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Noticed I haven't updated in a while. McLeod accepted to RMA the clutch kit and it is currently half way to CA for evaluation and to determine what went wrong and why it would not release. The car is at the shop up on a lift with the transmission out so I am not able to do any work with it there.
I had issues with my McLeod Street Twin after I had it rebuilt, it didn't hold at all, I couldn't even get up to 20 MPH. Sent it back, and they said that they had installed the wrong springs. Got it back in, and it worked well for about 5K miles, then it started slipping again. At around 7K miles, I could rev the motor without pressing the clutch.
Personally, I'll never own another McLeod anything.
You should do sound deadening material also. I did my doors and sails, and the bass response is quite a bit better.
Sound deadening is part of the project. I have 2 boxes of the material (in the image of items at the top of the thread) and reviewed the forums for best locations (large flat horizontal and vertical being priority). It will be good to pull out the carpet and do some deep cleaning (found some coffee/cola stains under the front seat and center console already!) I can also run wiring better with the carpet out.
BTW on the McLeod clutch issues you had, did you replace the flywheel or resurface and reuse the existing flywheel? I assume it was a clutch disc and pressure plate replacement at the same time? I noticed the coating on the springs of my clutch disc were worn and beat up. I wonder if the shimming I used pushed the clutch disc too close to the flywheel or what happened? 8mm of shim seems really extreme and while I am seeing a fair amount of people using shims out there for aftermarket clutches, it still seems extreme to need that much travel.
Sound deadening is part of the project. I have 2 boxes of the material (in the image of items at the top of the thread) and reviewed the forums for best locations (large flat horizontal and vertical being priority). It will be good to pull out the carpet and do some deep cleaning (found some coffee/cola stains under the front seat and center console already!) I can also run wiring better with the carpet out.
BTW on the McLeod clutch issues you had, did you replace the flywheel or resurface and reuse the existing flywheel? I assume it was a clutch disc and pressure plate replacement at the same time? I noticed the coating on the springs of my clutch disc were worn and beat up. I wonder if the shimming I used pushed the clutch disc too close to the flywheel or what happened? 8mm of shim seems really extreme and while I am seeing a fair amount of people using shims out there for aftermarket clutches, it still seems extreme to need that much travel.
Ahh, I didn't see those boxes. That is the same sound deadener that I used. It is really simple to install. Just time consuming.
I reused the flywheel. I sent the flywheel and clutch assembly back for a "full rebuild". Just my experience, but I am not willing to see if it happens again.
I don't think I needed any shims, but I had a Tick adjustable master cylinder. Did you get a new slave cylinder? I get a new slave cylinder with any clutch replacement.
Well, my clutch is scheduled for a Saturday arrival, any luck the car can be completed by end of next week and home after that. Hope to get going before Christmas.
Update, the car is back from the shop and the new clutch is half way broken in, added bonus my wobbly steering wheel was fixed too! I have added to the scope just a bit. I ran across one of the OLED upgrades for the odometer (it has multiple functions and is programmable). Due to this I am getting a "new" gauge cluster as I will have to trim the face plate and support plastic about 1.5mm to get the OLED in (it will cut into the bottom of the Trip/Oil Change lettering). In keeping with the theme of NOT destroying any of the OEM CETA trim I will be setting the original aside like I did with the passenger rear spare tire cover. I did install the donor sun visors after sowing in the elastic bands the donors didn't have (they were cut off). Now the driver and passenger side visor both have mirrors.
It rained the day I picked up the car and the T-Tops leaked bad staining the headliner and rear pillars. I took the T-Tops off and investigated and believe someone removed them and didn't put them in correctly, I hope. I cleaned up everything but found some water in the floor board front carpets. When it gets warmer I will verify of the windshield is leaking, if so that will postpone this project. The good news is everything is already paid for and I just need to find the time to:
Take out the seats and do a deep clean
Remove the carpet and padding to install the sound dampening sheets
Measure and run the wiring, while getting rid of the old hack job wiring
Decide if I want to try to repair the OEM dash or try my hand at putting new vinyl on the donor I picked up this fall
Measure, cut, carpet the rear trunk amp board and mount it (wood, carpet and metal braces in the garage)
Remove the door panels (passenger side needs power window motor replaced, parts in the garage)
Try to fix the door panel cracks, mod the door panels to prevent "new" cracks, replace passenger side window switch, install door lock inserts, etc.
