Started taking out the interior of the IROC this morning. See what I found.....

https://www.thirdgen.org/forums/post...2-post131.html

I think I'm going to be in big trouble with the wiring. Just take a look at this birds nest under the dash beside the fuse panel....



Sorry the pic is so big I wanted to keep as much detail as possible and will likely need help. Somewhere along the line someone installed an alarm system and the aftermarket stereo. Mano! Did they hack the wiring. It might be worth looking for a whole new harnass! I've been down this road with our boat over the last few years and it took me at least three years to eliminate all the gremlins. This is certainly going to be a challenge. I pulled the head unit out and the wiring has been hacked out so I'll be looking for OEM plugs & wiring for sure.

Anybody in eastern Ontario been down this road? I might be looking for help and willing to pay for assistance.

Got the passenger side seat out and it looks like the carpet is glued down or they sprayed the inside with tar and put the carpet down on top of that. I'm sure we'll ruin it when we take it out to weld in the sub-frame connectors and rebuilt the rear sub-frames.

Anyhow, it's raining & thunderstorms now so off to the UPS store to pick up more parts...... Standby.

 

Firstly, the 'new car scent' in an actual new car is formaldehyde and other wonderfull chemicals off-gassing from the plastics and upholstery...not something you want to be breathing in. I suspect your can-o-smell might contain some of the same stuff...gross. As far as the wiring goes, does the car work currently?? If its got no issues now, then you might want to either leave all that crap in there, or just trace all of the spliced in wires and remove them one by one. I would imagine that the wires are all just piggy-backed onto exising wires in the car, using existing sensors (door pins) and power wires to make it work, along with the other parts that come along with the alarm (vibration sensors, and of course the blinking LED). It shouldn't be too complicated, but it all depends how confident you are when working with wiring.

 

So far everything still works. I was sort of amazed at that. There's a few minor glitches, hatch retract fuse keeps blowing etc.

I've been tinkering with electric/electronics since I was a kid and lemme tell ya that was a long time ago. Over the last 3 yrs I've totally rewired our 25' Express Cruiser so the tracing, cutting & splicing etc. isn't a problem. I think the boat will turn out to be easy compared to this. There was a lot more room to move around the boat than under the dash of this car. I've put on a few pounds over the year so getting into those tight spots might be a challenge. If I have to I'll pull the dash out but I'd like to avoid that if possible. I've got an OEM stereo to put in so finding all the wires for that might be a challenge. From the looks of it they hacked it up pretty bad.

 

I think I can find you some stock wiring plugs for the Camaro. The "old school" radio installs usually hacked the plugs off because there weren't any adapter kits available at that time. Now you can get them for everything and hacking wiring is not necessary. And yes, fitting in those cars is tough, and pulling the dash will certainly suck, however, its not as horrible as you think. I've pulled a few. The hardest part is not cracking it when you remove it if its a dash that has seen a lot of sun.

 

The dash and guages are in near mint condition that's why I'd be a little hesitant to remove it and possibly damaging it. I'm going to take the console out today so I can get in behind the stereo. The wires are too short to pull the head unit out to have a look. I have no ide how they got it in there like that. I'll definitely take you up on your offer to find some plugs for the unit. I've called all the recyclers around here and they don't have any.

Maybe it's just me but I don't know if I can live with the wiring in that state. Not that I'm a purest or a perfectionist but it's just not right!

Just about to head out to get to work on it. I'll post pics of progress.

Thnx.

 

Dug a little deeper into the interior removal. Got all the stereo wiring out of the way which helped a lot. I did find a lot more "Stuff" all packed up in electrical tape under the dash. See pic.... Does anybody know what this stuff is? If I can identify which alarm system it was I might have a slim chance of finding a wiring diagram for it.



Upper right corner seemed to be the main control unit and a shock sensor. There's one relay here, lower right and another inside the center console. The control block on the left hand side doesn't contain any fuses. It seems like some sort of "plug & play" connection block. It was hanging loose tucked up behind the fuse panel.

Pulled the carpet back after I got the seats out. The floor has been patched and it doesn't look too bad. No holes. Might have to live with that for now. Tried to get it up on the ramps and axel stands in the yard. That's not gonna work. Gotta go looking for a real shop to work in I think.

This is what's left of the stereo wiring after I pulled the unit out.


The wires with the yellow arrows are for the alarm system. The circled items appear to be ballast's or something. Not sure if they're OEM or not. Definitely going to need new plugs. I think they yanked all the speaker wires as well. Any help greatly appreciated.

