GLHS 937 Restoration Project [Archive]

minigts

05-17-2010, 04:18 PM

Well as most of you know, I was encouraged to look for another vehicle after a young little kid decided to challenge the structural rigidity of my car with her car. Although she won that battle, it led me on a search to find my replacement. Well as it is nearly impossible IF not impossible to find a replacement, I found what is to be suitable companion for Shelby. GLHS #937 is now in my possession and will be cared for and restored slowly but surely. Below are the threads regarding the damage to Shelby and the procurement process for #937, or as I will call her for the time being, Elanor. Stupid I know, but I don't care. :D

http://www.turbo-mopar.com/forums/showthread.php?t=48897

http://www.turbo-mopar.com/forums/showthread.php?t=49151

It was a long journey but so begins the process of cleaning this baby up and making her look presentable again. There are some pictures attached of the car so you can see what I have to work with. For most of you, this will be the last time you ever see this car in such a shape, unless the unthinkable happens. As of this coming weekend, I plan to replace all of the interior pieces with much nicer interior sails, a-pillar pieces, new headliner, new visors, possibly a carpet swap from the blue car simply because I JUST bought it.

I will also be doing some maintenance on the engine bay to compensate for the oil drips, bad gaskets, flush the radiator system, replace the vacuum lines or repair them as necessary and basically pressure spray the entire engine bay to see what I have to work with. I will also be working to remove all of the rust on the outer shell of the car and priming it to keep it from coming up again.

Because I want to do some upgrades that I did to my other car, this will not be a 100% original car when finished. If it were in the shape some of the cars I've seen are in (GLHS231), I would more than likely try to keep it original. But as it is now, there is just no way I can nor really will do so. It will keep the stock wheels, valve cover, Koni's, TII intercooler/radiator setup, etc. It WILL lose the prop rod, it will be lowered (somehow), upgraded front brakes, probably disc brakes in the rear but I haven't decided on that yet and other little things. The paint job will be all black without the flat on the areas the GLHS had, like the top of the back bumper, rear sail "vents" and the mirrors. All of that will be painted gloss black along with the rest of the car. I will be sure to include all of the GLHS decals which to me, really make the car stand out.

More to come but here are some pictures for now.

http://minigts.com/GLHS937/New%20Folder/Picture%20198.jpg

http://minigts.com/GLHS937/New%20Folder/Picture%20205.jpg

http://minigts.com/GLHS937/New%20Folder/Picture%20206.jpg

http://minigts.com/GLHS937/New%20Folder/Picture%20207.jpg

http://minigts.com/GLHS937/New%20Folder/Picture%20208.jpg

http://minigts.com/GLHS937/New%20Folder/Picture%20209.jpg

http://minigts.com/GLHS937/New%20Folder/Picture%20210.jpg

http://minigts.com/GLHS937/New%20Folder/Picture%20211.jpg

http://minigts.com/GLHS937/New%20Folder/Picture%20212.jpg

http://minigts.com/GLHS937/New%20Folder/Picture%20213.jpg

http://minigts.com/GLHS937/New%20Folder/Picture%20214.jpg

http://minigts.com/GLHS937/New%20Folder/Picture%20215.jpg

http://minigts.com/GLHS937/New%20Folder/Picture%20216.jpg

http://minigts.com/GLHS937/New%20Folder/Picture%20217.jpg

http://minigts.com/GLHS937/New%20Folder/Picture%20218.jpg

http://minigts.com/GLHS937/New%20Folder/Picture%20219.jpg

http://minigts.com/GLHS937/New%20Folder/Picture%20220.jpg

http://minigts.com/GLHS937/New%20Folder/Picture%20221.jpg

http://minigts.com/GLHS937/New%20Folder/Picture%20222.jpg

minigts

05-17-2010, 04:20 PM

Here are some more.

http://minigts.com/GLHS937/New%20Folder/Picture%20223.jpg

http://minigts.com/GLHS937/New%20Folder/Picture%20224.jpg

http://minigts.com/GLHS937/New%20Folder/Picture%20224.jpg

http://minigts.com/GLHS937/New%20Folder/Picture%20225.jpg

http://minigts.com/GLHS937/New%20Folder/Picture%20226.jpg

http://minigts.com/GLHS937/New%20Folder/Picture%20227.jpg

http://minigts.com/GLHS937/New%20Folder/Picture%20228.jpg

http://minigts.com/GLHS937/New%20Folder/Picture%20228.jpg

http://minigts.com/GLHS937/New%20Folder/Picture%20229.jpg

http://minigts.com/GLHS937/New%20Folder/Picture%20230.jpg

http://minigts.com/GLHS937/New%20Folder/Picture%20231.jpg

http://minigts.com/GLHS937/New%20Folder/Picture%20232.jpg

http://minigts.com/GLHS937/New%20Folder/Picture%20233.jpg

http://minigts.com/GLHS937/New%20Folder/Picture%20234.jpg

http://minigts.com/GLHS937/New%20Folder/Picture%20235.jpg

http://minigts.com/GLHS937/New%20Folder/Picture%20236.jpg

http://minigts.com/GLHS937/New%20Folder/Picture%20237.jpg

http://minigts.com/GLHS937/New%20Folder/Picture%20238.jpg

http://minigts.com/GLHS937/New%20Folder/Picture%20239.jpg

http://minigts.com/GLHS937/New%20Folder/Picture%20240.jpg

minigts

05-17-2010, 04:21 PM

And more...

http://minigts.com/GLHS937/New%20Folder/Picture%20241.jpg

http://minigts.com/GLHS937/New%20Folder/Picture%20242.jpg

http://minigts.com/GLHS937/New%20Folder/Picture%20243.jpg

http://minigts.com/GLHS937/New%20Folder/Picture%20244.jpg

http://minigts.com/GLHS937/New%20Folder/Picture%20245.jpg

http://minigts.com/GLHS937/New%20Folder/Picture%20246.jpg

http://minigts.com/GLHS937/New%20Folder/Picture%20247.jpg

http://minigts.com/GLHS937/New%20Folder/Picture%20248.jpg

http://minigts.com/GLHS937/New%20Folder/Picture%20249.jpg

http://minigts.com/GLHS937/New%20Folder/Picture%20250.jpg

http://minigts.com/GLHS937/New%20Folder/Picture%20251.jpg

http://minigts.com/GLHS937/New%20Folder/Picture%20252.jpg

http://minigts.com/GLHS937/New%20Folder/Picture%20253.jpg

minigts

05-17-2010, 04:24 PM

This is how I see it with the car, the good and the bad.

Good

Numbered car
All GLHS items are in tact
Wheels are in good shape
Motor is in good shape
Struts are in good shape
Mostly cosmetic damage/bad appearance
Very much in tact car
Seats are in good shape
Air system works, but no A/C

Bad

Dent on the driver's door by the stripes, just saw it. :(
Damage on the driver’s fender and driver’s quarter, minor though
Bad CV shafts
Bad gaskets
Rust on the surface, although very repairable (most removed)
Bad headliner
Bad interior plastic parts
Bad carpet
Bad electrical wiring in the engine bay
Bad paint
Bad hatch struts
Wheels need refinishing bad
Bad sunroof weatherstrip
Torn weatherstrips all around the car
Missing door weather strip for the passenger's side
Missing door weather strip for the driver's side
Tail lights need to be repainted
All motor mounts need to be replaced
Window scrapers need to be replaced
Interior door skins need to be replaced
Steering wheel needs to be recovered
Shifter knob needs to be recovered
Driver’s seat is missing a bolt so it doesn’t sit correctly or recline correctly
A/C doesn’t work
Wiper bushings are bad
Wiper fluid tank is removed, but I have it
Making some popping sound from the driver’s side it sounds like, don’t know what it is
Missing all the decals
All the speakers are bad except for one. :p(correction, all work but the driver's side speaker)
Radio works, but no antenna and it’s crackily
Tach doesn’t work
Window crank bushings are gone
Driver’s door has issues opening from the inside
Seat belts are really worn (but I have the ones from my car that will go in their place
Missing driver’s front fascia skirt piece (I have an extra one)

omni_840

05-17-2010, 04:33 PM

Nice project! :)

Looking forward to progress pics

Pat

05-17-2010, 04:48 PM

Looks good!

Interesting though...the speedo overlay sticker is a bit different from the three 87 GLHS's I've owned over the years.

contraption22

05-17-2010, 04:58 PM

Good luck with the project Jon! Looks like a nice one to start with. How are the floors under the carpet?

minigts

05-17-2010, 05:09 PM

Looks good!

Interesting though...the speedo overlay sticker is a bit different from the three 87 GLHS's I've owned over the years.

If you have a picture of any of the ones you have/had, please post. I'm not terribly concerned with it being the exact sticker, but I'd like to know if it's been replaced or modified in any way. Heck maybe they ran out of stickers at Shelby and used something different for mine. :p

Good luck with the project Jon! Looks like a nice one to start with. How are the floors under the carpet?

Well to be honest, I haven't looked under the carpet, but under the car the floor is MINT. The rails even are unscathed from improper jack use. A good pressure washing will reveal what appears to be a very clean underside. I plan to pull the carpet this weekend so we'll see then. But from what I can tell, there aren't any leaks in the car to speak of.

GLHS592

05-17-2010, 05:35 PM

As solid as it looks, driving that car home like you did makes you my hero. Good luck on the car. Please don't give up on the MiniGTS.

minigts

05-17-2010, 06:08 PM

As solid as it looks, driving that car home like you did makes you my hero. Good luck on the car. Please don't give up on the MiniGTS.

lol Man I won't give up on it. I'm still dealing with the insurance people about it. It's hard to get an accurate value for the car when there isn't anything to compare it to. :( They are still calling it an 85 Charger, not taking into consideration what has been done to it. We'll see...

But this thing is going to be fun restoring and I hope I can get it to a presentable shape before SDAC. I think I can with the interior and the engine, just not sure about the paint. :$ I need the Isenberg touch. ;)

r2kool4u

05-18-2010, 01:23 PM

Very nice. Its going to make a great project.

BTW you said the a/c doesnt work. I wonder why.

BLUEBALL

05-18-2010, 01:41 PM

Good to see anither S getting resurrected. Gonna be using parts from the blue one?

BadAssPerformance

05-18-2010, 01:48 PM

Subscribed :thumb:

Captain Chaos

05-18-2010, 02:39 PM

Damn you now I don't want to sell my 86. Good luck with it!

bradp

05-18-2010, 03:54 PM

Must be an early 87 as I've seen a few early 87's with the 86 speedo decal.

minigts

05-18-2010, 04:01 PM

Good to see anither S getting resurrected. Gonna be using parts from the blue one?

hehe I wonder why too... ;) I have all the parts, just need to figure out which type of freon I want to use and what parts I'll need to swap to do it.

Damn you now I don't want to sell my 86. Good luck with it!

Give it a chance! If not, at least give it a good home. :)

Must be an early 87 as I've seen a few early 87's with the 86 speedo decal.

Well I don't know. I submitted the VIN to the Shelby Registry and I'm extremely sure it's an S car unless someone did an amazing clone. I have the VIN somewhere if it can be checked based on the information.

Captain Chaos

05-18-2010, 04:06 PM

Give it a chance! If not, at least give it a good home. :)

Its next after the Aries. Just promised myself I wouldn't throw a motor in it so it would be a driver. I want it restified.:thumb:

contraption22

05-18-2010, 06:02 PM

Must be an early 87 as I've seen a few early 87's with the 86 speedo decal.

Perhaps the cluster was changed out at one time or another.

spyder

05-18-2010, 07:13 PM

Looks like a nice solid start !! Have fun , I'd bet it'll turn out great !

minigts

05-18-2010, 10:24 PM

Perhaps the cluster was changed out at one time or another.

I guess that is possible. It acts like a car with 113,xxx miles though. Clutch is a little shallow, but it doesn't burn any oil and it runs like a top. I'm not terribly worried about the cluster though.

Looks like a nice solid start !! Have fun , I'd bet it'll turn out great !

Thanks man, going to do some work on the window bushings tonight. :thumb:

minigts

05-19-2010, 10:32 AM

Well I got something done on the car, finally. Unfortunately I spun my wheels with the task to accomplish, replacing the window track bushings. Ace Hardware sells the grommet, but they don't carry Hillman at the location closest to me. Using my prowess of gauging sizes, I failed miserably and bought ones that were much larger. The dimensions seem to be 3/4" for the post and about 7/8" for the track piece. They didn't seem to carry that specific size, but I do plan to return these and locate the correct ones if possible. You can see below that the post is dry as a bone, so it got some grease for the time being. After I procure the correct bushings, that problem will be corrected.

I also ran into an issue that I THOUGHT might be a problem, but didn't look hard enough at first. The issue is the mount for the door hinge that is welded/riveted to the frame has broken loose on both sides!!!!, causing a serious issue. I think it is going to be repairable, but I'm not sure if I'm going to weld the piece again or just use some sort of nut and bolt to secure it. I think in the long run that will hold better, but I just need to see what can be done.

Because I spent so much time taking the passenger door apart, I went ahead and pulled the glass and replaced the window scraper for that door. Man that just made me feel SOO much better to see the pretty new scraper there. :love:

And because the other task wasn't able to be performed, I decided to get the set of charcoal grey arm rest and install them. They cleaned up well, as you can see below. The pictures really don't do justice to how they were before and the cleanliness after. The a-pillar pieces got cleaned too, but it was getting late so I stopped short of installing those. Had I done these, then I would have wanted to do the black plastic trim pieces for the door and then the kick panels, etc., etc. The carpet will be replaced this weekend, so all of that will come out on Saturday.

The last picture is just a shot of the garage floor and how there is no oil there!!! This car was leaking a good 2 quarts every 400 miles or so when I got to Warren's place in ND, but after we fixed the sender issue and I got a new valve cover cap, all is right with the GLHS. :p

minigts

05-20-2010, 11:15 PM

Well not much to speak of tonight, but I did manage to remove a lot of the interior pieces. This weekend is the big push to get the entire interior changed over to the charcoal interior along with new carpet stolen from the mini...GTS. :D

GREAT pieces inside though. Aside from the speedo having what appears to be a different overlay than most of the 87s, all of the dash trim pieces are in great shape. The black bezel around the cluster has BOTH tabs in tact, both trim pieces for the left and right side of the steering column are in tact, no broken pieces. The black trim pieces to hold down the carpet are in poor shape, but I have spares for that, so no worries. Everything else I don't have a replacement for will be painted charcoal, i.e., the metal trim for the headliner and the rear hatch plastic piece.

On a side note, anyone wanting the interior pieces I will have from the original parts, you can have for free and delivered to SDAC if you like. I will say they are in poor condition and I don't even recommend getting them. But for those die hard "I want all I can hoard" people, just let me know.

