that sells electric car components such as motors, controllers, batteries has a Tesla crate motor that fits Chevy LS, small-block mounts

www.autoblog.com

My best friend works at EV West. Some cool stuff from there.

 

[cruzer747]

My best friend works at EV West. Some cool stuff from there.

if they need a volounteer for a retrofit for good PR, let him know that I would happily let my rig be given the full treatment!

 

[cruzer747]

quick update and a question for you guys... so not much time has been had for working on the rig but it looks like soon I might be able to take it out for a snow trip. I dusted it off a bit in anticipation and found the alternator was not charging... it would kind of fishbite with the voltage.... just teasing at a charging voltage and then not. This was only a 10 minute round trip. It was a little hesitant last time I had driven it as well. After hearing the intermittent bearing noise I waas about to kust order a new one (it is a leece neville, not sure of amperage) but , being that there is quite a bit of belt strum I ecided to look under the hood and found the v belt had stretched a tad and was able to tighten it a bit more and viola, she is feeding juice.

am tempted to fab up a tensioner to ride on the back side of the belt on the long run. (Similar to a serpentine 6.5 where the vacuum pump goes) Is there any downside to doing this other than one more part to fail but the amount of strum I see is wanting... something better.


That said, I started fabbing up a [phone][tablet][phone] holder that will strap to the dash for the long drives and also running the ohv maps when exploring. will post pics of that when it is a bit further along.

Also... I noticed a leak from the front output seal on the transfer case! I have I think about 2k on it since and I know I have it in there nice and square and dont recall any abnormal wear on the snout and knowing me I am sure I worked it over with some #1500 before a lubed reassembly as well. I will look at that after the trip but if there is anything obvious that I have not mentioned feel free to throw it out there! thanks

Oh yeah, I felt it was time to let the old low mileage th400 go and a fellow steelsoldier member nabbed it for a spare. Hope it serves him well!

 

[Sharecropper]

quick update and a question for you guys... so not much time has been had for working on the rig but it looks like soon I might be able to take it out for a snow trip. I dusted it off a bit in anticipation and found the alternator was not charging... it would kind of fishbite with the voltage.... just teasing at a charging voltage and then not. This was only a 10 minute round trip. It was a little hesitant last time I had driven it as well. After hearing the intermittent bearing noise I waas about to kust order a new one (it is a leece neville, not sure of amperage) but , being that there is quite a bit of belt strum I ecided to look under the hood and found the v belt had stretched a tad and was able to tighten it a bit more and viola, she is feeding juice.

am tempted to fab up a tensioner to ride on the back side of the belt on the long run. (Similar to a serpentine 6.5 where the vacuum pump goes) Is there any downside to doing this other than one more part to fail but the amount of strum I see is wanting... something better.


That said, I started fabbing up a [phone][tablet][phone] holder that will strap to the dash for the long drives and also running the ohv maps when exploring. will post pics of that when it is a bit further along.

Also... I noticed a leak from the front output seal on the transfer case! I have I think about 2k on it since and I know I have it in there nice and square and dont recall any abnormal wear on the snout and knowing me I am sure I worked it over with some #1500 before a lubed reassembly as well. I will look at that after the trip but if there is anything obvious that I have not mentioned feel free to throw it out there! thanks

Oh yeah, I felt it was time to let the old low mileage th400 go and a fellow steelsoldier member nabbed it for a spare. Hope it serves him well!

