-
ok, i got to missing a truck in my stable, so i had to get one. the last one i had was a 98 dakota extended cab with a warmed over 5.2, 5 speed, 3.91 posi, and full hotchkis suspension and poly bushings. great truck, until it was hit head on by a truckload of illegals.
(http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g108/dusterbd13/dakota/HPIM0078.jpg)
(http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g108/dusterbd13/dakota/MVC-004S.jpg)
so after a year of not having one, i decided it was time especially now that i bought a house.
i did some swapping, doing a rehash on a 92 pontiac grand am. my labor in exchange for a 95 chrysler cirrus with a supposedly bad tranny. fixed a leak, and daily drove it for a few weeks. then, i found a guy that was willing to trade the chrysler for a GMC S15.
(http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g108/dusterbd13/Picture165.jpg)
(http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g108/dusterbd13/Picture166.jpg)
(http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g108/dusterbd13/Picture168.jpg)
(http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g108/dusterbd13/Picture170.jpg)
(http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g108/dusterbd13/Picture174.jpg)
so far total investment is 20 hours labor, and 15 bucks. not bad for a running driving truck with a clean title. oh, and the pictures are AFTER i cleaned it up. a lot.
when i got it, the guy said it wouldnt crank for him, so he parked it. started right up for me after i reconnected the coil wire. he also said the tranny might be going south. after readjusting the TV cable, i found no problem with the tranny. in the process of this, i found that they had pulled the terminals from the ends of a couple of plug wires when they put brand new plugs in it. but they left the wire dangling in there hoping it hit a plug. so add a new set of plug wires, cap, rotor, PCV, Fuel filter, and can of seafoam. total parts now invested: 68 dollars.
i also put on some wiper blades to get it to pass inspection: 20 bucks.
lastly, i found why it quit running on me last weekend. the ignition module went bad. so add another 26 bucks in there.
grand total to this point: 114.
i am now in the process of finishing the interior swap, blacking out the trim, and getting the suspension not so scary.
as far as the interior,
replace the trashed door panels.
put in carpet.
install stereo.
Install buckets.
Overhead and between seats consoles.
the goals of this tuck are to have a decent looking beater that i can dive anywhere, through anything, and park anywhere. it also has to handle and stop exceptionally well, and be cheap to build and operate as well as cofortable to drive.
to that end, the overall plans are to rebuild the front suspension, using 2 inch drop springs, tall upper and lower ball joints, poly bushings, bilstein shocks, and a 33 MM sway bar. the rear is still up in the air. id love to 3 link it, but dont want to cut the bed and still need to be able to carry loads. Truck arms are out due to wanting to retain the stock gas tank. so i dunno. Brakes will eventually be C5 corvette pieces at all 4 corners under 17X9 black wheels wrapped in 275/40/17 or 315/35/17. depends wht will clear.
body will recieve a 300 dollar paint job, cowl hood, fender flares, 92 grille, 92 tail lights, sport mirrors, roll pan, and filled tailgate. maybe a tanneau cover if the budget allows.
anyway, im keeping this thread to show others what can be done on an extremely small budget, as well as a running tally of expenses.
i'll post updates next week when i take some more pictures of the current progress on the interior and body.
Michael
-
ok, i got to missing a truck in my stable, so i had to get one. the last one i had was a 98 dakota extended cab with a warmed over 5.2, 5 speed, 3.91 posi, and full hotchkis suspension and poly bushings. great truck, until it was hit head on by a truckload of illegals.
(http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g108/dusterbd13/dakota/HPIM0078.jpg)
(http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g108/dusterbd13/dakota/MVC-004S.jpg)
so after a year of not having one, i decided it was time especially now that i bought a house.
i did some swapping, doing a rehash on a 92 pontiac grand am. my labor in exchange for a 95 chrysler cirrus with a supposedly bad tranny. fixed a leak, and daily drove it for a few weeks. then, i found a guy that was willing to trade the chrysler for a GMC S15.
(http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g108/dusterbd13/Picture165.jpg)
(http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g108/dusterbd13/Picture166.jpg)
(http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g108/dusterbd13/Picture168.jpg)
(http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g108/dusterbd13/Picture170.jpg)
(http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g108/dusterbd13/Picture174.jpg)
so far total investment is 20 hours labor, and 15 bucks. not bad for a running driving truck with a clean title. oh, and the pictures are AFTER i cleaned it up. a lot.
when i got it, the guy said it wouldnt crank for him, so he parked it. started right up for me after i reconnected the coil wire. he also said the tranny might be going south. after readjusting the TV cable, i found no problem with the tranny. in the process of this, i found that they had pulled the terminals from the ends of a couple of plug wires when they put brand new plugs in it. but they left the wire dangling in there hoping it hit a plug. so add a new set of plug wires, cap, rotor, PCV, Fuel filter, and can of seafoam. total parts now invested: 68 dollars.
i also put on some wiper blades to get it to pass inspection: 20 bucks.
lastly, i found why it quit running on me last weekend. the ignition module went bad. so add another 26 bucks in there.
grand total to this point: 114.
i am now in the process of finishing the interior swap, blacking out the trim, and getting the suspension not so scary.
as far as the interior,
replace the trashed door panels.
put in carpet.
install stereo.
Install buckets.
Overhead and between seats consoles.
the goals of this tuck are to have a decent looking beater that i can dive anywhere, through anything, and park anywhere. it also has to handle and stop exceptionally well, and be cheap to build and operate as well as cofortable to drive.
to that end, the overall plans are to rebuild the front suspension, using 2 inch drop springs, tall upper and lower ball joints, poly bushings, bilstein shocks, and a 33 MM sway bar. the rear is still up in the air. id love to 3 link it, but dont want to cut the bed and still need to be able to carry loads. Truck arms are out due to wanting to retain the stock gas tank. so i dunno. Brakes will eventually be C5 corvette pieces at all 4 corners under 17X9 black wheels wrapped in 275/40/17 or 315/35/17. depends wht will clear.
body will recieve a 300 dollar paint job, cowl hood, fender flares, 92 grille, 92 tail lights, sport mirrors, roll pan, and filled tailgate. maybe a tanneau cover if the budget allows.
anyway, im keeping this thread to show others what can be done on an extremely small budget, as well as a running tally of expenses.
i'll post updates next week when i take some more pictures of the current progress on the interior and body.
Michael
-
well, i figure its time for an update.
not too much has been going on lately, as i have been busy with the house, the lawn, and building a shed. im also putting in a lot of hours at work.
ok, enough with the excuses.
got the AC fixed. it cost me 35 for the conversion to 134A kit. doesnt blow that cold, but its better than nothing.
Got the overhead console wired in, as well as the autodim mirror. they work great.
And the big thing: thursday, on my way to work, the truck died on me. just cut out in the middle of the street. i figured the fuel pump went out, as it has been surging and starting hard for the last few weeks. so my buddy and i towed it home with his four wheeler (wasnt too far from the house) and pulled it in. After looking at it, we figured it would be easier to do if we pulled the bed. so we did. we wound up replacing the fuel pump, a lot of the wiring to the fuel pump, readjusting the rear drums, fixing the taillight harness, installing the drop leaves, and doing some cleaning and painting. i also put the liscence plate on the bumper finally. grand total for parts: 69 for the fuel pump and sock filter, 6 in spray paint, 100 in the lowering kit.
i have also taken HILRODs suggestion and tried the fender flares. they dolt line up perfect, but theyll work until i can scrounde some truck ones. and a heat gun made that much easier.
Before
(http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g108/dusterbd13/Picture201.jpg)
(http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g108/dusterbd13/Picture203.jpg)
(http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g108/dusterbd13/Picture205.jpg)
(http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g108/dusterbd13/Picture206.jpg)
(http://after
http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g108/dusterbd13/Picture208.jpg)
(http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g108/dusterbd13/Picture212.jpg)
(http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g108/dusterbd13/Picture214.jpg)
(http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g108/dusterbd13/Picture215.jpg)
(http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g108/dusterbd13/Picture216.jpg)
total to this point: $585
sorry for doing the tread this way, but it was the easiest way to bring you guys up to speed on the project.
Michael
-
wow. thats one helluva writeup.
nice!!!
Looking great man, good luck with the project. Why are you using a panhard bar?
Looks like you have a solid platform to start with. X2 on the write up, look forward to more updates.
man, those are some awesome deals you got.
nice project...be careful with that 2.8...I've had a bad experience with one...
:x
i hate those old style door clips too, i don't think i've ever had one not break when popping the panel off.
awesome write though, thanks for posting it all up.
-
yeah, the door clips suck.
and thanks on the compliments on the writeup. i try to do it in such a way that I would be interested in reading it, not just looking at the pictures.
as far as the panhard rod, i havent a clue which one im going to use yet. probably the cheapest one i can get from bradley auto parts or summit.
reason im using it is that the truck has a LOT of lateral movement in the rear, even with the new bushings and springs. and its not all in the tires. so im going to locate it better.
as far as the 2.8, it runs good so far. ill switch it out to a 305/350 TBI/TPI motor when it finally hangs a rod out the side of the block. until then, ill keep driving it.
couple of questions:
1. what gauge cluster did a first gen Sonoma GT use? i saw pictues of one, and loved the, i know GM is cheap enough to use the cluster from something more pedestrian for their specials like that, but what?
2. will the truck fit a 275/40/17 on all 4 corners? im looking at the cragar soft 8's, with unknown backspacing.
3. anyone know where i can find the blueprints for the headlight relocators to put a 92 grille in it? the ready made ones i have heard are junk, and i dont want to pay for them anyway.
the other questions ill post over in suspension, as it fits better there.
thanks for the encouragement, guys.
Michael
-
depending on how low you want, and if you want to retain the full steering angle, i dont see 275s up front working too well
i think soft 8s only come in one offset per size/pattern...
The Sonoma GT, sy an Ty all used the Skyhawk turbo gauges. It's not a direct swap though. The bezel is larger on the GT's and it's a very rare part.
Figure out the width of the panhard. I have an aluminum one from Colmen racing with rod ends. I'll measure it Thurs. or if you have a 3/4 - 16 tap I'll grab it and ship it. Send me a PM. I'll hook you up. Ryo (greencactus) will tell you I have no problem helping people when I can.
the sonoma i saw didnt have a boost gauge in it like the sy/ty's did. could it have been another one that they used as well?
also, how much bigger/different are we talking? something i can make, or just a pipe dream for this kind of budget?
Michael
Syclone gauges:
(http://www.sportmachines.com/albums/91Sy0186/91Sy0186_05.jpg)
Sonoma GT gauges:
(http://www.sportmachines.com/albums/92SoGT0370-album03/DSCF0158.jpg)
pontiac sunbird gauges:
(http://memimage.cardomain.com/member_images/1/web/2017000-2017999/2017252_3_full.jpg)
(http://memimage.cardomain.com/member_images/12/web/756000-756999/756926_2_full.jpg)
wow. a sunbird.
thanks, man. im going to start looking next weekend at pull-a-part.
Michael
-
time for an update.
after lowering the back and painting the rear wheels, i decided to tackle the front end. sort of. i replaced the steering linkage that was kind of scary (83.20), put in the lowering springs, and replaced all 4 shocks with bilsteins off a 2 door 98 blazer. the shocks were 40 for the set. and turned out to be the same compressed and extended heights as the stockers. while doing all this, i also replaced the rag joint with a shaft from a cherokee to get the universals. the shaft was purchased with a blazer rear bumper, brevada grille, trailer hitch, and sunvisors at pull a part for a grand total of 78.00. i dont feel like breaking it down right now, so well add that whole total in it.
heres that work, as well as the brevada grille installed.
(http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g108/dusterbd13/Picture226.jpg)
(http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g108/dusterbd13/Picture227.jpg)
(http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g108/dusterbd13/Picture225.jpg)
(http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g108/dusterbd13/Picture229.jpg)
(http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g108/dusterbd13/Picture219.jpg)
i also had the fan clutch crap out on me, locking the fan into a fixed position. so i used an electric fan i had left over from another project. after i cut the shroud on it down a little bit, it fit right into the factory shrooud. i also got a 20.00 thermostatic switch for it from advance.
(http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g108/dusterbd13/Picture231.jpg)
(http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g108/dusterbd13/Picture230.jpg)
lastly, i started to finish the interior. i repositioned and reglued the windlace in, cut the headliner backer board and installed it, installed the sunvisors and under dash insulation.
(http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g108/dusterbd13/Picture224.jpg)
(http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g108/dusterbd13/Picture223.jpg)
grand total to this point: 806.20
up next is to decide wether or not the brevada grille is staying, and if it is i need to relocate the headlights and create a better fastening system for it. also need to install the trailer hitch and blazer bumper on the back, put the weatherstripping in the doors, and install the ZQ8 rear sway bar.
all this may take a little while, though, as i just found out yesterday that im going to be a father!
michael
-
congrats on being a dad!
idk about the grill...i'm kinda...undecided on if i like it or not.
blazer bumper will clean up the look nicely.
ive been thinking, and that may be a bad thing. with the bravada grille in the truck, and the blazer bumper going on the back, it vaugely reminds me of a 70 olds 442. so i want to put the 442 W30 style to it with the scooped hood, etc. i was wondering if you could chop some w30 scoops on the hood, shave the beltline molding, and chop on some cragar soft 8's (17 inchers). also feel free to make other tweaks that you feel would work, but remember that they cant be too exotic as im doing it all on my own, and im not a professional body guy. also, if we could just do one with my ideas only, that would be cool. then get a little nuts.
thanks for any help. the imigas are all from my photobucket account, and are as high resolution as my camera will take.
again, thanks
Michael
as if we need any more soft 8 people on this forum lol.
pretty soon half of us posting will have soft 8s lol
im not a big fan of scoops., but a photoshop might help
im debating on the soft 8's myself. thats why i asked for the help.
im also thinking of having a set of oldsmobile ralley wheel rehooped into 17's, just to go with the 442 look.
i also realized that i never actually said in the post anything about it being a photoshop request. sorry bout that. if i had any photoshop skills at all, id do it myself. but i suck with computers, so i have to ask for help.
Michael
i found this hood:
(http://www.sporttruckdirect.com/Pics/GOO/GOO%2082%20S10%20Twin-Scoop%20Hood%20GHG203%20Big.jpg)
http://www.sporttruckdirect.com/Good_Hood_GM_Ram_Air_Hoods.html
and this hood:
http://www.techhoods.com/Fiberglass_Steel_Hoods/TSOH-85.htm
(http://www.glasstek.com/Gallery/7172442HD4.jpg)
(http://www.glasstek.com/Gallery/70442HD.jpg)
thats the hood style im thinking about.
thanks, though.
Michael
yeah i know, trying to find something ready made.
they make one for 2nd gens.
(http://www.suncoastramairhoods.com/eshop/published/publicdata/SUNCOASTAP1/attachments/SC/products_pictures/1994%20-%202004%20Chevy%20S10%20Blazer%20Hood%202%20640.jpg)
http://www.suncoastramairhoods.com/eshop/shop/index.php?productID=307
that 442 bravada guy that everyone used to make fun of on the s10forum has one.
(http://memimage.cardomain.com/member_images/4/web/2272000-2272999/2272145_747_full.jpg)
-
well, to be honest, i havent made a whole lot of progress. we've figured out that the vibrations are coming frm a pinion thats WAY off, and ive figured out that my drivers side door is junk. between bondo, stripped off regulator teeth, a window that is constantly falling out of track, and a broken latch, it needs replaced. anyone know how glossy Krylon is? and will it hold up at all decent as a paint subsitute?
as far as progress towards the goals, my goals have realigned since i started the truck. a baby on the way will do that to ya in a skinny minute. so most of my time has been spent getting the attic refloored for storage, getting the yard cleaned up, beginning to do some remodeling, etc. also been working my butt off on corvettes.
im definately proud of the bathroom remodel i just finished up today. it came out really nice. replaced 90% of the plumbing, redid the subfloor, new vanity, tile, fixtures, molding, paint, etc. first big remodeling project. and go figure, its for the babys bathroom....
before
(http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g108/dusterbd13/Picture242.jpg)
during
(http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g108/dusterbd13/Picture243.jpg)
after
(http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g108/dusterbd13/Picture247.jpg)
i have also managed to get the old hot rod up and running again, but still need to tear back into the rear axle. shouldve redone it when i restored the car...
