95naSTA's Bonneville Progression

[95naSTA]

So it started.. But the rear fuel rail was peeing fuel everywhere.

I knew this.. and have used yellow teflon before, but for whatever reason I decided to use ptfe on the allen plugs and inlet fitting on the rear rail. Fuel dissolves ptfe super fast.

The rail is back out and I'll use something intended for petroleum products this time.

[markpetersonii]

Glad it's fixed! This car is so awesome.

[Ringo64]

and at the same time. Glad it started though!

[blkg6creed]

Just went through this entire thread, amazing doesn't even begin to cover it. I wish I had the money and the skills to accomplish something like this just for a fun project. Some day I will, but I'll definitely be living my project car dreams through this thread til I can start my own. Keep up the good work man.

[95naSTA]

Thanks man. It's definitely nice to read stuff like that. I've been planning the performance aspect for a long time.. and I wasn't how sure I was going to take the aesthetic stuff. It's probably the only time in my life where I'll have the free time and money to do something like this.. probably for the next 25 years, so I tried to take it as far as I could.

I did get some more work done since my last post. I was happy to get it running before I left for Japan a few weeks ago though.

I got back and figured out the leaking fuel rail was a two part problem. 1. The sealant 2. When I re anodized the pipe plugs it shrank them. Anodization permeates the outer layer of aluminum and the only way to get it off is to chemically strip it, taking that outer layer. This resulted in the plugs sitting deeper in the tapered thread and not sealing correctly. As of right now, it's not leaking with permatex form-a-gasket and new stainless plugs.

I found another leak with the Aussie Ecotec (our series II) coolant elbow I'm using. It's aluminum vs. nylon which is why I used it but takes a bit of adapting. Part of the adapting is it originally had a bleeder and a little dog leg for mounting which doesn't fit. I grinded the leg off and put a pipe thread plug where the bleeder was.

That plug was leaking. The PTFE I used didn't hold, form-a-gasket didn't work, so I moved onto a pipe thread joint compound which expands when it cures. It even says corrects for mismatched thread. I looked at the theads and they are a little jacked up. I'm not sure when/how that happened. I cleaned the threads as best I could and applied the compound last night. It takes 24hrs to cure.

With the fuel leak, it almost starting stripping the rear LIM paint but quickly diluted it with water, and after that and removing and reinstalling the tensioner assembly, I'm sure I ruined the clear sealant on it. So I have to reseal that. Hopefully I get that in today.

Other stuff I did:

-Installed the passenger side stock fan and extended the wiring. I needed to space the bottom leg out a little to clear the monster radiator.

-Wired up the slim fan I got for the driver’s side and tried to figure out how I wanted to keep it in place.. Everything I thought of was going to take a couple hours which I didn't have. So, I temporarily rigged it with coat hanger wire to keep it in place and away from the header. It's pretty solid. I'll revisit with a welded bracket that uses stock mounting points and probably powdercoat it because I'm an idiot.

-Wired up the HIDs and installed a few brackets.

-Torqued down the mounts

-Add the rear x-over v-band

-Add the extra t to the brake booster line for the HVAC

-And wire up a relay for the electric WP.

Some pics:

[Ringo64]

More progress!

Wonder how that will work on the thread. Very cool though

[valid]

So much love. I dream about this car.

[95naSTA]

Tuesday I repolished the tensioner assembly and got through 2 out of 3 steps on the shine/seal for it and the remainder of the polished stuffs.

I took off yesterday and this stuff happened:

-Misc wiring including the IAT sensor.

-Charged the battery (took 3 hours at 10 amps..)

-Slick finished (step 3 to sealing) the tensioner assembly and installed.

The crazy witch doctor thread sealant is holding in the coolant elbow plug at the moment

-Por 15'd the battery tray, air bag sensor bottom, sensor bracket and installed.

-Sync'd the new bin onto the emulator

And I drove it a couple blocks! Wooo.

Power steering didn't work due to not having enough fluid, that's fixed. Still feels a little choppy though.

I only got 4 codes, all of which are fine. 2 for cruise, 1 for EGR, and 1 for passkey which I always get.

The brakes were hard as hell to get working.. I'm thinking the ABS wasn't fully bled. The level did go down a bit too.

Oil pressure is good.

The trans shifted all the way to 3rd I think.. Kinda hard to tell with so much going on.

The engine coolant temps were almost hitting 200. I honestly forget what thermostat I have in there.. and it's not fully bled.

I also have to re-do the fan turn on temps. Both do work though.

It's tough to hear over the open headers but I think I have a vac leak. Possibly at the rear rail. I thought I had one on the front so I pushed the rail back, bending the legs, and I can't hear anything from the front now. I just need to poke around at the rear.

I'm not 100% sure I have the vac res and HVAC vac lines hooked up right either.

The ECC has 3 dashes on it and doesn't work..

The radio also doesn't work.. Still have to check those fuses.

The HIDs, turns, and 4 ways work.

The bin I have now is a stock 94/95 series 1 L67 bin with 3.43 programming and a couple small tweaks. I started with this since it'll have lower overall timing to start, and I'm running those injectors. The old bin would start and run the car but definitely not as well. My fuel trims are kinda high at idle but I don't want to start messing with fueling till I'm sold there is no vac leak.

Sorry no pics of yesterday.. I know I know..

[95naSTA]

I got the alt back together, installed and took a vid.

I threw the vac gauge on to see what it's pulling but in addition to it being hard to see, it's markings are confusing..

