endocry Im with Nathan...The Power Wagon is just a bad assed truck. Just give him the truck and let him put his own exhaust...PWs sound awesome when piped right ;)
Nathan said himself if given the choice between a Ram Rebel and a Power Wagon he would choose the Rebel. Big city driving would be a bitch though in a Power Wagon.
Jord A. Add in the fact that there was not much talk about pump changes, if there could be crap in the screen, rust in the tank, someone bent or misaligned the pickup while replacing a pump.. THIS is assuming there is a pump IN the tank.. the old carb engines had a mechanical pump on the block also notorious for getting old and hot and having the diaphragm leak under power.. etc etc etc...
There's a couple things. First off like you said you only had a quarter tank of fuel. You never go off-roading unless you have a full tank. Your starving the pump on the hill. Solution would be either a foam insert like fuel cells have or there is a fuel mat that goes on the end of the pickup in the tank that will suck up every last drop. I think it's Holley that makes it. Next thing. Carb floats need adjusting. That also could be starving the motor for fuel. Consider going to fuel injection. I would recommend a Holley kit. Way simple bolt on kit. It self adjusts for elevation and no floats to adjust. Next get that new dual exhaust on that truck. Your new motor might have 400hp as you said in the video but not with those exhaust leaks and single exhaust. Your killing the power that motor can put out. Next thing, you never try to go up a hill like that with a stick shift in 4high as you said you put it in. Put it in 4 low for more torque and climbing power, your only bugging out the motor doing it the way you had it. Next thing is when you go off-roading bring some gear with you invade you get in trouble, extra fuel, spare tire, jack, shovel to dig yourself out, tow rope rates for that trucks weight, a winch to pull your self out, if you want to keep the stock bumpers you can get a trailer receiver mount winch for front and rear that you can plug in and out when you need it or done with it. Next thing for off-roading bring food and drinks, if you break or get stuck and end up out here for hours or all day your going to need to eat or drink at some point. That's all for now.
I really think it has to do with so little fuel in the tank. Those tanks are really long, when mines on a quarter tank and i floor it from a stop it will bog down (TBI). Have a feeling like it was probably running on what was left in the bowls when he started going up.
Rod Long, I think maybe your taking that out of context entirely. Just because you don't have a full tank an hour into the day doesn't mean you shouldn't start with a full tank. The point was, when he got to the hill he had about a quarter tank of fuel and that was a bad idea.
cody roland That's my guess too and it's easy enough to test. It could also be that the fuel pickup is rotten or damaged. That is a common issue with Ford's of that vintage.
John McWade : Well said. Its obvious that you sir have some legit off-road experience. And when you have little to no experience off-road and are taking a pretty nice truck(with new motor) out to basically beat on it, someone with actual experience and knowledge is pretty darn valuable! They ought to get ahold of a buddy that knows how to wheel and bring him/her along with... Shit, maybe good Ole Johnny McWade could find a way to meet up with the TFL crew and drop a lil knowledge on em? Looks like they were running a little short on skills/experience in this video... And for Petes sake! They should have had an actual legitimate Chevy guy (that has done couple billion motor swaps) lead the way on Big Greens heart transplant! "He has an interesting personality" -That doesn't mean you ought to pay him to help with a motor swap!? Shit, I've got a personality! But you probably don't want me wrenching on your Aston Martin! Mechanics with quirky personalities are like Burger Kings! There's one on every darn street corner! Find a good one and get on with it! I guarantee them TFL boys are goin to regret using ole Ted Ax here pretty soon(if they don't already?).... JMO...? -O'marrion
Tough break Roman and Nathan,...when Big Green is tuned up and new exhaust system installed,.you'll conquer that mountain trail . I have faith in you !
Some months ago, a friend of my got the same problem climbing up a steep hill. Remembering this video, I put 3 galons of gasoline in the fuel tank and ready to go. Lesson? If the tank is bellow half tank, dont go off road
I used to have a 70 chevy p/u with a holly 4-barrel and it ran great on the highways but once I got it into some high elevation rocky roads it was terrible. Once I got into a vehicle with fuel injection I never looked back. Not that I miss that old truck (I love those Chevy truck years) but if I ever did have a project truck, fuel injection is where I would go. Thanks for the video though, it did bring back those frustrating memories. :)
No, you would be looking at Mt. Timpanogos (elevation around 11,750) in the Wasatch Range. I'm looking at it towards the west up above the Heber Valley. Kings Peak is in the Uinta Mountains which is just east from where I took my background picture.