(http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g108/dusterbd13/Picture261.jpg)
last, but not least, i managed to get my ZQ8 rear sway bar in the truck. after i orderd the brackets through my local chevy dealer ($14 for the pair), i thought i had everything i needed. let me tell you, drilling the holes SUCKED! there is no way that i could find to get any bit bigger than a 1/8 in there to drill the holes, so i wound up finishing them with a dremet tool and a carbide bit. that took forever. then, i went to install the bar, and realized that i had no endlinks or axle mounting hardware. by the way, the bar is off a 4 door blazer, and fit perfect. to mount it to the axle, i pulled some 2 1/2 muffler clamps off a C3 corvette exhaust in the scrap metal pile. on the end links, i had some heim joint end links for a C5 T1 car that had become too noisy, so were replaced. they were in my oh shit bin. unfortunately, they require a 1/2 inch bolt, and the sway bar and brackets are drilled for something a lot smaller. so out came the 1/2 drill thats older than me and my wife combined, and i opened them up. then, i reused the hardware from the old T1 car as well. grand total for the rear sway bar: 24 bucks, , 3 band aids, and 1 carbide bit. was it worth it? not yet. it induced a new level of underteer to the truck that i really dont like. but ill see where it falls after the front end rebuild, and i get somewhere in the negative camber instead of the positive.
heres pictures:
(http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g108/dusterbd13/Picture258.jpg)
(http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g108/dusterbd13/Picture257.jpg)
grand total: 830.20
i ordered my lower control arm bushings today, and at 53 total, thionk im getting a good deal. going to try the problem solver moogs.
and maybe while im at the autofair this weekend, ill find a deal on either soft 8's or a set of nascae wheels.
michael
-
first gen blazer rear bumper is installed. and whoever told me that it was a direct bolt on after drilling a couple of holes LIED!!
also included are pictures of the brackets i threw together. would they work in an accident? no. but then, would the flimsy rear bumper? i can twist it with my hands ever so slightly. so im not thinking the brackets will be a weak point....
i just cut and cut until it fit right, used 1/4 X 2 plate, and 4 dodge diplomat lug nuts as spacers. reused all the bolts from the step bumper that was on it.
up next: finish the brevada grille install, and possibly shave that side molding.
grand total remains the same.
(http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g108/dusterbd13/Picture268.jpg)
(http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g108/dusterbd13/Picture269.jpg)
(http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g108/dusterbd13/Picture271.jpg)
(http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g108/dusterbd13/Picture272.jpg)
Michael
-
haha well just think of the whole bed as a BIG long bumper
looks good man, i like it.
-
so its been a while since i updated. again.
my time has slackud up a little, so i had a chance to work on the truck some.
i tried converting it to round headlights. that was a waste of a saturday. if anyone cares, headlight buckets and trim rings form a 1970-1976 duster/demon/dart sport fit right on the old adjusters and center the round headlights. it just looks like crap. it actually looked so bad i didnt even take a picture. i didnt want actual proof that i tried it.
so in the process of making the square headlight relocators, i broke a couple of the origonal adjusters. like 3 out of 4. so when i went to the parts store and they had to order the right parts, i changed my design. they sold some "universals" that were supposed to fot in a 3/8 square hole. i will tell you that they'll fit a round one too. so that, and some 1/4 X 1inch aluminup scrap, 8 sheet metal screws, and my adjusters/relocators were done. are they perfect? nope. am i worried too much? nope. i also finished installing, painting and securing the brevada grille. total for paint, tape, and adjusters was 10 bucks. Krylon has gone up lately.
i then installed the 6 degree pinion shims. 45 from bradley auto parts. i was able to reuse the factory u-bolts, but the locating pin on the leaf spring is too short. i didnt bother to extend it, and the axle hasnt moved or loosed in 400 miles, so i feel pretty safe. lined it up square with a tape measure and a 2X4.
after that, i had decided that it would be cool to mount the old set of recaros that i have sitting in the shed. that didnt work too well. it would have been functional, but by the time i was done cutting and drilling to mount them to the old seat tracks, i wasnt feeiling cofortable of their structural integrity. so for future reference, the 88 BMW 3 series recaro sport seats will mount to the factory tracks with some modification. just get more creative than me, and reinforce them somehow. for now, im sticking with the blazer buckets. while i was at it, i yanked out the sub and amp. it was taking up too much room, and i figured the 50 LB wight savings was worth it. so we can subtract the 37 from the total.
lastly, i scored a craigslist deal while i was in richmond, va this weekend. full set of 80's IROC wheels, 170 total, with lugs, and decent tires. they need refinished, but ive got to figure out how first. im debating all black, or doing cast iron colo where the black is currently and brushed spokes.
so the current total is.......
1028.20 as it sits.
heres pictures. yu guys let me know what you think on the wheel options, or suggest others. and i stil have 1000 to play with for the challenge limit. should be able to paint it, redo the front suspension, and small block it for that.
(http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g108/dusterbd13/Picture276.jpg)
(http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g108/dusterbd13/Picture277.jpg)
(http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g108/dusterbd13/Picture278.jpg)
(http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g108/dusterbd13/Picture279.jpg)
(http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g108/dusterbd13/Picture280.jpg)
-
6 deg of sims seems like a lot to me.
hell, i'm running my reg cab with 3" blocks + 3/8" set back plates with no shims.
i spaced the trans mount up 1/2"- 3/4" and it was pretty close with an angle finder.
i almost got me a set of those Irocs before i found these ZQ8's.
they look really good on 1st gens, idk about 2nd gens.
yeah, 6 degrees is a lot. but its what greencactus had figured out would work. at least i think it was him...
and the IROCs were on a second gen. now the second gen is on blocks. at least until the guy puts on whatever wheels he's replacing them with. i agree with youre statement, though. they look a heck of a lot better on a first gen. i really wanted a set of the ZQ8's like you have, but couldnet pass up this deal when i found it.
Michael
-
so when we last had an update, the grand total was 1028.20. a lot has changed in the last month. damn old trucks....
first, i had a slight engine fire right after the last update. apparently when teh valve cover leaks onto an exhaust manifold, it'll burn your plug wires, heater hoses, smog pump, etc. so i had to fix it. let me tell you, that was not fun. but it gave me the opportunity to clean up the engine bay a bit, reduce the weight, etc. while i was in there, i reset the timing, ran the valves, fixed the vacuum leaks, changed the intake and valve cover gaskets, removed the bad EGR and smog pump, replaced the serpentine belt, and put new plugs, wires, cap, and rotor in. i also cleaned all the electrical connections and grounds, as well as fixed some hacked up wiring i found underhood. the parts for this were quite reasonable, and purchased from my local Autozone. 16.99 for the manifold gasket, 9.99 for the valve cover gaskets, and 15.99 for the belt. the plug wires, etc, were covered by lifetime warrenty. the rest was just aggrevating and time consuming, but the truck has never run better. i also wound up disconnecting the EGR as it was bad. just havent put one on it yet.
i was told while doing all this that you couldnt remove the smog pump without reworking all the belts and brackets. that is not true at all. just use an 860K6 serpentine belt, and route like normal. after around 1000 miles, i havent had a problem.
so heres what it looks like now. i figured i shaved around 20 lbs off the nose between all the grease, dirt, smog equipment, and spare brackets.
(http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g108/dusterbd13/Picture286.jpg)
(http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g108/dusterbd13/Picture285-1.jpg)
while i was underhood, i installed my ZQ8 steering box. found a totalled s10 Extreme with 50K on it at pull a part of all places. so my box only set me back 32 dollars. bolted right on with my old hoses, belts, etc. i used the pitman that came for the extreme. and i must say, i LOVE that box. best steering i have had in a factory box. only better box equipped car ive ever driven is the FFI stage 3 in the duster.
(http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g108/dusterbd13/Picture284.jpg)
after all this got done, i was daily driving it, and the rusty exhaust finally went away. fell off coming down 24/27 with a load of roofing tin. so back to Autozone i go. after spending a grand total of 71.96, its off to the shop i go. while removing my old exhaust, i found little pellets coming from my cat. so i gutted it, and proceeded to hang the new exhaust. let me say, that was by far the easiest to install exhaust ive ever done. just fell into place, and doesnt sound bad either. while i was under the truck, i also completed my battery relocation. i have 32 in battery terminals and cable form Advance, and 10 in steel from AL lowders. its made from 3X3X1/4 angle iron, with some 1/4 channel steel holing it in place. and youll have to excuse my welds, they suck. i routed the cable down the passengers side framerail, through the boxed in section in the front, and was done with it. heres some pictures from out in my driveway. couldnt get the truck back on the lift, as theres currently a totalled corvette on it.
(http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g108/dusterbd13/Picture288.jpg)
(http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g108/dusterbd13/Picture289.jpg)
(http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g108/dusterbd13/Picture290.jpg)
lastly, i finally started to glue my weatherstripping in the truck, and work on the interior. got my verhead console plugged back in, and the weatherstripping glued on.
(http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g108/dusterbd13/Picture287.jpg)
after all this, the truck is a blast to drive. the rear mounted batter and 30 some odd pound monster of a tray helped balance the truck a bit, and made it ride better. unfoutunately, the front is no longer level with the rear. i guess ill just have to solve that with my tall lower ball joints here soon.
(http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g108/dusterbd13/Picture291.jpg)
(http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g108/dusterbd13/Picture293.jpg)
total as i drove it to work today: 1217.16
michael
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nice man, yeah i noticed that taking all that junk and tuning up my oid 2.8 helped it a good bit.
... for a couple miles.
for a couple miles??? huh?
imhoping the 2.8 holds out til next winter at least. then ill probably have the 3.4 ybrid motor built and ready to go. i heard something about the EGR bing disconnected causing the motor to prematurly go to hell. dunno if its true or not, but th check engine light's annoying me so ill at least get that ixed here soon. dunno if the diaphram is ad, or ifits a accum leak at the gasket. maybe when i get home ill check.
as ar as the ondition of the motor, its pretty lean on the inside, and uses arely any oil. so im thinkig I'll get another 50,000 out of it.
Michael
I miss my 1st gen! Looks like it's coming along nicely.
If the EGR is removed properly and everything is sealed right it can only help. There's absolutely no way that reusing dirty, hot, oxygen deprived exhaust gas can be good for a motor!
His 2.8 threw a rod shortly after he got it back in and running. I don't know what caused it. He may have a better explanation.
well, i had the A.I.R. system off for a long time...
but yeah, oil pump went bad, spent $400 replacing seals and stuff, lasted a week before it spun a rod bearing.
why it did it?....i have no idea. night i had it running it was running the best i've ever seen it. even my boss was surprised how well it ran.
before:
(http://i179.photobucket.com/albums/w313/boostbeef/0110082010.jpg)
after:
(http://i179.photobucket.com/albums/w313/boostbeef/0121082236.jpg)
sandblasted the brackets and repainted the black ones, blasted the manifolds (had 4 bolts broke off i had to fix), blasted the intake mani, etc.
new:
water pump, thermostat and hoses
oil pump
exhaust mani, valve cover, oil pan, and intake mani gaskets, and rear main seal
cap, rotor, plugs and wires
trans filter kit and OPT corvette servo
all new fluids
radiator cleaned up and blown out.
wiper switch
turn signal lever
...but don't worry...Project: Blazer Resurrection II - coming soon to a theater near you.
...and this time...the 2.8 stays in hell.
YES! BLAZER RESURRECTION FTW! It's in wayy too good of shape to let sit around and rot.
i agree, i still crank it up and clean from time to time.
project is still in the planning stages, i need to save up several more paychecks, waste a little on my truck, etc lol
main thing right now is i'm trying to decide what motor to put in...
carb 350, tbi 350, tpi 350, lt1, maybe a 383, etc
...kinda want to shoot for around 300 or so hp, nothing too fast, but an awesome cruiser.
...once i get some stuff figured out i'll make a project thread and go from there.
(http://i179.photobucket.com/albums/w313/boostbeef/Blazer/Picture030.jpg)
sorry for hijacking the thread.
Wow that is a clean Blazer.
I vote LT1.
This might be my favorite thread here! I love gen 1's and am a tightwad by nature so this thread is great! Major bonus points for the olds grill as well. I'm the proud owner of a 73 cutlass supreme 455 that I drive just about every week and an olds grill my be on the to do list for my small block gen 1 build now as well.
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so i went to my first autocross today. had a blast with the truck. throughout the course of the day, i managed to shave 10 seconds off my time, which i dont think is too bad. i got classed in STS, with some other really neat stuff that really kicked my ass. namely WRX STI's. best time of the day for me was an 87.4, best in class was a 75 something. not too bad for my dirst time i think. and to make it even better, there was a guy there with a brand new skyline GTR. his best was an 88 something. so we know hes having a bad day getting beat by a novice in a truck.
anyway, theres a new truck punch list being developed now.
1. fix leaking brake line.
2. get electric fan working again.
3. swap to seats with more bolstering. i was flopping around more than flipper.
4. different tires. the ones on my truck now have absolutely no stick in them.
5. rebuild front suspension. already have lower moog problem solver bushings, will be calling Marcus at SC&C this week to order my howe lower ball joints, and UB machine is shipping my UCA's with teh truck ball joints this week.
6. rear shackle bushings are toast. they need to be changed.
7. flush the brake fluid. its really old, and has air in it nbow due to the leak.
8. install window weatherstripping (already purchased for $1 each). my DS window fell out during on of the turns. it was embarrising. its still rattling around in the door right now, and its cold.
9. strap battery in. i almost failed tech.
10. increase rear spring rate (using some parts store "coil over"s that i had left over from my dakota. they bolt to the shocks with muffler clamps, but they should work.
11. weld in the rear sway bar brackets. lot of flex with just bolts.
thats the short list. most of the stuff i either already have, or will be on its way shortly. now i just need the time.
and pictures of the autocross will be up as soon as theyre posted on the message board at the SCCA.
Michael
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Awesome! Sounds an awful lot like my autoX outing as far the improvement over the day and where you ended up in relation to the other times. Can't wait to see the pics!
my blazer did the same thing with the windows. theres a tiny little clip towards to top of the window that holds it in the track.
surprised you got in sts, its supposed to be for 4 seater cars. next time, run in FSP, the pax index is actually better than sts.
the trans is oficially toast. overdrive is gone, and its more metal than fliud. at least i had fun before it went.
five speed swap here i come!!
Michael
picked up a parts truck tonight. wife said i have one month to get it off our property. only paid 200 bucks for it.
supposedly it has a brand new clutch, and was running/driving great before it developed an electrical problem and the guy parked it. city told him monday he had seven days to get it gone. so we loaded up BART (mega-cab diesel ram, red, BART stands for big ass red truck by the way) and the race car trailer, and went to gastonia to get it. we were in the middle of crack-town. rough place. had to push it 100 yards to where the truck and trailer were due to it being too narrow to get the rig back there. and too muddy.
so well see if i can get it running and check out the tranny. ill post pictures tomorrow.
anyone need parts?? or the whole damn truck? make you a heck of a deal...
Michael
sucks about the trans man, but looks like ya already got it covered. lol
yeah, after only 2 hours from posting on craigslist, this guy called me. couldnt pass it down. already found a brand new radiator in the truck, new pads, and a new AC system.
next up, get it running to test the tranny.
Michael
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my new 200 dollar parts truck. been driving it around all morning.
(http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g108/dusterbd13/Picture294.jpg)
(http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g108/dusterbd13/Picture295.jpg)
(http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g108/dusterbd13/Picture296.jpg)
(http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g108/dusterbd13/Picture297.jpg)
(http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g108/dusterbd13/Picture298.jpg)
(http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g108/dusterbd13/Picture299.jpg)
(http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g108/dusterbd13/Picture300.jpg)
it had a K&N air filter (already in my black truck), brand new radiator, brand new AC lines and condensor, and a brand new clutch. guy parked it because it quit running on him. after adding gas, replacing the fuel pump fuse that FELL OUT, and charging the batter, it runs like a champ. gonna drive it some more and see if the trans is really good, and ten swap the trans to my truck. or i might sell the whole truck and find another trans. think i could get 900 buckes out of it after i clean it up some?
