BUILD THREAD 1987 Olds 442 Project Build

[oldsofb]

I think the A/C Box will go on first. Before I do I take the time to clean the duct work (since the dash is out).

There are (4) 7mm screws that hold it in by the window defrost ducts.

Once it's out I can take the two duct attachments on each side loose to help get to those hard to reach spots. I use some ArmorAll Cleaning Wipes to get the caked on dirt out.

All clean and ready for reassemble.

The main body is plastic welded together (like rivets, but melted plastic), and the flex hose is stapled to the plastic duct. I didn't feel like tearing that all apart, so it's as clean as I could get it.

Here it is all back together (minus a couple of screws that still need to go in).

The foam insulation was in great condition, so I left it alone.

It took six wipes to get the pieces clean. This was all inside and outside the duct work. It took some pressure wiping to get the crud off. I thought I could just push a swiffer through the ducts and be done. When the swiffer came out clean, but I could clearly see a layer of dirt on everything, i knew it needed to come out and get a deep cleaning. That's 33 years of built up grime!

With the duct work out, it should be easy to put the A/C Box in place.

Hutch

 

[oldsofb]

Installed the A/C Box finally.

Getting the gasket from the kit installed.

The gasket has to fit over these two different style raised stops. I assume this keeps the installer from crushing the gasket too far. It also keeps the gasket in place during installation.

Ready to go in

Installed!!

All for now.

Hutch

 

[69hurstolds]

Just wondering, now that you "manscaped" the firewall... there's the engine ground strap that would normally go above the HEI setback area in the firewall, and the heater core ground strap (shown hanging in the pic). Where you going to put those now? Same area? Or something more out of sight? No big deal, it's just curiosity now that you smoothed some things out.

 

[oldsofb]

Just wondering, now that you "manscaped" the firewall... there's the engine ground strap that would normally go above the HEI setback area in the firewall, and the heater core ground strap (shown hanging in the pic). Where you going to put those now? Same area? Or something more out of sight?

Out of sight down on the trans tunnel, or at least below the height of the intake. Unseen is the goal.

Hutch

 

[oldsofb]

I bolted the duct work inside back up to the box and installed the vacuum lines to their servo's for a test.

I hooked up my A/C vacuum pump to the Violet vacuum line in the engine compartment. That's the main vacuum supply for the system.

Since my pump can pull nearly 30 in.-Hg, I put a vacuum cap in the three way with a hole in it. This gave me a controlled leak that brought the line vac down to about 15-18 in.-Hg right in the low to mid range of good engine vacuum. My intended cam may lower my engine vac a little, so I wanted to simulate that vacuum range.

I checked the Violet line inside and it read 17 ish. I then hooked up my A/C Control Head and ran it through all the modes. Worked like a charm (all doors functioning). I even hooked my vac gauge to the Grey line that goes to the Heater Cut Off Valve. It pulled vac on Max A/C mode. My control head was the last piece I needed to check for function. I'm a happy camper!

Hutch

 

[oldsofb]

What? No HVAC decal? 🙂 It ain't done til the decals are on.

Don't think I've forgotten these wise words. There will be a decal install to come 😉

Hutch

 

[oldsofb]

So with the firewall painted and the A/C Box installed, I was going to turn to the Brakes.

The problem is, I can't do the brakes until I get tires on the 18" Billet SSIII's. The 15" rollers that are on now won't accommodate the C5 front brakes.

I can't lay out money for tires until I know for sure how much all the Machine Work will cost for the 455.

In the meantime I've been cleaning and painting small parts and doing other small projects to fill the time.

Here's the Wiper Motor clean up

Just your typical 30 years of grime buildup.

I intended to paint the plastic cover, but after cleaning it with a wipe or two, I decided to just hit it with some ArmorAll.

I wire wheeled the bolts to give them a fresh coat of paint.

The motor was cleaned and covered with a few coats of Eastwood Cast Aluminum and the bolts got Underhood Black.

All back together and ready to wait for install

Hutch

 

[fleming442]

I think I would drop the money on tires, so you can keep moving with the suspension and brakes. You could always slap something in to run it while the engine is being built.

Looking awesome, though! 👍👍

 

[oldsofb]

I think I would drop the money on tires, so you can keep moving with the suspension and brakes. You could always slap something in to run it while the engine is being built.

The block, crank, rods, pistons, heads are at the machine shop. When it does get done I can't be short on that bill 😉 I may have to nail him down to a closer price to see where my budget falls.

It would be nice to keep things in forward progress.

Hutch

 

[oldsofb]

Sooooo....after talking with my machine shop guy, I (he) figured out what to do. He suggested putting some cheap used tires on the wheels so it could roll around AND I could get cracking on the brakes.

You ever hear someone say something and wonder why YOU didn't think of it?

2 hours later 😁

Hutch