Maverick H1L

iTrader: (8)

I haven't pulled the dent yet... I want to get it mounted first as there is another couple dents in the pass side rocker and a nice one in the pass fender I need to take care of at the same time, and pulling will be easier with the quarter mounted and some weight behind it. I think that, since I don't have access to a stud gun, I'm going to have to do it the old fashioned way and end up drilling a couple holes to put sheet metal screws into and pull it that way.

If necessary, however, I'll end up getting it out from the back before I mount it since I won't have much to do before spring other than finish assembling a couple of things. We'll see what the weather does over the next couple weeks. If it gets nice out again, I'm going to unbolt it (it's bolted through the holes where the spot welds were cut in the tail and the spare floor and also the rear bumper is mounted at current to help support the cover) and undo the clamps and take it off again. It's not like I don't need another 2 dozen clamps to hold it while the adhesive sets anyways . Oh, and the bolts will remain in place after the quarter is mounted, to fill the holes (and I probably won't be able to get them back out once the adhesive sets anyways). I'll just cut the heads and tails off of them and leave the bit in the hole as a plug.

DeltaElite121

Nice job Mav. I would've said fix your car. 90% of the cars in the yards here are smashed up front. The rear quarters are almost always perfect, yet I often see the cars get crushed. I ran into a similar situation and decided I too, wanted to see the car fixed. Keep it up.

Maverick H1L

iTrader: (8)

Yep, same here. The donor for the quarter I have was in a front end smash. The ones in the other yard are all eaten away at the back (nobody touches them because they're all V6 cars ). I'm hoping the T/A will still be at the second yard the next time I go (had a decent set of tails on the car and another in a trash bag inside ), so I can see how good or bad that one is in the spring (has a BIG dent in it right under the side marker light).

DeltaElite121

PM me if you need help finding a quarter. I wouldn't mind grabbing one for you because I've seen a LOT of flawless quarters here and they're never touched. Not kidding when I say 90% of the cars here are front-end collisions.. and there are a ton of F-bodies over here int he yards. I'll just need to pick a good day to do it and make my way out there.

Maverick H1L

iTrader: (8)

Well, you see, the quarter alone is usually about $100-150, and shipping would probably be that much (definitely an oversize item that I would probably need to find a Greyhound terminal for or something of that sort), even if you were to cut the outer panel off of the wheelhouse and inner sheet metal.

dcil

I would like to say I'm envious of your determination. Keep posting updates and pics.

Maverick H1L

iTrader: (8)

A quote from Speed (the movie):

"I love my car. I miss my car."

So tired of having to beg and borrow another car to go get parts for mine. I H A T E automatics. And I hate that POS gas-guzzling Dodge (seriously, I think most V8s on here get better gas mileage than that thing and she refuses to take it in to be serviced! And no, I won't do it as I got screwed out of $300 on the last one not counting the hours of labor I spent working on it before she traded it on this current POS) even worse.

I have a couple current pics on my cam that I haven't gotten out yet, I will soon. Yes, it's multi-colored, and I can't do anything about that right now.

:edit: And, for those who want to know why I haven't done the dent pulling and body filler yet, it's because the rust inhibitor I am using specifically states in the directions that any filler material is to be applied OVER the rust inhibitor. Which makes sense, considering what happened to the quarter I got stuck replacing.

Maverick H1L

iTrader: (8)

Well, okay, since it's been a while... Yes, there is an old bat holding up the hood, since the hood and hatch struts need to be replaced. And no, I haven't done anything with the passenger's side fender yet. It's just in place to mock everything up. And no, the passenger's side door has not been mounted as there are too many c-clamps on the door edge lip of the quarter for it to close without damaging either itself or the quarter. I'm probably going to go out this next week and get the other 2 dozen c-clamps and the bearing separators I need to get moving. And yes, there have been problems with the adhesion of the black coat. I'll probably end up blasting it off with my pressure washer come spring (seriously, it takes the black coat right off and that's NOT a good thing, even though I followed their directions to the last period... The silver sticks fine but the black don't stick on top of it for beans!). And yes, I do know I got some of the silver on the gas door . I need to scuff it anyways for primer and such, so the stuff should come off then. I also did mount the rear bumper cover so I could check the alignment of the quarter to the body. Looking good so far, just need to stick it there after some more sheet metal work in the rear corner (blasted PO ).

dcil

At first I was thinkin I'd part it out and get a better body to start with since they are plentiful around here(camaros anyway). but then I realized where your from and how so many cars there get so trashed from road salt and hard winters. That thing is coming along great. Keep up the good work.

Maverick H1L

iTrader: (8)

I've seriously been debating it because I don't know when (or if) I'm going to have a working welder. I may end up body adhesive-ing the patches in place, which is going to be a pain down under the floor pan in the pass side kick panel area (damage on the top is less extensive than down underneath). There WAS a guy about 20 minutes from me selling a shell a few months ago, but I didn't have the money . I got lucky and got a southern car, but winters have trashed it along with the problems that PO either said didn't exist ("No, the t-tops don't leak") or didn't mention (the quarter panel) . I wasn't exactly anticipating all of the body work when I decided to take the car and break it down to replace the bad mechanical parts (you name it and it was bad), but I'm sooo glad I caught the rust when it was still relatively manageable.

lmidden

if you need a cheap good welder the harbor frieght 90 amp welder works great you can normally pick one up a hf for 90 dollars and it just uses regular 110v

Maverick H1L

iTrader: (8)

Already have it... It's the house and garage power that's screwy. I somehow need to add a 20A circuit to the house to use the welder...

lmidden

oh from what ive read you do need the 20a bc it doesnt act right otherwise i wonder if the new version fixed that problem. it does weld really good for the money though ive had it for 1 1/2 years

Maverick H1L

iTrader: (8)

Yeah, mine's a year old and just barely out of the box. I haven't even finished putting it together yet.

The manual for it recommends 25A but a minimum of 20. I have half of what I need to put an outlet outside, but I think I got the wrong breaker and I don't have wire yet, not to mention the store closed . There is another way, but a 10 gauge extension cord is BIG $$$ (about $90). Might end up making my own, but 3-conductor 10 gauge is still expensive. Thing is that there is an outlet fed off of a 20A breaker that only has one thing on it, but I need to add another circuit for a couple other things to isolate that one outlet .

Maverick H1L

iTrader: (8)

Update...

Transmission has been rebuilt and shifts nicely through all 5 gears. Reason the shift into 5th was so hard was because the fork pads were all worn out (the bottom one was practically worn right down to the fork). Found a broken synchro spring on the 3rd gear synchro. Ticks me off that I bought the last rebuild kit (for the first trans I got from an 84 that had the junk case), that had Timken bearings in it, for $40, and I paid $140 for this kit (125+15 for the synchro springs and keys) and it's got cheapo Japanese bearings in it .

Engine is almost complete, still... I've ordered the custom length pushrods I need but haven't gotten them yet . The 1.6:1 rockers are sitting on the dining room table waiting for those damn pushrods to show up. The ignition module and DIS coils should be here this afternoon.

Got the patch I need for the driver's rear floor hole, over the rear subframe end. Still no way to get it welded in yet. Bought the rest of the c-clamps I need to hold the quarter on when I bought the bearing separator set for the transmission. Going to need extra mixing tips for the body panel adhesive, however, and I think I'll be replacing the back lower 1/3 of the rear wheel well that suffered the rust damage.

Bought a replacement windshield and set it in place to help support the car cover. I'll have it installed when the weather warms up, and hopefully I can start putting small things back in (heater box and upper dash insulation).

