by SeniorSavage » Wed Jul 10, 2013 2:27 pm
Ok, a long overdue update on my project;
the motor is almost completed and just needs an oil pan and then the turbo bolted on etc. oil pan was crinkled but i have two on other motors and will get one of them cleaned and painted next week. its an 1983 Regal T-type motor - the last year they did carbureted turbos. we're running it without the engine computer and all the sensors as most were for obd1 anyways and wont be necessary to run the motor if it is given sufficient time to warm up. i spent over 600$ on boring and machining and its gonna be a tightass engine - all surfaces machined, hottanked and all. i can hardly wait to drive it. its got an Grand national cam in it and new pistons, arp bolts and all..i bought an 1980 rebuilt turbo 4 bbl M4ME q-jet from ebay and it looks impressive up top the newly minted motor though its unusual to me to see it off to the side like that. am currently awaiting an air breather for the turbo that i bought from dan at turbobuicks.com thanks Dan ! paid 150 for the breather and the wiring and computer (electronic spark control module) though since i bought those i've decided to splurge (since i had such good results when we raced the firebird way back) and found an msd 6a and a matching msd boost timing controller that allows a dial to be installed under the dash and i can just dial back the knock as it appears, very cool and no worrying about the esc chip going and never finding another to replace it, ie; useless turbo motor at that point. possibly going to run dual knock sensors, one for the gauge and one for the spark control ..
new acc carpets and floor mats have arrived in a compatible color (Cognac) for the interior and now the seats need to go to an upholsterer for new material. also bought 3 extra yards of the carpet if i have to do the hatch area. rear seat is good. floors are good. i'll go with something newer but still compatible with the almost completely stock interior colors (yes Marco its tan, tan, and more tan LoL) headliner is still good. Len provided me with several cool parts - some inside door panels being the most striking of the bunch. also got new replacement rear taillights from him because mine were missing the chrome around the edge of them thanks Len!
bought a 3 gauge setup for knock sensor and other necessary info that sits currently where the radio was and looks great LoL obviously i will have to reorient those somewhere else but for now .. what a look ! small (2 inch?) replacement gauges into the stock dash? i sure like the look of the Barebones racer new Autolite guages all round ..
will pull the rally II rims off and blast and paint them though finding future replacement 205/60r13's will be a challenge, nobody except federal makes those anymore ! whats the replacement 14 inch rims and wheel size for those? i want to keep the 205 wideness if i can ..
have been slowly accumulating a list of suspension and steering parts that will be replaced as it is my intention (mostly because of the out-of-province vehicle inspection i face) to put all-new parts on it. plus it looks better with all shiny parts right? will try to get a competitive price on all the parts at once from our local shop here as shipping it all in will basically double what i will pay for it in the end. LoL as i was writing this 2 new Munroe shocks arrived at my door that i had forgotten i had ordered
will go this weekend and prep and paint the engine compartment for engine reinstall
i removed the front latch that i needed from the 80' monza before it went so that can be reinstalled now before paint, rear hatch latch problem is still unknown .. have a new lock cylinder enroute. still need new door handles though i see them everywhere online ..
louvers are sitting on the car now - side plastic ones and rear tin ones that need to be repainted that i got from Bryan that were in great shape except missing a bit of the hardware that keeps them attached to the window sill thanks Bryan !
more later.
You do not have the required permissions to view the files attached to this post.
The fleet;
1975 Buick Skyhawk 3.8 V6 turbo - total restore ongoing (soon!)
1996 Fleetwood Bounder 36' Ford 460 TBI motorhome
2004 Harley-Davidson Heritage Classic 88ci 1450cc. - custom original.
2005 Ford 500 Limited (wife's car) - working original.
2006 Chevy TrailBlazer EXT LS VorTec 4200