Those socks take the cake. Seriously impressive bubba fix. I'm taking notes.
Those socks take the cake. Seriously impressive bubba fix. I'm taking notes.
Got engaged, I think she's on here "OptisSWMBO" or something like that.
Put a new steering column in, and it still has play, but Ive figured out how to fix it.
Put a new door on, its maroon, it was grey plastidipped.
Pulled some a/c lines, and tried to delete the oil cooler, but while doing that I found out my oil pump pickup tube is laying in the bottom of the pan. I got mad and quit working on it, then proceeded to lose the keys. A few months later, a good friend bought a 94 Formula to build a drag car out of. I went to help him and we where pretty sure it had a blown head gasket.
He called the other day, and asked if I wanted to help him pull the heads, so I headed over.
Valve covers
"Bud this doesnt look good"
Intake off
"Why didnt you clean this motor, Why are all the fasteners different"
"Im pretty sure someone has been in this motor"
Heads off
It was clear we had a breach affecting the middle two cylinders on each back, gaskets were new and there was a bunch of tom foolery with bolts and fasteners. On the outer pistons you have spots were you can still see the top off piston, and there is no carbon. Strange for 150K miles, unless when the pulled the heads they cleaned the pistons, but given the terrible work elsewhere, that doesnt seem likely.
Heads
Everything is unbelievable filthy and nasty, and I keep pestering him to clean the stuff up before we dive back in.
Our cars will be built very similarly, and actually wrenching on his got me motivated to work on mine. Ive got a pile of boxes as tall as I am with parts. Ive got my tuning cable, trans parts, poly mounts, and oil pump parts, I dont remember what else, I need to open them all up.
But Ill be back at it tonight, posting more frequent updates
AngryCorvair said:A 401 CJ said:My ‘94 Formula was 6 speed manual. 3.42 gears and 110 mph speedo. It was governed to 110 too. Found that out the hard way getting spanked by a Nissan Pulsar on Interstate late at night. I could pull away up to 110 but with a little downhill, there he’d go.
that is interesting! all of the 6MT development vehicles i drove were equipped with the summer tire option (Eagle GS-C the first years, changed to Eagle RS-A for model year '95 IIRC), so I've never seen a 6MT with 110 mph speedo. and yes, the all-season cars were electronically governed due to the speed rating of the tires.
Yep. I’ve never seen another one either.
When they came out out with the LS1 in these in ‘98 or ‘99, my buddy and I went out test driving (he had the Trans-Am version of mine). We discovered that in stock form and below 5500 the butt dyno cannot distinguish between that and an LS1. These have enough torque that they fool people.
i had good luck with that car aside from 2 starters, 2 Optis, and 2 water pumps. 155k miles and it still looked and drove like new. Then my dad parked it and left it in neutral while I was working overseas. It rolled off in the middle of the night and nailed a tree dead center in the rear. Didn’t break the glass somehow. And it still drove like new after that. I sold it to a kid for $1000 I think.
SWMBO supervising door installation, and holding it in place
New door installed prior to plastidip removal
Old dipstick out.
New in, this was a much bigger job than it should be because of the bolt right above the starter in the second pic. These things are a nightmare to work on, with a stock engine bay. Headers helps a ton, my first one was never this bad. The turd will be much better because everything is coming out, will be good for me cause I have big dumb gorilla hands.
More weight savings
Next I was going to remove the oil cooler, because its junk and unnecessary.
This is a shot from under the vehicle the rubber/aluminum lines that run from the pump and radiator along side the block go back to a cooler that sits on the oil filter adapter.
All you have to do is unthread the adapter and down comes the cooler, revealing a normal SBC oil filter adapter.
You then have to remove the two bolts holding the adapter in place, they have a cylindrical piece on the head that would interfere with the oil filter going on. You can either cut the round part off or get some low profile bolts. My new bolts were just a little to tall so I had to cut the old ones, here they are before being cut
So while I was under there I thought Id fix my low oil light. It was always on, and when removing the sensor I found out why.
So I was peaking into the oil pan to see if I could find the other part of the sensor and thats when I discovered the pickup tube was off. I got super ass hurt, because pulling the oil pan on this is a pain and I didnt touch it for a few months, and thats about where Im at now.
