Chuck's '83 TBird

Topic: Chuck's '83 TBird (Read 87226 times) previous topic - next topic

Re: Chuck's '83 TBird

Reply #345 – April 09, 2020, 07:19:13 PM

Got around to installing the ScottRodFab front cover this afternoon.

I wound up having to mod it a bit.

The panels were marked

But they weren't correct for me. Found that out after I had started to drill the first one.

A little cutting/fitting

And we're in place

Yes, I kept the prop rod and radiator hold-downs, because this was more for airflow, than being pretty.

I just need a couple rivets to finish things up, but the rest of the original hardware holds everything down.

Re: Chuck's '83 TBird

Reply #346 – April 10, 2020, 06:44:26 PM

Up next, heater hoses.

Some 5/8" SS tubing I've had sitting around for 12 years, just for this purpose, and a bunch of silicone elbows.

All mocked up, waiting on clamps and a couple tubing separators. (Thought I had enough clamps, and can't find my OE coolant hose clamp (that attaches to the valve cover).

Once this is done, it'll be time to be eyeing the weather to see when I can spring this thing from the garage and take it for a test drive.

Re: Chuck's '83 TBird

Reply #347 – April 10, 2020, 11:56:58 PM

I bet it'll be real nice to have it out and about again. I cant wait to see some new action shots!

Re: Chuck's '83 TBird

Reply #348 – April 12, 2020, 05:48:26 PM

Quote from: Clayton – on April 10, 2020, 11:56:58 PM

I bet it'll be real nice to have it out and about again. I cant wait to see some new action shots!

Yeah, it hasn't been out of the garage in 2 years, at least.

The biggest thing will be seeing how much I screwed up the rear susp.

That, and hoping I set up the 8.8 properly.

More things planned for the future, but right now I want to be able to drive it for a bit.

Re: Chuck's '83 TBird

Reply #349 – April 12, 2020, 06:44:50 PM

Hey Chuck, when you finally take her for a road test take some pictures of the ol’ bird & post em up.Always been a fan of your car. The Cobra wheels look like it should have left the factory with them. Awesome car!

Re: Chuck's '83 TBird

Reply #350 – April 12, 2020, 07:10:39 PM

Quote from: Chuck W – on April 12, 2020, 05:48:26 PM

Yeah, it hasn't been out of the garage in 2 years, at least.

The biggest thing will be seeing how much I screwed up the rear susp. That, and hoping I set up the 8.8 properly.

More things planned for the future, but right now I want to be able to drive it for a bit.

Eh I have an feeling you're gonna be ok lol

Re: Chuck's '83 TBird

Reply #351 – April 18, 2020, 06:16:35 PM

It was a momentous day!

It got the heater hoses all sorted out and installed on Friday, which was the last thing to do on the list.

This afternoon, I got everything situated and fired the car up to get it out of the garage. Fire it up, make a couple adjustments in the tune while it's warming up, and then back that sucker out of the garage.

I toss the toddler in the car, and we go for a short trip around the block as a shakedown. No odd noises, no weird smells, seems good. Get back home, drop the kid off and go out for about a 5-6 mile drive. The car runs great. So far no noises from the suspension. Absolutely NO exhaust rattling on anything. Car feels good.

I get home and give it its first bath in probably 3-4 years.

Right after I take these pics and go to pull it back into the garage...Something has gone wrong. I have no FP prime and the car won't start.

I only had a little time left to mess with it today, but it's acting weird. I get no FP prime when I should and the ECU acts like it's powered up, even when the key is off.

Looking under the seat at it, one of the LEDs on the MS is flashing, like it has power.
It was also about this time that I realized that I forgot to tighten the main connector on the ECU. I'd just plugged it in when I reinstalled it in the car, but never got back to snugging the screws down. Reseating and tightening things down makes no difference.
The only car-side change was getting rid of the fusible link that powered this system with the fuse, but all is good there.

I'm going to pull the ECU tomorrow and check it out on the bench to see if anything looks amiss there.

*sigh* SO close.

Re: Chuck's '83 TBird

Reply #352 – April 18, 2020, 07:16:34 PM

Ugh. So close. But the car looks great. I love the stance and those wheels. One day when I get off my ass and do a SN95 brake swap I'm going with those 94-98 Cobra wheels. They just look perfect on these cars.

Notice any difference with the pan hard setup?

Re: Chuck's '83 TBird

Reply #353 – April 18, 2020, 07:31:33 PM

I didn't get enough time to really check it out. Didn't want to get on it too much right off the bat.

Felt pretty good on the couple higher speed twisties I was able to get to, though.

Re: Chuck's '83 TBird

Reply #354 – April 18, 2020, 09:21:17 PM

That’s one nice 4-eye. How long have you owned it ? Any pics of before all the work ?

Re: Chuck's '83 TBird

Reply #355 – April 18, 2020, 09:46:07 PM

I've had it since '96.

I didn't have a digital camera until '03-'04. I suppose I could go back through the thread and fix broken links from when my old host server folded, but I just haven't put in the effort.

Re: Chuck's '83 TBird

Reply #356 – April 19, 2020, 04:08:46 PM

Little speed bumps pave the way unfortunately but, that's half the fun. They like to tease us.

Car looks phenomenal as always, glad to see it got some street time. Even if it was only a few miles.

Re: Chuck's '83 TBird

Reply #357 – April 19, 2020, 06:24:05 PM

Well, I found the culprit. The new fan control relay trigger wiring is back-feeding into the ECU and affecting the injector circuitry.

When I pulled Fuse #1 HERE, the issue went away. Things should be the same, as all I did was pull a diode into the ECU case, instead of having it out at the relay on the old set-up.

Can't drive it w/o a working fan, so I need to sort that issue out.

Simple enough fix though.

Re: Chuck's '83 TBird

Reply #358 – April 20, 2020, 10:49:49 PM

Situation corrected. I needed to move the diode on the fan control circuit back out to the engine bay. That was the easier route vs. trying to feed another wire back into the cabin.

The car is ready to rock.

Re: Chuck's '83 TBird

Reply #359 – April 21, 2020, 08:51:10 AM

Glad you got that sorted. Good to see the bird back out in the sunlight, looking amazing as always.

Looking forward to hear your impressions of the new rear suspension.