Here are a few preview shots of what the car is looking like before the swap this weekend.

supercrackerbox

05-21-2010, 02:26 AM

Mopar318

05-21-2010, 06:50 AM

Looks like a nice projects. Better than anything around here.

Too bad the seats are in good shape, now you have no excuse to upgrade the upholstery!!

minigts

05-21-2010, 10:27 AM

Ya know I've been thinking about going solid dark grey for the interior of my Charger too. I found an '87 Turismo in the junkyard a couple summers ago that had a mint one, but I didn't have the time to strip it, and it was gone next time I made it out.

Man, if you ever see one again, strip EVERY piece out of it. Those interiors hold up 10 times better and they are harder to find. I only have this extra set because I found a junked car that had the full charcoal and then I bought a set from Rob (Force Fed Mopar). I will continue to look for the charcoal interior and hoard as may sets as I can!!!!!

Looks like a nice projects. Better than anything
around here.

Too bad the seats are in good shape, now you have no excuse to upgrade the upholstery!!

Well don't be so sure. The door skins are in very good shape, but they could use some freshening up. I may send you a set just to refurb as I do have 4. I'm still not sure what I want to do about the speaker covers. I was thinking of having that area redone to have a round area and then get some speakers like the Daytonas with round mesh covers to dress it up a bit.

BTW, do you know a way to repair the vinyl dash that has the split? Am I better off just finding a good one elsewhere and doing a swap? I have three. One in my blue car, one Kevin gave me and this one. All either have a tear somewhere and one has a place where a tach was mounted aside the gauge cluster. Is there any way to repair these?

Mopar318

05-21-2010, 10:57 AM

Man, if you ever see one again, strip EVERY piece out of it. Those interiors hold up 10 times better and they are harder to find. I only have this extra set because I found a junked car that had the full charcoal and then I bought a set from Rob (Force Fed Mopar). I will continue to look for the charcoal interior and hoard as may sets as I can!!!!!

Well don't be so sure. The door skins are in very good shape, but they could use some freshening up. I may send you a set just to refurb as I do have 4. I'm still not sure what I want to do about the speaker covers. I was thinking of having that area redone to have a round area and then get some speakers like the Daytonas with round mesh covers to dress it up a bit.

BTW, do you know a way to repair the vinyl dash that has the split? Am I better off just finding a good one elsewhere and doing a swap? I have three. One in my blue car, one Kevin gave me and this one. All either have a tear somewhere and one has a place where a tach was mounted aside the gauge cluster. Is there any way to repair these?

Whats wrong with your speaker covers?

I have not found a way to repair a dash and have it last. Most dashes are molded type of foam stamped with a grain. If they are covered they can be repaired, american manufactures dont cover dashes because its to costly.

minigts

05-21-2010, 11:05 AM

Well all of them, even the ones in the other car, look similar to this.

http://www.turbo-mopar.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=22581&d=1274411611

minigts

05-21-2010, 09:54 PM

Well I got my hood shocks installed tonight, woohoo!! I made an FAQ on Boosted Mopar as I promised Kevin the "rights" to the process. hehe

http://boostedmopar.com/forums/showthread.php?16643-FAQ-Installing-Hood-Shocks-on-an-L-body&p=96574#post96574

Here is a picture of the new stuff. BAAAM!

http://www.minigts.com/GLHS937/hoodshocks/hood_shocks_14.jpg

minigts

05-22-2010, 01:23 AM

Well I wasn't going to work on the engine this weekend, but I started looking around, one thing led to another and then crack, all the vacuum lines broke at the collector. Ugh. So I took some time to fix this. Drilled out the old stuff, scraped off as much as I could of whatever was used to seal it and then inset the tubes, added some silicone and then wrapped it in amalgamous tape. It's a short term solution until I can either find more of the plastic line or just do a vacuum block. I also found A vacuum leak, hopefully the only one. The line going to the wastegate was so weak, it tore into pieces when I tried to remove it. There was a cheap splice for the 3 wire O2, so that got fixed. This car has every original piece I can think of. The ground for the O2 is afixed to a bracket that holds the vacuum lines in place. This thing was still attached and everything!

I also replaced the droopy headlight with the one from my car. The passenger side one literally fell apart when I pulled it from the encasement. And I aligned the hood the best I could to help it close correctly and sit right. It still isn't perfect, but it will do for now.

minigts

05-23-2010, 10:41 PM

Alright, I spent some time this weekend getting the interior swapped, although I don't have any after pictures. I can tell you it was a chore to just get the seats installed after spending all day breaking down the other car, pulling seats out of both cars and then swapping all the interior pieces and carpet from one car to another.

I DID find some change during the clean up, about $1.50!!! Cordes would be proud. And I found a few items, namely this bracelet. And I ask myself this question daily, but it had a different significance with this car. What WOULD Jesus do?! Well, I'd reckon to guess he'd save the car! hehe I hope that's not bad. :(

I also found a sheet that looked like a delivery sheet for the dealer, but all I could make out was the last few digits of the VIN on the sheet. Thankfully it corresponded with the VIN for this car, so good deal! Also, I didn't get a picture, but the build date on the this car showed 01/1987, so it was an earlier production which may explain the gauge overlay being yellow and not white. Although, I'm a little surprised because this is #937, so how it was an early production with such a high number, I don't know. The sheet was pretty useless though because the rest of it couldn't be read and it fell to pieces the more I tried to save it.

There was a little rust in the driver's floor board, but I spent some time sanding it down the best I could with some 120 and then sprayed it with some rust converter for the time being. I don't have to worry about rust around the south, so I tried to get it tamed until I can get around to fix it properly.

I'll post pictures of the finished product once I get back in town Friday. I should have the back upper seat in and the rest of the small trim pieces back in.

cordes

05-23-2010, 11:25 PM

minigts

05-23-2010, 11:48 PM

Wow, this is coming along quickly. Nice score on that loose change. That is pretty sweet. IIRC I pulled 2.8x out of the blue omni I bought off of Clark. These cars pay for themselves.

What are you going to do with the electronics in that car? I'll be interested to see which direction you go.

Hmm, well I would like to keep it pretty much stock, but the fuse links I MAY have to get rid of. ;) The LM electronics will stay with the car, but I haven't decided what will happen with the rest. There area few places that need to be fixed, but overall it seems to be in good shape. I'm pretty impressed with the condition of things on the car. At first appearance it seems to be rough, but most of it is just weathered. A little clean up and replacement of tape and loom and it will look like new. :thumb:

supercrackerbox

05-24-2010, 11:30 AM

I'm glad to see your floors are so nice! They're way better than my Charger's were, and they looked flawless from underneath.

As for the speaker grilles, I don't see why it couldn't be done. You might have to do some cut and paste work with the cardboard backing, but it should look nice!

And for the vacuum lines, are you wanting to keep them in the factory layout? On my Charger, I got a few 3 port vacuum fittings off some Ford 3.0 V6 cars that fit the factory threaded holes in the back side of the 2-piece intakes. That gave me a total of 9 ports to play with (a few of which are capped off), and everything runs along the back side except the one I snaked through the runners to the FPR. The FPR line and the PCV line are the only hoses visible now, very clean and very simple.

Well I got my hood shocks installed tonight, woohoo!! I made an FAQ on Boosted Mopar as I promised Kevin the "rights" to the process. hehe

http://boostedmopar.com/forums/showthread.php?16643-FAQ-Installing-Hood-Shocks-on-an-L-body&p=96574#post96574

Excellent. I'll be swapping the hood on my Charger in the near future for one that isn't tweaked (I hope) and plan to do this. Apparently leaving the hood propped up for nearly a year straight isn't a great idea. :o

minigts

05-30-2010, 01:38 AM

I'm glad to see your floors are so nice! They're way better than my Charger's were, and they looked flawless from underneath.

As for the speaker grilles, I don't see why it couldn't be done. You might have to do some cut and paste work with the cardboard backing, but it should look nice!

And for the vacuum lines, are you wanting to keep them in the factory layout? On my Charger, I got a few 3 port vacuum fittings off some Ford 3.0 V6 cars that fit the factory threaded holes in the back side of the 2-piece intakes. That gave me a total of 9 ports to play with (a few of which are capped off), and everything runs along the back side except the one I snaked through the runners to the FPR. The FPR line and the PCV line are the only hoses visible now, very clean and very simple.

Excellent. I'll be swapping the hood on my Charger in the near future for one that isn't tweaked (I hope) and plan to do this. Apparently leaving the hood propped up for nearly a year straight isn't a great idea. :o

Man, you going to make it to SDAC? Looking forward to the hood shocks on your car. :p

minigts

05-30-2010, 02:07 AM

Well after a week of traveling, I got to work on the car some more this weekend. I started off trying to figure out the door hinges. It is working, but I still would like to have this stuff welded in. I had to drill and then tap the holes, mind you just using the machine screw. This of course ended bad two times where the screw broke off in the hole I had drilled. :( So far it is ok, but we'll see how it holds up.

Then I made the HUGE mistake of looking at the fusible links....I hate these things. Apparently whoever did the "corrections" to these and the rest of the wiring LOVES electrical tape. Well I started to try and work on these things with the harness in the car and well one thing led to another. :p After pulling the harness out of the car, I remember why I switched to SMEC. The harness was ok for the most part, but I made a few changes. I pulled all the front end lighting that runs on the passenger side and ran it down the driver's side. I also moved the wires for the coil to the driver's side to get ready for a swap to a gel coil. In addition to all the changes, I decided to re-organize the 40 way bulk connector and make it so all the wires for the driver's side are on the right side of the connector and passenger side wires are on the left side of the connector. Dangerous I know, but it is a WHOLE lot cleaner. :D And yes I am going to change the wiring on the female side.

The biggest change is going to be the fuse block I'm going to install. I'm not sure how it's going to mount, but for right now it will sit next to the power module. The only down side is that I will have to modify the module neck, i.e., cut it. :$ The good thing about this is that I had already been working on it for my other car, so most of the figuring out was already done. Now I just need to do some terminating of wires and triple check what I've done. There was also an issue with the knock sensor. hehe Yeah the little part where the wire mounts just came out. Just ANOTHER thing to be an issue, but thankfully the car hasn't had issues while driving so that's good.

I've also been working on the lower harness and that is just a HUGE mess. Not only is everything covered in oil, but there are TONS of breaks in the wiring. Every wire is either brittle or broken already. FORTUNATELY, my planning years ago has left me with multiple duplicates and one that is in great shape. This should help with accurate readings, which are always good. I didn't get done with everything, but it is mocked up and ready to do a test.

Once the harness was out I cleaned the engine bay and it looks so much better. I still have a lot of work to do on the harness, but it will look as good as new with new loom and tape. After the car starts and runs, I will pull the harness one more time and do some more trimming and then wrap the harness.

rx2mazda

05-30-2010, 02:30 AM

Sweet ride Jon! You trying to give me a run for my money? I'm glad you got a new project and I can't wait to see it finished! good luck

cordes

05-30-2010, 11:43 AM

Wow, that is looking much better already. I'm glad to see that I'm not the only one with wiring harness woes.

What vehicle did you get that fuse block out of. It looks pretty small compared to the one which I pulled from a Neon yesterday.

minigts

05-30-2010, 12:09 PM

Sweet ride Jon! You trying to give me a run for my money? I'm glad you got a new project and I can't wait to see it finished! good luck

The run will be once I get the blue car up to Brian. THEN we'll see who is....the best of the best! ;) Thanks Carroll and saw your car the other day when I was in town. LOOKING AWESOME!!!! Have it ready in a month.

Wow, that is looking much better already. I'm glad to see that I'm not the only one with wiring harness woes.

What vehicle did you get that fuse block out of. It looks pretty small compared to the one which I pulled from a Neon yesterday.

That came from a Mitsu Mirage. I will caution you that you'll need to get a few of them because they only come with one or two relays, although they have 5 available on the unit. This one has 2 static relays and three removable ones. I got two spares and was able to utilize the various wires to make one good one. They were about $18 at the local yard. Just be sure to give yourself about 1 foot of extra cable.

cordes

05-30-2010, 12:14 PM

The run will be once I get the blue car up to Brian. THEN we'll see who is....the best of the best! ;) Thanks Carroll and saw your car the other day when I was in town. LOOKING AWESOME!!!! Have it ready in a month.

That came from a Mitsu Mirage. I will caution you that you'll need to get a few of them because they only come with one or two relays, although they have 5 available on the unit. This one has 2 static relays and three removable ones. I got two spares and was able to utilize the various wires to make one good one. They were about $18 at the local yard. Just be sure to give yourself about 1 foot of extra cable.

Thanks for the tip. I will have to look for one of those when I go next time.

minigts

05-31-2010, 10:52 PM

Well I got everything done and the car wouldn't start! I mean the starter relay did turn the starter over, but the fuel pump wouldn't prime. The fuse block has just the starter relay there for right now. I ran out of pin positions for the connector, so I have to either strip the 16 pin connector one from the blue car or get a new one to add the relay for the fan. However, I do want to have it ready for A/C in the future, so I need to figure out how that all works. I think it will be pretty simple to do.

After I looked and looked I realized, I was missing a fuse. :p Got the car started and cleaned up everything, planning to drive the car to meet up with some friends. Of course, it seemed to be idling bad, but it made sense that there was a lot of fuel from trying to start it prior, so I didn't think anything about it. Well I should have because driving down the road about a mile with the headlights on, I realized the charging system wasn't working. :( I pulled one of the battery terminals, the car died. UGH! So I had to head back home and take the wife's truck.

Next day I started looking around and thought maybe I had a wire in the wrong place or was missing something. Nothing was missing, all the wires had continuity and all the fuses were good. The only thing that made sense was the power module wasn't getting the feed, so I pulled the older alternator and installed the one from the blue car. Every time I say something about pulling something from the blue car, I feel a piece of me dying inside. :(

But after pulling the alternator, I decided to do another alternator harness with the spare parts I have laying around. I was able to feed the 6 gauge wire through the factory molded piece and made the end for it. Once installed, it worked!!

I will be ordering the loom this week, got some tape coming so this should be completed shortly.

This is the original wiring. Yes, this is how most of the front end sub-harness wiring looked like along with the fuse links.

http://minigts.com/GLHS937/wiring/original_wiring.jpg

This is what I had as a spare and needed to make work for the Nipedenso alternator. Worked like a champ. :thumb:
http://minigts.com/GLHS937/wiring/new_harness.jpg

Here are pictures of the mocked up harness. I will getting the loom installed and getting rid of the wire ties and zip ties. :D I'll also be building a new fuel harness. Got the parts ordered to take care of that as well. YAY!!! Seriously, don't worry. I will be covering the wires shortly. :p

http://minigts.com/GLHS937/wiring/cleaned_up.jpg

Forgot to add in this section (because you can see it), I added the newer style coil.

http://minigts.com/GLHS937/wiring/drivers_side_cleaned.jpg

http://minigts.com/GLHS937/wiring/passenger_side_cleaned.jpg

86seeS

05-31-2010, 11:17 PM

minigts

05-31-2010, 11:33 PM

man... wish my S was that solid when i got it. great project for sure love the hood props they look awesome! also wouldnt mind getting a set of those blue mopar wires dont have an extra set would you? keep the pics coming

Yeah it just looks bad. Eventually I will pull the front cap, mask everything off and paint the radiator support and front end support. But the bottom of the car and basic rust areas are rust free.