So today I tore the house apart looking for keys, but couldnt find them. So im gonna put a new ignition cylinder in this thing. Cleaned out the garage and organized the tool box. SWMBO wants to work on this thing, so tomorrow Ill be tearing this steering column down for a third time.
My buddies nasty motor seemed to clean up okay.
A shot in the middle of cleaning the deck and pistons
Got it all cleaned up and taped up, Heads are at the machine shop now. Lifters looked a little rough but cam looked okay, so gonna mill the heads and slap it back together and see how much spray she'll hold.
So back to mine
I have been working on it every single night after work. Someone on here said, "If you've got 30 minutes, do a thirty minute job." Getting all the little stuff done has really kept me motivated and working on it.
Cut down my oil filter adapter bolts and reinstalled the adapter and an oil filter, much more room for activities now
Got the door panel back on and secured.
Old console had no lid and was generally broken
So I got another console for almost nothing, It was also broken....but less, and it had a lid. I had to fix the broken bolt hole, some epoxy and a washer and we are all good.
This computer thing seems unnecessary.
Gram strategy bro
Better
Reinstalled, much better now, and its about as secure as I've ever seen a 4th gen console
Luckily this is one of the few columns were you dont need a key to pull an ignition cylinder, just one little torx bolt. I'm really quick at tearing these columns down after the third one.
All back together
John's Update:
Heads are smoked, warped and cracked, machinist didnt recommend fixing them, so hes on the hunt for some good heads.
I towed mine up to the shop, to finally tackle the oil pump and pickup tube.
Get it up in the air
Pull starter, converter cover, dipstick tube, and exhaust. Put a jack under the crank hub and remove the motor mount bolts. Then you jack the engine way up, make sure you dont smash the oil pressure sender or test the tensile strength of any wire. Then you just take the oil pan bolts out and out it comes.
Contents of the Pan. Not a ton of sludge so that was nice.
Cant see them in the pics but the bores still had cross hatching, the cam had some wear but nothing too serious we could see
New mounts vs old mounts. Normally you only get the red inserts and have to disassemble the clamshells and put the mounts in the old ones, but I got a low mileage used set so I didnt have to do that.
New mounts in
Old Pump vs New Pump. You will see the old pump uses a plastic collar, and the new one is metal
Install is reverse of Removal
It primed and fired right up. Has about 60 psi cold on 5w30. I had a massive exhaust leak, the exhaust stuff was super rusty so I wasnt surprised. I put it back in the air and hit all the bolts with an impact and stripped the right manifold. So yesterday I ordered my headers. XSPower 1 7/8ths, tune up parts and an alternator relocation kit. A bunch of stuff is about to come off the front of the engine.
Very nice thread - very amusing to read. You genuinely inspired me to check Facebook marketplace for V8 mullet cars now. After a few (too many) beers, several of them look pretty good. Luckily, I don't drink and buy...
Torkel said:Very nice thread - very amusing to read. You genuinely inspired me to check Facebook marketplace for V8 mullet cars now. After a few (too many) beers, several of them look pretty good. Luckily, I don't drink and buy...
Gotta be careful when wearing beer glasses...
In reply to Torkel :
It's a sickness, it spreads, like herpes. h have the tubesock, tentative name baseds on the sweet ass socks I found, one friend has the nightmaro, and I've been posting about John's terrible fireturd.
Pic of the Nightmaro
Did you tack weld the oil pick up to the pump body? Just for future insurance...
(Been there, did this on my 1972 Camaro...)
noddaz
noddaz said:Did you tack weld the oil pick up to the pump body? Just for future insurance...
(Been there, did this on my 1972 Camaro...)
noddaz
I had an old school SBC flipped upside down on the stand just yesterday. I thought really seriously about doing that. When I started to think about it though I wondered if it would be so easy as it’s supposed to be. You essentially have a thin metal tube you are trying to tack to a fairly large hunk of cast iron. If my MIG is set high enough to penetrate the cast piece, it’s likely to burn right through the tube. I decided to leave it be for that reason. Some guys can weld a razor blade to a boat anchor. I’m not one of them.
A 401 CJ said: Some guys can weld a razor blade to a boat anchor. I’m not one of them.
I know that reality. High school metalshop has taken me a long ways but I'm far from a decent welder.
