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Tech / General EngineIs your car making a strange sound or won't start? Thinking of adding power with a new combination? Need other technical information or engine specific advice? Don't see another board for your problem? Post it here!
The seats in my 2nd gen always sat way too high for me so I finally fixed it a few days ago. I had rigged some 4th gen tracks to work but finally sucked it up and bought actual late 2nd gen tracks ($$$$$$) and it dropped the seats quite a bit. It's like sitting in and driving a different car now that I actually fit without having to lean back! This inspired me to finally try and get the seats in the 3rd gen lower as well and I read that Fiero tracks bolt up and lower it quite a bit, so I ordered some off eBay. Hopefully they really do. I should get them on Tuesday or Wednesday.
I already put 4th gen Firebird seats and tracks in which felt a touch lower than the original 3rd gen seats, but it's not nearly enough. I'm "only" 6' but I think I'm more torso than legs so my head will brush the headliner if I sit in a proper driving position and not leaned back. Between these two cars, I forgot what it was like to actually sit right and not be too high.
Received the Fiero tracks already and threw them in. Direct bolt-in at both the seat and floor. The driver side Fiero track is definitely 1" lower than the 4th gen track, possibly 1-1/8". I'd actually like it to be another 1/2" or more lower, but the 1" drop is a still a very nice improvement. They also seem to slide further back despite reading that they don't. Maybe 1" to 1-1/2" more? I used to sit with the seat all the way back and the pedal distance was good, but now all the way back is too far. Got excited and forgot to take before and after measurements.
I think I read that the Fiero seats themselves are thinner/lower so I will have to grab one next time I see a cheap one for sale to find out.
The passenger side track mostly dropped in too, but the track-to-floor holes needed to be slightly widened for my car. I could've probably shoved it into place, but I didn't want to booger up the threads. The only potential issue I see is that the catalytic converter hump makes the seat sit raked. But it seems to slide further back so maybe that makes up for it. I never ride in that seat so I'll have to see what the occasional passenger thinks.
Loving the Fiero seat tracks under the driver's seat. Much nicer to drive. Actually feel like I fit now.
I swapped the muffler back to my 3" Hooker Aerochamber and finally redid the exhaust hangers in the back with some OEM style ones. Also switched from a straight tip that points straight back to a slash-cut turn down like the stock tips. I'm liking the turn down tip because I can actually hear the exhaust when the windows are down now. Makes me wonder how the Magnaflow I took off would've sounded with stock style tips. Haven't driven on the freeway yet, hopefully the new tip doesn't make it drone.
Ignore my horrible welding and how I was too lazy to grind the welds from the old mounts off of the pipes.
I double checked my bearings to make sure the car is ready to be aligned this week. its all good. I also investigated the driver corner sitting high. I figured out the issue and will try and correct it tomorrow. will be awesome to have the car sitting right and steering right. maybe I can start shopping for new wheels and tires now.
finally got my bird sitting where it belongs. its been bothering me for a long time. had a spring isolator bunched up at the top causing it to sit high on one corner. will have it aligned this week and then start shopping for wheels and tires.
Did a few things over the last few days. Switched to some Centric coated rotors with Hawk HPS pads up front (and read that I probably should've gone with Stillen after it was done), painted the rear drums black before they got too rusty since they're highly visible with my wheels, messed around with the alignment using my new toe plates and SPC caster/camber tool, and messed around with the over-center adjustment on the steering gear that I thought was already as good as it was going to get.
I'm happy with the Hawk HPS pads vs the parts store pads, but it wasn't as dramatic of an improvement as it was when I put them on my 2nd gen. I also learned that I had been putting way too much grease in the hub so I did it the right way this time.
I can't mess with the caster much yet because I don't have a level spot to do it, but I was able to set the camber and toe with actual numbers. It doesn't pull left or right so I imagine the caster is good unless the rear thrust angle is all out of whack. Back when I originally set the caster, I just maxed out both sides and adjusted one side until I could let go of the wheel and it'd continue in a straight line.
Noticed the drums were way out of adjustment when I was painting them and fixing that made the pedal feel way better. I replaced everything when I did the drums not too long ago and it's all correct so I don't know why the adjustment isn't keeping up. Seemed like it wasn't keeping up before I replaced everything too though.