Here is a link for the hood props and I highly recommend it. All you need to know is there. If not, PM me.

http://boostedmopar.com/forums/showthread.php?16643-FAQ-Installing-Hood-Shocks-on-an-L-body&p=96574#post96574

And I snatched the wires up from someone on this board, only one set. They fit great with my other car. :( I'd dare to guess you may be able to find them somewhere on the net.

http://www.turbo-mopar.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=16513&d=1249864588

There is the part number. And I'll try and do better at getting pictures. I get so dirty and I don't want to get my camera dirty. :p

BTW, I forgot to add that your project is pretty incredible. I was very impressed with the work you did and in the time you did it. I feel lazy after thinking about what you did with yours!

minigts

06-01-2010, 10:38 PM

Got my new shafts today! WOO HOO!!! I told the guy I wanted the heavy duty ones, not the cheap tin can knock offs. He came through. :) They came with some big fat washers too. He said they were to push the shafts closer to the tranny, but I don't know about that. I mean they could be, but thoughts on that?

http://www.minigts.com/GLHS937/parts/new_shafts.jpg

cordes

06-01-2010, 10:52 PM

minigts

06-01-2010, 10:55 PM

The washers won't push the shaft any closer to the trans.

I think he meant to put them inside the hubs instead of behind the nut. I wasn't sure about that and hadn't heard that before. :confused2:

cordes

06-01-2010, 11:25 PM

I think he meant to put them inside the hubs instead of behind the nut. I wasn't sure about that and hadn't heard that before. :confused2:

I haven't heard of that either. I would think that the axles would be more prone to binding?

86seeS

06-01-2010, 11:49 PM

where did the shafts come from?

minigts

06-03-2010, 11:30 PM

I haven't heard of that either. I would think that the axles would be more prone to binding?

That is what I was thinking. I thought it was the washers or something.

where did the shafts come from?

There is a local place in town where I get all my front end alignment and stuff done. He found the shafts out in California and ordered them.

minigts

06-03-2010, 11:35 PM

Got some sanding done on the hood, not the best scenario for painting but I had to do something. It was really bothering me. :) I do plan to make this a temporary fix and truly remove the rust from the hood. But for now I got rid of the colored rust stains and will hopefully be able to get the rust off the car before SDAC. I have TONS of stuff to do that I want to get done.

86seeS

06-03-2010, 11:45 PM

you going to AAR CUDA' it? (aka flat black)

cordes

06-03-2010, 11:47 PM

You are making great progress Jon. Looking good.

minigts

06-03-2010, 11:52 PM

you going to AAR CUDA' it? (aka flat black)

Flat would be sweet, but I think I'm going gloss black. :thumb: I need about 6 Chargers to do all the things I want to do. I have all these ideas, but wouldn't want to implement them all into one car. :D

You are making great progress Jon. Looking good.

Thanks man. I need to get SUPER busy if I'm going to catch Wes!

86seeS

06-03-2010, 11:57 PM

Thanks man. I need to get SUPER busy if I'm going to catch Wes!

hahaahaha hey mine aint done yet im still waiting on more cool ideas that you got that i can steal lol:D

minigts

06-04-2010, 12:25 AM

minigts

06-04-2010, 11:16 AM

Well I ordered some supplies last night just before I went to bed. I'm getting some powder coating material to do the valve cover (wrinkle) and black to do the brakes and calipers. That should be fun! I also have supplies coming in for the wiring (Painless loom wrap and some cool Audi friction tape), which should be in next week. In fact everything should be in next week, but I won't be home until Thursday which means I have a BUTT load of work to do.

The brakes and calipers are getting cleaned and prepped this week along with 2 cam gears that will all get painted the gloss black. YAY!!! Pics of that once I get the coating done next weekend, hopefully.

OH and I almost forgot, got the camber plates ordered from Rich yesterday too! This is going to be awesome to get the plates, Koni coil-overs, new CV shafts and new brakes installed all at once!

mcsvt

06-04-2010, 12:02 PM

Awesome progress Jon!

supercrackerbox

06-04-2010, 12:52 PM

I'm guessing that the car no longer has the sock front Konis?:eyebrows:

minigts

06-04-2010, 02:11 PM

Awesome progress Jon!

Thanks Gary! I hope to have it presentable as possible for SDAC.

I'm guessing that the car no longer has the sock front Konis?:eyebrows:

Did you mean stock instead of sock? ;) I plan to retain the stock Konis and put the coil overs from the blue car on the GLHS. Eventually I'd like to get a set of the coil overs so I can have a set for each. For the right price, I'd sell the GLHS Konis. :eyebrows:

blk86trbo

06-04-2010, 02:49 PM

Well I forgot about the tag. I went to get the title corrected today and get a plate, but unfortunately the original title from CA list the car as a Dodge Shelby Charger. I also looked at the door and it's got the Shelby sticker, but take a look at this. :D

Hard to see, but this car was built in October of 1986 and licensed to Shelby in January of 1987. I don't know, just thought it was kinda neat. ANYWAYS, the car was titled in CA originally as a Dodge Charger and there didn't seem to be any way to get it changed. Maybe I wasn't asking the right questions, but for now it will be listed as a Dodge Charger. :(

I'm applying for the tag GLHS937 and it should be ready by sometime in July.

Maybe someday you can get the title changed...I just asked the lady at the DMV a bunch of questions (and flirted a little :)) and she was able to list the manufacturer as "SHELBY", but was not able to get "GLHS" as the model.

http://i231.photobucket.com/albums/ee39/blk86trbo/003.jpg

Best of luck with your project, it's looking great so far!

minigts

06-04-2010, 03:06 PM

Maybe someday you can get the title changed...I just asked the lady at the DMV a bunch of questions (and flirted a little :)) and she was able to list the manufacturer as "SHELBY", but was not able to get "GLHS" as the model.

http://i231.photobucket.com/albums/ee39/blk86trbo/003.jpg

Best of luck with your project, it's looking great so far!

Man I was flirting in person and on the phone with the woman from Montana. Both were extremely helpful, but neither could change the Make. Montana couldn't because the original title from CA said Dodge and the TN lady couldn't because the title from Montana said Dodge. There was a third lady I was trying to shmooze, but she didn't respond. She must have been a lesbian. ;) I'm KIDDING!!! :D

rx2mazda

06-04-2010, 07:05 PM

Man I was flirting in person and on the phone with the woman from Montana. Both were extremely helpful, but neither could change the Make. Montana couldn't because the original title from CA said Dodge and the TN lady couldn't because the title from Montana said Dodge. There was a third lady I was trying to shmooze, but she didn't respond. She must have been a lesbian. ;) I'm KIDDING!!! :D

You need me to call for you? ;)

omni_840

06-04-2010, 07:10 PM

WOW! You are really making some progress:)

minigts

06-04-2010, 07:51 PM

You need me to call for you? ;)

LOL Man, I'm sure you can get them to adjust the database to add Shelby in the Make table! Just flash some of your women with the guys at the state office and you have at it with the ladies. :eyebrows:

WOW! You are really making some progress:)

Man I hope I make more and more. I really wish I had my wiring stuff here, I'd get the harness done this weekend.

I just got the fuel rail pretty much done, but since I ran out of supplies I have to wait until next weekend to finish it. The good news is all of the wiring stuff will be here by then, along with the painting supplies. Here are some pictures of the work in progress.

cordes

06-04-2010, 07:53 PM

LOL Man, I'm sure you can get them to adjust the database to add Shelby in the Make table! Just flash some of your women with the guys at the state office and you have at it with the ladies. :eyebrows:

Man I hope I make more and more. I really wish I had my wiring stuff here, I'd get the harness done this weekend.

I just got the fuel rail pretty much done, but since I ran out of supplies I have to wait until next weekend to finish it. The good news is all of the wiring stuff will be here by then, along with the painting supplies. Here are some pictures of the work in progress.

I really like that. I can't wait to do mine.

86seeS

06-04-2010, 08:01 PM

ive started a notebook i named it "great ideas ive stolen from jon"

minigts

06-04-2010, 08:06 PM

ive started a notebook i named it "great ideas ive stolen from jon"

lol Well I wish they were TRULY original, but these cars need to upgrade to the 21st century. Thanks for the compliment!

minigts

06-04-2010, 09:07 PM

Here's a final mock up of the fuel rail harness. I'll be adding a wire for the knock sensor and possibly the temp sensor, but I haven't decided on whether or not to wire the temp sensor on the front or rear of the plenum.

http://minigts.com/GLHS937/wiring/mockup50.JPG

1984rampage

06-04-2010, 11:12 PM

Where do you get all your parts for the wiring?

minigts

06-04-2010, 11:27 PM

Where do you get all your parts for the wiring?

http://www.rs-autosport.net/catalog/

That's where I got the ends. The ends come with the terminals. The wire is 16GA for the signal wires and 18GA for the wires going to the LM. I'm still not finished, but that is about what it would look like when it's done. The loom I'll be getting will cover most of it.

supercrackerbox

06-05-2010, 01:25 AM

Did you mean stock instead of sock? ;) I plan to retain the stock Konis and put the coil overs from the blue car on the GLHS. Eventually I'd like to get a set of the coil overs so I can have a set for each. For the right price, I'd sell the GLHS Konis. :eyebrows:

Yes, stock. Sorry, hadn't had my coffee yet. I'll respond by saying, for the right price, I'd buy them . . . But there's probably a gap in between our numbers. :p Wish you were into Daytonas, I could probably trade you enought parts to come up even.

minigts

06-05-2010, 02:13 AM

Yes, stock. Sorry, hadn't had my coffee yet. I'll respond by saying, for the right price, I'd buy them . . . But there's probably a gap in between our numbers. :p Wish you were into Daytonas, I could probably trade you enought parts to come up even.

Well I'd just want to get what they are worth out there. :) I know that's vague in some ways, but I don't care to gouge anyone on the price. I just know I'd need to sell them to offset the cost of buying the coil over kit. These need a rebuild so not sure how much I could get for them. :\

supercrackerbox

06-05-2010, 08:56 AM

Shoot me a price if you need to. That and the Mobil and shift pattern decals are all I'm missing for Shelby specific items on my S.

minigts

06-05-2010, 10:44 AM

Shoot me a price if you need to. That and the Mobil and shift pattern decals are all I'm missing for Shelby specific items on my S.

Darn it! Don't put me on the spot like that. ;) hehe I'll think about it and see what is fair.

On another note, I have a lot of things coming in and things to do!

Underhood lining (ordered, thanks Dave!)
Painless wire loom (ordered)
Wiring tape (ordered, Audi style from the Captain of Chaos!)
Terminals and connector (ordered)
Camber plates (ordered, Rich Bryant style!)
Power coating material (ordered, valve cover and brakes)
Door skin window scrapers (already here!)
Window bushings (already here!)
CV shaft replacement (already here)
Rockford Fosgate RFDB4 Battery Terminals (ordered)

There's more to do before SDAC, but those are the things I've purchased and will be taking care of in a week.

minigts

06-05-2010, 04:22 PM

Well I got some painting done on the hood and roof just to keep it presentable. There is plenty of rust in the jambs, but it's not bad. I will definitely need to pull the doors, fenders and hatch off to get to everything but that will be later. More progress later, but here is a teaser! :p

cordes

06-05-2010, 04:27 PM

This recent flurry of posts makes me feel like I am running terribly behind if I want to make it to SDAC in an Omni. This is of course very true, but none the less...

86seeS

06-05-2010, 09:33 PM

cover the hood with a few rolls that fake carbon fiber decal stuff freak out the ricer kids lol

minigts

06-05-2010, 10:30 PM

This recent flurry of posts makes me feel like I am running terribly behind if I want to make it to SDAC in an Omni. This is of course very true, but none the less...

Man, you'll have it ready by SDAC. You still have a couple of weeks before you head down here, so get ta steppin'!

cover the hood with a few rolls that fake carbon fiber decal stuff freak out the ricer kids lol

lol Well I decided to cover the hood with some cheap paint just to save face. :p This is by no means the paint job as much as it is a band aid, albeit a cheap and quick one. I really didn't want to mess with this, but the rust was just too much for me to continue looking at.

There are a couple of places where I pulled the tape too soon and didn't cut it properly, so it pulled it on the roof. And I forgot to leave the tape up along the pillars, so there is a definite line there. I may be able to sand it down and blend it but who really cares? lol There were also some places on the back of the roof that were really bad, but again no big deal. I figure some 1000 grit and a descent buff will make it look half way descent.

cordes

06-06-2010, 12:21 AM

It looks a lot better than it did before. I don't suspect that lichens were recently evicted anymore.

minigts

06-06-2010, 11:38 PM

It looks a lot better than it did before. I don't suspect that lichens were recently evicted anymore.

That sounds like a bunch of technical mumbo jumbo. ;)

Well... I didn't get much done today. :( I was hoping to get both doors done with the interior molding and the bushings, but I had to deliver the brakes, knuckles and a couple of cam gears to get media blasted and I ended up talking to a guy who apparently collects Stern wheels. I mean the guy had like 8 sets not to mention a nice set of Recaro seats and a bunch of other stuff. He has 4 Mustangs; one Saleen, one SSE, one 94 GT and a 1990 convertible GT. Two of the four cars have Sterns.

But I did get the window bushing in on the driver's side along with a freshened door weather strip that is in very good shape. It's only missing 2-3 of the push deals. I also replaced the interior window scraper. THAT I'm not happy about and will be buying ones that are lower. These are WAY too tall and for some reason you can see the "staples" I used to secure it to the door skin. Having said that I was able to engineer a way to keep it on the skin with finishing nails and some precision spec'ed engineering. :D

I had to drill holes and then use the staple I made to push it through. It wasn't too easy at first, but after I did a few, it got easier.

