Continuing on with disassembling my engine bay. When I started this project, I wasn't sure how far I wanted to go with removing things from the engine bay but after giving it some thought I've decided to take it all out and paint the engine bay. Do a job once and do it right, right?

Not a lot of great pictures to show on this update as I am disconnecting the wiring harness and taking my time to label everything. My plan is to lay it all out on the garage floor and fix any connections that need repair and replace all of the loom.
https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4722/...28b293d3_c.jpg

I'm finding a lot of relays attached the fenders and core support with these plastic clips... doesn't seem too stable!
https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4763/...053225d4_c.jpg

Also took out the fuel vapor canister. About half the hoses were disconnected which would explain the fuel smell I was getting when driving the car. Debating on putting this back in or not... I'll have to do a bit of research on what it takes to get it working properly or how hard it is to delete.
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I kept my fuel canister, even replaced the charcoal element in it. While I deleted most of my emissions equip, the canister is necessary to vent the fuel tank. I just ran one port to the fuel tank vent line and the other port to small vacuum port on the carb.

What Lance said. There may be alternatives to using the canister but you want something to vent the tank and keep the smell away.

Good luck cleaning up the engine bay. You can always check out DSE's 3rd gen for inspiration on what a clean bay looks like on these cars.

Ok I will look into rebuilding the unit and getting a new charcoal element. DSE's car is definitely an inspiration for my build! I love the purposeful and non-flashy look of their car... I hope I can half way there with mine.

I was able to make a ton of progress this weekend on the car. I was able to get the entire steering system out of the engine bay and then dropped the K-member. Here are a few pics:

Steering components out of the car:
https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4760/...f6760700_c.jpg

I'm still working on getting the Pitman off of the steering box. My puller wasn't working even when I hit it with the impact gun so I'll have to check out some alternate methods. I will be sending the box out to be rebuilt as it has quite a bit of slop in it.

The rest of the steering linkage is definitely going to get replaced... it was looking pretty nasty. I don't think that tie rod has been adjusted in the last 30 years!
https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4655/...c51104e7_c.jpg
https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4723/...205d6f99_c.jpg

I then moved on to the K-member. First I popped the lower ball joints... I was able to get them loose with a few good whacks with the hammer. Again, found a ton of crud and dirt built up on the lower control arms. I think the front end might lose 20lbs in dirt alone!
https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4625/...72c82e09_c.jpg
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Next, I put 2 jack stands under the K-member and took out the 6 bolts holding it up. In order to get it out from under the car though, I ended up using a chain to hook it up to my engine crane and lifted it just a bit to get it off of the jack stands so I could remove them.
https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4623/...026101b7_c.jpg

Then, I lowered it down to the floor, removed the chains and dragged it out the side of the car.
https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4712/...1be3a1e9_c.jpg

Here it is outside the car with the springs and the sway bar:
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I'm torn on how to proceed with the K-member. I'm on a budget, so my original plan was to clean it up and paint it. I was going to add some new bushings and ball joints to the control arms and re-use those as well. However, those tubular K-members and control arms sure are sweet! I'll have to do a bit of research here.

Next up is getting the brake booster out and keep labeling and removing the wiring harness. Little by little!

My opinion - stick to the budget and original plan which for me typically means fix what you have. Have some fun and upgrade as needed or finances allow.

If you are on a budget I would seriously consider your goals and make sure buying the replacement cross member or control arms is actually buying a planned and affordable performance upgrade. A good way to kill a budget and possibly project momentum is to start the "while I'm here I'll upgrade..." game. Ask the manufacturer(s) if the new parts are pretty stock replacements, are they lighter or do they actually improve performance in the manner you desire (drag racing vs. cornering), etc?

Just something to ponder. Remember disassembly is the easy part, good luck on the choice and project.

Good advice, thanks for the insight. It's definitely tempting to fall into the "while I'm at it" trap, but I'm also trying to be smart and replace things that are easier to get at while the engine is out. I'm going to make a few calls and go from there. Thanks again for the tips!

