Well, busy day. You can see the pictures. The Megasquirt in the floor, the relay board all hooked up, and the original fuel feed line on the ground. The hardest part? Getting that damn fuel line out. I still have to extract the old vapor return line. That's not going to be fun, either. I did manage to clean up some rusty stuff and hit it with Rustoleum. Hopefully that'll arrest it for at least a little while.

The battery is back in the car, and all the sensors except the TPS are hooked up. I still need to find a TPS connector. I'll be in D.C. next weekend. Hopefully I can hit a scrap yard after I get back and pick up a TPS plug. I've also made my hose list. Lots of fuel line and some vacuum line. I've already picked up a flaring tool and a tube bender, and a fuel filter. Two weekends from now should be a fun one. I'll mount the pump and filter, and run the fuel and return lines.

After that? Charge the battery while I'm putting the gas tank back in, put some gas in it, and try to start it. I loaded all the default settings for the Megasquirt into the computer today. The guy that designed the unit has a TPI Chevy, so all the default stuff is for that engine. It should be painfully close on the tune.

I also need to figure out how to mount my fast idle thingy. May have to drill and tap the throttle body. Stay tuned.

It's alive!

Lookie here. A live screen from Megatunix, the Unix based Megasquirt software. The computer is alive and works. It's reading live data from the MAP, coolant, and air temp sensors.

I travelled to a junk yard this morning and grabbed an electric fan... which didn't work when I got home. I did get a fuel block-off plate, and the fan looks in good condition, I may be able to fix it.

I then spent the afternoon getting the upper plenum and throttle body instealled, and then wiring up the injectors, coolant sensor, and intake air sensor. I also soldered power and ground leads to the relay board and ran the cable into the passenger compartment to hook up the Megasquirt. I'm very happy to report that it'll easily fit in the passenger footwell compartment vacated by the factory computer.

Anyway, off to the S.O.'s for some much needed grub.

Mockup fun...

Here you see a "something." This something is a very elusive something, so I'm going to type every descriptive term I can about it so that the next me that comes along can find the answer:

A vacuum advance HEI distributor will fit behind a TPI (Tuned Port Injection) setup.

I mocked up the tubes and upper plenum, and slapped the distributor in. It looks like I may even have more room to swing the distributor around than I had with the carb and old throttle brackets in the way.

I also started making a list of things I need. The way I have to route the upper coolant hose interferes with the mechanical fan, so I'm going to have to get an electric one. I need an EGR gasket and block off plate. I need a fuel pump block off plate. I'm hoping to take a trip to the junkyard tomorrow and see how much I can find cheap there.

I also have some other challenges.

Here you can see the front of the intake manifold, the top of the water pump, and the fuel line inputs. It's very crowded. I'm going to have to get clever in order to route the heater hoses and get the coolant temperature sensor wired.

More as I get further along...

Gawddamn!

 
 
This car really gets my goat sometimes. The first picture is the computer harness. One would think that getting it out would be a simple matter of cutting the plugs off and yanking it out through the passenger footwell.

Ahhh, not so much. I had to remove all the bolts holding in the fenderwell in order to get enough room to undo the two 8mm bolts holding in the grommet. Got those out and pulled it through. The leaves and shit? Mouse nest. It was sitting on top of the harness. A lot of that landed on my face before continuing on to the ground.

The second is the intake manifold. Bolted in and torqued down. I think have at least 10 hours wrapped up in making the middle four bolt holes work. But they work now. Its on. Now I can stab the distributor back in and mock the upper plenum in to see if it'll clear.

Beyond that, the hard work begins. Dropping the gas tank and finding out why the tank overflows onto the ground before the pump at the gas station automatically shuts off. Then I get to rip out the old fuel lines and run new ones, and mount my new fuel pump.

And so it begins again...

 
Finally moving forward towards getting my Chevrolet TPI system installed on the Pontiac. Here you see the case for the engine compartment relay board mounted where the electronics that ran something or other was mounted.

 
The relay board installed.

 

Here's some nasty dremel work. The intake manifold is for a 1987 and later Chevrolet. The engine in the car is a pre-'87, so I have to make some changes to the four inner manifold bolt holes.

Squirt!

