B4C project questions update with pictures
08-02-2017, 05:12 PM
#1
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B4C project questions update with pictures
I have finally been getting some stuff done on my B4C. I took it to a garage to have the exhaust bent up and for the front end kit I bought to be installed. I told them to go through and tell me if it needed anything else while they had it on the lift. I ended up getting new brakes also. I picked up the car and it sounds good, and drives okay. The steering still has some slop in it, and the brakes feel a little spongy. The thing that worries me the most is that at higher RPM's there is a loud rattling coming from the motor. My tach is broken so I don't know what RPM it starts at. Any ideas what it can be? Also my temp gauge stopped working.
Last edited by steves; 08-02-2017 at 07:05 PM.
08-02-2017, 06:32 PM
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08-02-2017, 06:50 PM
#3
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Re: B4C project questions
These are some pics of how the car looked when I bought it.
08-02-2017, 07:04 PM
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08-02-2017, 07:07 PM
#8
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Re: B4C project questions update with pictures
I'll post more pictures this week. I finally have some time to play with it.
08-04-2017, 06:58 PM
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Re: B4C project questions update with pictures
I have been driving it around the past few days. It was idling rough went through and cleaned the throttle body with some sea foam spray and put some sea foam in the PVC valve, and ran it through several vac lines and it smoothed out the idle completely. The only problem now is that I have a stuck lifter. I took it to the shop and the owner told me to drive it around for a few hundred miles and it might free up. If it doesn't free up at that point to take it back in. I forgot how these things drive I haven't been in one for a while. It drives really nice it actually will roast the tires all the way through first from a roll and on the highway fifth gear pulls real strong.
08-04-2017, 07:05 PM
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Re: B4C project questions update with pictures
I also put in my new dash pad. It was a refurbished one I found on Ebay. It's surprising what you find hidden and where. There was a blunt under the right corner of the dash pad...LOL. The shifter is next whoever had the car before the previous owner put that Pepboys special on there and sawed down the shifter to put it on. I have a refurbished stock shifter and **** ready to go.
Last edited by steves; 08-04-2017 at 07:15 PM.
08-04-2017, 11:09 PM
#11
08-05-2017, 12:01 AM
#12
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Re: B4C project questions update with pictures
A couple tips on freeing up a stuck lifter. Oil change and add a quart of marvel mystery oil or oil change and a quart of ATF. I haved used both with sucess.
08-05-2017, 11:04 AM
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Re: B4C project questions update with pictures
I added some seafoam to the crank case and the oil was changed to synthetic a couple days ago (the tech put in 10w30). If I drain a quart out and add the MMO does anyone think that will hurt anything or should I just drive it for a couple hundred miles and see what happens?
08-05-2017, 10:21 PM
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Re: B4C project questions update with pictures
I wouldn't want to mix too many things with your oil at once. If you have SeaFoam in there now, I'd hold off in the MMO.
Our dealership always used ATF for this, with good results.
Just be prepared for the smoke.
Our dealership always used ATF for this, with good results.
Just be prepared for the smoke.
08-06-2017, 11:03 AM
#15
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Re: B4C project questions update with pictures
Agreed, don't mix more then one. Since you have the seafoam in there drive it around at least a couple of hundred miles. If the lifter does not free up then drain again and put in the ATF. The ATF is very effective at freeing up stuck lifters. It's worked every time for me.
08-08-2017, 06:34 PM
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Re: B4C project questions update with pictures
I ended up taking it back to the garage that I trust. Their really busy and I don't expect any news till next week. Right now I am thinking worst case (if I didn't have bad luck I wouldn't have any luck). If worst case I need a motor what then?
10-22-2017, 06:33 AM
#17
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Re: B4C project questions update with pictures
whats going on, you get it fixed? give up the updates ...
10-23-2017, 11:58 AM
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Re: B4C project questions update with pictures
It's been a while since I did anything to the car. Last thing I did was drive 150 miles and picked up a teal nose in decent shape. I started to replace it and I had to order some new hardware to finish it up. As for the engine noise I still haven't figured out the issue yet.
02-24-2018, 10:48 AM
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Re: B4C project questions update with pictures
It will be there sometime this week. Waiting on the shipper to contact me.
03-05-2018, 01:07 PM
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Re: B4C project questions update with pictures
Just a quick update on the car. It needs a new motor. But this isn't the most disappointing thing to me. The original motor is gone. Which explains to me why it sounded nothing like an LB9 with an N10. It had a 5.7 in it that looks as if it was pulled from a 1/2 ton.
Last edited by steves; 03-05-2018 at 01:13 PM.
03-05-2018, 03:25 PM
#23
Re: B4C project questions update with pictures
Bearings were date coded '99 and it's got 193 swirl port heads. So I'm guessing it's a L05 crate motor.
Cleaning and inspection of the L98 replacement engine will commence tonight.
I'll upload a couple pix tonight if I can. My internet connection is crappy and sometimes it takes a while. Yah I know it's 2018, but I live outside town and have to use my phone as a hotspot...
Cleaning and inspection of the L98 replacement engine will commence tonight.
I'll upload a couple pix tonight if I can. My internet connection is crappy and sometimes it takes a while. Yah I know it's 2018, but I live outside town and have to use my phone as a hotspot...
03-21-2018, 07:55 PM
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Re: B4C project questions update with pictures
Something came in the mail today.