Nice build I HATE pulling the engine on my third gen and did it several times
I would think and A/M K-member would cut a bit of weight and add more room I'd do it - you are there
I'd suggest subframe connectors, they really do stiffen these cars up I didnt think it'd make much difference but boy did it

If the aftermarket k-members don't offer better geometry, then stick with your factory one. The weight savings alone are not worth it. Your car is no where near that level of performance at this time. You'll be better served by buying better tires or upgrading the brakes with the money you would have spent on the k-member.

Im watching this one, seems like a good ride

I don't have a very exciting update this time around as I'm still working through removing everything from the engine bay, but here goes:

One of the biggest pains in the rear was getting the brake booster off the firewall. The 4 nuts holding the booster to the firewall are way up high underneath the dash and a royal pain to get to! For some reason, I'm always hesitant to take extra pieces off in order to get to a hard-to-reach fastener... I'll sit there and struggle with wrenches, ratchets, extensions and u-joints and in the end it usually ends up being faster just to bite the bullet and take off the couple other parts in the way. Anyone else do this too?

I ended up dropping the steering column in this case to get at 2 of the nuts and out she came. My master cylinder had some nasty residue on the bottom from some old fluid. I had flushed in some fresh DOT4 before my last track event but mustn't have done a good job cleaning it out. I want a firmer pedal, so I will doing some research to see which master cylinder will make sense to increase my pedal firmness.
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Here are some other random parts I've been taking off and labeling: AC dryer, power steering "cooler", cruise control module and a few other hoses and lines. Slowly but surely getting there.
https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4659/...c90fb7e3_c.jpg

That's where I stand for right now. I'm shooting to have the engine bay cleaned out by this weekend so I can get started with the cleanup and prep for paint. Lots of work ahead of me too with cleaning up the wiring harness, painting the engine and lots of other odds and ends. I'm trying to keep the momentum up doing just a little bit every couple of days and chipping away at it little bit little. Gotta enjoy the journey!

You know how to eat an elephant right? One bite at a time...

The best part is when it comes time to put all those clean and rehabbed parts back together.

I believe the best part is when all those new parts are together and everything works like it should! I have yet to get that result the first time everything goes together.

Great Thread and keep up the good work!

Can't wait to get to that part!

Thanks for the kind words, I'm trying to be extra careful so I can put things back the right way but I'm sure I'll forget a few things.

Ok another big update from this weekend. I finally have the engine bay completely stripped down and am ready to start the paint prep process. Here are some pics of the last big parts coming off:

Removed the from bumper covers, impact bar and a few other clips and pieces so I can get at the core support to paint it:
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https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4658/...c75743b0_c.jpg
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Next up was the A/C box. It took me a little while to figure out where all of the bolts were and then to carefully scrape it off the firewall but eventually it came out. I am going to keep my AC so I will cleaning these pieces off and reinstalling them.
Top cover off:
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Nasty stuff in there!
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I then pulled the rest of the stuff in there:

The rest of the shock and spindle assembly:
https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4663/...dca9ee1e_c.jpg

Cruise control module and vacuum tank. These will not be going back in, so they are for sale if anyone wants them?
https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4664/...0bfaee2b_c.jpg

Bunch of zip ties, tape and crap I've taken off the car:
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Busy garage!
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Next up is power washing the engine bay and getting it ready for paint. I feel like I've hit a milestone here where I stop taking parts off and start cleaning things up now!

I'm really liking this thread. Keep at it!

:captain:

Enjoying the thread also. Keep us updated.

Nice work! Looking very organized...

Do you suffer from the OCD affliction just a bit as well? :lol:

I have a horrible memory so I need to keep organized or else this thing will never get back together!

OK, some more updates. Slowly but surely cranking away at this thing. Luckily the weather up here in New England has been reasonable so I'm not freezing my rear end off in the garage.

