DTC41, loss of communications, right?

cool!!! Grounds are so important on plastic cars!!!

Rabbits are the nice critters on that list... I have heard about the snake issue, and this Cuban gecko thing that is replacing the native gecko... not a nice gecko. Welcome to FLA.

As for prisoners being released... this is a nasty catch-22... I have a sneaking suspicion that if a large prison had a huge die off of said occupants, can you see the wrongful death lawsuits? I sure can... It's not something that sovereign immunity would protect the system from. That would mean more financial pressure on the government, which would then lead to increased taxes and such...

To be honest, I am not a fan of how our criminal justice works... putting everyone in jail for every little offense... all that does is take a scofflaw and turn them into professional criminals. I just don't see the point.. some 19 year old kid, busted holding a couple of joints (this is an old example, but still legit) or even a rock of crack, and is sent up the river for 2 years, thanks to some screwed up zero tolerance law designed to be tough on crime. It's counterproductive.

I am pretty much the same way... crowds are ok, but I am not a fan... The only time, really, is a concert or movie. There is a single reason, but a throng? not so much.

Aloha.

I am either gonna computer geek out or work on the C6... donno yet... depends on my knees, I guess!

Biden in 2020.

Well... the frame design is a killer weakness. Have you read Dave McClellan's book, Corvette from the Inside? He lays out why the C4 frame sucks.

If you can fab up an x-brace, that is a great start. I have heard good things about Gordon's setup. It preloads the frame, call it isometrics for the chassis.

Good luck finding a steering brace... I don't think anyone is making them. Same with an x-brace, but those are easier to find on the used market via OEM parts.

I am a huge fan of the Banski rear suspension kit. I did that on my C4 (and did a story for it in the late-great Corvette Enthusiast Magazine, some 10 years ago now!). Not cheap, but sooooo worth it.

You will need to search the hinterlands for some of the parts and be willing to make some parts. The C4 has fallen on hard times and it's sad. But vette2vette and Corvette Salvage will prove to be useful.

BTW, I sold my C4 three years ago... I got a 2006 Coupe... yellow/black with a 6spd. GREAT car. Just great.

Horsepower corrupts... absolute horsepower corrupts absolutely.

Spoiled? Or the reality 360hp just ain't all that much anymore?

I look back on some other LT4 builds... The LT4 hot cam, or something of that vein, was always a good call. Long tube headers, for sure... thinner head gaskets - the Impala head gaskets, good for a half point pop in compression.

Maybe some clean up of the heads? Not a lot, because the LT4 head was already pretty good... but some mild port matching and such.

Also, get some NGK plugs and good wires... the OEM Delco platinums are junk-o-rama.

Since they were an aftermarket kit, the build is, basically, how many kits did they sell? That 600 is realistic... I can't say I have seen all that many... I have seen cars with Greenwood components, sure - a wing here, rocker covers there - but entire packages?

Also, don't get too warm and fuzzy... unlike the aero kit from Callaway, this wasn't part of an OEM package. In short, this is just another aftermarket product and we all know what aftermarket bits do to OEM values.

However, this kit was well done and has many added benefits... the hood heat extractors, the bigger gill vents, the wing that has an actual mount down to the frame vs being bolted to the SMC... it all adds up to a kit that actually WORKS. Super cool, really.

You did it right... the ABS is a parallel thing... Some ABS systems have their own dedicated fluid, I would need to confirm that.

I agree with the replacement parts list... 100%... age is a major factor now. And this car should have the GS front calipers! Great bonus!

The Greenwood is about the only kit I would get! Looks really good!!

It takes courage to ask $19k for that sad vert... that's a shame, it hurts to see something you sweated over get so beat up... sad...

Congrats!!!!

Sad but true, John...

My brother and his wife will be celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary next month. They are planning on coming out to CA to do it - I am here, and their son (my nephew) and his family is here. Less ppl to move if they come here!

However, I realized that outside of them, I will be the only other person who was actually AT the wedding...

Our parents died (Dad in 1977, Mom in 2016), my sister-in-law's folks have passed (Dad in 2013, Mom last year)... and Paul and I lost our brother in 2003.

No other friends will be traveling from Delaware or Florida... so that leaves me... I was all of 4 and a half years old...

That reality was a bit of a shocker to me. Quite honestly, I don't remember much of the wedding, a few snips, mostly jogged by photos... but I was there! In my little summer blue suit!

Morning gang....

Sorry to hear about your neighbours death, Gris... that is so sad...

We have been in a heatwave here for the last 3 days... highs touching 100!!!! It's been HOT! Today it is supposed to break. I can only hope.