Here it is:



Yes, my MegaSquirt Fuel Computer. I will be using this wonderful device, a whole lot of wire, and a Tuned Port Injection setup from a 1987 Camaro on the Bucket. The GP will get fuel injection. Goodby carb, hello decent gas mileage.

Painful Zs....

So, the Z broke two weeks ago today. I drove it to work that day. Coming off the highway on the way home, there was a violent bang and then some awful clanging and banging. I managed to limp it two blocks to the house, craw under it, and I see:



Yup, U-joint failure. Bad stuff. Not happy. Of course, I knew something like this was going to happen. The early Z cars had problems with this very thing. I actually already had the parts to prevent this in the bed of my truck.

So, I rebuilt the axles, and moved the diff back 30mm. This gives the halfshafts a straight shot from the diff to the hubs and eliminates this type of failure.

Purty pics:


Sanblasted parts


Powdercoating stuff



newly assembled axle.

The car is back on the road. It actually rides much nicer. Apparently straightening out the U-joint angles in the back also eliminates some vibration. I also had to get my driveshaft lengthened, and it was rebalanced as a part of that.

Wheel locks are bad, m'kay?

Well, I lost the key to the wheel locks on the GP. Big PITA.

I then got sick. Five days of vomit and diarrhea. Not recommended. However, once that all passed, I hammered a socket on the wheel locks and twisted them off. I then proceeded to snug up a front right wheel bearing, inspect the front brakes, and replace the shoes on the left rear corner, as they'd become contaminated with axle grease.

I'm looking at new cylinder heads now...

Updates trickling in...

It is hotter than a popcorn fart this month. Stupid hot. Icky-feels-like-you-are-sticking-your-face-in-an-oven hot.

As such, I'm happy to report that the A/C is still working fine. The new distributor is working great. The Autozone radiator I put in last summer is working fine, too.

I put new Bilstein shocks on it. Much better. Still getting a nasty vibration on certain sections of the Snyder. I'm chalking up to the body not being firmly attached to the frame behind the rear wheels.

I'm working on the Z again. Watch this space over the winter. I'm tired to half-assing it with that car.

Funness...

I found this video on my hard drive. Thanks to the miracle that is YouTube, you can see it as well.

This is from an autocross in 2004. There's no sound, so don't jack up the volume expecting any. Could cause a surprise the next time a sound plays on your machine.

The truck

No cool pictures today, because this subject isn't worthy of pictures.

That subject, of course, is my truck. Its a rusty truck. Its white. It has a red dash and seat, rubber floor instead of carpet, and nothing else. It is a 1984 Ford F150 regular cab, long bed. I bought this truck from a friend almost three years ago for $1000. It had the 5.8L (351w) engine, four barrel carb, long tube headers, dual exhaust, and made big noise. I drove that truck for four months. It would often break down.

Then one day is asploded. Started pouring smoke out of it. I managed to limp it home, as it popped less than three miles from the house. I had to pop it into neutral and rev it to keep it running at the lights, all the while dumping smoke and oil out the tailpipes. I got it home and parked it out of the way, and there it sat for 7 months.

Then I went to a junkyard. Right there in row five at Amen Auto Salvage was a 1977 Mercury Marquis. Painted accross the windshield were the words "Big block, runs." It wasn't really a big block, it was a 400 cubic inch Ford V8, which is technically a small block, but who's counting? Anyway, we got a battery and started it. It did run. It didn't knock or smoke. I bought the engine and the transmission from the yard for $450. They even pulled it for me.

Over the next four months, I cleaned up that engine, replaced all the gaskets, put new cam bearings in it, a nice Summit RV cam, and had the transmission rebuilt. Since then, the truck has run well, but not perfectly. It had an overheating problem I ascribed to the 23 year old radiator, and it leaked oil badly, which I ascribed to the oil pan my father made for me because a rear-sump pan for this engine was $300.

Well, I put a new radiator in it last night, and during that operation, I found a bolt hole in the front cover with a bolt missing. The source of the oil leak. I'm happy to report that with the new radiator and that hole plugged, it no longer gets hot, and it doesn't leak. I'm stoked. Now I can think about getting a trailer so I can tow the Datsun around.

