I know a few are awaiting this post.

It has been a long past few weeks.

It all got rolling again a week ago Thursday. The Intake FINALY came in. Problem is the Gasket surface was hosed. I guess the welder had decided a media disk was the way to clean it up

After a few call's I decided to send it to my guy and we would have to pay to get it fixed. I had that done friday. I came home that night and installed the intake. It was close but I did get a good fit. I was up till 1am getting as much done with stuff ad I could. we were still waiting on a wiring harness.

Saturday

I went to the game. Damn loosers anyway! I got home around 9pm and headed to the Shop. I still needed to get it ready for tuning on sunday but figured I was close...little did I know what was ahead. I finshed getting every thing but the MSD hooked up. The wiring Job Norris did was horrible. At around 11pm I fired the car and it ran on the stock injectors. The Tach did not work and I had a SES light.

I figured the Tach wire is the cause so I try to hook up the MSD. After two hours of searching and trying to find wiring diagrams I fix the tach problem but the MSD won't work and the car won't start. Every time I hook up the MSD it blows a fuse. So at this point I get it running and do a twenty Minute break in ,makes my builder happy to seat the rings. All is fairly good execpt I am still getting SES lights and it will not idle.

At this point I break out the laptop and dail in the TTS software and start running down problems. I had not plugged in the transmission,ZF 6 Spd, because we were getting a new harness. So I did that..nothing. It keeps kicking out a Knock sensor code and 8* of retard. This is very odd, After checking I figure out they sent him the wrong sensors. I plug the old ones in and wire them to ground. Car starts and runs smoother but still will not idle

Now every once in a while for no reason I get a MAP code and the IAC is maxed. Malcolm mentioned it had not idle'd right for a few years. I got to looking and found a bunch of Issues surounding the idle. The ASR cable had been adjusted to hold the throttle open. I adjust it and still a problem. Well at this point I start tearing back in. The IAC is not reacting so I pull it out. Sure enough it is stuck solid. I clean it up and no help. At this point I notice that one of the wires had been patched at the IAC connector. Well IF you would call it that. The "Patch" wire is butt connected to the harness and just Pushed into the plug . Luckily I had a Spare harness to borrow the connector from. I Also have a few dead cars to borrow the IAC from.

Get it back together and she starts and runn's! HELL YEAH!! Idle's ok. I play with it for another hour getting the Idle dialed in. Now it starts and idles right at 1,000 no problem.

So to cap this night off I swap the stock injectors for the new 38LPH MSD units. I upload the new program and fire it up. She is really choppy but it ran so I shut it down. Time for bed...3am.

Sunday

I get up at 8am and head back out to the Shop. Cory and JimBob are showing at 10am...well then again it had snowed

I get the shop warmed back up to 70* and have a few cup's of Coffee. I need Pipe tape so I can install the knock sensors and Fuses to fill the slots I emptied trying to get it to run. At around 11am Steph and I head in to get parts. Jim had forgotten his cell phone. As luck Would have it just as we hit town we See Cory's Hummer turn towards our house. Steph and I said screw it and go get lunch and the parts I need.

Once we get back home I swap out the knock Sensors that are hanging under the car and we get ready to tune...except now the car will not start and keep running We mess around for an Hour or so then stuff the stock injectors back in the car. She fires back up and runn's so we warm it up and get every thing working right again.

Now we slap the New injectors back in and see what is up. They are lean..REAL lean. We later figure out the NX MAF ends are the main cause. Almost as bad as a POS Granitelli(sp). We spend the next few hours Dialing in the tune. In this time we dail fuel and timing as well as IAC. We end up with a rather docile 1,000 RPM idle that is slightly lean at Idle and The BLMs only have a slight split. Perfect! We drop it on the gruond and pull it out side. On this note any of you that ever worked on a C-4 know what a PITA it is to raise and lower with out hurting it. Cory ,our C-4 God ,showed me the easy way

While it is sitting there idling Cory and I check the road, Bare and wet, and then I make the call...WE DRIVE!

After we slip and slide up the Drive way we get to the road and head off. The further from the house we get the better it feels. Then I look at the gas gauge we had burned a half tank tunning! We slip into town and hit the first Chevron we can. I figure fill it up. I mean how big can the tank be in this little car! Well..20 gallons later .... Now the car feels good and I like the way it is running so when we head out of the station I head for Sulton Car runn's great the whole time. Cory and I both are amazed at how dolice this thing feels! Won't pull 6th under 55 but pull's 5th no problem! When we get to Sulton and hit Old Owen I figure it is alive..let us feel a little. I roll on easy in first till it starts to dance then shift to 2nd and do the same the 3rd. 3rd hold's good, on our little section of dry road, until 3,500 at which point the tach heads off for higher ground faster then I can lift and the car dances all over!

