Alright, so I'll summarize my trails and tribulations this summer. This summer I was supposed to be stacking the miles on it, taking the kids to cruise nights, just enjoying it. Some of this may be a repeat of past posts, so you'll have to deal with it.
May:
The weather started to break and I got the heater core/interior restoration completed. The car still ran like shit and would die on me multiple times. I decided it was time to ditch the MicroSquirt and install the Holley EFI I still had NIB from the blue coupe I never installed. I know my limits and wiring is not my forte. I found a shop with a good reputation and could install and tune all in house. I scheduled to drop it off end of May. I tried to cruise the car again and it just wasn't having it. Sounded like a vacuum leak under the hood. Traced it down to the Throttle body. It blew the gasket right out. Of course this is 2 days before the car need to be in the shop. I order new gaskets and such and guess what, they won't work. The spacer and TB on there just don't match and it would blow it right back out in minutes.
strtcar hooked it up short notice with a 75 MM Accufab TB and spacer that he hadn't installed yet. I get it on there and we're back in business! I limp it to a cruise night with the kids and then drop it off to the shop a couple days later at the end of the month.
June:
I was told the install would be in 2 weeks and I'd be good to go. I figured there's no way, but sounded good to me. 2 weeks goes by with no updates. I get ahold of them and he hasn't started yet. Says another week. Nothing. So like any shop these days, poor communication and work gets done when you're the squeaky wheel. Install gets going, they suggest a meth kit. I ordered a Mr. Freeze kit since it's simple and just vacuum fed.
July:
The car is ready to be picked up so I can cruise it for the 4th of July weekend. Dyno is down and the AC needs to be wrapped up yet. No biggy, I'll bring it back by in a few weeks and enjoy at least having it. The car feels better, but is now sluggish in second gear, which it wasn't before. The battery was about dead, so I stop to get a new one on the way home. The car manages to stall again at stop signs. Annoying, but I know it's going back in a couple weeks for finalization. I park it. Next morning the brand new battery is completely dead. I put it on a trickle charger and get it back going. Same thing, dead the next day and it’s drawing so much the trickle charger can’t even keep it. I let the shop know and the car just sits for a couple weeks cause I can’t trust the car to not die or even restart from a dead battery if its parked for a few hours.
August:
Second week of August I drop the car back off. They get the AC going, put in new plugs, get it tuned up and say it’s good to go.
September:
I pick up the car, fired right up and sounded good. I start to cruise it back home and open it up a little and the thing is breaking up. I’m pretty pissed at this point. Cruising season is coming to end, the car runs like shit, and it still does. A lot of money and time spent to be in the same spot. At least it has AC, lol. I bring it back an I have him ride along to see what I’m talking about. It of course isn’t doing that while they have had it. Everytime I go to the shop, other people comment how awesome the car is and to let them know if I ever want to sell it. It’s getting tempting at this point! They mess with it for a week and say it’s good to go and they pulled the meth kit off as it would just dump meth into the intake on deceleration. Come cruise it while the tuner is there. I go data log it and the car is pulling in second, running great. We’re in business!! NOPE! Car warms up enough and it’s running rough, sounds like it’s missing, dying out. I limp it back to the shop and it dies and won’t re-start. I ran out of gas. Throw some gas in it, barely starts and it’s missing bad. Run a leak down and it’s just flowing right out the tail pipe. No compression on the front 4 cylinders WTF? Scope it and the bottom end looks OK. They start pulling it apart and the GT40 heads were elongating the valves and they would hang. AKA heads are toast and this was the issue we were fighting with the tune the whole time. AFR 165 heads time it is. Have those installed, find issues with intake manifold that get repaired. At the end of the month I decide let’s also go with the GM IAC to further improve how the car runs. I’m done playing games with this thing.
October:
IAC gets installed and tune gets adjusted. Running great, pulls hard, but fuel pressure is falling off up top. You have got to be kidding me! Likely the pump, but I decided to throw in a new filter and a new fuel pressure regulator since the one in there looks like cheap shitty one anyways. Hoping that would stall a fuel pump.
November:
Filter and regulator installed and it helps a little, but it’s still dropping pressure. Do I put in a new pump and re-wire or go Hellcat pump, fuel lines, and run e-85. I can’t decide so I just pick it up while I decide what to do. I got about 50 miles on it, and it’s running good. Pulls hard again. It’s enjoyable. Fuel pressure definitely drops hard up top and with no load on it. Can occasionally kill it at a stop light. Decided fuck it, the sales are live, full E-85 here we go! Too much money later, parts are now arriving. I should have just put a 340 pump in and been done, but I’m an idiot and don't know when to stop, so here we are. Stay tuned...
