Cascade Crew

QwkTrip · Posted: Fri Nov 07, 2014 11:00 pm Post subject:

I just can't seem to get around the fact the coil has to move. As soon as the engine runs it is going to tear up the fiberglass AC box. So I've come up with a plan to modify the bracket. Should be real easy if I can manage to lay down a decent weld. I've got the equipment.... I guess it is about time I learn to use it! Laughing

QwkTrip · Posted: Fri Nov 07, 2014 11:20 pm Post subject:

Found an excuse to order more tools. Very Happy

Got everything I need to form brake lines.

Summit Racing triple head tube bender. This is actually an Imperial 470-FH. Summit is selling a nice tool for really cheap!
Eastwood tube bending plier. Use in really tight spots or complex bends. This is going to be pretty handy around the master cylinder.
Tube bending springs. Hand bend without deforming the tube. This will be useful when I want to make small adjustments on long runs. Have to do it before the tube nuts are installed.

QwkTrip · Posted: Sat Dec 06, 2014 2:34 pm Post subject:

Hmm.... Making complex curves in brake lines is not easy. Now I understand why people end up with crummy looking lines at the master cylinder. It's not easy to get both ends to land where you want.

Not to mention the tube was tightly coiled and has an arc to it. I see somebody made a homemade tube straightener out of closet door rollers.

And despite buying a high end tube forming tool it still takes some care to get a uniform double flare. Of course, that could be due to the arc in the tube.

QwkTrip · Posted: Thu Feb 26, 2015 7:24 pm Post subject:

I guess winter is being winter. My garage has been frozen since December. I'll get back to this when the spring comes but for tonight it will be -3F again.

chevymad · Posted: Thu Feb 26, 2015 7:46 pm Post subject:

Haven't really had winter here. Tree's are budding and the skeeters are hatching. Had daddy long legs out on the car while I was working on it tonight.

QwkTrip · Posted: Fri Feb 27, 2015 6:05 am Post subject:

Oh, gosh! I think it has been above freezing just a few times since early December. -20F at one point, and lots of days that never get out of the teens. The high today will be 14F.

I want to get back to the Firebird. This is the year it runs, baby!!!

aaron_sK · Posted: Sat Feb 28, 2015 10:07 am Post subject:

It is 48* and sunny this morning in Tacoma with a projected high in the mid-50's. I think maybe you are living on the wrong end of the country. Laughing

chevymad · Posted: Sat Feb 28, 2015 3:10 pm Post subject:

60 and sunshine in Skamokawa right now. Warmer in Cathlamet. Looks like I mow the lawn tomorrow.

QwkTrip · Posted: Sat Feb 28, 2015 5:47 pm Post subject:

20F and getting 5" of snow right now.

QwkTrip · Posted: Wed Mar 11, 2015 5:05 pm Post subject:

Suddenly got warm in the 50's and snow piles are shrinking. Took a vacation day to clean the garage so I can work on the car again. My garage has never been more stuffed, more cluttered, and as unusable as it is now. I built shelving to get big boxes off the floor and out of my way. I sold the TH400 and got that out of the way. I stowed my generator and mig welder under shelves to open up floor space. I tossed junk that I'll never use. And I built a long table to lay out parts for the car and clear my work bench.

I think I'm ready to tinker again. Thumbs up

Although the garage is still in a deep freeze and it's going to take a few weeks of warmer weather to get the chill out of the ground and concrete. It must be 10 degrees colder inside the garage compared to outside.

QwkTrip · Posted: Sat Mar 14, 2015 4:58 pm Post subject:

Didn't know where to begin so I pulled out the axle today. Shrug

Put a wire wheel to the center section and cleaned off the rust. It was a solid orange ball when I started. Sprayed the bare casting with rust converter, and I will paint in a few days. Trial fit a set of Founders lowered control arm brackets. And hunted down some parts for the rear brakes.

