I'm still plugging away, but not much opportunity for pictures or good updates. Right now there's just a bunch of mock-up and small stuff in process.
I'm using 4th gen F-body electric fans (had them on hand, and they're proven performers) and they ended up being tricky to get mounted. The serpentine setup shoves the accessories close to the radiator, putting them exactly where the fan motors want to be. To make room, I slotted the engine stand holes in the frame to slide the engine back about 3/4", but unfortunately this wasn't enough. I also notched the radiator support to tilt the top of the radiator forward, away from the engine. This worked well, but ended up being more in-depth than I expected. The radiator is a 2" core stock replacement from O'Rielly's with plastic tanks and provision for heater core hose on the tank.
Notched and verifying clearance.
Modifying the stock support brackets to work with the new radiator location.
Should work well and look like it was planned. I forgot to get pics of it all cleaned up, or how i secured to the fans to the radiator, but it was pretty straight forward with just some drilled holes, bolts w/spacers, and an aluminum angle as the bottom bracket.
Cruise control was a requirement for this build, but I still want to keep the engine bay as simple as possible. Its only set in place right now, but it looks like the stock cruise module will fit up under the dash nicely (you can see the speedo right behind it), and the cable comes out an existing hole like it was meant to be there.
The stock torque converter is pretty tight, even on a heavy Suburban, so I went with a mild restalled stock TC to help wake it up from a stop. This one is only an 1800-2000, but should make it a little more fun.
I plan to paint the upper intake and fins on the cast valve covers to match the firewall olive green, but the VC's were 100% as-cast. The edges were not crisp enough to get the look I wanted when painting, so a neighbor faced the fins on his Bridgeport.
After a LOT of head scratching, adding and removing functionality, and back-and-forth on how to route everything, I finally started looming the harness. I hope it turns out half as nice as what I want...
With the engine and trans in the truck and all weight on the suspension, I got a sneak peak of how it will sit. It will probably come down a little more once its all together, but I really like it!