Last weekend we had great weather on Saturday so I took advantage and rolled the car out into the driveway so I could power wash it. Since I have no front suspension in the car right now, I had to get creative with my shop crane and slowly rolled it out of the garage:

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To clean the engine bay, I bought some heavy duty degreaser from Home Depot and diluted it in a mixing bottle. I doused the engine bay with this stuff and it worked great. Perhaps TOO great actually, it actually stripped the paint off in some spots!

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Once that was done, I started taking out all of the last little pieces in the engine bay. Things like the hood latch and cable, small little support rods, broken clips, etc. Tedious little stuff that takes a while to bag and tag.
https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4722/...3967e00a_c.jpg

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Here is where I stand tonight. I think I have the engine bay completely stripped (except for a couple of small harnesses I don't want to connect). Next step will be to mask off the entire car and start prepping the surface for paint.
https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4610/...e1ef9519_c.jpg

https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4764/...89aa188a_c.jpg

This is an awesome build. I just bought an 88 firebird. So, I will be following the progression very closely.

One comment/question about the sub frame. I know that on first gen's, the budget way to add strength to the sub frame is to seam weld it. Is this feasible for the 3rd gen's? I have also seen it done on dirt modifieds with Chevelle clips. It might be worth it since its already out.

Keep up the good work!

Looks great! Cool that you got some good weather to get it outside and cleaned up.

Not sure if you have decided on coating materials for the underhood area but I really like and recommend Eastwood products. While their aerosol paint cans are a bit pricier than other options, they go a lot further and lay down a much nicer and stronger coating. I usually clean with their "Pre", put a coat of "rust encapsulator" down if surface is suspect and final coat with either "chassis black" or "underhood black" which are both very nice factory looking finishes.

Since you've gone this far you should go that extra step to really make those areas pop before reinstalling all of the things to cover them up. :D

Here we go with the "might as well disease..." :twak:

Just kidding.

Actually Lance is completely right, this is the perfect time to knock that stuff out. I did an LS swap on my daily in 2009. After getting it all sorted I was going to add a cam, clean up the wiring, fill some holes and respray the engine compartment. Yeah, well here we are nine years later and it never happened because I was too busy driving wheels off the thing or working on other projects and despite my best efforts it never broke.

Thanks for the comments! Glad to see another 3rd gen F-body getting into the scene. I'll keep that in mind for the K-member... I haven't seen that done but doesn't mean it's not a good idea. I'll definitely look into it.

Thanks for the tips Lance. I'm actually in the process of researching what paint to use. I've used the Eastwood regimen in the past like you mentioned and it worked awesome. It is pricey though, and I have a bunch of pieces to paint. I've also heard good things about Farm and Implement paint... looks a lot cheaper but I haven't used it yet. POR15 is another option as well but also big bucks.

Making a little more progress. I'm waiting on some paint supplies to keep going with the engine bay, so I've moved on to working on numerous "little projects" that need to get done. I've decided that breaking things into little projects will help me keep moving forward.

My first project is tackling the K-member. I used the same degreaser I used on the engine bay and hit it with the wire wheel and the paint came flying off! I have a little more work to do on it, and need to figure out a way to get the grime out of the inside of the K-member... might need to get creative there.

K-member all disassembled:
https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4723/...77e5546a_c.jpg

Stripping it down for paint:
https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4666/...309cb535_c.jpg

I had a busy week, so in order to keep moving forward I dropped my lower control arms off at a local garage to get the bushings and ball joints pressed out. I would have loved to have done them myself and learned a bit in the process, but I have to pick and choose my battles if I ever want to get this done!
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In staying with my budget theme, I'm going to be keeping the stock lower control arms but rebuilding them with new components. For bushings, I am going to go with Delrin ones from Global West. Haven't tried them on anything and I am basing my decision purely on reading, but they seem to be the go-to upgrade for these cars. I like the no-binding benefits and am looking forward to seeing how they feel.