Removed the Spohn torque arm that has been on there for 14 years. A Hawks Sinister short arm is going in it's place. More on that later. Wink

Next step is to drop the fuel tank and do the plumbing and wiring. Then I can put the axle back in and it will not need to come out again! Thumbs up

I found that Strange installed the wrong bolt for the caliper bracket. It was too long and could rub the rotor.

This is a nice change from wiring. The nuts and bolts jobs are always more rewarding when stuff comes together.

QwkTrip · Posted: Sat Mar 14, 2015 8:43 pm Post subject:

It seems I accidentally sold my 4th gen fuel tank harness with the extra fuel tank. I can't find the harness anywhere. Oops! Smack!

Thank goodness I made wiring diagrams of my fuel electrical. I think the connectors in the Racetronix harness are a type of metripack. I don't have a match but I can de-pin the connector and put the pins in one of my own metripacks that I have a bunch of..... And yes, I have to make another damn wiring harness. Mad

QwkTrip · Posted: Sun Mar 15, 2015 1:01 pm Post subject:

Sure enough, it was Metripack pins at fuel tank. I swapped the leads into my own flat 4 Metripack connector and I'm on my way. Smile

Axle center section painted. Tubes were already painted when new.

Founders drop brackets installed. Not very good alignment as-made. I will have to give it a hard tweak to make the holes line up with shock mounts.

QwkTrip · Posted: Mon Mar 16, 2015 6:21 pm Post subject:

Another good night of progress!

Mocked up the fuel tank and marked the length of fuel lines going to filter. Figured out the fuel filter and return line setup. Mocked up wiring, but still thinking where to put the pump relay. And I mocked up the f-body fuel filler neck and figured out how much hose to remove. Won't be long before that fuel tank goes up permanently!

Al Hasse · Posted: Mon Mar 16, 2015 9:17 pm Post subject:

I had a little fitment issue with my Founders brackets also, but I thought it was because I had a friend weld my LS1 brake line/cable brackets to them. I had a difficult time lining up the shock mount.

QwkTrip · Posted: Tue Mar 17, 2015 6:36 pm Post subject:

Same problem.

Twilightoptics · Posted: Thu Mar 19, 2015 8:22 am Post subject:

Needs more weld, less shock mount bandaid.

QwkTrip · Posted: Thu Mar 19, 2015 9:35 pm Post subject:

Agree. I will weld mine if I end up using it permanently.

Al, you need to give those things a shot of black paint.

QwkTrip · Posted: Sat Mar 21, 2015 7:37 pm Post subject:

Plumbed and wired the fuel tank today. As I was fiddling with Racetronx wiring I saw an easy way to eliminate the Racetronix jumper harness from top of fuel tank. I also got the fuel filler tube mocked up and now I have to take down the fuel tank again to crimp the tube in place.

Original Racetronix wiring on left with the jumper harness connector removed. Simplified wiring on the right. Now there is no need for the extra connector and jumper harness. Simply running wires directly to necessary connections.

Other end of harness. Black wire is eliminated. Grey wire used to go to top of fuel tank but not any more. Tan wires are spliced from the purple fuel sender wires at fuel tank (couldn't find purple in my stock pile Laughing

). Those three wires go to the 3rd gen connector on rear firewall.

Fuel tank ready to go up.

The -6AN hose is too big to fit in the original fuel line clips so I cut out the clips from fuel tank. Hoses are laying on top of the fuel tank and zip tied in three locations to the large tube that goes to charcoal canister. I used a weave method with the zip ties to force the fuel lines to lay flat.

I cut about 2.5 inches off the rubber fuel neck. I'd be interested in ideas from people how to keep the filler tube from flopping around.

QwkTrip · Posted: Sun Mar 22, 2015 11:54 am Post subject:

Apparently there is a rubber grommet that goes around the filler neck of LS1 4th gen cars. Been trying to find the part number for 3 hours. Any of you guys know the part number?