 

Another piece of the puzzle. I welded steel today with electricity! That's something I haven't done in over 20 yrs. Back then we didn't have MIG welders so this was really a treat. Now to work on my technique!



I'm sure the kid, who just graduated from trade school as a welder/fabricator will critique my welds!

Now I'm wanderin' around the house lookin' for stuff to weld!

 

Practice makes perfect eh?



Don't know if I got the guts to start welding the frame on my care just yet though!

 

How's the car/ wiring issues going now?

 

I've decided to listen to the advice here and leave it be for now. As long as everything works I'll just have to put it out of my mind for now!

Started to R&R the exhaust system. New MagnaFlow cat-back going in.



Here's some of the rust I have to deal with. Notice the sketchy floor patch! That'll go next year if I decide to replace the whole floor pan. Until then we'll doctor it up to get it to pass a safety.


Picked up the UMI sub-frame connectors & trailing arms today. I've got a few small patches to make before we weld them in. Probably next weekend. Overall it's not as bad as I originally thought. It's just a PITA not having a decent shop to work in. I could only get the car up on ramps and under blocks on the front. We'll have to level it both ways before we start welding in frame connectors though.

 

subscribing

 

My GTA had a similar rat's nest under the dash from a dealer-installed alarm. Couldn't believe what a mess a dealer of all places could make. Last spring I yanked the whole mess out doing pretty much what 89JY suggested. Pull the control module(s), relays, sensors, and any other related crap that's not supposed to be there and trace each wire back to where it's spliced in to the factory harness. Undo the wires (nothing was soldered here) and cover the bare wires. My car had two modules and a shock sensor stuffed under the dash and console as well as one or two units mounted on the firewall under the hood. And the power wires (cheap clear speaker wire in my case. ), hood switch wire, and hood switch.

It's totally normal to hold your breath the first time you turn the key after surgery. It's nice knowing that it's not going to suddenly burst into flames now. Still gotta get rid of the key fobs though.

 

Got the boss involved last night! I might have set an ugly precedent though. Normally I don't allow her to use power tools for various safety reasons. What was I thinking?







A few stray sparks got into her shoes! Maybe next time she'll wear socks!

 

Scored a nice set of seats from a 99 Camaro off of e-Bay.





It's all coming together! Saturday we weld in the sub-frame connectors. A few minor items for the safety check and we'll be good to go!

 

This is what happens when you try to run a 20 Amp MIG welder on an 15 Amp outdoor circuit! Oooop!

 

Well we were all ready to do some welding on the car today. See previous post. Duh! So trip to the H/W store for a new 2x15 Amp breaker and another 20 Amp single. 15' of 12/3 & a 20 Amp outdoor socket. An hour wasted.

Got the car up as far as we could, maxed out the floor jack. There's plenty of room to work though. Dead nuts level, which I was proud of. Working on the ground isn't the greatest but it's what we got for now.



Tried to get the trailing arm off the drivers side. No way I could budge the rusted on nuts with small hand tools and penetrating oil. Need an extension to get the impact wrench in there plus the nuts are metric, impact sockets are imperial. No oxy/acetylene torches so tried to grind the nut off. Nope, no room to work. Hmmmm? Try again tomorrow.

Sized up the UMI subrame connectors. Looks like a pretty easy job once I get everything undone. Found a few more small spots to patch on the inside rockers but nothing major.

Anybody looking for a set of leather seats for an early 90's TA? I've got more detailed pics if you want 'em. Seats are ok. The bolsters need a little work and there's a small tear in the seat of the drivers seat. The drivers side is power. They've got those flippy up thingies under your thighs. Dunno what they're called.



Update: Seats have been sold.

 

That shotty patch looks to be in your back seat area not the floor , looks as though your frame rail needs some major attention as well I would drill out all of the spot welds and replace the whole thing back to front , get a good rail from a yard car. Have fun

 

Nice project you have going on there. I just got my 1985 Z-28 w/iroc hood & wheels, home today! looking forward to working on her and keeping up with your progress as well. Why don't you erect a little shelter/ makeshift garage while you're fabricating away there? (2"x2"'s and heavy roll of plastic w/stapler, is all you need. Good luck with your venture. Ismo.

 

Thnx Ismo. Considered setting up a shelter, I do it for our boat every winter, but I'm encroaching on my neighbors lawn a bit now. It looks like the weather's going to turn around for us for a week so should be able to finish this up.

I spent six years in Thunder Bay working on the Coast Guard icebreaker Samuel Risley. Loved TB. Had a great time there.