Currently working on the cross car harness, with the power window and lock harnesses. Going to run each window off of a pair of relays (one for up, one for down), and run 10ga wire to the relays. I'm hoping I won't have snail-slow windows any more. Also cut off the stock window switch connectors and wired in one I pulled out of an 88 Grand Prix coupe. Auto-down, anyone? I'll be mounting the switch in the 00 console ashtray area as I've already modded the switch to fit. I'm thinking the switch will last longer since it's not pulling up to 30A anymore, but only operating relays instead. Also working on the rear speaker wiring, getting it done up the way it was factory.

I've ordered the console armrest I need. As of this post, it's still in NC. And I'll finally have a complete 00 console.

Bought a charcoal carpet set off of RCAR7395. It's still in the box he sent it in, though, next to my stack of wheels in the garage. Also got a gauge cluster lens since mine is broken. Now all I need for a complete charcoal interior (yes, I know I said I was going to go black, but I already have a complete charcoal interior minus 2 panels in my garage) is the driver's side rear sail to tail panel.

Got $100 for selling my automatic trans I pulled 6 years ago now. It will probably go towards more parts in a couple of months. I can't do much at the moment since winter keeps changing its mind whether it wants to be here or Texas...

:edit: And I still need to get off my butt and get to Monro to have the ball joints and bushings pressed into my front A-arms...

:re-edit: Got the mail today... I got the ignition assembly as well as the 00 console armrest. Got soaked for the $98 for the armrest, as it's separating badly along the sides. The one on the stock replacement console I pulled out of the 91 is in better shape than this one, even with the tear in the top . Oh, well...

rusty vango

having expierience with northern cars (im from minnesota) i can sat that you probably would be better off finding another car.yes you could replace all that is wrong,but unless you are madly in love with this one.id make it a parts car

Maverick H1L

iTrader: (8)

Another guy who's too late...

Why would I scrap an 80% rust free body in hopes (and failure) of finding something around here with less rust? I've seen cars saved with a LOT more rust. This is NOTHING compared to some of the cars I've seen with whole floor pans rusted out. There is NO rust on the roof (and there usually is on a t-top car). The frame rails are rust free. EVERYTHING forward of the seat rails is rust free, top and bottom, inside and out (except the one battery tray which was cut out a year ago and will be replaced soon enough). There is less than 3 square feet of rust on the entire frame, nose to tail, inside and out. And it's been cut out and neutralized and will be patched soon enough. Most of the rust was concentrated on the brake and fuel lines running under the car, with a bit of surface rust on things like the rear axle housing, torque arm, gas tank, and other small brackets. Heck, most of the underbelly was coated in an oily mess, which protected the floor pans.

Find me a rust free body within 200 miles of here for less than $1000 and maybe I'll think about it...

Now that that's out of the way:
Went out the other day and got new frame engine mounts and an oil pressure sender to replace mine which went AWOL. Got the pushrods for the engine in the mail and finished assembling the engine. Ordered all 4 91-92 side GFX pieces and a headlight switch assembly and rearview mirror the other day, should be here soon. Still collecting parts and waiting for Winter to go away...

Maverick H1L

iTrader: (8)

Ugh, still having problems with the engine (crank no turn even with my jack handle on the end of my 20" breaker bar on the crank bolt) after getting the crank polished, new bearings installed, and checking all oil clearances before assembling (which were right in the middle of GM spec, BTW)... Going to go out tomorrow and get yet another #4 rod bearing and Plastigage to check the clearance AGAIN, even though I checked it right after getting the crank back from the machine shop... Going nuts here. Yes, the crank turns, just not with the #4 rod cap torqued down .

Need to get the body rolling so that I can bring it to be welded (need to get it 2 doors down so I have a power outlet available for the welder). Yay, new shocks and struts! Boo, rear end too high now due to new shocks! I don't have the front suspension fully assembled yet as I need to rent a spring compressor. Looks like I'm probably going to end up cutting the rear springs... It took me 3 hours, with a couple breaks, to reassemble the rear axle assembly, put the suspension parts on it, and put it in place (no brake parts, however, as I still need to go out and nab a couple of drums and rotors from a junkyard so I can roll the car where it needs to go). Going to call Founders' Performance tomorrow. When I ordered the LCA's and the torque arm back in June, I am 100% sure I ordered RED (black underbody, stainless steel lines and hoses for the brakes and fuel, RED suspension components, and anodized red fuel pump when finished). I got BLACK. Not much I can do about this ATM as the rear end is assembled and on the ground, but I'm going to call and find out what, if anything, I can do. No pics until I get the front suspension and steering parts back in.

Took the quarter back off (it was only clamped in place, so...). I'm going to bite the bullet and look in as many yards as I can to get another. Finally made up my mind and cut the back 1/3 of the wheel well off (rust holes again, especially where the panel met the spare tire well floor, was going to patch it, but with the outer lip where the quarter connects also being bad, it needed to go). Got plenty of clamps, so it should be fine. For some reason, the spare tire floor was coming loose (used the body adhesive on it), so I got that back out as well. I guess that's going to go in last.

Maverick H1L

iTrader: (8)

Ugh...

Found a Bird on CraigsList not too far from here. Guess where it got hit? That's right! The passenger's side quarter panel! Oh, well, guess I can at least get the front fender off of it .

Calling Founders' Performance was a BIG bust... Basically, the guy I talked to said, "Sorry, we can't help you with something that was bought back last June" EVEN THOUGH THE FRIGGING BOX HAD NEVER BEEN OPENED UNTIL SATURDAY, and I know full well I specified RED LCAs and track bar when I paid for it, as I've done with EVERY other suspension component I've either bought or plan on buying NEW (the used sway bars and stuff don't count, and obviously the new hardware doesn't come in red). Guess I shouldn't have assumed that the color of the bars in the box was right and left it on the porch, unopened, until I moved the box into the garage last month before opening it on Saturday to install the bars and the rear axle .

Not really much progress... Installed the steering box today. That thing is HEAVY! Need to find the steering column to intermediate shaft bolt in the box of bolts and then I can put the column back in.

Keep in mind that the goal right now is to make her a rolling body so that I can get her 2 doors down to weld in the patches, before I go and have her completely stripped with a sandblaster. Followed by the quarter panel, seam sealer and body filler, and rust protectant before primer (and yes, in that order, as it seems that filler and sealer don't stick to the protectant). I'll probably leave the protectant bare (it will be black, think POR-15 durability) and get everything back together so that I can get her going and some money flowing before paint.

A guy a couple doors down gave me a roll of stuff that's almost like carpet, which pretty much matches the color of the interior paneling I plan on installing. Soon enough, I'll clean up what paneling I have and try covering it with that stuff. He also gave me some plain padding I plan on using under the carpet for additional heat control and soundproofing. Guess I'll have to wait to see what happens.

Also, found out what was up with the engine... Apparently, I somehow managed to switch the rod caps for the #3 and 4 cylinders before reassembly. I swapped them back, and she's turning over just fine now. And yes, I tested it when I reassembled it yesterday, and I let it sit overnight, before going out earlier and turning it over a couple turns again just to make sure it's not locked tighter than Fort Knox...

FoundersPerf

I don't believe that's what was said. Again as I told you on the phone you can send them back to us and we would be happy to swap them out for the correct color. I also told you to make sure if you decide you want to swap them out make sure you call to get an RMA # before you send them back. I also told you to keep all the hardware and only send the black parts back. The offer still stands if you decide to do that and remember they must be in new condition when they get returned to us.

Maverick H1L

iTrader: (8)

Sorry, but that's the jist of what I heard. If you had sent the RED bars I specified in the first place, you know, in the box at the PayPal (or eBay, forgot which) screen that says "Message to Seller (Optional)", there wouldn't be an issue here (I believe I said something along the lines of "These need to be RED", just like when I bought the wire loom sets, which I actually DID get in red). Right now, I need a rolling chassis, and have NOTHING but your bars to put the rear end in with (had to cut one of the stock LCAs off and junked them afterwards since there was no reusing the one LCA), so they would probably end up getting road debris and then they wouldn't be returnable (not to mention when the body goes to be sandblasted even though I wrapped the arms in bubble wrap). Besides, I think one of the grease fittings on one of the LCAs may have dragged on the ground as the rear was put under the car, so they wouldn't be returnable. And of course I would keep the hardware I bought from Spohn...

