RogueJeepr
Here!
- Location
- Utah
NASCAR wheels. [emoji1]
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Sent from my H1611 using Tapatalk
Because Roadkill, -or- I bought an old ugly domestic car
- Thread starter TurboMinivan
- Start date
TurboMinivan
Still plays with cars
- Location
- Lehi, UT
On the G-Body forum, I asked around about backspace measurements of factory G-Body alloy wheels. Those answers gave me a sliver of hope that a G-Body wheel would solve my problems, but what are the chances I could find a set somewhere around me, and at a low price to boot? I wasn't very hopeful.
I guess I've been living better than I thought. Checking the KSL classifieds on Thursday, there was nothing. I checked again on Friday and a new ad was now up for a set of hot air T-Type wheels. For you who don't know, these wheels are extremely rare--they were only used for two model years, exclusively on the '84 and '85 Regal T-Type Turbo... meaning 5,501 total vehicles. I could not believe my luck. While it is true I greatly prefer the look of the Vector-style T-Type wheels, at this point I value function over appearance. After work I drove straight to the guy's house and took measurements for myself. Sure enough, they have 1/4" less backspace than my Z28 wheels. Even better, their spokes are all out at the face of the wheel, meaning I should have tons of clearance between the rear of the spokes and the brake calipers. I happily handed him $75 for the set.
Yesterday at work, I test fit them to the car. As I expected, the spokes cleared the calipers by a mile. The only downside was that these wheels require conical lug nuts... meaning I needed to spend another $30 on yet another 20 lug nuts for this car. (sigh) Oh, well, I'm just glad I found a solution.
I only had time to swap tires on two wheels, so once again the car currently has mis-matched wheels. At least I'll be able to get the other wheels installed before I start driving it again.
I guess I've been living better than I thought. Checking the KSL classifieds on Thursday, there was nothing. I checked again on Friday and a new ad was now up for a set of hot air T-Type wheels. For you who don't know, these wheels are extremely rare--they were only used for two model years, exclusively on the '84 and '85 Regal T-Type Turbo... meaning 5,501 total vehicles. I could not believe my luck. While it is true I greatly prefer the look of the Vector-style T-Type wheels, at this point I value function over appearance. After work I drove straight to the guy's house and took measurements for myself. Sure enough, they have 1/4" less backspace than my Z28 wheels. Even better, their spokes are all out at the face of the wheel, meaning I should have tons of clearance between the rear of the spokes and the brake calipers. I happily handed him $75 for the set.
Yesterday at work, I test fit them to the car. As I expected, the spokes cleared the calipers by a mile. The only downside was that these wheels require conical lug nuts... meaning I needed to spend another $30 on yet another 20 lug nuts for this car. (sigh) Oh, well, I'm just glad I found a solution.
I only had time to swap tires on two wheels, so once again the car currently has mis-matched wheels. At least I'll be able to get the other wheels installed before I start driving it again.
Last edited:
TurboMinivan
Still plays with cars
- Location
- Lehi, UT
For the curious, here is a side-by-side shot of the back side of these two wheels:
On the left, you see the Z28 wheel spokes are almost entirely on the same plane as the wheel mounting surface. Yes, there is a small dip right next to the mounting surface, but by the time you get out to the wheel rim that dip has completely disappeared. They barely fit over the tiny stock brakes. By comparison, the T-Type wheel drops off a cliff right after the mounting surface, leaving all kinds of room for huge calipers.
Another fact for the curious: this 15x7 alloy Z28 wheel weighs 20 pounds. The T-Type wheel--also a 15x7 alloy design--weighs 27 pounds.
On the left, you see the Z28 wheel spokes are almost entirely on the same plane as the wheel mounting surface. Yes, there is a small dip right next to the mounting surface, but by the time you get out to the wheel rim that dip has completely disappeared. They barely fit over the tiny stock brakes. By comparison, the T-Type wheel drops off a cliff right after the mounting surface, leaving all kinds of room for huge calipers.
Another fact for the curious: this 15x7 alloy Z28 wheel weighs 20 pounds. The T-Type wheel--also a 15x7 alloy design--weighs 27 pounds.
RogueJeepr
Here!
- Location
- Utah
Good to see its rolling again.
That big block wont even notice the measly 7lbs.
Speaking of hotrods. Mine is back on all fours with new modern shocks, also pulled another leaf from each side.
