V8Rumble

iTrader: (9)

Thanks alloy (great nickname, BTW)! Best of luck with your search as well. I'm hoping that I'll be able to make some notable progress today...

Well, I have an idea of something I'd like to try, but I haven't quite decided yet if it's worth the effort...

EDIT:
Well, famous last words, I guess... I had about 3.5 hours to work on the car, & we spent most of that time running around town looking for parts. Made a little bit of progress, but it just almost wasn't worth picking up the wrenches today...

I should be able to tackle it again on Tuesday if all goes well...

alloymotorvation

I am following close, because of the past issues with the economy I will have to let go of my dd, and get something different. My options include an 02 v6 Bird, and a 92 RS. So your swap may help me when the time comes, if I decide to buy either one, I can do the swap also. Though I will not go with the VVT.
I love boost, so that will be my route, twins maybe or a nice centrifical. My last Stang had a Manowar 427, with a single 60 mm turbo and a six speed with four wheel disc, and full suspension from Griggs. Dynoed at a little more than 600 rwhp, on very streetable tune. However the ex-wife got it in the divorce, because I built it when we were married.
Sneaky lawyers suck, and ex wives suck more, but their new boyfriends driving your baby suck the most. However one good thing he did not understand how fast the car was and totaled it about three months after she got it. Too bad.

V8Rumble

iTrader: (9)

Sounds like a nice LQ4 would be perfect starting point for ya then!


Ohhhh mannnn, that's gotta twist your guts a bit... Sorry that happened man...

Well, as you all might've guessed, I've gotten a couple of parts in, & a little bit of time, so I'm trying to work on the car again. THIS is the issue that's absolutely KICKING MY A$$ - I'll buy a part (pressure plate, VSS sensor, you name it) & it doesn't come with the bolts needed to attach it. So I either have to drive all over, or order it online, & put off what I'm doing for another flippin' week until the stuff gets here. With that said, here's the question that I have right now:

Does anyone have the specs for the bolts needed to attach the VSS, the reverse-lockout assembly & the backup light switch to a T56 trans?? (Please?) I'm REALLY freakin' tired of going to the "stealership" because I want to be sure that I have the right part/thread pitch/etc. & then getting bent over with their $5/bolt pricing...

Thanks all, I do appreciate any help. (Now, off to the garage to work on the interior a bit...)

alloymotorvation

Have not been able to check in for a while how are things going? have you solved any of the issues you had?

topher455

iTrader: (6)

Sorry to hear. At least if you cant drive it, now noone will.

topher455

iTrader: (6)

Rumble, I thought you were gonna block off the trans extras for clearance.

V8Rumble

iTrader: (9)

Hey, thanks for the interest guys. Right now I'm doing a whole lot of waiting on parts. I've gotten almost everything I need for the transmission (VSS, backup light switch, CAGS block-off plug), just waiting on the stuff for the reverse lockout assembly. Once I get that, I should be able to lift the transmission into place, & at least see how close my cutout for the shifter is. I still need to modify my x-member for exhaust clearance as well.

Most recently I've been working on the pedals - I don't know if anyone else has had this problem, but if you have a thirdgen that was originally equipped with a manual trans, & you look under the dash to see your neutral safety switch, you'll see that it looks absolutely nothing like this one:


Unfortunately, that's the only one that anyone seems to be able to find when they do their look up, so I've been trying to fab up a custom bracket to add that to my pedals.

Also - a friend of mine came over, helped install the new flywheel/clutch assembly, but we pulled it off again when we found that the "engine plate" for the McLeod bellhousing is contacting the back side of the flywheel. Not real sure why that is, so I'm looking at that a bit. It's POSSIBLE that bolting the bellhousing to the block will pull it away from the flywheel & resolve the issue, but it seems foolish to count on that. At this point I'm thinking that I might need to hit the surface of the engine plate with a moderately-aggressive sanding disk to take the surface down a few thousandths (although it was installed on another engine before this, & presumably worked fine there).

I'm also waiting on an engine sub-harness that is VVT-specific, I'm going to be calling the dealership when it opens to see if it's arrived yet, or how much longer they think it'll be. I still need to get pics of the "mystery harness connectors" posted up here so that iansane can take a crack at ID'ing them for me, as well as work out how I'm going to integrate the junkyard fuse box that I've bought.

On the PLUS side, the GMPP header flanges have finally arrived - and GOOD LORD those things are beefy!! I thought that the 8-lb. shipping weight had to be a typo, but no, they're fairly solid pieces...