Rochester Quadrajet carb is the best stock carb you can have for offroad. I've never had a problem on hills with them even with 1/4 tank of gas! Also granny and 4 low keep rpms up may have helped with the street carb that chevy gave you with the engine. I now use a edelbrock street carb on my 383 stroker. Re-jetting, adjusting floats, and blocked the spillway between the fuel bowls and I'm climbing hills like a fuel-injection. Aftermarket carbs usually need to be re-jetted and the floats adjusted for use offroading in steep terrain and then they perform much like a stock quadrajet does but with better throttle response and without fuel starvation. Stock aftermarket carbs like truck avenger and thunder AVS for offroading are okay but still may need different jets for performance. Good luck
The original engine wasn't bad, it was just weak. I'm curious to know engines Chevrolet Performance offered them, because I'm sure there is a better selection than a ZZ6 for a full size 4x4
Get a low pressure boost pump for your carb, it should solve the fuel starvation issue. It will always allow allow a positive head of pressure to the mechanical pump. Or disable the mechanical pump and get a boost pump rated for your carb.
Yah yah.. just not quite set up yet, one way or another.. and I was so looking forward BG spanking GMH. Hell, I was disappointed to see you even lock in the hubs. I might suggest a Holley efi conversion setup. Let's you keep the 4bbl but makes use of an MSI spark controller. I think they're around $400 but they make a huge difference in high or changing altitudes. Good luck.👍 Bob/Okc
Ahhh Baby Green, felt sorry for you Roman.... But God that sounds great. Nathan is right about the Ram needing a better exhaust. Love the energy you guys have! Keep it up!
Did you check your float height on the carb? This is pretty standard with carbs always keep the float height adjusted for offroad use if it's too low it will starve uphill and too high it will spill over flooding the engine.
My father-in-law bought new in 1972 a 3/4 ton 4by4 Chevy Cheyenne with a 350 V8 and a 3 speed automatic that he ended up putting nearly 300,000 miles on. He pulled a camper with it all over MN, WI, ND, SD, and WY on hunting trips as well as his daily driver. The truck accomplished all that without any major breakdowns and only regular maintenance. He used to brag about how he "wouldn't be afraid to drive this truck anywhere in the country", he certainly did have a lot of faith in it. This probably could be easily matched with a modern truck....but kind of a rarity for trucks of that vintage.
Holley carbs were famous for flooding out on a steep hill. "Proper" float level was a bit to high if you did steep off roading. I had a Holley on my 83 K10 and I lowered float level a little below spec and didn't have trouble. I love big green and your shows
You could try an Airdog or FASS fuel preporator. Yes, it's designed for a diesel. In your application it would ensure a constant flow of fuel from the tank to the engine. Also removing impurities is just a bonus.
I think Ram just needs to give that Power Wagon to Nathan. It just seems to be perfect for him and I'm sure he has many people wanting to buy one because of him.
Four suggestions Are the fuel lines new? servicing the fuel tank and lines is very necessary There are different fuel tank baffles, sumps and pickup assemblies that will really improve gasoline supply to the engine. Did you remove and read the burn characteristics on the spark plugs? the old school way that O2 sensors do now. How about a low pressure electric pump to feed a "reserve" tank to feed the mechanical pump.
same thing happened to my 88 Jeep YJ, try adding a clear fuel filter, that way you will see if carb is being feed enough fuel, before going into bigger fix.
An MSD Atomic TBI w/the "surge-tank" from Edelbrock's TBI would be the way to go... No need for adding an in-tank pump and simple, "bolt-on" self-tuning injection! Plus, I always liked how MSD's TBI-unit used an annular-discharge method of introducing the fuel into the airstream--it allows for better mixing.
I believe to help with this is to get some sort of fuel tank with metal slots where fuel gets to be kept in a certain location. Also make sure if there is a switch to bring more fuel to the carburetor while going up an incline use that.
Fuel injection will sort out all of those problems because the fuel pump will be in the tank with a pickup as opposed to a lift pump (you can get a pickup that has a long hose to follow the fuel as it sloshes around).
For a holley carb to be decent offroad you really need to extend the vent tubes. classic problem to have them over flow into the engine on a steep incline. Or it could have starved for fuel with that low tank but I'd bet on over flowing bowls. They also used to offer a spring loaded needle and seat for offroad use but not sure if they still do.
Truck avenger carb. I have one on my '73 highboy, works great. It allows the carb to feed properly at steep inclines and declines. I will be putting a used coyote or a cummins in there in the next year, haven't decided yet, but for now, that truck avenger is fantastic. Never chokes.
It sounds like a float issue. Timing as well. Before you set either, you need to deal with the exhaust first. You also need to make sure you have a carb that is designed for off road. They are designed to keep the float bowls full on all angles. I run an Edelbrock Thunder AVS off road carburetor and it runs just fine off road. But if you don't dig carbs then throttle body injection is a great option. It still looks like a carb but has the advantages of fuel injection and are super simple and reliable.