Michael
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drive it to pa and ill give to 900 bucks
come and get it and ill give it to you for 750.
it actually cleans up nice. if anyone caresm, ill take pictures and post them tomorrow.
Micahel
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when last we left off, the grand total was 1217.16. since then, i sold the stock wheels and tires for 125. that brings total down to 1092.16. i also had a blown out transmission, and a 200 dollar parts truck. so with two truck, neither of which are road worthy, i have 1292.16 wrapped up in it. i did drive the parts truck around a good bit, until the electrical system released a lot of magic smoke on me. apparently when they installed the aftermarket security system, they didnt use any fuses, and it shorted. not worth fixing. so...
this morning i started stripping it for all its worth. so far for me i nabbed the 92 core support and brand new radiator hoses, aluminum radiator, new AC system parts, 92 air dam. tomorrow im pulling the axle and swapping it in the black truck (the new one has 3.42 gears, no pinion slop or wheel bearing play, unlike mine), yanking the tranny and all related stuff. we'll see if its really a fresh clutch like i was told. i also yanked all the accesory brackets and intake for the eventual 3.4 motor. ill grab the oil pan when i get the motor out.
supposedly a guy is coming tomorrow to buy the doors and fenders for 90 bucks. and another guy saturday for the motor and interior for 150. which means that ill have actually gotten paid for a tranny, etc. which is just cool.
anyway, i figured id share pictures of todays parts truck carnage.
started this morning with a complete truck, minus the hood my buddy haelped pull last night. too bulky for one guy.
(http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g108/dusterbd13/Picture304.jpg)
brand new radiator (wanted to show proof)
(http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g108/dusterbd13/Picture301.jpg)
interior after i nabbed all the nifty pewter trim
(http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g108/dusterbd13/Picture305.jpg)
truck at the end of today
(http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g108/dusterbd13/Picture306.jpg)
and heres the last picture i got before my camera died. i took the white doors (which were reall quite straight) and put them on the drivabeater. im thinking cop truck, complete with spotlights on the a-pillars and push bars on the front. paint the wheels black to go with the theme, and put something not police looking on the doors. dont feel like getting arrested for impersonating an officer. just the general theme of a black and white squad is what im after. so please, give me feedback on what i can do.
(http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g108/dusterbd13/Picture307.jpg)
thanks for looking, and have a happy new year.
Michael
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You could put a decepticons symbol on the doors and write on the bedsides "...to punish and enslave."
^ hahaha, i like it.
all except the enslave part. i am in the south. May get taken wrong, and i dont fell like getting my ass kicked.
Michael
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budget update, now that ive stripped and sold more of the parts truck.
in the last few days, ive sold 361.00 worth of parts. brings the project total sown to 931.16
it has brand new front calipers, hoses, and rotors. theyre already in my parts bin for an eventual rear disc conversion, or just s[ares for the fronts on mine.
the trans is a world class t5, with a brand new clutch. unfortunately, it needs an inpuit bearing. way too much slop on the input shaft. anyone know how hard they are to swap?
and i also think i have an 8.5 inch rear in that truck. its got the small, square axle ends like the camaros. thats an 8.5, right?
lastly, how exact do i need to be on the clutch master cylender location on my truck? can i be off a hair or seven?
michael
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technically all 10 bolts have the same housing ends, and the 7.5,7.625, 8.2 small car and 8.5" 10 bolt are identical, the easiest way to tell is by the shape of the pumpin itself, I'll see if I can find a picture for you. Chances are pretty slim though, that unless it's a custom axle or has been swapped out of a later model Blazer, it's a 7.5" ring gear.
For the CMC, what do you mean? Is the mounting location off, or is there a bent pedal? I guess I just don't understand the question.
(http://www.novaresource.org/images/rears.jpg)
i wasnt aware any 1rst gens got 8.5" stock either
If memory serves, not even the SGT, Syclone or Typhoon had an 8.5" rear. Nothing until the second gen blazers and later model 4.3L 5-speed 4x4 Zsomethingorothers.
on the rear: everything on this truck had yellow junkyard crayon, so theres no telling the origonal application of the rear. ill see if i can get a picture later today, show you guys what i have.
on the CMC: i have no holes in the firewall to mount it, so i have to drill my own. thats what i was wonderingif it was an absolute necessity to be dead nuts on, or is a litle off ok?
Michael
Ok, I see what you mean. you're doing an automatic to manual swap. side to side you should have some play, 1/8" or so. Up and down you should have about the same, anything more than that and you'll either get binding or an incorrect pedal ratio which will alter the stiffness of the pedal as well as the total throw before engagement/disengagement. I'm sure someone could get you the proper centers from the edges of the firewall and if you have the right measurements, it should be close enough.
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little more progress on stuff.
sold the bed. brings project total down to 901.16
finished stripping the truck. got the pedals, master and booster, CMC, and all teh fasteners. now i just have to haul off whats left. or ill give it to someone if they come get it this week.
(http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g108/dusterbd13/Picture310.jpg)
(http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g108/dusterbd13/Picture311.jpg)
traded the sawblade mags that were on the parts truck for a full set of Z28 wheels. im going to see if i can trade them for a set of 17X8 soft 8's
(http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g108/dusterbd13/Picture309.jpg)
also started cleaning up parts for the 5 speed. figured out when i was draining the fluid that theres a bunch of metal in it, and im going to go through it before i put it in. dont wanna have to yank it back out. i also found out that the "new clutch" was warped and hot spotted pretty bad. so i'll order a new one. (yes, i said new. its not that often ill bbuy soimething spanking new for this truck, but for the pain in the ass factor, im willing. and a new zoom clutch is only 84 bucks from summit.)
(http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g108/dusterbd13/Picture312.jpg)
(http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g108/dusterbd13/Picture315.jpg)
(http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g108/dusterbd13/Picture316.jpg)
lastly, heres a couple of pics of the rearend. its probably not an 8.5 after looking at it again. and i was all excited....
(http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g108/dusterbd13/Picture313.jpg)
(http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g108/dusterbd13/Picture314.jpg)
next up: finish the white door install, get rid of the parts truck, finish cleaning tranny parts, surface fluwheel, order clutch, and rebuild trans. now it gets expensive.
Michael
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no that's a 7.5 lol
Yup, 7.5 or 7.625, there is no way to tell externally, at least not that I know of.
They can still handle 350hp or so with the right upgrades, and can handle 200-250 in factory form depending on how well they've been cared for. One of the weakest parts of these rear ends is actually the spider gears and carrier. Any decent clutch type LSD will take care of the spider gear issues and have a smooth enough engage that you won't have to worry about the carrier. If it is a 7.625 then you can put in any locker they make for it and not worry, the carrier was the biggest reason they bumped up to a slightly larger ring gear, that 1/8" makes a surprising difference. If you upgrade gears, get a brand new set, I don't trust used gear sets for 7.5/7.625 10-bolts, some people have gotten them and not had a problem, but new ones are cheap enough, I consider it cheap insurance. Bearings need to get replaced on your first re-build, but shouldn't need to be replaced after that, I've seen bearings with 100K miles that were in better than decent shape on a car that got the piss driven out of it daily. Stock axle shafts should be fine to 300hp, maybe 330 or there abouts, above that, you'll want to step up to what are called camaro shafts, they're just 31 spline axles, you can't actually use shafts from a camaro though, unless you want to get them cut and re-splined. I've seen guys grenade the housing at 350ft/lbs and I've seen them hold up to 450ft/lbs without flinching, it depends a lot on your application. With a manual transmission you almost have to get one of the beefy aluminum girdle covers, automatics get a lot more leniency. That's about all I can remember, if you have questions, feel free to ask, I've built four of these rear ends and destroyed two of them.
oh god. z28s and soft 8s.
we have too many of those lol
/me waits for greenflamer to get soft8s
[/me]
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so, a little progress.
parts started showing up. 141.13 at summit got me a zoom clutch (dunno why its in this box. all the zoom clutches ive ever seen were purple, too.) and poly leaf spring bushings. they were actually cheaper than the pair of rubber shackle bushings at my local parts store. now i can do the rear suspension.
(http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g108/dusterbd13/Picture319.jpg)
(http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g108/dusterbd13/Picture320.jpg)
also got my MOOG problem solver LCA bushings in. 53 even from Advance, but they had to order them.
(http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g108/dusterbd13/Picture324.jpg)
i also spent 35 at NAPA to get the flywheel resurfaced.
lastly, i actually started on the trans swap. let me say this just once: I HATE under dash work.
the pedals went in tonight before a migrane took me out. now ive got to cut the holes in the firewall for the CMC, fix a lot of hacked up wiring i found (some nbare wires too. just scary), and reinstall the dash and cap. i know it looks bad, but this is project drivabeater, not project lets dump a lotta money and make it look really sweet. as long as its somewhat presentable, im happy. and for future reference, the steering column is MUCH different between 87 and 92. so ill be driving the pin out of the auto shifter on my tilt column, and putting it back in. anyone wanna buy a manual column? give you a hell of a deal.
(http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g108/dusterbd13/Picture321.jpg)
(http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g108/dusterbd13/Picture326.jpg)
also, i pulled apart the front of the trans to replace the input shaft bearings due to too much play. once NAPA gets them here, ill add those prices in.
(http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g108/dusterbd13/Picture322.jpg)
total 1130.29
and still a long ways to go....
Michael
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Making good progress though!
whats the part # on the leaf bushings?
and do they cover up to '02 trucks?
http://store.summitracing.com/partdetail.asp?part=ENS-3-2129G
says 83-01 with 1.5 inch bushings. heres to hoping my belltechs ude the 1.5's!
and i dont see what would be so different on an 02.
Michael
yeah idk why but a lot of aftermarket parts only list up to '01 for s10's.
...drives me crazy trying to find parts. lol
i'm thinking about finding a set of zq8 leafs, running poly or high durometer rubber bushings, JTR 1" drop block, axle setback plate, and std cab driveshaft alignment kit.
-
if you take some measurements of the current stuff, ill compare it to the parts i got, and we'll see if theyre compatible.
on the progress front:
got the firemall set up for the CMC, the dash most of the way back in (at least as far as its going for right now), most of the wiring fixed, etc. been at it all night. tomorrow, ill put the headlight controls back in, the drivers seat back in, run the stereo wiring, etc back into the openings and tape it, and back it outta the shop. ill also press on my new input shaft bearing and reassemble the trans. next weekend, ill be putting it up and in.
Michael
todays progress:
none on getting the trans back together. i can't figure out a way to get the tapered roller pressed off the input shaft, so im taking it to a shop on monday. i hate farming stuff out....
i did get the shelves built in my shed, go to a baby shower, and make some progress on the truck though.
add 7.00 for dupli-color vynil dye.
i used a plastic bag to cover the steerig wheel, and the Stanly News and Press, thursday edition, to do all my masking. the tape was left over from the grille project.
(http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g108/dusterbd13/Picture329.jpg)
(http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g108/dusterbd13/Picture328.jpg)
(http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g108/dusterbd13/Picture327.jpg)
notice the pewter bezels? theyer out of the parts truck. i like them with the black. just enough color.
reason im ddiong this is that all the dashes in my area are as bad, or worse than the one that is in it now. so why spend a bunch of money on it?
the dash cap is going back in, even though its cracked too. this time, it will be installed correctly. something it wasnt when i pulled it. ill also be doing the entire interior over in black, except for the carpet, seats, and sunvisors. well, at least until i find cheap black versions...
and the last shot is of the finished clutch pedals. three days of hell for these things, so im freaking proud of them. i never wantto do it again, though....
(http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g108/dusterbd13/Picture330.jpg)
1137.29 and counting...
Michael
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its been a long weekend....
first, budget stuff: 8 dollars for the 15 loose rollers for the input shaft from NAPA. 10 for the tapered roller bearing on the input shaft, 5 for the grease seal (both from Autozone), and 5 to get the tapered roller swapped out (local big rig repair facility).
so current budget total is : 1165.29
and i sold my stock leaf springs for 25, so new budget ttal is 1140.29
the reinstall of the input shaft went fairly well for a guy with fat fingers. took some vasaline to hold it everything in place, jiggled, wiggled, cussed, screamed, etc. about two hours later, the input shaft was back in, and the trans was ready for reinstall.
so saturday, i took the truck down to my dads shop, as he has a lift and heat, made it quite nice. about halfway there, the automatic gave up the ghost. only had 1st and 2nd. so i limped it the last 20 miles in second. took forever. when i got there, i had to back the truck up. it took full throttle to get the truck to move in reverse, and even then, it wasnt happy.
when we dropped the pan sunday morning, there was a 1/4 inch of metal built up on the magnet in the pan. and the fluid smelled BAD. but at east i got my money's worth outta it!
when we pulled the driveshaft, we found places where it used to have weights. dunno where they went...
(http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g108/dusterbd13/Picture331.jpg)
(http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g108/dusterbd13/Picture332.jpg)
after letting it drain, we started to yank it. there were only 2 bolts in the torque converter, and three holding the trans to the motor. none of those three were even finger tight.
once the automatic as out, we installed the five speed. pilot bearing, flywheel, etc all went in without a hitch. no messed up threads, nothing. it was great!! ive never had a big job go that easy.
(http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g108/dusterbd13/Picture333.jpg)
my buddy Dustin, my father, and myself spent most of yesterday putzing around with it. between bench racing, looking at stuff, cleaning parts, eating, and just general BSing, we didnt work that hard. 10 hours later, we were done.
(http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g108/dusterbd13/Picture336.jpg)
at the end of the day we worked on stuff like the shifter, the clutch hydraulics, etc. that was the hard part.
dustin cut the most anal retentive floorboard hole ive ever seen. he even used a straightedge guide for the air nibbler, filed the opening, etc. spent way too much time on the hole for the caliber of this truck.
heres a picture of him doing it.
(http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g108/dusterbd13/Picture334.jpg)
while he was doing that, i was puting in the hydraulics. i had to gring the firewall opening with my trusty dremel to get the master to clear, but that was the only bad part. and getting the hose routed around evertything. stupid plastic hoses.
but eventually it got done.
(http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g108/dusterbd13/Picture335.jpg)
we then drained all the fluid, hosed the innards of the tranny out with 2 cans of brakecleaner, and refilled it with fresh ATF. gotta love having a bunch of open bottles of stuff to use up.
when we first started the truck, is strated in gear with the clutch depressed. we gravity bled the clutch hydraulics. nothing. wound up pulling the slave completely out of the truck, and rotating it all over while gravity bleeding. clutch engages right at the floor now.
when we wint to test drive, the tranny would not go into any gear, though the the clutch was now fully disengaging. turned out that we had to let the fluid get pumped all around the tranny again after the brakecleaning i gave it. once that happened, it shifted great! no noises, full throttle up and downshifts, good holding on the ZOOM clutch, easy pedal pressure, etc.
we buttoned the interior kinda back up after removing the mechanical speedo cable, and running the new wiring for the reverse lights and electric speedo. the parts truck didnt come with a shift knob, so i sued the stock one from my old Dakota. threads matched and everything. i still have to fix soem under dash wiring and HVAC issues, fabricate the panels to put the Autometer gauges in, and redo the rest of the interior.
(http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g108/dusterbd13/Picture339.jpg)
my though on the interior is to do all the light grey, dash level-up stuff in gloss black, and leave the dark grey alone. what do y'all think?
the truck runs a lot better now, and is a blast to drive. feels like theres at least another 20 horse in it, probably due to all the parasitic loss of the busted 700-R4.
i also bled out the brakes today while i was down at the shop. feel a lot better now.
Michael
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That's some quality work. Wish my motor swap went that smoothly. Keep it up and she'll be shiny in no time.
looking good man, it's always nice to do work with good buddies.