Speaking of exhaust, I've decided that I'm not going to cut up the pair of Hooker Super-Competition headers that I originally bought for this swap, instead I'll just weld up a set from scratch. The original plan was to just replace the flange that bolts to the cylinder head, & move a couple of pipes as needed - but once I started to "sort of test-fit" the Hookers, I realized that I'd need to also change the #1 & #2 pipes a bit, and the collectors really weren't the size I wanted... Well, at that point, you're only using 2, maybe 3 pipes from each side, which isn't nearly worth what I've paid for these headers, so I'm going to try to sell them to someone with a beefy Gen-I engine project. I'm hoping that I can build a good set of headers for a total cost of $350 or less.

Also - I'm getting seriously irritated with Eibach. I placed an order with Summit Racing about a month ago for the header flanges, pressure plate bolts, some misc. AN fittings & a pair of front springs (since you can order them individually, & doing so saves me about $80). At that time, I was told that the flanges & the springs would take 10-14 days. Well, the flanges got pushed back a week, & the springs were pushed back two weeks. I called Summit a couple of days ago to see if there was any way that the springs could be expedited, the cust-svc. woman told me that she'd contact their shipping dept & call me back. Two days later I have no answer, but check my order status & see that the springs are now pushed back another three weeks! I currently have both of my stock front spindles removed from the car, & the only thing that's keeping me from getting the new brakes installed is the springs. Will be calling Eibach a little later this morning, see if I can break this logjam free... If not, does anyone else have any suggestions for lowering springs that aren't too pricey??

There's probably more to report, but that's what I can remember right now...

topher455

iTrader: (6)

Maybe you could use the s-10 style switch that snaps on to the clutch master cylinder rod. Funny when I had my f-body pedal assy I needed that switch and couldnt find it. I had to look it up for a 89 camaro v-8 but the donor car was a v-6. Maybe they are switched in the catalog. Try getting one for a v-6. p.s. this was at discount auto parts.

V8Rumble

iTrader: (9)

Yeah, I never seem to remember that so much of the S-10 stuff interchanges like that - who knows, it might've saved me some money!

Anyway, I got fed up after calling both Summit & Eibach & getting nowhere with 'em. Talked to the wife who agreed with me - if I'm going to be running at those speeds (and God willing, I will be), and if this is the right way to do it, then screw it, we're gonna upgrade a little bit... Should be here late next week.

Heh.

topher455

iTrader: (6)

Wont that put alot of stress on the strut towers? I always figured there was a reason for a non mcphereson setup on those cars.

iansane

Tangible progress always gives me a good feeling inside.

Maybe I forgot, but what is the JY fuseblock from?

You're thinking of coil-overs that move the spring to mount on the strut itself. Those Ground Control Weight Jacks use the same basic idea, but keep the spring in the stock location and give you an adjustable perch for tweeking height. They're fricken cool and I want to get a set for my bird as well.

V8Rumble

iTrader: (9)

The fuseblock is from a 2001 Olds - it's probably a good bit larger than I really need, but OTOH, it gives me plenty of extra circuits in case I decide to add other stuff. I mean, just because I'm using an Escalade engine & ECM doesn't mean that I should eventually add silly stuff like an Escalade trip computer, NAV system, or anything like that, right?? Naaah, that would be crazy... (Actually, I'm more likely to add a Linux-based PC system, if anything...)

Yeah, these particular pieces are made for road-racing (from the "designed for NASA A.I.X., SCCA A/S, SCCA Street Prepared" blurb), so I'm pretty well convinced that they can't be TOO bad on the strut towers... My only real concern is that they may transmit some added road noise into the car (it IS listed as "race only" after all) - but since I'll be installing a crossmember-mounted torque arm in a few weeks, that will probably be MUCH louder than any suspension piece, right? I'm kinda stoked about getting them though, it'll be really nice to be able to tweak the car's corner weights...

The big brown truck is bringing another nice piece this way also, but I'll save that for next week when it gets here. Suffice it to say that I'm HOPING to be able to show some notable progress pretty soon now...

topher455

iTrader: (6)

Oh ok I thought they mounted to the strut. Carry on then.

V8Rumble

iTrader: (9)

Just a real quick update - been trying to work on the wiring a little bit, & ground a few thousandths off of the "back plate" for the SFI bellhousing so that hopefully it'll bolt up without the flywheel contacting it. (We actually had the flywheel/clutch installed, we were all ready to install the trans & discovered that the flywheel was rubbing against it, so we pulled everything apart again to investigate...)