Hard to tell just how steep the incline was, but you may have to convert to an off road type of 4 barrel for that engine to run right on steep inclines. Just cause it's not broken in doesn't mean it can't pull hills. Exhaust won't help, you have a fuel issue. Really would help if you tuned it up better. If it was flooded you could have floored it and that would have given the engine a lean shot of air. The 1/4 tank didn't help either. Work some bugs and she'll pull that hill with ease.
Definitely sounds flooded my dad has a 1987 Chevrolet Silverado we did an Engine swap with a Engine that had carburetor and when we thought we got everything together we had lots of trouble with it flooding and when my dad took a skill Saw to the exhaust it sounded exactly like that
does that truck have the 16 gallon or the 20s? anyway take out the fuel level senders and modify the pick up tubes. cause the pick up is right beneath the sender flange .or make sump system in the engine bay.hope that makes sense.
I just test drive a 2017 dodge power wagon and I loved it. I like the way it handles on the road. I can't wait to see the 2018 power wagon. My girl friend even likes it.
sounds like the floats are set too low. but ideally get the holley offroad truck carburetor its better suited for the angles and bumps and shakes of offroading
Stick a carb on it which doesn't suck on grades. Carbs can work offroad, and there are bolton options. But it takes some forethought and work. Also, you mentioned you have a quarter tank of fuel. Depending on where the pickup is in the tank, you might actually be running dry on that end when going up the steep.
if I heard you right you said you only had a 1/4 tank. On an incline your fuel will go to the back of the tank and starve the engine. Fill it up and try again.
Fuel pressure filter pump blocked feed in the tank Carb stuck float improper adjustment on float secondary fuel feed connection - it looked like a double feed but I couldn't tell from the other vid if the secondary had been connected.
Make sure that holley has a vent extension in the front bowl. Looks like a street avenger carb which I don't think comes with one. When you go up an incline the fuel sloshes to the back of the bowl and floods the vent and the engine. Drag racers have to do this because its the same effect on a hard launch. You can also put jet extentons on the rear jets so they stay in the sloshing fuel but I doubt the secondaries are opening with that type of driving. You can also try lowering the float level in the front to just below the sight plug. Then you may need to back the idle mixture screws out 1/4 turn. Also that single plane intake has no business on a 4x4 truck. Get a dual plane and you will gain a bunch of torque down low. GM puts that intake on so they can publish a higher peak hp number which sells better but does not drive better. I live in Pine, CO, I can help. I even have an intake manifold for vortec-style heads you can try 😉
He say's starve for oxygen, so stupid come on. Exhaust on order, ya right. We told you that carb would be bad for off road when you were putting it on and it would starve the engine for fuel. You need to break that engine in the correct way before ruining it! Just because it was given to you is no reason to take it for granted! A quarter tank of gas on an incline, no common sense there either, so clueless!
Stalls on hill, nope, no need for EFI! *rollseyes* And it is NOT starved for fuel, its loading up, which happens at altitude. Seriously what roman was saying hurt my brain.
I'm not going to rag on your mechanic but your partner is right on a couple of things. Fix the exhaust, and then fix the carb, and then go break in the engine before attempting any low revving hi-jinks. If you are running a holly carb you probably have not put the anti-slosh setup on it and what happens without it is when the truck gets on a steep incline or banked angle the pick up in the carb starves for fuel. If you are using an OEM high volume fuel pump it's probably plenty. Not sure what intake comes on that motor but you may want to have the carb corrected by someone who works on 4 x 4 carbs, replace it with something like an edelbrock performer, or weird as it sounds, throw on a rebuilt Quadrajet from the late 70's (if the intake manifold is setup with a spreadbore configuration.
john mcwade suggestions below are on point. the only other things I would add is in the Rocks air down the tires and slow down so you don't get beat to death. I had a 78 Silverado with 6 inches of lift as well and putting grease between the leaves made a huge difference in ride quality. if you wanted to go a little further along that line I would take a few leaves out to limber up the truck. I had a truck Avenger by Holly with square float bowls that was designed for rock crawling and it never starved for fuel but ran rich with terrible economy so fuel injection would be best
id go with exhaust & the back pressure it needs for the valves when under strain. id say possibly rule out gas tank just because wasn't that far up the hill (looked like), with the gas in the line to the engine you should go 1/8 of a mile easy, unless the fuel pressure is low in general from air in the line, weak pump etc. ..i personally prefer carb as well whole lot cheaper to fix, glad yall went with it.
Holley makes an off road spring kit for the floats, eiback and a few other companies make a soft ride springs for those trucks. but I can not believe you turned down an ls.
That is definitely the type of carb your using! You need to used a carb for an off road truck! That will have a better float bowl system, that will be able to deal with the angles off road driving demands. Or just throw on a Holly Projection System on it and forgetaboutit!
