92 Firebird

[PolarBear]

So I bought this car back in December, I think. 1992 Firebird, V6, auto, One owner, 88,000 miles on the clock, It was an older woman that owned the car and she mostly just used it around town. It has a bunch of dents and dings all around, but a solid car overall, almost no rust on it. Lived in a garage for most of the time she owned it and it really shows. Relatively un-molested, except it has the fuel pump access hack, and I do mean hack. they didn't seal the hole well, the sheet metal used is not flat against the hole and some of the screws are missing :shock:

http://i494.photobucket.com/albums/rr302/notchbackgta/20130502_194109.jpg

So far I had to change the rear shocks, hood struts, and the window motors. But now that I have gotten to drive it a little more, the front struts need to be changed and it seems like it needs a tune up or vacuum leak or something. Surges when it warms up at idle. I am going to change out all the vacuum hoses tonight. Hasn't been touched since 1999 and has a failed inspection sticker. Going to do cap, rotor, wires, plugs, oil change, trans filter, remainder of fluids, air and fuel filter next week and the front struts and lower control arms that I have with new ball joints and Global West Del-a-lums in them while I am at it since both of those may need a change too.
Tires on those wheels are pretty much shot so I have a set of GTA crosslace with good tires and are painted black in the centers, I am going to put those on this weekend. It is a shame, the current wheels are in really nice shape.

In the future plans are; Front brakes, change out the 10 bolt with drums for a 9 bolt with 12" discs, rear control arms, PHB, and subframe connectors. I basically have all of that already, so I just need to bolt it all on and weld in the SFC's

I also could not believe how fast the windows go up and down with new motors and re-greased tracks! I have NEVER seen a 3rd gen window move so fast :rofl: Also not used to driving a car that is sooooo slow and one without the 3rd pedal. That is going to take a long time to get used to.

[WildBillyT]

Project baby Phil?

[PolarBear]

Project baby Phil?

Lol, Phil actually is the one that found this car on Craigslist and mentioned it to me. We actually figured out the difference between his and mine, mine doesn't have cruise control, which is kind of unusual on a Firebird as best as I can tell. I wont be modding this one anywhere near the extent that Phil has done to his. Mostly going to be a daily driver. After I find an engine for the Camaro, that 4.8 will go into this car with a 6 speed. No plans for it after that except maybe carpet and seats, I hate the stock seats. Will put some 4th gens re-covered to match this color.

[Featherburner]

Looks better with the cover on.:-P

[PolarBear]

Looks better with the cover on.:-P

:moon:

[chrisfrom nj]

nice car

[TAdan]

Great looking bird. I've always been a fan of that Jamaica Yellow. :drool:

[greenformula92]

good looking bird. The windows do go fast with new motors and greased up tracks. Mine are pretty quick to

[PolarBear]

Changed the vacuum hoses this afternoon. As soon as I touched the brake hose it popped off, I guess that was part of my idle problem.

Phil also came over and helped me change the struts out. He was a big help, but he needs to bring a better impact next time lol.

Also got the black GTA wheels on tonight, but it was dark so no pictures. Car also had those crappy factory wheel locks. One was already rounded off so I had to use one of those left handed bolt/nut socket that bites into the metal to get it off. Those will all go in the trash, plus the remaining lug nuts since they were all junk now.

[greenformula92]

rockauto has the correct lugs and caps pretty cheap

[PolarBear]

rockauto has the correct lugs and caps pretty cheap

Thanks, I actually have different black lug nuts that I got with the GTA wheels

[deadtrend1]

If not I got a bunch too james

[PolarBear]

If not I got a bunch too james

Thanks Tim

[PolarBear]

Here is a shot with the GTA wheels on it.
http://i494.photobucket.com/albums/rr302/notchbackgta/20130504_122357.jpg

It has a lot of dings and scuffs on it. My uncle is going to buff it for me on Monday

http://i494.photobucket.com/albums/rr302/notchbackgta/20130504_122357.jpg~original

[edpontiac91]

All in all, not a bad DD. That color was quite RARE, and any good Dent Wizard can remove small parking lot dings. You also have the Trans Am rocker panels and with those Black Trans Am wheels and a really good detail job, you could have an outstanding DD that will be an easy sell at any time in the future. LOL :nod:

[PolarBear]

Thanks Ed. To note though, a lot of base model firebirds in 91 and 92 got the aero package, so it's not really Trans Am specific

[WildBillyT]

So is this going to replace Project Kingsford or are you finally getting rid of that?

[Mike]

:rofl:So is this going to replace Project Kingsford or are you finally getting rid of that?

[//<86TA>\\]

Phil also came over and helped me change the struts out. He was a big help, but he needs to bring a better impact next time lol.

Hey, it worked a lot better than your impact.... it just needed an oiling

we need a picture of the twins once I get mine back together:-)

[BonzoHansen]

So is this going to replace Project Kingsford or are you finally getting rid of that?

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v359/SIBLY/Emos/310814.png

[1320B4U]

Nice man.

[PolarBear]

So is this going to replace Project Kingsford or are you finally getting rid of that?

no.

[PolarBear]

Drove about 180 miles today. I forgot how much I enjoy driving a 3rd gen. Quick estimate says I got around 28 miles to the gallon too

[WildBillyT]

That's damn good!

Are you going to do a T5 swap for the time being?

[PolarBear]

Are you going to do a T5 swap for the time being?

Ehh, if I found one easily I would do it, but the V6 trans, bell, clutch, PP etc are all different than the V8 stuff and not easy to come by. Took Phil quite a while to find his if I remember correctly.

Believe me, I cant stand driving automatic

[WayFast84]

I like this car! I also can't agree more about driving a thirdgen. Part of the reason I sold my 4th is because it didn't feel the same to me.

[Anti_Rice_Guy]

Clean car, looks great with the black GTAs!


But now that I have gotten to drive it a little more, the front struts need to be changed and it seems like it needs a tune up or vacuum leak or something. Surges when it warms up at idle.

Wait, it needs a vacuum leak, or it has one?:-P

[IROCZman15]

nice ride man. especially for a daily driver too

[PolarBear]

Well today was a relative first for me, I actually installed a part fairly quickly after buying it! :rofl: I got a new radio for the car, I got an Alpine since I have always had them, I actually was hoping to be able to use the same Sirius radio with this head unit as I had in the Camaro, but Alpine already changed all the Sirius stuff for the radio's.
No picture for this "mod" but I hid the Sirius antenna in between defrost vents on the dash pad and the microphone for the "hands free" calling next to the instrument cluster just above the headlight switch. I also cut the back of the radio pod so the head unit would go into the pod farther, I didn't want it sticking out 1/2".
Try to remember to put picture up tomorrow.