Overall I'm glad it is installed, but I'm not happy with the way it's sitting. I'm going to pull the door skin off and see if I can adjust things to make it sit better, but overall I think I'm going to have to order some new stuff. The place I ordered this from is the same place someone else posted. The guy told me they do sell a shorter trim piece, but at the time I didn't think it would be that big of a deal. Now I do. :( You can see the staples in this picture and that the door seal is WAAAY taller than the outer scraper. The skin sits fine on the door, so I don't know what I can do with it other than get shorter stuff. :GRRRR:

http://minigts.com/GLHS937/parts/installed3.jpg

86seeS

06-06-2010, 11:46 PM

Well... I didn't get much done today. :( I was hoping to get both doors done with the interior molding and the bushings, but I had to deliver the brakes, knuckles and a couple of cam gears to get media blasted and I ended up talking to a guy who apparently collects Stern wheels. I mean the guy had like 8 sets not to mention a nice set of Recaro seats and a bunch of other stuff. He has 4 Mustangs; one Saleen, one SSE, one 94 GT and a 1990 convertible GT. Two of the four cars have Sterns.
http://minigts.com/GLHS937/parts/installed3.jpg

90% of the people that see my shelby think that its a 5.0 with a body kit haha i tell the idiots that it has a 2.3 svo in it lol

minigts

06-11-2010, 05:57 PM

Well my waiting has paid off! I got most of my stuff this last week while I was out of town. I can't wait to get started on the powdercoating and installation of the camber plates. The plates are AWESOME and I can't give Rich enough props for the quality of this product. I'm picking the brakes up tonight and hopefully will get some painting done so I can do some installation before the week ends. I've also ordered the replacement seals and I will be picking up the bleeder screws for the brakes tomorrow, so if everything works out tomorrow, I plan to swap over the brakes and the coil-overs for the front suspension. I have to get this done by mid-week so I can take the car to get it aligned, so we'll see how it goes!

This isn't all the wiring stuff, but that should be arriving next week if not this weekend.

86seeS

06-11-2010, 11:45 PM

good stuff! really liking the plates

minigts

06-12-2010, 01:39 PM

good stuff! really liking the plates

The plates are schweet!

Well I had all the stuff ready to powder coat last night and the filter fitting on the gun broke. And at midnight, you can't run down to Wal-Mart to get replacement water filters. :( So this morning I had to make a 1+ hour trek out and back to get the parts and the seals for the brakes.

Powder coating is pretty easy except when you need to powdercoat everything because it will be visible. Trying to figure out how to set this up AND run a static charge was hard, but I figured it out for the brakes. But then I kept hitting the area painted with my hand (wearing gloves), the mount I had it on, etc. So after about EIGHT tries I finally got it right. HOWEVER, the tray for the oven ONLY GOES IN ONE WAY!!! AAAAGGGHHH!!!! Man, so after all that, I got the brakes in the oven and they're cookin' now. :D I've also done the cam gears and those are next. Once everything is done and cured and cooled I'll take some pictures. Hopefully everything will turn out fine.

minigts

06-14-2010, 12:41 PM

Alright. I didn't have time to get a whole bunch of pictures this weekend because I was trying to get some stuff done. There is still a lot to do, but I feel I made some progress.

For now I have the brakes, knuckles, cam gears and window wipers powder coated. I didn't do too bad for my first real attempt, but there is still some learning. I think either the gun isn't all that great or I'm just not applying enough powder or the oven isn't baking it evenly. I'm using a gloss black and some of the areas painted are glossy, some aren't. And to top it off, I had to repaint everything a couple of times because I missed some spots which just added to the time! I still haven't installed everything, but that will be done this week so I can take the car to get an alignment.

I did get the rear coil overs moved over and boy did it make a difference! The rear driver's side shock was totally gone, just no support at all. I also upgraded to Johnny's new rear bushings that are totally awesome! Just for reference, if you're running a coil over you can literally cut the upper one in half and still have clearance for the nut to lock down. Regardless, they work great and everything went in easy. I'm still waiting to do the front just so I can do the brakes, spindles, hubs, CV axles and struts all at one time.

I ALSO spent last night going through the wiring harness and got that all loomed with the Painless wiring loom. And let me just say, PAINLESS MY BUTT! LOL No, the stuff is great, but just working with the wiring harness is a pain. There were a couple of spots I didn't loom because I have to fix some spots, but most everything was done. I still have to do the fuel rail, one power wire and relocate the fan AC relay, but that may have to wait until I have time to wire the sucker. The lower sub-harness is still pending as well, just ran out of time last night. Pics later, but everything is progressing well. :)

Aries_Turbo

06-14-2010, 10:31 PM

looking good jon. one thing... repin the LM connectors to 87 and get an 87 LM. youll thank me later. :)

brian

minigts

06-14-2010, 11:01 PM

looking good jon. one thing... repin the LM connectors to 87 and get an 87 LM. youll thank me later. :)

brian

Will do. I need to get a socketed LM anyways.

86seeS

06-15-2010, 01:37 AM

thats what i did on mine... 87 csx electronics (fwd stage 5 cal) with 3 bar world of differance

minigts

06-15-2010, 11:04 AM

thats what i did on mine... 87 csx electronics (fwd stage 5 cal) with 3 bar world of differance

That sounds good. I have a 3 bar MAP and if I can pick up a socketed LM at SDAC, I may change over. Granted, I'm sure when I do the next thing to go on my car will be the head. Got some noise in the valve train. :( Sounds like it could be lifters though. Maybe my Canadian cohort will be in attendance this year and provide the set with washers. :eyebrows:

Captain Chaos

06-15-2010, 11:13 AM

if I can pick up a socketed LM at SDAC, I may change over. :eyebrows:

I have one you could pick up before SDAC if you're interested...:eyebrows:

minigts

06-18-2010, 12:15 PM

I have one you could pick up before SDAC if you're interested...:eyebrows:

Thanks Captain! I THINK I have one ready to go, but if that falls through I will hit you up.

Alright, well I have been slowly working on the car and have most of the stuff ready to do the swap this weekend. The plan is to break the car down tonight, start moving stuff over and hopefully finish this today. I have the front brakes built, new brake seals, new guide pin sleeves, new pads, new rotors, new tie rod ends and a fresh powder coating on all the front end stuff. I will say I need more practice with the powdercoating, unfortunately. There are spots that are good and some that seem as though they have less gloss. I think the cure time is fine and I have the oven set at 400, but maybe I just didn't put enough powder on? Regardless, the brakes are coated and protected so we'll see how long they last. :$ Worst case, I have another set I'm picking up at SDAC and I'll just DO ANOTHER SET. Sheesh...

I've almost finished the engine wiring too. I just haven't had time to get some pictures of what I've done, but I will do this either tonight or tomorrow. The only other obstacle I see is moving the fan relay that has the A/C wires connected to it. There are two diodes used for this, so I'll just have to figure out how this will be wired in the fuse block. I think I have it figured out and will take pictures later. But overall the car is coming together and looking better by the day.

contraption22

06-18-2010, 04:22 PM

Powder coating is tricky. I have found it is sometimes very hard to get powder to "stick" on the inside of curves. Can't explain it.

minigts

08-17-2010, 09:46 PM

Ok i have an issue. I found this in the bottom end but im trying to figure out how it got there. There aren't any shavings in the pan, in fact its pretty clean. But this is scaring me where this could go. It looks like a main bearing but i dot see how in the world it got out and more to the point, i think i would have heard something, right?

I'm just wondering if it's been rebuilt and possibly a left over from a previous build? I just don't see how it would gotten out from under the main bearing cap without turning into little bitty pieces. And like I said, there aren't any other pieces in the pan or shavings anywhere.

rx2mazda

08-17-2010, 10:12 PM

Powder coating is tricky. I have found it is sometimes very hard to get powder to "stick" on the inside of curves. Can't explain it.

Thats a know issue with powder coating. When the parts are electrically charged, the corners(mostly)can create a field that stops the powder from going in.

Ok i have an issue. I found this in the bottom end but im trying to figure out how it got there. There aren't any shavings in the pan, in fact its pretty clean. But this is scaring me where this could go. It looks like a main bearing but i dot see how in the world it got out and more to the point, i think i would have heard something, right?

I'm just wondering if it's been rebuilt and possibly a left over from a previous build? I just don't see how it would gotten out from under the main bearing cap without turning into little bitty pieces. And like I said, there aren't any other pieces in the pan or shavings anywhere.

Wow, I would think you would notice something, e.i drop in oil pressure, noises etc. :confused:

86seeS

08-17-2010, 10:52 PM

WOW! no way it came out like that had to have been left over from a rebuild

cordes

08-17-2010, 10:57 PM

86seeS

08-17-2010, 11:28 PM

factory bonus part! probley part of that 555 warranty plan they offered

86Shelby

08-18-2010, 12:31 AM

Check your intermediate shaft bearings, especially the small one by the oil pump. It looks strikingly similar to the piece that I found in the pan of my R/T after the shaft & pump went south.

minigts

08-18-2010, 12:41 AM

Jk.
Check your intermediate shaft bearings, especially the small one by the oil pump. It looks strikingly similar to the piece that I found in the pan of my R/T after the shaft & pump went south.

Well i gave it a good visual but since i pulled the pump i'll have to time it anyway, so i can check that as well. Kevin said the same. Visually and by hand it feels fine but i guess that could be a possibility. More to come.

And just for reference, how in the world do you set the oil pump alignment with the distributor gear correctly?!!? The manual doesn't mention the alignment except that the pump distributor alignment needs to be horizontal with the block and that the gear should be lined up. But how do you do that? You just do?!

supercrackerbox

08-18-2010, 01:54 AM

And just for reference, how in the world do you set the oil pump alignment with the distributor gear correctly?!!? The manual doesn't mention the alignment except that the pump distributor alignment needs to be horizontal with the block and that the gear should be lined up. But how do you do that? You just do?!

Best I can tell, that's just a matter of getting the right teeth in the gears meshed together. I've never been able to get it quite right before running out of patience, so the distributor in my Charger is turned pretty far. Still runs though. :o

cordes

08-18-2010, 11:58 AM

Jk.

Well i gave it a good visual but since i pulled the pump i'll have to time it anyway, so i can check that as well. Kevin said the same. Visually and by hand it feels fine but i guess that could be a possibility. More to come.

And just for reference, how in the world do you set the oil pump alignment with the distributor gear correctly?!!? The manual doesn't mention the alignment except that the pump distributor alignment needs to be horizontal with the block and that the gear should be lined up. But how do you do that? You just do?!

Just set the timing by making the slot horizontal. That way it doesn't matter where the mark on the int. shaft is.

minigts

08-18-2010, 04:06 PM

Just set the timing by making the slot horizontal. That way it doesn't matter where the mark on the int. shaft is.

I thought about that. I may just do that and make my own mark. I couldn't ever get those two dots lined up anyways. I plan to pull the intermediate out and check the race tonight. Hopefully there is a bearing there, but if not no damage. I just haven't heard any noise in the motor other than the lifters at start up. I know that sounds bad, but I know a knock from a noisy lifter and after a second, the noise subsides and oil pressure stays good until it gets hot.

cordes

08-18-2010, 04:46 PM

I thought about that. I may just do that and make my own mark. I couldn't ever get those two dots lined up anyways. I plan to pull the intermediate out and check the race tonight. Hopefully there is a bearing there, but if not no damage. I just haven't heard any noise in the motor other than the lifters at start up. I know that sounds bad, but I know a knock from a noisy lifter and after a second, the noise subsides and oil pressure stays good until it gets hot.

I'll be pretty impressed if you're missing a chunk of the int. shaft bearing. That thing is taking it like a champ if it threw that out.

shelbymonster

08-18-2010, 07:00 PM

Just set the timing by making the slot horizontal. That way it doesn't matter where the mark on the int. shaft is.

thats how i do it :thumb:

cordes

08-18-2010, 11:05 PM

Here is a link to the post which talks about a bearing installer tool.

http://www.turbo-mopar.com/forums/showpost.php?p=186928&postcount=11

I found the bearing part numbers on Rockauto.com

CLEVITE / PERFECT CIRCLE Part # SH1326S
Aluminum (AL-3) (Size: Standard)

SEALED POWER Part # 1487M Auxiliary Shaft Bearing Set
SOHC Turbo engine

minigts

08-19-2010, 12:42 AM

Thanks Brian. Well it looks like the intermediate bearing was going out and JUST in the nick of time was the car torn down. Doesn't look like any wear was caused to the shaft, but I'm going to replace both races just to be on the safe side. It's funny, but once I loosened the timing belt, you could REALLY feel the play at the end of the shaft where it rest in the block.

I'll post up pics of what is left of the race, but it came out in layers if that gives you any idea.

But for other stuff, everything else seems ok. I plan to replace the oil pump while it's apart, replace the pan and pick up with the one that has the lower sump location, although it's the same depth pan I believe, if not shallower. I was going to put an LSD in the tranny, but I've talked to Cordes about doing a 555 hybrid of sorts and I think that's the way I'm going for strength. I'm also replacing the water pump and updating it to the newer style that was made for the Denso alternator bracket. Problem is, I have to get the LOOONG bolt that holds the pump on at the bottom. The one from my blue car was damaged beyond belief, so I guess I'll be at the parts yard this weekend. :(

I was going to replace the turbo lines (coolant and oil), but I can't get them off without either pulling the turbo or pulling the head and I don't have time to do either right now, so they'll just have to wait. I do have an oil leak on the oil supply side I need to get fixed, so that may encourage me to pull the head when I have a weekend to do it and no where to go. :p I know it's a good time to do it now, but I don't have the time to keep the car down for another week. And I know you guys pull heads and put them back on in a day and what not, but I'm anal about cleaning when things are broken down so it takes me twice as long to get something done. :D

Pics to come later of the carnage and current status of GLHS 937...

minigts

08-19-2010, 12:48 AM

...
SEALED POWER Part # 1487M Auxiliary Shaft Bearing Set
SOHC Turbo engine

Found this at Oreilly's.

cordes

08-19-2010, 12:50 AM

Glad to hear that you were able to locate the part Jon. :thumb:

135sohc

08-19-2010, 12:53 AM

There was a posting very recently where someone shared the durabond bearing p/n that worked for the I-shaft bearings. That they were made out of a round piece of stock and not a rolled strip like clevites or sealed power.

minigts

08-19-2010, 12:53 AM

Glad to hear that you were able to locate the part Jon. :thumb:

Man, thanks for doing the research, I owe you a block of cheese. :) Once I get this done, I should be ready to reassemble the car...hopefully. I think while I have it down, I'm going to go ahead and install that roller cam too. I'm tired of the lifters making so much intermittent noise on start up. :GRRRRR: I think I'll pull the head in a couple of months once the weather is cool and I can leisurely do it. :p

minigts

08-19-2010, 12:57 AM

This would be the thread:

http://www.turbo-mopar.com/forums/showpost.php?p=697087&postcount=41

But where do you get them? Online search doesn't yield a whole lot. I've posted in that thread for Simon to answer.

