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I’ve been making progress here and there while I wait for a body shop opening. I’m finding that it’s not going together in final assembly the same way it did in mock-up. I had to redo the intermediate exhaust pipes one more time. The driver's side crossover is uncomfortably low, but i haven’t been able to find a better route. I ordered a driveshaft last week. Once that’s installed, I should be done under the car.
My next step is to re-pin the ECM and see if the thing will start. Can anyone recommend a tuner in the southeast that can help me with a base tune so it’s drivable?
I wasn’t quite able to get it running for more than 20 seconds (still an issue with VATS, I think), but it’s off to the body shop. I’m working on the dash a little while it’s away.
Off to paint!
I’m working on the instruments now. Because I don’t need the headlight or dimmer switch anymore, I can use that area for the fuel pressure gauge and the boost controller.
Car is looking good! Can't say I love the wheels... I had a similar "dark grey metallic" paint and black 5 spoke 20" gloss wheels and they didn't last long. I got rid of them within a month of how the car looked. It needed some pop but I hate chrome so I went with he C6 Z06 black rims (18s) with machined face. I like it a lot more but I always thought about a lighter silver wheel with a polished lip or a Gold/burnt bronze GTA style or snowflake wheel with polished lips. If you like them thats all that counts but I feel like they get lost while looking at the car given the thin spokes and thin tire sidewalls.
Have you started the car at all? Just wondering how loud the 4" exhaust is with the turbos. I made my own 4" catback after my 5.3 with a torqstorm was in the car which had 1 7/8" LTs into a dual 3" to 4" flowmaster merge then out to a 4" catback with a hooker maximum flow and a large dynomax ultra SS round type and the catback was just too loud on the throttle and cruising (car had no cats) so I reduced the catback to 3" and it helped take away a lot of the noise. Then I went single 78/75 turbo with a 3" DP all the way through and kept the catback but upgraded from the summit chambered to a dynomax ultraflow factory style and it was just too quiet. I added a cutout which helped bring LOTS of power back and I could be quiet while cruising. The issue is that the cruising quiet got old and I missed the power and some of the V8 rumble while idling and cruising. I swapped the muffler and put a single Borla ProXS 3" in/out and I made a new tailpipe. That made it a bit louder but I guess its not the sound I'm looking for. I wanted to step up to a 4" and now that I ordered a sinister 4" catback I'm worried it won't be super loud. I've been looking at mufflers (straight through perf core) to help with the sound and I'm trying to stuff a big one under the back in the factory location. The turbo is def quieter than the supercharger exhaust and hoping that I didn't just make a bad decision. So I wanted to see if you started it up and got an idea of the exhaust sound?
With mine and the cutout closed my car is still stupid quick but its just too quiet and I get no spool noise. With the cutout open its loud, its a lot faster and I get lots of spool noise but I can't drive around like that all the time. I'm hoping the turbo and a decent muffler will help keep the noise down enough that I can cruise with it but get me the turbo whine I really like with the added flow and less back pressure.
I’ve been making progress here and there while I wait for a body shop opening. I’m finding that it’s not going together in final assembly the same way it did in mock-up. I had to redo the intermediate exhaust pipes one more time. The driver's side crossover is uncomfortably low, but i haven’t been able to find a better route. I ordered a driveshaft last week. Once that’s installed, I should be done under the car.
My next step is to re-pin the ECM and see if the thing will start. Can anyone recommend a tuner in the southeast that can help me with a base tune so it’s drivable?
What are the bolts in the front lower Aarm spring perch/seats for? Looks like you have bolts in there and one with a large washer. Both old gen 1 tubular front Aarms and my new UMI Aarms have those holes and I have no idea what they are for.
I’ve only had it running for a few seconds at a time (still sorting out VATS). I won’t know for sure about the sound level until it’s on the road. Is your cutout all on or off or can you leave it partially open? I hope to be able to tune the sound with mine.
I don’t know what the holes in the A-arms are meant for. I use mine to keep the suspension loaded while the car is on the lift. The weight jacks have a threaded rod through the center of the spring. I welded tabs to a large nut and run it up the rod, then bolt the tabs to the A-arm to keep it from dropping. I take them off when the car sits on the tires.
I would have thought you'd be running one of the newer systems out there like holley term X or Fitech (Ive had the fitech going for like 3 years and it works great) sell tuning for boost, plug in, set and forget. Plus there's no Vats! I got the fitech when Holley had nothing out but I would consider using the Holley Terminator X for future setups to give it a shot as a lot of people have been jumping on it.