The on center steering keeps getting better every time I tighten up the adjustment. I would've sworn it was as tight as a home rebuilt ~190k mile box could get but it keeps getting better. Probably going to start getting too tight in the next 1/8 or so turn though. Steering linkage seems original, or at least really old, so that and the front lower control arm bushings will be next to replace. After that, I think everything will have been rebuilt or replaced since I got this car.
Ive been emailing back and forth with founders performance for a set of trailing arms and a panhard bar. They are really good about returning emails and answering questions. This will be my third large part purchase from founders. Im excited to get these ordered and installed
Guess I got too greedy when I readjusted the drums and the driver side was dragging and smoking after a longer drive. Couldn't tell until I stopped. I let it cool and limped to a very nearby parts store to get another brake spoon and fix it so I could drive home. I had painted the drums with Rust-Oleum Rust Reformer and they still look fine even after overheating, so that's good to know.
I swapped out the spring in the brake combo valve for a 19lb one mentioned in the prop valve upgrade thread just out of curiosity. Can't tell if the pedal feels better because of that, or from doing a few hard reverse stops to force the drums to self-adjust (since I loosened them a bunch to make sure I could drive home). Either way, I'm pretty happy with that now considering what it is.
I also went ahead and centered the steering wheel (or at least got it so close that it's hard to tell if it's off or not), set the total toe to 3/32", and tightened the steering box adjustment another 1/8 turn. The steering feels really good now. I can't detect any on center slop anymore and it feels very in control at all speeds. I've only ever experienced clapped out and/or misadjusted Saginaw 800 gears in my last couple Jeeps and 2nd gen Firebird so it's pretty enlightening to see how good they can be. Still want to try a 670 or PSC box to see what that does though.
I ordered the adjustable panhard bar and non adjustable trailing arms. They should be here for this coming weekend. Wish i would have ordered sway bar bushings as well but i can get those on later.
I ordered the adjustable panhard bar and non adjustable trailing arms. They should be here for this coming weekend. Wish i would have ordered sway bar bushings as well but i can get those on later.
You will be happy with these products from founders. Did you get the 3pc. urethane bushings for the trailing arms?
My power steering has been whining, especially in mid turn. Checked my power steering fluid level, and found it woefully lacking, so I refilled it, now the pump is running without the slightest sound. While I was under the hood, I took the opportunity to clean out the brake fluid since it was a bit on the muddy-looking side, and replaced it with fresh. And once that was done, I hit the serpentine belt with some Prestone Belt Dressing, and got rid of the annoying squeal that sometimes happened when the engine revved. Nothing extreme, but anything that makes the car run better makes me happy.
An oil change and putting in some BlueDevil Oil Stop Leak is on the books for tomorrow. I'm probably going to be running the 305 for the next couple of years before I'm able to upgrade to a bigger engine, so I might as well get it running in as good a condition as possible. Nothing really exciting, but sometimes just the simple things feel fulfilling.
EVERY time I used belt dressing, the belt broke within a couple of days. You might want to pick up a spare belt.
Yikes! Hopefully that doesn't happen, but I'll get a spare on standby. I thought this stuff was supposed to be good for belts, kind of like it reconditioned them or something. Really hoping that isn't the case, replacing a serpentine isn't among my list of favorite things to do.
I'm planning on replacing the A/C pump which had already been bypassed by the PO, so I'm going to need a new belt in the future. I was just using this stuff as a way of quieting the current one down until I got around to that. Hopefully I don't have the same misfortune, I'd hate to buy a new belt that I'd wind up having to replace for a longer one down the road.
Last edited by Venom_1138; 05-01-2019 at 12:22 PM.
hey, everybody, i'm new to the forum and dont know where to post. i apologize, i know this is the wrong place. I blew my transmission in my 82' camaro berlinetta just looking for some advice, i've called a couple mechanics, and they're saying its going to 550 for labor and atleast 500 for a used rebuilt compatible tranny. i knew it would be atleast a 1000 to fix, but i want to ask you guys if i should just find one at a wreckers or buy brand new, maybe something better quality? if so what should i be looking for and where? i dont have unlimited funds. i'm still trying to have it fixed for under 1200 if possible. i'm just looking for some help i dont have much knowledge on transmissions. so if somebody could break it down for me it would be greatly appreciated. I believe it was the original tranny that blew. it shifted hard into to reverse, always took a few seconds to catch the gear same with drive. i just want some help before i make my next move.
looking forward to hearing from you guys.
any advice is appreciated.