Over the next three miles we keep it under 4,000 but run it up and down the scale to seat the rings some. Once we get back we get to talking about the MSD. Jim says some thing that perks my Attention and we start playing with it. Next thing you know the MSD is working

We are done for the day and all is well!

Monday

Time for a break. I have been sick this whole time and my body is giving up.

Tuesday

I got word the Harness was in...but $300 over estimate before mark up and tax! We make the call to Keep what we have and fix it.

I get home from a work and start in on the beast. I start ripping into the Wiring hell Norris had left me. Mental note "Just because they did this for a magazine artical does not mean Malcolm got good work" By the time I stop ,12:30am, I am confused and MSD's web site is usless for the Digital 6 Plus. I have a pile of un-needed wires and crap that has got to wiegh at least 5 Lbs. I have a parts list of things I need to finish. The Snow they keep promising had yet to come and I really want to put miles on the car before We Dyno it.

Wendsday

On the way home I picked up the parts to finish. At around Mid night I get it all finished up. The wiring now looks like factory, the way I like it, and every thing works great. I fire it up and I get greeted with a High MAP code. DAMN IT! I fiddle with the plug in and it goes away. I head out for one last drive to make sure the drive to work will be ok. On my 12 mile loop it run's flawlessly.

Thursday

I head out to Shop around 6am and fire the "Black Beast" up. 34* and she fires right up and idles perfect. I pull it out and let it warm up along with Steph's Z28. When we go to leave there is a SES waiting for me...GREAT Gotta be that MAP code again. I figure screw it I am taking it to work I will scan it there. I turn it off and refire it to clear the code. On the way to work it popp's the code three more times by the time I get out of monroe and I am getting worried. It is running good so I am sure it is not going to stop me. Once we clear Monroe it stayed off all the way into Kirkland.

At break time I got the scanner out and checked it. sure enough the MAP code is back. I cut open the harness and find it has been brutalized over the years. I ordered up a Patch harness from Kirkland Pontiac. At lucnh time it shows and I install it. All is well. I run it to the bank and back it feels good.

On the drive home it is running great. She is up to 90 miles and five hours of run time so I figure I will let it pull a little. Steph is behind me near the honor farm and I let it go! I watch the tach disapper and shift next thing I know I am grabbing 4th and doing over 100! Steph later tell's me she was all in it and I was pulling away like she was standing still! I slow down and try again only this time as I am pulling in 4th she starts to dance like a chicken on a stove so I shut it down.

"The Black Beast" seems a fitting name. It pulls good till 3,500 then it starts to REALLY set you back in the seat and pull hard!

I get it home and put it away for the night. My body needs rest again.

Friday

I come home and it is time for final prep. Get it back in the air and do a bolt check while doing the oil change. I add a few more zip ties here and there. While looking it over I find two bolts on the Left rear that hold the spindel to the chassis loose! DAMN!!! I finally found the clunk I was looking for. I pull the tires off and fix the problem. Next I set the program for the Dyno.

One last drive before the morning run..

I toss and turn all night....

 

Saturday

I get up at 7am and start the last of the clean up. I had planned on Washing the car but it is only 20* out side. I get all his parts packed up and ready to go. 20* out side..I hit the key...VROOOOM..chop..chop..chop into a perfect idle

I head off to the Dyno and we do our thing. Malcolm Loves the way it drives.

Final number were short of our goal but the Opti was giving it up on us. Final number are not bad but not what we were looking for. With the opti shooting us in the foot we were hurt. The NICE thing is NOW I can show WHY we all use SAE numbers

Here is the run down

Uncorrected numbers, Little Monster style, are 435RWHP and 419RWTQ. Now that is what we wanted...just corrected

Standard corrected number. Alot of people like this number also. I can see why! We came out with 422RWHP and 407RWTQ

Now The TRUE numbers...as bad as they hurt. Our SAE number's are only 407RWHP and 394RWTQ.