Chevy/GMC's were notorious for eating fuel pumps. I had a 1976 Jimmy 4x4 & a 1986 GMC heavy 1/2 ton 2 wheel drive which both went through a bunch of fuel pumps. They both had the same symptoms that your truck had. Cheap part & easy to fix on the road if you have tools so carry a spare. If the fuel pump is new & ends up being the problem you get a new pump at no extra cost. Nice old 4x4 by the way. Instead of a 350 you should have went with a 454. My brother in law had one with a 4 speed manual & man that thing had torque by the ton. You had to watch that you didn't put your head through the back window in 1st gear low lock. lol
I agree with other comments about carb type. Once I switched my 1971 chevy k10 with an off-road carb it does way better off the beaten path at crazy angles. In my case, I bought an Edelbrock Thunder series off road carb, and I strongly vouch for it. Much less expense and complicated versus fuel injection, you just take off old carb and bolt in new one. Would I rather have F.I.? Heck yes. Great videos
I say Kudos for staying with a carb. But how hard would it have been to have stopped off at an exhaust shop for a couple of hours and getting rid of those old rusty pipes vs cobbling those headers up to it?
Try one of the new tbi self tuning system, I have one in the 355 chevy in my jeep and it's fucking amazing, I set AFR and ignition timing via handheld controller and the system auto corrects for temperature, altitude, you name it. You have to be knowledgeable and really eyeball it for a while to notice it's not a carb, especially with the air cleaner on.
There's nothing wrong with your fuel pump, or having half a tank, or your engine, or your truck. It all comes down to you are a mile high in the Colorado rockies. You'll find that a lot of racing and offroading guys have two carbs. One built for everything, and one built for high elevation. We used to have an FJ40 and it would do the exact same thing in the mountains. that's when I learned all about letting it roll down the hill and clutch starting it. this wouldn't have been a problem if you had gone with fuel injection. just sayin. lol
I would suggest a turbocharged or supercharged 5.3 vortec, they wouldn't have stopped making carborators for cars if carborators were better. even just a used N/A 6.0 vortec would work pretty good.
Ram/Dodge/FCA - If you're listening, you should really donate a Power Wagon to Nathan. The man is in love with the truck ;)
NoodlesXIII With a real exhaust.
NoodlesXIII I'd be happy for him, he does seem to love it.
endocry Im with Nathan...The Power Wagon is just a bad assed truck. Just give him the truck and let him put his own exhaust...PWs sound awesome when piped right ;)
Nathan said himself if given the choice between a Ram Rebel and a Power Wagon he would choose the Rebel. Big city driving would be a bitch though in a Power Wagon.
Larry Larry it's not as bad as you'd think if I can make it in Dallas anything is possible. Unless you need to park in a parking garage.....
I'm a simple man. I see a squarebody, I hit like.
no gas in tank, super big exhaust leak, not broke in engine. cant tune carb until exhaust fixed....what could go wrong?
Jord A. Add in the fact that there was not much talk about pump changes, if there could be crap in the screen, rust in the tank, someone bent or misaligned the pickup while replacing a pump.. THIS is assuming there is a pump IN the tank.. the old carb engines had a mechanical pump on the block also notorious for getting old and hot and having the diaphragm leak under power.. etc etc etc...
Try a Holley Truck Avenger carb, they are designed for off road use. I have one on my 77 F-250 and it is working great!
I would just jump up to the TBI fuel injection kit!
+Mekhanic1 Is $999 and self tuning
I would agree but he said they want to keep it carbureted.
I'd much rather see Big Green vs Rusty Boy in an offroad mashup than another Power Wagon.
There's a couple things. First off like you said you only had a quarter tank of fuel. You never go off-roading unless you have a full tank. Your starving the pump on the hill. Solution would be either a foam insert like fuel cells have or there is a fuel mat that goes on the end of the pickup in the tank that will suck up every last drop. I think it's Holley that makes it.
Next thing. Carb floats need adjusting. That also could be starving the motor for fuel. Consider going to fuel injection. I would recommend a Holley kit. Way simple bolt on kit. It self adjusts for elevation and no floats to adjust.
Next get that new dual exhaust on that truck. Your new motor might have 400hp as you said in the video but not with those exhaust leaks and single exhaust. Your killing the power that motor can put out.
Next thing, you never try to go up a hill like that with a stick shift in 4high as you said you put it in. Put it in 4 low for more torque and climbing power, your only bugging out the motor doing it the way you had it.
Next thing is when you go off-roading bring some gear with you invade you get in trouble, extra fuel, spare tire, jack, shovel to dig yourself out, tow rope rates for that trucks weight, a winch to pull your self out, if you want to keep the stock bumpers you can get a trailer receiver mount winch for front and rear that you can plug in and out when you need it or done with it.
Next thing for off-roading bring food and drinks, if you break or get stuck and end up out here for hours or all day your going to need to eat or drink at some point.
That's all for now.
