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When we bought our Trans Am a few years back, I put some cash into it, and borrowed the rest. Just a cheap used car payment was all I could afford. With two kids in (or about to be in) college, I couldn't justify tying up a lot of money in a toy. So borrowing allowed me to have my cake, and eat it while I'm still young enough to have some teeth. Most importantly it allowed the kids to enjoy some time in the car before they left home.
I'm sure this is not terribly interesting to others, but the loan is paid off as of last week, and she's all ours.
With several other project cars (IE: not running), I promised I'd leave this one alone until it was paid for. So the original date coded hoses, plug wires, etc. have all remained in place. But now, as time and money permits, I can allow myself to make a few small changes.
She comes off storage insurance on 4/1, and I can't wait to take our first drive of the 2019 cruising season!
When we bought our Trans Am a few years back, I put some cash into it, and borrowed the rest. Just a cheap used car payment was all I could afford. With two kids in (or about to be in) college, I couldn't justify tying up a lot of money in a toy. So borrowing allowed me to have my cake, and eat it while I'm still young enough to have some teeth. Most importantly it allowed the kids to enjoy some time in the car before they left home.
I'm sure this is not terribly interesting to others, but the loan is paid off as of last week, and she's all ours.
With several other project cars (IE: not running), I promised I'd leave this one alone until it was paid for. So the original date coded hoses, plug wires, etc. have all remained in place. But now, as time and money permits, I can allow myself to make a few small changes.
She comes off storage insurance on 4/1, and I can't wait to take our first drive of the 2019 cruising season!
I have a similar situation with my car, I can only imagine how good it feels to finally be payment free! I still make payments on my Mustang and I told myself that until I pay the loan off, NO blowing money on it or the GTA. Then the bank raised my line of credit limit
I have a similar situation with my car, I can only imagine how good it feels to finally be payment free! I still make payments on my Mustang and I told myself that until I pay the loan off, NO blowing money on it or the GTA. Then the bank raised my line of credit limit
Well, I haven't been super about not spending money on it, it's just that the parts are stacked here and there, and not on the car. I kept my promise to myself, and didn't horse with the car while I was making payments. In the future, I'll have a little more leeway to modify it over the winter. Lots of places for improvement, or updating. We'll enjoy her pretty much as-is this season.
One problem with getting parts and not installing them, there are always newer better, hotter, bigger parts being made, then you never get to use the ones you don't install.... Then you end up like ttop - or me..... or YOU?
No, my performance goals are very modest compared to what you gentlemen are doing.
I think I'm doing well on the parts thus far. Only one known "extra" or duplicate item...a set of iron L98 heads that will need a new home.
Part of my ancestry is Scottish, so I LOVE a good deal on a used part.
. Dave what performance-wise plans do you have for that gorgeous T/A. I've got 99% of my stuff together for my engine refresh/ swap hopefully June-Aug after it gets too hot here for shows.
While I promised myself no real modifications while I was still making payments, that didn't stop me from acquiring some parts and pieces. And as I mentioned, my goals are quite modest. Like, TPI levels of power. Sort of like Johnny Cash, I got it one piece at a time. But it cost more than a dime, and I hope the result is a far better match than his Cadillac build.
I picked up a 4th gen axle with Torsen differential and 3.42 gears. It has all of the components of the "LS" rear disc brake system. And it also has a Trick Flow finned aluminum diff cover/girdle. Bought it through TGO. I'll transfer those parts into/onto a cleaned up 3rd gen housing, with some new 28 spline axles. I have some Metco aluminum control arms for the axle. Those came from the Michigan F-body forum (MIFB). With Drew's help, I have what I believe is the correct gear for the speedo in the transmission, and the proper sensor (both eBay). I know you have this axle ratio in your Firebird and have spoken highly of it, so it's an upgrade I'm looking forward to. Oh, and I have an aluminum driveshaft that was the first part I picked up for the car I think (MIFB). When I swap axles, there will be new shocks, bushings, maybe an adjustable/stronger brace and Panhard...the usual suspects.
