flagmanruss

I was a boat mechanic before I was forced into retirement for medical reasons. Very many marine engines were Chrysler "225s" (hp) were the reliable 318 cid engines. For power I loved the 350 hp Chrysler 440 cid... many large cruisers powered by twins. It was a great place to work, I might add. In those happy days my ride was a '68 Plymouth Road Runner (first year issue) 383 / 335 hp A fabulous car for the open road.

My CTD is runnin fine... 1 oz TCW3 to the gallon of dino deisel... I can't imagine puttin anything else in the tank. Dang, I'd forgotten how much fun it is to drive this truck!Thanks, Mike,Russ

I tried to search on CF but didn't find it... I'd sure like to see it. Better yet would be to read the write up. Russ

I really like this set up. Very nice. :thumbsup I'm just stumbling around holding on to the walls (my usual method of indoor transportation) getting aquainted with where everything is. I too am a newly anointed 2 stroker! Penzoil TCW3 outboard, while my supply lasts. (WalMart seems to have emptied the display for the winter.) I'm doing a lot of travel on secondary routes at just about ideal speeds for my 4:10 ratio to make mpgs... 45-55... Both of the last 2 tanks have hand calulated to 18.9. The truck just seems to be running happy. :D I had put a new unopened quart bottle in the drivers door pocket but it's been weaping under the cap, so I guess that was not the anwer to stopping the mess. I've kept a paper napkin from the diner around it & wiped up the drips at every stop. I guess I'll refill it with 22 oz only since I seem to be doing 22 gal fill ups, rather than measure at the station. Russ

Nuthin wrong with farmin'... we all like to eat. My uncle now owns the family dairy farm where my mother was brought up. It's hard to make a living on the land these days. He's one of a handful of farms in an recently formed co-op selling their own milk in stores: RhodyFresh. It IS in the store the next day from pickup. Russ

I just want to point out that the initial application of 2 cycle oil should be calulated on the full tank capacity (30 in my case). Once you have the concentration of additive in the tank, then you use additive based on the fuel added. This may be splitting hairs but if over (additive) oiled consistantly it would be possible to build up unintended concentrations. I'm just on the introductory phase of this so am going to be more knowledgeable as I proceed. Thanks all for this thread and good thoughts.Russ

Hi Again,I think keydl has an interesting point, is exploring why the 2 stroke tends to improve the mpg for most of us... Hypothesizing that the added oil is staying on the cyclinder walls to reduce the ring wear & improve sealing... just as it does in a 2 stroke gas engine... If the synthetic can do the same job with less oil, the question then is how much is enough and how much will it cost? If this is the case, it's just gotta extend the ring life... motor life... further. Owners care about this... oil companies & government agencies don't. Since the benifits extend to other makes & models, not just the 2 gen CTD, then this hypothesis is more believeable. They don't all run a VP, they share recoprocating pistons... Chuck (aka Duluth Diesel) Replied to my message on DCDF forum that he's using the AmsOil Interceptor at one pint per fill up & no problems. He didn't specify the gallonage so we can't figure the ratio. I used 1 quart for my first fill up with Penzoil "Syn blend" but that is too rich for the 128:1 in the 24 diesel gallons I added, though not so much for the tank load since I'd not run the mix before. I will cut the oil added next time to 24 oz (1.5 pt). I have not got back with Chuck since I am new to this and am still working up the dino... This appeals to the scientist / explorer in me... very :smartI continue to thank MoparMan Michael for bringing this thought provoking subject forward.Russ

Thankyou for the correction... My memory hasn't been worth a d-mn since the MS... I did add 1 quart of the oil, which is the 32 oz. I'll try backing it off some next, instead of increasing it. Thanks, Russ

Yes, there's not a lot of space to mount a quality light in the OEM position... but if the RIGHT SIZED light could be found it sure would be better protected than under the truck. Yes, lights generate heat but I would not think the heat from the light would be an issue to the motor. Correct aiming would have to be considered as well. Yes, my experience with the early lights is that some of the OEM headlight moldings interfered with the beams. It would be a project, not just a quick install... depends what one wants for an end result. And may be impossible if he correct sized lamp could not be found. I should have several rubber tractor lights in the barn from a collectable Massey-Harris tractor I sold... I removed the non-authentic lights & probably put the 12 v bulbs back in them. I think I used a couple on the JD Yep there they are... R

Hmmm,I'm looking at the stilly, non-adjustable plastic insert in the Dodge bumper opening... that mounts the worthless OEM "fog lights". Now, if I cut out the OEM fog light, what would it take to mount a real light there... Hmmm.R

I once built some tractor light sealed beams into the rear of a Jeep Wagoneer I was building as a plow truck. It sure changed backing up...R

