Replaced the IAC today because the car was having a tough time coming back down to idle after a drive.  Any stoplight, or other stop would have the idle hanging around 1800 rpm.  After some diagnostics, we determined that the IAC was sticking.

So it was replaced, part number 25527077 at a cost of $48.00.  Post replacement, had to adjust the TPS as well, and ended up changing it from 0.53v to 0.43v and now it runs smoother, and idles around 875rpm (down from the 1000rpm previously). Also cleaned the throttle body of any oil coking that sometimes happens.

The idle recovers much better now, and we’ll let the car learn its idle all over again before re-adjusting again.

Note - there is some oil coming from the area around the sending unit, and that may need replacement.  Just a note for next time.

After the column swap we did a few months back, we’ve found we have some hard starting problems after the car is warmed up.  We’ve been troubleshooting over the last few Sundays and have confirmed that when the key is in the “start” position, we’re not getting power to the fuel pump, and are not getting injector pulse.  When the key is in the “on” position, we get all that and more, but in the “start” position we don’t.  We had swapped out the ignition switch originally because we thought the problem might be in that, but its proven not to be the case.  We also replaced the ignition module in the distributor based on some troubleshooting procedures, but no luck on that either.

We have however learned a few things along the way.  The reason it starts in cold condition is that the cold start injector fires the fuel left in the fuel log before that log loses pressure, and that’s enough to get it running.  But after we’re above 95 degrees, the cold start injector wont fire, so it wont start since the main fuel injectors dont get the signal to open.  Note too that the cold start injector is not computer fired, but strictly signalled based on a thermistor (temperature sensor) located in the front of the intake manifold under the mass air flow sensor.

To get the car running in all conditions, we had to make sure that all fuse block circuits that are not getting power in the “start” key position now get it.  So we bridged the lead from the fused side of the coil in the fuse block to the power side of the fuel pump circuit in the fuse block.  The bridge we created is made of an external wire that has an inline fuse in it, so that that fuse will trip if there is ever an issue - and we still have the normal coil and fuel pump fuses in play as designed.  I dont like the remedy and we’ll work toward a better solution, but for now, the car runs and can be used while we work out a more formal solution.

We also fixed the heater hose coming out of the throttle body which had a slit in it.  It wasn’t leaking yet, but its still good preventative maintenance.

Completed rebuild of new console.  It looks very slick - have a look.  We removed the original one we designed, which was a straight drop down, and made this new one with a nice smooth curve in it, and much more “console” like.  The car is now BlueTooth too - with the new radio - a Clariion CZ509 model which also has iPod connectivity.  Everything looks tight, and works great.  We’re happy with the results of this one.

Added a new Wheelskins steering wheel cover today (Black Size AX), which covered up the old ugly gray cover that was there, and gives the wheel a nice quality feel.  We get them from AutoAnything on the web, and for $50, you just cant beat it - great service, good price, quick delivery.  Anyway - thats on now, and looks great.  Used black leather dye to color the part of the gray leather that still showed - quality look (picture in the future).

Also cured some hard starting issues after the column change.  Turns out that we had to adjust the ignition switch position on the column.  It would start sometimes and other times it would just crank for a while.  Adjusting the switch by even the slightest amount seemed to make a big difference, so now it starts good every time.  What a relief.

Finished up the column wiring today.  We loomed up all the different sections, tested everything out again, reinstalled the console and dashboard, and everything else that goes with it.  So the old column is out, the new column is in,  and everything is ready for the road test now.

Ok, back to the steering column.  The pictures in the pictures area show the basic column as we got it,  and you can start to see the modifications we were making to it.  Here (and in the next 3 pictures) you can see the column with a 2-1/2 section of our stainless stell exhaust system that we used as a cover for the unsightly parts.  We welded this onto the existing column, and mounted our firewall hanger bracket on top of this shell.  We’re also mounting our ignition and highbeam switches on this outer shell as well - pictures on that to follow.