Maverick H1L

iTrader: (8)

Well, I bit the bullet. Still biting it, in fact, and now I think I may have broken a couple of teeth ...

Found an 88 Camaro on CraigsList last week. Just a roller. Right now, it's sitting on junk tires with only the springs, shocks and LCAs holding the rear axle in . Don't know how the guy got it home . Yes, there are a couple of torque arms and track bars in the trunk to be put in for transport. It's recently been repainted a metallic red and looks like it has decent weatherstripping. Best part? Whoever had it before the guy I'm buying it from had replaced the floor pan . Bad parts? Car is chock full of interior parts, from around 2 interiors. The tan parts are junk, the trim having been sprayed with a REALLY crappy black paint, and the red is incomplete. There is also no dashboard except for the lower bar (don't ask why as I don't know), but the guy was kind enough to leave the stock instrument cluster with less than 100K on the clock . Looks like the car may have had the 1LE option or some other sort of heater delete as there is a blanking plate over the blower fan hole. The really bad part? There is one single rust out on the passenger's side that is HUGE, right above where the floor meets the firewall. Guess it could be a combination of debris from the tires and possibly some sort of heater core leak or something... Don't really know. Haven't seen a rust-out like that on here EVER. Oh, and there go my t-tops... It's a hardtop that was a factory WC T-5 car (no, I won't be getting the V8 WC trans as it already sold). Oh, and the guy that painted it the metallic red was either in a serious hurry or an idiot... He apparently masked over all of the trim and just sprayed the paint, as the original Red paint is showing where the taillights (guy removed them but still has them) and the passenger's side hood louver were (don't know why the one louver is gone). Probably the same under the GFX as well .

Plan is to get it here, get the junk out of it, sell what's good, fix the rust hole, swap my brand-new suspension parts underneath, and coat the whole floor pan inside and out with truck bedliner. Before putting everything back together again. Haven't decided whether or not I'm going to make it a FireMaro. One of the other problems with the car is that it has ZERO wiring in it, except for the wiper motor for some reason. Only wiring I have is Bird wiring, and that only has the 2 headlights with the pop-up doors. Plus I already modified my headlight harness to run each high/low headlight off of a relay instead of through the switch. Still undecided on that... I'd do it if I was sure the rear bumper covers were the same width.

Parting the body shell. I have a listing in the Classifieds and also have parts on eBay. Floor pans are bad between the rear front seat rails and the gas tank hump (to be on the safe side).

Maverick H1L

iTrader: (8)

Got the 88 yesterday. It's a low-end IROC-Z28 that had the LO3 at one point (now it's sitting in the guy I bought it from's pickup bed). WC T-5 was already sold.

Was apparently Gunmetal Gray out of the factory (yay, it came with an RPO sheet in one of the consoles!). Has been repainted twice, once Bright Red and the next the metallic red. Unfortunately, whoever painted it didn't bother to do under the hood (still gray) or the interior (also gray), and whoever did the metallic red didn't do the door jams, under the hood louvers, or behind the tail lights. And also didn't put the emblems back . Only the part of the floor under the driver's feet has been replaced.

Good news? For $900, I got a complete body shell with good paint (except in spots) and good weatherstripping. Also got subframe connectors (bolt in ), Wonderbar, 3-point strut tower brace, and a driveshaft safety loop . Floor pans have been coated in POR-15 or the like (whatever it is it's bright silver on the interior and black on the undercarriage). Has full factory carmine red interior, except ONE sunvisor, carpet, headliner, and seats, that I can sell off (as I'll be changing over to Charcoal if I can ever get passenger's carpet). Has 2 good TAN seats and upper seat back (not split rear seat), along with rear lap belts (don't think there are any buckles).

Bad news? Rustouts under the heater box and in the spare tire compartment at the back of the wheel well (but the floor is good). Also looks like the lower radiator support rusted out and some genius replaced it wit a section of metal duct he flattened and BOLTED in. Looks like someone went racing one time and one of the driveshaft's rear u-joint caps came off of the companion flange and the driveshaft tried to eat its way inside. Also have what looks like holes drilled in the floor pans here there and everywhere (no, not rust, these are WAY too uniform to be rust). Also, someone at some point put the 16-inch IROC rims on the drum rear... Damn difficult to get them off. No wiring harnesses, and will need to search for head and taillight harnesses. I have a pile of parts I have no idea where they go. And another pile of useless what-used-to-be-tan interior that's been spray painted and can't sell. Missing all pillar trim except passenger's side A-pillar. I don't have the fog lamps or a front plate mount either (front plate mount badly damaged). And no headliner. :edit: Let's not forget the 2 extra tan front seats that look like someone tore up pretty good in spots .

Anyways, as for progress:
Cleaned out the 88. Swapped over the rearends (need to drop them again because I forgot to swap over the gas tank to the 88, which doesn't have one ) this morning. Found out the 88 has a 3.08 posi rear, and I may end up taking the posi out of that rear and putting it in mine (3.42 open and I'm keeping the gears) at a later date.

No pics. Since when is snow in almost May normal?

Richboll

Wow, lots of time, labor, and money invested here. I'd like to see how it turns out. Keep up with the posts.

Maverick H1L

iTrader: (8)

Well, unfortunately, the 87 is probably going to go to the crusher if I can't find a yard that will take it sans-powertrain. If I had a few thousand more $$$ to spend, I'd get the garage rewired and start cranking up my welder to fix the holes, but, even then, I think that the cancer is terminal (it's in all of the wrong places such as right at the driver's side front LCA mount). I did stick the quarter panel on it, finally, but I didn't touch the wheel well or the spare tire floor I knocked back off due to it somehow coming loose, and put the pass door on as well. Roof has been sold, door glass removed to be sold (if I can ever sell it), hatch swapped to the 88, rear axle and suspension swapped to the 88 (front coming as soon as I get decent weather and enough money together to rent the spring compressors). Forgot to swap the gas tank to the 88, so I'll end up dropping the axles again.

Removed the 87's factory tail light harness to be converted to the Camaro harness (why buy one when I have 3 full harnesses?). Removed the steering column (with a Grant wheel on it) from the 88 but the weather got too crappy for me to pull the tilt column out of the 87 to swap. Going to ask some questions in the History forum about some RPO's and then I'll figure out what I'm going to do about the steering boxes, sway bars and parts, and some other things.

I'm talking to my neighbor (the guy who helped me get the 88 here) about having a body guy look at the holes that are scattered everywhere to see if maybe he can take care of them for relatively cheap (his body guy is working on a couple big rig projects for him). If not, I'll find a way to patch them before they get to be too huge.

Meanwhile, pics:

Maverick H1L

iTrader: (8)

More pics, first being the pile of junk (well, most of the stuff in this pic was in there, there's also stuff that isn't in the pic!) that was crammed into the 88, and second being where the rear of the driveshaft attacked the tunnel.

:edit: Yes, there are 4, FOUR tan seats there, and 4 door panels (factory carmine and tan with black spraybomb overspray ). They were all stacked on top of one another on the driver's side. The battery is sitting on the hatch trim because it was bent (and broken at the back of the latch loop hole) and I'm hoping the pressure of the weight of the battery combined with natural heat will get it straight again. There are also 2 consoles, one factory and one from an 86? with a V6, bunch of door trim parts, extra rear ground effects and 2 extra cowl screen panels, a couple boxes of hardware (but only one seatbelt bolt), and a bunch of little brackets I have no idea where they go. The bar seen in the second pic and the instrument cluster are the ONLY dash pieces I have. And yes, whoever did what to this car absolutely LOVED butchering the harnesses... Wiper motor harness was removed from the C100 and cut, fuel sender harness, as you see, was cut, and the ignition switch wiring was cut right off... But no missing hood louver. Also have one grid tail and one early thirdgen tail, not a pair.