[greenformula92]

Where are the pics? :lol:

[PolarBear]

Yeah, I forgot. I'll try to remember later. I'm sure they are REALLY exciting

[greenformula92]

You don't understand I just can't wait anymore :rofl:

[PolarBear]

I know I failed on the pictures, but I have been sick for the past few days. So idle hands allowed me to think up another project for the car, lol. I decided to change all the interior lights to LED's. I haven't gotten them all yet as I have some decisions to make, but I got some "angle eyes" LED rings that I am going to use for the cluster.
With my Idle hands I ordered up some 100mm red LED rings that I am going to work on for putting in the tail lights of my Camaro, but I put one in a spare cluster to see how that will look once finished this is red and I am going to put in Blue but it shows the overall idea. I didn't like the LED replacement bulbs since the cluster tends to have some "hot spots" from the 194 replacement bulbshttp://i494.photobucket.com/albums/rr302/notchbackgta/92%20Firebird/20131023_171159.jpg

I am also going to use a PWM controller for the LED's since I would like to actually be able to dim them, this is full bright but there is some ambient light in the room. Without dimming, in the car it would be overpowering. They are going to look great in the tails of the Camaro

[PolarBear]

Here is the picture of the radio!
http://i494.photobucket.com/albums/rr302/notchbackgta/92%20Firebird/20131023_173744.jpg

And I put the "Performance Sound" bezel in there since I had it, lol

[greenformula92]

Much better. I like it tucked in like that

[PolarBear]

Much better. I like it tucked in like that

Down the line I may try and put the actual flush mount in there instead. I put the radio in in one afternoon and I forgot I had to cut the back of the pod to get it back in there like that, so I didn't cut as much out of the back as I could have and would have liked

[greenformula92]

Down the line I may try and put the actual flush mount in there instead. I put the radio in in one afternoon and I forgot I had to cut the back of the pod to get it back in there like that, so I didn't cut as much out of the back as I could have and would have liked

Still much better. I remember whacking my hand on the radio a couple times in the white car going into 3rd hard

[PolarBear]

Added a little "bling" to the car tonight. I put in my 92TA tail lights in the car. I swapped out the tail light harness and added the housings to the car
http://i494.photobucket.com/albums/rr302/notchbackgta/92%20Firebird/20131028_184743.jpg
Put in an LED for the license plate light.

I also put some LED reverse lights and the amber turn signals. After I changed the LED's the signal wouldn't work, I had to put in an electronic flasher. :lol: I actually bought the amber for the front turn/running lights, but I was missing one for the tail from the old harness so they went in the rear.

http://i494.photobucket.com/albums/rr302/notchbackgta/92%20Firebird/20131028_184639.jpg
http://i494.photobucket.com/albums/rr302/notchbackgta/92%20Firebird/20131028_184623.jpg

The reverse lights are quite bright, my garage door at about 15 feet or so

http://i494.photobucket.com/albums/rr302/notchbackgta/92%20Firebird/20131028_193121.jpg

Also put in LED's in the dome, the map lights and the center console ambient light. When I open the door it is almost as light as daylight in the car now. I have to say this was the best mod I have ever done to a car.
http://i494.photobucket.com/albums/rr302/notchbackgta/92%20Firebird/20131028_185140.jpg

I am going to try swapping out the Running/brake lights with LED's too, even though BLS recommended against it, lol.
This weekend will be blue halo LED's in the instrument cluster dimmed by pulse width modulation and then I will change out the rest of the orange interior lights. Still need to figure out what I need and order the rest of the LED's. This certainly isn't cheap :shock:

[sweetbmxrider]

Nice work, DAD :lol: I converted my jeep's interior lights to led, soooo much nicer.

[PolarBear]

Nice work, DAD :lol:

Yeah, I hate that plate :facepalm: . Eventually I want vanity plates

[PolarBear]

Oh I also forgot to post this picture. This is where I tucked the Sirius antenna on the dash in between the defrost vents, little hard to get this shot

http://i494.photobucket.com/albums/rr302/notchbackgta/92%20Firebird/20131028_174126.jpg

[greenformula92]

Nice work man!!!

[PolarBear]

Thanks.

Unfortunately, it looks like I am stuck with the orange for the switches, heater control and probably the headlight switch ambient light. The orange is not a bulb condom like the instrument cluster. It is either molded in, or a mask that is not removable. For the heater controls I am going to have to try to make a new control cover and mask to get what I want, I have 2 others to practice with and use as templates. The switches may be possible if I grind out the orange part behind the rocker, the headlight ambient will have to wait, I can't find my spare pods with the switches.

At any rate, I'll get the instrument cluster done over the weekend since I only have one V6 tach. I can test and mock up everything with the other cluster

[PolarBear]

Here is a little preview of the blue LED's in the cluster

http://i494.photobucket.com/albums/rr302/notchbackgta/92%20Firebird/20131028_214851.jpg

This is full bright and the ring is not in the right place yet, I need to get the needle to light up a little better, this picture is actually a little over exposed

[sweetbmxrider]

Are the needles orange? Tough to tell in the pic but I wet sanded the backside of the needles in my car then painted them white, looks sharp

[PolarBear]

The needles have an orange stripe on the back, I scraped that off and used a white paint marker on the back, but I see I need to redo or at least touch it up. I just did that quickly to get an idea. I have a full set of needles I am going to redo

[Blackbirdws6]

Running lights with LEDs are fine. It was just the brake lights that were hit or miss.

[PolarBear]

Running lights with LEDs are fine. It was just the brake lights that were hit or miss.

Ahh ok, thanks

[WildBillyT]

Thanks for posting all of this, Bear.

The dome light in the Nova is useless, and the dash lights are difficult to read and don't come close to the brightness of the C2 gauges.

Where do you get your LEDs from?

[PolarBear]

Where do you get your LEDs from?

I've been buying from superbrightleds.com as I have ordered from them in the past. I dont know whether there are cheaper places or not, but I feel like I am getting a better quality part than buying from ebay and not knowing where they came from.

I went with the "cool white" for the interior lights

[WildBillyT]

Yeah, that's the place I was looking at. Wasn't sure if their stuff was good quality or not.

[sweetbmxrider]

I only use them, never had a problem. They offer can-bus specific bulbs that I used in my jeep, work perfectly.

[Blackbirdws6]

Forgot to mention this in my last post but the lights look good!

[PolarBear]

I only got about half the LED conversion in the cluster converted, the adhesive took longer to dry than I thought so I'll have to finish next weekend and I want to try swapping out the oil pressure gauge with one from a V8 car since the V6 car didn't have many hash marks on it and no numbers.

I also fixed the turn signal, I would have to pull the stalk back like I was putting the headlights to turn on the RH signal. I was constantly flashing people at night with the lights on, lol.
Turns out the car is more molested than I thought. Someone cross threaded the holes for the steering wheel removal bolts, I'll have to get some thread repair inserts and fix that. Also the hole for the lever arm for the turn signal stalk is slightly stripped out so the lever was loose and that is why I had to pull back when I wanted to do RH signal. Also the nub where the horn button wire goes in the turn signal cancelling cam is broken, so I have a few parts to buy and take it all apart again.