I'm recalling details of those early "off road" lights. The Lows were Carrello single filiment assemblies that I wired to stay on all the time... the lens had a very sharp cut off which allowed the butterfly shaped beam to be cranked up higher than normal without blinding every one. On several occasions I had Inspection stations re-aim them with some stupid guage and I'd have to take it back to a schoolyard brick wall. I'd measure the height to the center of the lens and make a chalk line on the wall... back up & set the top of the butterfly center to the mark. Set like this one could drive by them alone to about 55 without "over driving" the lights. The Hella highs were flame throwers... straight beam... I'd center the high beams right on the chalk mark... exactly horizontal. Ya really had to be aware of them and dim them before an approaching driver crashed in front of you.The Hella fogs... also useful in Massacheusetts snow storms... were a wide beam with sharp cut off up & down. They really lit up the close shoulders well. To be useful, they were set lower (aimed more downward) than the low beams to reduce back splatter reflection. Obiviously only useful at low speeds (alone). On a few occasions when I was running with only the fogs & parking lights, I had to explain them to the Law who advised me that Yes, they worked better as I was but No, it wasn't legal to run them that way. (Of course I didn't want to draw attention as to why the low beams were catching so much glare.) I only got warnings back then... but those were different days. I also only got a "written warning" from a trooper who I passed at about 95... I dare say that would not happen today! R

These are nice. I don't do a lot of night driving anymore and the highways here have too much traffic to use them much. (Not like the old days... my 68 Plymouth Road Runner had off-road lights (Carrellos & Hellas) Highs, Lows & Fogs recessed into the grill... 255k cp per lamp. I could light up a mile & a quarter of straight flat road (I-95), the longest stretch I ever found. The law had a sense of humor back then too.) They were early separate halogen bulb / lens-reflector units, not sealed beams. While the power of the bulbs was impressive (especially compared to the sealed beams of the era) the more impressive quality was the optics and reflectors... very high grade. Wish I could have that Plymouth back... fabulous road car... First year issue... 3.23 rear axle, man that car could fly. (I will not be contributing to the delinquency of drivers by going further... I note the Police have no sense of humor about such fast driving these days.) I gotta say the OEM Dodge "fog lamps" are pricy bulbs but worthless for lighting. I wonder about cutting out the factory fogs and installing a real light in it's place. Russ

This is a slick solution... I'll be scrappin my cardboard. What holds the winter front in place? Russ

Clever fix and neat install too... How do you keep your engine so clean?Russ

I just did my first refill of the ULSD / 2 stroke... like the first time, I added a quart of the "Penzoil Premium Plus synthetic blend Outboard" tcw3 rated. I put in 24 gallons, so my ratio is considerably less the 128:1. 16 ounces in a quart, right? To get to 128:1 I would need to add a quart & a half... something to try in the future. The Penzoil was $12 at Wallys, the house brand SuperTech O/B 2 cycle engine oil (tcw3) was aboout $8. They only had the Pensoil multipurpose in pints. I bought one just to get the container. The first tank my mileage was ave 18.4 overhead, 18.8 hand calulated. I've never had more than 17.5 and was typically mid 16's.

I swear that I saw a piece about someone who did a custom CAI by relocating the battery, putting the intake forward where the cold air is coming from... anyone see this story?Russ

My truck has unfortunately had periods when I was unable to use it. (Multiple Sclerosis can do that.) Anyrate, although the truck seemed to drive ok and had plenty of power... even towed the trailer considerable distances... the mpg has been falling off serously. This has gone on for a couple of years and the truck has been through numerous state inspections, various mechanics & dealership. (The dealership said "no codes, nothing to fix!") The answer was found by accident at the most recent state inspection (a different mechanic) checked the front end and found the wheels would barely turn. The cause was two fold... the brake pads themselves were delaminating (although there was suffient material visible). Also the diameter of the disc had rust expanded so that it brushed the frame which supports the calipers. Any rate, a brake job brought the mpg back to the original mpg. The interesting thing is that the powerful CTD drove pretty normally with the brakes like that... although it is peppy and FUN to drive now!Russ

Glad to be here... I feel like I came late to the party. I have so much to learn. Russ

I am interested in the concept of using synthetic 2 cycle oils... and the possibility that we could use less of it. My reasoning: I used to run many 2 cycle farm & garden tools (chain saws, brush cutters, weed wackers) each with their own mix ratio. I was going nuts until I went to a single can and mixed it 100: 1 with an Amsoil Product. The engines all ran for years on that mix.Now the question remains... if we are running the 2 cycle oil for friction reduction in the VP44 then this might work as well or better. On the other hand, I'm getting increased mpg with the dino 2 stroke. Would the synthetic 2 stroke offer the same benifits? I don't think we know since we really don't know why some of us get the increased mpg at all.Just my thoughts.Russ