Maverick H1L

iTrader: (8)

Giving this an update...

No, I haven't been sitting on my butt waiting for things. I've just not been updating. I've been busy:

On the 87 Bird:
Swapped the original tail lights back in
Mounted both doors
Installed interior except front seats and seat belts (don't have enough hardware to mount the belts, but they're in the car loose), also installed the dashboard
Put front end sheet metal back on with the bumper support and all lights except side markers

On the 88 IROC:
Swapped over the rear suspensions (as said above), installed the 87's gas tank with the carbed sending unit installed, bolted up the rear ends of both SFCs (as they were hanging loose when the car got home). Still need to get a pair of rear axle u-bolts for the rear sway bar, which currently isn't installed and needs a broken bolt drilled out of the passenger's side end link body mount
Swapped over the complete front suspensions between both cars... All new parts are on the 88 including springs, struts, poly bushings and sway bar end links, and engine mounts. Swapped over the K-members complete. Keeping the sway bar and steering parts on the 88 as they're the same size as what I bought on here previously and the steering box is of the quick ratio variety that I would have installed in the 87 if I got the chance. Had to buy a front bushing for the driver's side A-arm that was swapped to the 87 as the bolt froze in it and had to be cut off. Still haven't bought a used pair of brake rotors yet.
Swapped over the steering columns... Had to fix the mounting of the tilt column in the 88 as I had installed it 180* out
Pulled everything else (brake booster and M/C, clutch M/C and parts, front brake lines, small braces and what not) out of the engine compartment to prep for spray bombing. No, I don't want to hear any crap about the fact that I'm spray bombing the engine compartment. There is a large spot under the brake master that is bare because of a brake leak, and there is some rust that has already been treated in that corner as well, not to mention it's still the factory gunmetal gray and also a couple other colors... And the car will be repainted Carbon Flash Metallic in the future, as the 87 would have had it been able to be rebuilt
All cut fuel and brake lines removed from under the car. Haven't removed the cut park brake cables yet (guy cut EVERYTHING under there for some reason) or the front park brake cable which is detached from the handle for some reason (will be replacing the handle with the one out of the 87 and using the 88's leather grip). Rear brake shoes and hardware have been purchased. Still haven't bought the wheel cylinders or drums yet. Swapping in the park brake cables from the rear that was in the 88 as they're the right ones (and I have 4 more I don't think are right).
Interior floor pan has been rust and waterproofed with DupliColor Bed Armor from the firewall to the tail. Still need to fix a bunch of holes and I will be putting the rear trunk well floor plug back in (don't know why the guy messed with that plug and the one at the back of the front passenger's seat, but he did) shortly.
Removed the front end sheet metal, except the hood (which I REALLY need new struts for), and the plastic fender liners. Wheel wells and all frame parts under the outer sheet metal have been painted with Bed Armor for protection. Damaged lower radiator support has been cut out, will be drilling out the spot welds in the remnants soon enough, to be replaced with the one out of the 87 I cut off.
Wiring harness has been purchased for the body. Already bought a headlight and front end lighting harness. Also already installed the 87's power door lock and window harness along with the upper dash insulation. Pillar trims, front plate mount, and visors have also been purchased.
Driver's door has been converted from full manual to power (except the mirror). Will be doing the passenger's side shortly (weather stinks at the moment). Also installed the GTA door handle bracket. Also swapped in my door locks from the 87 (less keys to carry around and the ones that were in the doors didn't seem to work).

Bad news: Found a spot of my favorite body filler under the rust bubble by the pass side rear wheel... Ground it out with the wire wheel and will be taking care of it properly...

Maverick H1L

iTrader: (8)

Bump

Progress update:

Got the passenger's door converted to power. Hit a bit of a snag thinking I lost the lock motor intermediate rod, but I found it and it's in now. Put the door panel and upper molding back in place and that's set until I get the wire I need for the power side of the window motor relays. Have the vapor barriers installed in both doors, but the driver's door panel and stuff needs to wait until I can get the brackets reattached to the door panel so I can put it on properly.

As for the rest, I installed the antenna. Also used the body adhesive (and my last mixing nozzle ) on the rear trunk well plug, put that in place, and sealed that up nice before installing the rear carpet (charcoal ). Had to knock out the floor plug in the passenger's rear footwell because it was loose and there were drilled holes under it , and I need to get more mixing tips for the body adhesive before I can put it back in . Pulled the axle that's now in the 87 (came out of the 88) apart to get the brake cables out and they're in the back of the 88 awaiting installation.

Almost ready to put the lower dash insulation in before the medium gray main carpet (don't have charcoal carpet for the passenger's area). Yes, I know it's going to look bad, but I'd rather have gray than brown, which doesn't go with either the charcoal or Carmine interior I have for the 88. At least the door panels are medium gray.

Started cleaning off the underside of the car. Not too much rust, but most of the POR-15 or whatever the guy put on there came off (with the pressure washer BEFORE I hit everything with the wire wheel on the grinder). Almost ready to apply the bedliner as undercoat. Removed the remnants of the cut brake cables ( ) and the cable for the parking brake handle to get them out of the way. STILL need to put gear oil in the rear axle before I forget and fry it .

Not really any progress on the other body. I put the dash and all of the junk tan seats in it (there's 4!) along with most of the other junk parts, getting it ready for scrap. Haven't yet had the bushing pressed into the driver's A-arm so that could be reinstalled. Either later this coming week or next, and as soon as I pick up a set of brake rotors for the front wheels, it's leaving. I should get enough out of it to pick up a 93-96 Camaro dash and heater assembly for the 88 (I was planning on doing this to the 87, but...). As soon as that's gone, the 88 will be moved into that spot and be readied to accept the engine and transmission. As I said, I've pulled the rear axle apart and gotten the brakes all apart.

Ordered a bunch of interior trim (A-pillars and visors), front plate mount, stainless front brake lines, and sway bar bushing u-bolts for the rear axle, should be here within the next couple of weeks. :edit: Also got the outer corners of the core support off of the 87's lower radiator support. Haven't found the ambition to do the 88's radiator support yet (and I also don't have a spot weld cutter right now as the last one broke just like the first one did).

Maverick H1L

iTrader: (8)

Eh, not much progress, too little money for parts right now and my cat just turned up sick (yes, I have a cat, have had one in the family for years, don't flame too much), but:

Fixed the driver's side GTA door panel (used Gorilla Glue to put the mounting brackets back on it). Got some wiring out of the remnants of a dead 3.1 harness and have the window relays wired up in the door, and put the door panel, pull handle, and trim on. I ran the wire to the passenger's door (and inside it), but I haven't pulled the door panel off to get it hooked up yet.

Made a plate out of plexiglass to cover the hole under the driver's side of the cowl for the fresh air vent. I used plexi so that I could see the holes I needed to drill for the mounting bolts and so that I could make a steel plate later (if I feel like it, I may just seal the plexi in place with RTV and call it a day after putting foam sealer, like Great Stuff, on top to block off the hole completely).

Put the passenger's carpet and most of the trim I have in the car, to make sure that the Charcoal trim I've had for a while isn't all bent out of shape and to get the wrinkles out of the carpet before I plug the floor on the passenger's side and put it in for good. Still need to cut the rivets on the factory fuel tank connector and put the one that's actually connected to the harness in place.

Cut out the remnants of the damaged radiator support. Found out it's been at least partially replaced before, and whoever did it liked their arc welder (a couple of the welds probably took me 5 minutes to cut through). Cleaned up the replacement (on the ends where it's going to be body adhesive'd into place) and the tabs, and it's ready to go in when I get a package of mixing tips.