[PolarBear]

OK, here is a picture of the speedo and tach, the speedo only has a regular 194 replacement 5 LED on the LH side, the tach has the LED halo and a 9 LED 194 replacement bulb lighting the needle through the plastic optic. I haven't put in the PWM dimmer yet for the halo. The picture is a bit over exposed though, but I am not entirely happy with the halo, I may put in a second ring that is smaller than the 100mm to light up the numbers. I'll have to see how it is once I get the dimmer wired and see how the light is after that

http://i494.photobucket.com/albums/rr302/notchbackgta/92%20Firebird/20131103_172550.jpg

Here is the tach and the second cluster, tach has the orange scraped off the needle and white painted instead, the others have the orange needles still. For the Volt and fuel gauge I cut the 60mm halo into sections so it fit a little better behind the sections of the hash marks.

http://i494.photobucket.com/albums/rr302/notchbackgta/92%20Firebird/20131103_172608.jpg

Here is a comparison against the stock orange

http://i494.photobucket.com/albums/rr302/notchbackgta/92%20Firebird/20131103_172559.jpg

I am going to have to figure out how to light up the needles better. I think I am going to wind up gluing small sections of one of the halos on the plastic optics and those will be full bright all the time so they light the needles up better.

I also got the orange filter off the lighting for the headlight switch and dimmer. I was able to open it and I will be able to get a couple small LED's in there to replace the orange glow of the incandescent bulb.

[sweetbmxrider]

Very nice.

[BigAls87Z28]

I like the placement of the sat. antenna.

[PolarBear]

I like the placement of the sat. antenna.

I didn't want to have to look at it from inside and I think the installs out the back of the car look bad. The other alternative was an OEM style like my Solstice had, but I didn't want to drill a hole in the car roof

[PolarBear]

Ordered up an Advanced Keys (http://www.advancedkeys.com/) smart entry system for the car. I have been wanting a keyless entry system for the car and the VATS is giving me a little bit of a problem lately. I will do a resistor mod bypass on the VATS once I get the Advance Keys system in there and working.

I also want to use the unlock to trigger a timed circuit to light up an LED strip under the door handle. It will turn on with the auto unlock of the system and stay lit for ~15-20 seconds so it doesn't stay on continuously after a unlock signal.

Also on the list will likely be a detent roller replacement and maybe a set of the greasable hinges for the car. I sprayed the hinge earlier in the fall/winter but it is not rolling now.

[sweetbmxrider]

Are you going with a push start as well? I really wanted to do it in my car but was fearful of the quality and support if an issue arose.

[PolarBear]

As much as I kind of like the idea of push button start, I also feel like it is something that could go wrong. I will put a bypass switch in the car so if this fails I can start the car anyway without it, but I think with the push button that would be more of a problem. Also I still have the ignition switch to deal with, I'm not sure what I would do about eliminating that with the push button.

I want it, but it's another ~$190. I can add it later if I really want.

[sweetbmxrider]

Yeah, I had similar thoughts and concerns as well. I've seen guys put caps where the cylinder would go but it doesn't look 100% good ya know. You could wire something in parallel to it so either could be used? But ya, down the road it can be added in.

[PolarBear]

You have to connect a lot more wires to make the push button start work because it controls all the circuits in the car. It has Ignition 1 and 2 and Accessory control circuits so essentially you have to remove the ignition switch completely. If I could figure out a way to mount the push button IN the steering column in place of the lock cylinder I would consider it a little more, but that is all a fairly major job IMO. I am really just looking for keyless entry, lol But now you have me thinking about doing the push button more. The push button is a pretty cool system though, it actually learns the engine tach to know when the car has started and is running. Along with the push button it natively does remote start, and it won't shut the vehicle off when you open the doors.


Maybe I'll do that later in the season now, haha

While I have the dash apart again I have to move the microphone to somewhere on the A pillar I think. Anyone have any input of where the best location for the microphone is?

I had it mounted on the dash, but everyone said it was hard to hear me when I would talk. I think that the exhaust noise is part of the problem, I really need to do some major sound proofing in the car this year.

[sweetbmxrider]

All of the wiring could be done in parallel to a separate switch for ignition and momentary start.

I like the bluetooth mics to be high. Anywhere in the headliner area from the a pillar to the rearview mirror. You should temporarily move it there and make some calls, see what location works best :)

[PolarBear]

All of the wiring could be done in parallel to a separate switch for ignition and momentary start.

Yeah, it's just that the wires from the ignition switch are pretty beefy connections so wiring something in parallel isn't that easy. You may be onto something here. I'll look at some wiring from old cars and see if I can figure out making mating connectors so there would be no cutting necessary. I really wouldn't want to be stuck with a bunch of the ignition circuits to be cut or spliced to make this work.

[sweetbmxrider]

I hear ya. Its definitely doable, but like you are saying doing it neatly and in a way to prevent getting stuck. Could always make some sort of jumper connector to go to the push button connector that connects the ignition on and then have a hidden momentary or what have you for starter engagement.

[Artful Dodger]

Nice! Have fun just driving it!!!

[PolarBear]

Nice! Have fun just driving it!!!

It's my daily right now and I am tired of not having keyless entry. I do small upgrades periodically.

[BonzoHansen]

It's my daily right now and I am tired of not having keyless entry. I do small upgrades periodically.

lol because turning a key is so laborious ha ha.

[PolarBear]

lol because turning a key is so laborious ha ha.

It is when the lock is frozen. and I won't have to carry keys with this system

[PolarBear]

I hear ya. Its definitely doable, but like you are saying doing it neatly and in a way to prevent getting stuck. Could always make some sort of jumper connector to go to the push button connector that connects the ignition on and then have a hidden momentary or what have you for starter engagement.

OK, I think I have it figured out so I can do it without cutting anything. I would use a couple contactors instead of relay's under the dash since all the circuits have fuse totals over what standard relays usually do. Then I can use some Series 56 spade connectors to plug into the ignition switch connectors with some 10 gauge wire. That way if the unit craps out the ignition switch is still there.

I may buy the push button after I get the keyless system installed now. :lol:

[sweetbmxrider]

Awww yeah!

[PolarBear]

I got my alarm installed today. I forgot what a pain it is to take the rear panels apart so it took a lot longer than I expected. Also I had to put some relays in to activate the lock/unlock function since GM uses + to engage the locks and this system uses - , I needed the relay to "invert" the signal. Well that wasn't working, Turns out I found an error in the Helm manual. There are some power taps on the back of the fuse panel, I wanted to use them so the wires wouldn't be in the way if I needed to swing the block down. Turns out one of the taps that is labeled BAT is actually IGN. Took a while to realize.

Otherwise this is cool. Just walk up to the car with key in pocket and the doors unlock, walk away and re-lock.

