by "JayZAyEighty thinks C4+3=C7" (jayzayeighty)
Published 02/24/2017 at 19:00
by "JayZAyEighty thinks C4+3=C7" (jayzayeighty)
Published 02/24/2017 at 19:00
Tags: C4 Update
STARS: 2
That drive you absolutely nuts.
Disclaimer: this will be really boring to all but a few masochists
The project C4 supposedly hadn’t run in 6 years because the fuel pump was bad. A wiring test confirmed this, so I got to work taking off the fuel filler door (not mine pictured above, open). I found that there was an actual black widow on the backside and threw the piece on the ground behind the car immediately, contemplating whether or not to burn it all to the ground. I decide on just checking back to see if the possibly-dead spider is gone or not but forget about the entire hinged assembly sitting behind the car, on the curb of my work’s parking lot.
Two days later I had the pump and came by to remove the pump assembly. Puzzlingly, the fuel door was placed neatly on a piece of cardboard behind the car. I figured that some nice person was just looking out, and stupidly leave it there. I took off the ancient hoses and got the fuel pump assembly out. One hose needed to be replaced. I rebuilt the fuel pump assembly and put it back in the car that night, but I’m left waiting to patch everything back together. I still had the fuel filler door sitting on the curb behind the car, and after a week of it sitting there I thought nothing of it. This was Saturday.
Sunday, I’m headed to the lot to wrap the thing up. But I get a call to help do some moving, so back I go. Monday I’m finally ready to put all of the pieces together. Pump goes in, bolts get turned, hoses are popped and fastened in place, rubber catcher is pushed in, and the fuel door is set... where’s the fuel door? Stolen? There was better stuff to steal, so it must be around... sitting with the piles of trash that accumulate from the warehouse. Uh, those are gone too. So a pristine silver ‘84 Corvette fuel door is sitting at the bottom of a dumpster somewhere. Damn. Okay, let’s order a slightly junkier one on eBay with $25 shipping, change the oil and fuel filter, fill the tank with new gas, and start this sucker. Luckily the car ran beautifully and the “Ceasefire” injection is as middling as day one.
Today, the silver fuel door finally gets here. Hasta la vista, crap job and douchebag boss! Let’s get this thing on here and... wait, that’s gray.
D A M N.
Fuck spiders. Seriously. It’s winter! 80F today, but February!
Well, until next time!
"aberson Bresident of the FullyAssed Committe" (emaxxbl)
02/24/2017 at 19:03, STARS: 1
oh hey its you
"S65" (granthp)
02/24/2017 at 19:09, STARS: 0
See, now you know to pick up your stuff
"JayZAyEighty thinks C4+3=C7" (jayzayeighty)
02/24/2017 at 19:24, STARS: 0
A lesson learned! But probably not, because this is the story of my life.
"gogmorgo - rowing gears in a Grand Cherokee" (gogmorgo)
02/24/2017 at 19:48, STARS: 1
There are no poisonous spiders in my neck of the woods. Sure, I consider 10°F a warm day for the end of February, but still. There are no venomous snakes, either. Nothing hiding in the woods to kill you to death.
"Birddog" (maintmgt)
02/24/2017 at 20:02, STARS: 1
Wait.. Back up a bit.
You have a running Cross-Fire Corvette?!
"JayZAyEighty thinks C4+3=C7" (jayzayeighty)
02/24/2017 at 21:39, STARS: 0
Hey, man! I haven’t exactly been frequenting these parts but catch progress on the Alfa sometimes. Still have the Jag? Good winter for project cars in these parts.
"JayZAyEighty thinks C4+3=C7" (jayzayeighty)
02/24/2017 at 21:43, STARS: 0
A bit cold, but I’ll take the lack of spiders (really not a huge problem after being under a few cars that have sat). It’s usually fairly seasonal around here in Northern VA—about half below freezing and half above during mid-winter—but it’s been May-like recently. Black widows are rare here, and I didn’t think I’d see anything of the sort around Feb.; I kind of just stared in awe, but ended up setting it down where its home was presumed trash.
"JayZAyEighty thinks C4+3=C7" (jayzayeighty)
02/24/2017 at 21:54, STARS: 1
As of this week, yes! And after 6 years of hibernation at that. Multi port was too rich for my blood, and it’s cool to watch fuel injection at work.
"Birddog" (maintmgt)
02/24/2017 at 22:08, STARS: 0
God bless you! Cross Fire was a poorly executed good idea.
"JayZAyEighty thinks C4+3=C7" (jayzayeighty)
02/24/2017 at 22:16, STARS: 0
Haha, indeed! You know, if the ‘82 and ‘84 were produced in lower volumes, it wouldn’t be looked upon so poorly. There were just too damned many with the potential of failure. CFI was a leap from the carb of ‘81, but TPI was an even bigger one in ‘85. It seems that the limit for Cross Fire is shy of 500hp due to a lack of aftermarket injectors which isn’t bad, but it suffers from other angles as it just wasn’t fully-baked.
This is off-topic, but I recall that you had some MN12s in the past. I’m driving a base ‘90 (total beater and great daily simultaneously) right now and was wondering if you ever had a slipping AOD? I have another ball joint I need to get around to stat, but the trans is slipping something mean these days!