Put primer under the hood, on everything, and smoothed it out in preparation for the black coat. Still need to do another coat, so I need to get another can or 2. Also used Krylon Fusion on a couple of the air dam pieces, cowl vent screen, and the dual snorkel air box. Need to strip it and do it again (yay brake fluid) as there was something wrong with the nozzle on the Fusion and it spit out twice as much paint in huge globs as it was supposed to. May even end up using Testors plastic paint (as I've had real good luck with that) as it actually comes in a semi-gloss, whereas I couldn't find semi-gloss/satin black at Ace Hardware in the Fusion. I'll be getting a can of self-etch primer for the engine and transmission so that the paint will actually stick for a while after I degrease them. I already have the crank and water pump pullies base coated in silver (the stuff was supposed to have a chrome-like finish but it doesn't ), and I'll get a top coat for them.

Going to drop the rear axle within the next couple of days, should the weather hold out, and finish cleaning up the underbelly with the grinder in preparation for undercoating. Also going to clean up the torque arm and take care of that as well. And yes, I'm going to put oil in the axle pumpkin.

Traded the front pair of IROC rims for a pair of American Racing rims and also bought a pair of front rotors for the 87. Used my big welding clamp to hold the tie rod, steering knuckle, and the A-arm together and put their respective nuts in place on the passenger's side. Mounted the brake rotor and the wheel, and now she's only missing one wheel.

I got the parts I was waiting for, and had the bushing replaced in the driver's side A-arm. I'll need to rent the spring compressor again before I can put the driver's side suspension back together and get the wheel on it. Before I get it out of here.

:edit: And, before I forget, I dug the Excel file out of my other hard drive and added some numbers to the parts list. So far, not counting the $900 I spent on the 88, I'm $4200 into this project so far... A lot of it going to scrap with the 87 (weatherstripping, 91-92 Formula bumper and headlight parts, door shells, etc).

steve87ta

iTrader: (4)

That 91/92 formula bumper should be worth something...
Glad to see you have energy to keep going!

And I hope your cat is doing better.

Maverick H1L

iTrader: (8)

We still have some meds from our other cat (who had the same thing) left over, so I'll give those to him for a couple of days and see if he improves. If he's not better by Friday, he's going to the vet.

BTT:

Rained most of the day. I only got the Camaro plastic fender liner pieces in. Having trouble finding the front screw hole on the driver's side, but I'll find it soon enough.

I'm still fighting myself on whether or not to keep the 91/92 pieces and hold onto them for later or possibly swap them over. For the GFX, I'm thinking I might learn to do fiberglass work and make a set of rear quarter GFX to blend the Bird GFX to the Camaro rear bumper. I really shouldn't let parts I spent $500+ on (all of the 91-92 conversion parts) just go to waste at the junkyard/scrapper (there are 2 91-92 base Birds at the junkyard that are just sitting there rotting and are mostly complete, including GFX. Heck, AFAIK, they haven't even been touched except for having their wheels removed, and nature did the rest).

Energy isn't something I'm worried about... I always have to be doing something. I'm not one of those people who can easily sit around and do nothing. If I'm not working at the store, I'm working at home, in some manner. It's the money that's the difficulty.

Blue_IROC_86

iTrader: (2)

nice work. for somebody who doesnt have alot of room you have certainly done alot.
As far as that rot man. My 82 has a hole on the same quarter panel. so i will be doing exactly what you are. even down to the ttop seals. 30 years of wear and tear. something is bound to break.

Your car will be mint when its done dont give up. I never forgave myself for junking my 87 V6 Sport Coupe

Maverick H1L

iTrader: (8)

Well, unfortunately, even with the hard work, the 87 is going to scrap. I have no other option right now and I picked up a nice body to replace it (except for all those damn holes whomever drilled for safety harnesses or whatever they're for and a couple small rust outs and the crappy paint).

Update:
Been spending the last week primering and painting the engine compartment. Yes, I used RustOleum, but it's not the usual Rust Tough crap. I found some stuff that's paint and primer in one, and it's a pretty close match to the Carbon Flash that will be going on the exterior. It's not 100% perfect as it has a few runs, but those will mostly be covered by the washer and coolant bottles. Got the engine and trans reassembled (keeping the same clutch I had while getting the ECM tuned) and will degrease it AGAIN tomorrow before hitting it with self-etch primer and then engine paint. I'm going to start putting things back into the engine compartment and the front end of the car shortly, and the engine should be in within a couple of weeks. I'll get pics tomorrow if I can remember after work.

A word of warning: DO NOT BUY RUST BULLET. I prepped the engine and trans as per their directions, degreased BOTH at LEAST 3 times, and when I hit them with the power washer today, most of the RB came off of the transmission and on the passenger's side of the engine block (you know, where the rust was!). Not happy I spent $370 on the crap!

The 87 has had the driver's side front suspension reinstalled. It's now on its wheels for the first time since 2010 (well, not "its" wheels as those are on the IROC). Unfortunately, it's going to a junker . I pushed it to the back of the driveway (no engine, no brakes, no problem ), and put the IROC where it was before putting it in the other "slot", so that it would be easier to get the engine hoist working. Going to make a lot of phone calls Monday to find out either where it's going or who is coming to get it and haul it away.

Maverick H1L

iTrader: (8)

We gather here today to mourn the loss of another thirdgen... The 87 went to a scrap yard last week, full of several hundred pounds of steel car parts and other steel items I needed to get rid of. I got $190 out of 1800 pounds of ferrous metal, roughly half of what I'm expecting to pay for a 93-96 Camaro dashboard assembly with the inside half of the heater box. In the pic, you will see it wearing the rear set of IROC rims that came on the 88. Some reason (probably because they had tires on them), the scrap yard didn't want them (or the ARE's on the front that I'm keeping for winter tires), so I still have them. I can't get rid of the things! They're like a bad penny! Someone take them before I have to take them to get the tires removed (tires have plenty of tread but I wouldn't recommend them for anything other than emergencies as the sidewalls are cracked) and send them to the scrap yard as well!