Next weekend should bring the completion of my gauge cluster lighting. The oil and water gauge isn't lit up, something must have gotten disconnected when I put it back together and the dimmer isn't working. I bought some white LED's to help distribute lighting a little more evenly for the numbers since the blue only really light up the hash marks.

[PolarBear]

The car rolled over 100,000 miles on Sunday

http://i494.photobucket.com/albums/rr302/notchbackgta/92%20Firebird/20140323_094912-1.jpg (http://s494.photobucket.com/user/notchbackgta/media/92%20Firebird/20140323_094912-1.jpg.html)

[greenformula92]

Been a while on this bear. Any updates?

[PolarBear]

Not really anything to speak of since I finished the dash lighting. I am going to take it to get the windows tinted this weekend, should help a lot with the summer heat through the back window.
I have also been collecting parts for the swap(s). I refinished and rebuilt a set of LS1 front calipers, painted them yellow. I am going to get all that built on the spindles so I can do the front suspension in just a few hours, I have a different set of front control arms to put in that have new bushings and ball joints, the ones in the car are getting bad. The car wanders a little more on the bumpy and rutted roads than when I first started driving it. While I am at it, I am going to put in the DZ springs I have and see if it levels out the car a little, and put the larger sway bars, I have a 36 and 24/25 to put on the car. I am going to paint them to match the calipers.
I also pulled in the 9 bolt from my 91 so I can paint and re-seal, and add on a set of the late/LT1 rear disc brakes since the rear brakes actually don't work at all right now. I want to get the rear changed and the front suspension all done in one shot since it my primary daily driver still.
The transmission mount is also fully shot now, when I go around a LH turn fast the front weld yoke on the DS rubs the edge of one of the cat heat shields. I bent that out of the way so it doesn't do it too much.
Have to finish some other projects and then complete the mockup of the LR4 swap. I have to cut up the Spohn crossmember I have from a different transmission to make the LS1 T56 work in the car and cut/weld the Dynomax (I think) stainless Y pipe to work with the factory LS1 manifolds I plan on using. When I finally do the engine swap I want to fix a small spot of rust on the cowl and repaint the entire engine compartment. Hopefully I have everything done for an early fall timeframe.
This past weekend I took my old 91/92 spoiler off the window in hopes to put that on the car, but all the mounting points on the spoiler are broken, so that will be a project for another time. I was going to take that glass to get tinted and then swap that onto the car so the clips were already there and I could paint the spoiler and deck. Eventually I will either try to fix that wing, or I will just get the Hawks reproduction and put that on instead.

In the mean time, I have been working on a 69 Suburban C10 that I am putting in Classic Auto Air and toward the end of summer I want to make it a K30. I got an 88 GMC K30 for the axles and transfer case. It is also a 6.2 Diesel and I want to put that in instead of the later model 454 that gets about 11mpg. I wasn't going to use the diesel, but since I didn't spend any additional money to get it I won't have to spend much to swap it for the BBC. Hoses, new belts, gasket set and a flywheel are the things I have to buy, but I may put a little money in it.
I got the factory heater setup out and the smooth firewall parts put on already and holes drilled for the heater and AC tubes. I have to finish the carpet and sound deadener/vibration damper install, then carpet and I can finish up the air install.

[PolarBear]

Looks like the car ate a freeze plug in the back of the 3.1 engine. I'm not going to fix that, so the 4.8 and T56 are going in. I just have to make up my Y pipe for the exhaust and the swap should go pretty quick. The engine and trans are already in the "Fire"bird and I have a Magnaflow Y pipe for a TPI engine, so I really just need to cut the ends off and re-weld them on at the proper angle to the 4th gen F-body flanges and I should be good. I have been collecting parts for this for a long time.

I wanted to fix a bunch of other stuff on the car when I did the swap, but I don't want to drive my BBC Suburban to work for too long, so I am just going to get the swap done quick and I will have to fix the small amount of rust later.
Monday I am going to drop the T56 off to Hanlon for a rebuild before I put it in the car.

[PolarBear]

My friend came over and helped me, got this far today. Most of the exhaust is out, console, shifter. I also got the T56 out of the other car so I can load that to take to Hanlon

http://i494.photobucket.com/albums/rr302/notchbackgta/92%20Firebird/20160514_182432.jpg
http://i494.photobucket.com/albums/rr302/notchbackgta/92%20Firebird/20160514_184549.jpg

I also changed my mind, I will fix the rust and repaint the engine compartment. I also ordered DSE subframe connectors, looks like I will be taking the interior apart too.

[Punkmaster 98]

love this color. Nice to see another 92 in this area

[Jersey Mike]

Good to see you back at it, Bear. :cheers:

[WildBillyT]

My friend came over and helped me, got this far today. Most of the exhaust is out, console, shifter. I also got the T56 out of the other car so I can load that to take to Hanlon


I also changed my mind, I will fix the rust and repaint the engine compartment. I also ordered DSE subframe connectors, looks like I will be taking the interior apart too.

How bad is the rust? The car looks pretty solid.

[PolarBear]

The under side of the car has some pre-cancer. It's not terrible, but if I don't treat it and a few other spots, wheel opening pinch welds, the cowl/firewall from the inside and there is a tear in the firewall near the windshield so it must have been in an accident. When I pulled the pass side carpet to get at some screws there the insulation was wet, so the floor may be rusty from the inside too. The fuel and brake lines are pretty rust at the back, but I already have stainless ones to put on.
I decided to go with the DSE SFC's, they require some cutting of the floor, that will eliminate some of the rust underneath anyway so it will kill two birds with one stone.

[PolarBear]

Well, I was working towards installing my DSE subframe connector on the passenger side and found a little rust in the rocker. I was already aware of some slight surface rust on the floor board on both sides and this stopped my Spohn SFC install previously. Since the DSE ones have you cut the floor out I figured this was a great way to negate that rust. Further inspection showed that this car had been in an accident in the past. The fender support rail is pushed back maybe 3/8" and a piece of sheet at the windshield is torn. There are also some seams that are separated in that area and have let water into the cowl on the inside of the car. I am guessing this is where my rust in the rocker is from, the rust is around the welded nut that the lower fender is bolted to. I will have to cut all that out, treat inside, and put new metal.
Since i had the interior all apart anyway I started looking around at the drivers side. There is a large rot hole in the area where the starter relay is on the kick panel, much worse than the other side. After I am done with the rust repair and all the SFCs, I am going to paint the entire underside of the car and do a lot more seam sealer, I do not want this to happen again.