My cutout is electric so its open or closed. I could drive around with it open all day but I would attract too much attention and its different when you have people sitting next to you at a light or in traffic etc. I wouldn't care as much if its was louder out the back of the car (not in someones window) so thats fine but I worry about how loud it would be starting the car in my garage or pulling in or out of my garage/driveway as my kids room windows are like 15ft from the garage. Your setup looks like the cutout would bypass that tiny magna flow which I hear doesn't do a whole lot for these 4" exhausts. Ive been looking for larger muffler but nothing would fit our cars (so annoying). The max muffler size (overall length) that hawks recommends is 20" since the delete pipe is 18" long. I figured I could easily trim more off the tail pipe side and fit a slightly larger muffler the issue is no one makes anything around that size. I originally ordered a oval vibrant 1137 (5x9x15" case length) with a 20" overall length but its backordered till at least middle/end of June. I looked a bit more and found a vibrant 1139 which is 22" overall but its a 7" round DIA with a 18" case length which sound better to me. I just ordered that this morning and its in stock at summit, I hope it helps! I know ovals tend to be quieter but this round is bigger than a normal 6" OD round muffler so perhaps that will benefit me along with 3" of more muffler case length.
Makes sense about the Aarms... thats a good idea. I hate when the weight jacks/springs fall out lol.
What issue are you dealing with on the VATS? Its pretty easy to tune out with hptuners, or you can use a bypass module to make the PCM think you have vats. I am still running 89 vats as a starter disable, and the PCM I tuned out vats with HPTuners.
I’ve been teaching myself EFI Live. I haven’t found a compatible OS yet that will give me VVT with the manual transmission. I only played with it for a short time before the car went for paint. I hope to make more progress in the coming weeks.
I’ve been working on stuffing the doors. Here’s a couple pics of the forward guides with all new felt and seals.
I also got the door popper solenoids installed. Trans Am 1 and 2 had shaved door handles and I always had trouble with them (if I had a nickel for every time I crawled through the hatch...). I wanted to make sure to do it right this time. Other than that, I’m still working on wiring behind the dash and little issues that pop up here and there (power steering leak, belt alignment, etc.).
this build is SWEET!! just searched for it after i saw your post in my build thread. i can't believe i missed your build thread too. while some aspects of our builds are similar, yours is WAY nicer. very jealous of the garage space and lift... and the fact that your car already runs. LOL
i keep saying every fall that i want to at least get the engine fired so i know it works, but things never go as quickly as i hope.
my engine has been sitting for a few years. i occasionally turn it over by hand, but not very often. i saw your comments about no oil pressure initially. what did you do before actually firing the car to get pressure? no oil pressure and / or fuel leaks are my two biggest fears starting this thing up.
Getting the engine fired is a very exciting milestone, but it’s also what shows you what got screwed up. SInce the first engine start, I learned that I spaced my alternator wrong (belt kept walking off), had two fuel leaks (tube weld-seam on my flares), a steering gearbox input shaft leak, mis-wired PWM fan controller, electric water pump that won’t run at 100%, and an oil leak. Fixing that stuff gets demoralizing really fast, especially when you’re trying not to damage all the pristine paint & body and you’re not making additional progress.
For the oil, I just poured some in the driver’s side port to cover the pump. I think it takes a little while to drain out of there, so if you don’t let it sit too long after filling it, you should be fine.
I mostly finished up the wiring behind the dash and got the side vents ready to accept the Vintage Air ducts. It's still a mess but I need to finish figuring out what I'm going to do with the instrument panel before I say it's done.
With the dash and infinitybox installed again, I could finally test the turn signals installed in the side mirrors . Here's a couple pics of the installation, followed by a video of it working.
With the dash and infinitybox installed again, I could finally test the turn signals installed in the side mirrors .
Did you use the infinitybox to do the sequential or is that another product? And how did you get the LEDs to show through the mirror? Have another thread on that?
I used United Pacific modules for the sequencing. The stock mirror glass is actually somewhat transparent. You just remove the glass and install the lights between the glass and the housing. I got the lights from Amazon and they have built-in sequencing. The glass is just glued in place.
X2! Awesome! wondering about your T56 build - I have done Muncie's and ST10's and even a Toploader and I'm intimidated on these puppies i have 3 that need some lovin and was considering doing them how are they compared to old stuff?
KUTGW!
X2! Awesome! wondering about your T56 build - I have done Muncie's and ST10's and even a Toploader and I'm intimidated on these puppies i have 3 that need some lovin and was considering doing them how are they compared to old stuff?
KUTGW!
The transmission wasn’t too bad to tear down and put back together. I was also intimidated at first but someone once described these manual transmissions as big expensive tinker toys. Mine required fitting parts from multiple models; a straight rebuild should be easier. One caveat though...I know it goes into gear, but I haven’t moved the car under its own power yet, so I have no idea if I was successful.
other updates:
I got my seats! Corbeau GTS2, leather and microsuede with heat and inflatable lumbar. I had to modify the passenger side bracket (Wedge) to move the seat over about 3/4” because it clashed with the seat belt mount. Otherwise they’re great!