For ball joints, I am still torn. Since my car is lowered, it's causing my lower control arm to be at a different angle than factory (with the ball joint higher than the mounting point on the frame). In order to restore the stock geometry (which is essentially a horizontal lower control arm) and keep my lowered ride height, I believe I need to use a taller ball joint. However, I've been having trouble finding the proper part number and if these are even necessary. I'm going to keep searching, but if anyone has any info to save me some time it would be greatly appreciated!

Not a very exciting update this time but I'm in the cleaning and prepping phase right now so posting updates keeps me motivated! We just a had a big storm up here in Mass over the weekend with lots of trees coming down and power being out for multiple days as well, but not excuses! The show must go on!

I've started to prep the engine bay for paint by first wiping it down with a solvent and then scuffing it up with a maroon Scotch Brite pad.
https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4620/...e9fba333_c.jpg

No turning back now!
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All scuffed up:
https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4754/...af438ed8_c.jpg

It's still a little too cold to get started with painting the engine bay, and my supplies haven't come in yet so that's about as far as I can go with that for now.

I moved on to cleaning up some other parts and getting them prepped for paint. I don't have my hose hooked up right now (still too cold) so I've going at it with just some degreaser, a wire wheel, some scuff pads and a ton of elbow grease!
https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4791/...e62499ed_c.jpg

Scraping the layer of oil and crud off the inside of the bellhousing. Think my rear main seal is leaking??
https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4752/...31a5b588_c.jpg

Getting the control arms cleaned up:
https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4779/...b2c98b9b_c.jpg

Hoping to get some of this parts painted this week so I can start reassembling them! Thanks for following along.

Busted out the power washer again this weekend, but this time on the engine, transmission and some other components that needed a degreasing. I was really nervous about getting any water in the engine, so I took some time to really seal it up with some rags and tape. I also left all of the spark plugs and old sensors in there to act as plugs for those threads... I'll be putting in new ones anyway before the engine goes back in.

Plugging up the exhaust ports:
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All sealed up:
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I hit the parts with degreaser and let them sit for a bit before blasting them with the power washer:
https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4776/...de2030c8_c.jpg

And the aftermath:
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I was so happy to get this done this weekend, since we're supposed to get some cold temps for the next week or so. The big layers of grease and oil are off, so I can just work on the smaller intricate areas in my garage.

I also tackled a small job of taking apart the engine mounts. I'm going to be replacing the stock rubber pieces with polyurethane so I need to split them open. For those that haven't done this (I'm sure most of you have, but it was a first for me) you have to drill out the rivets that hold the 2 halves of the mounts together:
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The rivets that need to be drilled out:
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I know my drill looks crooked here!
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And last but not least, I FINALLY got to throw some paint on some parts! Sunday we had a break in the weather and the temp got up to about 50deg so I took advantage and got some paint on my K-member, lower controls arms and a couple other odds and ends that needed a coat. Felt great to get some color on there after scraping rust and grease off for the last couple of weeks. I had a can of Eastwood Rust Encapsulator lying around so I used that as my base coat on the bare metal. I'm still debating on whether to go with satin or gloss for the top coat.
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Very pumped to have these pieces cleaned and sealed up! Can't wait to get going with reassembly.

More progress! I have the final coat of paint on my K-member, the control arms and a few other pieces. I had to move everything into my basement as it's still pretty cold up here in the northeast. I'm using a Farm and Implement paint I got at Tractor Supply... it was super cheap and is apparently tough as nails. I'm not sure if I'm sold on the gloss finish though... I may switch over to a satin for the detail pieces in the engine bay.
https://farm1.staticflickr.com/806/4...bebb01e3_c.jpg
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I've also been ordering a bunch or parts that have started to come in. Even though I'm on a budget, I've been trying to order quality parts for important things like steering/suspension components and for pieces that are hard to get to once the engine and trans are back in the car:
https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4781/...2c7766d6_c.jpg

Next I started going through a few of my subsystems to see what I need to order next...

