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FBIRD69's 1969 Firebird

2024 March
of the Month

Last Indian

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Posts posted by Last Indian

  1. Paul, first off the electrical. Irrelevant of what any of us say, you can find out in 5 minutes how your coil/distributor system works with respect to voltage. That said, what Peter is indicating to you is you have two wires that feed the + side of coil. One is a resistance wire the other comes from the ignition, the other can come from the ignition or the starter, both are acceptable. What Peter indicates occurs is correct. On starting the non resistance wire supplies 12- 9 volts depending on battery condition, ground wire condition, etc. once started the starter switch springs back as he says to the resistance wire. In my earlier post said running, I was rushing not paying attention & it should have been starting. So the point is by what you described as happening something is not right. It’s actually backwards in occurrence of voltage. The 9 volts on starting is acceptable, 6.5 is not, but 9 volts at idle while not what you want should not be causing the problems you are describing. So I still have to question the vacuum leak! While brake cleaner can work to chase vacuum leaks it’s not nearly as effective as ether/ starter fluid. Furthermore grease on the base gasket of a carburetor won’t seal anything. You need a vacuum gage connected to the engine than you chase the vacuum leak & watch the gage. Also don’t assume it’s an engine gasket. It could be a hose or a diaphragm. Do you have a vacuum advance distributor? 

     

    • Like 2
  2. 6 hours ago, Ringo64 said:

    Do you know some Pontiacs which were not available/sold in the USA? Thought we'd play a fun little game and list some Pontiacs we know of which were not available here, in Pontiac's home market.

    Few I can mention:

    • Pontiac Laurentian: A full-size car that was sold in Canada from 1955 to 1981. It was essentially a Chevrolet Bel Air with Pontiac styling cues.
    • Pontiac Parisienne: A full-size car that was sold in Canada from 1958 to 1986. It was based on the Chevrolet Impala and was marketed as a more luxurious version of the Laurentian.
    • Pontiac Firefly: A subcompact car that was sold in Canada from 1985 to 2001. It was based on the Suzuki Cultus.
    • Pontiac G2: A subcompact car that was sold in Mexico from 2006 to 2010. It was based on the Daewoo Matiz.

     

    Yeah, there were several others, the sunrunner, the sunburst & the Acadian. The problem was all of them except the Parisienne & Laurentian were not GM cars! They were, IMO, the beginning of GM’s downfall. And in GM’s defense they were not alone! Ford & Chrysler were right there with them. I would like to explain further, but big brother wouldn’t like it!

    • Haha 2
  3. 14 hours ago, Frosty said:

    Thanks Last Indian. I talked to a car builder friend of mine today. He said there was a local guy who did this work but sadly he has passed away quite some time ago and the shop is closed.

    Frosty I understand that & sad to hear about the man. Obviously it would be the simplest if you can buy them in the proper backspace.
    Yet presuming you can’t you can still accomplish this. If you lived in this area it would be a snap, as I know quite a few machine shop owners personally that I used in my working days for LZ. But since you don’t there are a couple ways you can still get this done! You may have to do some research or looking though. Most of this you could accomplish on your own. You would need a grinder, a big rubber mallet, a magnetic base that is used for a dial indicator & a dial indicator. Also a GM front spindle with the hub & bearings installed that has the right bolt pattern + some lug nuts.
    You would also need a way to attach the hub assembly to a bench or mount it in a large sturdy vice, & you need someone who can Tig weld. I can explain this procedure further if needed.
    An other way, there’s a Machine service company in Oxford Michigan that could possibly do the work or direct you to where you might go. Casemer tool & machine. They have some manual lathes. In particular Clausing/Nardini. If these lathes are 17” they would be capable of holding those rims. In this instance, steel rims usually run pretty true, unless the rims are bent, they can turn the rims on the lathe & cut the welds out. This procedure usually works the best for having the best results of removing the weld without introducing on the center hub or the ring. Once the center hub is free & removed ring can be cleaned up. Any excess weld can be machined out to make it a clean finish. Then the center hub can be relocated. If they have welding capabilities the center can be indicated true with the proper backspacing, tacked in place on all the attaching points. Then remove for complete welding. 