It just sucks that a freeze plug in the 3.1 has lead to a complete tear down and finding so many problems. At this point the only thing that will be attached to the body will be the hatch during the tear down. I plan on removing everything in the engine compartment for paint, the interior had to come out for the SFC's and fuel pump access weld/closeup and the dash is out since it would be too difficult to repair the cowl area with the dash in place. I will also do some "upgrades" while it is all apart. I will do some vibration damping and additional sound proofing, probably new carpet, headliner re-covered since my was falling, the dash and interior panels will get foam all inside and between parts so it doesn't rub/squeak. I will also re-wire the back up lights and the starter relay since I am going from an auto to a manual and I like everything to work like factory. I also have an idea to put some LED's under the bottom of the door that illuminate with the dome light, like a newer car, which I also think is a good safety item since i like to park in the street. I also want to do some LED's behind the door handle that will illuminate and hold for a time period, activated from the unlock signal from my car alarm. Another upgrade I plan is a heavy 10 gauge wire and relays to work the windows. I had replaced the motors when I bought the car and they were much faster than any other 3rd gen I had owned, so relay control and heavy power wire should make them amazing, I think I am also going to get and express module so I can have the alarm roll the windows down.
I also bought some new speakers since I was running the factory ones still. I have the TDS greasable hinge replacements and I have to buy some new detent rollers, the drivers one is so bad it makes the door difficult to close sometimes.

[PolarBear]

Got my Y pipe all fabbed up this weekend, it is mostly a Magnaflow Y pipe for an L98 application. I figured it was a great starting point, and it was, I probably only have 10 hours or so in all the fitting and cutting of everything. It is all stainless, down to the flanges. I do still have to weld it all up, just need to clean up the garage a bit more so I can get to the TIG and then use my MIG cylinder as a back purge.

http://i494.photobucket.com/albums/rr302/notchbackgta/92%20Firebird/20160828_160601.jpg
http://i494.photobucket.com/albums/rr302/notchbackgta/92%20Firebird/20160828_160613.jpg
http://i494.photobucket.com/albums/rr302/notchbackgta/92%20Firebird/20160828_160625.jpg

[unstable bob gable]

Cooooool!

[PolarBear]

This weekend I got the air ducts cut for the Infiniti speakers up front. Just have to get some heating duct tape or something like that to close up the area I cut out. I pulled them out and cleaned up the cuts when I was done.

http://i494.photobucket.com/albums/rr302/notchbackgta/92%20Firebird/20160904_122557.jpg
http://i494.photobucket.com/albums/rr302/notchbackgta/92%20Firebird/20160904_122606.jpg

The heater control valve retaining clip broke so I got a 10-24 weld nut and a short screw to fix that. The control had been hard to use in the past, and this made it work very smooth afterwards. I understand why GM did it their way, but this should last a lot longer, lol. I used wicking thread retaining compound on the threads after I got it together so it won't spin. It would turn on the screw a little before I did that.
http://i494.photobucket.com/albums/rr302/notchbackgta/92%20Firebird/20160903_123034.jpg
http://i494.photobucket.com/albums/rr302/notchbackgta/92%20Firebird/20160903_123020.jpg

Along with the heater control I decided to mount my new heater core since the old one was nasty inside and I think weeped coolant a little. There is no way I could have done that with it still in the car because of the aftermarket core. It fit once I got it in, but the angle and placement of the tubes prevented me from getting it in with the box still mounted to the firewall. I wound up having to take the box halves apart to get the core and plastic mounting part in there. I hope to never have to do that job again.

I also pulled the reverse light wires and the starter relay wires out of the harness from the auto gear select and over to the C100. I also moved my alarm up to the top of the dash instead of just zip tied under the foot well and got the wires all ready to connect again. I also mounted a timed relay under the dash, when the alarm unlocks the door it will start the timer on the relay and it will light an LED strip that I will mount under the door handle for easy night-time viewing. I also mounted the express window module up on top of the dash since It seemed like the best place to put it for space and wiring, got the wires pulled, but not connected yet since I am going to buy new terminals for the window motors and run a heavier gauge wire than factory to try to get the windows to work a little faster.

Also got the hole cut for the clutch master and a reinforcement from a factory firewall all cut, cleaned and ready to be welded to the firewall.

Feels like I got nothing done this weekend, even though I was out there around 10 hours a day for 3 days :( I got half of a bunch of other items completed too but flipping the dash over and then back to do all the wiring again and again was so time consuming. I did a few small things too, like cut the back of the auto gear selector off because it is one of the mounts for the console, cutting the hole in the floor for the shifter you lose two mounting holes for the console.

[PolarBear]

Got a little more done yesterday and today. last night I wired in my timed relay for the door lights, cleaned up some other wiring and mounted the relays to invert the signal for the door lock/unlock signal from the alarm.
Tonight I started making the harness for the ignition coils. I was going to use the stock coils that came with the truck, but as we know the number 8 hits the HAVC box. I bought an LS1 with extras from a guy I know and he included the coil setup for an LS4, those coils will work perfectly for not hitting the box or anything. One of the coil wires is cut so I just decided to make a new harness. That setup is cool because it has a plastic run/retainer for the wires behind the bracket, so you see less unsightly tape covered wire. I will be able to get away with a minor amount of visible tape, if I use any at all.
Also did a little hammer and dolly work on the LH front corner of the engine compartment near the battery tray. The car was in an accident at some point before I got it and that corner was crunched a bit and the previous shop didn't do anything to make it look nice. I think I did a pretty good job getting the damage out of it. There is some rust up there, so I didn't take a picture. I will abate the rust and probably epoxy prime over it since I will be doing some other spots anyway.

[IROCZman15]

you are on a roll with the work recently man! great progress, keep it up.

[PolarBear]

you are on a roll with the work recently man! great progress, keep it up.

I really want to be close to drivable by the end of September, and now that this three month heat wave is almost over I can finally get some stuff done. I probably won't be finished by then, but I'd like to have the rust underneath fixed, sub frames welded in, floor painted, wiring harness done and engine back in the car by the end of the month.
Just have to go out there every night and get one or two small things done every night and I'll be there before I know it. I actually wrote it my list, but some things take some logistics planning so I don't have to undo and redo work.
The rust repair has me dreading that work though. I have a five/four day weekend this coming, so I think I can get pretty far on the total floor work by the end of it

[PolarBear]

Pulled one exhaust manifold to get it ready to ceramic coat and figured while I have it off the car I'll gasket match the port. Not like it is going to gain me much, but it can't really hurt and it is fun to do. I am also going to grind all the casting flash off while I am at it. Only got 1 and a half ports done and some of the flash, but I only put about a half hour into it after I did some other stuff.

[PolarBear]

I got my Furick cups for the TIG welder yesterday so I decided to weld up the Y pipe. These large torch cups are AWESOME! You do use a lot more gas though, but it is worth it with the amount of stick out you can have with the electrode. I got all but two joints finished, the TIG was starting to have some problems striking an arc as it was getting later. I told my friend who actually owns the welder and he found some info an what may be the problem. Apparently they use points for the high frequency and they can get fouled up or that part can break, but it is likely the points. I shut off the HF and was able to strike my arc with the scratch method, so when I get back to it, I will just scratch strike to finish it up.
I have to say, all the prep for TIG welding is time consuming. I had to grind some of my crappy tack welds down since I was doing overhead, in an awkward position when I was tacking up the pipes under the car. Also, I wanted to sand/smooth down all the joints and then clean them before I started TIGing. I probably spent almost 3 hours getting ready, then another 6 welding, moving the piece, re-positioning my purge setup. I understand why a good welder charges a lot for stuff like this and anyone who has ever said "X shops" stainless headers are overpriced has never done ANY TIG welding or fab,

[sweetbmxrider]

Pics!

