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Yeah, I was having stalling issues. I had initially thought it related to the heat, but it appears that the holes drilled into the fuel ump basket aren't sufficient to refill it by themselves. Interestingly, though, I had a stalling issue on a particularly hot day even after letting it sit for a few hours. But it performed admirably in the heat + heavy traffic yesterday.
I also added AC functionality as I mentioned above. Now the fan kicks on with the AC, and the idle bumps up, too.
Last edited by hookemdevils22; Aug 22, 2016 at 11:36 AM.
I also got around to finally hooking up my parking brake. Quick overview: I have the LS1 rear brakes, but have a parking brake lever (and center console) out of a Dodge Neon.
Brackets by bczee
I used bczee's bracket design. I also used the stock 1998-2002 F-body parking brake cables. BC's write-up has you cut the F-body cables, but that didn't work for my application since I'm not using the OEM foot lever. Instead, I used the full-length cables, only shortening the spring at the brake-side to fit the brackets.
240sx parking brake cable. Photo frojoe
I then purchased a 240sx parking brake cable based on frojoe's build, since he's also running a hand brake. However, he opted for a Lokar clevis kit, which they're quite proud of, at $100 or so. The 240sx cable connects perfectly with the barrel on the end of the F-body cables, so I only needed to drill an L-bracket to mount them to the car. A standard e-brake connector was then used to connect the 240sx cable to the Neon hand brake. The nice thing about this is that I can adjust the tension at the 240sx cable, as its forward end is threaded.
In anticipation of Good Guys next weekend, I finally pulled the trigger on a front brake upgrade. I went with a 340 mm (13.4") C6 Z51 setup, including an early C6 master cylinder and vacuum booster. I individually weighed each component, and calculated an increase of just under 2 kg (slightly more than 4 lb) per side, all of which is unsprung. The larger rotor and hub resulted in a 2.3 kg (nearly 5 1/4 lb) increase in rotational mass per side. I did, however, lose nearly 7 1/2 lb in sprung weight by replacing the cast iron master cylinder and vacuum booster with the C6 units (a great write-up here), which brought my total delta weight to an increase of ~400 g (just under a pound).
The C6 Z51 caliper/bracket assembly is on national back order, so I opted for the standard C6 caliper and bracket. The base and Z51 calipers are identical (GM PNs 88964164 left and 88964165 right), but the Z51 bracket is larger to accommodate the 15 mm increased rotor diameter. Pads are StopTech ceramics, which have incredible initial bite.
Anyway, onto the photos.
OEM drum brake hub turned to 5.8" to fit the C6 rotors, and bracket I designed. I CAD'd it all up prior to cutting the brackets, but imprecise measurements led to a couple redesigns.
I have the 12" (305mm) LS1 F-body rears on it. The Z51 has 13" rears, but I'm able to tune brake feel using an adjustable prop valve.
Also, for what it's worth, the C6 master is the same 1" bore as on the nova. I did the master cylinder strictly for looks, weight savings, and valve cover clearance, and it isn't necessary for the swap.
Nice going on the stance... Had thoughts of using the F-Body brake handle also, but figured it was to much to work around my Bench seat.. where did you mount the brake handle and how did it mount up ?
I have the 12" (305mm) LS1 F-body rears on it. The Z51 has 13" rears, but I'm able to tune brake feel using an adjustable prop valve..
Brake feel? Aren't you adjusting for brake bias that ensures the fronts lock/skid before the rear? To prevent the back end from coming around under hard braking?
Brake feel? Aren't you adjusting for brake bias that ensures the fronts lock/skid before the rear? To prevent the back end from coming around under hard braking?
Yes. It doesn't feel good when the *** comes around, such as when I took it out to bed the pads following the brake swap.
Had thoughts of using the F-Body brake handle also, but figured it was to much to work around my Bench seat.. where did you mount the brake handle and how did it mount up ?
I'm using a Neon center console. Check a couple posts up for my mini write-up, but I essentially did the following:
-your brackets
-stock length F-body cables with the spring shortened
-angle iron drilled for the F-body cable forward mount
-240sx brake handle cable, which has a threaded forward end for adjustability
-standard ferrules to connect everything
My hole for the 240sx cable is about 6-8" aft of the brake handle bracket, and the F-body mount is another 12" behind that. It took longer to map everything out than to actually install it.
HIDplanet.com is a great resource for retrofitting LEDs. here's a link to my thread - there's a guy on there that did a 69 Camaro.
I couldn't find much detail on your tail light PCBs. Do you have any more info on what LEDs you used and how you attached the boards into the housings? I like your Cs, but I want to do a full O on mine, going around the entire lens.
Funny you mention! I've had a couple LEDs go out, so I need to redo them. They're superflux LEDs such as these. I wired mine to a standard breadboard you can pick up at an electronics store, but I'd really like to make or have actual PC boards. Now that I have a small powder coating oven, I may even look at turning it into a reflow oven for surface mounts.