NM, I found this.

http://www.perfectengine.com/Durabond_PDG_26_Cam_Bearing_Set_p/dbb-pdg-26.htm

Turbo3Iroc

08-19-2010, 01:05 AM

The dealer carries them also.

minigts

08-19-2010, 01:12 AM

The dealer carries them also.

What kind of part numbers we lookin' at :)

Turbo3Iroc

08-19-2010, 01:24 AM

What kind of part numbers we lookin' at :)

Well isn't this your lucky day. I go up to my loft and the first box I pick up is labeled "small inter shaft bearing". I am assuming the part numbers are the same for early and CB's. The number on the box is 04105217. I don't have the large bearing number.

135sohc

08-19-2010, 01:25 AM

The dealer carries them also.

And I hope your sitting down when they quote you the prices.

What kind of part numbers we lookin' at :)

4448700-front msrp $61.00 :wow1:

4105217-rear msrp $32.00... This one also didnt show up the first time around, its probably discontined/NS1 or just a cranky search engine tonight.

cordes

08-19-2010, 01:30 AM

And I hope your sitting down when they quote you the prices.

4448700-front msrp $61.00 :wow1:

4105217-rear msrp $32.00... This one also didnt show up the first time around, its probably discontined/NS1 or just a cranky search engine tonight.

Wow. Those are expensive. I always try and check the dealer for stuff though, as they are either really high, or a little cheaper anything I think to check.

minigts

08-19-2010, 01:31 AM

Disadvantages to going with the one I quoted? Iffy, taking a risk, not exact specs?

Turbo3Iroc

08-19-2010, 01:32 AM

I think Clevetite makes them also.

cordes

08-19-2010, 01:33 AM

I haven't had problems with sealed power/federal mogul bearings before. I haven't read of any intermediate shaft bearing problems either.

Turbo3Iroc

08-19-2010, 01:36 AM

And I hope your sitting down when they quote you the prices.

4448700-front msrp $61.00 :wow1:

4105217-rear msrp $32.00... This one also didnt show up the first time around, its probably discontined/NS1 or just a cranky search engine tonight.

I built my motor 3 years ago with the Mopar bearings and I didn't remember them being that much but they weren't cheap by any means. The dealer I was using didn't give much of a discount either so I think they may be on their way to NS1.

minigts

08-19-2010, 01:37 AM

Well to be honest, these lasted 120K miles, so I may just get the stuff that is local and possibly buy a set for a future rebuild. I need to get a common block and build one up from scratch with some good pistons, rings, all new bearings, etc. I hate having to make stuff work to drive my car, but it always seems the easiest thing to do at the time.

135sohc

08-19-2010, 02:03 AM

I built my motor 3 years ago with the Mopar bearings and I didn't remember them being that much but they weren't cheap by any means. The dealer I was using didn't give much of a discount either so I think they may be on their way to NS1.

Jacking the price through the roof and then finally pulling the plug on it seems to be the norm for stuff thats going away, been there and felt the sticker shock more than once. Not to hi-jack the thread anymore but I'll also add this little tid-bit the local dealers parts guru told me, when a part is only stocked at the Milwaukee depot its on its final inventory drawdown and will become NS1 when inventory is depleted. Ask when ordering where its coming from and maybe think about ordering a 2nd one if thats the case.

Well to be honest, these lasted 120K miles, so I may just get the stuff that is local and possibly buy a set for a future rebuild. I need to get a common block and build one up from scratch with some good pistons, rings, all new bearings, etc. I hate having to make stuff work to drive my car, but it always seems the easiest thing to do at the time.

The $20 clevite/sealed power set that everyone sells is probably the same exact stuff chrysler used originally. Dont crank the timing belt tension down like a drum and they will last nearly forever. The 2.2 tbi in my DD Shadow will be rolling 250k in the next couple of days and until the most recent belt replacement I'd never even pulled the shaft out for a look-see inside. Bearings looked great and it went right back in.

cordes

08-19-2010, 02:12 AM

It is amazing how little tension the proper tool puts on the timing belt. I was pretty shocked the first time I used it.

Reeves

08-19-2010, 10:51 AM

minigts

08-24-2010, 01:11 AM

Subscribed! :thumb:

Jon,
What I do for belt alignment/pump alignment:

First, remove timing belt from sprockets.

2nd, I set TDC with a dial indicator. If your head is still on, then you can use the timing window in the transmission. USUALLY TDC is with the flywheel mark JUST AT the beginning of the window (before the actual "0" mark).

I then take a dremel with cutoff wheel installed and make a cut in the crank timing belt sprocket and a cut in the front crank seal retainer that line up with each other. I put these cuts in a way that you can see them very clearly from the top. Now you will always know where #1 TDC is at the crank.

Now, line up the factory dots on the intermediate shaft with the crank sprocket at TDC still. You can do this one of two ways. If you have the oil pump in already, then you can fiddle with pulling the intermediate shaft out just until the teeth don't engage with the pump any longer, and then make a tooth jump CW or CCW which ever way you need to, or you if you have the pump out, you can pull it down until the teeth no longer engage, and then turn the intermediate shaft CW or CCW. What you want is the dot on the crank sprocket lined up with the dot on the intermediate shaft sprocket and the slot in the oil pump parallel with the crank. You get the hang of this very quickly and it only takes 1 or 2 tries after you are a pro! :thumb:

Now with the dots lined up, and the oil pump slot parallel with crank, I whip out the dremel, and make a slot on the intermediate shaft sprocket, and a slot on the front crank seal retainer once again that line up with each other and are visible from the top.

If you don't run a timing cover on the bottom, you can now line up all your sh*t without ever having to jack up the car, take the wheel off, or even take the crank pulley off!!! :thumb:

Thanks Reeves, I may implement this when I go to time my car again if I remember to do so. :p

Well I got some work done on the motor. Turns out the bearing for the intermediate/auxiliary shaft were KINDA worn as you can see in the pictures below. Amazingly the shaft has almost no wear, well zero I can tell from the lack of good bearings in it. I also saw a lot of carbon build up in the pistons, but the wear on the cylinders looks pretty good. The head looks descent too, just stained. I'm sure if I dropped it in a tank and had it cleaned it look alright, but no real reason to at this time.

I also went ahead and pulled the head to swap out the turbo coolant and oil lines to the stainless steel ones I got a while back. The oil supply is definitely leaking as I found puddles of oil on top of the transmission case. All the times I saw the shiny stuff down there, I was washing the engine or it had rained and I never really noticed it being oil. :D All I can say is replacing the stainless steel lines is TEN times easier than trying to do anything with the factory ones. Those are a pain.

I also decided to go ahead and put in the roller cam and check the lifters to see which one was bad. I'll give you one guess from the picture below. I'll be inserting a roller cam, rockers and lifters along with an adjustable square tooth cam gear to correct the difference.

I pulled the radiator out and will take that to get it pressure tested and repaired as needed, I just hope it doesn't cost a lot. The transmission I plan to run by John's place in Millington (hope he doesn't read this before I call him!) to get the differential looked at and hopefully shimmed correctly so I can drop a spec'ed 525 back in with an LSD! WOOHOO. I'll take pics of that and post up later.

Anyways, more to come as I reassemble the car this week.

Aries_Turbo

08-24-2010, 08:23 AM

looks good. well looks good other than the fact that you are hell bent on using 525 trannies. :)

Brian

supercrackerbox

08-24-2010, 08:37 AM

I'd like more info on the tranny . . . I'm out of useable 555s. :lol:

minigts

08-24-2010, 11:18 AM

looks good. well looks good other than the fact that you are hell bent on using 525 trannies. :)

Brian

Don't worry, I'm working on a 555 hybrid, well my tranny guy is. *wink* Cordes *wink*

I'd like more info on the tranny . . . I'm out of useable 555s. :lol:

I picked up an LSD from Bill's place back in July after SDAC and would like to use it while I have the transmission out. I'll post up some pics later, but it came with a girdle as well, so hopefully that will be overkill. :)

supercrackerbox

08-24-2010, 11:32 AM

What's the final drive going to be?

cordes

08-24-2010, 11:33 AM

What's the final drive going to be?

Of his current trans or the one I'm making? His current trans is 3.56, and I'm trying to find a 520 3.50FD donor so we don't have to machine his ring gear from the 525.

86seeS

08-24-2010, 12:00 PM

looking good i think i might go with a rod shifted 520 out of a voyager 3.85 fg

cordes

08-24-2010, 12:03 PM

looking good i think i might go with a rod shifted 520 out of a voyager 3.85 fg

Make sure you do some calculations before you do. Check out the individual gear ratios in that trans which you will be multiplying by the high FD. Wow.

http://thedodgegarage.com/trans/trans_10.jpg

minigts

08-29-2010, 05:29 PM

Alright, I have been working on the car the past few months. I have gotten a few things done over the past few months, but didn't get a chance to document anything. I recently pulled the transmission to replace the clutch and that has turned into a full on overhaul of the engine. Pulled the pan to find the auxiliary shaft bearing in the pan. Once I found that, I replaced the bearing, seal, oil pan, oil pump, oil sump and crank seal while I had everything apart.

I also ended up pulling the head to replace the oil supply line to the turbo. When I pulled the transmission I found puddles of oil on the top, which kinda explains the oil leak. While the head was out, I went ahead and put in the roller cam, roller rockers, newER lifters and an adjustable square tooth cam gear. I'm contemplating installing the 3" exhaust kit I had on the blue car just so it's being used. That would involve pulling the swingvalve from the other car though, and I don't know if I'd be able to remove it now without having issues with the bolts (12 point).

The only thing I have left to do is finish installing the coolant and oil supply lines and then I can put the head on. The big deal (well I think so anyways) was the installation of the Phantom LSD and clean up of the transmission. John Roberts was nice enough to undertake the work and really clean it up. I guess I have a 3.86 gear (based on the tag) too, which doesn't make a whole lot of sense to me. The other 525 ran about 2900 RPM around 70 mph on the speedo. This one runs about 3-400 RPM less. Anyways, John took some pictures after he got done. I'll snap a few later of what I've done and what I have left. I think tomorrow I'll get the drivetrain finished and power clean the engine bay. There's tons of fluids all caked over the K frame, firewall and everywhere else. It's just a mess.

Here are the pics of the tranny finished.

cordes

08-29-2010, 05:54 PM

I'm not sure if it's just the pic or not, but that looks like it could be a 3.56FD ring gear. I guess I would need to look at it in person to be sure though.

minigts

08-29-2010, 06:05 PM

Well that is the ring gear from the one we got from Bill's place. John just pulled the LSD out and put it in the original GLHS.

cordes

08-30-2010, 10:48 AM

Well that is the ring gear from the one we got from Bill's place. John just pulled the LSD out and put it in the original GLHS.

You mean the ring gear on the shelby diff? I did that one even have a ring gear on it?

minigts

08-30-2010, 10:52 AM

Well the picture of the diff with the ring gear is the one from Bill's place. I have no idea what ring gear is on that one. John pulled out the spider gears and the LSD dealio from the one in the picture, pulled the diff out of the GLHS, pulled those spider gears out and swapped parts.

And to answer your question, the one from Bill's place did have a ring gear on it. What it is, I don't know. I can bring it this weekend if you'd like.

minigts

08-30-2010, 10:54 AM

Man I can't tell, but does the tag say 3.56 or 3.86? It looks like 3.86, but I thought that high of a gear was a 3.87? I can't tell...

cordes

08-30-2010, 11:05 AM

Man I can't tell, but does the tag say 3.56 or 3.86? It looks like 3.86, but I thought that high of a gear was a 3.87? I can't tell...

Looking at it again, that could easily be an 8 just as well as a 5. I may try and put together a tooth count to FD ID thread.

minigts

08-30-2010, 11:08 AM

Looking at it again, that could easily be an 8 just as well as a 5. I may try and put together a tooth count to FD ID thread.

Well did they make a 3.86 gear though? I always get that stuff confused, mainly because I don't mess with this stuff too often. You want me to bring the diff to the Cheese Festival?

cordes

08-30-2010, 11:49 AM

Well did they make a 3.86 gear though? I always get that stuff confused, mainly because I don't mess with this stuff too often. You want me to bring the diff to the Cheese Festival?

No, it should have been 3.87. You can bring it if you want.

minigts

09-19-2010, 10:10 PM

Well I thought I would post an update about the car, although not much has changed since the last post.

I updated the original post that had the good and the bad. Here is the updated list of the bad. Overall the only thing the car REALLY needs is a paint job. I do plan to do some bushing upgrades, but right now the car is driving great and handling great. I took it for a spin on the Tail Of The Dragon this weekend while I was in Pigeon Forge for a car show. THAT was quite a ride, let me tell ya. It was 11 miles of craziness, but all kinds of fun. Thankfully the slew of cars that had just gone before us dispersed all the cops, so the road was clear of any police. I was worried at the first 40 turns and almost panicked when the photographers were at the big corners, but about about half way in I was fine and had a blast. Had an issue or two with fuel starvation so I got gas in NC and we went back! Man what a rush.

I got a video of me driving and watching my friends car in front of me, but it's not the best and we weren't really getting on it like we were on the way TO NC. I'll post that up later. I'm also going to post some pictures of the car since I've gotten it kinda cleaned up and looking presentable again. Overall it looks great on the inside, just needs the paint. :)

Bad

Dent on the driver's door by the stripes, just saw it. :(
Damage on the driver’s fender and driver’s quarter, minor though
Bad CV shafts
Bad gaskets
Rust on the surface, although very repairable (most removed)
Bad headliner
Bad interior plastic parts
Bad carpet
Bad electrical wiring in the engine bay
Bad paint
Bad hatch struts
Wheels need refinishing bad
Bad sunroof weatherstrip
Torn weatherstrips all around the car
Missing door weather strip for the passenger's side
Missing door weather strip for the driver's side
Tail lights need to be repainted
All motor mounts need to be replaced
Window scrapers need to be replaced
Interior door skins need to be replaced
Steering wheel needs to be recovered
Shifter knob needs to be recovered
Driver’s seat is missing a bolt so it doesn’t sit correctly or recline correctly
A/C doesn’t work
Wiper bushings are bad
Wiper fluid tank is removed, but I have it
Making some popping sound from the driver’s side it sounds like, don’t know what it is
Missing all the decals
All the speakers are bad except for one. :p(correction, all work but the driver's side speaker)
Radio works, but no antenna and it’s crackily
Tach doesn’t work
Window crank bushings are gone
Driver’s door has issues opening from the inside
Seat belts are really worn (but I have the ones from my car that will go in their place
Missing driver’s front fascia skirt piece (I have an extra one)

minigts

09-19-2010, 11:14 PM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qm7ndfjC1iI"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qm7ndfjC1iI

Ok, this is the video. I KNOW it's not great, but it was all I could do. I didn't have an in car mount for the phone. It was the best I could one handed while staying in 3rd. You can hear my hose blow RIGHT at the end, which is why I turned off the video. :$

86seeS

09-20-2010, 02:22 AM

grab some v-band clamps of of ebay ive been running the same clamps for years now and not once blew a hose

blk86trbo

09-20-2010, 06:01 AM

Hey Jon neat vid! Heck you did a great job filming with one hand, looked like a fun route!

