I tell everyone that I blew out the sinuses and gave it an enema The 2" primaries are really for later...

You should go over to Lat G in the suspension section and read through the stickies by Ron Sutton - very good read and he has a book coming out. As with all things, chew off the meat and throw the bones.

 

Wow, everyone who plans on doing some road racing should give Ron's stuff a read. That was (and will continue to be) a VERY informative resource. Thanks for the pointer.

 

Paid my baby a visit today, and it's coming along good. Mostly done except the hood and nose. I'll have the FAST efi on this weekend.





Panels aren't lined up yet but will be by Monday.

 

Damn. I've lurked over this build since you started as this car is is so cool for many reasons. I've always wondered what the "road warrior" would like with a respray. Don't keep us waiting! One question: Flaming Chicken on the hood or not?

 

Yes, in fact. I ordered a 1981 Gold V2 hood bird and kit from Phoenix Graphix on Friday. For a general idea what it should look like, here's a pic of one on a Black TA that I found on 78ta.com.

 

^^^^O.M.G, that is going to be awesome looking!

 

Thanks

I also just ordered a 'glass nose from Americansportscar.com to replace my current one. Big positives: nose weight drops to 9 pounds from roughly 20 currently, and the paint will bond a lot better, due to the greater rigidity. I'll have to wait a couple weeks for the new piece to arrive, so will do my early spring test driving with the old nose in dark primer.

BTW, everyone: if you know anyone who needs a 77/78 nose. I have a couple skins available. Both were "giveaways," so I'm not looking for any money, but I won't go to great lengths to drop them off either. Draw a circle that includes U of Chicago, Orland Park, Chesterton IN and Crown Point and that pretty much covers my delivery area.

 

Have you ever taken the complete assembled nose off of your car? I'd love to know the weight of the whole assembly. I helped my dad pull one for my older cousin's crappy 301 2 barrel Firebird when I was 12. It was fully populated with lights, grilles, supports, etc. That thing was a lot heavier than we had imagined.

 

Put them up on the garage wall with working lights! And put a clock where the license plate would go.

 

One is on the car until the new one arrives.

 

Brewster Green Rocks. The car John Wayne drove in McQ has burned that color into my brain.

 

Thanks Joseph :-)

I found the last video of the car in it's old trim (patchwork paint, 330 RWHP LS1). It had no problems passing a BMW M3 @ 2:30, two newer Mustangs @3:20 and 4:20 and then a VW GTI with that setup. I can't wait to see what it does this year with about 100 more HP

 

That video is awesome. I felt like I was in the car.

When are we going to get some "glamour shots" of the freshly painted car in sunlight and maybe overcast or sunset lighting? I'm dying to see this thing from side, front, and 3/4 views!

Also, how well do the C4 sawblades go with the fresh paint in your opinion? They don't look bad in the garage picture.

 

With luck, I'll have pics Sunday late afternoon, weather permitting (it IS spring, right?). I'm still sorting out the EFI harness.

 

so, I spent yesterday evening and this afternoon working on the FAST EFI 2.0 system. Putting in the wiring harness was easy. I trimmed off parts I didn't need (AC signal, Points lead, crank trigger); shortened some things I did need (fuel pressure sendor lead, tach lead, fuel pump power), and routed other items with the full length provided (O2, water temp)

I used an in-line fuel pump located on the passenger side subframe rail, and had the fuel pressure sensor on the passenger inner fender well. The pressure regulator is on my firewall.

So... I go through the setup wizard, and start the car. All is good except I cant get the stupid IAC motor to move from the fully open position. It sounded like a cut air hose and wouldn't idle lower that 1400 RPM. I then spent several hours troubleshooting.

• Carb mounting spot on intake? clean and flat
• Gasket? Fine.
• IAC motor? Plugged in, (bore was badly pitted, by the way--casting defect)
• Fuel pressure? ok
• Fixing the friggin o-rings I messed up while checking the IAC? two runs to Autozone, but fine.

What did it turn out to be? Poor quality assurance checking. The main plug from the throttle body has roughly a dozen leads to it. One of them--the ground to the IAC--wasn't poking out of the little hole intended for it. Instead, it was punched through the plastic at the edge of the plug; roughly 1/8 inch from where it is supposed to be. GRRRR

Once I fixed that, the engine ran beautifully, idling at 1050 rpm (remember, long duration, 110 LSA, high lift).

 

As threatened, better pics. I spent WAY too long messing with the EFI yesterday, and as a result, only got a couple pics of the back end poking out of the garage. One would think, with a $2000+ aftermarket EFI system, the manufacturer would have enough attention to detail to ensure their very-well-engineered product (for real, this is nicely done) wouldn't be pray to something as stupid as a ground connector pin being stuck in the wrong place. If it had gone 1/8 in a different direction, I think the computer would have gotten cooked.

 

Great color scheme, now some Forgeline DW3 with gold centers! http://www.forgeline.com/products/performance-series-step-lip/gw3-17-18-19-20.html?seo_category_name=performance-series-step-lip&seo_product_name=gw3-17-18-19-20&pricing=1#q3

You don't want to hear my stories (yup, plural). The aftermarket is rife with:
Gypsys, tramps, and thieves
But every night all the men would come around
And lay their money down

Want more pics. I'll be there as a spectator on Sat May 2! West Bend dyno, just south of RA does a decent tune. One of their partners is Randy Johnson of D&Z Customs. Always good to have a local dyno and shop on speed dial when at the track (http://www.dandzcustoms.com/).

Brian

 

She looks good! I like looking at it in "road warrior" trim in your sig then scrolling to the current paint job. It's a stark contrast.

 

Awesome! Any vids with fast efi running. Im trying to gather funds for the same set up or maybe just ez ls. Love the new paint btw

 

Thanks for the links, Brian. I'll definitely keep D&Z in mind. Those wheels are nice but dunno If I can swing the coin quite yet (@1200 each wheel). I'll have to save my pennies. Looking forward to May at Road America.