I was hoping someone on here could help me assess the health of my clutch. I tried to take some detailed pictures below. I have been contemplating switching over to an AL flywheel and perhaps swapping out my slave cylinder for something with a stiffer feel. I am going to call SPEC this week to see what I'm working with here but if anyone has any comments that'd be awesome:

Clutch Disk:
https://farm1.staticflickr.com/796/3...33b3df0c_c.jpg

Pressure Plate:
https://farm1.staticflickr.com/790/3...17b2c073_c.jpg

Flywheel Surface:
https://farm1.staticflickr.com/799/2...98db9c2e_c.jpg

I also need to think about if I should repair my AC box or try to look for a replacement. I'm thinking I could maybe patch up these cracks with some epoxy and then paint it. Has anyone done something like this?
Here is a pic of the cracks:
https://farm1.staticflickr.com/786/2...0d052665_c.jpg

The last thing I'm struggling with is how to clean up my AL heads. They're covered in a bunch of grime and a bit of paint overspray. I'd like to be able clean them up and leave them bare but I've tried a bunch of things and nothing seems to get them clean enough. Any thoughts?
https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4799/...90879656_c.jpg

Thanks for keeping up with my progress! Trying to bust my way through this boring stuff so I can start putting the car back together!

This is what i used, works great!

That looks awesome! I have some of that in my stash of detailing supplies and will give it try.

Quick update for tonight:

Starting to strip down my motor to get it ready for paint. Borrowed a harmonic balancer removal tool from my local Advance Auto and it worked like a charm! Also got the starter off and a few other pieces. Working on getting the intake off now... I don't know if any of you have ever worked with a Super Ram intake, but they have a ton of fasteners and some are a b*itch to get to!

Starting Point:
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Where she sits today:
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I also got started on installing my Del-A-Lum bushings I got from Global West in my freshly painted control arms. Again I rented a ball joint press from my local Advance and it was just wide enough to work. I don't own a hydraulic press but I'm looking to pick one up for future jobs like this. I can't wait to see how the car feels with these new bushings installed!
https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4794/...43d0165f_c.jpg

Some of the delrin sleeves needed a little de-burring before they were installed but nothing a quick pass with a drill bit couldn't fix:
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The bushings were supplied with a piece of angle iron to use a spacer between the control arm faces so they didn't collapse when pressing in the outer sleeves. I had to trim it just a bit but it worked great.
https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4778/...6f03ece2_c.jpg

I only got 2 out of the 4 installed tonight and will post final picture if I can get to the others this weekend. Getting there, little by little!

To remove the intake tubes from an TPI engine, I suggest either getting sockets with long torx bits, or switching to allen head bolts and getting sockets with long allen keys. Also, a swivel extension even if just a short one. This will really help you get into the area the bolts are located at and be able to confidently remove and torque them.

Also, just as a general rule, if you're ever having to buy allen keys, always try to find the ball end ones.

Keep up the good work.

I second the ball end Allen keys. There is nothing worse than trying to work with an Allen fastener using a standard Allen tool and not being able to get at it straight on. I would also make sure to buy some from a quality vendor. I have a friend who uses the stuff sold at your local nautical themed "tool" store and 90% of it is... junk to be polite. However I will buy blue rubber gloves from them.

You're moving in the right direction. :)

Great effort, another home build coming out nice!

Thanks for the tips guys! I'm actually searching online for some long Torx and Allen extensions right now after stripping another Torx head this afternoon. The extra long extensions seem like the way to go... there's always the right tool for the job!

Thanks! I'm getting there slowly but surely.

Spent a lot of time in the garage this weekend but unfortunately not a lot of the work was photo-worthy. I had a table full of parts that needed to be scraped, scuffed, cleaned and painted so I spent the majority of the time doing that.

Just a couple crappy pics of the freshly painted pieces:

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Next I tackled my cracked AC box. I ended up using some Permatex Plastic Welder I found at my local Advance Auto. It was only about $6 for the tube and seems to be working OK so far. Since it's still cold here, I'm going to give it a while to set before I sand and paint it.
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I did not get a picture of it, but I first drilled the ends of the cracks and then used my Dremel to create a little V-channel out of each crack to help it hold the plastic welder.