Still on the job hunt... hoping for a break soon.

that's about it!

Thanks Charlie!!! The post rocks!!

I am curious where the Corral is??

Now we know why Tommy is still an indentured servant...

And likely will be for many years to come.

Been quiet here. Riots have calmed down and the temps have dropped - it's in the mid 60s today... gotta love living near the Pacific Ocean!!

Gonna do some wrenching on the C6 today, I think.

Cooler today, only a 15% chance of a riot... 45% chance of a peaceful protest.

The protestors are not our problem, it's the imported rioters... those buggers can go home anytime.

What I find funny... all those internet devices - Internet of Things or IoT - anything that is Internet enabled, from smart phones to smart TVs and Ring doorbells, have what is called a MAC address... these addresses can be tracked!!! They can also be locked out! Apple is already tracking stolen products. And I don't blame them.

All is quiet here... Nothing bad in my area... the riots are all 20 miles away, just pick a direction.

I hope things start to calm down... I really hope things do...

The weather has been fine... it's the social unrest that is rather hot right now. I hope the thieving bastards stay home... or get busted... the protests? Very cool with that, they have the right to protest... riot and looting? NO.

A personal memory, sad as it is, 15 years ago today, my brother Roy passed from brain cancer...

Morning gang!

Kinda cloudy... have a video drs appt this afternoon... Need to do some laundry and such... just house stuff. Also, need to work on my C6 a bit... just general maintenance, nothing earth shattering.

That's my day...

My brother had a 1979 C10 Custom Deluxe pickup, much like that 1985 Suburban, under the skin.

And we have a 1999 Suburban, based off the next generation pickup platform (GMT400, that sounds right).

Our Suburban is about the same size as that 1985, but is super nice inside and the ole 350 puts out more HP than the 454 did and gets over 20 MPG on the highway! At 215k miles, its chugging along just fine. I should note, ours has a 44 gallon tank... not only is it expensive to fill, it is a test of patience!!!

The Biturbo was always a fave, just because it looked so comfy inside!!! I knew they were junk, but they were pretty junk. I would get one, and then drop in an LSx conversion.

The 924 was never a fave... the 944 arrived and looked so much more refined and resolved. It just made the 924 look old and cheap.

This is not an 80s car, but it had to be shared...

https://bringatrailer.com/listing/1978-chrysler-new-yorker/

That price is most realistic... thanks to the C8 release and COVID, there has been a real tanking.

In fact, as nice as this is, $15k is still a bit high... sad to say. If this was a 6spd manual, the tune would be different.

It's been nice here... sunny and pleasant... very SoCal! Upper 60s during the day, upper 50s at night.

Just getting some things done around the house... the job hunt has been slowed by COVID-19...

This just sold on BaT this week:

https://bringatrailer.com/listing/1983-oldsmobile-custom-cruiser/

I think it's a good move... Le Man's in Sept was going to conflict with the reset IMSA series in a big way. Logistics and costs were going to make it tough. I will miss them being there, but there will be enough teams from Europe to make for a good show.

I am hopeful that Sebring goes off as planned...

fingers crossed

Sorry to hear your event was cancelled, Marcus... that super sux... I hate when something seriously looked forward too is cancelled like that.

I am not a convertible person... or, not enough to justify a C8 vert.. I will stick with the coupe.

Good read.

I agree with the limits of the C1... I have never driven on, chiefly, because when I tried to get into one, I simply don't fit. I have always had the wrong proportions... tall in the torso, short inseam (I am just at 6' tall, but with a 30" inseam!) and a bit too much of a belly... It makes for a poor fit on a good day... I haven't tried a restomod with PS and a small steering wheel.

The C4 limits were a bit kinder... that tall sill was a result of GM brains, thinking they were smarter than Dave McClellen, ordering him to remove the t-bar... and not giving him $$ to do it right. On my 92, remove the top, and the front and rear of the car no longer were one... they vibrated at a less than complementary frequency. It was kinda nauseating...

I can't speak for the C8. I can't wait to drive one, tho.

The radiator support is busted... again... I have the parts, what I have been lacking is motivation. So... This weekend, it comes apart!

finally.

My 92 was old... and had miles... but I never felt those lines were problematic.

As for replacement? I don't think the bumper needs to come off. The rubber is either localized to the sender area, or connects to a rubber line that is accessible... I would need to see the area again to confirm.

Removing the rear bumper is a pain, on a good day.

Marcus!!! How you doing??