GLHS592

09-20-2010, 08:38 AM

Did that junky CD player work?

cordes

09-20-2010, 08:58 AM

That looks like a lot of fun.

minigts

09-20-2010, 04:15 PM

grab some v-band clamps of of ebay ive been running the same clamps for years now and not once blew a hose

I just may do that. I really need to get a pipe made and may get that done here shortly.

Hey Jon neat vid! Heck you did a great job filming with one hand, looked like a fun route!

Well we had just gotten done with the more treacherous part. I had to delete a little from the video due to the fact I kept turning the camera when I would turn the car. It was a blast though and I would do it again. The show I went to will be there again next year and I pla to make it to that one as well.

Did that junky CD player work?

Funny, it does work but the lcd wont light up. I'm going to put a ground strap on the back and see if t works then. I haven't tried any cds. I'm going to blow it clean of any dirt and debris before i try one though.

That looks like a lot of fun.

Brian you have no idea. If you thought the hills of Kentucky were bad, this would put you in a coma. I'm not lying. I had neck pains all weekend from being tense while driving. All I can say is, racing seats are required for that run, bar none.

moparman76_69

09-20-2010, 05:29 PM

I'm jealous, I wanted to go down the snake and tail of the dragon while I was down there but figured doing so in a 98 cutlass with 125000 mile suspension wasn't a good idea.

minigts

09-28-2010, 05:19 PM

Well I haven't gotten much done lately, but I thought I would post up the front end shots. I corrected an issue with the front cap being kinda mis-shapen and missing the driver's side fender front skirt piece. Looks 10 times better with all the correct parts for it.

And I'm seriously thinking of going flat black with this car, all the way. I know it's risky but man I think it will look killer, almost like a sleeper.

Here is what it looked like before.

http://minigts.com/GLHS937/New%20Folder/Picture%20205.jpg

In this image you can kinda see how the front middle of the clip is pointed up. For some reason it was bowed up like something was behind it pushing it out of shape. There wasn't anything there, so I used some screws to secure it to the rebar and then the front chin spoiler covered the screws. The front sits much more flush as it should now.

I also flared out the fenders to push the edges to the outside of the tires. Supposedly this creates a low pressure area around the wheel and supposed to be good for cooling the brakes or something. Personally, I just think it looks tons better. :D

http://minigts.com/GLHS937/New%20Folder/Picture%20251.jpg

The driver's side piece was one I got from Gary (thanks Gary!). I had to sand it down, remove the pin stripe, prime it and then used a low luster clear over the black primer. it gave it that distressed look...you know like the rest of the car? :) Turned out great. The primer dried almost instantaneously and I cleared it within 5 minutes of that. Had the thing on the car, sanded, primed and painted in about an hour or less. Macco couldn't do a better faster job! :p

cordes

09-28-2010, 05:27 PM

It looks good Jon. I think that flat black would be great. I really like how Clay's Omni looks in flat black.

minigts

09-28-2010, 05:30 PM

Can you imagine how much better this car would look ONE uniform color?! I'm not sure it will happen in my lifetime!

cordes

09-28-2010, 05:45 PM

Can you imagine how much better this car would look ONE uniform color?! I'm not sure it will happen in my lifetime!

Better than the color change I have going with most of my cars. Eventually most of them will be rust no.9.

Turbo224

09-28-2010, 06:24 PM

I vote for satin black. That's always been what I wanted to paint my GLHS.

1FastCSX289

09-28-2010, 06:34 PM

I vote for satin black. That's always been what I wanted to paint my GLHS.

Me too.....not sure I am a fan of the flat black. But who am I? :thumb: Looking good, though Jon......nice progress, vids, etc.

Aries_Turbo

09-28-2010, 06:40 PM

id go for a high quality satin black deal with all the original decals and strobe stripes. that would look killer.

gloss black decals over a satin black body would be cool too.

Brian

86Shelby

09-28-2010, 06:52 PM

id go for a high quality satin black deal with all the original decals and strobe stripes. that would look killer.

gloss black decals over a satin black body would be cool too.

Brian

Watch out with the decals. I had a few from P.I. and some OEM which would work excellent on a gloss black car but not satin/flat. The decals were gloss black and silver. May want to look into just silver or all gloss black like Brian suggested. And yes, satin with gloss decals would be very killer.:thumb:

86seeS

09-28-2010, 08:11 PM

im with them satin it up

Chad T

09-28-2010, 08:58 PM

And I'm seriously thinking of going flat black with this car, all the way. I know it's risky but man I think it will look killer, almost like a sleeper.

Sounds like you've got some good ideas going. If it turns out half as good as your other charger it will be great! I would vote for clearing over it as-is to seal in the patina if you want the under-restored/rat rod look. cool project.:thumb:

minigts

09-30-2010, 01:07 PM

Well since I am one of the worlds worst for taking before and after, I must use my previous picture of the interior to show basically what my recently painted cowl looked like before I painted it.

http://minigts.com/GLHS937/New%20Folder/Picture%20228.jpg

I am sorta kicking myself for clearing it and am strongly considering sanding it back down and just applying the vinyl paint to take the sheen off.

Here are some after I primed it and then painted and cleared it. Turned out really good I think even for the fact it will more than likely blind me while driving if the sun reflects just right. :D

I sanded it super down to remove all the rust, went through about 5 sheets of 220 to do so. I cleaned it off and then used some self-etching primer to hopefully do a good job to seal it down. Let that sit overnight and then came back this morning with some 400 and smoothed the surface the best I could without removing too much of the primer. Got it to a baby's bottom. p

Then the prep came. Since I don't have the means to paint as I should in a booth or very controlled environment, I decided to sweep the garage floor, then shop vac it, then lay down some canvas tarps, wet that down, wet the surrounding area, take the bench, wet that down and then mist the air to catch any particles floating around. Got my SEM Graphite colored paint, misted on about 4 coats, let those dry and then laid down two good coats with about 5 minutes in between. Man I should have taken a picture of it then because it looked brand new and just like it was in my other car, but FLARE got the best of me so I cleared it. It doesn't look bad, but I think it looks better with the eggshell-to-satin finish. Oh well I'll drive with it like this for a bit to see how much I hate it or like it.

minigts

09-30-2010, 01:17 PM

Me too.....not sure I am a fan of the flat black. But who am I? :thumb: Looking good, though Jon......nice progress, vids, etc.

Thanks Sean. I think I will go with a black that has no shine or flat. I've seen cars painted with a two stage flat/satin finish so it would look cool I think.

id go for a high quality satin black deal with all the original decals and strobe stripes. that would look killer.

gloss black decals over a satin black body would be cool too.

Brian

The decals will go back on, but not the stripes down the side initially. There may be a chance I'll add A stripe or something, but I'd have to think about it or do some Photoshopping to see how it looks.

Watch out with the decals. I had a few from P.I. and some OEM which would work excellent on a gloss black car but not satin/flat. The decals were gloss black and silver. May want to look into just silver or all gloss black like Brian suggested. And yes, satin with gloss decals would be very killer.:thumb:

Maybe I can get some decals that match the paint? They definitely won't be sliver. I could paint the decals on too, that's always an idea.

im with them satin it up

:thumb:

Sounds like you've got some good ideas going. If it turns out half as good as your other charger it will be great! I would vote for clearing over it as-is to seal in the patina if you want the under-restored/rat rod look. cool project.:thumb:

Thanks Chad. I thought about leaving my car as a true sleeper, but I'm vain and need uniformity. Maybe I'm just anal retentive. :) Oh wait, I better watch what I say around the guys from the NY area... ;)

cordes

09-30-2010, 05:08 PM

Is that a graphite color on there, or just the camera?

minigts

09-30-2010, 11:02 PM

That is the color. :) I can post the color code and brand if needed.

cordes

09-30-2010, 11:41 PM

That is the color. :) I can post the color code and brand if needed.

Are you going to do the car that color? That would look very nice.

86seeS

10-01-2010, 12:07 PM

color looks awesome man

blk86trbo

10-01-2010, 12:19 PM

Agreed, the color looks great :hail:

Reaper1

10-03-2010, 02:06 AM

Car is coming along! Nice project!

minigts

10-03-2010, 09:36 AM

Are you going to do the car that color? That would look very nice.

color looks awesome man

Agreed, the color looks great :hail:

Well I don't think I will paint the entire car Graphite if that id what you guys are saying. That would be too much of one color with the interior basically that color too. I think i'll go with the flat look and do some decals, not sure which color.

Car is coming along! Nice project!

Thanks Reaper. Glad to see you around again!

Reaper1

10-03-2010, 12:53 PM

I'm here and there. School, work, and life are kicking my @ss right now, but this is a nice escape! LOL :thumb:

minigts

10-05-2010, 12:31 AM

Alright, didn't do anything monumental recently, but I did get a chance to swap out the tail lights for some cleaner ones that have better paint. I do plan to repaint the original ones just because I can, but these are in pretty good shape. One was from Bill's place I got while I was in Detroit just after SDAC.

I also had a question from Badger about flaring the fenders out, so I thought I would take a couple of pictures to show where I re-drilled the mounting hole for the bracket.

And the car was pretty dirty but free of rust. I sprayed some simple green and went on my way. This car seriously needs a paint job and it will come soon enough.

Badger

10-05-2010, 12:39 AM

thanks for the pics Jon!

minigts

10-05-2010, 12:43 AM

thanks for the pics Jon!

Yeah sorry it couldn't be better, but I'd have to jack the car up just to get a descent shot and that would have to be during the daytime. You can see the place where I drilled and mounted the one end of the support bracket. You really just have to pull the fender until it seems uniform on both sides. I'm sure you could measure it, but given the challenges an imperfect asymmetric car, it's just as close if you eye it. :) I think I got it pretty close, but my car needs an alignment so we'll see. :D

86seeS

10-05-2010, 12:46 AM

i got a set from bills also along with two truck and trailer loads of other stuff you name it bill had it need anything let me know

Badger

10-05-2010, 02:18 AM

ummm.....who's this,bill guy?

minigts

10-05-2010, 02:33 AM

Man I had a whole bunch of stuff written, but my browser crashed! In short, he was one of the more well known folks involved with our cars and cars in general. I didn't know him like some of the others on the board, but very energetic, friendly, knowledgeable and one of the first people to be there to help or lend a part if you needed it. He passed away earlier this year and it was a big loss for our community.

The car in Wes' picture above is one of the vehicles in his collection. You should read up on that thread. :thumb:

minigts

10-06-2010, 04:47 PM

Well I had a problem with my steering when I went to the Tail of the Dragon a couple of weeks ago, so I decided to check on the rack position just in case something was wrong. Seemed all the bolts were tight except the one that had broken off. :( I can't fix that right now, but it looks like I will be pulling the K member to correct this....and if I pull it, I'm getting new bushings....and if I put in new bushings, I'm going to powdercoat it....and the control arms. So looks like the next upgrade will be suspension again. :) When it's all said and done, the entire front end of this car will have been upgraded or replacement items for all serviceable parts, minus the brake lines.

Here are a couple of pictures I took under the car. Notice the lack of RUST and with a handy dandy rag, the lack of oil. :) Since I got all the leaks fixed, it's really clean under there.

Badger

10-07-2010, 01:09 AM

very interesting thread!

cordes

10-07-2010, 09:22 PM

135sohc

10-07-2010, 11:56 PM

I thought all L bodies came pre rusted from the factory...?

BadAssPerformance

10-07-2010, 11:59 PM

Well I don't think I will paint the entire car Graphite if that id what you guys are saying. That would be too much of one color with the interior basically that color too. I think i'll go with the flat look and do some decals, not sure which color.

See if you can make a Graphite "S" before Ken? LOL ;)

minigts

10-08-2010, 09:48 AM

See if you can make a Graphite "S" before Ken? LOL ;)

With the time table that Ken works by, that shouldn't be a problem. :D

minigts

10-08-2010, 06:24 PM

WOOHOO!!! I found a place locally that is going to ceramic coat my swingvalve for me! I took a grinder to it and made room so I can run the stock 13mm bolts and ensured the socket would fit. Looks almost like the new ones TU made, just used a Dremmel to cut a trough and made it as smooth as I could.

Not sure if it will be done tomorrow, but I'm dropping it off and hopefully will have it by next week. At which time I will be removing the 2.25" exhaust and installing the 3" one. :) I may see if I can find a 3" polished or chrome pipe to put on the exhaust now that I have it off the car. Most shops won't work on it ON the car without a cat, but if I just bring it in, I don't think that is an issue. Pics of the stuff to come later before and after. :)

cordes

10-08-2010, 06:26 PM

That's great Jon. I bet you'll need a pumping efficiency change after this mod. :clap:

minigts

10-08-2010, 06:27 PM

Well the good thing is I'll have a wideband to let me know what is going on so I can make changes, as they will most certainly be needed.

BadAssPerformance

10-08-2010, 06:43 PM

With the time table that Ken works by, that shouldn't be a problem. :D

LOL! ;)

BTW... Jet-Hot is not too far from you IIR?

minigts

10-08-2010, 06:46 PM

Hmm, don't know about Jet Hot. This is a company in Memphis that does coatings. They don't do car stuff or personal work, but the guy was really cool and saw my car and said, "Is that a Charger?" The simple fact he called it a Charger and not a Daytona or Gazer, ER I mean Laser had me more than impressed. This is the only thing I'm going to ask him to do.

BadAssPerformance

10-08-2010, 06:48 PM

LOL... I bet he said that too: "I ain't coatin' no *spit chaw* Daytona parts"

86seeS

10-08-2010, 10:38 PM

90% of the people that see my charger think its a fox body stang so i tell them it has a 2.3 n/a in it.... i hate rednecks lol

minigts

10-11-2010, 09:41 PM

LOL... I bet he said that too: "I ain't coatin' no *spit chaw* Daytona parts"

Tell me about it. Those damn Daytonas. ;) Actually the guy was from CT and relocated down here. I figured he got suckered by a girl, 'cause no one voluntarily comes to the Memphis area. :D

90% of the people that see my charger think its a fox body stang so i tell them it has a 2.3 n/a in it.... i hate rednecks lol

I had someone call my car a VW and I just about jumped over the hood of the car to knock the crap out of the guy. hehe Just kidding, I would never risk damaging the paint like that. :D

Well I did a few other things today. I tell ya, one thing leads to another on this car, although I did refrain from doing more than I could have at the time. The rear hatch has seemed to be out of alignment so I tried the other day to shift the hatch back some. Well it doesn't have much room in the way of adjustments so I tried unbolting the supports that mount to the car. THAT didn't seem to allow for much, so I was like, "hey why not just pull the hatch OFF?" Yeah, no. I have zero clue how you would do that correctly with just one person. Didn't damage anything, but in the future I plan to remove the glass FIRST and then do the rest.