Progress:
Moved the 88 to the other side of the driveway. This was after getting the 87 ready to be hauled away by another guy who wanted to offer me $100 for a car fully ready to go to a junkyard and full of parts (they also buy parts? ), merely because there was no engine or trans in it (but they offer a MINIMUM of $300 for ANY VEHICLE, ANY CONDITION, right? ). I can't believe the guy thought I was stupid enough to let the car go for $100 after 1. I just put $50 into it to buy the front brake rotors to put the wheels back on, and 2. it was full of about $500+ worth of parts (LCAs and track bars, rear hatch and glass with exterior HMSL, brake M/C and booster, seats, etc).
Anyways, now that I'm done ...
I put the lower radiator support out of the 87 into the 88 with what was left of my 3M Body Panel Adhesive. I'll be coating it with Bed Armor soon enough, but I need to get another wire wheel for the grinder before I can do anything (damn Rust Bullet!). All air dam/deflector pieces except for the driver's side lower are in place.
Got new push pins for the front bumper cover and deflectors, and the wheel well plastics. Going to need to find a plastic for the passenger's side wheel well as part of the bottom has apparently rubbed on the tire at some point and got eaten.
Installed front end lighting harness into the 88, that I bought from a member on here. That was a pain, figuring out where it went, since I don't have a diagram, didn't remove it in the first place, and couldn't get any help on here .
Removed the rear axle, for 2 reasons. One being I needed it out of the way to clean and undercoat the rear part of the underbody, and the second being that I need to clean the RB off of it (yeah, it flaked off there too even though I prepped it the exact same way as everything else ) and needed to install the torque arm that was factory to the 88 as it matches my GM torque arm bushing on the transmission. I already have the brake hardware and shoes, and ordered the wheel cylinders yesterday. Going to order new drums when I can. Also need to paint the rear black.
Undercoated the underbelly today. Need another quart to make sure I have 2 coats down there and get some spots I missed. Had to remove the SFCs to do this. Good thing they were only bolted on. Still need to straighten the pinch welds on both sides.
Swapped the Charcoal interior for the Carmine, as I had more Carmine pieces. Except the rear seat armrests (just found out as I didn't realize it in the first place that they were missing ). Also finally cut the rivets on the 88's factory gas tank connector (you know, the one PO cut off of the body harness?) and got that off, to bolt the one from the 87's body harness in place. Yes, in the pic, I currently have the medium gray carpet installed. Kind of going for a T/A seat upholstery theme look (which is gray in the middle and another color on the outside in some cars). And no, I still haven't gotten the ugly spot out of the passenger's carpet where the heater core in the 87 leaked onto it. I've been trying for years, and it's been coming out pretty slowly. It's a TON better than it was, but it's not GONE. The carpet will eventually be tossed anyways as a lot of fibers came out with a good cleaning. The hatch carpet, on the other hand, I didn't even have to scrub. I slapped it over our side fence and hit it with the power washer, and I swear it looks like NEW, except in a couple spots down in the trunk well, even though it's the same age as the passenger's carpet (it DID come from the same car, after all!). Before anyone says anything, I don't currently have the driver's side rear hatch panel, but there is a guy in Buffalo selling a complete Charcoal interior trim set with carpet (carpet on the trim, not carpet for the floor pan). I don't exactly have the $300 yet for it, but I will in time. Also don't have Charcoal carpet. Found out that the rear carpet I had was BLACK (it doesn't even come CLOSE to matching the un-faded portion of the carpet on the passenger's side kick panel I had to buy separate), so I swapped in the gray.
And, last but not least, I suffered through 90 degree humid weather the other day and wrestled the engine and transmission into the car. They're fully bolted in. I have not installed the engine harness yet as I'm waiting on a couple of other things to happen (to paint the cowl and finish painting the top of the engine). I also polished up the fuel rail last week, because I was bored, and I want it and the valve covers to stand out from the rest of the engine. I haven't done the valve covers yet. The crank, water pump, and power steering pullies will probably end up getting chromed. No I didn't take pics, but I will tomorrow if I get a chance.

Richboll

I really admire your determination and hard work on this project. Can't wait to see how it turns out.

Maverick H1L

iTrader: (8)

More progress...

Decided to just cram the rear axle back under the rear anyways. It's been filled with gear oil (holy moly does that crap stink even when fresh!), the brakes assembled (need park brake cables ), and painted black. Still need to pick up a chrome diff cover and drums before I can put the wheels back on.
Also put the driveshaft back in. Everything between the engine and drive wheels (in terms of driveline) is installed (except the drums, as I said before). Still need to bust out the torque wrench, though.
Took out the Carmine interior. Currently taking the carpet off of it to be transplanted to the Charcoal after I get some cans of Duplicolor trim paint and repaint them to the color they were when they came out of the molds. Should be interesting. I have to say, that glue they use to hold the carpet in place is even worse than tint glue (which I have seen referred to as gorilla snot). I've been "baking" the panels in the closed car to soften the glue up some, but the curved carpet pieces on the sail trims are a royal PITA .
Decided I'm going to use the Bird dash for now until I can get my hands on the 4th gen. Had to cut the side dash supports anyways, and I need to be able to test everything before I can get the other dash and modify THAT harness. I've been busy the last couple of days repairing the dash harness from the 87... I had originally cut out the VATS, alarm, and the VSS buffer box to be transplanted when the dash was supposed to go to the junkyard in the other car before the jerk decided he wanted to try to rip me off, so I needed to put that stuff back into the harness.
Bought the extra quart of the Bed Armor. Don't quite know yet just when I'm going to crack the can as I have almost no time off this week where I feel comfortable getting that done, and I need another brush anyways.
After I stuffed the engine into the car, I realized I did something incredibly ... I conveniently forgot to get my hands on an exhaust manifold and drill out the 2 broken exhaust studs on the #5 cylinder. So I had to tear the engine back down and get the pass side head off.
I polished the fuel rail a couple of weeks ago, and that's another pic. Still needs more work, but I think it looks pretty good for only spending about 2 hours on it so far (half of which was getting the RB and paint I had originally put on there off of it). The valve covers will be next. In case someone is wondering how I got the emblem on the top of the plenum to stand out, I took some 80 and then 120 grit sandpaper to the lines after paint.
No undercar pics yet, sorry. Also, just bought a 20' coil of stainless fuel line, which should be here soon enough. Going to buy the pressure line (just bought 5/16" return and vapor line), pressure regulator, and pump next week when I get this week's big fat paycheck. Still need to pick up a line flaring kit so I can get the front-to-rear brake line and fuel lines taken care of. Again realized I did something and found out I put the rear axle brake hose on upside down (it doesn't match the body bracket ), so I'll be taking care of that as well.
Yes, I have a pic of the engine compartment attached. Yes, the plenum is on loose and the throttle body only has 1 bolt in it. I thought I was going to be OK with the strut tower brace, but it appears I was wrong... It hits the top of the TB, where the IAC is mounted. Looks like some modification is in order... Anyways, I also reinstalled the heater box assembly and finished bolting that stuff in. No, I haven't put in the replacement blower motor yet, or the radiator stuff, or the engine harness, either. And I still need to mount the ignition coil assembly.

Maverick H1L

iTrader: (8)

Update:

Installed the rear axle for the LAST time with all suspension and the driveshaft. Driveshaft is going to have to come back out, though, for a few hours.

Changed the interior again. Went back with the Charcoal rear carpet and the dark brown front one (it's close enough I ain't going to worry about it at the moment). Sprayed Dupli-Color Fabric and Vinyl dye on the interior panels and now they're black. Since the dark gray was the exact same color as the 87's factory Medium gray interior .

Bought a bulk 20' stainless fuel return line, external fuel pump, and AFPR. Can't do anything with them until I get the supply line and the right brackets for under the car. Also can't install the front-to-rear brake line I already have bent since I still need to get a bubble flare kit. Should be getting these by the end of the week.

Bought a pair of aluminum drums for the rear axle and put them on along with the new brake shoes and hardware. Haven't yet put the rear wheels on because I need new parking brake cables first. Should also be getting these by the end of the week.

Paid for a T-5 B&M shifter the other day. Haven't yet gotten confirmation whether it's been shipped or not. I won't be putting trans fluid in until I'm done under the body, so I won't be putting the floor boot in either.

Put the radiator and fan back in. Removed the heater module:

Went to another (actually) local yard a couple of weeks ago and scored a complete dash with harness out of a 93 Camaro for $100 and a passenger's side tail light (to replace that ugly grid thing ). Over the last 2 weeks, I have been modifying the 4th gen harness to plug directly into the 3rd gen chassis. It works fine. Except the starter, which I haven't tested yet because I was forced to use the 93's PASSKey II box and I don't have a key to go with it, so I need to come up with the right resistor value before I can test the starter. Also need to figure out something with the front speakers that I no longer have in the dash. I still need to pick up the 4th gen heater module and 3 trim pieces (radio and both driver's underdash panels) from the JY (because I was an and threw them in the back of the car instead of setting them on the 3rd gen next to it like I did with the rest of the stuff ). And also the air bag door I dropped (because the bag blew and the door broke off ). What can I say, the donor was in a NASTY front end crash. Either the sun and elements from sitting or the force of the impact were so nasty that the plastic filler panel between the top of the dash and the windshield was SHATTERED. Also need to buy a 4th gen hatch release switch since the donor didn't have the option (or the switch, but had the relay and the rest of the wiring? ). :edit: The dash was also sprayed with the Dupli-Color dye and is now black. I separated the vent grilles from their trim pieces and sprayed the trim pieces dark metallic red (yes, I am going for red accents). No more pics until the dash is installed.