I mounted the PCBs between pieces of foam tape on the backside, with the LEDs touching the lenses. It was more of a temporary solution that ended up being semi-permanent. Some companies use double-sided tape, while others (such as Digi-tails) sandwich the PCB using the gasket.
Edit: superflux LEDs are awesome for proof-of-concept. You can use expressPCB to design your layout, and this calculator to figure out LEDs per array and resistance values. a common/cheap Sharp 12v regulator keeps voltage at 12v no matter alternator output
Thanks for all the added info. I have some experience designing and manufacturing PCBAs, so it would certainly be interesting to do my own. I was considering the easyperformance tails because they illuminate the entire lens rather than the OEM Nova illumination where only a few square inches light up, but I also would like to do something unique like the C style that you came up with. I've also really been turned on by the Inferno Camaro the Roadstershop unveiled at SEMA this year. They custom machined some acrylic lenses and diffusers to come up with some Charger-esque tails that look pretty awesome on that car. I don't care to get quite that modern/custom on my Nova, but I could see designing some replacement lenses/diffusers and a illuminating with LEDs.
If you find a good source to replace the pillow lenses, I'm in. I couldn't find anything, and even Fesler just stated that they get and machine sheet acrylic for theirs. Digi-Tails lines up their LEDs to best make use of the diffuser geometry.
I like the easy tails idea. There's a lip in both the metal housing (see here) and lens that prevents light from passing into the tail lens dead space, which would have to be removed to make a one-piece solution like that work.
(Also, the Inferno camaro is incredible. Here's a link to the build gallery.)
Last edited by hookemdevils22; Nov 10, 2016 at 02:27 PM.
My thought is to either machine my own lens from scratch, re-machine an original lens, or just say the heck with it and buy the easyperformance units. I sent them an email to find out more about how their boards mount into the housing and if any modifications are needed.
Tell them to upload a decent-sized photo when/if they respond.if you've got the time, you should absolutely do your own tails. I'd be interested in machined lenses.
I'll let you know what I find out and I'll try to stop hijacking your thread! What's left on the autocross prep list? Do you have a logging app for during the run? I really like the Torque App and it has some basic data logging capabilities, including reading Gs and speed from the run, but I think there are also apps that will run while they take video and put an overlay on the video with all the speed/G/engine data at the same time.
*EDIT* It looks like Torque App is capable of this when adding the Track Recorder plugin.
Last edited by -TheBandit-; Nov 11, 2016 at 10:53 AM.
I really don't have anything planned, mainly due to lack of time. I'd ideally like to get the camber dialed in, since the shop gave me exactly 0° when I had it in last because I didn't specify to keep it at -.75°. But I had the 3/4 clutches go out in my Roadmaster wagon's 4L60e a couple weeks ago, and I need to pull it for an overhaul.
Sadly, I'm on iOS, and don't know of a good app to integrate with GoPro video. That said, my dad will be in town, so I'm taking him for a joy ride; and the boys are demanding to go for a ride, so Sunday will likely be a lot of fun. I'm also planning to chat with a few of the suspension companies to get an idea of what I can do with my rear. The ladder bars are becoming unbearable to drive, and I want to see if I can find a solution that takes advantage of my existing shock mounts and cross-members.
Run what you brung! So what if the alignment isn't optimal - it'll still be a lot of fun, especially if it isn't having fuel issues anymore.
After seeing your post I did a quick survey on what's rear suspension options are out there now - way too many options! It looks like the decision really boils down to torque arm vs. 4 link and from there which implementation/design to use. Torque arm is simple and easy to install with good clearance for exhaust. I like that BMR includes a watts link on theirs, but Speedtech looks like a simpler design overall and includes offset links for wider tires. CA chassisworks has a cool setup too! In the 4 link space, I like the pockets Detroit Speed adds for the upper arm mounts so they can use longer arms for more stable geometry. No way in hell I would use the Heidts setup with those T-rex uppers. TCI looks like a potential option and at a very low price for what it comes with. Keep us posted on what you learn!
Last edited by -TheBandit-; Nov 18, 2016 at 06:12 PM.
Couple videos below (I'm on mobile, so it might be link only). Lots of tire slip, so the rear suspension is next on the list. Talked to DSE, RideTech and SpeedTech about their suspensions. I'll be pulling the trigger in the new year.
I noted that there was a 3rd gen running a RideTech rear modified with a Watts link. I think it's the car on their website.
Interestingly, it died idling in my driveway after the 30 min drive home on Saturday. I'm going to fit a test gauge to the fuel rail and monitor pressure; I'm fairly certain it's being starved when the fuel level gets below the top of the tray, so I'll increase hole diameter and add a few more before I replace anything.
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