...well at least when u can get them off their lazy asses and help. haha
looks like you got all you could out of hte 700r4. lol
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parts and pieces keep rolling in.
up first: the solution to my speedometer problem. 102 bucks worth of autometer gauges in a custom panel. panel is still getting finished, along with the auxiliray panel where the radio used to be. 9 dollars in lexan from lowes.
(http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g108/dusterbd13/Picture355.jpg)
(http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g108/dusterbd13/Picture354.jpg)
and a picture of what was left after a whole bunch of cutting
(http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g108/dusterbd13/Picture356.jpg)
the panel will reuse the factory indicator lights, be hooked up with a 12 pin quick connect from radio shack, and fit in all factory openings with all factory hardware. unfortunately, i could not reuse the factory lexan cover, so hopefully it all looks good when im done. still have to find a spot for my radio though...
next, i got a free set of Falken tires for the 15 inch Z28 wheels. so i pulled the old bald tires off...
(http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g108/dusterbd13/Picture343.jpg)
and cleaned them. paining them black, and need to find a set of center caps in silver or chrome.
(http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g108/dusterbd13/Picture352.jpg)
i got the LCA bushings and ball joints pressed in at a local shop for 45 dollars (my time has recently become much more valuable to me, more on that in a minute)
(http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g108/dusterbd13/Picture357.jpg)
and my uppers came in from UB machine. these are prototype pieces set up for the tall ball joint conversion on G-body's/s-series trucks. were running them on mine, and seeing what we get. the upper ball joint is from an 82 1500 2wd chevy truck, and is a 1/2 longer stud. circle track guys have been doing it for years, just never really caught on with street guys. until SC&C did theirs with the Howe ball joints and SPC arms.
when UB machine finally releases these arms, they will have bushings on the cross shaft. right now, there metal on metal.
im impressed with the quality of these pieces so far. good weld penetration, thick tubing, burr free holes, raised lip on the ball joint plate, etc. did require a little clearancing on the upper ball joint, but only by a couple of thousandths on the inside edge of the mounting flange.
(http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g108/dusterbd13/Picture350.jpg)
(http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g108/dusterbd13/Picture351.jpg)
(http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g108/dusterbd13/Picture349.jpg)
(http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g108/dusterbd13/Picture353.jpg)
ill gove a report as i et them on and tested out. well see what kind of alignment and clearance i have with them.
and last but not least, my daughter was born last week. she wasn't due till the 17th, but shes healthy, and so is my wife. im not getting much sleep now, and all my priorities have changed, but its the greatest thing thats ever happened to me.
(http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g108/dusterbd13/Picture344.jpg)
(http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g108/dusterbd13/Picture341.jpg)
budget total for the truck (minus ball joints, as i have to find the reciept) 1296.29
ill update tomorrow with suspension rebuild stuff if i can get shop time in with my daugter being fussy.
michael
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good update!
btw, lookes like you have 5 z28 wheels....
i have 3 z28 wheels....
thats 2 full sets...
lol
*hint hint*
congrats on teh baby!
glad to see the truck coming together, those UCA's look nice.
Congratulations!
I'm surprised you've gotten as much done on the truck as you have since your baby came along, or was that all before she came along?
all been while ive been on part time. you know, drop stuff off on the way to pick something up at wal-mart. pick it up later the next day.
baby and momma asleep. go outside for a few.
did the lexan work at work on my smoke breaks while ive been doing the part time thing.
ok. mary's done eating. back to bed.
Michael
Congrats on everything man! The truck looks great and so does the little girl! Looking forward to hearing how the UCA's work out.
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mini update:
the front end is rebuilt. the new UCA'a went in well. needed slight gringing on the upper ball joint mounting flange for me to be happy with the fit. pulled out all the alignment shims to get a baseline when i take it over to the alignmnent shop. the problem came when i sat it back down on the ground. the IROC's hit the ball joint mounting flange pretty hard. so i ground on it. still hit. a pair of 3/8 spacers have solved the problem for now, but i need to buy a set and get some longer studs. anyone know the Part number for the longer studs?
(http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g108/dusterbd13/Picture361.jpg)
(http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g108/dusterbd13/Picture360.jpg)
also got further on the Autometers. cluster is built and painted, but not wired. same with teh auxilirry panel.
(http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g108/dusterbd13/Picture359.jpg)
(http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g108/dusterbd13/Picture358.jpg)
(http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g108/dusterbd13/Picture362.jpg)
michael
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looks good man...although...i couldn't live w/o a radio in my truck. lol
u gonna mount a headunit under the dash or something?
eventually ill get the headunit mounted bak in somewhere. probably build a lexan plate to flush off the glove compartment, recess theheadunit in, and put a pocket in for the registration and insurance card. at least thats my plan.
but we all know how my plans go.
god laughs when i make them.
on a side note, i got my parts store coil overs built, the rear leaf.shackle ushings in, and it back on the ground. the rear is really stiff.
ryo: what are ou hinting at? sending me the three you have so i can have a set for slicks? that would be cool.
Michael
haha ill let the 3 i have go for like $60 if you come pick them up
ive been to michigan once. i didnt forget anything, o i have no other reason to come back. hell of a drive for me for cheap wheels. especially now with the youngun.
if you ever come down this way, we'll work something out. im thinking road atlanta at the year one event.
michael
haha yea.... sadly i dont think i have time/resources to head all the way down there for that.
but you should come up for the motor state challenge
as much as i like to, i dont have the time/resources to do that either. diapers are really expensive, and my time with my daughter is more valuble than track time.
so, yeah. thats about it.
sorry man.
hopefully tomorrow ill get down in the shop and do my final torquing on everything, as well as start the aligment.
michael
they have a solution for that...
(http://cn1.kaboodle.com/hi/img/2/0/0/eb/7/AAAAAhGcokAAAAAAAOt27w.jpg)
...not sure if the SCCA would let they fly...u might have to weld it in. haha
that is so cool. but i dunno what id do if i balled up the truck and hurt my daughter.
still gonna have to get one.
michael
yea! the forum's working again!
haha, yeah they are pretty cool. think they run around $150.
i think the same way about car seats as i do helmets.
if you have a 10 dollar head, buy a 10 dollar helmet.
if you have a 30 dollar kid, buy a car seat from wal-mart.
ill pony up for the simpson. whered you find it?
on a side note, the alignement is done, and the truck is back on the road.
ill give picture and real updates tomorrow.
Michael
summit has them.
http://store.summitracing.com/partdetail.asp?autofilter=1&part=SIM-90000&N=700+115&autoview=sku
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the front suspension is almost back in again. after having to put SEVEN shims on either front stud to get caster out of the front end (had like 20 some degrees) i figured out i had the upper control arms on the wrong sides. then i got food poisoning. haven't done crap since. so today i spent an hour working on swapping them over, but im still moving slow.
anyway, first impression of this swap, even with the screw up, is that its frickin incredible to drive compared to before. a lot more stick, lot ore predictable through sweepers, and a lot more responsive on sudden maneuvers. i do think that i added too much spring in the back, inducing understeer and front body roll. once i finish the front AGAIN, ill see what i think.
ill post up more when i can.
michael
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wait... isnt food poisoning supposed to make you crap?
vomit, shake, squirt, dizzy, etc.
and beg your wife to shoot you for 48 hours.
wait, i just got that. damn im slow.
lol
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first off, let me say that i lied. it was not food poisoning according to my doctor. it was some nasty stomach flu thing thats been going around.
budget: was 1296.29
removed rear pinion shims, as the new tranny (actually being bolted to the motor now!!) made the pinion angle right. so 1241.29.
the ball joints were 17 ea for the uppers, and 22 ea for the lowers.
25 worth of longer wheel studs, 10 in spacers, and another 8.62 in wiring supplies from radio shack for the gauge clusters.
grand total: 1362.91 not bad, but still more than i wouldve cared to put into getting to this point in the build. have to do what you have to do, though.
so, i got the UCA's swapped around. turned out that i had them on the wrong sides, as well as upside down. so i didnt actually need to grind or clearance anything, nor did i need the wheel spacers to fit my IROC wheels. did need them to clear my z28 wheels, though.
still have to realign it, but im MUCH closer to where i wanted to be with no shims now. amazing difference in initial negative camber and positive caster. should require less shims with the tall lower ball joint, or with more drop in the front. shimless specs are:
PS +1.6 degrees camber
DS +3.4 degrees camber
PS +2.6 caster
DS +.1.8 caster
i blame crappy GM tolerances forr these numbers big so far of side to side, as the arms are built exactly the same. or my trucks been hit sometime in the past. dunno. but it should align out nicely, with plenty of exhaust clearance. so ill finish aligning it, and make sure im happy, and then call UB machine and they'll start making and selling them.
i rebuilt the rear suspension while i was at it. the poly bushings with the 1.5 diameter from energy suspension fit the belltech leaves perfectly. they sucked to do, but worked out great. i also added some parts store coil overs i used to run on my duster while i was under there. really stiffened the truck up, and i raised the back about an inch in the process. finally levelled the truck out. its almost too stiff, but well see how it handles the next time i drive it.
(http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g108/dusterbd13/Picture370.jpg)
(http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g108/dusterbd13/Picture378.jpg)
next, since i really havent felt like aligning it yet, i worked on finally getting some working gauges in it. they all work (kinda) as well as the warning lights. i need to fix the ground at the sending unit for the fuel gauge to work, and put in the water temp sender for it to work. Ill do the temp sender when i do the radiator and port the intake.
(http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g108/dusterbd13/Picture372.jpg)
(http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g108/dusterbd13/Picture373.jpg)
finally, i put some new shoes on the old girl. a friend of mine gave me the Yokohama tires that were on his nissan when he upgraded. really pretty new (best tires ive ever had on this truck. they actually have some tread!!) 205/65/15. mounted them on the Z28 wheels that i was painting black. really gives the truck an evil look. and the mounting and balancing was free, as i have a friend that works at the tire shop. he did it one night after work.
(http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g108/dusterbd13/Picture376.jpg)
(http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g108/dusterbd13/Picture377.jpg)
and i also have to give credit where credit is due. i learned how to do my own alignments from david farmer, a friend of mine. i use this tool
(http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g108/dusterbd13/Picture369.jpg)
bought from sears for 25.00 (tools i dont include in the budget)
thanks for looking, and ill update as i make more progress. the next event is a novice school at knights stadium march 14th, and i WILL be there. maybe even see some of y'all out there.
Michael
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i should invest in one of those laser level angle finders too.,
i love it. only problem is i try to get too accurate with it.
how many decimals can it measure to?
This is the one I have. If you get lucky you can find them on ebay. I like it because you can clap it into the finger holes of an aluminum level.
http://www.vansantent.com/digital_levels.htm
mine goes to one decimal place. accurate enough for what i need. hell, im not a good enough fabricator/alignment guy to do anything more accurate.
michael
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time for another update.
i realized my pictures in the previous post sucked. so i took better ones.
(http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g108/dusterbd13/Picture385.jpg)
(http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g108/dusterbd13/Picture389.jpg)
I got the radio reinstalled. had to trim the glovebox a bit in the back, and reroute the defroster hose, but it went in. currently held in with some self adhesive velcro that my wife had in her craft closet.
(http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g108/dusterbd13/Picture390.jpg)
i changed alignment settings. 8 degrees positive caster, 1.5 negative camber, 0 toe. drives a bit better now.
also, i spent another 56 bucks. 50 on the seats, 6 on some steel down at AL lowders. with the economy in the tank, price of steel douns there had dropped a lot. at least theres one positive to the economy....
(http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g108/dusterbd13/Picture386.jpg)
(http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g108/dusterbd13/Picture387.jpg)
yes, i know thyer barney purple. no, theyre not staying that way.
yes, i know APC seats are ricer seats, and suck. No, i dont care. once i get a little more time, im building a set of lowered, fixed mounts for them out of the Lowders steel, and just swapping them in when im oing to the track or mountains. rocking the Blazer buckets for DD duty.
grand total is 1418.91 as i drove it to the lawnmower shop today.
also, got a noxice school thsi weekend. maybe i wont get rained out this time, and can get some pics of the cop truck on track.
Michael
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seats look nice man, look pretty comfortable to me compared to the scat seats i tried in my truck.
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so i have a little update:
budget first:
1 inch drop coils: were 30 bucks. no longer on truck, so were down 30.
2 inch drop blocks: cost 30 bucks. so total remains the same.
went out to the Tarheel Sports Car Club autocross at Maxton airport the beginning of the month. about halfway through the day, i was turning the same times as novices in WRX's, so we were doing great. caught a lot of shit about how high the truck was from the safety steward, though.
on about my 15th run, hotlapping the piss out of it, i noticed coming off the first roundabout that i had no oil pressure whatsoever. 0, zilch, none, not even a damn flicker of the needle moving. i figured that at that point the damage had already been done, and i might as well get my last Banzi run in. had my fastest time of the day, and FTD for the novice school that run. brought it in, still running, and notmaking anynoise. figured it was probably a bad gauge or something, but decifded not to risk it. had to be drug home by my father on a flatbed trailer. turned out that i had a piece of the teflon tape i used to seal the threads on the sending unit plugging the hole in it. DAMMIT!!!!
so no money fix there. while i was underhood, i took care of the boring on the intake for the 4.3 TBI (traded a wiring harness for a dart to my machinist for the gaskets, machining, and throttle body), fixed the leaking distributor O-ring, deleted the EGR, Cruise, and extra wiring, and generally cleaned up. dunno how much weight i got rid of, but its at least 15 lbs worth of crap.
i also decided that i had coaught hell for ride height for the last time. so we went straight into the dirt for ride height. took my stock 2.8 coils, cut one full turn outta them, and threw some 2 inch blocks in the back. according to my measurements form my bbuddies 91, its about a 3/5 drop now, and handles much better than before. the UB machine UCA's accomadated this much spring drop with room to spare.
i know the geometry is suffering right now, but after i find some stupid cheap 2 inch spindles, ill go back to 1 inch springs, tall LBJ's, LS1 brakes, etc and have better geometry again.
i also had to cut the bumpstop brackets fromt and rear to have it dribvable. rides really good, and looks killer.
(http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g108/dusterbd13/Picture392.jpg)
(http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g108/dusterbd13/Picture394.jpg)
(http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g108/dusterbd13/Picture401.jpg)
(http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g108/dusterbd13/Picture403.jpg)
i have also now started on phase two, now that the chassis, ride, reliability, and safety are where i want tham. thats the part of the program where i make it look halfway decent. friend of mine donated the leftover Bondo, spreaders, spot putty, sandpaper, and primer from where he just got done doing his truck, and another friend of mine who paints cars for a living will be spraying it and goving me the paint. hes taking all the different leftover black cans of basecoat that he has, mixing them all up, and shooting it. it will be black, just not entirely sure what shade. ill have to buy the clear and a case of beer for him.
so this is my first real attempt at bodywork, and i think is coming along pretty good.
(http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g108/dusterbd13/Picture397.jpg)
(http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g108/dusterbd13/Picture396.jpg)
(http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g108/dusterbd13/Picture395.jpg)
Michael
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welcome to the 3" coil drop club. haha
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1804.87 is the new grand total at the moment. 366.70 for paint, 19.26 in exhaust supplies.
since the last update, ive painted the truck, swapped on some 245/50/16 BFG G-Force KDW's, refinished the IROC's, and put the blazer buckets back in, alson with some interior work.
in the interior, i traded my black handles and cranks for some chrome, finished dying the arm rests, a-pillar trim, dash cap, bpillar trim, etc. reglued the center pod from where my hot glue didnt hold, and am planning on finally covering the headliner soon. 2.50 for fabric from wal mart. ill add that in when im done.
the body work was supposed to be a deal from a buddy. i was supposed to buy the clear and a case of beer. i wound up buying base, clear, tape, paper, and PAYING him by the time it was all said and done. not what i was expecting, but still a hell of a deal. just more money to get me to the challenge, which puts me out of tall lower ball joints, drop spindles, C4 vette front brakes, IROC rear disc, and headers. so i wont be that competitive. but i think i can still go.
i still havent got my brevada grille back from the painter. he forgot about it. thats why it currently rocks the oversprayed sonoma grille.
also, the rear axle in it is ****ED. so this weekend im swapping in the axle from the parts truck.
pics:
and some pics of parts for after the challenge:
50 dollar hedman long tuibes:
c6 Z06 brake cooling ducts: 14 a pair from GM
IROC rear disc. 50 bucks, with caliper rebuild kits, metal lines, and a five gallon bucket. lots of extra bolts were included free!!
and lastly, my new axle:
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I see no pics!