Anyways, pics. The underbelly pic is old, from before I got the extra quart of Bed Armor and touched up what hadn't been coated yet. And yes, in the pic of the dash, it's been partially ripped apart. I was finding an electrical gremlin with the headlights. It's been fixed. Yes, the upper part of the air bag door is just flopping around. I haven't cut the rivet off yet. And yes, there is a wire holding the glove box closed. Some idiot already swiped the glove box latch before I got there .

Maverick H1L

iTrader: (8)

Bump...

Lots of progress...

4th gen dash is in and fully working. I got the glove box latch, but had to take it back off for other reasons. It took me 2 months and fighting with eBay Customer Service, but I got the fuse panel cover for the end of the dash. Funny how I never got the first one and got the second in 2 days . Anyways, had to go back to the J/Y and get the 2 lower dash panels for the driver's side and the radio trim. Console is also mounted. Parking brake switch broke, haven't found the spare handle (I think I may have tossed it in the Bird when I got rid of it ) to see if the switch is on that one. Using an 88-93 Grand Prix coupe power window switch with the modified window harness. I haven't installed the secondary fuse panel to get power to the relays yet, however, and have one ground wire in the driver's side to hook up. I still need to modify and install the radio speaker wiring in the cross-car harness. And still need to make a door for the air bag compartment (I'm not going to leave my security brain exposed!). Oh, and I replaced that nasty yellow print cluster, headlight switch, and HVAC control head with white print! Yuck!

VATS is working. Starter circuit is not, however. The ignition switch will be replaced tomorrow since it's not giving me power on the START circuit. This is after I tore down the steering column to replace the switch sector and rack because the rack was bent and not giving me the ACC position on the switch. And maybe, finally, I can use the starter to spin the engine over and make sure I have good oil pressure...

I replaced the locks in the doors and such so now I finally can go down to 2 keys again (as opposed to one for doors, and one for hatch, hatch compartment, and t-tops).

Bought a 93+ Camaro heater box for under the dash. And had to go to the J/Y and rip the vac harness out of the dash donor. Could use a little help with the hose routing. I know where the orange and green (and the other one on the same motor the green one goes on) hoses go, but I may have mixed up the others... Anyways, still need to get a heater core and cut the firewall for the pipes. Also working on getting the ECM mounted in that area as well.

As for external stuff...
All brake and fuel lines mounted from front to rear. I haven't gotten to the fuel pump assembly yet, and don't have the fittings for the 3100 fuel rails yet, either. Am having an issue with the front-to-rear brake line where it keeps leaking at the prop valve, probably because I need to redo the flare (AGAIN ) with the 3/16" flare adapter I picked up instead of the metric one I already used on it (bought a metric flare set ), but I seem to have misplaced the tubing cutter . Need to pull apart the doors to remove the latches for cleaning and re-greasing as well due to the fact that the door lock motors take several presses of the switch buttons before they will lock or unlock the latches...

Engine wiring is permanently mounted and hooked up. Need to modify the alternator wiring to put it back where it was before . Still working on the power steering brackets. Having trouble finding battery cables for a V6 with passenger's side mounted battery. Most of the ones I've seen in the J/Y are either cut or Birds, so that wouldn't help. Went to the old J/Y and found out he crushed the 91 that I cut the quarter panel off of, leaving next to NOTHING in the yard, and NO F-bodies! Anyways, I got a connector wire for my 7x CKP while I was there. I still need to get the CKP itself and the trigger wheel and bracket setup, plugs, and a wireset (with plug wire dividers).

Lower radiator hose is custom cut and bent stainless steel (would have used the stock hose but it was getting crushed on the wonderbar!). Got a deal on silver, wanted red . Hose for upper (remainder of hose was too short ) will be here tomorrow. Waiting on my tax return to get the heater hoses. However, I did buy a 1/2 NPT to 12AN fitting and 180* 12AN pipe for the heater, to get it going in the right direction. Still need to plug the empty hole in the intake where that one heater pipe used to be, and get a billet thermostat housing along with a 180* thermostat.

Bought a set of used PaceSetter V6 headers. I have subsequently modified the flanges for the wider bolt pattern on the 3100 heads. Still need to get replacement flange gaskets and get a new clamp on the middle of the crossover pipe. And also buy a new catalytic converter and Walker 46669 intermediate pipe before I can install the exhaust. I have a pic of the engine with the wiring harness and headers on it in my V6 build thread.

Air filters for the TPI air box and a Ford MAF will be here tomorrow. I'm down to about $750 in parts left to buy, and will when the taxes come back. But that doesn't include the emblems I'm missing ($60 on eBay for GMRP kit), headliner, replacement seats, or even hood struts (which the 88 needs BADLY!).

Maverick H1L

iTrader: (8)

Got the parts I was waiting for.

Ignition switch is installed and working. Found out that I need to get the terminals out of the clutch switch connector and squeeze them shut. Right now, I have a working starter, as long as I bypass the clutch start switch terminals . The switch is new and works fine, so it has to have a bad connection in the connector (like the hatch release button ). Starter turns engine over just fine and I have good oil pressure. All 93 wiring works now (except for those connections described above). :edit: I forgot to check the purple wire in C207 M to make sure it has power on the CRANK circuit (MSII HEI EST disable on crank) .

Still haven't installed the second fuse panel for the power windows. Trying to figure out if I should try to use breakers or fuses, and what amp rating for either if I have the motors on separate circuits instead of the same power feed line.

Air filters installed and air box assembled. Working on adapting the Ford MAF to the air intake system. Elbows aren't cheap! Also need to find a way to put in a second IAT so I can use a gauge (that I will install later) to tell me the intake temps. Still need to get the connector for the Ford MAF so I can connect that up in the future and need to elongate the IAT wiring as well (Bird harness ).

Upper radiator hose installed. Still don't have heater hoses or the billet aluminum thermostat housing yet, however. Or the 180* thermostat (those things are expensive...). Also probably ought to find some sort of a fill plug for the intake manifold where the heater pipe used to be behind the thermostat housing.

Maverick H1L

iTrader: (8)

Update:

Got my tax refund today. Only a week late due to someone not emailing me that I needed to verify who I am .

Anyways, I ordered a bunch of stuff:
Intake elbows
Hatch pulldown guides
Hood struts
Stainless heater hoses
Intake manifold gaskets
Header flange gaskets
Billet thermostat housing
6AN to 3100 fuel rail fittings
Fuel pump bracket
RWD 3.1 DIS retrofit crank sensor bracket and timing wheel (waiting to find out what sensor I need to go with it... Hoping it's a stock 7X sensor)
and a 93-97 Heater core retainer.

And bought:
Set of 6 R44LTSM6 spark plugs
Green coolant, 2 gallons
and some expanding foam for the heater module assembly, to fill in the cracks and spaces left open.

I have a question regarding the Z28 GFX emblems... Just how do I install these? Seems to me that I can't install them before mounting the side GFX due to the fender screws being under them, and I can't see a way to mount them afterwards because the fender is in the way of the mounting nuts? I haven't ordered them yet, but I'd like to know...

Maverick H1L

iTrader: (8)

Update:

I have 2 complete systems now... Exhaust and Ignition. Still need to install both. Can't install the exhaust until I modify the headers. Can't install the ignition until I pull the damper off and find the other coil pack mounting stud I seem to be missing from the one cylinder head. I did, however, install the spark plugs.

Already installed the thermostat and housing and connected up the upper radiator hose. Need to pull the dash out of place to reinstall heater module with core. Also need to remove the intermediate coolant pipe between the engine and heater core to modify it for the dash conversion by cutting off the extra pipe from the engine end. Got my heater hoses today but need to wait to use them. I'm planning on installing the heater box tomorrow. With any luck.