John McWade couldn't say it any better 👍
I really think it has to do with so little fuel in the tank. Those tanks are really long, when mines on a quarter tank and i floor it from a stop it will bog down (TBI). Have a feeling like it was probably running on what was left in the bowls when he started going up.
Rod Long, I think maybe your taking that out of context entirely. Just because you don't have a full tank an hour into the day doesn't mean you shouldn't start with a full tank. The point was, when he got to the hill he had about a quarter tank of fuel and that was a bad idea.
cody roland That's my guess too and it's easy enough to test. It could also be that the fuel pickup is rotten or damaged. That is a common issue with Ford's of that vintage.
John McWade : Well said. Its obvious that you sir have some legit off-road experience. And when you have little to no experience off-road and are taking a pretty nice truck(with new motor) out to basically beat on it, someone with actual experience and knowledge is pretty darn valuable! They ought to get ahold of a buddy that knows how to wheel and bring him/her along with... Shit, maybe good Ole Johnny McWade could find a way to meet up with the TFL crew and drop a lil knowledge on em? Looks like they were running a little short on skills/experience in this video... And for Petes sake! They should have had an actual legitimate Chevy guy (that has done couple billion motor swaps) lead the way on Big Greens heart transplant! "He has an interesting personality" -That doesn't mean you ought to pay him to help with a motor swap!? Shit, I've got a personality! But you probably don't want me wrenching on your Aston Martin! Mechanics with quirky personalities are like Burger Kings! There's one on every darn street corner! Find a good one and get on with it! I guarantee them TFL boys are goin to regret using ole Ted Ax here pretty soon(if they don't already?).... JMO...? -O'marrion
Take it to somebody who actually has some experience with old American trucks.
Nathan does realize no one goes off-roading looking for ride quality
It is nice to have tho. My Raptor is so much more pleasant to crawl in as opposed to my wife's JKUR.
Colton Outdoors I doubt you speak for everyone.
Colton Outdoors if you want ride quality drive slower and dodge holes & rocks
Floats are stuck or the fuel pick up is dry up the hill. Go fuel up, try it again. Does it bog on the highway on WOT? Did you change the fuel filters?
Tough break Roman and Nathan,...when Big Green is tuned up and new exhaust system installed,.you'll conquer that mountain trail .
I have faith in you !
Some months ago, a friend of my got the same problem climbing up a steep hill. Remembering this video, I put 3 galons of gasoline in the fuel tank and ready to go.
Lesson? If the tank is bellow half tank, dont go off road
True off roading took place in the backing sequence! LOL
I used to have a 70 chevy p/u with a holly 4-barrel and it ran great on the highways but once I got it into some high elevation rocky roads it was terrible. Once I got into a vehicle with fuel injection I never looked back. Not that I miss that old truck (I love those Chevy truck years) but if I ever did have a project truck, fuel injection is where I would go. Thanks for the video though, it did bring back those frustrating memories. :)
Todd Whitehead-RTW EFI is the way to go. Even a TBI set up on that old Chevy would have worked wonders.
Is that King's Peak in your background pic?
No, you would be looking at Mt. Timpanogos (elevation around 11,750) in the Wasatch Range. I'm looking at it towards the west up above the Heber Valley. Kings Peak is in the Uinta Mountains which is just east from where I took my background picture.
Timp...duh. I should have remembered. Never been to the summit, only in the caves.
Adjust the floats and if that doesn't do it then you need jet extensions. This happens with race cars all the time if the front end comes up.
Rochester Quadrajet carb is the best stock carb you can have for offroad. I've never had a problem on hills with them even with 1/4 tank of gas! Also granny and 4 low keep rpms up may have helped with the street carb that chevy gave you with the engine. I now use a edelbrock street carb on my 383 stroker. Re-jetting, adjusting floats, and blocked the spillway between the fuel bowls and I'm climbing hills like a fuel-injection. Aftermarket carbs usually need to be re-jetted and the floats adjusted for use offroading in steep terrain and then they perform much like a stock quadrajet does but with better throttle response and without fuel starvation. Stock aftermarket carbs like truck avenger and thunder AVS for offroading are okay but still may need different jets for performance. Good luck
raise floats and add secondary jet extensions as said elsewhere. Definitely a lean condition.
THEY OFFERED YOU AN LS AND YOU TURNED IT DOWN??!!! To keep it old school and get stuck?
J King LOL!
I'd take the ls they never said how much HP the other engine choices had.
That’s exactly what I was gonna say😂😂
Amazes me how little roman knows about the mechanics of cars
He's a journalist.
robvas he has money and friends sound like most non car guys .. on the Internet
robvas I watch their vidios, but you are right. Journalist are not real guys. However TFL, keep up the good work. I enjoy seeing your sfuff.
And paying $5k for a truck with a bad engine is just another example.