I thought you were getting rid of the cop truck a few months back. Glad you didn't.
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just got off the phone with sylvia at turn one. im registered for wedsday, and am the only student that day. may be hard to get action shots of the truck. i even got my lucky number: 13
on the truck front, i spent the day doing piddley stuff to it that has been bothering me for a while.
got the rarview mirror reglued to teh windshield. 2.00 for glue.
got the parking brake hooked back up finally. its nice to have it again.
adjusted the rear drums
nut and bolt check
created a battery hold down for the rear mount. couldnt figure out a good way of doing it, si i cut and sewed a ratcheting tie strap to function. red neck as hell, but it'll pass tech until teh next time i have the bed off.
flushed the brakes with valvoline synpower fluid. well see how it holds up in this truck on track. (i havent been counting fluids in the budget since theyre disposable)
and NEW PADS!! PFC Z compounds. made in the usa. initial impressions are that they are an impressive pad. good pedal fel, great initial bite, and very linear response tpo pedal input. 42 for them wsant bad either. i also got a set for the iroc rears while i was ordering. ill add that in wen i bolt it together.
sorry no pics. didnt think it was worth taking pictures of today.
new total is:1846/87
did i ever add the BFG's in?
Miuchael
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well, its time for an update.
first, thanks for all the positive reinforcement on me deciding to keep the truck.
on to the update youve all been waiting for:
THE TRACKDAY
got to CMP at about 7:00 AM. i let my house at 5:00AM, and had only had about three hours of sleep. i was tupid excited, just like i used to be as a little kid christmas eve. on the way down to the track, i stop by McDonalds for some breakfast that wound up plauging me teh rest of the day, if you know what i mean. also, it started raining pretty hard about half way there. liek hydroplaning on those twisty 2 lane south carolina roads. that kinda sucked, and put the fear in me for the first part of the day.
the tech guy was late, and the racers kept taking the spaces i put my stuff in in the garage. not even an apology. that is my only real cmplaint about the day, to be honest.
truck passed tech afetr i pulled my center console out (not actually attached to anything) and cleaned out my glve compartment. hardest part of tech was to dry the truck off enough to add numbers, the DE X, and my teh sticker. i was so excited when i left that i forgot a track box with my extra fluids, rags, and chemicals. so i used my t-shirt. it worked.
i was out on track just as the rain was letting up. all over the freaking place, as those G-Force TA's suck in the rain driving normal, let alone on track. looped it in turn 14 on the second lap due to oversteer. rest of the lap, it was in understeer pretty hard. while in the classroom session, it quit raining, and the un was starting to dry the track out. next session was still quite tail happy. i learned a lot about threshold braking and throttle steer.
the track dried out pretty quickly, and i was able to start turing up the wick. the front and rear suspension worked beautifully. i tweaked my tire pressures a few pounds to get the truck more neutral. the front suspension with the UB Machine UCA's and other crap worked beautofully, except coming through the kink at 85MPH. it bottoimed out pretty hard through there, cauing some pretty funky characteristics. the rear uspnsion was more than adaquate. very controllable and predictabl, just like the front. did get a little hop later in the day, but by them i was really getting to know the truck,m as well as learning to drive it right.
all i all, i was thoroughly impressed with the truck on track. it id a hell of a lot better than i hought, and has a lot more in it than i have in me as a driver at this point in time.
the aftermath of the track day is pretty far reaching.
1. i sprang a leak at the weep hole in the brake proportioning valve. that has yet to be fixed.
2. the suspension is about where it needs to be. im putting my 3-link and coil over plans on hold, as well as the plans to box the rear of the frame. i will however, still be installing the PP tall LBJ's if they ever actually get produced. definately be going with 2 inch spindles and back with my 1 inch belltech coils.
3. the brakes suck pretty hard. lots of fade. the PFC pads do ok, and have a lot of grip for a long time. the plan is currently to pull the splash shields and add my C6 Z06 cooling ducts. long term has the IROC rear discs, a 4 wheel disc prop valve, and LS1 camaro front conversion. or C4 vette. dunno yet which ill use.
4. i need work on safety items. the stock seatbelts do nothing to hold you in place. they are quite scary, aspecially when you nose it into a sand trap at full brake, and they never lock up. seats are jsut as bad, with absolutely no lateral support. so, ill be fabbing a harness bar, and possibly putting the APC buckets back in, possibly running the CRX buckets i hav laying behind my CRX. depends in what seats wind up where.
5. i ned more power. getting lapped by a spec E30 twice on the same lap is embarassing. short term is the 4.3 TBI i have and long tubes that i have. long term is a 3.4/3500 hybrid MPFI V6.
so, that brings us up to date on the drivabeater in a real, tested kind of way. it is what it is. i really dont know how far ill take thins thing, as it already met all the goals i initially set for it while remaining on budget. i also now have an 89 CRX Si with a high compression mini-me and hardrace bushings as a track car once i finish up some wiring and details. the CRX should be easier on consumables, as well as more competitive and cheaper to run. but then again, im the guy in the truck. always have been the guy in the truck.
michael
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but then again, im the guy in the truck. always have been the guy in the truck.
Amen. My circle of friends are all cars and I'm the guy with the suv on the track. I'm glad things worked out for you. Brake upgrade was one of the best things I did!
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so, budget first. i dont know if anyone is keeping track but me, but im trying to be thorough and honest abou how much is invested in the truck as it sits in any govin stage. hence the reason that some things that were subtracted come back later. like the 1 inch coils (30). im not keeping a running talley of how much total ive spent on the project, cause then id cry.
anyway
brand new BFG G-Force TA tires. still had the nippies on them. guy said he drove about 10 miles before selling the car. 200 off craigslist. size 245/50/16
DJM 2 inch drop spindles. paid 40 bucks and my stock spindles and control arms. had 20 in my spares, so total of 60.
new brake prop valve: 7 at pull a part
new total: 2143.87
anyway, since the last update ive had another track day. i had swapped out the leaking prop valve before the event, along with fresh valvoline synpower brake fluid. no brake fade time out. vey firm and confidence inspiring pedal throughout the day. iyt was a great day. i was able to keep up with a C6 Z51 for about 3 laps. by keep up, i mean i caught him in the braking zones and turns, and he smoked me on the straights. i also lapped a BMW M6. at the end of the day, my instructor wanted to solo me and move me up to DE2, but i was not ready for it. nest time out, i probably will.
the only issue with the day is an odd injection problem im having. the truck lays down after really hard turns. theres a thread on here about it, so i wont go into detail. makes my lap times really suck. i also had another off track, and was reminded about my less than adaquate seatbelts.
after the event, i decided my christams present to my sister in law is going to be to go pick up some family heirloom furniture from richmond, VA. with the previous suspension, this would have been 6 hours of hell, as it was bottoming out over almost any road irregularity due to my cut coils. driving to work was painful, and i couldnt imagine going 6 hours. so i decided to take my saturday and swap some parts. i had scored a set of DJM drop spindles a while back, and still had my belltech 1 inch coils on the shelf. should have made for a roughly 3 inch drop, where i was at roughly 4 with my cut coils.
i finished up putting it together a little whiloe ago. its at a roughly 3 1/2 drop, without having moved and settled. so im happy. and there is a heck of a lot more travel up front now. the tires slam into the inner fenders before the LCA's contact the frame.
on to some pics:
DE sticker
(http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g108/dusterbd13/Picture041.jpg)
Old uspension vs new:
(http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g108/dusterbd13/Picture035.jpg)
installed, removed the splash shield for brake cooling
(http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g108/dusterbd13/Picture037-1.jpg)
new tires
(http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g108/dusterbd13/Picture038-2.jpg)
new prop valve
(http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g108/dusterbd13/Picture040.jpg)
back on thr ground, and i got me brevada grille back from the painter and on
(http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g108/dusterbd13/Picture042-1.jpg)
(http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g108/dusterbd13/Picture043.jpg)
lsatly, i started yanking the interior tonight for some cleaning, painting, and fab work. the goal is to put my APC seats back in properly and where i fit well in the truck. also going to build a harness bar so i can run some 5 or 6 points. i pulled the carpets to make my life easierm and really like the look of the floor pans. now im thinking about putting bedliner down and calling it a day. leave all the rest of the plastics in after theyve been modified to look right. kind of a street/track hybrid look.
(http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g108/dusterbd13/Picture044-1.jpg)
thanks for looking. and if anyone wants this truck, ill trade it for a fairly rust free, fairly complete 64-66 elcamino. i have a new bad idea for a street/track/daily musclecar in a shoestring budget.
Michael
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for the stock belts, i learned a trick from the auto-x guys.
- jerk the belt so it locks
- suck in your gut
- jam it into the latch
the belt stays locked in place the whole run. works great for auto-x...might be uncomfortable for a track session. try it out when ya get a chance.
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my belts actually dont ratchet shut. ive got replacement stockers on order.
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ok i was going to send this via PM, but some where along the lines the poster(s?) name changed
first off, congrats on the little one :) i became a dad this last may 3rd and over the last few months ive learned that the phrase "parenthood is the best and toughest job you will ever have" is true, but totaly worth it
2nt couple of questions about your truck i like the steering wheel, it looks like it bolts right up the to stock holes, is it a factory wheel? your gauge panel for the speedo could you by chance do a diagram for the idiot lights
nice looking truck, im in a 88s10 blazer but looking to snap up a first gen extended cab p/u soonish, while im more into raising a truck, i do like the ideas you guys come up with(and now i really want a bravada grill :p )
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for the stock belts, i learned a trick from the auto-x guys.
- jerk the belt so it locks
- suck in your gut
- jam it into the latch
the belt stays locked in place the whole run. works great for auto-x...might be uncomfortable for a track session. try it out when ya get a chance.
That's what I do, though I still need better seats. There were a few turns I could have taken faster had I been able to stay in my seat. lol
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well, im toe orginator of this thread. harley moved it over from the old board for me.
as far as the gauge panel goes, i really just sat down with a factory wiring diagram and figured out what color wire went to what warning light. then i figured out if it was trigered by power or ground. went to radio shack, got some LED's that would fit in the houseing, and wired accordingly. i used the clored LED's that matched the indicator color. id suggest not doing this. they are dim as hell.
the steering wheel was there when i bought the truck. its an older model grant wheel. the guy used a 2 inch spacer and adapter kit from grant for install. the splines were worn out from where he didnt put it together properly, so now its got some shop made shims and such.
hope that helps.
michael
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so, while at track on the 23rd, i asked some people to take some pictures for me. people i didnt even know. i gave them my e-mail address, and hoped for the best. the guy who sent me pictures is named david dannunzio. it was really cool of him. he made mention in his e-mail that the light was wrong and that the pictures werent that great. if you ask me, they are freaking fantastic!!
anyway, take a look. youll ntice some chassis flex as evidencd by the body line, some serious tire squish, and a very minimal amount of body roll. so i must be doing something right.
im the guy driving, and the passenger is my instructor, who also happens to be my father and the guy that taught me most everything i know about wrenching and driving. its a wonderful bonding experience to hang out with your dad, build and hammer on cars, and then talk about things to cook and how to make your marriage better. i just hope that i can be half the dad to my daughter that my father is to me.
on to the pics!!!
(http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g108/dusterbd13/tracktruck1.jpg)
(http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g108/dusterbd13/tracktruck2.jpg)
(http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g108/dusterbd13/tracktruck3.jpg)
(http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g108/dusterbd13/tracktruck4.jpg)
(http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g108/dusterbd13/tracktruck5.jpg)
(http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g108/dusterbd13/tracktruck6.jpg)
(http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g108/dusterbd13/tracktruck7.jpg)
that porsche was ungodly fast. he passed me a few times like i was in reverse.
michael
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Awesome pics man. Truck looks really good. First time on the track with the truck?
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2nd open track day, multiple autocrosses.
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Very nice pics.
im the guy driving, and the passenger is my instructor, who also happens to be my father and the guy that taught me most everything i know about wrenching and driving. its a wonderful bonding experience to hang out with your dad, build and hammer on cars, and then talk about things to cook and how to make your marriage better. i just hope that i can be half the dad to my daughter that my father is to me.
I envy you Michael.
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nice! looks like you had a blast.
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great job on the s10 so far. would u mind doing a recap on parts so far? theres lots of reading on ur build lol i have an first gen s10 too so very interested in this build!
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so ive decided to keep the truck for a while longer. the major kicker was my father's talk with me. He was the inspiration for the truck in the first place with his comments of "you can't track a truck" and "the only thing youll do in track is manage traffic. you wont pass anything"
when i told him of my plans to sell it to buy an el camino project, he was les than thrilled to say the least. i cant say exactly what he said due to language filters, but the gist of it was "theres three reasons not to sell. 1. its paid for. 2. it does everything well. you can track it, daily it, work it, and drive it to the cruise in. 3. the damn thing is a hoot on track, and i loke seeing it pass stuff it shouldnt."
he makes a lot of sense sometimes. hopefully ill be half the father mine is.
so, now that im convinced to keep it for a while longer )at least until i get the jones for another project), i have some work to do. the truck is no longer capable of competing in the GRM challenge. im over budget, under timed and funded, and have way too many parts and pieces to make it more fun. that doesnt mean that the penny pinching, budget stretching, innovative, use what other people are getting rid of nature of the build is going to change. im still a father and homeowner, and still employed as a social worker. whinch means that im still broke when it comes to play money.
to that end, i have some plans.
1. redo the interior. right now, its multicolored, hot, rattley, noisy, etc. looks OK in pics, but im not happy with it. really isnt a place i want to be for any length of time. plans are to swap out the blazer buckets for some trans-am seats from a 4th gen. they look better as far as shape, seem to be more comfortable, the upholstery isnt destroyed, and i got them for 25 bucks. the also seem to have a good bit of bolstering to them. ill dye the covers black before they go in, and make sure the plastics match. im also dying the carpets black, finishing the headliner, mounting the center console, and hunting down the rattles. i already have material to recover the headliner, a factory console mounting bracket from a dakota, and the carpets dyed. used the last of a can of dupli-color fabric dye. ill let you know how it holds up.
im also considering changing from the pewter accents to a brushed silver to match the bezels on the autometers. may draw the interior together some more, and break up the all black theme just enough to look good. what do y'all think?
(http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g108/dusterbd13/s10/Picture050.jpg)
(http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g108/dusterbd13/s10/Picture049.jpg)
2. fix the wiring problems. some of them were inherited from previous owners, some i created. the list includes. but is not limited to, getting the autodim mirror and overhead console working again, making the oil pressure, volt, and fuel gauges work consistantly, and finding the reason my fuel pump is cutting in and out. i also plan to finsh removing all the extra wires from the harness, cleaning and repairing connectprs, and doing a wire tuck.
3. brake upgrades. the truck stops great. i really dont know why i want to do this, but i have C5 corvette calipers, rotors to turn into hubs, LS1 camaro discs, a gutted combination valve, and a complete, ready to go rear disc setup from a 85 camaro Z28. might as well use em, right?
4. some sort of stripe or something. iv always wanted something with performance graphics, so why not do it on this one? my thought is something like an AAR 'Cuda strobe stripe from the grille to the taillight, above the body line.
5. ive also been wanting to get into computer tuning and EFI stuff. it interests me to no end. so i bought a 3.4 camaro SFI engone off craigslist for 75 bucks. ill be installing it with a tweaked '7730 ECM, custom wiring, and a self done custom tune. ill also use the headers i have, build a cold air intake, and try to make it look as factory as possible. my biggest concerns are wether it will need a rebuild, and what colors to paint stuff. the engine bay will be semi-gloss black, and im considering doing the motor cast iron gray with black bolts and accessories. accessory brackets cast iron, headers black. but i dont want too much black on this thing. needs some other color, somewhere. what do you think?