Regarding your belts, I will suggest that you align the pulleys instead of diving into a custom idler fabrication. I’ve been changing belts on these things since the mid 1960’s and a few years ago I decided to figure out what was causing the belts to stretch and squeak. I discovered that the alternator and power steering brackets on the 6.2’s aren’t exactly lined up. If you remove your fan and replace/retorque the nuts on the water pump pulley, you can then take a straight edge and check alignment. The first pulley that needs to be aligned is the drivers side alternator. Then use a pulley puller to align the power steering pulley between the two. Then align the passenger side alternator pulley. For whatever reason I have found that both alternator pulleys come from the factory slightly rearward and cause stress and heat which then causes squeaks, stretching, and ultimately catastrophic belt failure. The alternator pulleys can be positioned forward and therefore aligned by adding a washer between the pulley and pulley fan. Different thicknesses of washers can assure a perfect alignment. Once the pulleys are aligned the belts will run straight and smooth with no squeaks or heat buildup. They will stay tensioned without having to retighten them ever so often. You can check alignment in a few minutes without spending a dime. Hope this helps.
Regarding your leaky output shaft, see my thread on the subject. https://www.steelsoldiers.com/threads/leaky-front-transfer-case-seal-maybe-not.195119/

 

[Mad Texan]

quick update and a question for you guys... so not much time has been had for working on the rig but it looks like soon I might be able to take it out for a snow trip. I dusted it off a bit in anticipation and found the alternator was not charging... it would kind of fishbite with the voltage.... just teasing at a charging voltage and then not. This was only a 10 minute round trip. It was a little hesitant last time I had driven it as well. After hearing the intermittent bearing noise I waas about to kust order a new one (it is a leece neville, not sure of amperage) but , being that there is quite a bit of belt strum I ecided to look under the hood and found the v belt had stretched a tad and was able to tighten it a bit more and viola, she is feeding juice.

am tempted to fab up a tensioner to ride on the back side of the belt on the long run. (Similar to a serpentine 6.5 where the vacuum pump goes) Is there any downside to doing this other than one more part to fail but the amount of strum I see is wanting... something better.

While I agree that belt alignment reeks havoc on these old v-belts. I have also looked at possible adding a tensioner/ idler pulley to deal with the belt 'strum'. Every time I drive the M1010 after a while I have to get use to sound the upper alternator belt makes, especially at idle in gear.

 

[chevymike]

I have thought about the same idea of a tensioner but it seems that I recalled many years back reading that V belts do not like to have "backwards" pressure on the belt as they were not designed for that direction of tension. I agree with the belt strum at idle. LOL Makes me want to bump the idle up about 150 rpms as it seems to go away.

 

[Sharecropper]

I have thought about the same idea of a tensioner but it seems that I recalled many years back reading that V belts do not like to have "backwards" pressure on the belt as they were not designed for that direction of tension. I agree with the belt strum at idle. LOL Makes me want to bump the idle up about 150 rpms as it seems to go away.

The belt “strum” is a true indication of non-alignment. If you will align those pulleys all the problems will go away. Ask me how I know. Hope this helps.

 

[cruzer747]

The belt “strum” is a true indication of non-alignment. If you will align those pulleys all the problems will go away. Ask me how I know. Hope this helps.

I hope it is this easy! I eyeballed it (I have a pretty good one) and it did look okay, but I will measure it soon. to be clear, my setup has been converted to 12v and only retains the upper passenger alternator. It drives off of the crankshaft and shares the belt with the waterpump.

 

[Sharecropper]

There’s not much way to “eyeball” it. Trust me, 1/16” of an inch will make a difference. The alternator could possibly be close to aligned, but I would bet the ps pulley is off. Make sure all 4 ps bolts are in place and tight when you check for alignment. And remember that bottom ps bolt has another bolt on the block which should be tight. Put the straight edge against the water pump pulley after you have retorqued the 4 nuts and then measure the distance from the side of the straight edge over to the belt. Then extend the straight edge to the alternator pulley and measure that point. I believe you will be surprised at the difference. Then do the same for the ps pulley. The only way to change the alignment there is with a ps puller/press. Hope this helps you learn what I learned years ago.

 

[cruzer747]

So the alternator to wp and crank pulley is very accurate. (Tops the pulley is out a 64th over the roughly 4" pulley) like you said it is almost impossible to measure the ps pulley and the AC... But they are very close. Wouldnt imagine them making that much strum on a belt that was in a different vgroove though even if they were out.