So today was the completion of the preliminary wiring.  We hooked everything up, and tested all the brakes, tail lamps, parking lamps, head lights (hi and lo beam), horn, blinkers, hazards, and dashboard dimmer.  Everything checked out, car starts up, radio / fan / etc all still work without issue.  So now we take it apart again to do it all nice and clean, using proper removable connectors, mounting brackets, and everything that goes with it.  The remaining pictures show some of the additional phases of the column up to the point we ended today, which was bending a piece of car antenna to be our new high beam switch pushrod.

To wire up the column, we had to use two ACDelco parts - PT386 (GM P/N 12102756) and PT386 (GM P/N 88988812) which are column harness pigtails that we tied into so everything is like it was from the factory.

We had recently pulled out the Toyota Supra column that has been in the car since the beginning.  We selected the ‘yota column in the first place because all the ciruits we needed were there (wipers, lights, high beams, blinkers, cruise, etc).  The reason for the change is that the ‘yota column uses very small guage wire, and expects to use relay’s for every circuit.  In essence the wires coming from the column are just trigger wires, that go to circuitry that then passes current (or doesnt, depending on state) through larger guage wires, to actually turn devices on and off.  We have retrofitted some of these relay’s, but unfortunately its just too challenging to use at this point because we’d still have to fit another 5 or so, and there may be a problem with the headlight switch inside the column now.  So instead, we’re going to a standard GM column, and the one we’re using right now is from a 1985 Cutlass.  So we’ll still have tilt, but no tele anymore, and we’ll have to fit a headlight switch on the dash or console now as well.

We have finished fabricating the bracketry to mount the column, and will now need to get all the fittings to connect the steering shaft, and then the real fun starts … the wiring.  There are pictures in the pictures area as well, to show where we’re at.

Re-adjusted the right rear caliper again today.  The emergency brake wasnt working after the episode last week (details to follow) - and as a result, the emergency brake wasnt working.   It would rotate almost 90 degrees and still not lock the wheel up.    So we pulled the caliper off, put the lever to least tension mode, turned the puck out , and reattached the caliper.  That had the clearance much better, and now it bites with about 10 degrees of rotation.

Also adjusted rear brake proportioning valve to all the way to the “increase” side, and it works much better now.  So we’ll leave it that way.

Car has been running rough - stumbling, rough high idle, and takes about 30 seconds to come back to a “true” idle after letting off the throttle, while driving.  Tried to scope it out tonite, and check for issues - but had issues getting the computer/monitor to read the ALDL.  The key was that you can not use an external power source for the OTC monitor tools - they MUST be plugged into the car’s cigarette lighter, or jumpered to the battery.  Regardless - we got it working and started to do some diagnostics.  After almost 20 minutes, the car was still not going into closed loop mode - so we think the oxygen sensor may be bad.  Gonna try and pick one up, swap it out and try again.

Completed four things on the car today - a very productive day.

1) Adjusted rear brakes - this was a big one in all honesty. These are problematic - or “difficult” is more like it. We adjusted them using the procedure in this page, and it really seemed to help. Now after adjusting them, they fit on tight, and post proportioning valve change, they seem to work - about 50% improvement. The only thing to note here is that the procedure listed assumes that the calipers are rebuilt or new - but basically in factory position. As we had already used them, and tried to adjust them - we had to actually take the parking brake lever off the back, and then with a crescent wrench take the big-ass nut off the back too - exposing the three little balls. After that, using the c-clamp to push the puck all the way back, and then turn the puck all the way in with the tool. Only then can you begin the adjustment procedure. Failure to do that doesn’t get the proper baseline, and the parking brake lever still moves far too much. When done right, it moves about FIVE degrees only.

2) Fixed parking brake - this is pretty much based on the result of the adjustment in the above step, but also required backing off the nut on the brake handle all the way. So now, instead of cranking all the way up, with just barely holding, now the handle goes a few clicks, and holds the car perfectly.

3) Adjusted proportioning valve - had the wilwood adjuster all the way in, and this time we have it all the way out. I dont remember which is which, but in a heat gun check - before adjustment, front brakes were not getting hot. After adjusting, they now get about 50% hotter than they were before. Backs are the same temp - but in essence, we have more stopping power now, based on the heat numbers.