Yikes! Hopefully that doesn't happen, but I'll get a spare on standby. I thought this stuff was supposed to be good for belts, kind of like it reconditioned them or something. Really hoping that isn't the case, replacing a serpentine isn't among my list of favorite things to do.
I'm planning on replacing the A/C pump which had already been bypassed by the PO, so I'm going to need a new belt in the future. I was just using this stuff as a way of quieting the current one down until I got around to that. Hopefully I don't have the same misfortune, I'd hate to buy a new belt that I'd wind up having to replace for a longer one down the road.
Yeah I used to think that about belt dressing too. If the belt is making noise, then there's a problem somewhere. Could be a power steering pulley not pressed on all the way or pressed on too far, an accessory that ended up ****-eyed, a bearing on an accessory going bad and letting the pulley lean, the pivot in the belt tensioner going bad, etc. Or a jacked up belt of course.
Although not a serpentine setup, I was chasing a belt squeak for a long time on my TPI and kept thinking it was power steering since it was hard to get enough tension it, but it turned out that it was the alternator belt. It was really difficult to see, but the water pump pulley needed to be shimmed. After fixing that it was dead quiet. On my other car with a serpentine setup, the tensioner had worn (or was defective) and the arm that the pulley mounted to would lean away from the engine when the belt was on and it was in its normal operating range.
Originally Posted by 82'berlinetta
hey, everybody, i'm new to the forum and dont know where to post. i apologize, i know this is the wrong place. I blew my transmission in my 82' camaro berlinetta just looking for some advice, i've called a couple mechanics, and they're saying its going to 550 for labor and atleast 500 for a used rebuilt compatible tranny. i knew it would be atleast a 1000 to fix, but i want to ask you guys if i should just find one at a wreckers or buy brand new, maybe something better quality? if so what should i be looking for and where? i dont have unlimited funds. i'm still trying to have it fixed for under 1200 if possible. i'm just looking for some help i dont have much knowledge on transmissions. so if somebody could break it down for me it would be greatly appreciated. I believe it was the original tranny that blew. it shifted hard into to reverse, always took a few seconds to catch the gear same with drive. i just want some help before i make my next move.
looking forward to hearing from you guys.
any advice is appreciated.
thanks.
Not a transmission expert, but...
The F-body transmissions have a different tailhousing from other cars that had a 700R4 because of the torque arm, but I believe you can just swap the tailhousing and speedo drive gear between them as long as it's for a 2WD. With how old the 700R4 is, I don't know know about getting one from a wrecker since it'd just be a crapshoot unless they'll guarantee it to be good and pay to swap it again if it's not. $500 for a rebuild doesn't seem like a bad deal to me, assuming it's actually rebuilt, and you're not making more power than a stock rebuild can handle.
You're also going to want a new torque converter, and the cooler lines and cooler itself flushed or replaced since your transmission failed. I'm assuming they included that in their $550+500 estimate because it's kinda silly not to do all that.
Question. What jack are you guys using? My car is low and with the front air dam its hard to get a jack under the K member
My back - seriously. I get the jack as far under as it will go (up to the air dam) and use my back to take enough weight off the suspension so that the jack will make it under the frame. Then it's itty bitty pumps until there is enough room for the jack handle to really start jacking the car up.
Last edited by NoEmissions84TA; 05-03-2019 at 12:13 AM.
Got my replacement trans installed in the IROC and took it for a drive. First time driving the car and it was pretty awesome. Also got the new ECM installed in the GTA and hopefully solved my intermittent stalling issue.
Question. What jack are you guys using? My car is low and with the front air dam its hard to get a jack under the K member
My back - seriously. I get the jack as far under as it will go (up to the air dam) and use my back to take enough weight off the suspension so that the jack will make it under the frame. Then it's itty bitty pumps until there is enough room for the jack handle to really start jacking the car up.
My car is basically stock height and I have the big Daytona jack from Harbor Freight (which I love, it's a wonderful heavy duty jack), and that's pretty much what I do too. Usually just use my arm and push up on the car to help the jack get under the air dam. Still drags on it though. Should probably use one or two stacked pieces of 2x12 and drive the front on that first... but that seems too smart.