Cheers & looking forward to seeing some pics of your project. Good luck.

 

Well the weather has cooperated a lil' bit to allow me to get under the car again. I managed to get the trailing arm off the drivers side with the help of the angle grinder!

Rust, rust and more rust. This patch will be a bit of a challenge. It's just ahead of the rear wheel on the drivers side. Kind of an odd area. I'm guessing from the looks of the rockers someone jacked the car up quite regularly on the rocker panels.



I actually did some welding on the car tonight. The one screw hole in the frame I needed to mount the exhaust bracket to was stripped out so I welded it up and redrilled it. I'm impressed with the MagnaFlow kit. Looks sweet and sounds pretty good for a stock 5.7 lt.



Tomorrow, weather permitting, I'll get back under and figure out the patch. Have to pick up some shielding gas to MIG in the patches so it'll likely be Saturday before I get to that and the sub-frame connectors. Standby.....

 

Picked up the seats today! Wow! They're spotless!

On the "War of the Rust" had to resort to some bondo. Luv the smell of that **** even if it shrinks brain cells! Someone should patent that smell as a cologne!

Back to work. Post pics later.

Well it ain't pretty but it's solid. I spot welded in the sheet metal then bondo'd the edges I couldn't get and shot some undercoating on it.



The bare metal part I had to bend back to get the bolt into the frame connector/trailing arm which are UMI's by the way. Nice stuff. Other side was a b&tch and once I got it in realized I gotta pull it back out and feed it in above the cat.

 

Got a few things done this morning in between rain. The inflator, wrench/socket and rest of the hardware to store the collapsible spare I got off of e-Bay.



I broke the lil' plastic clip that holds the socket. If anybody's got a spare I'd buy it from you.



I like everything in it's place.



Added the insulation to cut down on some of the road noise I remember from my previous IROC. When it dries out we'll get back to welding in the SFC's. Standby.

 

The chintzy sound from our digital camera doesn't do this justice.

http://s237.photobucket.com/albums/f...t=MVI_1215.flv

 

"If it ain't broke,..don't fix it!", ... that old saying just might have some wisdom to it, (if you're going cruising next weekend already!)....but if U want to totally restore your project,..you need to tear down the WHOLE car..right?..If you decide to take out the dash, spray it down with "Armor-all", (a few well doused applications...don't be shy with the bottle), and let it soak in. It protects to the point of giving the dash back some flexability,(give it awhile to soak through and do its thing..a couple of hours on each application). (When you get to that stage,..next summer is good for me..ha..ha..ha..) Nice project by the way, have fun and keep on posting, we're all enjoying your project,...continued good luck.

 

Oh it's broke for sure. I'm about to admit defeat on the rear sub frame and make an appointment at the body shop to have that repaired. The more we welded the more sub frame we blew away. Ya just can't weld to rust. There's no way we can do a proper job of welding in the sub frame connectors laying on the ground with only 15" of room to work. That'll be a job for the body shop as well. We got the driver side SFC spot welded into place so I can move the car off the ramps. Gonna have to put this project on the back burner for a bit and get some other chores around the house done that can't wait. *shrug*

I think he captured my good side!

 

yea, you'll have to turn the welder way down just to weld that stuff, it's a very thin metal. I think the 14 guage I'm using is all the thicker the frame is. I wonder if the frame is actually thinner than the metal I'm using on it! scary thoughts. just keep thinking of how much better you're making the car. when you sit in it, look at it, drive it, you'll feel how well you did. If you did a crappy job you're gonna have some trouble, lol.

 

I'm sorry to hear about the "HOLD" on your project. Try calling around for a good price,..or maybe a "thirdgen.Org" member in your vicinity can help out? (unless you guys deal with a local shop you're used to/). I think we were all rooting for you after seeing those previous underside pics, (rust looked a bit scary to us too!), is it that bad???...might need a partial floor area size piece replaced? ...don't let it get you down.....you all should be proud of the amount of work you've accomplished in a short time.., working OUTSIDE, learning to WELD!!,..come on now..that in itself is worthy of a "Thirdgen HATS -OFF-TO-YOU" salute. Take a breather, look at what you've accomplished, take a few days and do your house work...then go talk to the shop (unless help from other places appears during the break time..), you never now. Hang in there and keep up the smiles...you have an IROC!!!

