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Floyd's 66 Wagon Project

Time for an update of the last month of work.

First, I gave the engine bay a good clean and then shot some primer on it. I got a can of the original blue mixed up at the paint supply store here in Sac but I haven't tried it yet. The engine bay will be the first thing that gets fresh paint (so if I muck it up, it'll be harder to notice!)
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Next, I spent years (or what seemed like years) cleaning, degreasing, sanding, sandblasting, and repainting the parts of the front suspension, and then putting it back together with brand new rubber or poly everything. All parts from either VP or IPD.
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MMMmmmm paint makes everything so much better.
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The yellow car is jealous. Why, it asks the blue car, are you getting all the attention when I am the car that gets driven? And why is your suspension getting rebuilt when my lower control arms are reversed so that the sway bar mounts are on rear of the arm? Good questions.
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Front suspension tucked away under the car for, likely, years. Still need to order new wheel bearings, but other than that, I think this is ready.
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Progress, little by little!
 
Next, started to tear into a B20 that I had briefly installed in the yellow car before the engine started making a nasty noise. I feel like it is a pretty low mileage engine, but that could be my overly optimistic self.
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This has a low compression FI head (converted to carb) which I will keep and switch back to FI (microsquirt, and thank you to those that have already helped me out with D jet parts). Low compression is OK... in case a safety turbo is in the future :-). Before I yanked it, compression was something like 110/120 on each cylinder.

I'll need to look up these numbers. I am thinking a rebuild kit from VP... feels like a lot of money when I might be able to get away with bearings only but considering how much I've already put into suspension, it would be dumb to cheap out here. Right?
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Organized chaos. Beautiful. Now if I can just find a woman who would agree...
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Oh, there's your problem. I see they sell reinforcing sleeves for the oil pumps, and I guess I just figured out why.
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Time for more cleaning, cleaning, etc. Thanks for reading!
 
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Finally, its on to the rear suspension. Yanked it all out (interesting how different it is than the 122). First impression... is the panhard rod supposed to be this shape? I mean, I understand that everyone is different and it is all about how you use it but... does the panhard seem a little bent? (breaker bar for alpha straightness)

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The pistons you've posted indicate that the engine has been bored .015" overbore (15 thousandths of an inch) or .35mm. If you are seriously considering throwing new pistons in it, I'd take it to a reputable engine machine shop and have them look at the bores. They'll be able to measure if it only needs a hone/deglaze or if it'll actually need to be bored to the next oversize (.030" IIRC). They'll check for ovaling of the bore as well as taper.
 
Organized chaos. Beautiful. Now if I can just find a woman who would agree...
MZDUL57.jpg

Now you are beginning to slip into fantasy. When women look at disassembled cars & parts, they envision those same "sleeping dollars" reinvested in furniture!

Nice project, I've always loved the Amazon body lines, and everybody knows that wagons are HIP again. Have you considered a more modern drivetrain, since you are already going Megasquirt? Or are you addicted to these pushrod engines?
 
Now you are beginning to slip into fantasy. When women look at disassembled cars & parts, they envision those same "sleeping dollars" reinvested in furniture!

Nice project, I've always loved the Amazon body lines, and everybody knows that wagons are HIP again. Have you considered a more modern drivetrain, since you are already going Megasquirt? Or are you addicted to these pushrod engines?

Indeed @ fantasy.

And I have strongly considered a modern Volvo drivetrain swap (my daily is a 2015 s60) to perhaps a later 240 engine/trans. While I am not overly attached to the early pushrod engines, and while I think I have all the fab and electrical skills to probably successfully complete a swap... I don't want to be yet another dude who got in over his head. I see the 'squirt option as a nice halfway point.

All that is a long way of saying... I'm engine swapping the next one :-)

Thanks!
 
Update

Time to post an update! Since the last update a few (many) months ago, I have bitten the bullet and pulled the doors off (had to make the "old man screw knocker tool" for that) and wire wheeled down and striped the last of the interior. Next, I suppose flat glass and headliner will come out, a job I am a bit nervous about.