[PolarBear]

http://i494.photobucket.com/albums/rr302/notchbackgta/92%20Firebird/20160910_140306.jpg

[PolarBear]

http://i494.photobucket.com/albums/rr302/notchbackgta/92%20Firebird/20160911_133914.jpg

[PolarBear]

I pulled the heater/evaporator box off the firewall and repaired a few cracks in that. Then I painted it with SEM Trim black, and I masked off the stock Harrison sticker that says R12 on it, since I will be keeping the system R12 in the car. The Trim Black looks soooo good compared to the factory blah black plastic and the SMC/fiberglass bottom part. I'll try to get a picture of that tomorrow.
Here is one shot of covering the vent cuts that I made. First I used aluminum tape to give it a little structure, then I used Gorilla tape over it to try and make it more durable so it will last a good long time.
http://i494.photobucket.com/albums/rr302/notchbackgta/92%20Firebird/20160910_132602.jpg
http://i494.photobucket.com/albums/rr302/notchbackgta/92%20Firebird/20160910_142412.jpg

Also blasted my manifolds and the stock factory heat shields, then painted with Cerakote High temp. I treated the small screws with phosphoric acid to make them black and installed new studs for the Y pipe, coated all of them liberally with anti-seize before installing. I used Graphite black on the manifolds and Tungsten on the heat shields. Blasting, cleaning, then baking and painting took most of the day, just for one pair. I did the blasting on the other set during the week, so I just had to clean/bake and paint last night.
http://i494.photobucket.com/albums/rr302/notchbackgta/92%20Firebird/20160917_114549.jpg

Tomorrow I will install the manifolds again and make sure my Y pipe still bolts up now that I welded it all up. If all is well with that I can move on to pulling the engine/trans back out so I can do the wiring harness, the rear engine cover gaskets, install the clutch hydraulic throwout bearing (and bench bleed it with the master) and get the oil pressure sender installed. I had put an aftermarket sender on the engine for the gauge in the other car it was installed in, but I can't get enough leverage to get the adapter off so close to the firewall. I also need to pull the crossmember off the engine and install the new stainless brake line for the front right brake.
After all that it is on to the dreaded rust repair and painting the underside of the car.

[edpontiac91]

Very professional looking with a REALLY nice paint finish!

[PolarBear]

I got one run in that heat shield, you can see it in the picture, but I didn't have the gun set up properly. When I did the manifold I realized the gun was all wrong and that went on a lot better. The run doesn't bother me too much, no one will really ever see it but me.

[WildBillyT]

I got one run in that heat shield, you can see it in the picture, but I didn't have the gun set up properly. When I did the manifold I realized the gun was all wrong and that went on a lot better. The run doesn't bother me too much, no one will really ever see it but me.

Still looks really clean. Nice job!

[deadtrend1]

Incase for the future, a heat gun will make the ducts soft enough to mold around the speaker magnets

[PolarBear]

Yeah, maybe but I had to take quite a bit of material, this was easier since i have it all apart anyway. Maybe next time I will try it

[PolarBear]

Here is the Y pipe installed
http://i494.photobucket.com/albums/rr302/notchbackgta/92%20Firebird/20160920_194651.jpg
http://i494.photobucket.com/albums/rr302/notchbackgta/92%20Firebird/20160920_194617.jpg

I can still get the starter in and out with it in place and the oxygen sensors are tucked and out of the way, at slightly downward angles, yet I can still get them in and out easily

[Punkmaster 98]

damn im loving that pan clearance

[PolarBear]

I have been working on the car as much as I can. I got the one spot of rust under the rocker on the passenger side replaced and I get part of the DSE sub frame connector in. I don't have any pictures as I burned out one of the splices to my service in the house when I was out there working. I had the welder on, the lights, an old fan and the air compressor kicked on when I opened the valve. I was going to blow out a potential flame with the air and the compressor was struggling to start and the lights started flickering. I moved to shut the compressor off and then the lights went out. Took me a while to figure out what was going on. I checked the voltage on both legs coming in and one was full and the other was about 5. The local company was there in around an hour and fixed it, but it was dark and late by that time, so no progress pictures on that.

I also ordered more connectors I needed to finish my harness and do some other electrical that I have planned and I did a little more on the harness. I also decided since I have the dash out completely, I am going to put closed cell foam on everything that will not bee seen back there to hopefully eliminate squeaks and rattles. So far I have only done two ducts, but it is a good project to do when I only have a little time after work, or at the end of the night. I use the 1/8" CC foam I got for the decoupling of the MLV sound deadening and the floor/vibration treatment. I am gluing it with some Weldwood contact cement, stuff really gets you out of it before you know what is going on in the basement, lol. Just did this tonight.
http://i494.photobucket.com/albums/rr302/notchbackgta/92%20Firebird/20161017_204302.jpg
http://i494.photobucket.com/albums/rr302/notchbackgta/92%20Firebird/20161017_204307.jpg

I just lay the piece on top and rough trace it out, then cut the foam inside the line. I am finding that the contact cement is softening up the plastic and it becomes a little larger than the size needed. This is just rough work since it is not going to be seen. If I was really into it, I would cover all the seams with thin strips of foam, but that isn't going to make a difference.
I also plan on putting extra foam in the air duct joints to try to close those up. With the handling on my part and the age of the factory foam, it probably won't seal as well once I put it all back together. I am also going to wrap some of the wiring and connectors in the dash that I think may cause noise. I will also get to the main dash piece once I get closer to final install since it is still in the car and I move it back and forth a lot when working in there.

[PolarBear]

Well, a lot of time has gone by, but I am almost done with the car. I don't have many pictures to show, but the entire drivetrain is done and the interior is about 1/3 of the way done. I actually took it for a quick drive down the street and right back to the garage, felt good. I have a lot of little stuff to button up, front sheet metal, then right to the car wash.