I'm finally pretty sure that I have just about everything needed to finish up the brakes, & one of my local buds has just gotten a hydraulic press, so I'm hoping to be able to swap out the ball joints & maybe get the new front brakes installed, maybe Sunday (if his schedule allows).

Oh, one last thing...

(Yes, I've been wanting them for a while...)

V8Rumble

iTrader: (9)

Forgot to mention something else that's been taking a bit of my time lately...





It's a '92 RS that's really in pretty good shape, just needs some cleanup/TLC. The wife decided that she wanted her own "toy" for our local F-body club cruises...

topher455

iTrader: (6)

Its cool that she is into cars. My wife hates the Buick. But she does like offroading in the Jeep so at least I've got a 50% split LOL

V8Rumble

iTrader: (9)

Hey all,

I apologize for the fact that it's been so long since I've updated, there's been quite a bit happening lately - unfortunately, very little of it's been car-related.

First off, the job that I'd referred to earlier was more of an occasional thing, that I mainly used to get myself out of the house & keep my skills sharp - good for just a few hours/week, but nothing really serious. Well, I was able to step in & help with an urgent situation a little while ago, & all of a sudden I'm back to full-time employment - in a position that has the potential of being better than any job I've had in a while! (So, to be honest, that's where I've been focusing the majority of my energy lately...) We also took a quick visit to see some family since my last post.

On the car-related front, I've gotten a few more of the parts that I'm needing, but nothing that's really exciting. (Battery cables, electrical pigtails for the transmission, etc. Yee-haaa...) Since my wife's gotten more involved with our local F-body group, she's been talking about having BBQs, etc. at our place - so I might just abandon this "do the majority of it all by myself" stuff & invite a few guys over for a big-time wrenching session. (Which will of course be followed by burgers/brats/pizza, whatever!) Seems like I should be able to show some progress that way, if nothing else. Besides, she's said that she wants to see me driving it again this year - and I'd really like that too.

Specifics of where I'm at now -

The hole that I created for the clutch master cylinder looks like it MIGHT be off by something like 3/4" of an inch. Only relatively easy solution I can think of is to enlarge the hole in the firewall enough to put it in the correct location, & then somehow attach (rivet/bolt/industrial adhesive) another piece of sheetmetal inside the car to regain the firewall's strength & keep noise/dirt/fumes out. I'm REALLY pretty frustrated at that (because of all the work I did to prep the engine compartment for paint, & the fact that it came out looking really well)... Honestly, I'm just a little too p****d-off/frustrated to deal with it for a little bit...

Still trying to figure out the right approach for using the electrical switch above with the pedals. I can probably fab a bracket up relatively quickly & weld it into place, but that kind of seems like a kludge - & I'd really rather do it right. But, if the original-style switch isn't available new any more, then it's either fab something up, or take my chances with an original switch from a junkyard... I don't like either option, but I'm not sure which option is the "least undesirable" one to take...

Need to get my buddy Mike over here again so that we can get the bellhousing "back plate" & flywheel bolted up again. If my "clearancing" has given me enough room for the flywheel to spin freely without contacting anything, then we should be able to bolt the transmission into place - and once that's done, I can start with things like building the headers, throwing the interior back together, etc...

OH YEAH - one more "minor little detail"... Some of the more "eagle-eyed" readers might have noticed that I've updated my signature just a little bit...


It's just a small little section - about a quarter of a page - but it's still kind of cool to look at...

topher455

iTrader: (6)

Awesome. I love seeing cars built by regular guys on a regular guy budget get some ink. Congrats man!!

V8Rumble

iTrader: (9)

Thanks topher, I appreciate it.

I've been making a little bit of progress lately, & I'm hoping that I can post up some new pics fairly soon...

Now, time for my dumb question of the day - what's the best way to fill a T-56 transmission? I started to pour the fluid into the opening for the shifter, but (since I don't have the driveshaft in yet) I got some of it leaking out the rear. I also see a metal "inspection panel" on top held in by four 13mm bolts, but figured that it might be a good idea to ask before diving in this time...

Thanks guys.

iansane

I always fill through the shifter hole.... But when my DS wasn't in I had a rear trans plug stuck in the back. The front cover is for another shifter position and in our trans' is where the detent ball/spring thing is (I never remember what that is called, whatever forms our shift "pattern"). That method may take longer to fill but I can't see why it wouldn't work. Why not wait until your DS is in and everything?