Plastic welder applied:
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The next job was addressing the interference problem between my transmission tailshaft and the bolt that holds my torque arm to the crossmember. This is what it looked like before I took it all apart:

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I trimmed a small piece from my tailshaft which I'm hoping will cure the issue. I took as little material as possible and then blended in any sharp edges to minimize the chances of creating a stress riser:
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I ended my weekend by rotating my engine on its stand and spilling coolant and oil everywhere. Awesome! :bang::bang: There was way more in there than I expected! I thought it was a good time to call it quits for the day after that...

https://farm1.staticflickr.com/791/3...6d00dac4_c.jpg

An engine stand drip pan would be a nice addition to your engine stand. :D

Been a little while since my last update so I have lots of material to share!

Repairs on my AC box are coming along nicely. I sanded the first coat of filler and applied a thin 2nd coat to fill in some pinholes and low spots. After one more round of sanding it should be ready for paint. It won't be perfect, but much better than it was.
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Next I got started on my engine teardown and resealing. I don't know much about this engine, other than the previous owner telling me it's a ZZ4 with AL heads. It looks pretty good from what I am finding so far:

The engine has 4-bolt main bearings (which checks out for a ZZ4) and a nice double roller timing chain:
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Taking the intake manifold off was a royal pain in the rear. If anyone here hasn't worked with a Super Ram intake, it's made up of 5 pieces that are all connected with Allan and Torx bolts. I stripped one of the Torx bolts trying to use a standard socket and had a bear of a time trying to get it out. Lesson learned, get the right tools the first time!

Standard-length sockets come in at a slight angle, not good for Torx!
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The resulting stripped bolt:
https://farm1.staticflickr.com/799/3...119a0989_c.jpg

First I tried a flathead and then an EZ-out but neither worked:
https://farm1.staticflickr.com/784/4...bb6f1fe7_c.jpg
https://farm1.staticflickr.com/870/2...18ed88e8_c.jpg

Finally, I ended up grinding the head off the bolt and removing that section of the intake which luckily left just the threaded portion of the bolt that I could get some Vice-Grips on:
https://farm1.staticflickr.com/785/3...6891ea04_c.jpg

I smartened up and ordered the proper tools for the rest of the bolts!
https://farm1.staticflickr.com/878/4...de76cb68_c.jpg

Next I moved on to replacing my rear main seal (which is 1-piece) with a new one. There was a ton of oil in my bellhousing and I'm hoping this was the cause.
https://farm1.staticflickr.com/884/2...eb209dfa_c.jpg

Finally, I ran the numbers on my oil pump and figured out it is a Melling high-volume one. Nothing wrong with it, but from lot of research I have been doing this is not the right fit for this engine and my needs (mild small block with occasional road racing). A high volume pump is appropriate if you are running larger-stock-bearing clearances. If you are not, the extra volume is simply wasted and ends up in your oiling system being inefficient and pulling more horsepower and heating up the oil more than it needs to be. A stock Chevy oiling system is actually quite stout and should be adequate for my needs. That doesn't mean it can't benefit from a couple of well thought out upgrades however

That being said, I have ordered a standard-volume pump and have decided to upgrade my pan to one with a slightly larger volume and a crank scraper/windage tray. When I was on the track last season, I was noticing my oil pressure gauge start to bounce all over the place at higher revs... I'm hoping the crack scraper and windage tray can help with this.

I'll have that install in the next post!

A solution to removing rounded off or broken bolts and studs is using a TIG welder to weld a nub to it you can grab with a pair of vice grips.

Another option is to weld a nut to the broken off bolt or stud with either a TIG or MIG welder then remove the offending remains with the appropriate socket or wrench.

This works best in aluminum, but can be done on steel and cast iron if you are accurate enough. Using a TIG welder for either of method is ideal due to the accuracy, but a MIG will work too if that is all you have in your arsenal.

Who of us hasn't been here a dozen times... way to stay after it!!!