The original engine wasn't bad, it was just weak. I'm curious to know engines Chevrolet Performance offered them, because I'm sure there is a better selection than a ZZ6 for a full size 4x4
Get a low pressure boost pump for your carb, it should solve the fuel starvation issue. It will always allow allow a positive head of pressure to the mechanical pump. Or disable the mechanical pump and get a boost pump rated for your carb.
Rams are a man's truck
Yah yah.. just not quite set up yet, one way or another.. and I was so looking forward BG spanking GMH. Hell, I was disappointed to see you even lock in the hubs. I might suggest a Holley efi conversion setup. Let's you keep the 4bbl but makes use of an MSI spark controller. I think they're around $400 but they make a huge difference in high or changing altitudes.
Good luck.👍
Bob/Okc
Ahhh Baby Green, felt sorry for you Roman.... But God that sounds great. Nathan is right about the Ram needing a better exhaust.
Love the energy you guys have! Keep it up!
Did you check your float height on the carb? This is pretty standard with carbs always keep the float height adjusted for offroad use if it's too low it will starve uphill and too high it will spill over flooding the engine.
The front bumper and grill look really nice. Glad you keeping it old school.
My father-in-law bought new in 1972 a 3/4 ton 4by4 Chevy Cheyenne with a 350 V8 and a 3 speed automatic that he ended up putting nearly 300,000 miles on. He pulled a camper with it all over MN, WI, ND, SD, and WY on hunting trips as well as his daily driver. The truck accomplished all that without any major breakdowns and only regular maintenance. He used to brag about how he "wouldn't be afraid to drive this truck anywhere in the country", he certainly did have a lot of faith in it. This probably could be easily matched with a modern truck....but kind of a rarity for trucks of that vintage.
sorry, still would have done EFI
try a high volume electric fuel pump and a clean fuel system and tank
Holley carbs were famous for flooding out on a steep hill. "Proper" float level was a bit to high if you did steep off roading. I had a Holley on my 83 K10 and I lowered float level a little below spec and didn't have trouble. I love big green and your shows
You could try an Airdog or FASS fuel preporator. Yes, it's designed for a diesel. In your application it would ensure a constant flow of fuel from the tank to the engine. Also removing impurities is just a bonus.
It is the needle and seat causing that. Had the same problem with my Edelbrock carb. That's why they make an off road needle and seat.
I think Ram just needs to give that Power Wagon to Nathan. It just seems to be perfect for him and I'm sure he has many people wanting to buy one because of him.
Four suggestions
Are the fuel lines new? servicing the fuel tank and lines is very necessary
There are different fuel tank baffles, sumps and pickup assemblies that will really improve gasoline supply to the engine.
Did you remove and read the burn characteristics on the spark plugs? the old school way that O2 sensors do now.
How about a low pressure electric pump to feed a "reserve" tank to feed the mechanical pump.
check you tank delivery pump. it's old and for a 305. not enough GPM. also set float level a little higher to compensate for hill grade.
The air and fuel mixture screws need to be adjusted for higher elevation, plus the float levels probably need to be set higher than what they are now.
same thing happened to my 88 Jeep YJ, try adding a clear fuel filter, that way you will see if carb is being feed enough fuel, before going into bigger fix.
An MSD Atomic TBI w/the "surge-tank" from Edelbrock's TBI would be the way to go... No need for adding an in-tank pump and simple, "bolt-on" self-tuning injection! Plus, I always liked how MSD's TBI-unit used an annular-discharge method of introducing the fuel into the airstream--it allows for better mixing.
I believe to help with this is to get some sort of fuel tank with metal slots where fuel gets to be kept in a certain location. Also make sure if there is a switch to bring more fuel to the carburetor while going up an incline use that.
put a holley EFI on it, it should fix the carburator starving issue
It's fine, you don't need an exhaust 👌🏻
Try setting the floats a bit lower, so when the fuel sloshes it doesn't lift the needle up into the seat as often.
Fuel injection will sort out all of those problems because the fuel pump will be in the tank with a pickup as opposed to a lift pump (you can get a pickup that has a long hose to follow the fuel as it sloshes around).
If you're running a Holley or bg carb you could have fuel slosh up the bowl vent that floods it out on steep inclines
So where is Gold Hill Road. I haven't found it on Switzerland.
For a holley carb to be decent offroad you really need to extend the vent tubes. classic problem to have them over flow into the engine on a steep incline. Or it could have starved for fuel with that low tank but I'd bet on over flowing bowls. They also used to offer a spring loaded needle and seat for offroad use but not sure if they still do.
Truck avenger carb. I have one on my '73 highboy, works great. It allows the carb to feed properly at steep inclines and declines. I will be putting a used coyote or a cummins in there in the next year, haven't decided yet, but for now, that truck avenger is fantastic. Never chokes.
Nathan likes that Power Ram, like Roman likes the Raptor, like I like Big Green..