Finally did a serpentine swap. Went with an AD244 alternator too since the wiring needed to be extended anyway. I was able to bend the 85-87 TPI fuel hard lines around the front of the alternator/PS bracket, but they're really close to the belt and it looks kind of ghetto so I'll be keeping an eye out for some 88-92 lines. Still a few things to wrap up tomorrow but I finished it up enough to refill the coolant and power steering and go for a quick spin.
A friend had installed some fancy aluminum underdrive pulleys on his 3rd gen so he let me have this old ones, including an old junk AC compressor but with a good clutch/pulley so that I could swap them to my compressor. Waiting for a couple things in the mail tomorrow before I can install the AC lines and fill the system.
Didn't get the little bracket that keeps the upper hose from hitting the belt so I'll have to make something for that. I also just realized a little while ago that the alternator is probably grounded very poorly because I painted the brackets (one was new and the other was from the junkyard) and didn't clean the paint off of where the bracket touches the engine or the alternator, so I'll have to do something about that too.
Not thrilled about the octopus thing going on on the passenger side between the AC lines, AIR lines, and heater hoses, but the rest of the engine bay being easier to work with is worth it to me. The AC lines running across the radiator with the v-belt setup was pretty obnoxious.
Installed the bushings in my founders trailing arms. Followed the directions given that didnt seem to make sense but worked. Not sure why the panhard bar comes with bushings installed but the trailing arms do not. Im sure there is a reason. Didnt get a chance to install but they now sit ready.
Installed the bushings in my founders trailing arms. Followed the directions given that didnt seem to make sense but worked. Not sure why the panhard bar comes with bushings installed but the trailing arms do not. Im sure there is a reason. Didnt get a chance to install but they now sit ready.
You got the 3 piece bushing. It is so the trailing arm can "twist" when the suspension travels up on one side. Those are sweet! you will love the ride. The panhard bar stays "straight" when the suspension travels so a one piece bushing is pressed in at the factory.
I got the last parts finished for my new TPI set up. I have been working on this for a while now and finished the fuel rail and TB and painted all the bolts for reassembly.
Finished up the serpentine conversion by recharging the AC and making a little belt guard for the upper radiator hose. Working nicely so far. The vibration that the AC compressor used to cause at low idle RPM seems to be gone now too. Probably should've swapped in a Sanden compressor while the system was open, but maybe next time.
I swear the engine seems smoother and quieter and revs a little more freely, but that might just be the new parts placebo effect.
Debating getting a new AIR pump or trying to rebuild the one I have. I've never had a new/rebuilt one in front of me so I have no idea how these pumps are supposed to sound or feel when you spin them. The serpentine one I got is quieter than my old one, but they really both seem like they have noisy bearings. Probably going to take apart the old one and see what I can find first.
Finished up the serpentine conversion by recharging the AC and making a little belt guard for the upper radiator hose. Working nicely so far. The vibration that the AC compressor used to cause at low idle RPM seems to be gone now too. Probably should've swapped in a Sanden compressor while the system was open, but maybe next time.
I swear the engine seems smoother and quieter and revs a little more freely, but that might just be the new parts placebo effect.
Debating getting a new AIR pump or trying to rebuild the one I have. I've never had a new/rebuilt one in front of me so I have no idea how these pumps are supposed to sound or feel when you spin them. The serpentine one I got is quieter than my old one, but they really both seem like they have noisy bearings. Probably going to take apart the old one and see what I can find first.
I see you are in California, and if it were me, since you are going to tear into the air pump anyways, I would see if it was possible to disable the pump so that the pulley continues to be driven by the belt, but nothing is actually going on inside. I don't think that the emissions police are going to actually test if the pump is actually pumping air.
I see you are in California, and if it were me, since you are going to tear into the air pump anyways, I would see if it was possible to disable the pump so that the pulley continues to be driven by the belt, but nothing is actually going on inside. I don't think that the emissions police are going to actually test if the pump is actually pumping air.
I was considering that. Can't imagine anyone but a ref checking it that closely. But I figure that if it's all going to be in place and hooked up then it might as well be functioning. Can't imagine it uses any noticeable amount of power. But if it looks easier to turn it into a dummy pump instead of actually rebuilding it, I may go that route.
