I don't believe I still have stock injectors....not unless blue tops were stock.
What should my first mods be?
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I don't believe I still have stock injectors....not unless blue tops were stock.
nordy racer
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pull out that VDO boost guage.. i had one in my car the longest.. once i got the FAST system on there i found out that my guage was off by 5 pounds.. when the guage was reading 25psi, the car was really at 30psi.. the autometer 30psi guage is NICE..
then get a Scanmaster..
then get a Scanmaster..
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What filter did you go with, the original shorty filter or the ac delco errrrr someone help me here PF52 I know the napa filter its a 1036!
Also, just run Mobile 10w30 or 10w40 non synthetic. I found some at walmart last weekend 1 gallon jugs for 8 bucks, cheaper than napa.
Mobile oil doesnt break down with heat.
BW
I went with a PF52 filter. I try and run nothing but AC Delco filters on all of my GM vehicles.
The other filter is the PF47 filter.
I would like to also point out that in the second pic of the injectors, there's something going on with the PCV that doesn't look right. On your trip to the parts store you should also consider getting a proper AC PCV valve (will probably have to order it) and replacing whatever is in its place currently. I can't tell WTF it is in there right now.
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Its a brass one way check valve, i would check it to see if it works..
The parts store pcv valves leak under boost, and the GM ac delco ones work a little better.
Ive always used the ATR check valves in my cars, keeps me from changine out gaskets and seals:biggrin:
BW
Junior Samples
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Hey....well I finally got my Scanmaster, and I did as you said and replaced the VDO gauge with an Autometer.
Looks like the Autometer only says I'm pushing 14 lbs max and the VDO said I was pushing 15 lbs.
What does the proper PCV valve look like that you speak of? Thanks!
Kirban's has them but their site is not working.
Gyrhead & Sons Restoration Parts AC-Delco Motorcraft Warehouse (888)727 8748
nordy racer
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very cool.. i'm glad you changed it out and you old VDO was on the safe side of false readings.. NOW you all have a nice guage to go off of
.. remember to take baby steps with turning up the boost and fuel.. have fun and be safe.. if you need any help PM me...scojack_2001
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You got the scanmaster. Good job. Do you have an adjustable regulator? Set the static FP (line off) at about 42psi. And get a TT chip. Its the best $80 you could ever spend on your TR.
As other have said, do the spring cleaning first. Full service (including the axle, you shouldve seen mine
) and trans service. Make sure the TV cable is properly adjusted as well. Full tune up as well as a decarbonization. I went with AC R34TS plugs and MSD wires. Also threw in a Denso 02 sensor. They're cheap and they work great. The decarbonozation also helps to see if you have a cracked DS header. Get the 340 pump and the hotwire as well. Make sure all the sensors are set properly (especially the TPS & IAC) and they are functioning normally. And get an accurate tach in the car. The stock one is notorious for being very unaccurate. And the SM only updates 4 times per second, so it isnt much better IMO in that area...
You can port the inlet to the IC to get a little more flow. Same thing with the upper plenum as well. And get a RJC PowerPlate while your at it, it helps to even out the airflow to the cylinders and help reduce knock retard.
After that, slowly adjust the fuel & boost watching for knock.
Just my .02, and I hope this helps.
P.S. Nordy, do you think all the VDO boost gauges are off, or just some? Do you think maybe theres some difference gauge to gauge, or is it primarily VDOs? If I have to change the VDO boost gauge, I'll change them all. I have a AutoMeter 3780 tach ready to go in the car.
As other have said, do the spring cleaning first. Full service (including the axle, you shouldve seen mine
) and trans service. Make sure the TV cable is properly adjusted as well. Full tune up as well as a decarbonization. I went with AC R34TS plugs and MSD wires. Also threw in a Denso 02 sensor. They're cheap and they work great. The decarbonozation also helps to see if you have a cracked DS header. Get the 340 pump and the hotwire as well. Make sure all the sensors are set properly (especially the TPS & IAC) and they are functioning normally. And get an accurate tach in the car. The stock one is notorious for being very unaccurate. And the SM only updates 4 times per second, so it isnt much better IMO in that area...You can port the inlet to the IC to get a little more flow. Same thing with the upper plenum as well. And get a RJC PowerPlate while your at it, it helps to even out the airflow to the cylinders and help reduce knock retard.
After that, slowly adjust the fuel & boost watching for knock.