Was way too stiff. Rides much better now.
Time for some hoonigan savagery. [emoji41]
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That big block wont even notice the measly 7lbs.
Speaking of hotrods. Mine is back on all fours with new modern shocks, also pulled another leaf from each side.
Was way too stiff. Rides much better now.
Time for some hoonigan savagery. [emoji41]
Sent from my H1611 using Tapatalk
- Location
- West Jordan
Attachments
- Location
- Bountiful, land of rocks
Bryson, that yours?
- Location
- West Jordan
TurboMinivan
Still plays with cars
- Location
- Lehi, UT
I like the sound of that.
Not yet.
Please tell me you're kidding.
That... thing... is a complete pile. Sure, it looks comically worthwhile from 50 yards, but up close you cannot help but notice it looks like it was built by untrained blind drunk monkeys. One of my co-workers bought it from out of state, and he spent more money transporting it here than it would have been worth as a stock vehicle. He has been the butt of numerous jokes thanks to this purchase. If you need a good laugh, come take a close look at it. Otherwise, stay away... far, far away.
- Location
- The Land Northward (Bountiful), Utah
"Subaru crashes into garden shed while in reverse.... Leaves it that way."
RogueJeepr
Here!
- Location
- Utah
Notice the Subaru Brat trying to distance itself from it. [emoji38]
I guess if the camper dosent leak than it's worth it.
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I guess if the camper dosent leak than it's worth it.
Sent from my H1611 using Tapatalk
TurboMinivan
Still plays with cars
- Location
- Lehi, UT
Except it does leak. A lot. You can measure most of the gaps with a yardstick. Seriously.
rholbrook
Well-Known Member
- Location
- Kaysville, Ut
Did this come in on trade?
TurboMinivan
Still plays with cars
- Location
- Lehi, UT
No. See my post above (the one with the three photos).
TurboMinivan
Still plays with cars
- Location
- Lehi, UT
Progress: I got the tires mounted on the "new" wheels and acquired the correct lug nuts to hold 'em in place. Just when I thought I was back on the road, the steering gearbox's small dribble of a leak turned into a constant stream of leaking fluid. I sourced an 800 fast ratio box for a Monte Carlo SS and put that in. Now my alignment was out of whack. We ended up finding the center spot of the gearbox's range of motion, then adjusting the tie rod ends so the wheels lined up with that spot. The steering wheel was a little off center, so I R&R'ed it until it was mostly straight.
At last, I was really back on the road. That's when I quickly discovered these Blazer brakes consistently pulled to the left.
Yesterday was my day off, so I tore into my new-to-me front brakes. To begin, I removed the left caliper and checked the pads and slider pins. Everything looked perfectly normal, just as expected since this side seems to be working as designed. I then removed the right caliper to check it out. As I feared, there were signs of a sticking pin: one pad was worn more than the other, and that more-worn pad was also wearing at an angle rather than parallel to its backing plate.
All four slider pins looked fine--no rust, no grooves/pits, no disastrous wear. The rotors also looked great. I ran to AutoZone to get some brake grease and a new set of pads. Back home, I thoroughly cleaned all the pins, greased 'em up, and installed the new pads. Now the car brakes straight once again.
I was so happy, I went for a two hour pleasure drive in the sunny afternoon weather. For perhaps the first time, I feel like this car is finally coming together.
At last, I was really back on the road. That's when I quickly discovered these Blazer brakes consistently pulled to the left.
Yesterday was my day off, so I tore into my new-to-me front brakes. To begin, I removed the left caliper and checked the pads and slider pins. Everything looked perfectly normal, just as expected since this side seems to be working as designed. I then removed the right caliper to check it out. As I feared, there were signs of a sticking pin: one pad was worn more than the other, and that more-worn pad was also wearing at an angle rather than parallel to its backing plate.
All four slider pins looked fine--no rust, no grooves/pits, no disastrous wear. The rotors also looked great. I ran to AutoZone to get some brake grease and a new set of pads. Back home, I thoroughly cleaned all the pins, greased 'em up, and installed the new pads. Now the car brakes straight once again.
I was so happy, I went for a two hour pleasure drive in the sunny afternoon weather. For perhaps the first time, I feel like this car is finally coming together.
- Location
- Bountiful, land of rocks
Those wheels are awesome for that car! 2 hours....that's probably $30 in fuel for that big beast?