Put a full Flowmaster System on my '16 Power Wagon about 2 weeks ago. It sounds fantastic!!! Their factory system is super restrictive.
It sounds like a float issue. Timing as well. Before you set either, you need to deal with the exhaust first. You also need to make sure you have a carb that is designed for off road. They are designed to keep the float bowls full on all angles. I run an Edelbrock Thunder AVS off road carburetor and it runs just fine off road. But if you don't dig carbs then throttle body injection is a great option. It still looks like a carb but has the advantages of fuel injection and are super simple and reliable.
kinda curious what your new top speed actually is now
Hard to tell just how steep the incline was, but you may have to convert to an off road type of 4 barrel for that engine to run right on steep inclines. Just cause it's not broken in doesn't mean it can't pull hills. Exhaust won't help, you have a fuel issue. Really would help if you tuned it up better. If it was flooded you could have floored it and that would have given the engine a lean shot of air. The 1/4 tank didn't help either. Work some bugs and she'll pull that hill with ease.
Did you use the factory transmission with the new engine
Yes, SM465. Bulletproof.
Definitely sounds flooded my dad has a 1987 Chevrolet Silverado we did an Engine swap with a Engine that had carburetor and when we thought we got everything together we had lots of trouble with it flooding and when my dad took a skill Saw to the exhaust it sounded exactly like that
does that truck have the 16 gallon or the 20s? anyway take out the fuel level senders and modify the pick up tubes. cause the pick up is right beneath the sender flange .or make sump system in the engine bay.hope that makes sense.
I just test drive a 2017 dodge power wagon and I loved it. I like the way it handles on the road. I can't wait to see the 2018 power wagon. My girl friend even likes it.
With only a quarter tank of fuel I have to agree with Roman. Maybe you need to relocate the fuel pick-up if you are going to offroad it.
sounds like the floats are set too low. but ideally get the holley offroad truck carburetor its better suited for the angles and bumps and shakes of offroading
Stick a carb on it which doesn't suck on grades. Carbs can work offroad, and there are bolton options. But it takes some forethought and work. Also, you mentioned you have a quarter tank of fuel. Depending on where the pickup is in the tank, you might actually be running dry on that end when going up the steep.
if I heard you right you said you only had a 1/4 tank. On an incline your fuel will go to the back of the tank and starve the engine. Fill it up and try again.
Fuel pressure
filter
pump
blocked feed in the tank
Carb
stuck float
improper adjustment on float
secondary fuel feed connection - it looked like a double feed but I couldn't tell from the other vid if the secondary had been connected.
Once Big Green is up to full performance you guys should do a true vs of the Power Wagon vs Big Green
Add a Holley Hydramat in tank to prevent starvation to pump, install a fuel pressure gauge. Then can be sure always at least have fuel to the carb
Make sure that holley has a vent extension in the front bowl. Looks like a street avenger carb which I don't think comes with one. When you go up an incline the fuel sloshes to the back of the bowl and floods the vent and the engine. Drag racers have to do this because its the same effect on a hard launch. You can also put jet extentons on the rear jets so they stay in the sloshing fuel but I doubt the secondaries are opening with that type of driving. You can also try lowering the float level in the front to just below the sight plug. Then you may need to back the idle mixture screws out 1/4 turn. Also that single plane intake has no business on a 4x4 truck. Get a dual plane and you will gain a bunch of torque down low. GM puts that intake on so they can publish a higher peak hp number which sells better but does not drive better. I live in Pine, CO, I can help. I even have an intake manifold for vortec-style heads you can try 😉
I'm hoping to hit gold mine trail with my truck this spring/summer sometime
You needed to go EFI. Carbs are good and all but doesn't effect with low air elevations?
Nice you guys show it as it happens, not always a brilliant success.
I love carburetors but they need to be dialed in for sure
I love you guys, great moderators, too!
He say's starve for oxygen, so stupid come on. Exhaust on order, ya right. We told you that carb would be bad for off road when you were putting it on and it would starve the engine for fuel. You need to break that engine in the correct way before ruining it! Just because it was given to you is no reason to take it for granted! A quarter tank of gas on an incline, no common sense there either, so clueless!
Buy some Baffled gas tanks out of a 87-91 pickup with efi. That's what im currently doing on mine. I'm experiencing the same thing on/off road.
I had a after market fuel pump in car and it died around corners had to get one from the car manufacturer directly made for that model of car.
Stalls on hill, nope, no need for EFI! *rollseyes* And it is NOT starved for fuel, its loading up, which happens at altitude. Seriously what roman was saying hurt my brain.