Install and wire up door components, sail 3 ways, driver side cargo 3 way 3-1/2"
Mount and wire up the amps
Take out the dash and A) try to repair the top dash board as I have to install the GPS antenna, toll tag, and OLED compass (need to source a Corvette compass I believe), B) install the OLED and computer modules, C) install and wire the steering wheel button adapter to control the head unit, and D) fix/correct dash wiring as the current radio looses back-lighting and the glove box light comes on at odd times
Try to make a cover/concealer for the dash cam around the review mirror/wire in ability to mount a radar detector under the review mirror
Install the head unit, back-up camera, and put it all back together
So this will NOT happen in a weekend or maybe even 2. I am half way through breaking in the clutch and while the car is 100% derivable at the moment I do need to change the oil, rotate and balance the tires, flush the coolant, drain and refill the power steering fluid. If I had help it might shorten some of the items but by that much. I still have to work on the donor dash to see how it comes out. I am afraid the 2 door panel fixes will take a day just by themselves just as the power window motor replacement will. I am in no disillusion of how big this project is, it is just that so much is dependent and interconnected and I do NOT want to pull the car apart 3 or 4 times to get it all done in stages. I am missing some things, like the new shock sensor, carpet cleaning and possibly repainting, what to do if my top dash falls apart taking it out, etc. But heck, if it was easy... everyone would do it!
Update, hopefully pictures to come soon (after boards are properly sized, sanded, and mocked fit to the right shape).
Removed the T-top Holders in the trunk (it was nasty underneath and I believe it is the source of some smell - Simple Green to the test!)
Measured and cut the shelving board to match the template, 2 of 3 pieces rough cut and test fit (more cutting and sanding needed to get to fit as expected)
Still to do
Cut, sand, and prep the 3 main wood pieces
Mock up the brackets to connect the amp board to the rear and bend, drill, and prep for install
Assemble and carpet the amp board
Mock up mounting positions for power and ground distribution blocks and 3 amps
Remove and clean trunk carpet, cut carpet for passenger side sub box (fill in/paint the 1 hole found previous owner drilled for I don't know what purpose)
Lay down some sound dampening sheets, put cleaned trunk piece back in, amp board, T-Top holders
I got mine at HiFi Sound Connection but looking at their site now they are sold out of both driver and passenger side boxes (They came with Harmony Audio drivers and the price was the same empty or with drivers). I looked at a lot of sites and they are all out of stock, Walmart, Crutchfield, Amazon, eBay, etc. It is a complicated box with a lot more surface area as it has to take the place of the spare tire area you have to cut out of the rear panel. As they aren't sponsors/vendors I don't know if I could post a link? Not sure if they could make one or have one made special but calling can't hurt.
The one you are looking for is: 1993-2002 Pontiac Firebird Coupe Single 10″ Subwoofer Enclosure Sub Box (Passenger Side) - SKU: [HA-SUB-PACKAGE501] GM1X10-93C-SPKT-PASS_2
Drivers side (for reference)
1993-2002 Pontiac Firebird Coupe Driver Side 10″ Harmony R104 Sub Box Enclosure - SKU: HA-SUB-PACKAGE500
Last edited by WhiteBird00; 03-19-2021 at 07:45 PM.
Reason: Remove non-sponsor phone number
I have some pics of the rough cuts I made and mock up done to get me started. As all I have at the moment are skill saws, jig saws, and drills it ain't pretty but for now its taking shape. Initial cuts look good and after some slight trims and angled cuts I have a decent starting point. I might end up getting a sander as some rounding and angles need to be made that my current tool set isn't good enough to get to.
3 pieces in place will look similar to this, cut properly, sanded, carpeted of course.
Main board without the caps
Caps
Rounding the edge that fits under the window seals
main board clearance on passenger side
main board clearance on drivers side
There is enough room between the board and the carpet to allow the wires to be run along the back of the board. I have some roofing metal I will be making the brackets that will attach the board to the tail light fasteners. Not sure how much time I will have over the next month but hopefully I can get some more done. I am glad I found this shelving board as I really don't like MDF or plastic boards. I am hoping I can regain the trunk area for T-top storage as intended. The current amp location is just sloppy and has to go.
LMK if you have any sail panel questions. I just fought that battle!
And wow! Will be so awesome when that's all installed.