    • Like 1
    • Thanks 1
  4. On 10/12/2023 at 2:06 PM, Frosty said:

    I was stunned to find out that the Wheel Vintques company that I purchased a set of Rally IIs from, is actually managed or owned by Coker Tire Company. I sure didn't see that coming. I need a pair of 15x8 with a custom 5.5" backspacing but I can't find anyone online (so far) that will do custom backspacing.

    Frosty, can you buy the Rally lls in 15x8 but just in the wrong backspace? If you can, you might consider buying them. But first you need to find a good local machine shop. One that does machining, fab work & welding. They can grind away the weld that attaches the hub to the ring. Then they can reset the hub in the ring to the desired backspace, check it for running true, tack weld the hub to the ring, recheck & then weld it up. After that, take the rims have them checked for balance. Any out of balance issues can be resolved by adding the weight needed, in steel, than again tack weld that weight in place. I have built several sets of rims over the years this way. I have actually done this, but split the ring. Added a rolled ring in between the two halves to widen the rims. Than rewelded the hub where I needed it.

    • Like 1
    • Thanks 1
  5. 15 minutes ago, DPEsquire said:

    I’ve got the back seat out - fabricating a new package tray. You can see what I mean about the condition of the seats. The fact they look this good after 45 years is amazing.

    IMG_2126.jpeg

    Daniel, can’t blame you, I hate Naugahyde! Hot, makes you sweat, etc. I would rather have cloth under my butt too! Below is an example of a polyester blend corduroy, not the right color just an example! But you might be able find something close. Your other consideration is to buy enough & do the front seats to match. Which might actually be wise. If the backs are that bad how far behind are the fronts? If you did that you could do more of a contrast.
    https://www.joann.com/red-stretch-corduroy-fabric/19475565.html

  6. 20 hours ago, DPEsquire said:

    Thanks!

    I definitely would want a pro to do the work. Wasn’t sure whether there was any chance of finding a source for the replacement material. Never heard the term “nylon cord,” so wouldn’t even have known what to ask for. The gift of your knowledge is much appreciated.

    What I mean by a nylon cord is, its like a corduroy, but made from nylon, which makes it more durable. 
    If you are trying to only replace the fabric panels due to cost, I understand that. If you are doing it to try & match the rest of the interior that will be hard. I doubt that they make any replace fabric that would match in color. So I guess the question what is your goal? Restoration, resto rod, custom, just fix it?

  7. 35 minutes ago, DPEsquire said:

    The seats on my ‘68 Catalina are in remarkably good shape. They are vinyl, with cloth inserts. The vinyl parts are pristine, but the cloth inserts are baked and torn along the top of the seat backs.

    Is it possible to get material to replace the cloth inserts, and rebuild the seat covers?

    IMG_2113.jpeg

    In short, yes. You can probably find something close, but your best bet would be a car upholstery shop obviously! A regular upholstery shop may be able to help as well. It appears to be a basic nylon cord fabric. So the width of the cord & color will be what you need to match. Doubtful that you will be able to match it close enough to match your front seats though. Your biggest issue will be restitching the new panels to the old Naugahyde. It may look good, but it may be dry rotted at the seams, you won’t know until you take it off the seat. If it’s not I would advise hand stitching the panels! I have done this kind of work before & what happens if you use a sewing machine is it literally acts like a pair of scissors. Because even if you can get the stitch spacing right you will never hit the same needle holes repeatedly. This in turn causes more holes to be pierced along the same line, which in Naugahyde is bad news! Notice when you take the seat cover off the seat that the stitch sequence is about a 1/4” of an inch apart. This is because of what I mentioned.

    • Like 1
  8. 20 hours ago, JSPitman said:

    Hey y'all,

    I have a 2008 Grand Prix GXP V8, and for the year I've owned her I've noticed on the freeway she tends to release large poofs of white/grey smoke out the exhaust, but only intermittently.

    She guzzles oil, and the coolant is full, so I'm fairly confident she's just burning oil.

    After doing some research, it looks like a common issue Grand Prix's of her year have is the displacement on demand system can cause her to guzzle up and burn oil.

