87 Monte Carlo SS aerocoupe -2nd chance-

[Kwik_Cutty88]

I got a quick question....the harness all the way to the right of the last photo, what is it? Has a vacuum line, 4 or 5 prong connector and a lone ground wire. I assume cruise control but wanna make sure before I ditch it. Would I have any problems if I just removed it and used a rubber grommet style plug for the firewall? I really wanna get rid of all the sh*t I won't use to make the wiring simpler......any input is appreciated.

I am 90% sure that is for cruise. On the inside of the car, does the harness come through close to the fuse block area? That's where mine used to come through before I pulled all the cruise harness out. I think the vacuum line was for the little cruise vacuum ball too. To fill in that hole I used the rubber grommet that was already in there, cut a piece of fuel hose to fill it in more, and then sealed the hole grommet up with RTV. That way I can still remove it if need be.

 

[liquidh8]

That harness is the cruise control. I have a set of those GNX fender vents I never used on the wagon, I went a different route

 

[-83MONTESS-]

Agreed on the factory firewalls, i tried to fill as many holes as possible, cut the wiper motor bracket off, moved the fuse block inside, smoothed that whole area to clean it up. As you know that sh*t takes a ton of time but the end result is worth it. The only really visible wiring i have now is for the efi and starter wiring....headlight/electric fan wiring is mounted on studs welded to the outside of the inner fenders and held in place with cushion clamps and locknuts.

As far as the vents go....along with 565bbchevy i agree on a different color than black....i have a secret color up my sleeve for my cutlass that the vents would look killer with....however i backed out on the idea of using vents. Keep up the gr8 work the monte is looking awesome!

Did you totally eliminate the wipers then? I had that thought go through my head but I didn't think it would be worth it.

 

[-83MONTESS-]

That harness is the cruise control. I have a set of those GNX fender vents I never used on the wagon, I went a different route

Ok sweet I'll just remove it then. It's in good shape so I'll probably throw it on ebay and see what someone would give me for it.

 

[Injectedcutty]

Did you totally eliminate the wipers then? I had that thought go through my head but I didn't think it would be worth it.

Yeah, no wipers now for at least the last 7 or 8 years. I tried not to drive it in the rain if at all possible...couple of times been sitting at a show and it starts pissin from the sky but i try to keep rain-x on it just in case. I've had minimal regrets of removing them, but as you know trying to build a super clean ride makes the brain whacky at times to set a car apart. I even filled the holes where the wiper arm nubs came through the cowl.

 

[liquidh8]

Ok sweet I'll just remove it then. It's in good shape so I'll probably throw it on ebay and see what someone would give me for it.

You can find it coming through the firewall under the dash, The vacuum, line will go to a brake switch, and the harness will go to a box right above, or around the gas pedal.

 

[HAFROD]

Here is a couple mods for you since your working on your firewall. The flange for the wiper motor has a tab with a hole in it on top. It drove me nuts. I used a flap wheel and removed the tab and thinned the flange to square it up. It was a very fast procedure and it looks cleaner. That hole and flange makes it look like somethings missing and something should be attached. I also welded bolts inside to the three screw holes for the gas pedal to firewall. This is a pretty quick and easy treatment to clean up the firewall. Now the gas pedal slides onto the studs and is attached with nylon lock nuts. Here's a link to the page of my Salon build with the gas pedal mod. Did not want to post pics on your build thread https://gbodyforum.com/threads/hafrods-78-aeroback-salon-build.46650/page-10

 

[-83MONTESS-]

Updates! The body is finally back on the frame. I have all but 3 body mount bolts in. I will have to cut them out from the top, 2 of the bolts are broken and 1 cage nut broke loose. I kept the broken bolts in there to use as "dowel rods" for locating the body on the frame. Worked awesome so you can't laugh at me. I used a cherry picker and 2 strong *ss friends to lower the body down. Now progress can really pick up. The rear wheels and tires clear everything so no more trimming is needed to the wheel tubs. Next thing is setting the engine and trans back in it and then cleaning the inside floors for paint.

I had my buddy put my headers in the shot blaster he has at the engine shop and I finally painted them. I used the VHT header paint. Not sure how long it will last but its better than the shitty rust they were covered in before.

I got bored and made a panel to mount my ignition box, coil, and timing controller. I didn't like how the weight of all 3 made the aluminum panel flex so I used some 16 gauge to mount them to. That way I can seal the aluminum panel to the firewall and if I gotta pull them out later I can just remove the separate panel. Its just mocked up in the pic. Still gotta paint it up. Not sure what color yet.

 

[84_SS]

It's coming together nicely! I VHT painted my headers on my old car, lasted about a week of beating on it, have you considered wrapping them?

 

[pontiacgp]

When I put my body back on the frame I had bought a four body bolts longer then what is used so I could hover the body over the frame and get the long bolts started. Then drop the body down to put in the proper bolts after measuring everything a few times to make sure the body was on straight