To go with those rear discs, I have a freshly rebuilt and red powder coated pair of LS front calipers (MIFB). I'll need to buy the rest of the parts for that upgrade.
Some Alston/TDS sub-frame connectors will go on, but I have not purchased those yet. I do have the TDS wonder bar (TDS), and a QA1 strut tower brace (eBay).
The interior won't have a lot done to it. Needs a headliner, which I'd like to do in an alcantara on the factory board, and I have a plan for the rear speaker covers. I have a set of Bose kick panel/cowl side panel speaker boxes (eBay) that I hope to add a nice 6" or so speaker, to fill in some badly missing mid-range. I have a couple of pipe dream plans for the shifter, but nothing concrete yet. Console needs redoing.
Exterior needs a new rear spoiler and paint. I bought the spoiler through a group buy here on TGO (Hawks). And I'll have to do something in the next year or so about my aging Michelin tires, and refinishing or replacing the red PW7 wheels. I have a new set of WS6 wheel centers (gift from the wife).
For the engine...the original 58k miles L03 short block will stay (collective sigh and head shaking).
I have a set of World Products S/R Torquer 305 heads (TGO) with 1.94 intakes, better ports, screw-in studs and Crane springs. The cam is up in the air...I guess I have 2 of those too, like the sets of heads. But like the heads, I'm into both for so little money, I can easily get my money back. Either an L98 10066049 cam, or a GM 94666492 will go in. I hope I'll use one of them and not change my mind again! Another duplicate, though deliberate, is the valve covers. I have a set of Corvette magnesiums, or a set of aftermarket aluminums. I'd like to use the magnesiums, if they will clear the roller rockers I want to use. Had hoped to buy some Elgin stainless 1.6 roller trunion and tip self-aligning ones, but I not seeing that combo for sale anywhere. If the Vette covers are too short, the aftermarket ones are Plan B. If I pull the engine to reseal the pan, I'll add a windage tray.
Intake will be an Edelbrock TBI (ebay), or a Torquer II (Craigslist). Fast355 thinks the Torquer II might make a good intake for this, and I'm sure he's right, but I'm a little on the fence about it. So that's 3 items I have duplicates of. Damn...427seven was right! I'm goign to stop counting now.
She'll stay TBI, so I'll either do, or buy, the "Ultimate TBI Mods". I have to do some math yet on 305 or 350 injectors. There will be a TPI fuel pump, and an adjustable regulator. I also want a tank with a baffle. I've experienced fuel starvation on hard cornering with low fuel, and don't care to keep living with that. But I still need all of those items. The only fuel item I have thus far is a brass test port for checking pressure. I have an L69 dual snorkel setup to top it off (housing and ducts TGO, flex tubes eBay). I'll also need to go EBL Flash for tuning, which I have not acquired yet. But I'd like to make that jump before any mods, so I can learn what to do while it's still stock.
On the exhaust side, it will be all new components. Well, new to me. Scotch, remember? I purchased a set of SLP stainless headers and y-pipes for an N10 setup, all freshly JetHot coated, and an A.I.R. pump replacement/delete pulley (TGO). I don't have the cats yet, and I'm not 100% sure if I'm going to run any. I also have a full Borla stainless cat-back (Craigslist), and a Quick Time Performance electric cutout to replace the fixed orifice discs for the passenger side tailpipe (gift from the wife). I'm going to have a professional rod builder put the system together, as a few mods around the cats (or in place of them) will need to happen, and I want it to be all great looking work. My welding, while functional, is not a thing of beauty.
And I picked up an aluminum Edelbrock water pump as well (TGO). There's also a KC4 engine oil cooler kicking around out in the shop (TGO).
I plan on an S-10 converter, again based on your comments and positive experience. I'll probably add a small additional trans cooler because of that. No other 700R4 mods planned at the moment.
I think that's about it. There are tons of other small items...lower temp fan switch (eBay), lower temp thermostat (Rock Auto clearance sale), overhead console (TGO), cup holders (eBay), valve to relocate the HVAC coolant flow valve off of the engine (Rock Auto), and many others. Just been patiently collecting parts, biding my time.