Take pics of your door repairs -- my installer fixed mine last year, but whatever he did they cracked in the same spots over the winter.
Thanks! For the sails and other panels I will be using the sound proofing material, not just on the metal. I had a setback finding my clutch master cylinder is leaking, yes the new installed in October one, so it will have to come out and sent in for warranty work.
For the door panels, did the shop that did the fix only repair the crack or did they remover the staples from the window channel felt, drill bigger holes, and reattach with zip ties? If it cracked in the same place it sounds like either the filler used was too soft or the staples weren't removed and the heat/cold caused the metal and plastic to expand/contract at different rates and that is what causes the cracks. Do you know if they applied any sound dampening material to the doors and door panels? It looks like there is a decent amount of padding on the panels themselves.
Those 2002 collector addition Trans Am's are perhaps the best Trans Ams ever! I love them!
The installer that I used did a good job of replacing all six or eight of my speakers with speakers from Kee audio. I never really got a chance to see all the pictures he took, I know he took a ton of them with his cell phone. He’s kind of hard to get on the phone because they keep them in the back making money for the shop (LOL), but I’m hoping to talk to him this spring or summer and maybe find out what he did the first time. I thought he was going to take some of the staples out, I know exactly what you’re talking about. Yes we all have setbacks with these cars we just have to keep trying! These cars are awesome but they do take a committed owner with a certain type of TLC for them.
And the project is moving along, albeit not as intended... of course. My Tick Performance MC started leaking, into the carpet jutting and floorboard! Luckily I caught this in time and didn't lose any paint on the interior, firewall engine bay a different story . So as I mailed off the Tick MC today it was the perfect time to, begin taring down the interior (doors can wait a bit).
Seats - Out
Center Console - Out
Seat belts - Out
Sill, sail, and rear panels - Out
Carpet - Out and surprises all around!
Mostly bare
Not sure what those pellets were but there were a bunch of them and it looks like mold?
Stripped front to back
Interior parts gathered for cleaning
Mystery pellets in the jute, stained and bad smelling stuff
More under carpet source of bad smells
I put the carpet out, jute side up, in the Texas sun for a couple of days to ensure it IS dry and to let the sun do its work on whatever was there, UV rays can be beneficial sometimes. I am pretty sure jute can't be cleaned in the way carpet can so the plan is to just spray it down with a deodorizer to rid any remaining funk out of it. The carpet side.... I used 1 can of Tuff Stuff and it made a dent in some stains, noting on others. Plan of attack on those will be a mix of Tide Free and Oxi-Clean Free for Colors to see if that can clean it up. After 2 days of Tuff Stuff treatments on the back seat area I was still getting blackish water out of the carpet area. I need to think about the best way to clean this outside the car without getting too much liquid on it as the carpet backing has some tears and holes in it (other than the factory ones). I also need to made up a batch of Simple Green to clean out the interior shell and get it ready for the sound proofing material.
I finally got my hands on a passenger side stealth box, but lord does it fit terrible. LOL. It does sound as good as the drivers side stealth box. Mine have 12oz of fill and they slam right now. Got my Orion XTR 650 wired at 0.5 Ohms!
I finally got my hands on a passenger side stealth box, but lord does it fit terrible. LOL. It does sound as good as the drivers side stealth box. Mine have 12oz of fill and they slam right now. Got my Orion XTR 650 wired at 0.5 Ohms!
Glad to hear you found one!!! The ones I have don't have any fill, I'll have to evaluate the performance to see if they need any, possibly upgrading the drivers. I had to cut the trunk area carpet along the edge molded for the rear trunk panel covering the spare tire area for the passenger side box to fit.
Glad to hear you found one!!! The ones I have don't have any fill, I'll have to evaluate the performance to see if they need any, possibly upgrading the drivers. I had to cut the trunk area carpet along the edge molded for the rear trunk panel covering the spare tire area for the passenger side box to fit.
Unless you wanna shake anything and everything. You'll probably love a simple lower powered dual stealth box setup. My rear hatch wobbles like crazy and even the t-tops move quite a bit. I used fill as it was recommended by Aaron over at SSA when I bought my first sub. I love these SSA Demons! Can't wait to upgrade my amps too.
12-03-2020, 01:49 PM
. So as I mailed off the Tick MC today it was the perfect time to, begin taring down the interior (doors can wait a bit).
