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Topic: Stella 2.0 - Major Overhaul time (Read 23931 times) previous topic - next topic

Stella 2.0 - Major Overhaul time

Reply #90 –
Yep sounds about right. My dads Chevelle is quite nice with a 383 stroker and a 4 speed, but it's been in the same condition and setup for probably 8-9 years now. Dad and I both agree that she is way overdue for some upgrades, even moreso than Stella was before this project :)

Stella 2.0 - Major Overhaul time

Reply #91 –
Well, this past weekend was the final push to get Stella sorted and ready for her maiden voyage on Sunday. Wrapped up several odds and ends, then got to install the Megasquirt PNP ECU:





Everything was as advertised. The install took less than an hour, and that was including a firmware flash that I did because there was an apparent bug in the pre-loaded firmware (3.3.1) that would cause some cars (including mine) to rev up to 2500-3500 for 3-5 seconds on each startup. When flashed to 3.4.2, the issue was cleared up and all was good. What a difference the ECU made! The idling issue the car has had for years is gone, no more part-throttle hesitation and no more strange throttle deadzone that we could never track down (and yes, I had tried installing someone else's stock ECU a couple of years ago. Did the same thing). There is still some tweaking to do as the car runs rich, but the car's enjoyability has certainly increased big time with these issues out of the way.

The cherry on top was that we even had time to install the Mach 1 chin spoiler. Unfortunately it's hard to show off in pictures, but I really love how it came out:



Something else I wanted to do was recreate an old photo of me with the car 10 years ago. Lame, I know, but I wanted to do it anyway :P





Anyways, Sunday morning was roadtrip time! Headed out to Tennessee to hang out and watch some friends fail at an autocross. The whole trip was around 600 miles and was a great way to break the car in and really get a feel for the new changes. With each mile, I became more and more impressed with the suspension. Even cruising at 70-75mph on a bumpy highway, I could feel all the nuances of the road but I wasn't getting beaten outside the head with them either; it was a perfect mix of firm communication and controlled comfort. With that aside, I took some time to take photos during the trip,



Just for the sake of fun, check out this ride height before/after:







All in all, this project was much more than just throwing some upgrades at the car. It was about ridding the car of all the things that have annoyed me for the longest time. Over time, such things suck the enjoyment out of the car and that's what was really happening in my case. I was preferring my other cars because they drove better. It was time to fix that, and that goal has certainly been achieved. It's been a long time since I've thoroughly enjoyed the car like this. I didn't have to worry about the idle issue causing the car to stall, disliking the steering wheel grip, getting hot air through the console, sloppy steering, insufficient brakes etc. It drives like a proper, well sorted car.

Stella 2.0 - Major Overhaul time

Reply #92 –
Great job!!!

Stella 2.0 - Major Overhaul time

Reply #93 –
The car has turned out great! Looks really good with the new suspension under it.

Stella 2.0 - Major Overhaul time

Reply #94 –
Wow it is a lot lower!  Looks really nice!
'88 'bird, 10.9:1 306 w/TFS top end, forged rods/pistons, T-5 swap & bunch of other stuff, 1-family owned, had it since ‘98, 5.0tbrd88 on Instagram and YouTube

Stella 2.0 - Major Overhaul time

Reply #95 –
The car sits nice and low now. Looks great. Your hairline appears to be sitting lower as well :shakeass: Ah the joys of aging.

Congrats on getting the car the way you want it. I finally feel I've gotten my Thunderbird to that point (well asides from the Dart 363 I'll never be able to afford). It's nice to just be able to get in the car and drive without worrying what the next project will be or improvement to make. Enjoy it :)
88 Thunderbird LX: 306, Edelbrock Performer heads, Comp 266HR cam, Edelbrock Performer RPM intake, bunch of other stuff.
 

Stella 2.0 - Major Overhaul time

Reply #96 –
Thanks guys!

Quote from: thunderjet302;455048
The car sits nice and low now. Looks great. Your hairline appears to be sitting lower as well :shakeass: Ah the joys of aging.

Congrats on getting the car the way you want it. I finally feel I've gotten my Thunderbird to that point (well asides from the Dart 363 I'll never be able to afford). It's nice to just be able to get in the car and drive without worrying what the next project will be or improvement to make. Enjoy it :)

Haha yeah...as time goes by, the car gets prettier and I get uglier :P . Oh well.

I totally agree. It is a rather liberating feeling. Granted, there are still some projects I'd like to tackle down the road (the only major one being an eventual 5 lug Cobra brake swap; the rest are minor weekend or afternoon jobs) but overall the car is fulfilling the vision I have had for it since high school and all the little annoying idiosyncrasies are finally gone.