It's been hot here... cool/cold on the east usually equates to hotter than hell here. It was in the triple digits not all that far from here. I have described it before, but being so close to the ocean does buy us some cooler air. However, we are on the wrong side of the hill and don't always get the cooling breezes... We can get hotter here than other areas. But still cooler than most!

The heat is supposed to go through until tonight and moderate back to normal over the next few days.

I need to get to work on my C6... but that will wait until the temps drop!

I think today will be an office day. sounds like a nice idea!

I installed a racetronix on my 92. Last pump I did. Worked very well.

Any update?

The more I think of this problem, the more I am convinced that the issue is with the harness around the coil and ICM.

Back some 15 years ago, a C4 regular on Corvette Forum had the exact same problem. His car would run great, then start to misfire. His was also a 1992/93 vintage.

After much analysis, it was found that the harness for the coil/ICM had failed and was intermittently losing connection, causing the coil to shut down for a moment, then turning back on. It was a needle in a haystack, to be honest.

The C41 is worrisome to me.

That is the signal that goes from the engine controller to the chassis controller...

I think I know what is happening... but I am not sure and it would take a laptop to track it with software to monitor and record things. This would also require a USB connector to allow for communications to work.

I think Tunercat is the software you want, I will have to confirm, it's been a while.

However, it sounds like to me the ECM is shutting down or failing. I like the idea of making sure everything is connected and clean. Make sure the grounds are clean and that the power block (behind the battery, against the fire wall) is clean and all connections are solid.

There are many places where things can be corroded, especially near and under the battery.

Do all that minor stuff and then remove the plate on the bottom of the engine controller. Take a sniff. Does it smell like burnt electronics? If not, that's a good thing. If so, could be bad.

Take the controller and put it back, but don't put the cover on it. Get a can of air, like used on computers to clean dust off. Take the car for a drive, once it starts to misfire, pull over, flip over the controller, invert that can and spray the cold gas into the controller. If it starts running better, you have found the problem.

Other sources of this problem are a bad coil and/or ICM - Ignition Control Module. Also, a bad harness at the ICM will wreck havoc on things.

The ICM is on the right head. You can see the coil wire. This is the source of the spark.

If the engine controller seems ok, the next time it misfires, use the same spray on the coil/ICM. If things settle back down, there is the problem.

I am betting more on the coil/ICM vs the ECM.

If it is the ECM, unless things have changed, you will need to go used. 1992 and 1993 Corvettes share the same ECM. 1993 Camaro and Firebirds, with LT1, share it, too. And from my initial search, no love new... no one is remanufacturing these things.

Again, I would start with the ICM and coil. Depending on mileage, that would be a great starting point. I am guessing the car has over 100k, so yes, ICM and coil.

And don't be surprised it is the harness. They get greasy and rotten and stuff. It ain't pretty... Same goes for the harness to the opti itself.

touch base before buying anything. There are some upgrades you need to consider.

15 years on the same pump? damn. Impressive!

The stock pump should flow enough... they push at 100 psi and the fuel pressure regulator brings it down to 40 something at idle and rises with throttle. And adjustable FPR will help...

If you upgrade the pump, I recommend Racetronix. At some point, I would.

go up to 1/2"...

Forgot to mention... Keith and I are friends. We have never met in person, ironically enough, but we are fb friends, any number of email exchanges, and I have inspected a car for him. Somewhere deep in the bowels of my smartphone is Keith's phone number.

There was a special section in the Jan 2018 issue in honour of their 30th anniversary. Below is what I submitted and was ultimately published:


The most significant was when Keith Martin trusted me with inspecting an Alfa Duetto a couple of years back.

Making friends... Having had the privilege to meet and become friends with Donald Osborne.

The most fun was about five or six years ago. In honour of the Jaguar XKE and Ferrari GTO, readers were asked to send in memories of these cars. I sent in two, one was in SCM, the other in the Pebble Beach guide.

Within hours of the magazine landing, I was getting emails from friends everywhere. Commenting, congratulating, it was most cool... then about a year ago, a gentleman on Facebook messaged me and ask if I was the same Andy Bogus who wrote those pieces back all those years ago! This stuff has some staying power, don't you think?

Lastly, I think the best part is a sense of community. It has a feeling of being a family, no matter who you are, how vast or how small your collection might be, there is a "we are in this together" vibe. If nothing else, when posting on facebook, suggesting that Keith replace the engine in <fill in blank> with an LS1 has made more than one person spew coffee!!

Thank you all for the news, information and mostly, the fun.

Aloha!

It was hot yesterday... And when it breaks 85 or so in San Pedro, that's hella hot!