TurboMinivan
Still plays with cars
- Location
- Lehi, UT
I've run through two tanks of fuel since the re-gear. I haven't exactly tried any hypermiling, so perhaps it's still too early to call, but so far my observed economy has seemed to drop by about 2 mpg compared to the 3.08 gears. Yesterday's fillup was calculated at 10.7 mpg.
OTOH, I admit I am driving it harder with the new gears. I guess I consider gasoline an entertainment expense.
TurboMinivan
Still plays with cars
- Location
- Lehi, UT
Actually, my first plan is to take it down to Tucson for the Roadkill Zip Tie Drags in January.
TurboMinivan
Still plays with cars
- Location
- Lehi, UT
Project update: I've finally begun the EFI conversion. I have a FiTech Go EFI 4 system (I bought it before the V8 swap was done, actually) and a few months ago I bought a new Tanks Inc baffled tank plus an in-tank pump. A week and a half ago, I put the car on jack stands and went to work. I had to craft a new fuel supply line from the tank to the engine; my stock supply line was now going to serve as my return line. This means there was lots of work everywhere in and under the car.
A few days ago, I foolishly thought I was ready to fire the engine and I tried to do so, only to have it not fire at all. It turned out that my shiny new fuel pump... didn't. Any smart person would have verified fuel flow before cranking the engine, so I'm gonna take a mulligan and not count that failed attempt. As a small consolation, I was at least happy that I had not installed the new tank to the car; I had left it on the ground so I could check for fuel leaks... and thus I only needed to disconnect the hoses and wiring to slide it back out for a pump swap.
Summit Racing graciously shipped me a replacement fuel pump kit. Last night I finally had time to install it in the tank. After that, I slid the tank back under the car and reconnected the hoses and wiring. This time I decided to check and see if the new pump actually does, so I disconnected the fuel supply line from the FiTech and had my friend Dave hold it in an empty milk jug underhood while I tried to prime the system. On the first attempt, he said he could hear lots of air escaping the line, and then we both heard (and saw) gasoline start flowing freely into the jug. Finally!
I reconnected the fuel line to the throttle body, then primed the system again to check for leaks. Immediately, Dave's wife saw fuel puddling at the rear axle--one of my NPT connections wasn't up to snuff. We separated it, wrapped the threads with gas-spec teflon tape, and screwed it back together to German torque specs. After a couple more primes, nothing was leaking... so it seemed like it was finally time to let 'er rip.
Dave wisely decided to begin filming:
First crank, fires instantly. That, my friends, is how you install an EFI system.
A few days ago, I foolishly thought I was ready to fire the engine and I tried to do so, only to have it not fire at all. It turned out that my shiny new fuel pump... didn't. Any smart person would have verified fuel flow before cranking the engine, so I'm gonna take a mulligan and not count that failed attempt.
As a small consolation, I was at least happy that I had not installed the new tank to the car; I had left it on the ground so I could check for fuel leaks... and thus I only needed to disconnect the hoses and wiring to slide it back out for a pump swap.Summit Racing graciously shipped me a replacement fuel pump kit. Last night I finally had time to install it in the tank. After that, I slid the tank back under the car and reconnected the hoses and wiring. This time I decided to check and see if the new pump actually does, so I disconnected the fuel supply line from the FiTech and had my friend Dave hold it in an empty milk jug underhood while I tried to prime the system. On the first attempt, he said he could hear lots of air escaping the line, and then we both heard (and saw) gasoline start flowing freely into the jug. Finally!
I reconnected the fuel line to the throttle body, then primed the system again to check for leaks. Immediately, Dave's wife saw fuel puddling at the rear axle--one of my NPT connections wasn't up to snuff. We separated it, wrapped the threads with gas-spec teflon tape, and screwed it back together to German torque specs. After a couple more primes, nothing was leaking... so it seemed like it was finally time to let 'er rip.
Dave wisely decided to begin filming:
First crank, fires instantly. That, my friends, is how you install an EFI system.
Pile of parts
Well-Known Member
- Location
- South Jordan
Gudentight, I'm guessing, is the torque spec...
Educate me a little here. This was/is a vortec fuel injected motor. I know you went to a carburetor and now back but I'm assuming this system is more tunable/better performance than the factory fuel injection.
Educate me a little here. This was/is a vortec fuel injected motor. I know you went to a carburetor and now back but I'm assuming this system is more tunable/better performance than the factory fuel injection.