Have you thought about brazing it in place?
I meant to show a picture of it, but I got busy working. I used a Pioneer pickup retainer. I didnt want to melt the tube, and its like 18.99 at Summit. FWIW, anyone that wants to use it, its for a 5/8ths pickup tube, if you have a 3/4 some reshaping and a different bolt is required.
Is that yellow module you removed part of the airbag system? I have some memory stored away that tells me yellow = airbag.
Yah. I remembered from my old Z28 that the air bag module was under the console, I also remembered it being much bigger, but whatever 16 oz equals a pound.
Cool thread. You're inspiring me!! I have a 97 Z28 convertible sitting in my garage that I got for $1 + gas money for towing it home. Been sitting here for over a year bc I have 5 kids which equals zero freakin free time. I'm going to start committing to your "30min job strategy though".
I'm fairly certain it has blown head gaskets...or worse. No holes in the block though, so can't be that bad. Shot tires, top, paint, cracked to hell dash pad, etc. I'm sure suspension is worn. Good things are A4 with 3.73s, subframe bars, computer tune, stainless longtubes (in a box), and Lingenfelter cold air.
I'm likely going to ditch the top & door glass, weld in a 4 point, ditch A/C, relocate alternator, and maybe...just maybe source a supercharger. A lot to do before that last part though!
Keep this thread updated!!
I got some of my parts in so i thought Id get a little done.
First was to tackle the trans leak, It was coming from the speedo o ring. If you buy this thing from Oreillys they just hand you a loose o ring. I was scared to set it down. Its only one bolt, just pull it out, replace the seal and put it back in. Dont forget to clean it up.
Then I redid the oil pan gasket, cause it was leaking, but Im beginning to suspect it may be a rear main seal. Ill no for sure tomorrow, if I have an oil puddle I need a RMS. No pics
Then it was time to add some lightness. Trash Pile.
Everything off
Also found my coolant leak. The last guy used a ton of pookie on the water pump gaskets and put the bolts in without sealant. Pump looks pretty new though, so I pulled it off, cleaned everything up, put some sealer on the bolts and reinstalled it all. Also capped off all the heater hoses ports, apparently your not supposed to do this because it can cause cavitation, but well see. I want to pull all the tubes and install plugs but didnt have time. I saw the pookie on the tstat seal but I didnt have a new one, and didnt want to make another parts run, and its not leaking, so it stays until i get my 160 stat.
Then I put the PCM of NC alternator Relocation kit on. It fit but its a pain in the ass to put the plug wires on. Also had the lengthen the alt connector but its a 1 pin so no big deal.
Until I have time to take the rack apart I just looped the lines, I used a piece of the return hose off the reservoir and cut the lines so I had some nipples. Eventually Ill pull the rack apart and make a legit manual rack.
Then I put it all back together, well see how we'll it bleeds without the bleeder valve on the heater hose. The big hose is for the air pump passage, just so I can move it around for another week, until my headers get in.
Then when I said I was gonna quit, I decided to pull the evap stuff off the manifold.
And in the process somehow I managed to berkeleying destroy the map sensor connector, look at the carnage.
So most of my parts from my last order are still trickling in, and now I need a map connector, a 160 tstat, and a new intake, my elbow is destroyed, I want to run an over the radiator setup.
After work yesterday, me and a buddy wanted to go shake it down and see how it ran.
Its runs like hot goibaj above 4K rpms. I tore a plug wire a while back and patched it back together, so it could be that, but Ill be doing plugs and wires with the headers this weekend.
Or....
My buddy thought it felt like the trans is slipping.
When we got back I had a few coolant drips and found this
I knew I had a little movement in the upper control arm bushings, but my goodness they are loud, they make a crazy dry rubber sound over bumps, and its hard to ignore, when we went over the first bump my buddy asked if we were going to lose a wheel, so probably gonna order some bushings.
My headers came in so I started on that chore.
First I needed to fix the MAP connector that I destroyed. So I soldered in a new connector.
The I pulled the plugs. It wasnt so bad now that I have tools, ten years ago this was an all day affair for me, even with headers. They all looked like crap, but one was different, which is pretty common to find on LT1s with questionable histories
Then I yanked the manifolds, really not terrible, the egr pipe on the back of the manifold was the worst, and I just cut it.