Dave you have got some nice parts together and I'm sure it will make for a strong runner.I will probably use an 049 cam as well. Ive heard good things about the SR Torquer heads my Dad used them on a few 350 builds and liked them.I haven't got my TBI built yet either i plan to have SPR build me a 46mm unit with 68lb injectors so I don't have to change that fuel pump. Your goals are about the same as mine just about stock TPI power 250hp or so would be fine for a cruiser.
I like to keep all my car receipts and paperwork organized. And my T/A folder was a little messy, in part because I had initially stashed a lot of car hauler paperwork into it. The car hauler has it's own folder now, so I pulled the T/A folder from the cabinet and went through it.
And I found the 1/4 mile time-slips that had been missing since...well, since I ran the car down the 1/4 mile. I'm car 256. It was just a test and tune day, went for fun, and to document where the car was as purchased, with all stock components. This is just the way I got it...original plugs, wires, cap, rotor, factory fuel filter, pump, TBI and likely leaking base gasket, etc.
I expected it to be a 16.5 second car, and with sleepy at the helm, it was even a little worse than that. Oh L03, you reliable old thing you.
While adding the winch to my car hauler a year or so back, I learned a valuable lesson. I have these nice little tools that can pierce/punch a perfect, clean hole in metal. So I used the 1" one to create a pair of holes for the cables from the dry cell battery in the diamond plate aluminum tool box to the winch. The tool made great holes, no problem.
What I didn't know was that 1" hole plugs do not fit 1" holes. They slipped right through the box. I didn't have time to address it at the time, so I've run with it that way since then.
So before an outing with the trailer this past weekend, I updated to the proper size hole plug. I punched a hole in the plug large enough for a rubber grommet to protect the insulation on the cable. The plugs didn't sit as flush as I'd like due to the diamond pattern, but after a few days they have flattened out considerably (better than pictured here).
Made it out to a local cruise night. Went two weeks ago, and missed the opening cruise night by week...was too early. Wanted to try again last week for the real opening cruise, but had a conflict. This week wasn't too good...rainy/cloudy up to an hour or so before the cruise. They usually get a 100-200 cars, but had maybe 10% of that. Still had a good time though.
Sorry for the photos...was fighting a blazing sun low in the sky...lot of harsh shadows, and it really screwed with the camera in my old phone.
This one pulled in and parked next to me for a while. Caught my attention because it was so....quiet! I mean like V6 Chrysler 300 quite as it backed in. But you knew something was up by the graphics.
My daughter took this one of our car.
After the Cuda left, this guy with the 4th gen showed up. Not entirely to my liking, but some nice work fabricating that hood hinge.
When was the last time there was an air cooled Franklin at your local cruise night? I have to say this was a first for me. First time I've seen one outside of a museum.
Can you please send me a picture of the vacuum line that control the air vent on the heater/ ac control I know one is going to the heater control valve i cant find the other one that broke the one that plug to the three port check valve on the intake
I'm not entirely sure I know what you are looking for, so I took a stab at it. This is a system I've not had to work on. Photo below for reference...
Photo below, the upward pointing arrow is showing the vacuum line that goes to the coolant valve at the front of the engine. It disappears back into the firewall to the left in photo (front of dash). The sideways arrow is pointing at the other vacuum line that goes inside (or comes out, depending on your point of view) from the same point as the other line. So I assume those are both headed inside to the HVAC unit and control head. But I could be all wrong...again, this is not a system I've had to mess with.
Third time's a charm. Weather was beautiful today, and the turnout for the cruise was great. All paved and gravel spots taken. The remaining spots on the grass were all gone before cars were done filing in.
A couple of other 3rd gens there, maybe four 4th gens.
Thanks DynoDave 43 the one the horizontal arrow is pointing to is the one that broke now I know where it should go I can look for the broken piece, you saved the day
I'm not entirely sure I know what you are looking for, so I took a stab at it. This is a system I've not had to work on. Photo below for reference...
