Pontiac Trans Am

[yellow1098Greg]

That’s really cool and here I am asking more stupid questions.....I have my O2 sensor much further back in the exhaust system....is it much better up on the manifold like that? I do have headers though so maybe that’s why

[F-Body International]

That’s really cool and here I am asking more stupid questions.....I have my O2 sensor much further back in the exhaust system....is it much better up on the manifold like that? I do have headers though so maybe that’s why

You're all good. Sharing and communicating with people is the main reason why forums exist. I unfortunately can't give you any 100% educated answer here. I know most aftermarket companies say to put the o2 sensor "x" amount of inches after the collector so they don't get burned up. In the opposite fashion, I feel a lot of factory oxygen sensors are located closer to the cylinder head than what is recommended by the aftermarket. Maybe that could be a question for the EFI section :/

[F-Body International]

Scored a 2nd-hand new Megasquirt MS2 (3.57 model) EFI computer and harness this past week. I'm very excited to get to collect this one for the project. I'm still a way away from getting to working on test fitting but the EFI setup is getting closer. Next will need to be determining a fuse and relay setup.
Untitled by Jonathon Randolph, on Flickr

The Megasquirt EFI harness is pretty nice for the money. Every wire is labeled for each sensor (IAT, water temp, TPS, IAC, etc.).
Untitled by Jonathon Randolph, on Flickr

If the labeled wires aren't enough, they provide a nice wire map/pinout diagram.
Untitled by Jonathon Randolph, on Flickr

[Josh@Ridetech]

Scored a 2nd-hand new Megasquirt MS2 (3.57 model) EFI computer and harness this past week. I'm very excited to get to collect this one for the project. I'm still a way away from getting to working on test fitting but the EFI setup is getting closer. Next will need to be determining a fuse and relay setup.
Untitled by Jonathon Randolph, on Flickr

The Megasquirt EFI harness is pretty nice for the money. Every wire is labeled for each sensor (IAT, water temp, TPS, IAC, etc.).
Untitled by Jonathon Randolph, on Flickr

If the labeled wires aren't enough, they provide a nice wire map/pinout diagram.
Untitled by Jonathon Randolph, on Flickr

They definitely made that diagram well. That's way better than a lot of the ones that I've seen out there on other kits!

[F-Body International]

They definitely made that diagram well. That's way better than a lot of the ones that I've seen out there on other kits!

That is one of the reasons why I like Megasquirt. Their manuals are huge reads but everything is so well documented. They can tell you how to wire to some weird old Volvo engine (as example) or the common LS engine.
http://www.msextra.com/manuals/



Another EFI business that has well written manuals is Big Stuff 3. They also came out with a new computer recently.
http://bigstuff3.com/

[F-Body International]

One step closer!

Finally coughed up a few dollars for calipers and rear rotors. Still need rear pads, hard lines, axle hose, distribution block and manual push rod.

Apparently the '79-'81 WS6 disc rear calipers have been unavailable recently. I was pretty happy to get them in 2 days from Autozone.

Untitled by Jonathon Randolph, on Flickr

[yellow1098Greg]

Looks good...yet another thing I need to do on mine is convert the rear to disks ....I won’t flood you with more questions on this one yet.....One thing at a time haha

[F-Body International]

Looks good...yet another thing I need to do on mine is convert the rear to disks ....I won’t flood you with more questions on this one yet.....One thing at a time haha

You’re all good to ask questions. For a brake conversion, it depends on how much money you want to spend and what size wheel you want to run.

[F-Body International]

Got a few minutes in the garage today (should have done more). Pulled off my 1LE rotor and started wire-wheeling my passenger spindle with a drill. After I did that, I sprayed it with brake cleaner, wiped off quickly, hung some old t-shirts and rattle canned the spindle silver. I only did the one side but I will do the other side soon. I have a one car garage so I have to push the car to either side when I work on it.
Untitled by Jonathon Randolph, on Flickr

Part of the reason I haven't done anything with the build in this area lately is because I wanted to get everything professionally degreased, blasted and painted. While that has been my intention, it feels good to get something done here. Yea, there's still some grease here and there but I'm happy just to get something done today.

I also did the calipers I just purchased. Again no special masking or anything. I just sprayed with brake cleaner, removed the bolts and painted the outside portion silver.
Untitled by Jonathon Randolph, on Flickr

I hope this post helps someone out. Sometimes, this stuff is not perfect but you need to move on and not think about it. I wish I could have spent money on getting these parts prepped/finished professionally or even powder coated but for a few dollars and some effort, this makes me happy to have something more presentable.

[NOT A TA]

Keep at it Jon! Better to compromise and keep moving forward than just stay stalled.

[F-Body International]

Keep at it Jon! Better to compromise and keep moving forward than just stay stalled.

Thanks man! Any progress with yours this year?

I was in the garage last night trying to install the rear passenger brake assembly. I ended up breaking the rear end pin bolt since I need to remove the axles. It’s deep inside of there so I’m ordering this special extractor kit. If you ever are in need of borrowing this, let me know.
https://www.summitracing.com/parts/jdw-lbek97

[NOT A TA]

Thanks man! Any progress with yours this year?

I was in the garage last night trying to install the rear passenger brake assembly. I ended up breaking the rear end pin bolt since I need to remove the axles. It’s deep inside of there so I’m ordering this special extractor kit. If you ever are in need of borrowing this, let me know.
https://www.summitracing.com/parts/jdw-lbek97

Luckily I've never had that bolt break but I've seen it happen to others.

No progress on mine. Combination of reasons. House repairs became a priority, almost died two more times in the past 6 months from heart issues, and with no medical insurance they left me with even more debt than I had from the first heart attack & other medical issues. And now, the world has stopped, orders are few, and I don't even qualify for the stimulus. So I've got to work on and sell other cars to try and get my head above water. I'm expecting with the current situation I'll have to practically give away the cars to sell them because the market is going to drop like a rock. So it's going to be a minute before any real progress on the Firebird.

[F-Body International]

Luckily I've never had that bolt break but I've seen it happen to others.

No progress on mine. Combination of reasons. House repairs became a priority, almost died two more times in the past 6 months from heart issues, and with no medical insurance they left me with even more debt than I had from the first heart attack & other medical issues. And now, the world has stopped, orders are few, and I don't even qualify for the stimulus. So I've got to work on and sell other cars to try and get my head above water. I'm expecting with the current situation I'll have to practically give away the cars to sell them because the market is going to drop like a rock. So it's going to be a minute before any real progress on the Firebird.

Man, I hope you’re able to get your health on a better path. I know you do a lot in your community and have a lot of different business ventures. You have done a lot of things outside of the car world. Stay motivated!

I was actually just thinking about a body mount solution the other day for guys with frame or body problems and I thought about you....something I haven’t seen before that I think would be simple. Since I drive a 90’s Chevy truck normally, I’m always thinking about modifications/solutions similar to the F platform. I’ll have to share with you over the phone. Time has been crazy for me since having our baby in January.

[F-Body International]

Went to the store this evening and picked up some Hi-Temp grease so I could start reassembling my Turbo Pontiac distributor which is getting repurposed for EFI.

Davis Unified Ignition recommends .025”-.030” end-play. I’m setting the shaft on the tighter side at 0.025” using my feeler gauge.

Had to stop before driving in the pin tonight (don’t want to wake the baby).

This should hopefully be a fully functional Pontiac EFI distributor tomorrow!

Untitled by Jonathon Randolph, on Flickr