'90 W250--'89/91/92 Ramcharger

[Tacoclaw]

A couple of recent lessons learned.

The no-slip is not made for a manual street truck that is only mildly abused. If you're willing to take off 2 or 3 gears too high and just rape on your truck it will stay locked up and produce beautiful posis. If you just feel like playing around a corner a gear higher than normal your truck will govern out and that thing will unlock right now. An auto truck would probably enjoy it just fine since they can keep constant torque on the rearend. For general slow-speed off-road stuff and mudding abuse, I'm in love. it has yet to let me down in those situations, it stays locked right up and keeps the truck moving.

One electric fan is not enough to keep one of these trucks cool if you get drunk, forgot you unlocked your hubs, and spend 7 minutes going from 2nd to reverse in a mudhole as hard as you can. The only reason I stopped was because someone told me my frontend wasn't spinning. I jumped out, locked in the hubs, and idled right out. About then I noticed it was almost to the 3rd line on the gauge, higher than I've personally ever seen it. 2 fans would have kept it icy, I'm sure.

Finally, Meziere 20gpm water pumps should not be mounted directly to a Cummins engine. My volt gauge went a little wild on me while backroading the other night, and when I killed the engine I could tell my water pump was no longer running. Upon inspection, I found the motor cap was completely loose from the can and one of the bolts was broken off down in it. It blew the inline fuse I had on it, one of the few on the truck (whew), and slightly wounded my regulator, as it actually lets the electric fan pull the volt gauge down some when it is running. I'm not buying another of those ~$300 pumps, I'll just try to use the pump I bought previously that they used factory on the Mustang Cobras.

I'm still waiting on my front springs, then I'll get that all together and start planning what I'll do for the rears.

[Tacoclaw]

The newfound flex provided by having a rear locker has proven to be a bit too much for the poor frame.



The other side is scuffed, but not dented anywhere near this bad.

[AHineman]

That's cause you have the baby 3/4 ton frame.

[dazedandconfused]

Its telling you to get busy on the ramcharger.

[AHineman]

Just think how bad the RC will flex.

[CumminsPower59]

That's cause you have the baby 3/4 ton frame.

It don't matter what frame you got, flex it enough and it will dent the back of the cab. My 91 W350 and my old 92 W250 both had 8" frames and both dented the backs of the cab pretty good

[Tacoclaw]

Yeah, I have a feeling only 2/3 of the actual flexing is done by the suspension on this truck. I'll have back windows popping out of the RC if it moves that much.

I got my fourwheeler out, so once I clean up the RC's spot in the garage I'll get started on it.

[Tacoclaw]

The truck developed a miss on the way to work the other morning. I knew what it was before the damn thing even finished opening all the way up. This is the second time that particular nut has backed off. I really put the torque on it the last time, I'm not sure why it keeps doing it. The threads got a little boogered from this bout so I just kinda cleaned them up and ran it back on. Instant locknut. I had just loosened the support bolt and headstud.


Some proof that my homemade draw straw is working as intended, it swung down below E when stopping or accelerating.


And some proof that the No-Spin does indeed posi up if you run it hard enough. The first mark on the left side was 2nd, it didn't torque it enough in the snow so I hit third and it locked right up. Stayed locked up through it's whole ride off the side of the road and everything.

[Tacoclaw]

New front leaf springs showed up yesterday, and I got a PM saying my turbo will finally ship out next week. I'm pretty freaking pumped, but it kinda sucks to have all this stuff for my only 4x4 when it finally starts snowing around here.

[PToombs]

Did you figure out that rocker issue?

[Tacoclaw]

I never looked at it anymore, if it holds it holds, if it doesn't it'll get some brake clean and red loctite. If that doesn't do it I may admit to having a problem.

I pulled off the mega cowbell tonight, rewelded it, cleaned it up, and got it with paint. It's drying now, so il have pics up tonight or tomorrow.

[AHineman]

MORE COWBELL!!!

[Tacoclaw]

Obligatory grease smears all over it since I'm terrible at the whole patience thing. I'll let it bake on then wash/sand it off and rehit it. No more boost leaks anywhere, besides around the individual boltheads themselves and their all extremely tiny so I'm not sweating them. I'll have updated boot/EGT numbers when I can see my gauges tomorrow.

[RCCUMMINS89]

Just think how bad the RC will flex.

A Ramcharger has less flex with a crappy RC frame, than a newer 1 ton frame of a truck. The body and the shorter frame length does absolute wonders for frame flex. The front ends still flex all over the place though.

Now mine, with a 8" i/c frame that is shortened is one stout s.o.b.

[coolhand_luke]

I was reading back through this thread and I'm guessing the "middlecooler" came off the cummins generator? I like it, has a raw industrial look to it. Thats why I like the 1st gens, when my truck is parked next to my buddy's 3rd gen at work, its raw parked next to refined.