Then the Valve covers came off, and I have the sneaking suspicion I might have a blown headgasket. I found just enough milkiness to worry me but not necessarily confirm my suspicion, since this thing has been fired up 20 times, and only ran for a minute at a time, it may be condensation that hasnt been burned off, or I might have a breached headgasket. For now I just cleaned them up and reinstalled them
At this point I was here. Heads and valve train were very dark, but there wasnt any sign of sludge or build up.
At this point the headers were ready to go in.
Here is some pictures. They are stainless, 1 7/8ths stepped, 3/8ths flanges that are "ported", 3" collector with a merge spike. They are XSPower which is SSautochrome, which made them when they were LPP. I paid 312 on the bay with a Ypipe. Plan was originally to run the XSpower Y into the stock rear exhaust, which already has a sweet flowmaster welded in, for now.
Merge Spike
"ported flanges"
I was actually quite pleased with the gasket which are super thick multi layer gaskets
I did have to dent one primary for the steering shaft, and dent another primary down by the subframe, and do a little grinding on the subframe on the drivers side. I forgot to take pictures of the rest of the process until I was done. It was quite an ass whooping.
Also put in new TR55s, and Summit 8mm wires.
The y pipe wasnt even close to fitting, I would have spent more time and money on butchering it up to fit it, than just buying a true dual setup from Phab. So its rocking open headers right now, driving has been very limited because its crazy loud, but the off idle stumble seems to be resolved. Im attributing it to the old plugs and multiple burned/cut wires. The true duals have been ordered and should be in Thursday.
Did a little cooling system work yesterday.
I ordered a 55 dollar radiator on ebay. It was much better than I would have expected for the price.
I was idling the car after the header install to check on everything, and realized my steam pipe hose had started puking, plus I have my TB coolant hose plugged with a bolt.
I figured Id address all these.
Old upper radiator hose, you can see the little hose that normally runs to the TB, and my bolt i plugged it with.
Steam pipe hose, after I cut it. I had to cut the metal crimp off to remove the rubber part, and just replace it with 3/8ths hose.
$55 eBay radiator installed
95 and up Radiator hose installed
We are gonna try and get the exhaust on and tune loaded friday, and head to Yello Belly dragstrip to shake it down sunday. The street night at Ennis is next week and everyone is trashing to get ready, well really I think Im the last one.
Great progress. You’ll have it in fighting form in now time now.
In reply to Opti :
Going to yellow belly..... you got lots of homies and backup? world’s least safe dragstrip...... you are obviously near or in dfw.
In reply to AnthonyGS :
Yah if I can get the exhaust in tonight and welded up tomorrow, that will be her maiden voyage. As my buddy puts it, Its the only place in the US you can get stabbed by a cop. There will be a bunch of us going, and if you go earlier its not so bad, most of the guys go to make shakedown passes on Sundays in the weeks leading up to the street nights at Ennis, and theyve never had trouble. It will be my first time
Im on the west Side of Fort Worth and out in Weatherford by Cousin Eddie.
The plan was originally to plasti dip it pearl white and wrap the roof in gloss black vynil, then later do the drag wheels in black or maybe bronze, but I was putting together a cart on dip your car and looking at some of their newer colors and now Im undecided, a medium blue, their aqua or even a bright orange, all seem like they would look good with a black roof.
I put the 160* thermostat in, and loaded the tune yesterday.
My buddy said he immediately noticed a change in the idle.
We tried to put the Phab exhaust in, but they forgot to expand one of the pipes at the X so we couldnt put it together, I knew it was gonna need some fab work anyways so no big deal. It just got picked up to head to the exhaust shop.
I got a Hypertech 160 Tstat so I could turn the fans down and make this thing run cooler...at least that what I told everyone. Really its because the last genius covered this tstat and w/p in pookie. I already cleaned up the w/p but knowing it was on the Tstat was killing me.
The seal ended up being torn and there was pookie all inside so it needed to be done anyways.
Still tryin to pic a color
I think a satin metallic red with a black top and gold/bronze drag wheels could be cool.
But I also like the idea of something really weird and bright
like Aqua (still with a black top)
orange
try and duplicate Medium Quasar Blue (the best 4th gen color)
this was the original plan, but flat pearl white and a formula body
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