Photo below, the upward pointing arrow is showing the vacuum line that goes to the coolant valve at the front of the engine. It disappears back into the firewall to the left in photo (front of dash). The sideways arrow is pointing at the other vacuum line that goes inside (or comes out, depending on your point of view) from the same point as the other line. So I assume those are both headed inside to the HVAC unit and control head. But I could be all wrong...again, this is not a system I've had to mess with.
Attended the USMA (United Street Machine Association) / Golling Buick GMC kick-off cruise / car show. This is show 1 of 4 or 5 during the cruising season. Golling is a POCI (Pontiac Oakland Club International) Chapter 16 Michigan Widetracker supporter, and we always make an effort to have good club attendance at these shows. USMA shows are always a fun, smoothly run event.
I know this is not a great photo of the T/A, but with a six year old phone, and bright, direct sunlight from behind the car, I couldn't do much better. OK, the old guy could have taken his finger off the lens, but with the sun in my face, I could not see what was on the screen. It was strictly point and shoot.
That's my neighbor's '26 Pontiac next to me. And yes, the DJs Suburban and speakers on the other side. No wonder those spots were open! Fortunately our club had it's chairs set up at the end of the row, so I still have my hearing.
After overnight / early AM thunderstorms, the day turned out beautifully for a car show. National Anthem sung, Veterans honored, Youth Choir raised over $1500.00, trophies awarded, county sheriff blocking traffic for us to exit at the end of the show. Life is good.
I was supposed to be hitting the road in the morning, and was going to miss our POCI Chapter's Spring Dust-Off car show. So I really had not touched the car since the Golling car show.
A last minute change of plans, and I will be in town after all. So I did a bit of thrashing today to get ready. The paint still needs to be addressed before going to car shows, but it is what it is. I have purchased some items to work on the paint, and want to make sure I have it improved as much as I can by the T/A Nationals.
If I can't work on the exterior, I'll give the interior a good cleaning. Aside from some maintenance, I haven't really given the interior a thorough cleaning since I brought it home some 5 years ago. Seats, belts, mats and carpet all got a good cleaning. As usual with the camera and grey interior, it does not photograph well. And with the light manner in which I use it, it wasn't all that dirty. But it was a nice improvement.
The kids don't ride in the back that often...how dirty can those mats be?
Pedals and pads could use some love too.
Gas pedal cleaned. Pretty scuzzy....
Brake pedal and pads in carpet cleaned, both pedal pads coated with 303.
And that gap under the tail lights...getting awful dirty in there. Looks much better cleaned up.
She's all packed up and ready for the road in the morning!
You sure did a great job getting it ready! Looks like its ready to compete in any show.
Thank you for that. I was pleased with the general improvement it made in the interior, and was overdue. Still lots of issues to address in there though.
The show turned out to be very nice. Average attendance here is in the 120 ballpark, and that's where we landed yesterday too. A few years back, our Pontiac Oakland Club International (POCI) Chapter 16 Michigan Widetrackers joined forces with the Motor City Chapter, and with Sellers Buick GMC to create a Trifecta of shows (Or Tri-Power shows, as some of the Pontiac folks like to call them). You get a punch card when you attend the first. At the final show, if you have attended all three (three punches on your card) you are eligible for a drawing of prizes and gifts. Kind of a cool way to encourage some cross attendance from other shows in the area. This year, the show allowed Buicks and Oldsmobiles as well. This added a few more cars to the show field.
Cars are shown on grass, there are nice park/fair food services, meeting room for event check-in, bathrooms, and a large pole building for indoor swap space, as well as some outdoors. Beautiful old barns, lightly rolling ground, park full of trees around...just a very nice venue. The fact that the weather cooperated this year, clear, sunny and 76* with a light breeze...that made it perfect. Throw in some military vehicles on display, giveaways to show entrants, Chinese raffle, silent auction and a DJ not playing all 50s music, and a good time was had by those who sought it.
