Poor life choices - C4 content

Wiggle it in the sockets that hold the lamp or try another Lamp.

In reply to GTXVette:

There are no sockets. It appears to be a strip of LEDs within a plastic tube, according to a friend who bought some of these. What's really weird is after I turned it off last night, the whole tube had a faint glow to it.

Their return policy was good last year when I bought a halogen shop lamp that quit working one week into use. Straight up trade, no questions asked.

Day-71(1:30):

I called Rural King and had an email within an hour stating my replacement light was on the way, and another email shortly thereafter stating I did not need to return the defective light. I went ahead & replaced the bad light with another I'd not opened yet, leaving me with two more I still need to unpack & test.

I took an hour bike ride after work to enjoy the beautiful weather & beach, then continued cleaning the engine bay. Sadly there is nothing photo-worthy to show for my efforts yet, but to make up for that I decided to set the intake, carb, valve covers & coolant neck onto the engine.

I'm glad I did...

Ok, so that might be a problem. However, depending how I setup my idler pulley for the alternator(and presuming I don't use the air pump) I may be able to trim that bracket down and be ok. So why didn't I just use the stock coolant neck? Glad you asked - the mounting bolts on the stock TPI intake are 90-degrees compared to normal, resulting in this:

Which obviously isn't going to work either. I think I'll be ok once I trim off that ear for the air pump bracket, but I'll need to get the pulley setup first.

Pete there are dozens of water necks that vary in direction they point the Height from the manifold and spacers to raise them and legnth of neck.Mr. Gasket, Speedway summit jegs and many others. Easy fix, Big block is the same too.

$28 will get you a small block thermostat housing that will point in any dang direction you choose. Amazon linky!

Thanks guys!

I went with this one because it was cheap($10) and pointed in the general direction, but it's good to know those other options exist if it comes to that.

Day-72(2-hours):

The LED light over my workbench that I'd replaced yesterday went out...in really thinking these weren't such a bargain.

I spent 1/2-hour cleaning the engine bay some more, then went back to electrical troubleshooting. I'd realized the battery in my multimeter was almost dead, so after replacing it I was finally able to make some progress. I now have headlights.

However neither the tail lights, fog lights, nor market lights work.

Though the hazard lights do work.

I also confirmed the power mirrors, wipers, and fuel pump work. Though I still don't have power windows, hvac, or anything on the dash. The dash doesn't surprise me since it's a common problem, but doing some research on the windows I discovered the breaker for the windows, along with the fuses for both the hvac & cooling fan, share a common feed from the ignition switch - my tumbler is loose and intermittent, so I think I'll get a new switch as well and replace them both while it's apart.

I received a ponential offer today that while awesome if it comes through, would also bump me out of the Challenge. A friend's dad just picked up an unfinished hotrod project that has a new(I presume crate) LS1 under the hood, but not yet plumbed or wired. He doesn't want to deal with all that new-fangled tech, so I kindly offered up my rebuilt L98 in trade. We'll see if he goes for it.

If its a straight trade, still budget eligible.

Yeah...but as someone who looked (and reeled) recently at what it costs to make an LS1 run in a car that didn't come with one, I'd say it would be pretty hard to still bring this one in under budget.

At least this one wouldn't need a total revamp of the fuel system since it started life with fuel injection.

In reply to Dusterbd13:

I'd considered that too, but it is pretty much an inside deal - though he may trade with someone else. But Clem is right - I'd still need either Megasquirt or a stock ECU and harness, all the front end brackets and accessories from a C5 Vette, headers, motor mounts, and whatever it takes to make the stock 700r4 TV cable work with an LS. Since all I have to recoup is the stock TPI setup and Bose stereo, I'd really be pushing it. Hell, I think I'm pushing it now - as it is I'm probably just over $2017 without any recoup, and there's still a list of parts I need.

Having recently watched a sawzall taken to the front frame of a C5 I wonder if the frame could be rearranged to fit truck accessories. You know for Challenge purposes.

In reply to Stampie:

If the Challenge was the end goal I'm sure it could be done, but it's really just a stopping point on the way toward CAM-S. I still think this car is a little too nice to hack up like that, though in some ways I wish it were more of a beater so I could go full racecar on it - that would likely make the build simpler since I could just rip out everything unnecessary for making it go/turn/stop.

In reply to petegossett:

OK but let me know if you need me to show up with a sawzall or two.

In reply to Stampie:

I'm sure I can find something for us to hack to bits!

Stampie wrote: In reply to petegossett: OK but let me know if you need me to show up with a sawzall or two.

I feel like this should be the rallying cry of the $20xx challenges.

Pete, Have you seen what I have done to My C4, Pics in My 10 Years After thread. My Sawzall was Possesed But my local Preist Performed an Exorcisim and it acts better now. (I'm a Catholic so it's O K)Lol

In reply to GTXVette:

I've not, but I'll search for your thread.

No work on the Vette today, but I did take Jumper K. Ball's inspiration & make a rack for my pliers. Only problem is now I need to completely rearrange my toolbox to make room for it...

Tomorrow I'm planning on picking up an ignition switch, tumbler, and the puller for the steering wheel & lock.

Day-73(4-hours):

I got the steering wheel pulled and sliced the remainder of the stock leather off it.

Then tore into the steering column. The tumbler assembly was pretty easy to replace, but the ignition switch was a royal bitch! Even with the column unbolted & lowered as far as it would go, and with my tiny hands, there was barely enough room to reach the nuts for the switch, or to maneuver the old switch out & new one back in. It's all back together now though...and I have power windows! Unfortunately they barely go down and need help coming back up, but at least the circuit is good.

Still no hvac fan though.

Im pretty sure I have one of these wheels in storage in much better shape. Yours if i have it.

In reply to Dusterbd13:

Thanks! Please let me know if you find it. I just ordered one of the stitch-on covers from Amazon, but I'm not much of a seamstress so I may need a plan-B.

Ill try to look tomorrow if i remember. Ill let you know. If i don't say anything, remind me. Memory ain't what it was before the last concussion.

In reply to wheels777:

I'm slowly becoming one. Does yours still have the LT1?

wheels777 wrote: We just bought a 96 Corvette. Any C4 experts in the family?

I have gotten More Good Info from Dusterbud than any where Else. Look at digital corvette also, Mine was an 84 but the Sawzall changed that.