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Topic: 1988 TC single Holset turbo 5.0/ 4R70W (Read 239441 times) previous topic - next topic

1988 TC single Holset turbo 5.0/ 4R70W

Reply #945 –
I had a go at making a custom console top around the shifter. I think with some thinner vinyl and a couple of tweaks it'll work out. I still have to add a few strips of velcro at the rear outriggers, then it'll not pouch up next to the touchpad. It also doesn't have the rubber dust seal around the shifter yet.

Not too bad for a Beta version I think.

X

1988 TC single Holset turbo 5.0/ 4R70W

Reply #947 –
Thanks, Bud!

Next version will have the touchpad more forward so the pad can surround it completely. I want to bury the cable to hide it. I also am not liking the outrigger finished look. Even with better vinyl it won't be looking like OEM. It is better than before, though!

I also plan to dye the plastic to a darker shade to better match the covering. It'll be nice in the end.

1988 TC single Holset turbo 5.0/ 4R70W

Reply #948 –
Is there any padding under the vinyl? Maybe leather would be easier to work with in this application. It usually conforms to contours better and is more flexible.

Looks neat though :).
88 Thunderbird LX: 306, Edelbrock Performer heads, Comp 266HR cam, Edelbrock Performer RPM intake, bunch of other stuff.

1988 TC single Holset turbo 5.0/ 4R70W

Reply #949 –
Quote from: thunderjet302;402592
Is there any padding under the vinyl? Maybe leather would be easier to work with in this application. It usually conforms to contours better and is more flexible.

Looks neat though :).

Thanks! There's about 1/2" foam padding on top of a cardboard form. I have a 1/2 hide of gray leather I might try on the next effort. I can just dye it if I don't like it in gray.

I do like how it came out around the shifter. Looks very finished now. Once I re-do the back part to get a flush top on the touchpad it ought to look just how I want it.

1988 TC single Holset turbo 5.0/ 4R70W

Reply #950 –
I was going to play a little golf today.

BUT,,,, i spent 4 hours beside the turnpike with a dead car. It quit on me just as I got to the airport today. I coasted up to the hangar and just left it figuring I'd work on it after I got finished at work.

When I went back out an hour and a half later it fired right up. It was troubling, but what could it be? It had seemed like the fuel or spark just went out. No way to trouble shoot it when it was working, so I left for home.

I got 15 minutes down the road and the car started to buck, like it was just cutting out. I got to a decent spot to pull over when it stopped for good. I checked things over and saw nothing unusual. I have been tracking a little tach spike that hasn't affected fuel delivery from megasquirt. Not sure if it was related. Well, I futzed around for an hour until I finally wore out the battery. It would fire and quit sometimes, almost like when i had my early troubles, so the last thing I did before wearing out the battery was to do a roadside firmware flash on the MS. I couldn't get it started afterwards since the voltage was so low.

I called my brother who ran by my house and brought me a spare EDIS module and the megasquirt from the TR7. First I changed the EDIS and no joy. That had me stumped because I was really betting on that being the problem. So I swapped in the TR7 megasquirt. Still wouldn't fire.

BUT... now I was getting no firing at all!  Now it looked like a new issue, so I went over things again. I put my hand on an injector while my brother cycled the key. Nada.  It turns out I had cooked the injector power fuse when I was cranking with low voltage. I changed fuses and she fired right up. So, I swapped back to the original MS box and ran it on home purring like a kitten.

 Phew!! What an ordeal. I was glad to be able to beat a tow, though. Thanks much to my brother, John. He is always there when I need him.

Also thanks to the Ohio State Highway Patrol. Especially the officer who stopped on me 3 times to see how I was doing, and laid out flares for me when it started to get dark. A real gentleman and very helpful. We had a good laugh when I showed him how I was crouching next to the car to relieve myself when he asked if I was going to need anything else on the third pass!

Don't give those guys a hard time, boys. They are people too. Pretty good ones in my experience.

1988 TC single Holset turbo 5.0/ 4R70W

Reply #951 –
Getting close to being head swap time. Depends on my work schedule the next two weeks. I gotta round up an adjustable pushrod and get the new lifters, valve covers and headgaskets. Then I'll be ready to yank my heads off. Again.

1988 TC single Holset turbo 5.0/ 4R70W

Reply #953 –
Kinda locked in due to the fact that the heads are o-ringed. Gonna use the Fel-pro o-ring set.

1988 TC single Holset turbo 5.0/ 4R70W

Reply #954 –
Rodger that...

How much power you thinking at the same boost that you are currently running....understanding that you will have to retune your car after the head swap.

Travis

1988 TC single Holset turbo 5.0/ 4R70W

Reply #955 –
My goal has been 450 or so reliable daily HP with good mileage. (Highway)
I never will dyno or track this combo, so hard to say what it makes unfortunately. I really wanted to, but I don't want to push it hard if it has a cracked head.

My biggest concern is if the wastegate will keep up with the increased flow from the new heads. We'll see how that goes once I get it done. I still plan on low boost,  8-10 psi so I can run 89 octane.

I have bumped the mileage up a bit since getting the wideband back in service and the last couple tanks have been pushing 20 mpg. 21.5 on the last one, but that may have been due to where I fueled it. I try to always use the same pump at the same station to get a consistent amount at the top off.

I gotta say that putting the slip modifier in the tranny and my latest tune on it is really great. The car shifts really smooth and reacts just right when downshifting. It is just what I hoped to achieve. Of course it is set to shift early at 5300 rpm to protect my torque converter until I get a billet one.

I definitely give the Baumann and 4R70W two thumbs up.

Work schedule hasn't panned out to give me time to do the head swap yet. I'm hoping to do it between Christmas and New Year's day at this point.

My to do list on the car is now:

1. Do head swap and fix leaky turbo drain
2. Version 2 console pad with built in cup holder recesses!
3. finish out trunk with amp/ computer mount and plastic panels
4. change out front PRC struts with Monroe struts
5. Put a flow limiter in power steering to reduce sensitivity at speed. (It's a bit too twitchy for my liking as it is now.)
6. Trim out center console inside.... I want to shorten the depth of the original insert to allow for some storage. 

Otherwise I am VERY happy with the way it all came together. It is a comfortable and powerful daily driver that does everything I wanted it to.

1988 TC single Holset turbo 5.0/ 4R70W

Reply #956 –
Schedule getting lighter so maybe I will finally get my heads on! lol

Hoping to pull her into the work bay tonight and start the teardown for the next stage.

1988 TC single Holset turbo 5.0/ 4R70W

Reply #957 –
Sweet build

1988 TC single Holset turbo 5.0/ 4R70W

Reply #958 –
Hey Jim

I would really tune the car for premium....just run more timing...should do good with your mpg and safety for boost....  Or is the 89 octane...just because. :)

Travis

1988 TC single Holset turbo 5.0/ 4R70W

Reply #959 –
Trav,

I just haven't needed it at my boost level. These 5.0's are famous for lifting heads at higher boost, and I'm not into changing them. The new heads should do even better I would hope. We'll see.

I ended up having to go in to work today, so maybe tomorrow will see some grease under the fingernails again.

Thanks, stang8u!