The ONLY downside was that I was the only one carrying the 3rd Gen banner. Surprising really, as we have several nice ones in the club. A few pictures...
Last edited by DynoDave43; 06-09-2019 at 12:45 PM.
Just curious, do you ever get any odd looks or remarks at these car shows since the car isn’t as old as the others? I’ve personally only seen one third gen at a car show. They’re old now but I know car show guys are complete snobs
I loved this white Buick...super nice owner, and we spent quite a bit of time talking about the car. He and another attendee had a good suggestion to have the DJ announce some info. to clarify the voting. Wearing the club t-shirt, they looked to me to do something about it. I called our club treasurer who was running the show this year, and he totally agreed with the suggestion. Within 10 minutes we had an announcement going out over the P.A. I was proud to see our club so quick to respond to an issue, and open to suggestions. You don't always see that at shows.
Not claiming to be slightly ahead of my time, but my ex-employer used a lot of these for six foot high banners, and I always thought they would make a great show sign. Years later, that's just what folks are doing. They ain't cheap, but they are cool.
You don't see a lot of silver Judges. Had to have a picture of it.
I've also had a "hair-brained scheme" for a set of Judge eyebrow strips (not for the T/A), and these were, like the silver paint, not a color combo you see to often.
Last edited by DynoDave43; 06-09-2019 at 12:49 PM.
Hi Bill. Sorry for the pause in posting. My brother called to talk about the show.
As you can see in these photos, there were '80s Fieros, many 4th gen. Firebirds/Trans Ams/CETAs/Firehawks in attendance, '90s Grand Prixs, G8s, late GTOs, Solstices, a G6 retractable hard top, etc. So no, no comments at all about the era of the car. Quite a few positive comments about the car, and stories from folks who owned one, had a friend or brother with one, etc. It was all good. Lots of love for everything Pontiac at this show, which is a nice thing about being in the club in the first place!
And with that, I guess I will make my one plug for POCI and it's chapters. I very, very seldom make a push for people to consider a membership...it's not what folks come here for. But I can tell you my experiences have been very positive. Like any club, you get out what you put in. But being surrounded by like minded individuals with a love for the same brand of auto is a lot of fun. Have a club that hangs out, has lots of food at meetings, hits local shows together, holds it's own show, has a reserved space of its own for the Woodward Dream Cruise, has a Fall Color Tour, does good things for charities, etc....it's just a great way to get MORE out of owning the car.
As for the national organization, their monthly Smoke Signals magazine is a world class publication, filled with lots of great Pontiac stories, and I've learned a lot about that brands history that I did not know. With a good sized annual convention that travels the country from year-to-year, I think it's well worth the modest dues.
I love these compact Pontiacs! Give me a mildly built 326, with that trans and independent axle in the back...sounds like fun!
When I was in H.S., a girl I worked with had a friend...Susan Yuskus...beautiful, beautiful brunette that I had a huge crush on...she drove one of these, this same green apple color, convertible with white top and interior. Man did she look fantastic behind the wheel! It was really fun seeing this car.
Love that V-shaped fin in the back.
The guy parked next to me had his son and his son's friend there too. They both had entered black 4th gen. Firebirds. H.S. age I would guess. Cool to see kids so young with Pontiacs, and attending the shows. They were very nice. The one young guy particularly surprised me by asking the DJ to play Trans Am by Sammy Hagar (which he did!). I was surprised the young guy even knew who Sammy was, but that he knew this particular early Hagar tune...brought a tear to my eye! IEATZ28!
The wife and I just saw Sammy and The Circle at Pine **** a few weeks back. Great show.
Last edited by DynoDave43; 06-09-2019 at 12:59 PM.
It was...they were. Certain shows just everything falls into place, including a bunch of things you can't control like weather, the people next to you, DJ, etc. This one was great all the way through, and one I'm sure I'll remember for a lot of years to come.
And with that, I guess I will make my one plug for POCI and it's chapters. I very, very seldom make a push for people to consider a membership...
I actually began looking into this a little bit when you talked about an earlier show you guys did. I would be a little hesitant to join though. I feel like Thirdgens are viewed as the black sheep of Pontiacs and to be completely honest, I just imagine pulling up to a show in my car and being surrounded by 70’s Trans Ams and GTOs in show car condition.
No, my performance goals are very modest compared to what you gentlemen are doing.
I think I'm doing well on the parts thus far. Only one known "extra" or duplicate item...a set of iron L98 heads that will need a new home.
Part of my ancestry is Scottish, so I LOVE a good deal on a used part.
You don't want to end up like me for sure, some much krap laying around, ya never know where to start when you walk in !!! lol
Hope to see you at the Nats this year!
I actually began looking into this a little bit when you talked about an earlier show you guys did. I would be a little hesitant to join though. I feel like Thirdgens are viewed as the black sheep of Pontiacs and to be completely honest, I just imagine pulling up to a show in my car and being surrounded by 70’s Trans Ams and GTOs in show car condition.
Clubs are just collections of humans. So I'm sure some chapters have different attitudes than others. All I can say is that in this chapter, I've been treated very well. Our President, along with a '0s and '70s Pontiac, entered a late model GTO in that show. So 80's a newer cars are well received.
Originally Posted by dmccain
Awesome pics Dave! Love those Pontiacs
Thanks! With all the rain the country has had this spring, I feel increasingly lucky that we had great weather the day of that show.
Originally Posted by TTOP350
You don't want to end up like me for sure, some much krap laying around, ya never know where to start when you walk in !!! lol
Hope to see you at the Nats this year!
We will be in Dayton for sure. Car is registered, hotel reserved.
I just need to get to work polishing on it to make it more presentable for the show.
Took the car out to dinner on Woodward tonight. A beautiful evening, so we took the t-tops out for the first time this season.
After dinner at Nicky D's diner, I walked to the lot next door to say hello to a fellow I met on Woodward a year or so back. He has a baby blue Lincoln 4-dr. convertible...you can just make out the open reverse hinged hood and windshield to the left of the Nicky D's sign post, and behind the wall. When I got back to the car, I had a new neighbor...a Bright Red Formula! He caught up to me in cruising traffic later, and we exchanged pleasantries.
On our way home, we passed this black Formula on Woodward. Along with a smattering of Camaros, a strong showing for 3rd gens. on Woodward tonight. Actually, the cruising action was pretty heavy by 9pm. Probably the busiest night I've seen short of the build-up to the Dream Cruise. And all sorts of things, not just late models. Hot rod coupes, classic muscle, '50s machines, big cruisers like the Lincloln and a couple of '60-ish Cadillacs...rat rods, early Mustangs, Chevy-IIs, etc. etc. I even saw an Edsel! A lots of late model muscle, a trio of exotics (Lambos I think), etc. A few tuners, Subies, lots of Vettes. Pretty crazy.
I was pitching your book in a thread here the other day.
The old gal still looks good, but could be a lot better. Slow as a turtle, I've spent several years thinking about doing some paint correction, what machine, what product, etc. I assembled the chemicals, and recently bought an HF polisher. I looked at others, but could not find a significant difference between the Maguires, Porter, etc.
But there are things to watch for. HF has two part numbers for these, and one is a better unit than the other. More details in this video.
Holy cow. That is the exact Harbor Freight / Chicago dual action orbital polisher I use. I don't know which number I have. I'll have to check.
Whichever one I have, I love it.
This DA orbital brought back a super shine on an old 1986 that had paint which looked like a flat finish. I used McGuire's Ultimate Compound in the black plastic bottle (with the red car). I clay barred it first. Just do a small area, then move on. Took me three days, took my time. I was shocked that it came out so nice.
I just moved to North Carolina, but when I was in Los Angeles, McGuire's in Irvine used to have a Saturday class where a rep showed you how to use an orbiter and compound. Everybody got a chance at using the equipment and product. They did not try to sell any product - in fact, they did not have product to sell. It was great.....and free. Learned a lot. The pre-class coffee & donuts, and the pizza for lunch were free too! (If it's free, it's for me!)
Yes, it's well reviewed. I'm sure there are more refined machines for a few dollars more, but I think this represents good value. As I'm not going to be doing many other cars, I thought this machine was good enough for who it's for. There are several comparison videos on YouTube, like this one. This guy has done quite a few detailing videos, and seems pretty knowledgeable.
There are 4 areas that get mentioned for potential improvement with this unit. They are:
1) Throw out the backing plate that comes with it. They are off balance, and vibrate terribly. Buy a quality name brand replacement.
2) Disassemble the unit, and replace the grease. The factory grease is cheap, and they don't fill the cavity well.
3) Replace the power cord. It is vinyl, and short.
4) Disassemble the back of the machine and rotate the body so that the switch is on the side of the unit rather than on top.
So the first thing I did was try the backing plate. Sure enough, it has a lot of wobble in it (the shaft appears to not be perfectly perpendicular to the face of the plate). I can't load video of it, so you'll just have to take my word for it. If you buy one of these, it's worth checking out first.
HF must have been listening to customer complaints, because mine came with the switch clocked to the side. No modification required.
I'm going to live with the power cord. I have another work-around for that. And again, I'm not going into the detailing business.
So that just left the grease, which I felt was worth doing. Here we go....
Last edited by DynoDave43; 06-25-2019 at 08:37 PM.
Next, the gear box cover and ring gear come off. Unlike the videos, mine came off very easily.
You can see the gears are DRY. You have to assume the machine was tested at the plant, and I ran it here to see the NVH level prior to changing the plate and grease.
I'm no engineer, but it would seem that grease ought to be finding it's way onto those teeth. You can also see voids in the grease that was added. Now, there's going to be heat, and expansion, so you need a little room for this, but not that much.
Just looking it over...wait, is that a piece of FOAM under the pinion nut? Why yes, yes it IS!
Interesting. That was not in other machines that I watched videos of. Soooooooo....is this "hung over plant worker put a piece of trash in there", or was it dropped in by accident, or is this some sort of improvement?
Last edited by DynoDave43; 06-25-2019 at 08:41 PM.
Old grease removed. Some of it lifted out in "chunks", and seemed almost dry, if that's possible for a grease. I don't know if changing this out will be helpful or not, but I think between the appearance of the grease, and low quantity of it, I can feel good about changing it, regardless of the result.
With the grease removed, and with a gentle prodding from a small screw driver, that foam block is clearly adhered to the housing. So I think I'm going to be leaving it in there. Even if it breaks apart, I don't think a little foam residue mixed with the grease will lead to catastrophic gear failure. But I could be wrong.
All cleaned up and ready for some new grease. Not pictured, I also removed the ring gear from the housing, as I wanted to clean and lubricate under it.
Last edited by DynoDave43; 06-25-2019 at 08:42 PM.
Was also at THIS cruise again tonight. The guy with the black Formula was there, and man has he been BUSY! Car looks great, and he's done a ton of cool things with it. Hopefully he'll stop by the forum with an update.
This cruise runs from 4-8pm, so the attendees are somewhat transient...some early arrivers leave by six, other drift in later because of work, with cars arriving right up until 8pm. All in, they claimed to clear the 600 car barrier through the gate today...a new record.
And back together she goes. It was all dry when I opened it, and probably doesn't "need" grease, but I gave it a coating anyway. There were 4 machined pads in the ring gear housing that might make contact with the back of the ring gear, so now their lubed.
03-25-2019, 01:08 PM
Another duplicate, though deliberate, is the valve covers. I have a set of Corvette magnesiums, or a set of aftermarket aluminums. I'd like to use the magnesiums, if they will clear the roller rockers I want to use. Had hoped to buy some Elgin stainless 1.6 roller trunion and tip self-aligning ones, but I not seeing that combo for sale anywhere. If the Vette covers are too short, the aftermarket ones are Plan B. If I pull the engine to reseal the pan, I'll add a windage tray.
I'm goign to stop counting now. 