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Meanwhile, I've acquired a good-compression b20 + overdrive from a 142, I believe. I've stripped down the motor a bit, ran it with a sh*tty Weber to make sure it works, and then cleaned and painted it. This job is made way easier if, like me, you have extra b20 parts all over the dang place and you can get overspray on them and then swap them out after. Came out pretty nice.

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OK - time for a few questions. The plan for this motor is a microsquirt. I've watched every video I can find and read the manual. I'm (fairly) confident in my ability to pull this off - and since I am doing it on my engine run stand, it's very easy to access if/when I screw it up.

I have about 3 complete-ish intakes. I have flow tested the nicest set of stock injectors and plan to use those, along with the stock fuel rail and hopefully stock fuel pressure regulator. I have a fuel pump ready to go and a gauge as well.

I am leaving the ignition out of it and just driving the fuel, initially, but I would like to be able to upgrade later if needed. For that reason, I'd like to install some sort of trigger wheel now while the engine is exposed, but I need some advice. What have other folks used? A toothed pulley or something on the flywheel end? I would like to retain the double pulley for future AC work (I have a complete system off an ES that I want to someday modern retrofit). So my questions:

1. Any advice on trigger wheel and where to buy?
2. Any advice on how to plumb another fuel line? I was thinking of trying to find a drop-in replacement for the fuel tank sender that would include a fuel pump/line and then use the current line as the return.
3. Any advice at all on anything I am not considering?

Thanks ya'll!
 
Nice progress! I have a couple similar tasks with my 66 Amazon wagon project I’m working on.

As for the fuel pump, you could run a setup that resembles the later 1800 d jet cars, with a 240 pump inline right off the fuel tank. The stock fuel tanks are quite shallow and makes it kinda difficult to stuff a pump and sender setup in there.
 
OK - time for a few questions. The plan for this motor is a microsquirt. I've watched every video I can find and read the manual. I'm (fairly) confident in my ability to pull this off - and since I am doing it on my engine run stand, it's very easy to access if/when I screw it up.

I have about 3 complete-ish intakes. I have flow tested the nicest set of stock injectors and plan to use those, along with the stock fuel rail and hopefully stock fuel pressure regulator. I have a fuel pump ready to go and a gauge as well.

I am leaving the ignition out of it and just driving the fuel, initially, but I would like to be able to upgrade later if needed. For that reason, I'd like to install some sort of trigger wheel now while the engine is exposed, but I need some advice. What have other folks used? A toothed pulley or something on the flywheel end? I would like to retain the double pulley for future AC work (I have a complete system off an ES that I want to someday modern retrofit). So my questions:

1. Any advice on trigger wheel and where to buy?
2. Any advice on how to plumb another fuel line? I was thinking of trying to find a drop-in replacement for the fuel tank sender that would include a fuel pump/line and then use the current line as the return.
3. Any advice at all on anything I am not considering?

Thanks ya'll!

I would bite the bullet now and go fuel and spark. Cost/fab time wise and backtracking to upgrade later, its worth the effort and $$ to go with the DSM CAS for vintage motors from yoshifab. If you really want to use a trigger wheel setup, there are 2-3 options.

Use a 60-2 flat flywheel.
Use a BrickAutosport pulley with a 36-1 wheel and fab a sensor bracket.
Use a diyautotune trigger wheel with stock pulleys and fab a bracket.

Or, like I said, the Yoshifab Vintage DSM CAS and a couple coilpacks. You can run wasted spark or full sequential, or wasted COP, off that microsquirt. I believe that you can run wasted spark with no mods to the Micro. Some mods may be needed with Full sequetial COP, and Wasted COP as you need 4 coil drivers.