    Now, I've been leaving that system on because gas costs an absolute fortune, so every drop I can save is a worthwhile expense, but I'm also worried that this bad design for a DOD could be causing damage to the engine. Is that the case?

    As in, I know its normal for engines to burn oil, and typically such wont cause any problems, but will allowing this much oil to get burned on the daily cause any problems in the long run? (She's my daily driver, so I'm on the freeway and seeing this every day). Aka, would it be worth the extra cost in gas to keep from causing more expensive problems later on? Or is there no real risk in letting her burn oil like this?

    I should note I have a tuner, so it's not a big deal to disable the DOD.

    Thanks

    There are several issues/problems with the LS4 V8. The first to be concerned with is the burning of oil will poison the cat! Causing it to fail, AKA quit working.
     

    What you might consider doing. 1. Replace the PCV valve just as a precautionary measure. In the 5.3 these have been an issue. 2. Do a leak down compression check of all cylinders, not a momentary rotational one. A leak down test tells you a lot more about ring condition. 5.3 are known for having a problem with ring tension. 

    • Like 1
  9. 9 hours ago, Lar said:

    The car is seldom driven in the winter. These days it's driven about 2,000 miles a year. So, it may be driven 10,000 miles in the next 5 years. The front Gabriel struts have about 20,000 miles on them.  You're right on the tire size & I assume on the wheel 6.5 width. I've taken a lot of training on computerized engine controls which said don't go to a different diameter tire, because it throws off the computer calculating the vehicle speed sensor & affects the timing.  When a car has a drivability problem, the fix may be to go back to the OE tire size.  Newer cars may have the capability to be "flashed" to compensate for changes, but I'm not sure if anything is available for something this old?  Thanks for all of your effort.

    Lar, ok! Thanks for that info. So I realize you asked about advice on struts & we have discussed that, & I’m not preaching, I’m just trying to help you get to where you want to be, so bare with me!

     

    First off I wouldn’t encourage you to change diameter, but not for the reason you mention. I assure you that tire diameter has no impact on ECM control over engine timing. The only relevance of larger diameters would be they can increase load on internal gears by causing more pressure on the fluid film layer which is a whole chemistry thing I won’t go into. That said, wider is a different matter! Still, first you need to address the suspension, not just struts. Struts are just a small part of the suspension! Really! 

     

    Struts are nothing but a shock absorber with a spring attached to it! This setup was not, I repeat not an improvement to suspensions! It was a downgrade! 40 years ago 20,000 to 25,000 miles on a set of shocks was considered replacement time! Nothings changed except people pay a lot more money for a strut assembly so they want to get a lot more miles out of it for their money. Sorry it doesn’t work that way. It is actually harder to tell if a strut is bad while on a car. Why? Because most struts fail on just one side of the valving. This usually occurs on the down stroke of the strut, but the up stroke will often actually increase resistance against up movement. This causes an abrupt ride on rough roads at slower speeds. So 20,000 on the Gabriel’s is approaching end of life. 

     

    If you have not put the car up & gone through the suspension, all the suspension, you are basically shooting blind as to what might or might not be in need of replacement. If you replace the struts & have a bad lateral bar than the strut will not perform well & may fail even sooner than it should. Your car has aluminum knuckles, do you know their condition? There is actually a dielectric action that takes place with these because GM does nothing to isolate them through gasket separation. This corrosion can be so great that the knuckle will start to crumble under the strut plate as well as other metal attaching parts. I could tell you more but, if this is not what you’re interested in pursuing than there is know point.

    • Like 1
  10. 20 hours ago, Lar said:

    Just under 130,000 miles. Even when all the parts were new, it was a stiff ride. I don't think it has gotten any worse over the years. On the highway it's smooth. It's in the City where almost all of the driving is, that I wish it were better, but I probably just need longer wheelbase & a heavier car. My goal is not to make it like new, I wanted to make it much better than it was when it was new.  I was hoping modern technology would have improved shock absorbing performance & maybe it has. Maybe what I get will be better than what it has been since it was new? I was just hoping to find other's experiences with different brands on my specific model of car.  I appreciate everybody's input.  