Just my .02, and I hope this helps.
P.S. Nordy, do you think all the VDO boost gauges are off, or just some? Do you think maybe theres some difference gauge to gauge, or is it primarily VDOs? If I have to change the VDO boost gauge, I'll change them all. I have a AutoMeter 3780 tach ready to go in the car.
nordy racer
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P.S. Nordy, do you think all the VDO boost gauges are off, or just some? Do you think maybe theres some difference gauge to gauge, or is it primarily VDOs? If I have to change the VDO boost gauge, I'll change them all. I have a AutoMeter 3780 tach ready to go in the car.
i don't really know.. i'm still running there water temp,and was running their oil pressure (not anymore).. my water temp is off by 30*+.. on the FAST my car runs 170 to 180 but on the VDO it shows 200 to 210 and some times more.. the oil pressure guage sending unit went up, so i replaced it with a autometer.. the VDO was really close to my new autometer oil pressure numbers...
my old boost guage was WAY OFF.. it would show that i was running 25psi but as soon as we installed the FAST it showed us that i was really running 30psi
.. all my VDO's were purchased from Kirban back in the mid 90's. i don't know how the newer ones are.. i think anything with sending units should be changed out over time..
You need to address the fundamentals first. Its really really important.
First should ALWAYS be a scanmaster, and learn how to use it and what all the numbers mean. Use it to adjust everything like fuel pressure, TPS, IAC etc...get an adjustable fuel pressure regulator if you dont have one.
Its boring but I really recommend replacing as many sensors as you can. IAC, O2 sensor (get a bosch if you dont plan on running race gas alot), MAF sensor, etc.
Heres another important one- the wires leading to the sensors are 20 years old and the strands inside are usually frayed from 20 years of tugging and twisting on the connectors. Get a voltmeter and check continuity everywhere you can. I had internal tearing in the orange power wire to the computer. Drove like this for 2 years and didnt even know it was bad. But after finding it by chance and fixing it, HOLY CRAP it made a difference....same difference making a new homemade MAF harness did. That was another set of wires that were iffy, leading right into the MAF sensor. Buying a remanufactured MAF from autozone for 45 bucks was probably the best thing I ever did. The scanmaster readings didnt show anything too unusual, but the MAF completely died, so I replaced it. After replacing it, I was totally stunned with how much better the car ran and how much more power it had...spoolup was probably 5 times faster. The car wasnt running right for 2 1/2 years and I didnt even know it cause all seemed ok.
Go around and check every pin on every connector and use the voltmeter to check everything. Have a friend hold the leads of the voltmeter at the ends of harnesses, and wiggle them around at the ends and I guarantee you'll find some intermittent connections.
Pop the connectors off the fan relays on the drivers side inner fender. Get some ronsonol liquid lighter fluid and a wire brush and a blow gun, and clean all that hardened up die electric grease in all the pins of the relays and the sockets of the connectors. It'll take awhile but you'll get much more power and reliability with the cooling system fan. My fan wasnt spinning all that fast and I had all sorts of cooling issues, and th efan wasnt coming on when it should, and the delay box wasnt working right, and everyone was leading me in the wrong directions. The problem was horrible connections at the relays from 20 year old "gorilla snot".
Another great idea is to buy the $108 F-Body radiator. Its a drop in radiator that was made for camaros. It has connections for the tranny coolin glines, but not oil cooler lines, so you should buy an oil cooler while you're at it. You'll spend like 175 bucks and have a much cooler running engine. On the way to work, I climb a 4 mile hill. I used to start at 170 degrees at the bottom and would hit 230 degrees by the time I hit the top of the hill. And this is with a 160 degree thermostat. I bought and installed this radiator and now I can sit in summer traffic and never go above 170 degrees. That 4 mile hill- it rises from 162 degrees to 168 degrees now. Its a huge bargain.
Go to gnttype.org and go through all the tech articles regarding the adjustment/setting of sensors.
Replace as many hoses as you can and use hose clamps wherever you can. I'd also go so far as to recommend that you pull the intake manifold off and replace the gaskets with a new 1 piece fel-pro pan style gasket. The factory style intake gasket sucks bad and leaks everywhere. Between all the hoses and replacing the intake gasket, I gained 5-6 inches of vacuum at idle (and this is with no obvious leaks before). The car ran much much better all around.
This is all boring stuff but trust me, it will save you more time and frustration than you can imagine.