After I got everything dismantled, I did remove the glass and put in the tinted one I got from Bill's place. The rubber was excellent, no cracks or wear and a good deal better than the rubber for the factory glass. Before putting the glass in though I did re-attach the hatch and get it lined up. Man it was WAY out and I want to say it was like that from the factory. At first I was like, I can't believe that!....but then I remembered I have a mid 80s Chrysler, so... ;) But it is not aligned and looks better to have a symmetric gap all the way across the rear. I'll post some photos tomorrow.

I ALSO put in some new weatherstrip around the hatch, the part that fits over the seam. Back after SDAC, Cordes and I went to a junk yard and I saw this Windstar or some Ford minivan with the rear hatch open. Just looking at it, it seemed like the weatherstrip was the same size as my hatch. Cordes shakes his head in disbelief that I would even think about buying it, but since I like to take risk like getting married twice, I decided what the heck! Interestingly enough, I only cut out 1.25-1.5" of the stuff I bought! It was almost exactly the right size and it fits just the same. I think the seam on the Ford minivans is a little thicker, so I had to use some pliers to squeeze the metal in the weatherstip back down. Fits great and for anyone looking to replace it, just go look for the Ford minivans in the yards. It was probably a 2000 or newer. Again, pics to come tomorrow.

cordes

10-12-2010, 05:49 PM

Note that I only shook my head because they were asking real money for old weatherstripping. We could have picked that up for a couple bucks down here.

86seeS

10-13-2010, 12:28 AM

great tip on the seal! should have asked i got a few NOS hatch seals from bills. im going to the yards tomarrow and seeking out some ford vans!!!!

minigts

08-14-2011, 01:23 AM

OOOH K.....I've actually been doing some stuff to the car since the last post, almost a year ago! There has been a lot going on, but just in the last 3 months has anything been done to the car.

Just before SDAC I was able to get some parts installed on the car, primarily the dual pivot K frame that Rich Bryant made. Bought new Poly Bushings for the control arms and also installed some new ball joints as well. So the only thing I have left to replace for the front suspension is the rack. Everything else is new within the last year. I also decided to drop a new motor in the car, given it had about 130K miles. Got a great deal from John Roberts, .20 over pistons in a reconditioned block that had either a few hundred or few thousand miles, but I think it was only a few hundred. Pistons were still spotless and the cross hatches in the bores was very visible. So the head off the blue car got rebuilt with new guides, retainers and the valves re-cut/checked. During the motor replacement, I went ahead and put the 3" exhaust on the car with a Xylar coated swingvalve and it's holding up nicely. Also replaced the front motor mount and cleaned up the usual. I had about a week to get everything done, so worked until about midnight up until Thursday night before SDAC to get everything going. Needless to say, there were a few things here and there that weren't completed before I left, but it wasn't because I didn't have time, just forgot.

Drove the car on Friday up through Illinois to Tuscola to say hello to Cordes and Joy and have lunch, but found out that I apparently didn't tighten a few things. Forgot to tighten the bolt for the alternator, the lower IC hose at the IC, (found out later the lower IC at the turbo as well!) and it seems there was something else that Cordes found. Overall, it's amazing I made it up there without any problems. Once I got to SDAC, we tried to tune the car, but that revealed MORE problems with a loose injector wire, MISSING button under the distributor cap and eventually a loose wire for the AIS. We also tried to adjust the wastegate actuator with beer can tabs and that actually did a good job. :) Getting about 16 psi without the vacuum line connected. Overall we were able to get a descent tune on the car, but still needs some work, which should happen at the cheese festival. The head is a G head and the guys who were helping me, Kevin (DodgeZ) and Frank (.....well Frank), spent a lot of time on the cal, but there were MANY issues preventing the car from running right.

And just before SDAC I thought I would get the valve cover done so at least there would be one thing on the car that looked nice and new, but the company I took it to get it done wouldn't be able to have it finished before the show. Fast forward to this week, I got the valve cover back and it looks AWESOME! Spent about 2 hours today sanding the ribs and the Shelby on the front to bare metal.

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Also sent my steering wheel off Friday to get it re-wrapped and hopefully finished on the spokes, too. If it ends up looking anything like what the guy has on his website, it should be pretty awesome. I'll have that and the valve cover done before the car show at the cheese festival and if everything works out, Cordes and I will have painted the car by that Saturday. Main thing that will leave is to do the engine bay on the car and possibly refinishing the rear interior sails, new carpet in the rear and probably new door skins in the next few months. I'm pretty excited because I have aspirations for this car and it's starting to come fruition.

I'll be sure to document the painting of the car once we start in a few weeks.

blk86trbo

08-14-2011, 10:07 AM

Sounds like it's coming along nicely Jon! I didn't realize you had that K frame...I'm gonna make sure to check that out at the cheese fest

minigts

08-14-2011, 06:56 PM

You know, I need to get some pictures up of what I did, but for sure in person it's cool to see too. :) Actually, I'm going to post some pictures of some other things I've done recently that I forgot to mention.

minigts

08-14-2011, 09:54 PM

Hard to see this while it's on the car, but it's got the Xylar coating on it. So far so good, no chips or cracking or anything else. I was worried it wouldn't stand up to the temps, but it seems to be ok.

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I also re-did my vacuum lines and cleaned them up and cleaned the ends on the connectors for the solenoids. It's amazing what cleaning up something will do. :)

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Got the lower coolant hose installed, thanks Omni-potent! I have the upper, but wanted to make sure I have a spring clamp, WHICH I got from the parts yard the other day. :)

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These are the best pictures of the K frame I could get. The first one is my favorite, the 525 mount bracket that Rich did for me. :) Thanks Rich!

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These are pictures of the stock hood and another one I have that I plan to use for the GLHS. They cut out the drain pan to make room for the intake, but did a horrible job cutting it. Unless someone else did this after the car was modded at Shelby, this is such typical work done back in the 80s. I spent a little extra time cutting out the drain pan to make it cleaner. Hopefully I'll be able to use this hood when we paint the car in a few weeks.

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I also got a chance to install the mounting bracket for my fuse box. Slowe made this for me in a weekend. Looks awesome!

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And last is the alternator bracket adjuster that one of the guys on here posted about. It works great and makes it very easy to tighten or loosen the alternator. I don't like working on the car, but this, I hope, will make it easier to work on the car when removing the alternator.

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Fishcleaner was the guy who posted this and the thread is here, http://www.turbo-mopar.com/forums/showthread.php?59690-Easy-alternator-adjuster&highlight=

Post number 6 has the parts.

omni_840

08-14-2011, 10:50 PM

Everything looks awesome!

Aries_Turbo

08-14-2011, 11:05 PM

525 mount

lame.

just kidding. :) everything looks great!

Brian

minigts

08-15-2011, 12:09 AM

Everything looks awesome!

Thanks. Still have work to do, but it's coming along. :)

lame.

Unnecessary blank space....

just kidding. :) everything looks great!

Brian

Yeah SURE! You've always been a hater of the 525! :D Oh and as soon as I get the wideband up and running, I'll be posting pictures of that too.

shelbymonster

08-16-2011, 09:46 AM

looking great !!! nice clean project you have

cordes

08-16-2011, 11:45 AM

I really love how that VC looks. I need to find a Shelby one for the Daytona.

minigts

08-16-2011, 12:49 PM

Alright, well I didn't remember taking the pictures but I found some of when I was pulling the car apart for SDAC. There aren't many, but might as well document this as best I can. These first are the block that came out of it. It wasn't in too bad of condition, but there was something going on with the head gasket as you can see the oxidation around 2 and 3. The last one is a picture of the hanger that was holding up the rack because the K frame was pulled as well. :)

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There there was the K frame. I swore it was the wrong size and that it wasn't going to fit by looking at it, so I had to get a tape measure to be sure. It wouldn't have been the first time I pulled something apart to find the parts wouldn't fit. BUT, I was wrong and it did fit, perfectly. I was very happy about that whole swap, not to mention it made pulling the motor easier.

Then there was the parts I just had to remove for the swap, the 3" exhaust from the blue car and then the rebuilt head.....from the blue car. It's almost just a shell now. :( Need to get on it and ship it up north to start working on it.

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And then there is this piece my ex-father-in-law made for me. I didn't want to damage the oil pan I have on it, but still needed to be able to lift it while setting the motor mount and aligning the transmission.

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And well I forgot about this one. haha I have washed this car I don't know how many times, but ONLY until when I was removing the pin stripes off the side did I see that this sticker is supposed to be grey! It's always been black since I owned the car. :) A little acetone removed the soot, so I left the sticker on.

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minigts

08-16-2011, 12:54 PM

looking great !!! nice clean project you have

Thanks, I hope to continue to make progress on it through the rest of the year. Looking good so far!

I really love how that VC looks. I need to find a Shelby one for the Daytona.

Yeah I love the Shelby on it. Turbo is ok, but italic font and the fact the car is a Shelby makes it extra special. :)

minigts

08-16-2011, 08:30 PM

Well I don't know what I've done, but I took one of my hoods to the shop and it's going to get powder coated flat black. :) I was going to do just the one side, but after talking to the guy, he said worst case I could just sand it down and paint over it. Regardless, it's there and will be ready by next week. VERY excited!

shelbymonster

08-17-2011, 08:16 AM

nice , anyway you can paint over powder coat , get some pics when done !

contraption22

08-17-2011, 11:55 AM

Interesting. Never really thought of powdercoating sheet metal... but why not?

minigts

08-17-2011, 01:21 PM

Interesting. Never really thought of powdercoating sheet metal... but why not?

Trust me, if it made sense and I had the time and money, I'd do the whole car that way. Well maybe not. I think in the end I'd only do that for my blue car, which will be for fun and not a daily driver. :)_

minigts

08-21-2011, 05:25 PM

Got the paint picked out, I hope it is going to work and look good. :) Going with a flat black, no clear, but this is not a 2 stage paint so I won't need a clear on top. I asked about the UV protection and so forth.

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Also got the new wideband installed. I still have some changes and tweaks to make, but I got it working and am receiving data. There are some configurations I need to make so it translates the voltage for boost into readable values, but I'm still learning how it works. Offers data logging on the device via an SD card, so I can just plug it in and then take it over to my car. Very excited about using it and getting it working fully. :)

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Aries_Turbo

08-21-2011, 05:54 PM

nice job jon. was the center pin the correct one on the map?

Brian

minigts

08-21-2011, 06:57 PM

nice job jon. was the center pin the correct one on the map?

Brian

Honestly, after you mentioned the site, I went there and got the pinout. :thumb: It's sort of resetting every 8 seconds though, so not sure what's going on. It didn't do that before I hooked up the actual sensor, so I'm going to see if there is something going on or a fix on their site.

glhs0426

08-21-2011, 08:04 PM

Glad to see the shortblock getting some use. Your car has to be one of the cleanest rat traps I've seen in a long time. A fresh flat black will put it over the top.

minigts

08-21-2011, 08:08 PM

Glad to see the shortblock getting some use. Your car has to be one of the cleanest rat traps I've seen in a long time. A fresh flat black will put it over the top.

Heh, it's working pretty good. :) Yeah the paint will give it a uniform look, even if it's not perfect. It'll kill me that it won't be perfect, but I'll just need to deal with it. ;)

cordes

08-21-2011, 11:21 PM

Heh, it's working pretty good. :) Yeah the paint will give it a uniform look, even if it's not perfect. It'll kill me that it won't be perfect, but I'll just need to deal with it. ;)

Quoted for posterity. I am banking on a lot of late nights next week. I have full confidence that it will look good when we are done though. If we can get enough ballots going at the show we may be able to get you two trophies at Cheese n' Wheels 11.

supercrackerbox

08-22-2011, 12:51 AM

Heh, it's working pretty good. :) Yeah the paint will give it a uniform look, even if it's not perfect. It'll kill me that it won't be perfect, but I'll just need to deal with it. ;)

Good. If all goes well, then #103 can be the roughest looking '87 GLHS at the next SDAC.

minigts

08-26-2011, 09:31 PM

Good. If all goes well, then #103 can be the roughest looking '87 GLHS at the next SDAC.

I don't know how to take that backhanded compliment. :D Just kidding, I know what you mean.

Went to get the hood from the powdercoater and it turned out great! There were more imperfections than I saw, but overall it looks really good!! The main purpose was to do under the hood, but the cost was about the same and it didn't make sense to have him try and mask off the top. Besides, sorta primed and sealed it for me. I don't need to paint it, but I plan to scuff and lay a coat on it so the job is even.

Here are some pictures. Overall it did ok and I didn't do too bad putting the hood back on by myself. Heck I think it looks good just because it's a uniform well laid on color. I could have gone with some ugly color I didn't like and it still would look better than what I had before. :)

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supercrackerbox

08-27-2011, 06:08 AM

I don't know how to take that backhanded compliment. :D Just kidding, I know what you mean.

Yeah, I couldn't figure out how to word that any better . . .

blk86trbo

08-27-2011, 10:05 AM

That hood looks nice...sounds like you and Brian are going to be pulling some all nighters in preparation for the car show :thumb:

minigts

08-27-2011, 12:00 PM

Yeah, I couldn't figure out how to word that any better . . .

hehe, no problem Adam.

That hood looks nice...sounds like you and Brian are going to be pulling some all nighters in preparation for the car show :thumb:

Yeah, unfortunately I think we are going to sand down the hood and paint it on the top, so you won't get to see this one up close. But the car will be ready for the show, that's for sure.

minigts

08-29-2011, 05:59 PM

Here is what has happened so far. Got the car to Tuscola where Brian and I will be working on the car. As you can see, Brian has done QUITE a bit of work on it so far. :) And the one picture of the head light bar; you can't see it, but the fiberglass is broken, so I may have to do some fiberglass work as well!!! Not too happy about that, but might as well fix it while I have the front clip removed. I'm pseudo working today, but I did help out and was dismantling, but Brian did a fair bit of work, removing the front clip, side skirts, helped me remove the hood, took out the windows, mirrors, window scrapers and a bunch of other things. I worked on removing the tail lights, front rebar, rear skirts, interior sails, other interior pieces and did work to pull out two major dents in the car.

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Here is where I had a dent in the front. I don't know how this got made, but it was in THE worst spot. I had to do some more damage to get it looking descent, but it came out ok. I was happy with how it looks, overall. Going to need some bondo though. :$

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This is the other one that was equally as bad. Again, hitting a crease on a car is a work of art to do and probably one of the worst things to have to repair. I am not a body man, but this came out ok. I still need to actually apply mud to it and see how much work I have cut out for me.