As you can see there is a differance of almost 30HP and 25TQ. And THAT is why we all use SAE. SAE can be replicated any where in the world This same car would pull down 407RWHP +/- 1% in Denver as long as it is SAE corrected

Now after the Dyno I made a Half ***'d ,on my part, comment to Mark about a race. So we headed home to Monroe and he Followed. I thought nothing of it till we were rolling into Monroe and he called me

Mark "we going to do this"
Ellis "what?"
Mark "Well race!"

at this point I had to eat dirt as I was not serious when I ask him. Sorry Mark Malcolm says right after his first oil change A new opti and a new water pump he will answer that call

Again Sorry Mark.

Back at the house we all kick back and have a good time. Malcolm and his buddy had to go. His wife called and said it was getting nasty. He was driving a TQ monster Corvette on Drag radials so he headed out. He got home JUST before the Ice storm really let loose.

Thor, Jim and I went into town and got food then kicked it in the shop till the Ice storm was just about hitting and then they headed for the ferry.

I move all our cars back to there correct parking spots(have not done that in a year) and pull Steph's car in to start on it sunday.

I was happy. Came inside watch some tv and had the first good night sleep in two week's.



So here it is sunday. I am writing up this post around noon and I get the call. The Vette drove great yesterday but Malcolm went out to pull it in his garage for the next 18 Month's and it would not run. It started ran rough and died. I have him do a few checks and no love.

So I go climb in my Celica and drive down. I jump in and hit the key and she fires up....then starts to stutter and dies. A quick Scan shows that yes indeed the opti is failing. I clean some wires and we go for a drive.

All is right in "Malcolm" world again


Over all things worked out good and we are happy. I must say you LS1 guys REALLY do not know how good you have it with the coil on plug an 15* heads

This has been long I hope you enjoy the read!

 

WOW. Talk about "mechanically inclined"! Good job. Looong haul huh?

 

Hey Ellis as with any prolonged project it has to feel good to finally see the fruits of your labors huh ?! 407 rwhp, 419 rwtq is nothing to sneeze at and should make that vette move pretty good. Sounds like you need a hot toddy, a hot tub, and about 10 hrs of solid sleep Congrats

 

I'll tell you, 400 plus to the rear wheels is nothing to be dissapointed with. We just take it for granted because of the group here. Almost no cars have that real measured power. People throw numbers around and believe what they think not what is real. It take tons of work and $$ to (most everyone here saves $$ through sweat & hard work) but it is not easy.

I saw on TV on that tuner program where they dyno cars to see what it really has in it. There was a 426 hemi that was dynoed at about 300 rwhp. How many different hp numbers do you hear from folks that own motor...none as low as 300 rwhp.

Great work Ellis and that Vette will fly.

Your the man!!

 

Congrats on getting that job done.

So what's your next project your own car perhaps?

 

Thanks guy!

We are planning on getting a few new parts that should get us the extra 20RWHP we want N/A

Un-Fortunately due to the Opti problem we did not get to shot any N2O into it.

We were shooting for 420-440RWHP N/A and any thing over 500 with the 100 shot would have been good

I must admit it feels good to have ONE of my cars back in my shop

Next car Is Steph's.
Shocks/Strut's
Eibach Pro kit
LS1 brake upgrade
1.6 rockers
New K-Motion springs and retainers
and a Little 211/219 LPE cam shaft

While the A/C is open I might get a new A/C compressor...it is due

 

damn man, that is one hell of a lot of pita work.

congrats.

 

What an experience this has been. I had hoped to make a bit more power, but the opti kept us from seeing the full potential. I'll get that straightened out when I get back and make a couple of other changes to see if we can't get the number a little higher. I'm amazed that the driveability is better with a larger cam. I know it's due to excellent tuning, but I didn't think it was possible. I want to thank everyone involved with the project. The car now runs smooth, pulls strong, and looks better (outside and under the hood) than before. I want to thank Steve for cleaning up the exterior. Here's a guy that had never met me taking time out of his schedule to help me out, and did a great job. I also want to say a special thanks to Ellis. He's relentless about attention to detail. He even fixed a few things we never discussed. Very few people will treat your car as well as their own, be without garage space most of a year, and drive a couple hours to help you out when you have a problem. Sometimes I think the best part of this hobby/addiction is the people you meet.
Or maybe It's the Power.

 

For what little I did your very welcome.

Glad you got to drive and dyno the car before you left.

If you get near a computer chime in and let us know how your doing. We appreciate what you are doing over there, my thoughts and prayers are with you.

 

Ditto what Steve said....

And GREAT job Ellis! Working on cars is always a challenge, but damn, you went thru Hell for a while there. I commend you.

 

Again Thanks everyone.

Malcolm I just hope you enjoyed what little you got to drive it I only wish it had been done sooner.