grandwazoo
New Member
- Joined
- Dec 27, 2003
- Messages
- 89
About 3 months ago I became the proud owner of a "Basket Case" 1987 Grand National.
The previous owner was not terribly interested in doing things the right way, or keeping records of what he had done. It took me 3 months to get it to pass safety and emmissions testing, but finnally it is road-worthy and has become my 4-wheeled mistriss, much to my wifes dismay.
I have tons of work still to do and love every minute of it, but I have reached a crossroads.
The previous owner did a lot of performance mods, a larger cam, Ford Blue Top Injectors, and who knows what else. The area expert suggests I return the engine to more stock, put an original cam back in, original injectors etc.
I like the idea of better performance, but right now, it definately does not run as well as it should. (My theory is that the new injectors/cam went in, but the chip was not replaced)
The question is should I work with the mods and try to tune it in, or drop back to more stock.
I'm sure most answers are going to be, it is a matter of personal preference, but I also want input as to which we yield a "better machine" not just faster, but a mechanically sound marriage of performance, efficiency, drivability and not destroy the engine in the process.
The poor girl is fast as hell, but sometimes she sputters when you gun it, sometimes she dies when you let off the gas quickly, nothing terrible, I know how to deal with it, but I want everyting to run well, look good and not have any dirty little secrets under the hood which are embarassing when someone who knows the right way to do things looks under the hood. (right now I am looking for a new passenger side wheel well to replace the one the previous owner cut a gaping hole in to vent his turbo (which also melted my windshield wiper reservoir)).
Input is appreciate, and be gentle, I am a newbie, and this is my first real project car, so sometimes my response may be a dull stare.
One easy question you can answer, what info do I need to have a chip programmed for the car? That may be my best first step.
The previous owner was not terribly interested in doing things the right way, or keeping records of what he had done. It took me 3 months to get it to pass safety and emmissions testing, but finnally it is road-worthy and has become my 4-wheeled mistriss, much to my wifes dismay.
I have tons of work still to do and love every minute of it, but I have reached a crossroads.
The previous owner did a lot of performance mods, a larger cam, Ford Blue Top Injectors, and who knows what else. The area expert suggests I return the engine to more stock, put an original cam back in, original injectors etc.
I like the idea of better performance, but right now, it definately does not run as well as it should. (My theory is that the new injectors/cam went in, but the chip was not replaced)
The question is should I work with the mods and try to tune it in, or drop back to more stock.
I'm sure most answers are going to be, it is a matter of personal preference, but I also want input as to which we yield a "better machine" not just faster, but a mechanically sound marriage of performance, efficiency, drivability and not destroy the engine in the process.
The poor girl is fast as hell, but sometimes she sputters when you gun it, sometimes she dies when you let off the gas quickly, nothing terrible, I know how to deal with it, but I want everyting to run well, look good and not have any dirty little secrets under the hood which are embarassing when someone who knows the right way to do things looks under the hood. (right now I am looking for a new passenger side wheel well to replace the one the previous owner cut a gaping hole in to vent his turbo (which also melted my windshield wiper reservoir)).
Input is appreciate, and be gentle, I am a newbie, and this is my first real project car, so sometimes my response may be a dull stare.
One easy question you can answer, what info do I need to have a chip programmed for the car? That may be my best first step.
