The 396-6.2 swap project

[bmac6026]

cool photo Tim. My stepdad has a lot of stories about the corsairs he flew,but he says his favorite was the F4F wildcat to fly,

[Barrman]

I topped off the fuel tank tonight. 14.41 mpg. I was kind of bummed it was so low. Then I remembered that I started the engine both mornings to keep the batteries up while I used the HWR to give me hot water for shaving. 18 minutes on Saturday and 33 minutes of idling Sunday.

I also idled all over the show both days and my part in the show too. At least I have a few base line tank runs now.

Here is a good shot of the M715 and Sermis in his M151 with the UH-1 in the back ground while we were doing the show Sunday:

[Don Cavey]

...

Here is a good shot of the M715 and Sermis in his M151 with the UH-1 in the back ground while we were doing the show Sunday:

Great photo by the way!

[Warthog]

14mpg is sure better that 5 or 6. And with that headwind mpg will suffer.

Great photo of the Huey. Did the youngsters get to play with their ARs?

[Warthog]

How did the Huey pilot do compared to last year

[spgirard30]

Great picture, and now I am considering getting the 6.5 and selling the big block.

[Barrman]

Colton ran a M60 for the guys in a M37 Saturday. The gun truck M35 was there and they didn't need me.

Sunday the gun truck was gone and they wanted me in the show. Then, most of the foot soldier guys went home so I didn't carry anybody out or back in. Colton ran the turret on the V100 Sunday and Carson, Sermis' son, was the rear gunner on the V both days. They both spent hours loading blanks and then just minutes blasting through them.

They only had one UH-1 this time. He was yanking and banking like crazy. I got some pictures at home of him in some unusual attitudes. I will try to post a few tonight.

The best part of the show for me was Friday at twilight. A MIG-17 took off on full burner with the flame hanging way back do to the sun being about down. He then did a bunch of manuevers. Ending with a .93 Mach pass down the runway that we couldn't see coming until he was past us. Watching it Saturday and Sunday wasn't as good because of the full sun.

Yes, anything above 10 mpg is great compared to the 396. It really is much more driveable now too. If it sits for a month I won't worry either about the fuel going bad. However, I have been driving it just about every other day because it is so fun.

I have to leave the troop seats on this week because we have a parade, fair, car show, Armed Forces Day event weekend after next here in town. I think most of the LSMVPA guys are going to convoy out to be part of it too. Then I can put the roadster doors back on for some nice summer driving.

[Barrman]

I thought I had the guy in a more extreme angle. Because he was letting it hang out pretty far. Tail skid sliding, main rotor reaaaaaallllll close to the ground and such.

Instead I just got this one. Pretty good though for laying next to my drivers side front tire.

[Barrman]

When I decided to do the engine swap, my goal was to have it done by this month. I made it with two months to spare. The extra time allowed me to test it out doing the Mullins event in March pulling the trailer and RED. Plus, plan the Scout camp out in April around the boys driving the truck. Along with another camp out in late March where I got to use the truck as a camper.

All that was great, but I knew all along the big test were going to be the Temple Air Show 2 weeks ago and the Giddings parade yesterday.

The Temple air show was great. The 6.2 ran without flaw, got great mpg's on the highway and really made the truck much more enjoyable around the show. More usable too. It also had the side effect of attracting more attention. I didn't even consider that until I realized only gear heads would look at the thing in the first place and all gear heads that can think have been thinking about going diesel. Gasoline is just getting to be such a pain to use.

The Giddings parade yesterday is something I was looking forward to and dreading at the same time. I was looking forward to it because it is my home town parade, the first parade I had ever been in with any vehicle, the M715 while 396 powered has won a few trophies in the past in this event and people who see me driving MV's all year long actually get to see my trucks in a show off type setting.