 

I had the welder turned down to it's lowest setting and it was still blowing holes through the frame. It's rusted out from the inside more than we could see on the surface. I think I'll just cut it out and go on the hunt for a donor to transplant. I don't think it's a critical structural component anymore with the frame connectors in place. It just helps retain the form of the hump and a convenient place to mount the fuel/brake lines.

Well they always look worse but as you work on it you can see steady improvements. I once did a full floor replacement in a '70 Duster. It was bad as bad can be. The toughest part of that job was replacing the torsion bar mounts on the sub frame. That was 30+ yrs ago and I was about 100 lbs lighter (thinner)!

There aren't many 82-92 Camaros or Firebirds in the yards around here. I'll have to start calling farther afield. I've put up a WTB notice....

https://www.thirdgen.org/forums/engi...-rear-sub.html

Hoping some enterprising TGO'er will be able to help me out. Willing to pay a reasonable price for a good transplant candidate.

I saw my boat for the first time in two weeks yesterday! It's been sitting in its mooring for a month and a half now. We've been out on it twice so far this year. I think we're going to have to put some time aside and go for a ride this weekend.



We rebuilt this boat from a wreck. Took me almost 4 years to get all the bugs worked out. Almost every system/equipment is brand new. It's now a turn-key gas-it and go boat. Wasn't anywhere near that reliable when we first started out with it. Funny thing is it's got a 350 GM same as the IROC. What is it with me? Do I "attract" rehab projects or something?

 

That's a nice looking boat you guys got there! I'm sure that a lot of blood, sweat, and tears, (of joy...EVENTUALLY!), were involved getting her ready for the maiden voyage. Anyways, back to the CAR,.....like I said, a few days away will give you two the new perspective you require to move on with the next leg of the project. Trust me, I know... (been there, done that...[24 auto projects in 28 years!]). My problem is I don't have my digital camera anymore. It would be a shame to miss even 1 days work on film, so I'm going to compromise...and try using my scabby old..very old, webcam to record some pivotal project starting moments! I think I might be a little lucky though, the last owner couldn't get the car moving or started because tranny is stuck in drive, (shifter is busted/jammed), I just restored a shifter and got new starter. Plus,... he tried installing a push button start,...the wiring is a mess, starter is ******, (I'm fixing that +++, today. Will post pics,..(if webcam co-operates).

 

<rant>It never ceases to amaze me the damage PO's wreak on their cars and boats. If you don't know how to fix it take it to someone who does for christsakes! </rant>

Looking forward to seeing pics Dodgeismo. Do you remember a guy in TB who used to drive around in a blown corvette? I think it was an early 60's, maybe a split window. I think they called him Hurricane Harry or something like that?

 

I remember a metallic blue one that was always at the "FW gardens" car show, back in the late seventies/early eighties...the rear lights wre an X shape....is that the one? On another note, I just gave the "webcam" a test run,...not tooooo bad I guess. I'm posting this and going out to do the shifter/pics. (now that I think about posting pics,..the car is pretty messy, hope everyone allows for promises of a new interior/ +++after the kinks are worked out). As an old school car guy like myself, you probably do what I do,..get the car running FIRST!, then make sure you have at least 1 of everything you need, then clean/refurbish it, or upgrade...know what I mean?...

 

Well,..I guess the blue X rear light Corvette wasn't same one.

 

Well Dodgeismo after looking at the pics of your project car I don't feel half as bad with mine! You've certainly got some work ahead of you.

Maybe we can get a moderator to move your last post to another thread.

 

Well,.. after reading the last comment...I went outside and took a few more pics (a bit less light is helping out the webcam), and took away most of my last post,...sorry 4 butting in on your forum,..I enjoy following your progress and helping if i can. my car needs a little redemption... it's not quite THAT bad. Check out the last pics. Anyways,... this is your cars forum.. did you manage to make any headway decision wise on how to proceed next with that sub frame? (I guess the comment from, "THE_WRAITH" was correct). I'm starting BIG WORK TOMORROW, and will be rooting for you two as well, good evening and good luck be with you.

 

Sorry I was scrounging around through some old pics looking for it. I don't think it was blue, purple maybe. I remember the wheelie bars & chute though.

 

Hey dogdeismo, didn't mean to kick you outta my thread! Just post a link to yours and we can go back and forth that way. I'm looking forward to following your progress too.

I'm going to introduce the Kid to the junkyard today. When we were kids this was the only way to get car parts. Nowadays with e-Bay and a parts store on every corner it's too easy for them. I can remember as a kid spending entire weekends in the salvage yards harvesting parts for my '70 Duster and my buddy's 67 mustang etc. I had to get a drive shaft for my Duster once and the only way to the yard was my Dad's moped! It was at least 20 miles one-way. I managed, took me awhile but I did it.