4) Removed seat head rests - this was done using a procedure found online - which was very hard to find. But basically, under the headrests, following the two shafts straight down into the seat back, there is a little lever inside the seat back that needs to be pressed in - then the headrests lift right out. Looks a lot better now - as the whole rear window is totally clear.

So we felt pretty good after all that was done and did a few laps. Now its stops better, and is more road worthy - and with the headrests out, it looks good too.

Fixed issue with speedometer today. Turns out the lead thats supposed to go from the VSS to 12V+ was instead going to 12V interior light power. That was causing the speedo to work only when the lights were on, which kinda makes sense. This time we tapped it into the proper lead, which was already there and was just plugged in wrong, and taped the lighting wire closed.

Also properly fixed the AC temperature sensor hard wire which was not properly layed out before.

Replaced oil today - took 5 quarts of MOBIL 1 (10W30) and a NAPA GOLD oil filter (p/n 1069).

Also changed trans fluid as well - its the T56 which uses the DEXRON III type ATF. We chose to upgrade and go with ROYAL PURPLE SYNCHROMAX high performance manual transmission fluid - took a full 3 quarts and still a little low - so we gotta grab another quart and top it off.

Also proved that the speedometer works with the lights on, so we’ve got a short, a bad ground, or bad power connection in there somewhere. That was discovered on the road test for last weekend’s work - so the dash will need to come out next.

Today was cooling system flush. Drained everything out, flushed the system, and replaced with new “orange” anti-freeze. Everything checked out, no signs of leaks.

Then we were able to finally do a road test, to check further, and confirm the injector upgrade results. Car seems more responsive, and runs much smoother - so thats all good news.

Today - started out to do an injector swap but also decided to do an intake gasket swap as well - we had suspected a leak there for some time, and since we would have most of it apart to get that far, may as well go all the way.

So that consisted of removal of plenum, mass air, heater hoses, plug wires, cap, distributor, fuel rails, injectors and intake. After thorough cleaning, replaced with new GM non rear port water passage block off intake gaskets (p/n 12505770 and p/n 10147994). Initially we had the ones with the block offs, but thats just because our short block is from an 85 vette, but the heads are from a late 80’s vette - the d-port aluminum ones, and our intake is off the 86 vette, with both egr ports available. So finding the right gaskets isnt as simple as it should be - and thats why it pays to have so much stock on hand, to do the comparisons.

So in the end, we ended up replacing the intake gaskets, the stock fuel injectors with Accel 24lb/hr injectors (p/n 150824), spark plugs - which are the ACDelco Rapid Fire number 5’s (p/n 19145287), and the TPI runner/plenum gakets.

We then proceeded to start things up, and check for leaks. Note that we also cut off about 1-1/2″ off the heater hose that goes into the throttle body, because that was showing signs of a slice - to be safe we just cut it back since we had the length.

Replaced header gaskets today. There had been an exhaust leak for a while, and after removing, we found the rear half of the last cylinder’s port on the driver side had cracked - such that just removing the bolt, caused that piece to drop. On the passenger side, the area in between the two middle cylinders had a crack as well, and was likely bleeding across from one cylinder to the next.

This time around, we went with the Remflex rf2022 gaskets. Check out their link - cool product. Sounds tight now, and hopefully they will work as good as Remflex says.

Finally got back to work on the car. With some of the shows coming up in a few weeks, we had to get the headlight switch working right again. The combination of the Toyota Supra column (small guage wire) and the GM harness (larger guage wire) was not a great mix. The headlight kept tripping the fuse.

To get around this, we put three new relay’s in today. We use the column wires as signal circuit wires in the relays’ and ran true powerleads to the lights. So one relay was low beam, one relay was high beam, and the last relay was for the heater/ac blower fan.

Now we are able to leave the lights on more than 5-10 minutes without issue, and turning the fan on doesnt stall the car.

Body work : sand and paint under side of hood

Made new trunk support brackets with hood/trunk pistons.
Finish carpeted the seatback/trunkfront for cosmetic appearance.

Changed Optima battery and replaced with Die Hard battery.

Also mounted Valley side mirrors - pictures available for that too.

Installed new chrome dressup valve/rockerarm covers today. Pictures available.