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Re: A Firebird GTA the way they should have bult it....
Haven't been on here for a couple of days, but I have been doing a little bit of work to the car. When I removed the pop up headlights, I had to build units that replaced them, and with a bit of experimentation did that. I covered a bit of that earlier in the thread, but this week addressed an issue that had been left over. The hole left by the pop up system remained, I had an idea of what to do about it when I built the fiberglass hood latch panel. This week I built another panel and sectioned it to fit over the holes, by putting them end to end, they look like they were meant to be. BTW, the headlight assembly weighs 10.5lbs each, and the ones I replaced them with weigh 1 pound.
Re: A Firebird GTA the way they should have bult it....
The markers have been modified to accommodate LED's. With one LED in the center the bright light really shows up just in the middle of the marker. Extra bulb capacity evens out the light across the marker, and allows for parks and signals to operate independently of each other.
Re: A Firebird GTA the way they should have bult it....
Just a depiction of the size differential between the 1LE and aftermarkets.... The BAER 13" was just a little more than 2 pounds lighter when combined with the aluminum hub, the 14" SPEC 37 was almost the exact same weight as the BAER, and the carbon ceramic weighs half of that...., but each disc costs $2500....
Re: A Firebird GTA the way they should have bult it....
What is the clicking at the beginning?
The more I see hard tube for coolant and short rubber ends, the more I like it. I think I may have to do that on my car(s). Are the 90* elbows something you bought, or did you have to buy longer hose for something else, then just trim them down?
Re: A Firebird GTA the way they should have bult it....
When the car hasn't been run for awhile, the system pressurizes and fire the injectors in lieu of a choke for cold start fuel. This system over primes as far as i'm concerned, working on leaning that out a bit. The hoses are factory stockers that I cut the straight parts out so I could put the aluminum in, the aluminum tubing has to be cut and welded to form as the factory hoses have some slight bends in them. On a motor that has lots of aluminum on display, it's a nice touch, IMO.... The thermostat housing had to be purpose built to fit under the air intake and stay clear of the belt/pullies. Once again, Tommy at frankenstein speed and custom was the artist.
Re: A Firebird GTA the way they should have bult it....
Which injection setup are you running? Forgive me if you already stated that. I never heard of a system doing that for cold start before cranking.
I was just minding, out loud, about the aluminum section. I won't be running a gen I engine, and I was mostly thinking of my second gen doing that. The second gen has the same issue of the lower hose, with the LS, coming in contact with the idler arms bolts. The aluminum tube is a perfect solution to avoid that, plus less risk of the lower hose getting sucked closed since the hose ends are so short.
I did have a miniram in my 88/91 for a short period before I removed the engine. That is a great solution to the complication with the air intake and the water outlet in these cars. I like it
Re: A Firebird GTA the way they should have bult it....
I noticed earlier in the post that you had covered your plastic interior pieces in leather, could you elaborate on that? Were you able to use spray on contact cement with good results? How did the leather conform to the compound curves of the panels? You’re insights are greatly appreciated.
Re: A Firebird GTA the way they should have bult it....
A pillar peices are done.....
So far so s good. The pieces are full of tight radius complexities, and you need to build patterns first, then sew the pieces together, that takes out a lot of the stress inside the hollows and allows the adhesive to do it's job. Unfortunately too often upholstery adhesive is asked to do the impossible, and then when you have a hot day or something it gets pulled loose after it cools. I am currently working on several projects all at the same time, haven't been on here much as a result, bc the weather is nice now and I want to get the car back on the road. Should be starting back up here later this week and will be showing some of the upholstery. The whole idea for me is to do all the pieces and have them look as though they were always meant to be that way. The pic here shows a factory plastic finish on an a pillar piece and you can't really tell the difference here. In real life the feel and smell is incomparable.
Re: A Firebird GTA the way they should have bult it....
Welding and sewing are very much the same when it comes right down to it, I've been sewing since '77, did all those interiors on the previous firebirds... This one is different bc it's all leather, leather is less forgiving than other materials bc you can only poke it with a needle once, then you get another piece, unlike cloth or vinyl that you can sew over multiple times. It will be the 'next level' I hope, like the rest of the car.
TTOP I hope you can get it done, it's a sweet smell.... It helps it you have a few extra parts around that you can experiment with....
And for all of you who like to sit around and bench race, and plan, and, well, think about women.... Try my drink, the 427seven. 4 parts Canada Dry and one shot of Southern Comfort. So far, guys are O K with it, but the women LOVE it....
Re: A Firebird GTA the way they should have bult it....
Trust me, I am a man of your heart. Except for the fact that I am a bourbon guy. My crowning achievement is my carbon fiber wing that I made in my basement. The thing is fully functional and mounted on my 370 track car. It’s seen over 140 miles an hour.
Re: A Firebird GTA the way they should have bult it....
I like it.... If you have competed, you've at least thought of doing it. Most people don't actually go through with it.... I used an ice cooler with a 12 volt wind shield washer pump, the cooler had fittings that were silicone sealed so I could hook up the tubes…. And, yes, mine was gross too
Re: A Firebird GTA the way they should have bult it....
Yes it’s nasty. But it’s the sparrow speed endurance race team back up shirt. Of course we race a Miata... Here is my custom cool shirt box made with an Engel 30 quart cooler .
Re: A Firebird GTA the way they should have bult it....
looks familiar, except mine had a cloth sack to hold the ice.... It did work, and those hot summer days at PIR were so much more bearable bc of it. Of course IDK what happened to the shirt....
Re: A Firebird GTA the way they should have bult it....
Originally Posted by DIGGLER
just caught this thread.... i have been thinking of doing bags on my car for years. but mine is more of a drag oriented setup.
killer car.
Bags werk great for dr if you can manage them during a run, start with the pressure maxed and cut the pressure during the run to bring the nose down.....
Re: A Firebird GTA the way they should have bult it....
I made the harnesses, after making a template to pattern the holes, I cut them into spare side markers that I had. The bulb sockets are from an Astro van, I liked them because they are a 90' socket so it is easier to bundle the harness. Then just solder them to the appropriate signal wire and heat shrink it all....
Re: A Firebird GTA the way they should have bult it....
It's been awhile... life gets busy when the sun comes out. Back now.... Thank you all for the kind words, although I haven't had a lot of time to finish things I've had time to start a few. Will have them on soon.
03-18-2019, 08:45 PM