(http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g108/dusterbd13/s10/Picture047.jpg)
(http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g108/dusterbd13/s10/Picture046.jpg)
(http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g108/dusterbd13/s10/Picture048.jpg)
lastly. i installed some new seatbelts. ones from a 92 four door blazer it perfectly, and work really well when you nose it into a sand trap. cost 25 bucks, so we'll actually asdd that into the build total right now. the rest when i get there.
michael
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I'm so glad to see you keep it, at least for a little while. One of the best documented builds there is IMO.
I like the idea for the interior. Black and silver are a standard for a reason.
Wonder how a single wide stripe down the hood, over the roof and down the gate would look with a superbee rear strip?
(http://www.musclecarclub.com/musclecars/dodge-superbee/images/dodge-superbee-1970c.jpg)
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great job on the s10 so far. would u mind doing a recap on parts so far? theres lots of reading on ur build lol i have an first gen s10 too so very interested in this build!
umm......
beltech 1 inch coils
DJM 2 inch spindles
Moog problem solver LCA bushings
UB Machine UCA's
82 C10 2WD UBJ
ZQ8 steering box
ZQ8 sways
Jeep shaft
elltech leaves wi poly bushings and 2 iinch blocks
4 door blazer bilstein shocks
PFC Z compound pads
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total from the last update:2168.87
stuff bought for this update:
seats from 95 pontiac firebird: 25
good CD player: 0 (kept it when i sold my protege a while back. put the stocker in it.)
Sub, amp, and accessories: 37
duct tape: around .25
Carpet dye: 7
so, ive been busy this weekend. friday after work, i decided that it was time to get the motor out of the bed of my truck. so my father and i hooked a chainfall to the beam in my garage and a chain top the motor. i could have used a hoist, but this seemed like the easier solution. i was really, really wrong. it took me about 4 hours from haning the chainfall to having the motor on the stand. dropped it once when a bolt broke. didnt get seriously hurt, but i did mess up my right hand for the weekend. its feeling some better today.
(http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g108/dusterbd13/s10/Picture058.jpg)
after that was out, and i got done tripping over two different sets of seats, a console, a complete carpet, and various other interior parts, i decided it was time to do someting about all tye crap that was in my way. i listed a bunch on craigslist, and put the rest in my truck.
so after finishing some work at the church yesterday mrning, i started. there really wasnt much left to pull out. just seats and seatbelts. i then cleaned the floorpans really good, and started laying down wire. i put in all my cables and such for my amp, rear speakers, and dome lights. the duct tape was used to hold it to the floor inside channels that were stamped into the metal.
then, i laid down the carpet. this carpet was origonally from a 4wd truck, so it doesnt fit exactly right. little short in some places, little long in others. i cut where it was long, and did my pest to minimize the appearance of where it was short. while working with that, i used my new can of duplicolor vynil and fabric dye to spray th carpet on the back wall black, and the plastics that hold the rear speakers in place as well as the seatbelt latches. got all this stuff installed, and added a whole bunch of screws that were missing to reduce rattles.
i then went on to put the amp and sub back in, as well as my giant rubber floormat that covers the hole where the T-case lever would be in the carpet.
i looked at the firebird seats i was tripping over, and figured that it wouldnt take too long to try out their fit. was expecting to have to grind and modify stuff to get them in. i will say right now that they are a drop in. just bolted on the blazer tracks and bolted them to the floor. i really like the amount of bolstering they have, too. not too agressivem but enough to be functional. i will have to shim the back mounting bolts a little, as the frontof the seat cuts into my fat and short legs. you may not have to do that.
i slid my console back in (ill bolt it in one of these days) and went to call it a day. until i tried out the stereo with the sub. my old CD player was having issues (got it free from a fried who took it out of his wrecked saturn), and decided that it hated the sub and amp and would no longer work. on my shelf i had the CD player for my protege that i sold. kept it and put the stock 6 disc back in. so i put it in the glove compartment. the rest of the supply of tape went here. i made tape rolls, and taped it in.
overall, a really good day.
(http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g108/dusterbd13/s10/Picture051.jpg)
(http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g108/dusterbd13/s10/Picture054.jpg)
(http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g108/dusterbd13/s10/Picture053.jpg)
(http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g108/dusterbd13/s10/Picture052.jpg)
i still dont like the stereo in the glove compartment, so im trying to figure out a way to put it where the ash tray is and make it look good. still havent come up with one.
lastly, i got to raid the parts that my father was going to throw away. its nice having a dad that is also a racer, who is friends with racers, and throw away stuff they cant use anymore. so i tend to get first dibs at their scrap piles.
dads included:
C5 calipers and abutment brackets. the calipers are spread, so the pads wear pretty badly. should be fine for my truck. if not, ill try to figure out a way to machine them so the pads run parallel again. and they need rebuilt due to the seals being baked.
(http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g108/dusterbd13/s10/Picture057.jpg)
he was also throwing out all his wiring and compuetrs from when it was injected. Jeff creech messed up the tunes so bad that dad wouldnt sell them to anyone, and he idnt truct the wiring changes jeff made either. so he was going to toss them. i can use them, i think. one is a 7165 from a MAF corvette, the other is a 7727 from a SD vette. ill need the SD, the MAFill either sell or something. both harnesses started out as painless harnesses.
(http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g108/dusterbd13/s10/Picture056.jpg)
(http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g108/dusterbd13/s10/Picture055.jpg)
thats all for now. tune in next week as i teach myself to recover a headliner.
michael
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If you run across another set of C5/6 caliper let me know :)
Glad to see someone is getting some work done.
You could mount the head unit in that tray under the dash. Just need some 1/8" ABS sheet, Zap A Gap glue and Zip Kicker accelerator.
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do what eric??
you lost me after plastic, and im thinking some really funny things now.
care to enlighten me?
and im assuming your progress is slow because yore in delaware. i know if NC is this damn cold, DE must be a freaking ice chest.
michael
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looks good man, I have that same cd player in my truck.
i wonder if the bolts on the 2nd gen seat rails line up the same as the 1st gens? I have a friend that has some 4th gen camaro seats I might have to borrow for a day.
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do what eric??
you lost me after plastic, and im thinking some really funny things now.
care to enlighten me?
and im assuming your progress is slow because yore in delaware. i know if NC is this damn cold, DE must be a freaking ice chest.
michael
LOL, Zap A Gap is a great glue for ABS fab. It's what I used to make the bottom two in this (click)
(http://i177.photobucket.com/albums/w235/87wildside/S10Planet/th_000_0084.jpg) (http://s177.photobucket.com/albums/w235/87wildside/S10Planet/?action=view¤t=000_0084.jpg)
You use the Zip Kicker (accelerator) to set the glue instantly which is nice.
You can get them at any hobby shop but here are some links.
http://www.micromark.com/MID-CURE-ZAP-A-GAP-2-OZ,7571.html
http://www.micromark.com/FOAM-SAFE-ZAP-KICKER-2-OZ-LIQUID,8719.html
And yes, it's is ridiculously cold here.
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well, im kicking this thing to the corner of my property for a little while. the fuel delivery problem has now begin on the street, making it a pita to drive, and question wether its goin to get me home or not. and next wek, ive got an 89 RX7 with a stroker small block that will be occuping my work bay for a while. hes brining it to me for a full harness, headlight to taillight. full autometer instrumntation, stereo, etc. should make me enough money to be able to afford my caliper brackets, ECM tuning stuff, and rebuild parts for the 3.4.
then, ill pull the truck back in the shop, and start blowing it apart for electrical work, and maybe the motor swap.
would it be a bad idea to fire the 3.4 on the stand to make sure i have sensors and such right?
michael
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Ohhh, the RX sounds fun.
I wouldn't fire the engine on a roll around stand. Even starting the engine may flip.
PM me for the brackets, I have a set of Ed Millers with all the hardware. I'll give them to you for less then I paid....
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didnt think about the flip....
and i am excited about the RX7. i enjoy doing full custom harnesses. i just like wiring.
except trouble shooting factory stuff. that sucks.
pm on its way
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i just like wiring.
except trouble shooting factory stuff. that sucks.
Same here (http://i177.photobucket.com/albums/w235/87wildside/smiles/burnout.gif)
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I've found that through unwanted practice I've become pretty good at wiring. I still don't like wiring, yet I am good at it so i don't mind doing it. lol
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well, it didnt get me home. knew it was coming due to the fuel delivery issue, but figured i could limp it till the RX7 was done. i was wrong.
so i assumed it was the fuel pump. all signs led to that conclusion.
i bought my last pump woth a lifetime warrenty. Adance was nice enough to let me upgrade for the difference. so i went with an L98 corvette pump (88 vette). bolted right in, and should be enough flow and pressure to fit ALL my plans for the 3.4. cost me an extra 8 bucks over the origonal.
so add in 8 bucks. anyone know what the total is now? there will be a test later....
anyway, my dad and i pulle dthe bed tonight. pump went in without a hitch. used the sock filter for a 92 camaro, also under the warrenty. they offered, so i ran with it.
when we got the bed off, we found more of the PO's hack jobs that i had not noticed before. like every wire to and from the pump assemble had been cut, and then crimp connectpred back together. the ground wire actually fell apart as i was removing it. that was probably my fuel problem all along, but i installed the new pump anyway. after cleaning, soldering, and heatshrinking all connections, i put it back together. also added a ground point for the filler neck.
thats it. runs and drives again.
next update after the RX7 is done
michael
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don't you hate it when you find crap wiring from PO?
esp radio wiring.
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Fuel pumps are cake on the trucks. Well that is if your bed isn't rusted in place.
Good work.
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pics of the rx7 that were requested.
when it was pulled in, after i had already started a bit.
(http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g108/dusterbd13/Picture062.jpg)
(http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g108/dusterbd13/Picture063.jpg)
(http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g108/dusterbd13/Picture064-1.jpg)
(http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g108/dusterbd13/Picture065-1.jpg)
as of tonight, about 20 minutes ago.
(http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g108/dusterbd13/Picture066.jpg)
(http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g108/dusterbd13/Picture067-1.jpg)
(http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g108/dusterbd13/Picture068-1.jpg)
(http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g108/dusterbd13/Picture069-1.jpg)
(http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g108/dusterbd13/Picture070.jpg)
(http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g108/dusterbd13/Picture071.jpg)
(http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g108/dusterbd13/Picture072.jpg)
(http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g108/dusterbd13/Picture075.jpg)
(http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g108/dusterbd13/Picture074-1.jpg)
(http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g108/dusterbd13/Picture073.jpg)
and why ive got a lot done this week
(http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g108/dusterbd13/Picture076.jpg)
i hate snow. but enjoy wiring.
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i've got the 3.4 in my 94 with a '7730 ecm. even a stock motor with headers is alot better over even the built 2.8 i had it before it. a good tune works wonders also. you'll be really happy with the 3.4 upgrade. i wont mention anything about the aluminum head swaps... opps. :o
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care to share some of the details ith me? like how you did the fuel lines, routed the intake tube, underhood shots, etc? im having difficulty finding many that have retained the mpi and dis when they did the swap.
michael
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well since my truck was a 2.2 the fuel lines where in the back pass so i just ran hose around to the front and hooked to the factory plastic hose ends. so in a first gen you could just come up from the factory ends and go right to the fuel rail. as far as the intake tube, you wont be running anything stock.
(http://www.vettel.org/andy/MulTpI/MotorR.jpg)
(http://www.vettel.org/andy/MulTpI/MotorL.jpg)
those are from the 86 i had the 2.8 in with the 3.4 intake i have to run a dist with.
in the 2nd gen i just have a cone k&n stuck on the tb that fits betwen the rad and the motor. makes a great whistle sound at part throttle. the one in the pics is just pcv piping that i got from a hardware store.
any other things you wanna know, ask away. loving seeing the mpi and sfi swapped into the s10s. does wonders for the little motors in our trucks.
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man, that intake setup looks pretty cool.
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yeah it certainly fit for its function. i would have to cut up my fan shroud to even try and use it on my 94. so the filter i have on it now works just fine. ;D
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finally finished the RX7. that car was a PITA. from now on, im charging a jap tax on customer cars.
(http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g108/dusterbd13/customer%20cars/Picture079.jpg)
(http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g108/dusterbd13/customer%20cars/Picture080.jpg)
(http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g108/dusterbd13/customer%20cars/Picture081-1.jpg)
(http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g108/dusterbd13/customer%20cars/Picture082-1.jpg)
also spent 70 on the motor swap. bought a 93 lumina harness and PCM for 50, and a 2wd oil pan, high volume oil pump, and pickup for 20.
started building my harness tonight for the swap. its gonna be sweet when its over with.
michael
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that rx7 looks really clean, bet it's a fun car to drive!
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spent the day working on the 3.4. had to pull the upper intake to get to the water temp sensor. who at GM thought that was a good idea??
anyway, its going pretty well. im modifying a harness from a 1993 lumina with a 3.1, which used a 7727 ecm. got the harness and ecm for 50 bucks at pull-a-part. even talked to the PO of the lumina while i was pulling it apart, which is why i bought the ECM. i took his word for it.
anyway, this is very tedious work. start with 3 wiring diagrams, 1 motor, 1 harness. tweak as necessary.
ive got it pretty well sorted till the back of the block. after that, ive still got some work to do. should only take a fe more hours to finish.
(http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g108/dusterbd13/s10/Picture084-1.jpg)
(http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g108/dusterbd13/s10/Picture085-1.jpg)
(http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g108/dusterbd13/s10/Picture086-2.jpg)
(http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g108/dusterbd13/s10/Picture083-1.jpg)
after the RX7 and VW bug, im getting sick of electrical.
reason im trying to get this done is that ive got a leaking freeze plug on the back of the 2.8. to repair, i have to yank the trans. if im going to do that, ill swap the motor.
i have also lined up a sale on this motor, and the job of swapping it and the EFI into a 4wd early s10. that should be fun. and pay good.
anyway, im depating on painting the motor cast iron grey, or aluminum. along with the accessories. what do you think?
any other colors that would look good, and be availible from dupli-color?
michael
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You gonna do a 3400 or 3500 head swap on it?
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not at this point in time.
fisst step will be getting it in and reliable, gettong all the kinks worked out.
then, porting the iron heads and intake, etc. stock cam.
if thats still not enough, boost.
and if i need more yet, hybrid.
hell, if someone gives me my asking pricem ill still sell it. only because at this point in time it would look a hell of a lot better in my bank account.
but no one will give me what ill be asking when i get all my parts in and sorted out, so its not really an issue.
michael
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i would do the top end swap before you get to boost. with the weight savings and higher compression you'd be best to set it up for boost before hand. the heads are much better flow anyway then the iron heads.
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I never really realize how busy i stay until i look back over my threads on days im sick.
anyway, little progress update.
got the harness as finished as i can before install. im not really that happy with the way it looks on the stand, so ill see ho it looks in thr truck.
i also have spent a while checking over the 3.4. it still had the crosshatching in the bores, and the bearings looked good. so i put the 2wd oil pan on it, replaced all the gaskets (except head gaskets), cleaned, and painted it. it looks really nice, now. i did not paint the alternator yet, as i dont know if its any good. i did clean and paint the sanded compressor, as the firebird still had freon in the lines when i pulled the motor, so im assuming its good. evrything else looked great.
the gaskets, plugs, paint, wires, thermostat, etc really ate up a lot of my budget. i dont know if its worth it yet. ill find that out when i stcik it in.
heres pics:
(http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g108/dusterbd13/s10/Picture114.jpg)
(http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g108/dusterbd13/s10/Picture113.jpg)
(http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g108/dusterbd13/s10/Picture112-1.jpg)
i was going to bolt my craigslist headers on, but cant. reaon being is that the guy that sold them to me was wron in their application, and i didnt know enough about them to know any better. they fit a 4.3 4wd truck. so when i stick this in, ill be running the stock manis for now. anyone wanna buy the headers?
lastly, i dunno if i really want to do this swap. right now, my truck is dead nuts reliable, if a little aggrevating. my time is short lately, and play money is tight. but on the other hand, its my toy and my hobby, as well as a business generator. how long would you figure to yank the 2.8 and install the 3.4? im figuring an additional 10-15 hours to finalize the wiring after the 3-4 to get it spliced in and running.
anyway, no budget update, as im on the couch and dont have my reciepts with me.
michael
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She looks really good.