Before:

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After:

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Reeves

08-29-2011, 06:12 PM

minigts

08-29-2011, 06:27 PM

Looks like you guys are working on it a lot and fast!

Shoot me a PM with any Zeitronix questions if you still have any.

Also, the 8 seconds reset you talk about.....you have it hooked to the MAP sensor? You maybe seeing the baro reading.

You know, I'll confirm but I went by what I had coming out of the LM plugs going to the MAP sensor itself. I have an 87 computer that uses the three wires coming off there to go to the MAP sensor and I think I did that right. I also found out that my system is not regulating voltage, so I was getting 16V running the car at night with the system running. I don't know if that would cause issues, but I'm not going to test that thing until I confirm that the voltage regulator in the alternator is working as intended.

And I wasn't sure if we were making progress or not. :) I hope we are, but we still have a lot to go. Plan is to start working on the car tonight until Brian gets off work, then he and I will continue to do more work into the WEEE hours of the morning, then rinse and repeat tomorrow. More to come!

Reeves

08-29-2011, 07:52 PM

glhs0426

08-29-2011, 08:41 PM

Jon it's a shame your yarding the thing. You just got it half way squared up. Anyway, I'll take the wheels and valve cover. What was the price?;)

minigts

08-29-2011, 09:56 PM

When the baro sensor opens, it lets the MAP sensor see atmosphere for a split second, then goes back closed again. Kind of like going close loop, open loop for a second, then back to close loop. Usually does this at idle quite a bit. Not sure if it's every 8 seconds or not...that kind of seems too much. But when this happens, you'll see normal vacuum on your log, then 0 for a second, then back to normal vacuum again.

Also, unless you have something other than stock, your voltage regulator is in your power module. Not your alternator itself.

THAT'S not good. That explains a lot of things. I've gone through a few coils and now I'm getting 14-16v, although not all the time. Ugh, guess I'll look for a power module. I thought the VR was in the alternators? I'll trust you on this though.

Jon it's a shame your yarding the thing. You just got it half way squared up. Anyway, I'll take the wheels and valve cover. What was the price?;)

LOL Yeah right! I'm so close now to getting the car one color. I care about doing a good job, but honestly I'm more interested in getting it one color. But there's NO WAY I'm stopping now!

Spent some time tonight sanding down the passenger side. Got most of it done, but still got some areas at the bottom that need to be smoothed out. Still got the rear sails, rear hatch, roof, hood, driver's side, front clip and ground effects to sand. It's a lot and sounds like a lot, but lot of small pieces that I should be able to get done tomorrow and start priming. If it turns out there are too many little nicks in the paint, I may just do a good sanding with some 220 and start the priming process.

Also spoke to the guy about the steering wheel, unfortunately it won't be done until Friday, so it won't be available for the car show this weekend. VERY disappointed. The guy's had the thing for 2 weeks and I'm just now hearing from him after sending about 3 emails since he's received it. Said it would be a week turnaround when he received it. Not upset that he could have other work to do, just upset because he's received multiple emails about it and calls me weeks after. :(

Aries_Turbo

08-29-2011, 10:21 PM

the vr is a combination of the LM and PM.

the two small wires to the alternator connect to the PM and 12V are the field coil circuit.

http://minimopar.knizefamily.net/ecu/alt_field_coil.html

Brian

Reaper1

08-29-2011, 11:03 PM

Wow...body lines that match on an L-body! That's RARE!! LOL :thumb:

Reeves

08-29-2011, 11:26 PM

Wow...body lines that match on an L-body! That's RARE!! LOL :thumb:

Yeah, now everyone will know it's not stock!

minigts

08-29-2011, 11:48 PM

Is there any way to fix a power module? This is going to be a problem going forward. I can't imagine this will not be the last power module that will fail. What years can I pull from, up to 87?

supercrackerbox

08-30-2011, 03:32 AM

Any '85-'87 turbo car. I always pull them when I find them in yards to have as spares. Need one?

minigts

08-30-2011, 09:35 AM

Any '85-'87 turbo car. I always pull them when I find them in yards to have as spares. Need one?

Man I may take you up on one. Brian has a few laying around we will test, but like you I like to have spares as well. I'll give you a shout after this weekend.

supercrackerbox

08-30-2011, 01:15 PM

K, let me know. I know I've got at least one or two good ones, and I'll test it before I ship it.

minigts

09-01-2011, 02:14 AM

Well I'm about a day behind on pictures, but I think we're making good progress. I had a setback today, as I had real life work I had to do until about 3pm. Sucks because I thought today Brian and I would be able to do some damage to this whole thing, but I was wrong.

I don't have pictures of the work Brian did (a day behind on taking pictures of what was done today), but he was able to get all the ground effects done, the air filter installed and some other things. I was able to get the hood sanded down, did some work on the bondo I had to apply and sanded the window trim pieces.

Pics here are from the other day when I started masking things off. I would write more, but I'm tired and I can imagine no one wants to read anything from me at this point. But the good thing like I mentioned earlier, I think we're doing well. Brian did track down a guy who supplies black primer, so I'm super glad about that. OH, and the steering wheel will be here tomorrow (Friday). The guy called me today and said it was done, so I asked if he could ship it so it will arrive by the weekend and he obliged, although I'm probably going to pay for it in shipping cost! :p

I also took a few pics of the little blue Omni. This car has some great potential, hardly any real rust on it. I've offered to come back up another week or weekend(s) to help Brian pull this thing apart and do what we're doing now, only down to the frame. I'd like to see this thing cleaned up!

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I'm seriously kicking myself for not having cleaned these earlier. These are the sails and the stickers on them. I have washed this car I don't know how many times, but acetone revealed the true identity! They were in really good shape, I hated to sand them down. Once they were sanded, there was some ghosting left, which I'll leave for effect. One day I'll get the stickers and put them back on.

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Shots of the sanding work. This was by no means all of it. The car is almost down to the primer in a lot of places and bare metal in others.

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These are a few of what I had masked off at the time.

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Miscellaneous pics of parts sanded and the hood. The last time it will be seen with a powder coated top. :(

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This is the one I took of Brian to test my camera after having left it outside the night before......in the rain. Yes, I did. Forgot where I put it and just assumed I left it in the garage. Thankfully it didn't get too wet. Took the battery out, check to see if water got anywhere and it didn't and just put it back together after letting it sit for a few hours to dry.

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blk86trbo

09-01-2011, 08:35 AM

Hats off to you guys and the effort being put in to get this done before Saturday...it's gonna look sharp :)

minigts

09-02-2011, 05:06 AM

Hats off to you guys and the effort being put in to get this done before Saturday...it's gonna look sharp :)

Thanks Paul, we're doing all we can! We're going to save you a couple of spots for the car show, btw.

Well it's about 4AM and I'm exhausted. Cordes and I put in a lot of hours today to get the car to the point where we could prime it. The first couple shots we did on the pics below didn't turn out that great. There seemed to be a ton of orange peel in the paint and when I got done, I didn't clean out the gun IMMEDIATELY and it was a pain to say the least to get the gun clean. It did come through though and everything turned out good. I'm still a day behind, so we got it primed tonight, but I only have pre-primed pictures to post.

Brian wanted me to take a picture of this. There is a date on the lower gfx for the rear. Kinda neat I guess. :)

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Here are pictures of all the pieces we have off the car. The spoiler I'm using is from an 85 that doesn't have the third brake light, but it has a bad crack on the side, so I have to do this one separate as I didn't have time to do the glass work on it. JUST in case someone realized it was missing. :D

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And here is the car out side. We didn't want to bring it in right now, but tomorrow the plan is to paint the car in the garage.

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So tomorrow the plan is to wet sand the parts first, get them cleaned and ready to go and then paint them and let them have time to dry. Then, we'll wet sand the car, get it ready to paint and bring it into the garage. We'll need to do it before dark because there were TONS of bugs out there, especially already in the garage. It shouldn't be an issue tomorrow as long as we can get started before dark. Unfortunately, Cordes has to work so he won't get to be there to see the paint go down, that is if we don't get enough done before about 4pm. I'm hoping he can be around to see it laid down on the car. He's put in a TON of work to help me get this done and I can't say thanks enough to him for all he's doing.

blk86trbo

09-02-2011, 08:34 AM

Good luck man, hopefully this heat isn't an issue...it's supposed to be HOT today and tomorrow!

Turbo224

09-02-2011, 10:40 AM

Looking forward to some more pictures! Keep up the good work.

minigts

09-05-2011, 12:52 AM

Thanks for the good words guys, we're almost done.

We didn't have any miracles happen with the cheese festival, but I gotta tell you the paint job on the car came out phenomenal. Brian and I are just in awe that there is so little trash in the paint. There are some obvious flaws in it, but given the fact that we did the priming out in the open and made a make shift "booth", I'd say it turned out better than expected. I was able to put two good coats on the car even after I figured some stuff out about the gun and the paint in general. I'm pretty much not the sharpest tool in the shed when it comes to what to use to clean the paint, but I've learned what DOESN'T work to clean acrylic lacquer and that is normal paint thinner. :) We couldn't figure out why it wouldn't clean the old paint like I was thinking it would, but now I know.

So here is one photo I've taken since we got it painted and man it came out nice. I'll take more tomorrow and do a better write up on things, but for now here is what it looks like.

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blk86trbo

09-05-2011, 01:23 AM

Alright man, that is really freaking awesome! The fact is, your pic doesn't do the paint justice, it looks sooooo much better in person! Props to you guys for all your work thrashing on it the past couple days :thumb:

Aries_Turbo

09-05-2011, 11:17 AM

nice job. it looks awesome!

Brian

Reaper1

09-05-2011, 03:50 PM

Wow! That does look nice! Better than my car for sure! :thumb:

minigts

09-06-2011, 04:13 PM

Thanks guys, I appreciate the comments. I know it's been a few days and I've gotten behind on getting pictures up, but here are some more.

This is just before I primed the car. I was up until about 4am the one night, Brian was there helping with the paint making sure I had it available. He did a great job mixing it up and getting it ready so all I had to do was pour it in the gun. Very tiring work too. You have to balance yourself as you move, make sure you're consistent and DON'T touch anything! :) That was the scarier part. I don't know how many times I hit the drip rail, but thankfully I wasn't painting that. Just the primer looked awesome on it, so I knew if the job turned out good, the matte finish would look good as well.

You may not be able to see the last picture too well, but those are places on my fingers where I sanded through a few layers of skin. I wet sanded the entire car for about 80% or better of the sanding. I was using 220 on most places and then when we got the car primed we went over it again with 400 to flatten it out.

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So these were taken today. Car has been painted for about 3 days now, just need to get the hood and other minor parts finished. I'd say the irony of the entire project is that I simply used a scotch brite pad to wipe down the rear bumper and it probably turned out the best given the conditions. And let me just say, painting is 95%+ prep and the rest actually painting. We washed and cleaned and wiped down every part every time we did anything with it and I'm convinced that's why there's little trash in the paint. That or you just can't see it with the matte finish. :D

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And we were going to finish everything on Sunday, but my ignorance with paint led me to mix all the paint I had left and needed for the hood, the day prior. Well this paint and I would imagine most paint has a shelf life and it's shorter than what I needed. Once it was set, that was it. So with the hood, window trim, mirrors and spoiler left, I had to stop and I'm now waiting for the paint to ship here. The good is I have the car for the most part back together and just waiting on this stuff. Still need to finish the spoiler, but I will have that glassed by the time the paint arrives and I'll be ready to shoot.

There were a couple of bad spots on the car you can see in the pictures, but I have to say I was very pleased with the results. And the experience I have now, I think I could easily fix the spots that are bad and make it look as it should fairly quickly and with ease. I'll have some other pictures of the car complete by the end of the week.

Reeves

09-06-2011, 06:42 PM

Bad A dude!

mcsvt

09-06-2011, 09:47 PM

Nice job Jon!

minigts

09-06-2011, 10:29 PM

Bad A dude!

Nice job Jon!

Thanks guys, I'm just glad the big job is over. Got a few things left to do, but the home stretch is here. Paint HAS GOT TO GET HERE by Thursday. I'll be more than upset if it doesn't.

86seeS

09-07-2011, 12:49 AM

Great work guys! Looking forward to the omni build also

minigts

09-08-2011, 11:05 AM

Looking for a picture of the car before the paint, I went through this thread and came across this. As you can see, a lot has been taken care of and only a few things remain that need to be done. Paint got here yesterday, so I will be finishing the painting tonight. Looking forward to this! :)

Bad

Dent on the driver's door by the stripes, just saw it.
Damage on the driver’s fender and driver’s quarter, minor though
Bad CV shafts
Bad gaskets
Rust on the surface, although very repairable (most removed)
Bad headliner
Bad interior plastic parts
Bad carpet
Bad electrical wiring in the engine bay
Bad paint
Bad hatch struts
Wheels need refinishing bad
Bad sunroof weatherstrip
Torn weatherstrips all around the car
Missing door weather strip for the passenger's side
Missing door weather strip for the driver's side
All motor mounts need to be replaced
Window scrapers need to be replaced
Steering wheel needs to be recovered
Driver’s seat is missing a bolt so it doesn’t sit correctly or recline correctly
Wiper bushings are bad
Making some popping sound from the driver’s side it sounds like, don’t know what it is
Missing all the decals
Radio works, but no antenna and it’s crackily
Tach doesn’t work
Window crank bushings are gone
Seat belts are really worn (but I have the ones from my car that will go in their place
Missing driver’s front fascia skirt piece (I have an extra one)
All the speakers are bad except for one.
Tail lights need to be repainted - With the new gun and some paint, I plan to repaint these
Driver side door handle broke - Ordered a replacement from the dealer, picking it up today.
Interior door skins need to be replaced
Shifter knob needs to be recovered
A/C doesn’t work
Wiper fluid tank is removed, but I have it
Driver’s door has issues opening from the inside
Seats need to be recovered
Interior sails need to be repainted
New carpet for the rear
Ground on the wipers is bad

minigts

09-08-2011, 09:45 PM

Got the hood and other parts painted, still have the spoiler and the windshield trim. Honestly, I plan to paint it tomorrow, but it's not going on the car until I get back. I found TONS of little spots in the paint (air pockets from the bondo) and the area where I glassed over the third brake light is pretty noticeable. Gotta take care of that and it's raining here, so the paint is taking forever to dry. The paint will flatten out in a bit, but for now it looks nice and glossy. :D

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Also got a new door handle from the dealership. Let me just say they are night and day different from the ones at AZ or Oreillys. If I ever find any L bodys in the yard, I'm grabbing every handle.

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Also got my steering wheel back and man he did a great job. I was a little leery because of the length of time it took for him to start it, but it was a really good job.

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