I just ordered some new fender ground effect pieces since one original broke and the other won't last long, also a new overflow, mirror gaskets and the little Firebird trim pieces that cover the screw in the handle escutcheon. I am only getting new mirror gaskets since I am going to be taking them off to put in Corvette heated mirrors and the old gaskets are probably dried out. I will also have to do the door weatherstrip since I took one off and it tore a little, I will just glue that for now and stick it back on.
In addition to the Vette mirrors I have done a few other additions. I added an AAW dome light module, it keeps the dome on for a period after shutting the door (with a potentiometer) and will shut off the dome immediately with the ignition on. I will be adding a GM XM antenna on the roof since the Sirius antenna mounted in the defrost vent on the dash isn't the best spot. I am also adding a DEI window closer module and I have upgraded the wiring to 10 gauge from the measly factory 14 or 16 gauge, between the wiring and having cleaned and greased the tracks when I put the new window motors in the windows should practically shoot out of the tracks. I am also putting in door lighting to shine on the ground when the door is opened and lighting behind the door handle that will be activated by the door unlock and put on a timer.
When I had the dash out for fixing/adding wiring I also did the requisite FatMat on the firewall and added Mass Loaded Vinyl over that but behind the factory jute pad for extra vibration dampening and sound proofing. I only got as far as the rear foot area of the floor. I ran out of MLV to do the rest of the interior, so I will have to order another roll, it is quite expensive and heavy. BUT the car should be even more quiet on the inside. I am hoping with all the foam I did in the dash, SFCs and sound deadening I can eliminate most of the squeaks and rattles inside the car.

[sweetbmxrider]

Get some pics of those little details, I love that stuff. It'll have some of the creature comforts that are expected in a modern car with great classic lines, my favorite :nod:

[PolarBear]

When I get home tonight I will take a bunch of pictures.

I hate that it has taken me so long to get the car done, it will be a year in 3 days since I posted about the "freeze plug" that actually turned out to be the water pump gasket and what started this whole overhaul. I am pretty happy with the additions I have decided to do like the lighting. There are a few other things I am adding. The Fog lights would only come on with the running lights, but I would like them to serve as DRLs essentially, so I am rewiring the FL relay to ignition instead of the headlight switch, so they will come on with the switch instead of the headlights only. I also have some LEDs to put in place of the halogen bulb, but I have to modify the fog light aiming bracket since the LED has a huge heat sink on the back and I will have to cut a small part of the bumper that the light sits in since I think the sink will hit the bumper. I also have to mount the tow strap in the bumper in this area for the upcoming USCA race at NJMP later this year.

[Jersey Mike]

Get some pics of those little details, I love that stuff.

^This. Stuff like this is refreshing to see.

[PolarBear]

Oh crap, is driving 8-)

http://www.njfboa.org/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=9180&stc=1&d=1496324392

[PolarBear]

Oh, and I took no pictures like I said I was going to :lol: :nod: :facepalm:

I still have to put the rocker GFX on and get the POS Hawks fender GFX painted. The one Hawks piece is like 5/8" too tall, so I am going to have to trim it, then sand the crap out of it to make it look nice. I contacted them about it and they acknowledged that all of them are like that, so now they have to go back to the manufacturer and have them fix it. Royally sucks, I mean it is nice that they are making them, but they obviously didn't do any QA on them after they got the first ones and this is like a year since they started offering them.

After the GFX, I still have to put the rest of the interior back in. I just finished the fog lights last night and got the nose back on

[wretched73]

Looks good! Let me know if you want to trade those black cross laces for some gold cross laces :)

[WildBillyT]

Looks awesome dude.

Inspection sticker *JUST* expired. I know it doesn't matter, but still LOL

[BonzoHansen]

sweet

[PolarBear]

Looks good! Let me know if you want to trade those black cross laces for some gold cross laces :)

I have a set of cross laces that are blasted, just need painting and polishing, or I have the Hawks 17" ones that I just need tire for, lol. They are almost too nice for this car :kneeslap: Do you want the black ones?

Looks awesome dude.

Inspection sticker *JUST* expired. I know it doesn't matter, but still LOL

LMAO, I didn't think about that it was expired, I thought it was for July. But as I was walking in to work I was thinking that I need to scrape it off, lol. I got an actual letter from MVC saying I don't need inspection anymore and to keep that paper in the car. I'll scrape it tonight :lol:

[PolarBear]

sweet

I'll bring your tools back tonight or tomorrow

[sweetbmxrider]

Do you know if there is an aftermarket solution that will lower a window when a door is opened and raise it back up when it is shut? I thought you said you bought a module but it looks like its just the alarm control version.

[PolarBear]

Do you know if there is an aftermarket solution that will lower a window when a door is opened and raise it back up when it is shut? I thought you said you bought a module but it looks like its just the alarm control version.

I did buy a module, but it is specifically not compatible for that function. Mine is just a simple express up/down

What would you want that for?

[sweetbmxrider]

My buddy wants it on his second gen. To clarify, the window drops about an inch when you open the door and raises back up an inch when you close it. You know how these things suck between the top of the glass and the weatherstripping, his is ttop as well, so we were trying to find a solution that also modernizes the car. I think 90s thunderbirds have it and its probably not that complicated to retrofit into his car. Let me know if you come across anything on a forum etc. Thanks.

[PolarBear]

I know my cousins wifes, I want to say 2010?, Mustang also does that, but an older car would be easier to steal and re-purpose for something like that. If you find something, post it up. It would be a good thing for some cars. I don't think it is a big deal on the second gens, but I don't have any experience with any of them with T-tops either. I can see the merit

[BonzoHansen]

My buddy wants it on his second gen. To clarify, the window drops about an inch when you open the door and raises back up an inch when you close it. You know how these things suck between the top of the glass and the weatherstripping, his is ttop as well, so we were trying to find a solution that also modernizes the car. I think 90s thunderbirds have it and its probably not that complicated to retrofit into his car. Let me know if you come across anything on a forum etc. Thanks.
2nd gen windows probably move slow too slow to work like that unless you rewire them to use relays. which you'd probably need to do anyway if you retrofit anything. must be a t top thing. hard top car has nothing in the way

[sweetbmxrider]

I mean its not terrible but it would definitely help. I'll start exploring it and will post up if I do anything.

[PolarBear]

OK, first hot day with the car in the sun and I forgot the windshield shade, the black aluminum shift knob HAS to go. Later even with something covering the knob it was still almost too hot to touch. :lol: I found some carbon fiber knobs, but I think they may also still be too hot. I guess I'll look for something in leather.

Also I got a Fumoto (https://www.fumotooildrainvalve.com/) drain valve for it to make oil changes easier. I also got one for the BBC, but I got the plain short one for that since the plug points straight down on the pan. I also got the spacer since the oil plug is recessed in the JZ pan, like the factory F-body.
I am almost due/past due for an oil change since the oil in the engine has been in there for a while, but I changed it when I had originally put this engine in the Camaro. I already put over 500 miles on the swap in just ~two weeks. I am almost to the interval from when I had the 3.1 in the car, so I will go by that.
https://www.fumotooildrainvalve.com/images/product/SX_Lever_Back_2.jpg

Just having fun driving it and seeing how low I can get in gear with the torque. First fill up I got just under 20mpg, 19 and change, but I couldn't keep my foot out of it. This one I have been keeping nice with the go pedal and up shifting as soon as possible. The Torque app says I am getting mid 20's for my average, and I think is possible. I have 350 miles on this tank already, I'll fill up and check again tonight, I forgot last night :-?
I am going to try my hand now at doing a flash using a manual Camaro tune, but moving as many of the 4.8 tables over as I can. Not sure if it will work or not, but the AC wouldn't turn the compressor on with the truck tune, and I NEED AC in the car, plus I would like to reverse lockout to work. I am tired of fighting the solenoid.