Plugging leaks

I fixed the axle seal leak.


This is the offending axle seal. I wasn't nice when I removed it.


This is the passenger side axle out of the car. My first GM axle removal. Surprisingly easy it was.


This is the new axle seal hammered into place. The brakes had been contaminated by gear oil, so I had to replace them as well. No photos of that, because I hate drum brakes, they hate me, and the install didn't go very smoothly.

The ultimate solution... and some more problems.

Right here is the ultimate solution for my ignition problems. A whole new distributor. Sure, it's a Procomp, which means its Chinese crap, but for $69 shipped, I couldn't argue. My epileptic ignition timing is now rock steady, and the advance is better. Driveability way up, and car can now chirp second gear.

However, I noticed today that my passenger rear axle seal is leaking, so the rear end is going to have to come back apart. Nothing like an eight hour labor job to replace a three dollar part. Hooray.

Third ones the charm...

Alternators hated me last Friday.

On the way to work, I started hearing this high pitched squeal, much like you hear from a television, but louder. I glance across the gauge panel and see the voltage gauge pegged at 18 volts. Ooops. The regulator in the alternator has failed, and the alternator is stuck on full charge. This isn't going to end well.

Then the noise stops, and the needle on the gauge sinks to 13. Battery voltage. The alternator has cooked itself.

Then the smell began. Burning rubber. The alternator seized. Then the belt jumped the pulley. thumpthumpthump.

I managed to make it to the NAPA on Bishop Lane. Popped the hood and whoah. The belt was wrapped around the fan, and the alternator was still glowing red. Ouch. I went inside and bought an alternator. After the burned one cooled enough, I pulled it off the car and took it inside. The NAPA guys swapped the pulley, I put the alternator on my car, and off I went.

Thirteen hours go by, and I'm almost back home after a soccer game. It was a depressing game. We lost 3-1. Belt squeal, dim lights, 10 volts on the gauge. Damnit. Lost another. Got it home, popped the hood, and the plastic fan on the alternator had melted. Once I got the alternator off the car, it was obvious what had happened. A spacer was missing behind the fan when the NAPA guy zipped the pulley on with his impact. The fan was pressed against the housing, and as it spun, it heated up, melted, sagged until it caught a bolt, and then stopped. The mainshaft of the alternator kept turning, and the shaft cut through that fan like a dremel through soft plastic, until it too, heated up and failed.

It's now Monday. Alternator #3 is on the car, with the proper pulley and fan. Lets all cross our fingers.

Air Conditioning!

Well, it's been a month since my last entry, and even longer since an entry pertaining to the Pontiac, but I finally have some news.

First, the car is running OK. Gas mileage is really bad (10-12mpg), and the speedometer is still way off.

However, I finally made some movement towards getting the A/C working.



Right there are my A/C lines. They leaked. New ones were ordered. Order was canceled because the part no longer exists. So, Roppels was nice enough to rebuild them for me. That done, I scheduled next Saturday for them to suck down and refill the system and set about putting everything back on tonight.



In this picture, you can see the compressor, the lines, and my new receiver/drier. It was about two hours of futzing, mostly getting the power steering pump to line up and buying a new A/C compressor belt at AutoZone. The A/C system is now back on the car. I also replaced the blower switch in the dash, as the existing one had the stem broken off. My next trip to Pull-a-part will have me nabbing a trim button for it and that'll be good as new.

Next Saturday the system gets recharged with wonderful R134a, and I'll be cruising in style and comfort... well, maybe comfort. I did wash it. At least the wheels are shiny again.

Long time, no updates...

...and still no updates on the Pontiac. However, I have been busy.

I spent this past weekend at O'Reilly Raceway Park in Indianapolis. I entered my Buick into the Winged Warrior III Challenge, a performance auto event with all the proceeds going to the Riley Children's Hospital in Indy. Worthy cause, and the format of the event looked fun.