For you all who don't know the LA area, San Pedro is actually a suburb of LA City. If you send me mail to San Pedro or Los Angeles, we will get it. Same town, San Pedro is just a residue of the hostile takeover about 120 years ago! LA wanted control of the ever growing Port here... so a snagging they came...

However, SP is then close to the water. And being close to the colder Pacific means that it is cooler here. Sadly, our house is on the wrong side of the hill, blocking some of that cooler air... Alas, we do get hotter here... But 85 is pretty damned hot... considering that DTLA, about 20 miles north of us, was nearer to 100!

It's supposed to be below 80 today. And drop another 10 tomorrow. Should be partly cloudy and 70 for next week.

Today... Laundry... need to get started working on the C6... got tune up parts and need to fix the radiator support bracket. Get it into the back drive and jack it up.

Also need to research the code caused by a problem with the evap emissions. It could be as easy as a bad fuse or a screwed up harness caused buy the installation of the cat back. According to my research, that harness is exposed to the fatter pipes or something like that... I am out to check that stuff.

I hope to get it back there and jacked up today. Then I can start labour tomorrow!

Oh... need to bleed the brakes, too.

And continue the job hunt. Anyone wanna learn C# with me?

That's my next few days.

Wow. I feel almost famous!

I have been on streak with that column... I think it's 5 or 6 straight issues I have been in that section!

Well... It's hot here in SoCal... a mini early heat wave is hitting today. Could hit 90!!!

It breaks tomorrow.

Had some ceiling lights installed on Wednesday. I picked up a new fixture for the kitchen and 2 for the family room. All LED. The kitchen light is SUPER bright... I expect planes to land... the family room lights are a bit more subdude. I suspect it's as much the size of the room and the colour. The kitchen is WHITE!!! The FR is a light tan... so less reflective.

Still sheltering, still job searching.

Hope everyone is healthy!!

I know what you mean... according to my agent, if I had left a window open, that's covered... go figure.

Still in the early stages. should know more tomorrow!

Have fun with the solar. It will be amazing when you see the first bill, tho.

Typical day in SoCal... mostly sunny, mid 60's... supposed to turn cloudy as the day progresses. No rain, thankfully!

The addition to our house is a slab, whereas the rest of the house is on an elevated foundation. The slab either has settled or was poured lower than the soil level on the west side. There is a fire place and this inset space between the fireplace and the main house, where the addition joins.

That area is prone to collecting water and it's gotten to the point where previously bad attempts to fix this have started to really fail... the problem? LEAKS! That nook between the fireplace and the main house is a leak point. I noticed this last year and it has since gotten worse. The heavier the rain, the greater the problem. It has reached critical mass now... it leaked into the addition - the family room - about 12' into the room! Boxes sitting on the carpet were soaked.

I have a claim starting with out home owners, but water/flood/leak problems are sooooo hard to claim on. It really annoys me, because we do not live in a flood plain, why should I need special insurance for a rain caused leak? My agent agrees, it's making the underwriters agree. Sigh.

That all sounds good! I hope it keeps up the good service!!!

It's interesting... everyone seems to have owned that one car that gets into situations... wrecks, tickets... whatever.

Mine was my first Prelude. A 1992 Prelude Si. I bought it new in September 1992. Over the 18 months I owned it, I caught 2 tickets and 1 accident... and then the final accident, not my fault cause I wasn't in the car!! My niece drove it into a tree. The cars death came in March 1994. My niece was fine, thankfully.

I wasn't too badly hurt on that, financially. I bought the car for $17,300. It was dealer demo, so I was able to knock off money because of mileage and the fact they already ate the floorplanning expense!

When it was totaled, thanks to me making extra principle payments, the loan was down to $12,995. State Farm was my insurance company and they covered the claim, and paid me $16,995! I drove the thing for 25k miles and 18 months for $300!!

My niece covered the deductible.

I respect your decision. I truly do.

I preached to folks about being responsible regarding performance and emissions. Got into a lot of arguments, mostly from people who were more concerned with that extra 5hp vs being marginally good team playing citizens.

My contention was simple... and this issue is still rampant in FL and TX and other states without testing... These morons go out, buy some expensive car, then start gutting the emissions controls due to some preconceived notion that they are being robbed of hundreds of horsepower and they don't want the man telling them what they can and cannot do.

Well, what I tried to tell them is that on one magical day, the state in question was going to get nailed by the EPA and it will require smog testing... where will you be then?