 

There comes a time in just about every project to turn it over to the pro's!

I tried to rebuild the rear sub frame. Cut a matching piece of 2x3 rectangle tube to fit. There's just not 'nuff room with the car only 15" off the ground to work. So it's off to the body shop ASAP. Still no luck finding a donor part so if anybody's slicing up an 82-92 Camaro or Bird I'd pay a reasonable price plus shipping to get one.....

https://www.thirdgen.org/forums/engi...-rear-sub.html

 

On the brighter side of life, we did get out for a boat ride yesterday! Also the seats are a near perfect match for the existing interior. I had thought they looked a little too dark which might require changing the color of the interior but I lucked out....



Much much more comfortable than the LS leather seats. Hooked up the power and everything works perfectly. Please excuse the mess, rehab project currently underway!

 

Cool decals on the welding helmet.

 

Ahhhhhhhh back on the ground where it belongs! Next stop? The Body Shop!



Not a bad lookin' ride eh?

 

The eagle has landed!... looks spectacular on the ground. Your job on the interior looks immaculate! Told you a couple of days off gives you new perspective/ love for the project. I did some re-wiring under the hood today; alternator to starter to battery circle. Anyways, this morning I had coffee and checked out some parts sites on the web, and found your rear sub frame for $588.00, one side and the other was $600.00. I believe it was "Ecklers Camaro's". check out the site.

 

Yeah I saw those too! Lil' too pricey for my blood. If I was doing a full blown restoration with floor pans etc. I might think about it. As it turns out I got one from a good fella on here so we'll be good to go. Will be talkin' to the body shop guy tomorrow to make the arrangements. Gettin' a lil' anxious to put the whole thing back together and getting it on the road!

 

I just couldn't stand looking at the car sitting there w/o tags. These were last on my original '87 which I lost in '91.



You can see the last validation sticker for '92. I'm hoping they'll let me use these tags when I license this one.

 

Good day you two! Yes, if you go /call your local M.T.O. office, tell them your situation and they should be able to re-instate your plates, unless they retired them!...they did that to my plates about 17 years ago. (PDQ-Z28... latter is self explanatory.. does PDQ stand 4 anything?... or just given #'s?). Well, I managed to rewire my whole engine compartment, fuse block(partially), and ignition. The main purple wire was cut, hidden inside 1/2 a spool of tape & inside the metal heat shield (by firewall), you know how messy /lack of room there is back there! so...wuz up?...

 

I can see the buggers having retired the plates and me having to re-buy them. I think they're $300 now. When I got those they were $100.

PDQ = Pretty Damn Quick

I don't envy you working in the engine compartment on wiring. I spent a good portion of three summers with my head either in the bilge, under the dash or behind the cabin liners tracing & replacing wiring. I've still got the rats nest under my dash to deal with yet but for now everything works.

 

PDQ = Pretty Damn Quick

I've still got the rats nest under my dash to deal with yet but for now everything works.[/QUOTE]

All I still have left is to connect a few more (4) ends and I can try starting her up! (even sandblasted & plated the underhood engine compartment light). Yesterday I found a site where this guy explaines, in detail, with pics, the whole process 4 wiring up a car from NOTHING in the car!...parts list, everything. So, you get the car to the shop 4 the sub frame?

 

Looks like it might take a couple of weeks unless I can find another shop nearby. It's going to take a week or so to get the parts here anyways. Starting to get antsy, this is dragging on too long.

I wanna go do this....

 

Well...since you have some time, call the MTO and find out. While you're waiting for the shop/ parts,... do little jobs on the car to tie it all up... brakes, E-brake?, ...anything a safety check needs.. well hope you find something to do so U don't go crazy!..I'm going outside now and tackle the beast.

 

Sooooooooo while I'm waiting for parts I've started to clean up some other stuff. The car came with these grates (grills, screens) whatever you call them.



They're off the car now. If anybody wants them just shoot me a PM and I'll drop them in the mail for you. Somehow I don't think they'd protect my headlights from deer, bear or moose that we occasionally see around here!

Next chore? Gonna tackle the stereo wiring. I got the new pigtails yesterday. It'll be interesting to see what's left of the old wiring and what I'll have to work with. Standby......

 

I just got this mail...funny, ...i was just admiring those light covers on your car pics a few days ago, and wondering where you got them...If you don't need them,..E-mail me or PM me & I'll give you my address, Ismo.