[deadtrend1]

you think that picture is big and clear enough?

I used to have the black speed inc knob in my ls1 but yea, felt like this ....

https://vignette3.wikia.nocookie.net/indianajones/images/6/67/Toht.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20080521012512

i just swapped that to the lt1 for the leather hurst one that was in it

[PolarBear]

I used to have the black speed inc knob in my ls1 but yea, felt like this ....

https://vignette3.wikia.nocookie.net/indianajones/images/6/67/Toht.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20080521012512


LMFAO

[PolarBear]

Filled up after work, got just under 24mpg. That was a lot of highway, but at 75-80 and the rest was stop and go but trying to play nice with the gas pedal. Pretty happy with that and once I get cruise control in it I should get excellent highway economy. So I approximately doubled the power, same or slightly better fuel mileage as the V6 and I got my manual transmission. Sure beats the Suburban!

Tonight I also fixed the fuel level needle, I put it in the wrong position when I did the LED lighting, it would show full for around 3/4 of the tank and half tank was really empty. I hope I got it now, it's a big pain to try and move it.
Also got the seat belt guide for the stock seat cut off nicely so it can be reused. Since I put the GTA seats in I don't need the old guides

The whole time I was out there working, a baby praying mantis was running around on the hood, funny little insects

[Punkmaster 98]

when are we cruising?!!

[PolarBear]

when are we cruising?!!

I am usually around! :-P

[Featherburner]

My buddy wants it on his second gen. To clarify, the window drops about an inch when you open the door and raises back up an inch when you close it. You know how these things suck between the top of the glass and the weatherstripping, his is ttop as well, so we were trying to find a solution that also modernizes the car. I think 90s thunderbirds have it and its probably not that complicated to retrofit into his car. Let me know if you come across anything on a forum etc. Thanks.
C6 Corvettes have this feature.

[PolarBear]

Well, just a small update. I have been driving the car as much as I can and I am having a lot of fun. I have already put over a thousand miles on it since the beginning of June and did my "break in"fluid changes. The trans was rebuilt, so I had to change the fluid, as per the builder, oil in the engine was in there for a while, but almost no miles before this, and I did the gear oil as a precautionary.

The 6 speed is great with the 3.45 gears, the AC blows cold, the XM antenna is a huge improvement over the antenna in the dash. I replaced the reverse lockout solenoid and it is so nice to not have to fight against it trying to go in reverse.
I had a few small problems with my wiring. My AC wouldn't come on initially, I thought my wire from the ECM for the AC command was something else and I hooked it up to the parking brake switch. Got that connected to the HVAC wire for AC and now the AC comes on as intended. I also had the wires "backward" for the RLO solenoid at the solenoid and reversed them on the connector and it would blow the fuse. So the solenoid must have been bad and the internal diode was too low resistance, so it would blow the fuse. With the wires reversed it would reverse voltage the diode, so it didn't matter the coil for the solenoid was open. Got a new solenoid installed on Sunday and all that is working as it should. I do have one more issue with the clutch anticipate, it isn't bringing the pin low as it is supposed to, so I think I forgot to ground the other wire from the switch so I have to take part of the dash apart to look at that.
I also have to change the door open trigger wire for the alarm system. I put in a module for the interior light so it will stay on for the timed amount and it will also shut off immediately when you put the key in ignition. Well this keeps the wire for the lights low during the time the light is on, so the alarm thinks the door is still open and honks the horn as a reminder that the alarm doesn't have the remote in range and the door is open. So I forget EVERY time and walk away from the car and the horn honks. I already have the delay set to about 8 seconds and I don't want to go lower. There are two pins on the door switches, so I will have to move the alarm wire to the other pin and then run another wire to the passenger door so it functions with both doors, I may also run a wire to the hatch so I can have the hatch also trigger the alarm.
I can also use the unused C.A.G.S. wire to function as a shift light in the car, so while I am running another wire for the alarm, I am going to run one more wire to make the shift light in the dash work too.
This past weekend I also started working on fixing the fiber board for the headliner. My friend that works in composites suggested I use white glue to put into the fiber to act like epoxy would in a fiberglass application to strengthen the board. When I took it down it folded in a few places and it was separating in others, plus it was cracked in the middle. I also bought some fiberglass screen material to use over the whole board to cover some of the defects. So far I have saturated the board and got the screen stuck to the board. Initially the board was HEAVY from the glue, I used around 3/4 of a gallon to cover and get the screen down. It has been drying for a few days now and since a lot of the water has come out it is much lighter. I had to flip the headliner over as I noticed that the bottom side of the board felt wet but the top was stiff and dry, so the moisture was not able to escape sitting on the table. I will leave it a few more days and maybe have a fan blow across it, or put it out in the sun. Then I can glue some new liner material on it. I am ready to get the headliner installed since I keep snagging the wires for the alarm and the XM antenna wire since they both go to the back.

[unstable bob gable]

LOVE this Bird!

[PolarBear]

LOVE this Bird!

You too Bob, you too :-P just keep it in North Jersey, where you live :wink:

[PolarBear]

It's been a while since I updated. I put the car completely back together and have been driving it a lot. Did the Ultimate street car race and drove it home.

I still have a few more things I want to finish, but I like having a car I don't have to do anything on. But I had a small problem a few weeks ago with the slave cylinder, I believe I over traveled it for too long and it started to fail the seal slowly. I was on the way home from somewhere and I was losing the ability to get it into gear when stopped, I would have to pump it up to be able. I had bought 2 T56s years ago, and for some reason I took the slaves off of both. One of them had a slave spacer and the other didn't and this must have been the one that did. I ordered a new slave and got it in last weekend, also installing the spacer. Now that it is in, the transmission shifts much easier, whereas before I had to put the pedal ALL the way down, and it would still feel like it wasn't completely disengaging, when everything was hot it was still a little difficult to get into first and the second shift was usually hard too. That is all gone now.
Now I have another problem, ugh. The screw hole for the torque arm mount at the top is stripped and the torque arm is loose, so eventually I have to pull the trans AGAIN and put in a thread repair, but that should fix it and be the last of the things that could really go wrong.

Before I put the carpet in I put down some FatMat, and then a layer of mass loaded vinyl, but I only got the firewall, under the seats and up and over the hump. I still need to get behind all the rear interior panels, the back wall behind the tail lights, the doors and in the rear wheel well area. The car is much quieter than it used to, but I still hear the road noise on the highway. I think a lot of it is the doors not been treated yet though. I also need to hook up the heated Corvette mirrors (that would have been useful this morning) do my door lighting, under the handle and the road lighting to shine on the ground when the door is open.