I also gave up on trying to Frankenstein the stock instruments with the new gauges and iPad. I bought a 6x36x0.5 chunk of aluminum and decided to machine the whole thing. It means that I’ll have to add my own speedo, tach, and indicator lights, but it will look better in the end. Unfortunately, that’s on hold while I wait fir replacement gears for my mill. Boring the cutout for the column and the 4.5” reliefs for the tach and speedo were a little more than the little G0704 could take.
Some more pics of the instrument panel. It's really slow going getting everything laid out right. Now I'm trying to pick up the mounting points and get it mounted without cracking the plastic in the long term.
iPad mocked-up, vents not done yet. Dash fit Dash fit Vent mock-up
Whoa, that dash is a pretty radical idea. I've been racking my brain how I am going to mount my Holley Pro 6.8" in my Formula. I might have to think more along these lines
While I was waiting for the rest of the interior paint to show up, I decided to make some brackets for the subwoofer installation. I'll play with the interior panel a little to blend it in later.
This is sick! I would love to do that in my car. Wish I had to knowledge ,Tools and shop to do what you are dong. Would be my dream to be able to re do a car like you are doing. Cant wait to see finished pics.
Made some progress in random areas. Rear speakers are in, air filters are installed in the front quarters, and the radiator shroud is in. Before I buttoned up the front, I added a circuit for a forward camera behind the front bumper. I always thought it would be nice to put a camera under the front bumper so I don’t scrape it up.
I got a lot of interior work done over the long weekend. I painted all of the interior panels and installed the carpet and center console. I don’t like the way the third gen radio pod fits with the fourth gen console, so I’ll be making my own. The photo is of a mock-up.
Updates look great. How did you like the InfinityBox setup? Did you use the 20 circuit kit? Did you use the standard program or did you have to ask them to customize it for anything?
Updates look great. How did you like the InfinityBox setup? Did you use the 20 circuit kit? Did you use the standard program or did you have to ask them to customize it for anything?
I really like the InfinityBox and it’s allowed me to do a lot of things that would have been very difficult otherwise. It significantly reduces the overall number of wires, the complexity of the routing, and allows smaller gauge wiring as well. I used the 20 circuit kit and could have actually benefitted from another 10 circuit powercell. It integrates perfectly with the VintageAir and the touchscreen interface has reduced the number of buttons and switches (and associated wiring). The programming is customized and the customer service has been phenomenal. I can’t say enough good things about the company or the product.
Glad to hear that. I've been highly intrigued by them since they were ISIS. I was wondering how that whole process worked. Did you tell them what you want, they worked on it and sent you a file to download? Was it a long turnaround?
I honestly don’t remember how long the initial shipment took (it’s been a few years already). They provide a spreadsheet that you can use to assign channels and functionality. They pre-program and test it before they ship it. If changes are needed later, they email a file.
Haven’t posted in a while, but still making slow progress. I got it started a month or so ago. The video is here: https://youtu.be/CnBUbSEhlBM
I’ve been working on stuffing the doors. Here’s a couple pics of the forward guides with all new felt and seals.
I also got the door popper solenoids installed. Trans Am 1 and 2 had shaved door handles and I always had trouble with them (if I had a nickel for every time I crawled through the hatch...). I wanted to make sure to do it right this time. Other than that, I’m still working on wiring behind the dash and little issues that pop up here and there (power steering leak, belt alignment, etc.).
Looks great!
Simple question though,
Where did you get the weatherstrip that goes in the metal channels? I can;t find those and mine are all cracked they are so brittle.
New headliner. I had to get a new ABS board. The original one turned to dust when I pulled the old fabric. I also did the sail panels to match.
I got the door panels in today. I hate the door panels on these cars…it seems like they never get removed or installed without a little more damage each time. Getting real close now. I’ve been trying to find a deal on a car hauler so I can bring the car in for an alignment and then a tune. After that it should be just about ready to hit the road.
missed the last few updates. your dash is awesome! great work. where did you get all those little buttons for hatch release, etc...
The buttons came from Billet Automotive Buttons in Australia. They have a really great selection of buttons available, and custom buttons are really easy. I had custom buttons made for my InfinityBox InTouch and ALDL power with custom images and text.
I wasn't expecting it to be that deep.
Curious on the Infiniti box controls
It’s deeper than most android units because it’s supposed to be real stereo, not just a cheap tablet, but we’ll see.
InfinityBox has a module called inTOUCH. It’s a router connected to the rest of the canbus system that allows you to connect a wireless device. The iPad in the dash and the stereo will both be able to connect. You navigate to a webpage and it allows you to control most circuits via touchscreen instead of buttons. It controls my headlights, fog lights, parking lights, ignition, starter, windows and locks, exhaust cutout, etc. It also integrates with the VintageAir to allow full control of the HVAC.