I prefer some flexibility in the laws. CA is sooo anal... and I don't like that either. However, I will say that the CA laws have done wonders to clean the air out here... most people don't understand why it was so important in the LA Basin. Because it IS a basin with some 13 million people stuffed into it! And their cars! There are mountains to the north, east and west. The only real passage out is on the 10 freeway near the California Speedway in Fontana!

Add in the natural wall of air that is the cold Pacific Ocean - an inversion layer that keeps the smog inland. In short, there is little that allows the air to easily evacuate. Florida, for example, has constant natural trades to clear the air... not CA. We get stuck...

But a few years back, West Palm Beach County FL did have to smog check. In time, other cities in FL will be mandated and those arrogant dumbasses will be stuck with undoing thousands of dollars worth of mods and getting all pissy about it! Trust me, adding a Borla and skip shift will make a C6 one helluva car without the need of cutting off cats and adding headers and such.

I do wish that the CA legislature would get off their asses and revise the exemption year... currently, is is 1975+ that must be tested. They are debating/discussing bringing that up to 1983. It would make it much easier for collectors who won't have to worry about the few cars that are worth collecting... vintage Ferrari come to mind.

Also would open up a lot of cars for modification!

If I want ultimate performance, I would build a track car. I don't see the need for that much on the street. If you can afford to mess with a Vette, just spend the $$ and buy the Z06 or ZR1! Get all the power with a damned warranty and EPA blessings... jeez...

yea, what Matthew said!

I am so damned creative.

Quote:

I am surprised Ohio even cares. Isn't there a point where they stop testing older cars? Most states it's at 25 years.

I wish CA would accept something a little more realistic than 1975!!! There has been a push to 1983 in recent months. Mostly, because there are not that many cars left in the state from 1975! And those older ones are now collectables that don't get much drive time anyway.

What it would do is open up the modification industry! Think what a 79 Corvette would be worth if you could drop in an LSx without emission concerns!

Sweet. You have to realize that buying a used part means 30 year old plastic... and how long will THAT hold up!?!?

Kinda scary, really. The C4 is nearly 40 years old!

Kind grey and dreary here today. No rain in the forecast! Most likely, no rain until about November!!

Still trying to find work... I don't know about the unemployment system. I am having trouble finding work that fits me. I don't have a lot of web experience, if any, really. sniff. In time, something will appear.

Otherwise, we have our health! No one has shown signs of COVID-19, so that is all great!

How is the Subaru treating you all? It's been a few months now.

I have always like Subaru... just never owned one. Primarily, the dealer in Dover was crap... anything more than an oil change about did them in.

Quote:

I remember seeing these in the dealerships back in the day.

They had two problems for collectibility...

1. RUST. Japanese cars of this era were prone to rusting. They came over on musty salty ships, getting inundated with salty air and moisture. The only ones that survived were the ones that were washed out and lived in the Southwest!

2. Electrical glitches. My sister-in-laws (Roy's wife) brother had a 300ZX of about this vintage. The car was in the shop for all sorts of electrical issues. I remember specifically that the stereo was replaced at least once in his 2-3 year ownership.

They did sell a number, but most were viewed as lux transportation, not anything "special" so they got driven into the ground, the engines salvaged to support early Z-cars and the rest rotted away.

Interesting... I woulda sworn the Cougar had a turbo. Thanks for clarifying that!

I had friends with the Turbo T-Birds... pretty quick, too!

My late brother, Roy, had a 1986 T-Bird with the 3.8 litre V6. It was silver with red velour... Auto, A/C, Power stuff, AM/FM/Tape. Nice car. Drove SO well and was super reliable.

He was told by a mechanic to unload it as it neared 100k miles... it was because it was going to break down and become expensive to keep on the road. He followed the advise. I was never convinced the mechanic was right, but I didn't have whatever insight he had. Roy traded it in for a 1987 Buick Regal with only 19k original miles on it! A local magistrate bought it for his wife who barely drove it! The Regal served well for a year or 2 (he got a great deal on it) and he traded that in for a 1992 LeSabre.

His thinking was that the Regal would be a good gap fill. And when he traded it 18 months later, it would have "normal" miles on it. I donno if that worked out, it's been a long time.

Sadly, I doubt if it did. Roy never did have good luck with car deals.... Poor guy... he was an on the road salesman for a car parts company based in Philly. His territory was all over the DelMarVa peninsula. As such, he put some 25-30k miles a year on a car. That Regal was bought in 1990, IIRC. 19k miles on a 3-YO car was great. When he traded it in 1992, it had 49k miles or so on it. As such, a 5 year old car with 49k miles was great! I just donno if he got the deal he shoulda gotten.