It was a three-segment points based competition. A drag race portion contributing 40% of the score, an autocross contributing another 40%, and a concours judging comprising the remaining 20%. Cars were classed according to modifications made.
The first picture is me launching on the drag strip. The car was wonderfully consistent, clicking off 13.5s at 102mph. Good enough for first place overall in my class in the drag race portion of the event.
The second picture is my car at the concours judging portion. Every car started with a perfect score, and then points were deducted for stuff. I had no points deducted at all.
The third picture is on the autocross course. The course they set up was huge. The average time was somewhere around 70 seconds. A normal course would be near 3o seconds long. It was a fun, but relatively simple course. Easy enough for newcomers to navigate without getting lost, but plenty of spots for experienced people to pick up some time. I finished fifth in my class in the autocross, being beating by MazdaSpeed Protoge NASA road race car, a Mini Cooper, and a few other much better handling, lighter cars. However, behind me were also much lighter, better handling cars.


However, at the end of it all, the dominating performance on the drag strip, the perfect car show score, and the surprisingly competative autocross performance granted me the overall first place in my class. The trophy is huge, and it's actually silver-plated metal, no plastic.

Pictures...

So, I finally found my camera. Here's the rust repair pictures I promised. The first is, obviously, a big nasty rust spot. Second is the hole I cut out, and the third is the patched hole.

On top of this, I finally got my second new speedometer gear in. Speedometer went from reading 25% high to 20% high. An improvement, but not good enough. Unfortunately, I'm all used up on available driven gears. I'm going to have to change the drive gear inside the transmission, which is going to be a royal pain in the ass.

Carpet is in

I got the new carpet in. As expected from a $79 J.C. Whitney replacement carpet, it didn't quite fit perfectly. However, it fit well enough. It made all the difference in the world. The interior of the car no longer looks old and junky. It still looks old, but not as junky.

I also removed most of the stains the seats with GooGone while I had them out. The new seats didn't go in. I still need to make some adapter brackets, but I needed to get car back on the road. Maybe when the weather warms up.

I also took a moment this weekend to put new pilot jets and pilot adjustments screws into the carbs on the 240Z. I think I've eliminated a pesky carb backfire. We shall see on Sunday.

And... Happy Easter.

Rust rust rust...

So, I set out early Sunday morning to replace the carpet and seats in the GP. Got the seats out, pulled the carpet easily enough, and there it was. Rust. A spot, about a foot back from the front of driver side door opening. Stuck my finger right through it.

Thirty minutes later, I had cut out a 5"x6" section with the grinder. Bolted the driver seat back in, and headed over to my Dad's to use his welder. An hour after that, the floor was patched. I headed home. I have pictures, I'll have to upload them tonight.

Pulled the seat back out, went to mock up the new Camaro seats in. And... they don't fit. 1" too narrow. I have some very generous friends, though. They think they can get me some leftover 1/8" plate I can cut into adapters. Until then, I'm driving the truck, though I may get out the Z tonight.

Results from Sunday!

Sunday's race went very well. I sucked as a driver, but the car performed perfectly.

Actual event results are over at KYR's website.

I didn't place very well, second from last in my class, but there's always an explanation. Mine is I couldn't drive yesterday. Every attempt to use the loud pedal resulted in large amounts of wheelspin and general uncontrollableness. I was also the only car in my class not on race rubber. I spun three times in my first run, and my best run didn't even crack the top 50% of raw times.

The next event is on the airfield at Fort Knox. I'll have the r-compounds on, and that place has a lot more grip. I should do better.

On the its-a-small-world-after-all front, I ran into the father of a very old, very good friend. Hadn't seen him or my friend since early 2000. Good to get connected again.

Anyway, I think this brings our detour into the land of Datsun to a close for a while. This weekend, I plan to replace the seats and carpet in the Grand Prix. Expect photos of really nasty things. There's a huge lump in the carpet under the passenger seat. That lump does not have a corresponding dent in the floorpan as seen from underneath the car. I have no earthly idea what could be in it. I will be wearing gloves and eye protection when I cut into it, though.

In other news, my Grand National was accepted into the Winged Warrior Challenge (Link), to be held May 12 at O'Reilly Raceway Park (formerly IRP). It's a combination Drag/AutoCross/Concourse event, with proceeds going to charity. Looking at last year's results and the cars in my class this year, I'll be firmly mid-pack on the quarter-mile, probably lower third in the Autocross. I'll just have to make sure the thing is very clean and make it all up during the concourse judging.