The problems are it is always hot this time of year. Better yet, hot and humid. My first time in the 396 I was pushing 230˚ on the temp gauge with a bunch of veterans in the back by the end of the 1.5 mile route. I ran it the next year in low range, kept the rpm's up to around 2,000 and finished at 220˚. The Gasser M35 did the parade in 2009 and got over 210˚. The whistler M35A2 didn't care and never even warmed up the year I drove it. Last year, I hiked the route with my Scouts and didn't even drive in the thing.

Yesterday we hit 93˚ with a heat index of 96˚. It was hot and humid. My Scouts were asked to be the color guard of the parade, so they were walking and I had no riders planned. I was going to drive the 6.2 in the parade though. Then one of my Scout leaders who is also on the fair board decided to make a big thing of Armed Forces Day. Through me, we got the LSMVPA interested and I talked the parade, ceremonies and fair up while we were in Temple 2 weeks ago. I think it was more the promise of free food than any talking I did that got 8 more MV's to make the drive from the Austin area out to join me in the parade.

Those of you on SS will recognize most of the drivers that showed up. I think only 813RC and Pawnshop might be registered here on the Zone. Anyway, here is our parade line up of trucks from the bed of mine:


Another M1009, M1008 and a M924 tractor was also in the line up that I didn't get a good shot of. The LSMVPA won "best out of town" something. They gave us a nice big trophy. I didn't get to explain this, but normally Corvette and Porche clubs come out from Houston and win that award.

By the time we got started, one of my Scout moms asked to ride along and we picked up a Scout dad along the way too. Anyway, the 6.2 did perfect. Most of the way I was flat footed on the floor in granny first hi range. I have a 195˚ thermostat in and it never got above 197˚ which is where it lives going down the highway too.

The effort I put into the exhaust out the back on the passenger side paid off too. I could hear people talking to me from the crowd, I wasn't scaring little kids and I could hear what everybody else in the truck was saying. I even traded jokes with the parade announcer. He was going on and on about the LSMVPA showing up as the GPW, M38A1 and M151 pulling a M416 rolled past. Then I come by and he says "Hey! I see this truck just about every day." We joked about that as the crowd only heard his side of the conversation. Then the M998 with the gun turret got his attention and I was forgotten.

I had also raised the idle back up to around 750 rpm which makes the NV4500 input shaft noise just about go away. I could not hear my engine over the sound of the M998 next to me staging or behind me during the parade.

Once we were done and I had gotten all my Scouts collected by their parents, I had to lead the LSMVPA guys who didn't know where we were going across town to the fair grounds for the Armed Forces Day ceremony. The parade and crowd had backed up US290 pretty bad. This is the main road between Austin and Houston and is just about always bumper to bumper on the weekends. It was worse by the time I tried leading slow MV's in convoy through it with no communications between the vehicles. We caused our own traffic jam, but made it ok.

My Scouts did the flags, pledges and echo taps for the ceremony while the MV's were on static display near by. Then we moved over to the classic car show.

They have a really nice covered building for this every year. The fair organizers however made all the classic cars park outside in the sun and saved the shade inside for the MV's. That was nice. We invaded their nice little show with a heard of 6.2 powered things. They swarmed over us like we were the coolest thing they had ever seen though. I was so busy talking and trying to collect that free lunch we were promised that I didn't get many pictures. Just this one:


We weren't part of that group, so we didn't even get judged for their awards. It sure was nice being in the shade for the next few hours as we circled the Mermite cans for talking and visiting.

All in all, the 6.2 swap has made the M715 a better truck for working, driving in town, on the open road, playing and showing. Yes, a ?BT could make it better, in theory. However, I am happy as can be with it as is. I wanted a truck that could do all the things I have made this one do the past 2 months and now have it. Something the stock 230 or the 396 couldn't do.

Thanks again to all the LSMVPA guys that made the trip out. Great times.

Colton and I are going to pull the troop seats off since they won't be needed again until Veterans Day. Then decide if we want to swap in the roadster doors or just leave it.

[Mikel]

Looks really good. Glad to hear the 6.2 is working out so well.