Finally got my front end aligned. Third times a charm. So much more fun to drive now. I did t realize how much energy i was putting into the steering until i did t have to anymore. I still havent installed my trailing arms or panhard bar yet. Need to get to that. The alignment really shows how bad the tires are
Got my Champion American Eagle 2 row radiator the other day and installed it today. Also went ahead and put the heater control valve back in. The radiator fits well, but like everyone else I had to trim the lower bushings. I went ahead and just removed the upper ones. I have foam between the condenser and radiator so it's not touching anything other than rubber, foam, and the plastic hold down. Do need to make some little tabs to mount the Taurus fan to the radiator, I just have it zip tied for now because I got lazy. It used to be wedged in pretty well with the old radiator, but the new one shifted things just enough that it doesn't stay as well.
Probably kind of overkill but it seemed like especially hot days with the AC blasting were pushing the limits of the system. I would like to go to a better fan at some point because the Taurus one I have is new aftermarket so who knows if it actually moves the same amount of air as an OEM one. Thinking about 4th gen fans, but the newest OEM ones are 17 years old and I'm not sure I trust new aftermarket ones to work as well either. Plus the junkyard price for a dual fan here is absurd considering the cost of a new one.
Also received my EBL P4 Flash. I think I'll be installing it tomorrow, weather permitting.
Installed the P4. Unbelievably, it fired right up the first try and ran nice. The wideband O2 input even matches the gauge. Repinning the harness wasn't so bad, the most annoying part of it to me was the way I had to sit while doing it. And also because some weirdo walked up while I was under the dash and tried to act like we were friends to avoid some cops... they didn't buy it though.
So weird seeing it run without the MAF intake on it. Gotta make a nice spot for the MAP sensor, it's just kinda hanging out by the blower motor at the moment. I have a 90-92 intake duct, but not the boot that goes between the duct and the throttle body so I need to find one of those too. I see a used one on eBay but they want $90 for it for some reason.
After wrenching on it for 3 months, I'm finally driving the 85 firebird trans am and it's working wonderfully. I've driven it to work a few days now and I just did my first proper burnout in it. It still has a couple issues to button up but it's at the point where I can drive it every day now. Such a great feeling.
After wrenching on it for 3 months, I'm finally driving the 85 firebird trans am and it's working wonderfully. I've driven it to work a few days now and I just did my first proper burnout in it. It still has a couple issues to button up but it's at the point where I can drive it every day now. Such a great feeling.
Thats a great feeling isnt it. I drive my 91 daily as well. It has its issues as any nearly 30 year old car will but its reliable and very fun.
Finally took the MAF intake ducting out. Wow is it heavy compared to the MAP stuff.
Had to find some other coupler (4th gen LS1 car), cut a bit, and then extend it a little with a rubber pipe coupler from Home Depot since I couldn't find a correct and reasonably priced 3rd gen coupler. The 4th gen one is round and pretty stiff, but the heat from the engine softened and formed it a bit to the new angle and throttle body shape.
Still figuring out the EBL P4. It runs okay, but surges in closed loop. Trying to wrap my head around the prop gain stuff. Either something is whack with my setup or the starting bins are way out there in regards to the prop gain settings.
I still havent installed my two new parts. Ive been remodeling my livingroom and had zero time to do it. Everytime i walk through the garage i see the trailing arms and panhard bar sitting there. Have been enjoying driving the race car a lot though. Ive been paying extra attention to how the rear of the car feels in corners and as im straightening out of curves. Oddly enough i can feel the loosness. Now my guess is that the bushings on everything in the rear are original. Every other part has been. So they are probably very worn out. I think i will be able to feel the stiffness of the new parts.. Looking forward to it.
hi, 1992 base model bird, former v6 now 305 tbi. don't know if front springs have been replaced before. got the car with 215/65/15 on 15x8 wheels with 4'' back spacing. had a little front tire rub on inner fender liners during parking lot turning. just put 235/60/15 on front and 255/60/15 on rear and now has a lot of tire rubbing in front with minimal turning. I love the stance, low in front and higher in rear. am I going to have to put new front coil springs on to raise the front to stop rubbing? or try to find 2 15x7 wheels? or will thin spacers help?
Installed a '91 vapor canister/solenoid. The old one probably just needs new charcoal, but I found one from a '91 with the solenoid for $20 shipped so I went with that. So far it doesn't smell after sitting like the old one, and I like that it only needs the purge hose rather than both purge and ported vacuum lines.
