Welcome back to Hank’s Cars and Coffee. We are officially at the point in this build where things are starting to feel a little more real. After getting the OM606 started in the last episode and working through the oil pressure issue, Episode 12 was all about getting the truck ready to actually leave the driveway.
There was still a pretty long list of things to finish before I was comfortable putting any real miles on it. The first thing I tackled was the radiator fan. I picked up a universal electric fan and shroud kit online, which seemed like a pretty straightforward install. It ended up taking me almost three hours. Most of that time was spent replacing the questionable wiring and connectors that came with the kit with my own terminals and wiring. The thermostat that came with it also turned out to be junk. I heated it well past 200 degrees with a heat gun and it never switched on. So I bought a replacement.
With the fan situation mostly sorted, I could finally start working on the front end and, more importantly, the intercooler and intercooler piping. This was one of those parts of the swap where I knew I was going to have to get creative. I bought a generic black intercooler piping kit and started trying to figure out how I could route everything without completely destroying the front of the truck.
That lasted about five minutes.
I ended up cutting into the front of the truck and grinding quite a bit out of the core support to make room for the piping. The cuts aren’t exactly something I’m going to put in a textbook, but they work. Once everything was mocked up, the intercooler and oil cooler ended up fitting in a surprisingly tight space. The oil cooler was probably the trickiest part because of the impact sensor, but I think I found a pretty good location without having to fabricate an entirely new mounting system or reroute the oil lines underneath the truck.
While I was working through all of that, I also knocked out a bunch of the smaller jobs that had been piling up. I replaced the leaking thermostat and gasket, added a new PCV tube and installed an oil catch can where the factory charcoal canister used to sit. I also started working through the wiring for the boost gauge and EGT sensor.
The glow plug situation was another headache. I eventually came to the conclusion that the glow plug relay I originally had was not going to work for my setup. After doing some digging, it looked like the relay’s computer was designed around a very specific resistance from the factory glow plugs. Since I had been running it with the computer connected, I think I may have cooked it. I ended up ordering a new relay that I could operate manually and wired in a glow plug switch inside the truck.
Next up was the exhaust. This was only my second time welding, so I wasn’t exactly expecting perfection. I bought a universal exhaust kit, welded up a downpipe and started figuring out where I wanted the EGT bung. Honestly, the welds weren’t nearly as bad as I expected. Unfortunately, the V-band decided to break, which meant another Amazon order and another delay. At least I got to hear what the truck sounded like with the new downpipe.
I also needed to figure out the fuel tanks. Since the rear tank is the one feeding the injection pump, I decided to turn the front tank into a reserve tank. I installed a cheap low-pressure diesel pump that will transfer fuel from the front tank into the rear tank when I flip a switch. It’s not the most sophisticated system in the world, but it should let me use both tanks without having to completely redesign the fuel system.
Eventually, I got the filler neck opened up enough to accommodate a diesel fuel nozzle, and at that point there really wasn’t much left before I could put the bed back on.
With rain and wind rolling in, I decided to take a chance and drive the truck about half a mile to the garage at the house Miranda and I had just started renting. It was going to be the first time this truck had actually driven under its own power with the OM606 installed. And it worked!
The truck drove surprisingly well. It vibrates horribly at idle, which means the current motor mounts are definitely not staying, but underneath all of that vibration, the truck actually felt good. It was a nice surprise to call Miranda too on the way to our new house, and the surprise on her face, jumping for joy when she saw me finally rolling down the street is a memory I’ll cherish forever.
After that first drive, I noticed fuel leaking from the bottom of the injection pump. It looks like the leak is coming from the lower plate, so now I’m going to have to pull the pump apart enough to figure out what’s going on. I also know the fueling needs some adjustment, so there is still plenty of work ahead. But honestly, I’m not too upset about it.
After months of planning, fabrication, wiring, modifying, cutting, welding and troubleshooting, the truck finally drove. It wasn’t perfect, but it moved under its own power and that’s pretty awesome to me.
If you’ve got questions about this swap, especially if you’re thinking of doing something similar, drop a comment or DM me at @hankejohnson or @hankscarsandcoffee on YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, or TikTok. I’m trying to share every step in detail so that others can follow along—or learn from my mistakes.