    Lar, several things here. 1. Do you intend to keep the car long term? 2. Do you drive the car in the winter? 3. & within reason, even if it’s more than you wanted to spend do you prefer to get it right & than done? 

    I asked this because going back over all you said I perceive that you might consider going back to zero! What I mean by this is all 4 corners of the car impact the ride. You said you replaced the front struts, when & with what? Replacing just back struts will more than likely have minimal effect if you leave the fronts as is. At 130,000 you more than likely have front Aarm bushing issues, unless you have addressed them. I have never seen a front Aarm transverse bushing that wasn’t blown out by 60,000 as one example. So even if you need to wait a little longer to get all that you ultimately determine you need. But this would really only apply if you want the car long term & don’t drive the car in the winter.

    If that is the case consider Monroe’s for all 4 corners, be they quick struts or build a set of Monroe struts as I indicated previously. The rest of what to look at we can talk about as you proceed if you want. Than you need to step though tires & rims. Why? As I indicated before, tires & rims account for more than 50% of ride characteristics. Am I correct that you run 16”x6.5” rims?
    With 225/50 x16 tires? A little taller tire with a little more width will drastically change your ride & still fit in your wheel well. So if you want to talk about this feel free.

    • Like 2
  11. 15 hours ago, Lar said:

    I think the 1st 8 to 12 tires were Good Year then after that until now, they have been Michelin.  Before buying, I go online to tire rack etc. & see how tires are rated by tire rack and by actual customers that have been driving on them for a while.  Thanks for the link. 
    I will take into consideration, but I wonder if they are really worth $300 "more" for 2 struts compared to Monroe.  I wish I could see road test of the different brand shocks, like tire rack offers for tires. I've gone on You Tube, where mostly there are installation videos, rather than brand comparisons. Although Scotty Kilmer did show how a no-name Chinese brand was worse than the originals with many miles on them. 

    In general I would say you are going about it the right way! Michelin’s are far superior to Goodyear, & if you go about in the way you are that’s about the best you can do. In your case I can easily make the argument that the KYB’s are probably not worth it for you. The Monroe’s not Gabriel, would be the least intrusive ride. I would still encourage you to go to someone & discuss building a strut using the Monroe strut, but choosing springs & other components that will actually be higher quality. Those components will have their own warranty. 
    The other thing that hasn’t been discussed is how many miles are on the car, not the tires or struts, but the car? If you have not gone through the entire suspension ever, meaning knuckles, wheel bearings Aarms, bushings, trailing arms, lateral bars, sway bar links, etc, etc! They maybe contributing to part of the problem & might even be the largest part.

    • Like 1
  12. 36 minutes ago, Lar said:

    Thank you very much.  Looks like one Co. like Monroe or Gabriel no longer offers all the individual parts. They offer the shock, the bellows, or the whole unit. Not the springs & the upper mount alone. If various brands were bought, one Co. would blame the other when they don't fit together.  I'm planning on the Monroe 171686 complete unit which is described as having a "premium" upper strut mount.  I've owned the Grand Am since it was new. It has never had a comfortable ride. I replaced the front struts & various sets of tires. I don't think there was a noticeable improvement with any of the changes. I understand that the GT1 Coupe is a sportier suspension than a family sedan. I assumed part if not a lot of that was in the strut assemblies. The funny thing is that as I look at the applications, they don't care if it is an SE or a GT or an Alero, or a Chevy Malibu.  I'm not changing the rear struts, just to get a better ride. They aren't bouncing, but they are rattling & I just thought I would see if an improvement over OE was available at the same time that I am replacing the rear struts to get rid of the rattle.   I appreciate everybody's input. 

    Not having any knowledge of your skill level I can understand that. So what I would suggest is you look at the attached link to a strut available through NAPA. It is a KYB assembly, but it is an OEM replacement, not a AGX adjustable. KYB’s are a much better unit & will be using their strut mounts, spring insulators & springs.
    https://www.napaonline.com/en/p/KYBSR4037

    What tires do you run? Goodyear? Or who?

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