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What to Work On Next?


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Well, I am formulating my plan to work on the Lemans this winter. Funds are always limited, so I figure I can convince the wife to let me do only one or two mods this winter. So here are my list of proposed modifications:

1. Remove Rally II wheels and tires, sandblast, prime and re-paint wheels --- I think this one is a done deal

2. Replace all hard fuel, brake, and transsmision lines with new stainless steel pieces from Inline Tube

3. Replace original wiring harness with new more modern blade fuse harness (American Autowire OEM replacement)

4. Remove engine and have rear main seal replaced (again) - major bucks

5. Have "Jury" logos made and have interior door & rear quarter's done to match the seats (blue accent piping).

Suggestions?

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Call your buddy in Canada, have him come down and help out. Save money and do one project. Spoil the wife with the extra money and get clearance to do two projects. Call said buddy again to help out. He will bring coffee, Timbits, and schmooze with the wife and get more clearance to do third project.

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4. Remove engine and have rear main seal replaced (again) - major bucks

Sounds like thats the most important to do. Yes that will cost the most but it will keep it in good working order. Also will keep the driveway/garage and the underside of the car clean too.

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Call your buddy in Canada, have him come down and help out. Save money and do one project. Spoil the wife with the extra money and get clearance to do two projects. Call said buddy again to help out. He will bring coffee, Timbits, and schmooze with the wife and get more clearance to do third project.

Authentic Canadian Tim Bits and coffee, eh? All that's missing is the back bacon. How can I resist such a deal? If you are lucky, I just might have that 10-12mm socket to get the engine cover off the Vibe too. I will let you use my air ratchet to get it off !!!!

We could certainly wrestle the engine out in a day. It's been done before. Not sure my place is a good place for the mess (the wife seems to think my garage is a big enough of a mess). I got to noodle on that one.

I agree that we could have the motor torn down rather quickly. I am just thinking out loud if an engine builder with a dyno might be a better route for break-in and testing purposes. Clearly this is way more money too. I recognize that. Just weighing the pros and cons here.

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mmm timbits wrapped in bacon, dipped in coffee. Well I am finished.

Dyno is a good way to break in an engine but my right foot dyno has worked for me.

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mmm timbits wrapped in bacon, dipped in coffee. Well I am finished.

Dyno is a good way to break in an engine but my right foot dyno has worked for me.

Are you ready to smoke a cigarette now? The Canadian orgasm being what it is, that is. :P

Well, the only issue with your right foot (or mine) would be to know that the oil leak is truly fixed before we go to the trouble of putting the motor back in the car. It was a pain in the butt the last time. After I got the motor physically in, it still took a day or two to button everything up again, especially making sure I don't have any extra parts left over.

Pro - working brakes is always a good thing. Still I can accomodate your request - you're weird!!! ;)

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How is Ragin doin' these days anyway?

Back to the thread, engine would be great and give me some more peace of mind to be sure. The stainless lines would look good in the engine bay though.

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He's doing well. His boy and family had to move back home, so he had to pause project 160mph and is renovating the basement at the moment. project 160mph's engine is all finished, but he hasn't made any runs with it yet.

I'm looking at redoing my brake lines too. They've already been replaced once (badly) and the replacements look worse than the unremoved remenants of the originals. I'm considering stainless myself, but I hate the idea of buying yet another flaring kit.

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He's doing well. His boy and family had to move back home, so he had to pause project 160mph and is renovating the basement at the moment. project 160mph's engine is all finished, but he hasn't made any runs with it yet.

I'm looking at redoing my brake lines too. They've already been replaced once (badly) and the replacements look worse than the unremoved remenants of the originals. I'm considering stainless myself, but I hate the idea of buying yet another flaring kit.

Don't look at it as having to buy another tool Think of it as having the need and opportunity to buy a new tool that you need. You are merely adding to it your tool repertoire.

So can you buy OEM replacement-style lines or do you have to custom bend your own? Judging from your comments, I am assuming its the latter.

Interesting news about Ragin. I might have to call GE about that too. I think he chats to him more regularly.

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The wife told me last night, in no uncertain terms, that she is blocking in the Lemans for the entire winter. She plans on remodeling the spare bedroom into an office, and this is where she is going to box up and store everything from the bedroom. So pulling the engine out of the car is definetely out of the question for now.

So that leaves wheels and some of the other stuff. So with the engine out of the question for now, what do you think?

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I know a guy that can break into the garage and just steal the spare bedroom stuff. Frees up some space pull the motor get it fixed then the stuff can magically re-appear.

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How much access will you have to the car itself, then? Would replacing the lines and/or wiring be out of the question? It sounds like, space determining of course, that working on the logos and piping might be the easiest with your at-hand situation.

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I will talk to your boss on Saturday and bring my boss' baked goodies to the meeting and start the sucking up process.

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I will talk to your boss on Saturday and bring my boss' baked goodies to the meeting and start the sucking up process.

Sadly the boss will be scrapbooking Friday and Saturday and will miss the meeting. However, I am looking forward to the goodies. The little guy will be with me though.

I think the wiring and the hard lines are very possible. I am thinking that if I take the Trans Am to a buddy's place for the winter, I would get less interference from the remodeling and move around the garage more.

As far as room to manuver, I have very little room. I can jack the car up and down, but I don't have enough room to move the car around to allow me to get an engine hoist in and out. This garage was originally built as a wood working shop, and not a garage.

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Sounds like a plan. I can help with the hardlines and the wiring if you need an extra set of hands. Might give me some insite to the line routing on the A-body cars.

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Sounds like a plan. I can help with the hardlines and the wiring if you need an extra set of hands. Might give me some insite to the line routing on the A-body cars.

I've had the engine out of the car twice in 10 years plus I have removed the interior a couple of times. So I know a lot of the A-body wiring routes. The rear harness runs along the driver side of the car. On mine it runs under the driver side rear and front seats (down the middle of the seat), not along the rocker, to the fuse panel.

Wiring harness considerations when ordering and installing require some planning since some wiring is actuallly options. Full gauges vs idiot lights, electronic vs mechanical choke, convertible vs hard top, cruise control, A/C, engine/ trunk/ glove box lights, neutral safety switch, automatic vs manual transmission, TH 350 vs TH 400 automatic, power windows, power door locks, front dash only vs rear speakers, console shift vs column shift. All of these things may require a specific kit and/or optional harnesses you need to buy from the likes of YearOne and NPD. So if you are doing a concurs restoration, it helps to have the original build sheet. If you are building a resto-mod, you need to know what options are you are going to be installing.

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