I'm not going to rag on your mechanic but your partner is right on a couple of things. Fix the exhaust, and then fix the carb, and then go break in the engine before attempting any low revving hi-jinks. If you are running a holly carb you probably have not put the anti-slosh setup on it and what happens without it is when the truck gets on a steep incline or banked angle the pick up in the carb starves for fuel. If you are using an OEM high volume fuel pump it's probably plenty. Not sure what intake comes on that motor but you may want to have the carb corrected by someone who works on 4 x 4 carbs, replace it with something like an edelbrock performer, or weird as it sounds, throw on a rebuilt Quadrajet from the late 70's (if the intake manifold is setup with a spreadbore configuration.
how do I get to that hill, I would love to take my truck up it... not sure it would fit in some places but ehh
john mcwade suggestions below are on point. the only other things I would add is in the Rocks air down the tires and slow down so you don't get beat to death. I had a 78 Silverado with 6 inches of lift as well and putting grease between the leaves made a huge difference in ride quality. if you wanted to go a little further along that line I would take a few leaves out to limber up the truck. I had a truck Avenger by Holly with square float bowls that was designed for rock crawling and it never starved for fuel but ran rich with terrible economy so fuel injection would be best
id go with exhaust & the back pressure it needs for the valves when under strain. id say possibly rule out gas tank just because wasn't that far up the hill (looked like), with the gas in the line to the engine you should go 1/8 of a mile easy, unless the fuel pressure is low in general from air in the line, weak pump etc. ..i personally prefer carb as well whole lot cheaper to fix, glad yall went with it.
what trans did yall put in it
How is this not just throw away video footage?This is the lamest off road video I've ever seen but yet it's a produce show?
Richard Scholten produce show? I missed the fruits and veggies part completely.....
You also need a new after market fuel pump to keep up with that Crate Motor.
Patience is a virtue.
Holley makes an off road spring kit for the floats, eiback and a few other companies make a soft ride springs for those trucks. but I can not believe you turned down an ls.
Boost up your jet sizes... They're set at sea level and need to have a two size increase increment for every 1000 ft up.
what motor did they swap into it
maybe the interface between the steering wheel and the sit! nah just kidding love your show good luck guys !
If I Remember correctly the fuel pickup is near the front of the tank on 85 Chevy so basically you ran out of gas.
Taking it off road, starving it for fuel, revving it to the moon....all things you should not be doing during a break in!
That is definitely the type of carb your using! You need to used a carb for an off road truck! That will have a better float bowl system, that will be able to deal with the angles off road driving demands. Or just throw on a Holly Projection System on it and forgetaboutit!
Chevy/GMC's were notorious for eating fuel pumps. I had a 1976 Jimmy 4x4 & a 1986 GMC heavy 1/2 ton 2 wheel drive which both went through a bunch of fuel pumps. They both had the same symptoms that your truck had. Cheap part & easy to fix on the road if you have tools so carry a spare. If the fuel pump is new & ends up being the problem you get a new pump at no extra cost. Nice old 4x4 by the way. Instead of a 350 you should have went with a 454. My brother in law had one with a 4 speed manual & man that thing had torque by the ton. You had to watch that you didn't put your head through the back window in 1st gear low lock. lol
Add an external electric fuel pump, new pickup and regulator and it will keep constant fuel pressure going to the engine.
Fuel starvation is a great example of why carbs are absolute junk and do not belong on any vehicles these days..
Will you be selling this truck when you finish?
I agree with other comments about carb type. Once I switched my 1971 chevy k10 with an off-road carb it does way better off the beaten path at crazy angles. In my case, I bought an Edelbrock Thunder series off road carb, and I strongly vouch for it. Much less expense and complicated versus fuel injection, you just take off old carb and bolt in new one. Would I rather have F.I.? Heck yes. Great videos
Off-road kit for the carb. Its flooding and the off-road kit will lower the floats so it doesn't flood.
did you not break it in more???
this show cannot be more murica love it
I say Kudos for staying with a carb. But how hard would it have been to have stopped off at an exhaust shop for a couple of hours and getting rid of those old rusty pipes vs cobbling those headers up to it?
Try one of the new tbi self tuning system, I have one in the 355 chevy in my jeep and it's fucking amazing, I set AFR and ignition timing via handheld controller and the system auto corrects for temperature, altitude, you name it. You have to be knowledgeable and really eyeball it for a while to notice it's not a carb, especially with the air cleaner on.
Rookies in off-roading lol 😂
There's nothing wrong with your fuel pump, or having half a tank, or your engine, or your truck. It all comes down to you are a mile high in the Colorado rockies. You'll find that a lot of racing and offroading guys have two carbs. One built for everything, and one built for high elevation. We used to have an FJ40 and it would do the exact same thing in the mountains. that's when I learned all about letting it roll down the hill and clutch starting it. this wouldn't have been a problem if you had gone with fuel injection. just sayin. lol
4:42 and that when you decide to put an aftermarket EFI on it.
I would suggest a turbocharged or supercharged 5.3 vortec, they wouldn't have stopped making carborators for cars if carborators were better. even just a used N/A 6.0 vortec would work pretty good.