122 Wagon tanks are not baffled for EFI. I would recommend a cheap surge tank. There are some that house 2 Bosch 044s, or single 044, then you just need a lift pump from the main to the surge, high pressure from the 044 to thhe rail, return back to the surge, and a return from the surge to the main tank (you can go to the neck so you dont have to modify the main tank).

Edit: If you are stuck on using the stock distributor, you can use a pertronix or crane points replacement setup and either run fuel only or lock the advance in the distributor and run single coil with timing control.
 
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This is exactly the level of detail I was hoping for, thank you! I knew that there were a bunch of triggering options but was unclear about exactly what they entailed. Super appreciate it.
 
I have the Yoshifab unit on my b20. Its well built, and I would say worth it. But, if you really want to run a crank wheel and just go fuel only, let me know. I have an under drive pulley that I would be willing to trade. Its got a 36-1 wheel attached, and I could throw in a honeywell hall sensor, and possibly a modified timing cover with provisions for a sensor bracket. Or you can make your own bracket.
 
Thank for all the advice - I bought that Yoshifab CAS with the aftermarket CAS for 200 on ebay (here's a trick, favorite something expensive on ebay and sometimes the seller will offer you a deal).

Meanwhile, I've mocked up the fuel system on the bench. I've crossed over the injector outlets just to pressure test everything. Tightened down, we have no leaks and the pressure regular is holding nicely at 28-30 and returning well to my 'tank'. For anyone following after me, I did have to bleed some air out of the system to get it to play nice.
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I'll pull the fuel pump mount out of my 1800ES and copy that over to the wagon, plumbed with surge tank (that's good advice, thanks).

Last year I did build a little quick and dirty Arduino setup to flow test injectors. I picked my best 4 and will order the rebuild kits for them (which I think is just the few rubber seals and caps). Any advice welcome on that, I figure that's pretty easy to find for these Bosch injectors.
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And a quick sandblast and rattle can should clean these injector (protector?) things nicely:
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Thanks again for all the advice! Keep it coming, all those who have f'd this way before me.
 
I have the Yoshifab unit on my b20. Its well built, and I would say worth it. But, if you really want to run a crank wheel and just go fuel only, let me know. I have an under drive pulley that I would be willing to trade. Its got a 36-1 wheel attached, and I could throw in a honeywell hall sensor, and possibly a modified timing cover with provisions for a sensor bracket. Or you can make your own bracket.

cwdodson88 I really appreciate the advice man keep it coming.
 
The d-jet injectors are not super easy to find in new condition these days, but its not exactly difficult. If you can find the holders for the k-jet injectors, you can run modern injectors with minimal modification. You just need a rail and mounting device.

But for stock power levels, the d-jets should work just fine. You can also source them from a 70's Datsun 240z.

The real concern is the FPR. Just make sure you find a good one, and keep a spare.

When it comes down to wiring and internal mods/pullups, and such, just follow the msextra manuals for dual opto isolated inputs (cam and crank) and then follow the dsm cas guide on here. If you follow them to the letter, it'll fire on the first key.
 
A Megasquirt update (damn, should I be posting this in a different forum now?)

I have read the manual, every write-up I could find, and I think I now know about 30% of what I need to get this running on my NA b20 :cool:

Here's where I am at:

Fuel system feels good. I've tested my best set of injectors on the rail, no leaks and clean spray pattern. FPR is holding nicely and returning to tank. I'll be buying new terminals for the injector wiring.
Ignition system is a work in progress. I went to pick n pull and grabbed the VW wasted park coil and plug (like this one) and I should have yoinked the spark plug wires too since they are different than all the ones I have. Oh well - any advice on that one? Trigger will be the Yoshifab mount + Mitsubishi CAS. That Yoshifab piece is nice.
Megasquirt I'm not sure. I'm cheap AF so I would like to do the Microsquirt but the MS2 extra is only 150 bucks more, and I don't have to buy the MAP sensor. Seems like a worthwhile investment.

If anyone has been down this road before me, thank you in advance!
 
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