Finally picked up the right belt. The AD244 alternator will work with a stock length belt, but just barely. At least with the one I had -- it was a used stock size one from a friend. Ended up with one just 1/2" longer, so 95" instead of 94.5". Also seems to have fixed a belt chirp, so hopefully it stays fixed. Probably going to get a reman smog pump because mine is pretty noisy now that I listened to the engine more closely.
Started getting a burning plastic smell over the last day... took a while but I realized the high side AC line cap was missing and found what was left of it sitting between the header and y-pipe flanges somehow. Had to warm the engine and poke at it with a long pokey thing to get it to fall off and stop melting/smelling.
Made some great progress with the P4 tune as well. Biggest issue was that the EGR solenoid normally open/closed flag was reversed. I assumed it was correct out of the box but either mine is jacked or they're normally open rather than closed. I knew about the CCP solenoid being normally open with my old one and normally closed with the new one, but I didn't think to confirm the EGR one. Also flattening the VE table around idle is helpful. I can finally go into 3rd driving through the neighborhood without it bucking you out of the car between the EGR fix and starting over with the prop gain settings. Also went ahead and moved the ECM over to the 4000 PPM output of the Dakota Digital SGI-5e and adjusted the bin for it so it can have a little more resolution over the old MAF 2000 PPM signal.
Originally Posted by Evilokc
I still havent installed my two new parts. Ive been remodeling my livingroom and had zero time to do it. Everytime i walk through the garage i see the trailing arms and panhard bar sitting there. Have been enjoying driving the race car a lot though. Ive been paying extra attention to how the rear of the car feels in corners and as im straightening out of curves. Oddly enough i can feel the loosness. Now my guess is that the bushings on everything in the rear are original. Every other part has been. So they are probably very worn out. I think i will be able to feel the stiffness of the new parts.. Looking forward to it.
Curious to see what you think about the arms when you get them installed! Hopefully they don't end up sitting there for 6 months like my front lower control arm bushings
hi, 1992 base model bird, former v6 now 305 tbi. don't know if front springs have been replaced before. got the car with 215/65/15 on 15x8 wheels with 4'' back spacing. had a little front tire rub on inner fender liners during parking lot turning. just put 235/60/15 on front and 255/60/15 on rear and now has a lot of tire rubbing in front with minimal turning. I love the stance, low in front and higher in rear. am I going to have to put new front coil springs on to raise the front to stop rubbing? or try to find 2 15x7 wheels? or will thin spacers help?
Spacers should work. I would not recommend raising the front end. I have 9.5" wide on the front and I use a 2" spacer and everything clears nicely. You probably need 1" max.
Curious to see what you think about the arms when you get them installed! Hopefully they don't end up sitting there for 6 months like my front lower control arm bushings
I run these parts currently on my car and man you are going to love them. It not only tightened up the rear but the whole suspension seams smoother,
I finally got my TPI breathe project finished. It has been going on for a few months but I did all the machine work myself and was well worth it.
I purchased new AS&M large tube runners, a stock salvage yard plenum and base. I ported the base all the way and hogged out the plenum. Gasket matched all the parts and cleaned, painted, vinyled and ceramic coated them before reassembly. I replaced the EGR valve and new temp sensors. It came out great! not just the look but I think I got a good 40-50 HP gain. A real seat of your pants feel! Below is a link to my complete build thread.
I had replaced the MAT in the plenum with a birdcage style one and relocated it to the intake ducting for more accuracy a few days back. So today I finally removed the old one and replaced it with a barb fitting so I could move the HVAC/cruise vac line to it and give the MAP sensor for the P4 has a dedicated vacuum port.
Made a little bracket out of aluminum angle stock for the MAP so it can sit roughly where a speed density setup has it. Gotta take it back off and clean up the corners so it looks nicer. Doesn't sit quite where I wanted it, but it's good enough.
Replaced the EGR solenoid with a new one for a DeVille like in this thread https://www.thirdgen.org/forums/tpi/...-solenoid.html. Used to have an old crusty Corvette one shoved in down by the distributor because the original was shot. I like how the new one fits.
Replaced the AIR pump and discovered that it's not diverting to PORT, just clicks until it switches to CAT. Going to have to figure out what the deal is with that, it worked before I converted to the P4. Also noticed that if I pull off the hose that goes to the cat, exhaust comes out of it. Haven't checked the ones at the headers yet. I already replaced the check valves in the last couple years.