After you address all this stuff, then you'll be ready for the power producing mods.
First should ALWAYS be a scanmaster, and learn how to use it and what all the numbers mean. Use it to adjust everything like fuel pressure, TPS, IAC etc...get an adjustable fuel pressure regulator if you dont have one.
Its boring but I really recommend replacing as many sensors as you can. IAC, O2 sensor (get a bosch if you dont plan on running race gas alot), MAF sensor, etc.
Heres another important one- the wires leading to the sensors are 20 years old and the strands inside are usually frayed from 20 years of tugging and twisting on the connectors. Get a voltmeter and check continuity everywhere you can. I had internal tearing in the orange power wire to the computer. Drove like this for 2 years and didnt even know it was bad. But after finding it by chance and fixing it, HOLY CRAP it made a difference....same difference making a new homemade MAF harness did. That was another set of wires that were iffy, leading right into the MAF sensor. Buying a remanufactured MAF from autozone for 45 bucks was probably the best thing I ever did. The scanmaster readings didnt show anything too unusual, but the MAF completely died, so I replaced it. After replacing it, I was totally stunned with how much better the car ran and how much more power it had...spoolup was probably 5 times faster. The car wasnt running right for 2 1/2 years and I didnt even know it cause all seemed ok.
Go around and check every pin on every connector and use the voltmeter to check everything. Have a friend hold the leads of the voltmeter at the ends of harnesses, and wiggle them around at the ends and I guarantee you'll find some intermittent connections.
Pop the connectors off the fan relays on the drivers side inner fender. Get some ronsonol liquid lighter fluid and a wire brush and a blow gun, and clean all that hardened up die electric grease in all the pins of the relays and the sockets of the connectors. It'll take awhile but you'll get much more power and reliability with the cooling system fan. My fan wasnt spinning all that fast and I had all sorts of cooling issues, and th efan wasnt coming on when it should, and the delay box wasnt working right, and everyone was leading me in the wrong directions. The problem was horrible connections at the relays from 20 year old "gorilla snot".
Another great idea is to buy the $108 F-Body radiator. Its a drop in radiator that was made for camaros. It has connections for the tranny coolin glines, but not oil cooler lines, so you should buy an oil cooler while you're at it. You'll spend like 175 bucks and have a much cooler running engine. On the way to work, I climb a 4 mile hill. I used to start at 170 degrees at the bottom and would hit 230 degrees by the time I hit the top of the hill. And this is with a 160 degree thermostat. I bought and installed this radiator and now I can sit in summer traffic and never go above 170 degrees. That 4 mile hill- it rises from 162 degrees to 168 degrees now. Its a huge bargain.
Go to gnttype.org and go through all the tech articles regarding the adjustment/setting of sensors.
Replace as many hoses as you can and use hose clamps wherever you can. I'd also go so far as to recommend that you pull the intake manifold off and replace the gaskets with a new 1 piece fel-pro pan style gasket. The factory style intake gasket sucks bad and leaks everywhere. Between all the hoses and replacing the intake gasket, I gained 5-6 inches of vacuum at idle (and this is with no obvious leaks before). The car ran much much better all around.
This is all boring stuff but trust me, it will save you more time and frustration than you can imagine.
After you address all this stuff, then you'll be ready for the power producing mods.
scojack_2001
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i don't really know.. i'm still running there water temp,and was running their oil pressure (not anymore).. my water temp is off by 30*+.. on the FAST my car runs 170 to 180 but on the VDO it shows 200 to 210 and some times more.. the oil pressure guage sending unit went up, so i replaced it with a autometer.. the VDO was really close to my new autometer oil pressure numbers...
my old boost guage was WAY OFF.. it would show that i was running 25psi but as soon as we installed the FAST it showed us that i was really running 30psi
all my VDO's were purchased from Kirban back in the mid 90's. i don't know how the newer ones are.. i think anything with sending units should be changed out over time..
Thanks Mike. I guess I gotta go spend some money on some AutoMeters...:biggrin:
nordy racer
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you don't want to hurt that stocker beast you have there Scojack.. she's running to good for a bad guage to mess it up..
scojack_2001
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Three 12.0s in a row at Cecil, all between 12.04 and 12.05; with transmission issues. I dont think its off, but I WILL NOT risk a $4,000 motor over a $100 boost gauge. We'll see what happens. Never did like the VDOs anyway. Should be interesting looking with my tach in there...
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