"aberson Bresident of the FullyAssed Committe" (emaxxbl)
02/24/2017 at 22:20, STARS: 0
Yep still have it and it’s still being driven daily for the most part. I bought a complete parts car for it about a year ago
"JayZAyEighty thinks C4+3=C7" (jayzayeighty)
02/24/2017 at 22:28, STARS: 1
That is fantastic! Shrewd move on parts car, especially having some room. Space is such a killer here, turning down some deals is painful but the only option.
Could’ve had a rust free, running and driving Olds F85 Deluxe (power everything) with a reupholstered interior for $3,500. But there’d be absolutely nowhere to put it.
"gogmorgo - rowing gears in a Grand Cherokee" (gogmorgo)
02/24/2017 at 22:29, STARS: 0
I’m more used to it being in the -20-0°F range this time of year. We just did have a couple incredibly warm weeks too, early April-ish I’d say, where we just barely crept past freezing. I’m kinda curious to see what the spring’s like, cause we’ve been all over the map this winter, -60°F windchills for a week and then in the space of a few days shooting back up above freezing, and a week later plummeting back down. Crazy.
"Birddog" (maintmgt)
02/24/2017 at 22:42, STARS: 0
I didn’t even know you could get close to 500 with CF! I thought the heads and intake were corks for power.
The AOD is a finicky beast. I’d try an aftermarket trans cooler and a TV cable adjustment first. How is the fluid? Have you done a flush or drained the TC during a fluid change?
I don’t recommend this for anyone relying on an old Ford as a DD but Mopar ATF +4 worked wonders on Crusty’s 4r70w (a slightly improved AODE).
"JayZAyEighty thinks C4+3=C7" (jayzayeighty)
02/24/2017 at 23:00, STARS: 1
Oh definitely, just some crazed CFI lovers who replaced everything but CFI no doubt! Limits would probably be higher but for a lack of aftermarket injectors. I discovered that there was no TC drain plug on this car, but dumped the trans pan and changed the filter (Motorcraft) and fluid (AMSOIL MV ATF). Admittedly, I dumped some AMSOIL 75W90 GL4 I had sitting in an identical-looking bottle, but we’re talking less than a tenth of a quart before I saw clear liquid coming out and isn’t as far off in viscosity as it might seem. I think the trans may be overfilled by .5 to .75 qts but I don’t think that is enough to be the culprit either. Will drain a bit soon anyways.
Perhaps relevant is the fact that I made a custom dipstick based on what a very kind TCCOA member plotted out for me. I’ll check out TV cable as the throttle linkage came loose the other day. Fluid that came out was clean and new but probably cheap as well. It’s been a trusty steed so far, and I get the appeal without a doubt. It’s well engineered and drives beautifully. If the gauges really worked, I’m sure the 85-mph speedometer has been pegged on most highway jaunts.
I saw you still have that 9th gen F-150. Great truck. A friend of mine bought a 351W F-250 longbed and it kills me to see it get abused.
"Birddog" (maintmgt)
02/24/2017 at 23:25, STARS: 1
The MN12 and FN10 cars are weird machines. Unloved with a lot of potential. Great GT cars too. I wish Ford would have followed through with the AWD Super Coupe they worked with Eaton and Porsche on.
Rebuilt AODs are relatively cheap on an exchange basis with a lot of trans shops if you look around. That is if the car is worth hanging onto.
“Crusty” has become my baby. I had no intention in keeping it this long. It started as a “flip”. Now? I’m attached. Beaten or not I love seeing OBS Fords out there just doing what they do well every day. (It helps that Lear Siegler made some damn durable seats!)
"JayZAyEighty thinks C4+3=C7" (jayzayeighty)
02/24/2017 at 23:48, STARS: 1
I just learned of the AWD SC from you. That was an awesome project and pretty forward-thinking stuff. Would be a fantastic range topper and now-classic. I might look into a rebuilt trans; it’s a cosmetically rough $500 daily, but it does well where it matters. I’m glad to see you keep the truck and can see why people are enamored with them. The cab you have is particularly good looking and practical. Those seats look almost pretty comfortable, too. I just hope I don’t get attached to this Vette in the same way! Thanks for the pointers.
"Birddog" (maintmgt)
02/25/2017 at 00:02, STARS: 1
All that money for nothing!? Gaa! I hope the work on that car went somewhere, somehow.
The driver seat in Crusty has a “butt groove” going on now (the inflatable lumbar still works!).
It’s like Archie Bunker’s chair or Al Bundy’s spot on the couch. It feels like home. I’ll never find a truck as mechanically sound for what I have invested without making 74 payments.
"JayZAyEighty thinks C4+3=C7" (jayzayeighty)
02/25/2017 at 21:10, STARS: 0
The T-Bird shifted like a charm right after the fact, so I’ll have to do some investigating this week. Luckily I got a decent deal, but I’m not going all out on fluids for a car that costs little more than them again! Dumped 5 qts of their 10W40 high zinc in the ‘84 for peace of mind, though. Inflatable lumbar always seems like such an appealing and practical feature. I agree that finding a good truck almost always means looking to a pricey one, and that one likely won’t feel like home! Who doesn’t want to be at the center of his own universe that is Archie Bunker’s chair?