Mopar Boy
Enthusiast
Well, among many good stories from VOI, there was a good story, but in another way. A story that tells the tale of VCA members having no suitcases once they hit Salt Lake City. A story that is also a reminder that when you dont leave things stock, you may be asking for trouble! 
Well, lets start at the beginning.
Many of you know my truck. Its a 1990 and it has a few things done to it. OK, many things done to it. Things to the ballpark of over double the factory power....
So, while driving along with the Grand Caravan, I acted as Viper support vehicle best I could. Mornings would entail loading the trailer with various peoples luggage, evenings were unloading once we got to the hotel.
Day one through three were all OK. Day four, and what was to be the final day, turned out to be a bit more interesting.
The day began with the Vipers heading to SLC by way of the twisting hills. The 5 trucks and trailers, they were heading the north route: I80. Less hills and easier.
All seemed normal leaving Cheyenne Wyoming. Our first BIG mountain to cross. All was going well. We were doing about 75 MPH up a 7% grade, trailer with viper in tow, my EGT (exhaust gas temps) were running at 1300 F (in the good zone for my motor). Then a issue struck. I went over the top of the hill, turned on my air activated exhaust brake, and nothing!
I look at my tank PSI - NOTHING! This is not good. So, using the real brakes (how degrading ) I slow down and pull off the highway at the bottom of the 3 mile long hill and go to see what the issue is in a tiny farm town. Must have blown a compressor fuse I thought. I look under the truck and see my exhaust pipe separated! Would appear the 1300 F air heated the two pipe sections at different rates and then the two pipes separated. So I slide under the truck, see that my air line that feeds the tank from the compressor is melted, as well as the wiring for the compressor. Great. Does explain the issue though. I pass along the wonderful news to my father. He is happy.
Around this time fuel hits me. I look up. Holy shmoley! My plastic fuel tank is melted! Remember that hot air? Yeah. You guessed it. Wiring was now the least of my issues.
After 7 hours on the side of the road and a few trips into town with dads truck, this is what I plumb directly into the fuel pump (lift pump) while dad rewires. It hurt cutting the factory fuel lines to make room for these!
This is dads temp wiring:
Anyone notice a lot of soot on the underside of that bed floor....
So you want to know about those naked people right? Well, remember previously mentioned luggage? Remember where I am? Yeah. By the time we got on the road and drove for a few hours, we decided that two exhausted people driving big mountains, with two trailers (one trailer with the VCA presidents Viper) at 2 am in the morning was a bad idea. We had to stop for the night.
We got up four hours later (is it morning already? I feel like death....), back on the road and do make it to VOI.
So what does the tank look like? As promised, here are the pics:
New and old tank:
Sending unit assembly:
Note to self, be glad it was not GAS in that tank and that it was less flammable diesel!
Live and learn?
Well, lets start at the beginning.
Many of you know my truck. Its a 1990 and it has a few things done to it. OK, many things done to it. Things to the ballpark of over double the factory power....
So, while driving along with the Grand Caravan, I acted as Viper support vehicle best I could. Mornings would entail loading the trailer with various peoples luggage, evenings were unloading once we got to the hotel.
Day one through three were all OK. Day four, and what was to be the final day, turned out to be a bit more interesting.
The day began with the Vipers heading to SLC by way of the twisting hills. The 5 trucks and trailers, they were heading the north route: I80. Less hills and easier.
All seemed normal leaving Cheyenne Wyoming. Our first BIG mountain to cross. All was going well. We were doing about 75 MPH up a 7% grade, trailer with viper in tow, my EGT (exhaust gas temps) were running at 1300 F (in the good zone for my motor). Then a issue struck. I went over the top of the hill, turned on my air activated exhaust brake, and nothing!
I look at my tank PSI - NOTHING! This is not good. So, using the real brakes (how degrading ) I slow down and pull off the highway at the bottom of the 3 mile long hill and go to see what the issue is in a tiny farm town. Must have blown a compressor fuse I thought. I look under the truck and see my exhaust pipe separated! Would appear the 1300 F air heated the two pipe sections at different rates and then the two pipes separated. So I slide under the truck, see that my air line that feeds the tank from the compressor is melted, as well as the wiring for the compressor. Great. Does explain the issue though. I pass along the wonderful news to my father. He is happy. Around this time fuel hits me. I look up. Holy shmoley! My plastic fuel tank is melted!
Remember that hot air? Yeah. You guessed it. Wiring was now the least of my issues. After 7 hours on the side of the road and a few trips into town with dads truck, this is what I plumb directly into the fuel pump (lift pump) while dad rewires. It hurt cutting the factory fuel lines to make room for these!
This is dads temp wiring:
Anyone notice a lot of soot on the underside of that bed floor....
So you want to know about those naked people right? Well, remember previously mentioned luggage? Remember where I am? Yeah.
By the time we got on the road and drove for a few hours, we decided that two exhausted people driving big mountains, with two trailers (one trailer with the VCA presidents Viper) at 2 am in the morning was a bad idea. We had to stop for the night.We got up four hours later (is it morning already? I feel like death....
), back on the road and do make it to VOI.So what does the tank look like? As promised, here are the pics:
New and old tank:
Sending unit assembly:
Note to self, be glad it was not GAS in that tank and that it was less flammable diesel!
Live and learn?
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