One suggestion I'll throw out for you is to ditch the EFI if budget/time/reliability are of concern. If you have TBI(can't remember and don't feel like looking it up, sorry) the longblock will bolt in and run, carbed will require some tuning, but that's peasy, and no where near the effort of splicing wiring harnesses.
Plus, I'm sure you could make some money back selling the intake and harness, not much, but it's better than nothing.
Budget upgrades later could come in the form or rockers, ported heads, cams(pretty lowely selection aside) headers and a bigger TBI unit. If memory serves, the 2.8 is the smallest, the 4.3/305/350 is next larger by 1/8" per port and the 454 unit is the largest by another 1/8" per port at 1 7/8".
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well, the EFI is already paid for, the pump is already put in for the MPFI, etc.
so i would retain the camaro setup.
the TBI on the current truck is part of my problems, along with a leaking exhaust manifold and a bad freeze plug.
the reliability im concerned about is the motor itself. ive never heard it run. visual insplection passed based on internal conditions, though.
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i would expect more time to install that a/c comp in the truck. since it will most likly need a notch. i have a bypass pulley on mine and that itself is rather close to the frame. if you were to simply reuse your stock backets and tbi setup. i think you could get it done in a day or at most take your time with a weekend.
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I say take your time and keep the EFI, if anything, it just looks cool. lol
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ive seen one first gen 2wd with these accessories used. the swap was never completed, but he retained the sanden without a notch.
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they certainly do look interesting, and they take a pretty stout shot of laughing gas(hint-hint, wink-wink) without causing any problems. If memory serves they use the same style FPR as an LT1, though custom rails are a pain. Haven't worked on one in a long time.
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ive seen one first gen 2wd with these accessories used. the swap was never completed, but he retained the sanden without a notch.
after i looked today, i'd say that you probably can get the compressor in there. my motor sits pretty low in there with my solid mounts. i always forget that when i'm looking and comparing stuff like that.
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so i spent the weekend doing some work.
what started it was looking for a place to put th ECM for the 3.4 swap. glove box looked perfect, except the stereo was in there. and i never liked that in the first place, so i decided to finally fix it.
the total budget update for the weekend is 27 dollars, brining the total investment as it sits to 2298.12
20 for the stereo box, 7 for the headliner material and adhesive.
to move the stereo, i picked up a universal mounting tray from pep boys. cut it down on the bandsaw a bit, and started fitting. i then realized that i did not have enough depth. so out came my trusty dremel and rotozip bit, and away went interfering plastic. i even had to cut my center vent ducting to clear. repaired that with a little of the aluminum HVAC tape my buddy had given me when i was redoing my dryer vent.
i angled the CD player some towards the driver, and mounted it so that if i want to, i can cut the ash tray down enough to act as a trim plate for the corners.
(http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g108/dusterbd13/s10/Picture123.jpg)
then, i looked around the cab and went, "i really need to finish this. I have all the parts, and i have the night to work" so i pulled out the headliner, overhead console, plastics that were still blue and grey, etc. i taught myself to recover a headliner with 3M adhesive and some wal mart fabric. came out really nice. had to make a patch around my console, and i used part of an edelbrock carb box to do it. dyed all the plastics, reinforced the folded over edge of the headliner with ducttape, and put it back together. i also got the overead working agon. round had come loose.
anyway, here it is. tell me what you think, and if you see anything that looks like crap.
(http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g108/dusterbd13/s10/Picture120.jpg)
(http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g108/dusterbd13/s10/Picture121.jpg)
(http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g108/dusterbd13/s10/Picture122.jpg)
(http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g108/dusterbd13/s10/Picture124.jpg)
michael
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looking good mike. only thing i got to ask is why a blue headliner when it seems you have all grays and blacks in the truck? i think you need to get that shifter trim out and paint it up. rust just doesnt go well with your interior. :o
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i never paid much attention to the shifter trim. thanks.
and i assure you,the headliner is black. the picture just looks kind of funny.
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looking good man, glad to see it coming together.
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what did you use to paint all of the interior pieces. i'm sure you prob mentioned it somewhere in this thread and i did go through every page. but i just dont recall. ::)
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duplicolor vynil and fabric dye, gloss black.
if i had more money, or cared more, i would have used SEM dye. much nicer and more durable product, but 3X the cost
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the dup stuff works pretty good. never had luck with any spray on fabric dye though. always wore off or faded back. plastic usually worked pretty good though. buddy did his interior with the dup i think also. worked very well for him.
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got the inner fenders and core support that i kept from the parts truck cleaned and painted. im using a scotchbrite pad and superclead to get this stuff clean and prep the surface at the same time. what im painting it with is medium gloss black from john deere. 7 bucks a can, but its almost indestructable.
so far, im out 3/4 of a can on these three parts alone.
(http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g108/dusterbd13/s10/Picture125.jpg)
i also got the old, rusty, and very holey inners out tonight.
(http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g108/dusterbd13/s10/Picture126.jpg)
(http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g108/dusterbd13/s10/Picture127.jpg)
and started in with superclean and various implements of grease and crap removal. these are the last pictures you will see of this motor, this far together. sunday i go to get the engine hoist from my father, and next week ill start getting it ready to yank.
(http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g108/dusterbd13/s10/Picture128.jpg)
(http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g108/dusterbd13/s10/Picture130.jpg)
(http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g108/dusterbd13/s10/Picture129.jpg)
total 2395.12
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looking good bro. cant wait to see that 3.4 go in there. i know your going to be happy with the results. i know i was and surprized with even a stock motor.
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Good luck with the swap. Good to see you are taking care of the little details.
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thatnks, guys. for everything. the motivation, compliments, help, etc. i truly appreciate it, and it makes me feel good to recieve it.
sorry i can be a dick sometimes. dont mean to be, just am. ill try better.
michael
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so ive been doing a little work here and there this week. monday, i had a half day at work. went to the junkyard, got a throttle cable i think will work. paid 10 bucks. when i got home, i looked at the truck. put it on stands, and started removing, tagging and bagging stuff. started to run out of room pretty quick, until i realized i could put stuff outside and in the bed. made it a lot better.
(http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g108/dusterbd13/s10/Picture151-1.jpg)
after about 2hrs of work:
(http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g108/dusterbd13/s10/Picture141-1.jpg)
also looked inside the 7727 ECM that dad gave me out of his vette. and guess what i found?
(http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g108/dusterbd13/s10/Picture144.jpg)
that saved me 50 bucks for an adapter and chips.
throughout the week, ive had a few minutes before work and getting Mary at the daycare to do a little here and there. heres how it looked before tonight.
(http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g108/dusterbd13/s10/Picture140.jpg)
today i got off work at 4:00. my wife and daughter were with her family, so i came home and got to work. by 5:30, heres what i saw:
(http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g108/dusterbd13/s10/Picture145.jpg)
(http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g108/dusterbd13/s10/Picture147.jpg)
(http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g108/dusterbd13/s10/Picture146.jpg)
the rea main was leaking pretty badly, but what finally caused me to pull the motor now is a leaking freeze plug.
(http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g108/dusterbd13/s10/Picture148.jpg)
i took a smoke break, put the wheels back on it, rolled it outside, and started soaking with superclean. scrub, soak, scrub, soak, hit with pressure washer. scrub soak, pressure wash. after about an hour....
(http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g108/dusterbd13/s10/Picture152.jpg)
(http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g108/dusterbd13/s10/Picture153.jpg)
(http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g108/dusterbd13/s10/Picture154.jpg)
now im debating with myself. rattle can the frame with john deere paint, or POR15 it? i have half a can left over from painting a roll cage for a customer, so it free..... what do you think?
im also to figure out wether or not i should replace the motor mounts. the look solid, and are pretty firm when pried on. heres what they look like, let me know what you think.
(http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g108/dusterbd13/s10/Picture155.jpg)
(http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g108/dusterbd13/s10/Picture156.jpg)
more to come sunday after church.
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man, that firewall cleaned up nice. good progress, i remember pulling my 2.8 out.
(http://i179.photobucket.com/albums/w313/boostbeef/0110082010.jpg)
we left the rad support in, but i did have a little extra help...
(http://i179.photobucket.com/albums/w313/boostbeef/0110081719.jpg)
man i miss being able to use a lift. haha
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those mounts like never wear out i think! i would get the poly while your in there anyway. good score on the prom adapter too! i think you should wack that shifter arm off the column while you can. looks kinda odd with a clutch arm in there. but thats just me.
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Reminds me of pulling mine too. Was real easy with the trans out. Dropped the trans on a lift and pulled the motor out the the top. I think I had the same leaking problems as you, but they weren't too hard to fix.
For the mounts I'm a big fan of the style I recommended to Ryo for the 5.3 swap. Not too expensive or hard to make really.
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i decided toleave the rubbers in there for now. i have poly mounts in my CRX, and had them in my protege. i hate the extra vibrations they cause at idle. really aggrevates me. if i start noticing too much drivetrain movement, ill change them.
this truck is really starting to grow on my again. i though i was tired of it, but i guess im not. doing this engine swapo the right way, cleaning, painting, repairing, modifying, etc. is really relighting the spark. i may just keep it. ill see if i still feel this way after driving it for a little while, though.
hell, im beginning to think about brake rades, going back to an automatic, and paddle shifters. with a northstar.
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the 60 degree family is not much for vibration. i have had the last two trucks with 60 degree motors in them with solid mounts and there is very little to none that you will notice. i feel little extra ever so often. but nothing i'd call close to annoying. but its totally a personal pref in my eye.
a northstar would be kick ass and you could find a rearwheel setup too and you'll need to start saving for it now. cause no ones selling for a cheap price. thought about it myself.
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I have a 3400 in my DD and its smooth as silk, except when the idles a bit too low, I had an IAC stick and the idle went to crap and it was choppier than a stock 350. Good engines.
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so yes, i know its not sunday after church. Mary spiked a 102 fever yesterday, and everything went on hold. she just went to bed for a little while so i have a minute. however long she sleeps. ill work on my update.
sunday morning, we overslept for church. Mary was with grandma for the morning (spent the weekend), and we were lazy. nice not to have a child that wakes you up at 5:30-6:00 for a couple fo mornings. Jennifer (the most awsome wife in the world)volunteered to bring her cofee down to the garage and help me out. while i was getting steering linkages unbolted, truck on jackstands, wheels knocked back off, and steering box removed, she worked on cleaning up the firewall where a PO had used bathroom caulk to seal around the firewall. she also did most fo the masking for me. after it was all done, she grabbed a brush and the can of POR15 and asked where to start. i really need to get her something cool for mothers day. not every wife will apply that stuff on a sunday morning.....
she did th top side, while i took the underside. we lwt the stuff dry while we removed the motor mount brackets, exhaust manifolds, oil pressure sender, and clutch from the 2.8. she went upstairs to get ready for the VBS meeting, and i started spraying the firewall and inner part of the outer fenders. heres what it looked like after all that work. sprayed almost an entire can of the JD medium gloss. so theres another 8 bucks....
(http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g108/dusterbd13/s10/Picture158.jpg)
while that was drying, i broke out the can of gloss black krylon and sprayed the heater box. ive had that can for a long time, its starting to get a little empty.....
(http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g108/dusterbd13/s10/Picture160.jpg)
i had a few minutes tonight before getting Mary from daycare to get some stuff put back together, and some tape peeled off. heres what it looks like now.
(http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g108/dusterbd13/s10/Picture162.jpg)
(http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g108/dusterbd13/s10/Picture161.jpg)
(http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g108/dusterbd13/s10/Picture159.jpg)
i think its looking really, really good. little too nice for this thing to still be called the drivabeater.....
anyway, if youve read this far, youll probably be interested to see where monew has gone. so, for this installment, im adding in the whole engine swap costs up to this point.
previous balance: 2395.12
parts :
can medium gloss JD: 8
3 cans of duplicolor engine paint: 23
gaskets, wires, thermostat for 3.4: 154.04
plugs: 17.94
PCV:2.69
3.4 from 95 firebird: 75
wiring harness and ECM from 93 lumina: 50
gasket cement: 5.99
total so far:
sit down, now.....
2731.78
HOLY CRAP!!!!!!
im never gonna see that money out of this thing........
but its been a hell of a ride so far. guess ill keep going.
michael
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looking mighty good! can't wait to see that 3.4 in there. its gonna disappear in there among all that black on black. but that intake will stick out like a sore thumb!
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2731.78
HOLY CRAP!!!!!!
im never gonna see that money out of this thing........
Hell, sold the wildside bed for a third of that. You can make the money back.
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sell?, that's a 4 letter bad word.
lol
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I never said "sell".
You are from the south so isn't it "sale"...lmao
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motor will be in by the end of the night.
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I never said "sell".
You are from the south so isn't it "sale"...lmao
it doesn't really matter, as long as it has a "s" at the beginning.
Sell, Sale, Sail...
they all mean the same thing... :P
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:D
Is it in yet? Don't you hate when she says that? I do...
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im tired, so quick update.
THE 3.4 IS IN!!!!!
my best friend and i have been at it since about 4. im beat.
went well, except...
the damn junkyard oil pan has a couple of pinholes in it that are dripping pretty good. anyone have a fix, other than yanking the motor back out and swapping on another pan?
when i saw it, i got really, really discouraged. cleaned up the shop and quit for the night.
(http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g108/dusterbd13/s10/Picture163.jpg)
(http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g108/dusterbd13/s10/Picture169-1.jpg)
(http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g108/dusterbd13/s10/Picture164-1.jpg)
tightest spot of clearance. might not work with stock uppers.
(http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g108/dusterbd13/s10/Picture168-1.jpg)
budget remains the same. maybe ill feel better about things things tomorrow
michael
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As in the other thread, Quicksteel epoxy putty.
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yeah i would drain it, clean up the areas really well. perhaps even heat the area up some to burn any oil out of the area inside and mash it in there good so that it will seal as best as it can from the inside out. hopefully minimize its ability to wash out from behind it.. beyond that, looking very nice in there. dont blend in as much as i thought it would. what are your plans for connecting the fuel lines? i just ran rubber hose and a clamp to each of those fittings. worked great.
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thanks. i actuially picked up some JB weld stik. says it works on oil pans. pan has ben drained. tomorrow night ill clean it and sand it. wed night ill clean again and JB weld it. then fill woth oil and sit on ground. see what it really lookslike in there.
ive been dinking with the wiring and plumbing a little. first blush is that its ugly. i have a lot of work to do before my next real update.
michael
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Understandably, I remember just doing a top end swap on an all ready injected camaro from the 3.4L stuff to 3400 heads and lower intake and it was a PITA, can't immagine doing it from scratch on one of these. The engine to body connection would just drive me up a wall.
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mmmm.....alumnum heads
didnt the 3400 heads and 3.4 pistions gove you about 12.something:1 compression? did it run on pump?
that compression ratio is the only reason i havent gotten a set of 3400 heads for this thing.
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I'll have to try and look up what pistons were used, they were not run of the mill pistons, but they still gave almost 11:1 compression. 12:1 is well within the realm of race gas or propane, I've seen propane runnning on 9.6:1 vortec 350 taking 18lbs of boost and practically begging for more. I'll see if I can't look up the pistons, all I can remember is that they're spec pistons from an aftermarket maker and they're not spec'ed for a 60 degree V6.
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Got a hold of the guy who has the maro now, we apparently used some custom pistons from crower that they had the specs for from the mid 90's, but he's since swapped them out for 3400 pistons which pulled the CR down to 9.6:1, he also swapped out the 3400 heads fro 3500 heads and used the stock 3500 lower intake with a grand am upper in place of the custom upper we used originally so that we could use a 78mm ls1 throttle body instead of the 56mm 3400 TB. He's now using a billet 65mm throttle body which helps his new turbo spool better. He's using the stock 3500 fuel rails but with custom injectors he ordered.
