dual electric fans question(s)

[_Ogre]

us radiator has a pretty ingenious method for making fan shrouds
they have a press die for doing the formed corners of any flat plate
i believe they have the shroud laser cut, press the corners and then bend the edges to match
then they weld mount tabs on to the shroud

first time around the shroud they sent me had the tabs welded on the wrong edges
didn't work to well with top/bottom tabs on a stock radiator

one other thing on the ramjet 350 install: the main harness is 1'' in diameter
the main relay, fuel pump relay and 6 wires are on the end of this harness
off the top of my head they are: main power, ground, ignition, fuel pump, digital tach and analog tach
because of the relay sockets you can't feed the harness thru a grommet

the firewall mod behind the distributor has a removable back on it
i cut a half hole in the cover and base to accept the wiring harness
i used a grommet that is cut to go over the flex condiut

[56hotrodred]

Hey Ogre that's pretty cool about US Radiator. Jim was great to deal with and I know he went back and forth with Production to figure my project out.

I was wondering about my wiring as I had just pulled my American Autowire harness out when I was mocking in my Evaporator. The AAW fuse box uses the inside of the two drivers side hood hinge bolt to fasten! That is ingenious!

Regarding your electrical comments. That is pure genius in my opinion and I am going to copy you!!!! Remember imitation is the most sincere form of flattery...

I have left one large tapered hole open on the firewall above th fuse box. I was planning on running the engine compartment wires through it but was unsure about the EFI harness. I know many people have moved the little computer on top of the 350 Ramjet engine but putting it behind that little firewall recess is a great idea.

So your computer is inside right?

Good ideas all.

Just finished priming, seam sealing and undercoating the under side of the cab and inner front fenders with Eastwood products. Turned out pretty good and I will get some pictures next time I am out in the shop.

[_Ogre]

best pic i could find of the inside of the distributor box, lots of wires for: power window switches in console, stereo with 4 speakers and amps behind the seat, alarm system/remote entry/door switches, trunk and tonneau cover switches and cruise control module all stuck in the bottom of the console. all the ramjet wiring is on top of that mess.

[_Ogre]

i wanted the firewall bare with no visible wiring exposed
i used the hinge bolts and 2 bolts thru the the floor
rear lighting exits under the fuse box below the angle floor pan
front lights follow the heater/ac hoses in grey flex on the right side of the cab

[56hotrodred]

Hey Ogre do you have any pictures of how you created that firewall modification to accommodate the distributor module?

I am getting ready to put the cab back on the frame and want to see what I am up against!

I am also not too worried about hiding all the wiring in the engine compartment but would like to put the ramjet computer on the inside and your mod could help in that department.

Thanks in advance.

[_Ogre]

while anything is possible i think that you would have to modify the ramjet harness to get the controller inside the cab
i don't have any fabrication pics just use the pics i have posted to make the box
approx 7'' wide, starts above the distributor cap and goes straight down
the 3 pics above pretty well show the construction and the size of the removable panel

this 2nd to last pic shows the ramjet harness with relays and the back of the distributor modification
also note the slight mod to the trans cover to get the 700r4 clearance

last pic has some of the layout lines for the cutout back in the ugly stages of my build

[56hotrodred]

Ya I really don't want to have to modify the harness for the controller. That's way too scarey for my little pea- brain!!!

Is that your controller sitting at the back on the drivers side of the engine?

The last picture showing the firewall modification helped a lot. I had no idea what it did down low! That looks doable!

I had a TH400 in for my previous mockup and now have the 700r4 sitting in there. I am thinking or thought I heard that there was little difference in physical size between the two. Don't forget I have the body sitting on a 1980 1/2 ton frame. My boy should be back next week to help me put the cab back on the frame. Then I will know.

Thanks a ton for your continued input. I know I will have more questions on the engine and trany hookup when I get down to that.

[_Ogre]

Is that your controller sitting at the back on the drivers side of the engine?

that's it. the cpu is only 3''x3'' the big thing are the plugs that would need 'uge holes in the firewall

I had a TH400 in for my previous mockup and now have the 700r4 sitting in there

i used a th350 that fit fine, the bell housing must be a bit bigger on top, i only modified the cover
i welded the cover in after fitting it, no need to service the toploader trans anymore

I know I will have more questions on the engine and trany hookup

the ramjet is pretty well plug-n-play, the only real problem i had was timing as it only has tdc marks
you need to find a timing light that is + adjustable, none of mine or my friends were adjustable
the wiring harness is foolproof with single purpose plugs for each item spidering out from the cpu
i move the knock sensor to a hole over the oil filter to clear block hugger headers, so figure out what headers you plan to use

i just read today that you had done a frame swap, read my signature and put your build thread into your signature

fyi: the ramjet came just as you see it here (minus trans )
w/ pan, rocker covers, spark plugs, distributor and even the air filter installed

[_Ogre]

one more mod...

the AIT (air inlet temp sensor) needs to go somewheres and they don't give you the somewheres to install it
when i first installed the ramjet i added the plastic 90* between the filter and throttle body and installed the AIT in the 90*
i didn't like the look and moved it to the end of the stock filter as seen in the 2nd pic

the metal is incredibly tough, i used a die grinder and worked my way up until the AIT threaded in
worked fine for the last 20k miles

[56hotrodred]

Originally Posted by _Ogre

this is the best pic i could find on line of the ramjet 350 plug. this is in a tri5 chevy, he was able to index the distributor to make it work. i tried indexing mine to the side and hit the firewall. this is the plug plus you have the female end and wires. sticks out 2 inches from what i recall. my firewall mod could have been smaller, the distributor is not an issue only the plug.

the mefi controller and coil brackets are designed to mount on the back of the each head. doesn't work on our trucks.

yeah you need to throw the cab on to check the fit. both fuel lines exit on back near the same area too. you can see the supply line up front and the return regulator behind the distributor in this pic. i had the stock front motor mounts on the sbc when i fabbed the motor and trans mounts. my motor is in the stock location for a v8.

if you winter anywhere near sarasota fl, look me up. i'll be heading down after xmas
heading south for you could be kalispell montana

Hey Ogre I finally got my cab back on the frame to check the distance between the back of the distributor and my firewall.

It looks like I have just over 2 inches of room back there. If I had to I could gain another 1/4 to 3/8th but it would require removing a small "raised" strip on the firewall.

Not sure about the "indexing" the distributor to help this as I do not know what that really means.

Do you think the full 2 inches of room behind my current distributor is going to be enough?

I will try to get a picture tomorrow.

Thanks in advance.

[dsraven]

just try to get the cap on and off a few times. that will tell you. the"indexing" thing is about the positioning of the dist. base. you still need to allow room to turn the base to adjust the timing, if it fits and is adjustable enough without hitting the firewall then you have it made.

[roger55]

I have a Ramjet 350 in my '55 Bel Air.
2" is way more than enough. You can clock the dist. to have the plug-ins in any direction you want.

[56hotrodred]

Hey thanks to both of you that is good news.

Now that I have the cab back on I have a few other minor issues to work out.

Still planning on getting the engine and transmission, as well as getting the interior and firewall of cab painted, in the spring.

Lots of things to work out before that but I am now building which is nice.