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Ever since the creation of the smart phone I have struggled with a good place to put it in the car, I hate having it in my pocket and there's really just no good place that I've found so.... About 8 or 9 months ago I decided that since I rarely used the radio/cd player and I wanted a good place to put my phone I made this, I've seen tons of radio deletes but never really understood why they would just waste all that good space. I made the box out of some old aluminum mini tub material I had laying around from another project (more on that later) and then I covered the interior with some "leather" from Hobby Lobby, I think it turned out pretty good and it's perfect to lay two smart phones side by side or any other stuff you want to stick in there........ And concerning the aforementioned mini tub material, just a quick little plug for Summit Racing's excellent customer service, I purchased some STEEL mini tubs about 10 years ago but they shipped aluminum instead, one quick call and they sent me the right stuff and told me just to keep the aluminum ones for my trouble, I have used that aluminum countless times on various little projects ever since and I think about them every time I do, just another reason I order from them.
Pulled the engine, milled the heads and now putting it all back together. Currently dialing in the rockers with a mechanical roller 408 power plant. Can't wait to get this bad bird back on the road.. It's been way to long.
stripped a valve cover bolt hole........... gonna try and retap it I really dont want to helicoil again.......
I've seen this so many times. Manufacturers will use a short steel bolt threaded into a shallow aluminum hole. Whenever I have to install a bolt into an aluminum part, I always try to use the longest bolt possible in order to have the greatest length of thread engagement. Many times I have used a "Bottoming Tap" to make some extra threads at the bottom of the hole so I can use a slightly longer bolt.
I hope you can fix it!
John
Was going to change the plugs and plug wires and well, I could not reach ANY of the back 3 plugs on the passenger side from top or bottom, does the AC and/or the starter need to be removed, lol. So, instead I had to strap down the last owner's damage that has started to split the passenger fender at the wheel well. Not a good fix but without mounting points it will do for now. After that I decided to clean the throttle body as it was very easy to get to. Needless to say this might be the first time it was cleaned in 10 or more years. I didn't get a chance to get any after images as I was late for dinner, didn't want to lose that fight, but we all know what a clean throttle body looks like. The car started really rough and flashed Service Engine Soon twice at me but after it fired up and RPM readjusted to where they normally are it ran better than it has since I got it. Hesitation problem it was plagued with seems almost gone. The alternator went crazy and was close to 15 until I started driving and was at its normal 13.4-13.6 when I got back. I guess I need a can of MAP cleaner now and will get this one next. New WIX air filter and found chunks of styrofoam, leaves, and feathers? in my radiator and alternator ports... On the test drive to clean out the residue of the cleaner the car seems to accelerate smoother and the hesitation I had before is much less. I really need to change the plugs out.
Caked on is an understatement
Top ports looked to be nearly clogged
The throat looked ok, as did the bottom of the blade
Inside it looks like a sheen of oil everywhere? I wonder is a catch can is needed?
Top of the throttle body has tough varnish coat
I could see some shiny parts inside the manifold so maybe it's not that bad?
Wow, and boy did things go a little sideways on me. Thought I was posting here when it went to another forum and thread. oops & lol.. Here is the latest.. Waiting on ICT Billet Valve cover bolts, grommets and guides for my ABEAR Valve Covers.. Does anyone know anything about ABEAR Valve Covers? IE : Do they require longer bolts, will the original bolts & grommets work? Will the ICT Billet bolts work? I'm going to find out and let everyone know. Here are a couple pics to show the Texas Speed Heads before milling and the collars cut. As you can see in the pic, # 8 Spark plug and rear bolts were impossible to deal with considering my LS2 did not need the additional collars anyway. After pulling the starter I had to use a closed end ratcheting 13 mm wrench will less than 1/8 travel to get the bolt in & out. Royal pain in the butt. Also, pulled the engine for multiple oil leaks, Head gaskets - "forgot copper coating when installing new heads", valve cover gaskets - don't think they aligned right plus saw evidence from the bolts area even with gray rtv sealant over the heavily greased bolt area oil leaking from the bolts. Hopefully all of this will be fine once I dial everything in. UMI KMember, Upper & Lower Control Arms, QA1 shocks, Medium duty springs. ABEAR Valve Covers, TEXAS SPEED PRC 247 Heads before bottom collars cut off.