Got my hatch pulldown guides from TDS today with hood struts. Need to do some more work on one pair of the guides (only have one pair installed ATM). Struts are installed and the hood is holding itself up for the first time since I bought the car . I just hope I don't go out in the morning and find that the hood closed itself due to the cold .

Hit a bit of a snag with the fuel system... The 90* hose end I have running into the return side of the fuel rail is hitting the upper plenum. Had to turn the fuel rail around. I need more fittings anyways and also to make the bracket that's going to hold up the fuel pump before I can install any more of the fuel system than just the fuel lines themselves.

!CamaroDave

iTrader: (3)

Dang you got lots of work ahead of ya. Doesn't those GFX have the speed nuts that can be used, its either that or you could use some 3M double sided tape. Keep up the hard work! I myself am restoring a 89 Camaro. Lots of new parts and ideas lol.

Maverick H1L

iTrader: (8)

I'm retaining the Z28 GFX for now... The door GFX are the only pieces attached with the speed nuts, and I know getting those off are going to be a pain due to lack of room in the doors. I found out that the emblems just push into the GFX, so I'll worry about those when the time comes.

Installed 4th gen heater module assembly with core. If only I could find someone who could confirm what color vac hose goes to what control motor (box and harness were obtained separate from each other), I'd be happy. I still need to fish under the dash and hook up the inlet line. The heater coolant hoses have been run to the engine. I can't put coolant into the engine until I tap the open hole in the intake to reposition the CTS and plug the hole the CTS is currently in (it's right up against one of the heater hoses right now). Still need to close up the open hole in the module for where the 4th gen resistor pack used to be.

I got the remaining fuel system hose ends I need, and should start working on those shortly. I still need to get another fitting for both of the pressure and return lines coming out of the tank. The bracket that will be holding up the fuel pump should be getting fabbed soon enough, and then it's just fighting the hoses together and into place.

It took a couple weeks, because I was looking in the wrong places, but I finally found my tubing cutter and should be redoing the rear brake line connections again shortly. I made the mistake of buying a metric flare set for 3/16" line , so both ends need to be redone to get rid of the leaks.

Replaced the clutch switch and the ignition switch, and spent a few minutes yesterday getting the ignition switch adjusted. I now have, on the gauge anyways, 40 PSI oil pressure while cranking (until my battery dies ). Now I need to find out what's going on with the radio connector that's not giving me power on the ACC wire . I also got spark plug wires and the CKP sensor, but I can't test the ignition until I find the tap I need to put the CKP into the engine bracket. And, apparently, replace the driver's side valve cover (which sits under the 3100 coil assembly). I have a replacement cover and gaskets ordered, and just need to wait for them.

I saw my neighbor for the first time in over a month, and he gave me some metal signs I'm going to use as a base for the panel that will be replacing the passenger's side air bag door in the dash (that got smashed to bits and is useless). In a couple weeks, we should be getting the fuel pump bracket sorted out and possibly the headers taken care of as well. There really isn't that much to do, but in an unheated garage with no power (stinking underground cable is bad ), things are slow going. Well, between freezing my butt off and not having much money to work with .

The plan is to have the car running by mid April. Provided I can get the couple parts I need for the MSII adapter board and some parts to go inside the ECM.

Still trying to find a 90-92 or whenever MAP sensor bracket that bolts to the cowl.

Maverick H1L

iTrader: (8)

Not much to update. I could swear it was supposed to be Spring, but it looks like the middle of January outside . I pushed the car back out of the garage last week, only to get it covered in snow .

Anyways, I got myself a 3/8 NPT tap and ended up relocating the CTS because it was too close to the heater core supply hose for my liking. I put a 3/8 NPT plug in the hole where the CTS used to be, and proceeded to fill the engine with coolant. Couple problems arose:
1. Found out I bought one gallon of straight antifreeze and one gallon of mix. I hate pre-mix. Now I need to go and get another gallon of straight. Most people just use the standard 50/50 mix, I use 70/30. Or, more precisely, 2:1, antifreeze:water. Provides additional temperature protection.
2. Brand new 12AN 180* hose end, that I'm using to feed the heater core supply line (because the outlet on a 3100 intake faces the wrong side of the car) leaks. At the AN fitting. Going to have to cough up another $30 for another one. Can't return it, either, because it's well out of the 30 day return limit . Also can't fix it.

Still haven't purchased the parts for the MSII adapter board. Working on it. I did have a couple parts for it kicking around and I installed them, but the important connectors, relays, and one transistor are currently missing. I also don't have any standoffs for the main MSII PCB to work with the 302 case.

Still need to find a grommet and install the auxiliary power wire that will be going to the secondary fuse block, which currently only has my power windows attached.

Also started working on the base plate for the door that will be replacing the broken pass side air bag door, but haven't made much progress yet.

Going to be adjusting the hatch soon, as well. I got my TDS hatch guides, but only have the outer pair installed due to an issue with the inner pair. I haven't had the desire to get back into that yet. Anyways, I'm going to close up the gaps at BOTH ends of the hatch, because it just looks like crap. I already have a write-up on this, and haven't read the replies (I don't read flame mail). I'm going to do the adjustment as GM should have allowed it to be done, and my hatch glass will be perfectly safe.

Once the weather warms up, I'll be able to get back under the car and start getting things done with the fuel system.

I'm in need of a couple parts and am selling others. I'm mostly looking for the rear exhaust pipe hanger that was used with the 2.5" exhaust (pipe goes into it from the front to the rear, not from the driver's side to the passenger's side). I can't think of the other at the moment...

Maverick H1L

iTrader: (8)

Man, I'm going to have to stop buying parts off of eBay...

Bought a plug wire set that's supposed to be a direct fit for 3100 and 3400 engines. Let's just say it's not even close. The short wires, going to cyls 2, 4, and 6 are too long, and the long wires, for the other side, are too short. Can't return them, either. I knew I should have bought a cut-to-fit MSD set .

Getting ready to take the passenger's fender back off again. I need to run a bead of seam sealer along the seam in the cowl to get rid of that annoying water leak in the passenger's foot well. I suppose, that since the rocker GFX has to come off, now would be a good time to get the pass side sail trim out of the car so I can cut the mounting holes for the speaker trim cover (the trim panel WAS a speaker/sail delete panel until someone decided to cut a hole in it for a speaker And no, I didn't do it... I got the trim panel from a junkyard 84 stripped down base Camaro).

Richboll

Sounds like alot going on. How about some pics?

Maverick H1L

iTrader: (8)

Not much to take pics of right now... Interior is still a mess, engine hasn't changed much. I haven't been doing too much because it's still pretty crappy outside, and the power problem outside hasn't changed. Little bits have been done here and there, but time, weather, and money are still kicking me in the rear. I'm also trying to sell some of my excess parts before I end up throwing them in a dumpster.

Sometime in the next few days, I should be making up the new bracket for the ECM and the mount for the fuel pressure regulator. I just need to figure out just how I'm going to mount the ECM when all is said and done.

Got the fender off, and need to wait for the weather to warm up before I can lay down the seam sealer. Also need to adjust the antenna before I put the fender back on.

85 ZXX

iTrader: (1)

Wow, you have a lot more patience than me! It has to be a love of labor! Good work!

Maverick H1L

iTrader: (8)

It's not just a labor of love. TBH, I'm hoping that the work I'm putting in will finally pay off with a job in some shop or other. I've only been looking since I graduated from tech school 4 years ago.

After all, how many guys that apply for jobs at a shop can point to their car and say, "I built that, frame-up, front-to-back, top-to-bottom, inside-out."?

And besides, I can't even think about a second job at the moment due to not having regular transportation. My current job is driving me nuts. I've had enough there. I'm hoping to be out of there by mid-to-late summer at the earliest, but definitely by Christmas.

85 ZXX

iTrader: (1)

I hear ya bro, the Sequester is going to put me out of a job that I really like in about a month. You definitely have tangible proof of your abilities. Best of luck!