[Ringo64]

Nice! It lives!

Wow yeah was heard to read that

[Jedi3]

Nuff said!

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xos2MnVxe-c&feature=related

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZnwIIKnWJtg

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J9Lx7chd5X8&NR=1

........................

When you first started filming under the hood it sounded like it almost satlled. Am I right? Also its hard to tell on youtube but sounds mean as hell and loud.

[95naSTA]

HAHAHA

LOl.

Yeah when I was messing around with the vac gauge (the dark unreadable one) the rubber coupler got unseated a little and leaked vacuum. I pushed it in more and it stopped leaking.

That said, the car runs and drives but the tune is miles off.

[valid]

I will drive all the way to Pennsylvania just for a ride in it.

[95naSTA]

Once I get the major odds and ends finished, feel free to stop by.

[95naSTA]

I've been putting some time in but it hasn't been going very smoothly.

I bled the crap out of the brakes and they were still crappy, feeling like there was no vac assist. I was only pulling 11" Hg at warmed up idle which I thought was the issue so I hunted for VAC leaks. I didn't want to pay $800 for a smoke machine or spray stuff all over the place with how much paint etc. I have going on.

So.. I ran my compressor down to 10 psi, hose clamped a bag to the TB and ran pressure into a VAC port. The booster line fitting was leaking.. Its a L26 (3800 Sereis 3 with aluminum upper intake manifold) fitting since it doesn't have a vac nipple up top like the L36 (Series 2 with nylon upper). The L36 one doesn't fit with the fuel rail. I had a L36 booster line fitting that I cut just before the vac nipple for some reason at some point, so I put a bolt in it with a rubber vac cap, and put that in the UIM to pressure test again, it fit more snug and there was no more leaking noise. These parts look identical too which is strange. I got the calipers out and measured on either side of the o-ring and the o-ring groove. The L26 fitting was ~0.3mm smaller in those 3 areas and the o-ring more easily compressed and slightly skinnier. So, I made a new fitting out of the cut old L36 one by drill/tapping it and putting a NPT to -6AN fitting I had laying around, then hose clamped the booter line to that. This was Friday..

I did a temp hook up on the exhaust today. The parts store didn't have a 3" to 2.5" so I made my own via slits and crimping. Then I just clamped it to the rear header with one of those frozenboost band style clamps. I took some measurements too so when I get parts for the 3" full exhaust, I'll now how much room I'll have left for a res after the flex, cutout and cat.

Since I had the welder etc. out, I decided to make a mount for the driver’s side fan. I found a bracket with a hole in it roughly the size of the back of the fan motor, cut that up, added some legs, welded, rounded off the edges, drilled holes, and POR-15'd it. It's taking it's time drying.

I still had a vac leak on start up.. pinched the booster line between the UIM and HVAC nipple, Vac increased from 11" to past 15", pinched HVAC nipple, no change, pinched line right before the booster same 15"+. And I could hear a leak coming from the driver’s side cowl area with my head on the windshield side of the open hood. Checked the check valve too and that was fine. Clean up most of my stuff, stood there looking at my phone (the time, only 5:30) and the car, and drudgingly went back and pulled the brand new ACFailco booster. I'll order another soon.

I don't have power steering with full fluid for some reason. The pump came off a newer Grand Prix IIRC and has no electrical plug, so it's of the non two flow type which I had stock. That, and I ran it with super low fluid at first. So, it may have been ok but I may have killed it, and in any case I was planning on getting the correct pump in there anyway. So that has to happen too and when it does a proper bleed procedure will also happen.

If the new pump and booster work out, I should be sittin pretty good.

[Twenty]

The car's been keeping you busy, that's for sure.

[Ringo64]

Nothings worth while that doesn't give you problems

[valid]

Nothings worth while that doesn't give you problems

I tell myself that all the time. Damn cars! (And, well, life sometimes lol.)

[95naSTA]

I'd say brakes and power steering are worth the trouble!

Lol.

[Jedi3]

I love the pic of you flipping the bird to the broken part! We have all been there and done that but never took pics of it!

[havoc1482]

I love the pic of you flipping the bird to the broken part! We have all been there and done that but never took pics of it!

ha I was about to ask what that was all about

[95naSTA]

Lol. Yeah I was upside down in my drvers seat for 20 mins with my head on the floor mat and the front of the seat digging into my upper back.. getting at the 4 nuts for it up under the dash. I needed u joints to get two of the 4 nuts out too.. just a big pita. Flipping it off and taking a pic was the least I could do.

[95naSTA]

Good news: The new booster is in and I have brakes.

Bad news: the vac is still low.

I might have to get to a buddies shop to smoke the upper intake.

I have the new p/s pump but I still need to swap it in.

[Ringo64]

and

[95naSTA]

The polished alternator pulley and fin have play somehow and the plastic fin was rubbing against the alt body. It's gotta come back apart again.. The old alt is on there for now.

I got a buddy of mine to get a 99+ GP coolant tank from the yard but it's a lot bigger than it looks in pics and comes no where close to fitting in the fender.

I wanted to drive it around a bit so I just got a few feet of hose and used that as an expansion tank for now.

I drove the car around for 20 mins or so last night and it runs/drives ok.

The plan is to get it inspected next weekend..

I just ordered a civic coolant tank after some ebay searching. It looks like it'll fit in the fender pretty good.

And I got MSD black custom spark plug wire parts to route/hide them along with relocating the ignition control module/coils.

Civic tank: