What did you do to your non-G body project today? [2022]

[Clutch]

I got a bunch of stuff done today. I had to go to the shop so the new exhaust fan could be installed. While I was there I finished the Resurrection of a fiberglass hood for my friend EJ's work truck and I spray bombed it with turbo cans lol only for EJ I worked on Lexi's Camaro I actually got it far enough that I drove it home tonight to put it threw it's paces. I was back and forth between EJ's shop and mine all day and the hood I painted for him is already on the truck. Doesn't look bad considering it was junk and laid outside in the sun for 10 years in raw gelcoat after it went threw a windshield. I took a picture after we got the nose back together.

The first picture is before we did the hood pins

We couldn't put the bumper back on because the winch hits the new intercooler. He like me is scrambling to get his truck done he needs it Tuesday and it's been off the road for 6 months. An oil leak turned into a 550whp 7.3 utility body lol not bad for an old Cherry Hill fire truck. Tomorrow I need to see about getting the front tires balanced on Lexi's camaro it's got a bad shake over 60 that gets like a death wobble in a 4x4 square body. I'm sure it probably needs tie rods or something it has 90k but it did make it home. Still has a check engine light on for mass air flow sensor low voltage voltage low? Something like that I put a new one in it and cleared it and it came right back. Any suggestions? It's not something I can fix with a welder and body filler so I'm lost. So far EJ did a new car and 1 exhaust manifold stud mass air flow sensor plugs and wires still runs rough cold and stumbling at low rpm but smooths right out. Could the new mas air be bad?

 

[Ugly1]

While building the raised floor subframes for my '64, it became painfully obvious the 16x10" deep back spaced wheels were not going to be user friendly. I couldn't get the front sub-frame out because the tire height interfered & I needed to remove it for finish welding. This is where adapting can be an issue & it was in my head all along. The original 12bolt truck housing was the correct length for the steel wheels & back spacing before the major frame mods. But I knew there would be an issue trying to get them on/off as low as the truck would be after modding. So a narrower Ford 9" was swapped in place & I used adapters to allow mock-ups to move forward w/those wheels/tires.

Fast forward to removing the sub-frames last week & what a PITA. Removal required jacking the bed structure up & putting front/rear ends of the bed on stands; jacking the frame up high enough & putting a stand under the rail, pulling the wheel & tire while trying to squeeze it between the hub flange/studs & the outer bed skin/wheel opening. It required force to squeeze it out.

So I did a thing I wasn't going to do but I'm tired of delaying the inevitable (spending $$ to get it done). Got some 20x10's w/4"BS & pulled the adapters off. This allows ~2" more wiggle room to help get the hunk 'o rubber out. The 'flow-formed' aluminum wheel is lighter than cast (waaay lighter than the steel wheels that were on it) so that will help as well.

The first few images give you some idea as the the 'new' floor height vs where it was originally. Then a couple of shots of the sub frames during construction & after picking them up from powder-coating. Then the new rear shoes....

I'll get fronts on the way next week. They'll really set my wallet on fire..... 😡

Did you buy or make the wheel wells? Never mind found them! Are you bagging it so it also give you some room?

 

[Clutch]

Spent some time on Lexi's Camaro today had it on a lift the driver's side upper ball joint is completely shot passenger is loose but not nearly as bad. Outer tie rod on the right is bad so I ordered a set of uppers and outers. There was a brand new pare of rear shocks in the car when I bought it so I ordered new front struts sense the ones in the car are rotted and probably original like the rears. The brakes are way down on it so I also ordered 4 new rotors and pads. Still getting a mas air code but it's running much better. While I was spending money I didn't have I got a new belt to. Looks like most of it will be in Wednesday so next weekend and every night will be about a Camaro. Hopefully I have it wrapped up by Friday so I can move on to my truck.

 

[81cutlass]

Why does the rainier clunk every time I hit a bump?

Look underneath, both rear sway bar bushings are bad and the 3 yr old end link is shot. Look at rotors (yikes).

Wife- My fusion brakes pulse. Fix it please

2+2- I'm sick of semi-metallic pad dust on the nice wheels every time I drive it 2 miles

LOAD THE PARTS CANNON!

Why does everything need brakes at the same time?

 

[motorheadmike]

Why does the rainier clunk every time I hit a bump?

Look underneath, both rear sway bar bushings are bad and the 3 yr old end link is shot. Look at rotors (yikes).

Wife- My fusion brakes pulse. Fix it please

2+2- I'm sick of semi-metallic pad dust on the nice wheels every time I drive it 2 miles

LOAD THE PARTS CANNON!

Why does everything need brakes at the same time?

View attachment 201814

The factory endlinks are useless.

 

[Supercharged111]

Why does the rainier clunk every time I hit a bump?

Look underneath, both rear sway bar bushings are bad and the 3 yr old end link is shot. Look at rotors (yikes).

Wife- My fusion brakes pulse. Fix it please

2+2- I'm sick of semi-metallic pad dust on the nice wheels every time I drive it 2 miles

LOAD THE PARTS CANNON!

Why does everything need brakes at the same time?

View attachment 201814

Count your blessings, mine always need tires at the same time.

 

[scoti]

Did you buy or make the wheel wells? Never mind found them! Are you bagging it so it also give you some room?

It was set-up/built for bags in place of where the coils go. But everything was done so I can run standard drop coils, bags, or coil-overs. The amount of suspension drop required raising the floor; the tubs were just along for the ride. Some guys leave the tubs lower & simply rework the wood floor around them. I don't car for that look so I did it this way.

 

[Supercharged111]

Over the weekend got the trans back in the Camaro, checked over the brakes, went for a short test drive and it feels normal again so into the trailer it went a week before the race.

Then I set about working on the trailer. Fixed the plug, I'd narrowed it down to a short between hot and ground and I was right.

Hopefully it doesn't do that again. Also got my charger installed and wired up so anything running off the battery won't drain said battery if the trailer is plugged into AC, mainly the front bench LED lights and the big LED light bar behind the trailer. Instead of wiring the light to the battery, I popped this little junction box up high next to the charger (lugs were not tight in this photo), it should look familiar to a GM guy.

Next I declutterized the thing to an extent I've not seen in. . . ever? The floor is bare between the car and bench and the bench itself is almost bare. We'll see how long that lasts.

 

[Bonnewagon]

Several years ago I replaced the rear control arm bushings at the body mounts on the '05 Cobalt with the MOOG problem solvers. That took care of the annoying rattle for a while. It slowly came back. I checked and re-checked the bushings and they looked fine and were torqued properly. I did the sway bar bushings and end links last year so they were new. Nothing else was loose or broken or in any way making noise. Yet at low speed it rattled like crazy. At highway speeds it did not rattle at all. And it sounded like that same control arm bushing sound. So in desperation I grabbed a 1/2" breaker bar and a 21mm socket and just tightened the control arm bolt. And it turned. A lot. In fact I was so far past the 74 ft lb + 180° spec it was unnerving. I sure did not want to break the caged nut loose or the bolt but it just kept tightening. I just kept going making it tighter and tighter until my spider sense said to quit before I broke something. I did that to both sides. I also tightened up the two small bolts that hold the front control arm bushing to the frame. They did not turn as much but did get much tighter than stock. Then I dropped it down for a test. Noise- GONE! Why? I guess the bushing or arm was still rattling even with the stock torque. I don't advise going way over the stock specs but I just had to get rid of that rattle. Also: I used plenty of anti-seize when I did the bushings so I was able to turn the bolt unlike when I had to battle them off the first time.

 

[Built6spdMCSS]

Oil Change light went off in the daily driver.. I'll get to that and a tire rotation eventually.