Here is the head after the Collars cut, notice now I will be able to access the spark plug and rear bolts much easier with the starter removed with the engine still in the car. This is one of the main reasons for pulling the engine again.
Last edited by Y2kHawk05; 02-12-2021 at 11:00 AM.
Reason: Adding pic after head collars cut
I think your factory hardware will be fine for those (the ICT bolts and guides) as I dont think those Valve covers are any taller as far as rocker clearance is concerned.
Big issue i see is that factory power steering cooler.......... GOTTA GO MAN
I think your factory hardware will be fine for those (the ICT bolts and guides) as I dont think those Valve covers are any taller as far as rocker clearance is concerned.
Big issue i see is that factory power steering cooler.......... GOTTA GO MAN
Yep, I've been down a while and see so much more that needs to go.. I unfortunately do not have my Factory Valve covers - lost in a move..still pissed about that. All installed, these covers look great. Got the ICT Billets today and only need a Slight mod to my valve covers.. About an 1/8 drill out to match width o the grommet on the outside. Drops the bolt the distance needed and hopefully snug. If it's a simple drilling then great. These Valve covers are worth it,
^^ Found my fix! Use Bench Grinder, modify grommets to proper size. Slips into hole just fine and looks like a good seal... Sometimes just need to rethink things a time or two..^^^
ICT Billet LS1 Sheaths inserted into grommets. ABear Valve Covers Can see the top of the sheaths, centered into grommet. Now ABear Valve Covers installed with ICT Billet LS Racing Bolts, grommets, sheaths.
Too funny on the name ^^^^^ But will say this, made all the difference in the world when installing.. Hopefully, no leaks.
Installed water pump and alternator. Spent a good amount of time cleaning up all the metals so it will look nice again. More to come with pics of the install from the bottom.
So I finally got around to taking off the pinstripe flames off my low mileage T/A! took me days of peeling a little bit here and there then after I tried to clean up the paint some with a clay bar. Now its time to paint correct and seal!
After the last rain storm my driver side DRL went out. Pulled the socket and a LOT of water drained out. Got a box of 10 bulbs from the auto parts store, EiKO Amber 3457NA, 3357NA incandescent bulbs. The socket had some corrosion so I hit it with CRC electrical cleaner spray and wiped it out before putting in the new bulb. Made sure not to touch the bulb and wiped it down before putting it back into the housing. Bulb seems really bright now but I will need to look into how so much water got into there in the first place. I only had 20 minutes to get it all done so no time to pull the housing and look for cracks. I might go ahead and replace the passenger side given the brightness change and check on moisture in that housing.
I have read 2 differing opinions on what is needed; sealing it so no water can get in OR drilling weep holes so the water can drain out before it gets high enough to cover the socket and kill the high temp bulbs. This will need to be resolved before I can take the plunge and convert to LEDs. Reading some of the posts and some with traditional incandescents go 7 to 10 years without blowing a $3 bulb and some with LEDs are replacing $15-20 bulbs every 3 years (extremes I will admit but not seeing the upside of LEDs when factoring in load resisters.
Changed the oil, long overdue and the first since I bought the car last August. Put in a Wix 51042XP oil filter, Mobile 1 extended performance full synthetic and reset the trip **** for 20 sec. I also changed out the passenger side DRL bulb. Socket was just as bad as the driver's side. Cleaned out the corrosion, hit is with a couple sprays of CRC electrical contact cleaner, siliconed the gasket and put in the new bulb. Now both sides are equal brightness. Oil looked clean, just super dark brown. Strong fuel smell. Given how bad the gas mileage has been breaking in the clutch I believe I might have too rich a mix. No codes are showing but it just seems not right. The hesitation under hard acceleration isn't as pronounced as it was but I can still tell its there.
02-03-2021, 05:23 PM