Last edited by steves; 03-21-2018 at 07:57 PM. Reason: Text
03-23-2018, 08:31 PM
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Re: B4C project questions update with pictures
Cool car! I remember the first time I saw a B4C. It was a blue RS, Twin to yours, and was a Kansas highway patrol car. I talked to the trooper about his car, and he asked if I wanted to see the engine. (I had an 87 5.7 IROC at the time, and was a punk 17 year old kid). He popped the hood and I was like WTF??? A tuned port 5.7 in an RS??? Sleeper!
05-10-2018, 08:03 AM
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Re: B4C project questions update with pictures
I got my car back a couple weeks ago with the new motor. I don’t know if I should be posting in this section anymore but I am trying to keep the car as original looking as I can. I was lucky enough to find a TPIs Big mouth intake and ASM still makes their big runners. I am a little disappointed that the factory valve covers didn’t fit. Overall I am happy with how the car turned out. The transmission needed to be rebuilt and all the clutch hydraulics replaced. If anyone can recommend a good body shop around the NW side of Chicago I would appreciate it. There were a couple other surprises with the car that I need to have repaired.
08-17-2018, 04:02 PM
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Re: B4C project questions update with pictures
I took my car out for the first time since May today. I forgot how it drove. I haven’t been driving it because I still need the A/C to be looked at and it’s been too hot outside to drive. The motor I had put In is sweet. I’m scared myself a couple times with it. I got on it and I took both lanes up till I let off. There is no traction in first other than part throttle. I’m so used to driving my C7 I tried to put it in 6th lol.
08-18-2018, 12:29 PM
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Re: B4C project questions update with pictures
It’s the ATK HP89 not my first choice but a lot of bang for the buck. I also have ASM intake runners, TPIs wide mouth intake, a ported plenum and some of the other typical mods. I could have gone a different route with the intake setup, paid less money and made more power but I wanted to keep it as factory looking as possible. Plus I have the factory T5 that was rebuilt and I am hoping I have good luck with it. It’s hard to say if the T5 will hold up. I hear many different stories about the T5 people break them with stock motors and others have run lots of power with no issues.
It’s all torque, any more than 1/4 throttle in first and the tires get a brutal beating. I am happy with the amount of power it has.
https://www.high-performance-engines...ine-p/hp89.htm
It’s all torque, any more than 1/4 throttle in first and the tires get a brutal beating. I am happy with the amount of power it has.
https://www.high-performance-engines...ine-p/hp89.htm
08-19-2018, 12:44 PM
#30
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Re: B4C project questions update with pictures
Did it run on the stock tune with that motor? Or did you put a custom chip in it.
08-19-2018, 02:48 PM
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Re: B4C project questions update with pictures
It has a custom chip in it. 1MeanZ did the swap, tuned it, and rebuilt the T5. Jeremy did a spectacular job. It still has a minor issue with the cold start idle, once it warms up it runs well. We don’t know if it’s the tune or if it’s some other issue with the idle. I haven’t had any time to invest In figuring it out.
08-20-2018, 06:34 AM
#32
Re: B4C project questions update with pictures
There is a thread on the DIY PROM forum about this car. This is BY FAR the most difficult car I've ever tried to tune. Speed density combined with a cam with lots of overlap has presented an incredible challenge to tune properly with the stock ECM. It's all the drivability/idle/transition stuff that's an issue, which is the hardest to clear up. Steve's options are..
1. Find a tuner that is more familiar with OBD1 GM EFI than me.
2. Convert to an aftermarket EFI setup (eg Holley Dominator, etc) that's more intuitive to use and tolerant of a cam with lots of overlap.
That said, the car is fast. Under heavy load, and at WOT, the tune is spot on, and it moves. Its quite a bit faster than I expected it would be for a 350.
1. Find a tuner that is more familiar with OBD1 GM EFI than me.
2. Convert to an aftermarket EFI setup (eg Holley Dominator, etc) that's more intuitive to use and tolerant of a cam with lots of overlap.
That said, the car is fast. Under heavy load, and at WOT, the tune is spot on, and it moves. Its quite a bit faster than I expected it would be for a 350.
08-20-2018, 09:20 AM
#33
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Re: B4C project questions update with pictures
That cam is at the limit of what I would consider EFI friendly on OBD1. But if it’s fast at full throttle that’s all that really matters 
08-20-2018, 04:44 PM
#34
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Re: B4C project questions update with pictures
There is a thread on the DIY PROM forum about this car. This is BY FAR the most difficult car I've ever tried to tune. Speed density combined with a cam with lots of overlap has presented an incredible challenge to tune properly with the stock ECM. It's all the drivability/idle/transition stuff that's an issue, which is the hardest to clear up. Steve's options are..
1. Find a tuner that is more familiar with OBD1 GM EFI than me.
2. Convert to an aftermarket EFI setup (eg Holley Dominator, etc) that's more intuitive to use and tolerant of a cam with lots of overlap.
That said, the car is fast. Under heavy load, and at WOT, the tune is spot on, and it moves. Its quite a bit faster than I expected it would be for a 350.
1. Find a tuner that is more familiar with OBD1 GM EFI than me.
2. Convert to an aftermarket EFI setup (eg Holley Dominator, etc) that's more intuitive to use and tolerant of a cam with lots of overlap.
That said, the car is fast. Under heavy load, and at WOT, the tune is spot on, and it moves. Its quite a bit faster than I expected it would be for a 350.