Originally Posted by vinny R
I finally got my TPI breathe project finished. It has been going on for a few months but I did all the machine work myself and was well worth it.
I purchased new AS&M large tube runners, a stock salvage yard plenum and base. I ported the base all the way and hogged out the plenum. Gasket matched all the parts and cleaned, painted, vinyled and ceramic coated them before reassembly. I replaced the EGR valve and new temp sensors. It came out great! not just the look but I think I got a good 40-50 HP gain. A real seat of your pants feel! Below is a link to my complete build thread.
Today I have to reroute the plug wires and a couple hoses to ease my OCD pain I have from looking at them not in the right place.
That's really nice! I have an entire extra TPI setup that I've been wanting to try porting to take advantage of the cam/heads I have while still looking totally stock.
Originally Posted by EnglishFirebird
Fitted a Cobra 3193 alarm, this time getting the positive-pulse door locking relay setup right.
Very pleasurable to be able to remote lock/unlock the car at last - having to open with a different key to the ignition always irked me!
It is nice, isn't it? Running a Viper 3105V on mine.
Got the founders performance trailing arms in today. The originals came out very easy. I was suprised at how light weight and flimsy the originals felt in my hand. I was considering boxing them by welding on a top piece to add strength. The founders parts are very nice. The first bolt went in easy but the second hole didnt line up. I put rachet strap around the axel and connected it to the rear subframe and was able to easily pull it into place. I didnt get the panhard bar in. Might tackle that tomorrow
Founders performance panhard bar installed. This was an easy job. It was 2 bolts out and 2 bolts in with no hassel or alignment issues. I didnt adjust it yet. Just installed it straight up. The bushings on the trailing arms were trash but i was surprised to see the panhard bar bushings didnt look bad at all. I will get out and center my axel sometime this week.
hey everybody i tired to find a better place to post but i'm still new, so here it is. i've been looking for speakers to replace my blown factory sets in my 82'. i'm not an audiophile so i dont know much. after weeks of looking i think i found a set of 6x9s i like for the back can anybody give me their opinion on them? Also is it a problem if i'm using them with my stock head unit and no amp?
JBL GTO 9 Series 300W 6-Inch X 9-Inch 3-Way Speakers-Pair-Black
Did an oil change yesterday. Not too thrilled with the amount of oil that seems to be leaving through the PCV system. Might shove some "Chor Boy" or something similar in the valve cover baffles and see that helps calm it down.
Also not too thrilled with the inside of the oil filter, kinda just seems like dirt though. Either that or it's cast iron, didn't think to stick a magnet in it. They look gold in the pictures but they didn't really seem gold in person. Wasn't anything noticeable in the filter pleats.
Originally Posted by 82'berlinetta
hey everybody i tired to find a better place to post but i'm still new, so here it is. i've been looking for speakers to replace my blown factory sets in my 82'. i'm not an audiophile so i dont know much. after weeks of looking i think i found a set of 6x9s i like for the back can anybody give me their opinion on them? Also is it a problem if i'm using them with my stock head unit and no amp?
JBL GTO 9 Series 300W 6-Inch X 9-Inch 3-Way Speakers-Pair-Black
I've read that the Pioneer TS-A series speakers are great budget speakers if you want something to run off the head unit's built in amp. I have 4x6 TS-A series in the front and their older 2-way TS-G 6x9 in the rear. I'm pretty happy with them running off of my Kenwood head unit now that I've played with the high pass filters and EQ. I think the high pass filters are key, they stop the head unit's amp from wasting power trying to drive the speakers at lower frequencies where they sound awful or just don't really produce sound.
I ended up adding a Rockford P300-10 subwoofer because I found the 6x9s severely lacking bass in the factory position. I noticed the same lack of bass in my friend's 3rd gen with completely different speakers.
When I last had the interior plastic panels out, I traced the metal plates that the 6x9s mount to and cut new ones out of wood -- 1/4" MDF. There was a noticeable difference in sound quality from that. I also added some deadener in the speaker areas at the same time, but I feel that the MDF plates made most of the improvement.
The audio forum here isn't the most active, but it does have some good info for stuff specific to these cars. You can search this forum specifically on Google if you start your search with site:thirdgen.org, for example: https://www.google.com/search?q=site...er+replacement
04-15-2019, 10:12 PM