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wow. that is a lot of parts swapping right there.
dunno. if i find 3500 heads cheap with the UIM and LIM, ill snag em. 11.5:1 with 3.4 head gaskets.
on to the update.
I've been down in the shop since after dinner, putzing with the wiring and fuel lines.
got almost all the wiring sorted out. fuel lines are done.
nothing picture worthy, mind you.
i also JB welded the oil pan pinholes. so far, no leaks. well see what it looks like in the morning.
i wanted to get some oil moving throughout the engine and test connections, so i hooked the battery back up. spun the key, and it sounded so nice hearing it turn over. i threw some plug wires on it, and it sounded like it wanted to start. little ether down the throttle body, and she fired right up. only ran for a couple of seconds due to the fuel pump not working, though. gotta figure that out yet.
but I'm stoked. lot more positive than my last post. lot more. my spirits and attitude are back where they should have been Friday.
i know better than to let a minor setback knock me that hard, but after a week long migraine and extra hours on top of it, i did. so....
anyway, just a minor, non picture worthy update. I'm gonna mess with it some more after work tomorrow.
Michael
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Good to hear.
I let stuff like that bother me too. Get so close then something stupid.
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really ugly update time.
thanks to a lot of sugestions from a lot of different forums i frequent, it got running. what actually happened was that i tapped teh wrong power wire for the swicthed power to the ECM. once i got that changed around, she fired up on the first lick.
vital signs:
60lbs oil pressure on cold 5W30
no leaks yet
no smoke
no noises
800 RPM idle
check engine light for a lot of reasons.
i didnt get much further than gtting it running tonight, as my dad thought he was having a heart atack. i spent the eening at the ER with my family. He's fine, and they said he didikn have a heart attack, but dont know what happened. hes pissed they wouldnt let him go home.
so tomorrow night, im going to finalize the few wires i jhavent hooked up yet, and start looming, taping, tightening, etc the engine bay harness. hopefully im about done with wiring.
heres the pic i snapped at the end of the night. its ugly, but shows where im coming from on the wiring.
(http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g108/dusterbd13/s10/Picture170-1.jpg)
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Like I said at s10p, can't wait to hear about you ripping around with it.
BTW, you got spell check?
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yeah. just forget i do and dont use it.
i should, though. my typing and spelling are terrible.
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congrats on getting it running!
glad to hear your dad's fine. My grandma had a similar thing happen a while back. It was caused mostly by stress.
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I've seen that happen before, I was in the ER with a crushed toe(don't ask) and a guy came in, thought he was having a heart attack, but it was gas, they gave him a mild muscle relaxer, a nurse pushed on his stomach and he let out the biggest fart I've ever heard, I was three beds down and heard it like I had my head between his knees. The stink didn't make it to me luckily.
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Damn, sorry I missed the part about your Dad. Glad he is fine.
Now I feel like an ass.
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Eric: don't worry about it. i honestly didn't think anything of it.
and everyone else (don't know your real names): thanks for the concern for my dad. hes got a stress test this week. the first thought is that now that hes gone back to working out, and lost weight, that all the medications he was on wound up having some sort of reaction. hes doing well, and is home driving mom nuts again.
i really appreciate the concern. he scared the hell out of me. i honestly though i might lose him.
and i used spell check. ;D
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Well, hopefully all turns out well, over-medication due to lost weight seems pretty possible, IMHO we over-medicate in this country as it is, so dropping any large amount of weight could throw that off pretty easily.
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update time:previous balance:2731.78
budget:
27 for crimp connectors and heat shrink at Fastenal. i really like their crimp connectors. brass, stepped, and rarely have a mis-crimp. their heat shrink is also adhesive lined.
41 for fuel line, filter, hose clamps, antifreeze, orifice tube, and electrical tape at auto zone.
20.75 at pull-a-part for new fans and intake elbow.
5 for chip (not including the cost of the burner. its a tool.)
6.99 for JB weld stick
grand total: 2832.53
other stuff that was used, i had on the shelf. like to make the air intake setup. i had to buy the elbow. its off some 90's FWD GM product. not sure what, but it looked right down at pull-a-part. the air filter was given to me by a friend that got it with a parts car. the 3 inch exhaust tubing was leftover from putting a dynomax exhaust on the Dakota.
wire for the fans, and the two factory relays are from my wiring box.
i reused the stock radiator hoses, as they were in good shape, and i cut them to fit.
the JB weld has yet to leak on the pan.
Ive spent the last couple of weeks getting the few tricky parts figured out.
1. making the wiring look good. that was a PITA, but I'm glad i took the time. looks almost factory. its actually a little too clean to be factory.
2. cooling. i wanted to use dual fans, pretty much because my PCM can control them. i read on an S10 forum somewhere that a 94-04 intrepid dual fan setup fits perfectly. so i got one from a 95. dual speed fans, fan controller, everything. well, it doesn't fit worth a crap. the fans hang over both radiator tanks. and after spending 20 bucks and a Saturday, i made them work. uglier than homemade sin, but functional. maybe someday, ill find something that fits better.
3. air intake. i thought the factory fire bird setup would fit. well, it did, but very, very badly. so i tried one of the rubber plumbing elbows that Lowe's sells. that fit even worse. i tried putting the air filter directly on the throttle body. no go. finally, walking through pull-a-part, i noticed an elbow off of a 90 something GM FWD V6 product. i got it. was a little large (like 3.5 inch), so i cut up an old inner tube to make some rubber spacers. got the inner tube for free from a local tire shop (Freeman's tire in albemarle), and used a little electrical tape to hold it in place. worked like a charm. drilled a hole in the side for my breather tube, and stuck my IAT at the other end in the air filter. 3 inch exhaust tubing is the metal.
4. throttle cable. i used one from a 2nd gen, CPI blazer. at full depression of the throttle pedal, the throttle blade was only opening about a quarter of the way. so i cut the factory pedal end off, and used a cable end from my BMX days to reattach it. just shortened it up, pretty much. used a washer as well. if anyone ever asks, ill take a picture.
the 92 inner fenders and core support went in without a hitch. grille is actually attached properly for the first time,and my headlights are now properly adjustable.
here's pics before the first test drive:
(http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g108/dusterbd13/s10/Picture171-1.jpg)
(http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g108/dusterbd13/s10/Picture172-1.jpg)
(http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g108/dusterbd13/s10/Picture176-1.jpg)
(http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g108/dusterbd13/s10/Picture173-1.jpg)
see the funky heater hose and fan setup? best i can do for right now. maybe when work gets a little better.....
anyway, i had a guy i know write a computer program for it. that didn't work so well. so were going back to the drawing board on that one. i test drove it on the stock lumina software today. has a low idle now that its getting warmed up. also, has a nasty bog off idle on either chip. I'm thinking vacuum leak.
drove it around the block. in first and second, shes a lot peppier, even running pig rich with no timing. pretty fun, to be honest. got home, was planning on trying to find the "vacuum leak" before supper. blew the lower radiator hose off the water pump right in front of the garage. apparently, i missed the metal outlet of the housing with the hose clamp, and only tightened it to the hose itself. so, Ive gotta clean that up and add some more coolant before i take it back out.
bu that's my update.
michael
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Looks like an alero V6 intake tube, not one I would have thought of, nice find. Glad to see some progress!
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ill take your word for it. wanna find another one and make it a little different next time. my breather tube whistles at high RPM.
michael
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gotta watch running the ve and spark from the fwd. they run alot more timing and fuel for the aluminum heads. you need to pull alot of the fuel and a decent amount of timing out. what spoftware are you using to tune with? tunerpro rt works nice. what $mask are you using? the $88 works pretty good but the $A1 is setup to run dis so that might be your best bet. i could send you my decent $88 files and you could copy the ve and spark into the files your using and see how that works for you.
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It hadn't even clicked that he was using a FWD ECU, good catch!
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well its not so much the ecu is that its the programming. he says he had a guy burn him some chips i was just curious as to what program he was running. i have a 7730 i'm running and i think hes running a 7727 which is the same thing only an all weather version of it. my programing should work for him provided the mask is the same or he copy's all he needs into the one he's running.
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im running an $A1 based off a 3.1 5 speed Jbody. moved all the tables from a 3.1 iron head running batch fire MPFI into it. spark and fuel.
right now, i cant get my burn2 to work anymore, my ALDL to register, or my truck finished tuned. im starting to get pissed. spent te last two days dicking around with computer issues.
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i have a decent tune using the $88 but for some reason when i transpose them into the $A1 it gets screwy. i'm missing something when im importing it. driving me nut.
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well, I've got my laptop issues on the way to being solved. had a bad chip burner, and the radio shack usb converter wouldn't accept the baud rate of my ALDL from the 7727.
the hypertech adapter that i score for free was also giving me some trouble. bad solder joints around where the prom goes in. so i wound up re-soldering it.
my first tune didn't go so well. would run when you let the clutch out. so i started over again from scratch. used a .bin from a 92 J-body 5 speed. changed the EGR settings to disable the EGR entirely. removed the speed limiter. set the fans to come on when i wanted them to, not a 220F.
put about 150 miles on it in the last few days. it runs pretty good. not as strong as it did with the automatic lumina bin, but more consistently and smoother. kind of surges at light throttle highway cruise. also cut out on me on the way home tonight.
i found a couple of issues that need to be addressed soon.
1. no AC, black truck, and 96 degree day.
2. My battery tray broke, and is only held in by one leg now. need to make a new one. dad had enough scrap that i can start fabbing it.
3. the aforementioned drivability issues.
i also finished getting the oil pressure gauge and speedometer functional again. tucked up the interior wiring, finished fixing some of the dash stuff as well. nothing picture worthy.
i do have to say that overall I'm pretty pleased with the swap. good power, good throttle response, and seems like decent fuel economy.
she'll actually lay you back in the seat now. feels like you actually have enough power to pass somebody.
so, I'm going to keep tuning. and see if i can get my damn laptop to communicate with the ALDL stream. as well as find somebody local that can make me my AC hoses. its getting too hot down here.
michael
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told you, you would be happy with the power improvements with the 3.4. If you want i can send you the bin files from the $88 i'm running. i put it into permenate highway fuel mode and i got over 30mpg on the highway. droped off when i filled it up on 89. but even hauling a motor and tranny and some other stuff from stl over the weekend i was still pulling in around 26. still has great power too. might be a better starting for you then the fwd stuff.
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youre running a dist, correct? is there a cyl offset table in 88 that i can set up for the DIS?
right now im pretty happy with it. i may keep messing with it, but probably only after i put headers on it. OBX is making stainless longtubes and y-pipe for 234 shipped.
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now that i look, no there is no offset table. for whatever the reason with it set at a highway fuel stoich of 15.4 it actually has more pick up and power. perhaps cause im still have that fat of a ve going that it likes it better for the curve i have or something. but i'm happy with it and will prob leave it that way for a while. i want to get the vss hooked up to the ecm and do a few other little things to it before i go messing with the tune alot more.
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I've read this thread a couple times over on s10f. Great build/swap.
Do you know what kind of of numbers the 3.4 makes? and that's a great price on lt/ss headers.
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swapping power steering pumps with this swap sucks.
that is all.
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why would you need to swap pumps? i ploped my 2.8 pump on with no problems. used the same pulley and everything.
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and so did i. until my pump from my parts truck decided to go to hell. so i had to grab the one off the 2.8 thats sitting on the stand. and put it in. with no time. and bunged threads on my pulley puller. it sucked. especially the coil packs.
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so now that the insanity of summer is over, ive been ding a little work.
in all honesty, im just a couple of steps shy of calling this build complete for the time being.
what has been don since the last update:
installed new fuel pump sending unit assembly. 75
the orevious one blew the o-ring out. things got a little scary.
teh fuel gauge now works accurately, and there is no more fuel smell from the back of the truck.
installed headers.
see thread here: http://www.s10forum.com/forum/f106/headers-and-exhaust-444239/
headers:232
bolts: 40
clamps: 18
02 bung: 6
exhaust shop: 85
also got the AC system put back together. a friend of mine had a friend of his make me some hoses, and they were free. the drier and orifice tube cost 41, and 7 in o-rings. still have to have it charged, though.
on to the pics:
(http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g108/dusterbd13/s10/Picture197-1.jpg)
(http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g108/dusterbd13/s10/Picture199-1.jpg)
(http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g108/dusterbd13/s10/Picture200-1.jpg)
total: 3336.53
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so, budget first. i dont know if anyone is keeping track but me, but im trying to be thorough and honest abou how much is invested in the truck as it sits in any govin stage. hence the reason that some things that were subtracted come back later. like the 1 inch coils (30). im not keeping a running talley of how much total ive spent on the project, cause then id cry.
anyway
brand new BFG G-Force TA tires. still had the nippies on them. guy said he drove about 10 miles before selling the car. 200 off craigslist. size 245/50/16
DJM 2 inch drop spindles. paid 40 bucks and my stock spindles and control arms. had 20 in my spares, so total of 60.
new brake prop valve: 7 at pull a part
new total: 2143.87
anyway, since the last update ive had another track day. i had swapped out the leaking prop valve before the event, along with fresh valvoline synpower brake fluid. no brake fade time out. vey firm and confidence inspiring pedal throughout the day. iyt was a great day. i was able to keep up with a C6 Z51 for about 3 laps. by keep up, i mean i caught him in the braking zones and turns, and he smoked me on the straights. i also lapped a BMW M6. at the end of the day, my instructor wanted to solo me and move me up to DE2, but i was not ready for it. nest time out, i probably will.
the only issue with the day is an odd injection problem im having. the truck lays down after really hard turns. theres a thread on here about it, so i wont go into detail. makes my lap times really suck. i also had another off track, and was reminded about my less than adaquate seatbelts.
after the event, i decided my christams present to my sister in law is going to be to go pick up some family heirloom furniture from richmond, VA. with the previous suspension, this would have been 6 hours of hell, as it was bottoming out over almost any road irregularity due to my cut coils. driving to work was painful, and i couldnt imagine going 6 hours. so i decided to take my saturday and swap some parts. i had scored a set of DJM drop spindles a while back, and still had my belltech 1 inch coils on the shelf. should have made for a roughly 3 inch drop, where i was at roughly 4 with my cut coils.
i finished up putting it together a little whiloe ago. its at a roughly 3 1/2 drop, without having moved and settled. so im happy. and there is a heck of a lot more travel up front now. the tires slam into the inner fenders before the LCA's contact the frame.
on to some pics:
DE sticker
(http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g108/dusterbd13/Picture041.jpg)
Old uspension vs new:
(http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g108/dusterbd13/Picture035.jpg)
installed, removed the splash shield for brake cooling
(http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g108/dusterbd13/Picture037-1.jpg)
new tires
(http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g108/dusterbd13/Picture038-2.jpg)
new prop valve
(http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g108/dusterbd13/Picture040.jpg)
back on thr ground, and i got me brevada grille back from the painter and on
(http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g108/dusterbd13/Picture042-1.jpg)
(http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g108/dusterbd13/Picture043.jpg)
lsatly, i started yanking the interior tonight for some cleaning, painting, and fab work. the goal is to put my APC seats back in properly and where i fit well in the truck. also going to build a harness bar so i can run some 5 or 6 points. i pulled the carpets to make my life easierm and really like the look of the floor pans. now im thinking about putting bedliner down and calling it a day. leave all the rest of the plastics in after theyve been modified to look right. kind of a street/track hybrid look.
(http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g108/dusterbd13/Picture044-1.jpg)
thanks for looking. and if anyone wants this truck, ill trade it for a fairly rust free, fairly complete 64-66 elcamino. i have a new bad idea for a street/track/daily musclecar in a shoestring budget.
Michael
thanks for the info it helped..
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You're welcome.
Truck was sold long ago, but i still remember a lot of stuff i think. And i know this suspension package went to the challenge twice and did well twice.