Aaron's 76 Type LT Project

12 minute(s) of a 383 minute read

So I did not attempt to start the motor last night. I wanted to REALLY BADLY but decided I need at least one more person on hand looking for leaks, etc during the initial startup. So I will attempt to start the motor this weekend. I know the fuel pump is getting power because I can her it prime when I turn the key, so I hope there are not any major fuel issues. It's a damn crate motor, it better work!!

In the meantime I am going to focus on getting the bumpers installed since that is one of the last large tasks remaining (at least the tasks I need to do before baby #2 arrives).

So I think I figured out the electrical gremlins thanks to some calls with Painless and IDIDIT. IDIDIT does not use a traditional column-mounted ignition switch, which is fine. They have a relay pack with one of the relays having an accessory feed wire that connects to the Painless brown accessory wire (#932) to the fuse block (for radio, HVAC, etc). I was supposed to group the Painless brown accessory wire (#932) AND the Painless orange ignition power wire (#933) connect both of those wires to the IDIDIT brown wire. I think I only connected the brown wires together, which makes me wonder what I did with the Painless orange ignition power wire (#933).  

The consequence is that things that would normally only work with the key in the ON/RUN position will also work with the key in the ACCESSORY position. I don't anticipate that being a problem.

The "good" part in this is that when I spoke to the tech support guy at IDIDIT, he asked if I was running an LS. Apparently when I turn the key on their column there is a very slight "dead space" of like 1/10th second of no power coming from the pink ignition wire to the ECM. This causes the ECM to stop powering the fuel pump. It's just long enough of a loss of power to make the ECM think it's completely lost power. They are going to send me a replacement relay that addresses this issue. I would not have known about this had this other issue popped up.

5-9-2017

In today's installment of "as the wiring turns", I bundled the two wires on the Painless kit (accessory power and switched ignition power) and connected those to the brown accessory power wire coming from the IDIDIT relay pack. That seems to have "fixed" the issue. The consequence is that anything that would have worked only with the key in the ON/RUN position will now work with the key in the ACCESSORY position, which I can live with. So now I can zip tie the wires and put them back in place.  

I went ahead and made all the radio connections while I was in electrical mode and everything worked, so that was refreshing.

5-13-2017

I got the replacement relay in so I can get that installed (15 min job) and target next weekend to try and start her up. I am getting the glass installed on Friday so that's also exciting. Aside from the front/rear glass and bumpers, there are not any major items left to install. I will be happy to have those items off the list so I can have just smaller detail items left. The car definitely won't be DONE before our daughter is born in 4-5 weeks, but I am honestly happy where the car is and where it should be in a few weeks.  

Here is a sneak preview of the front bumper installed. I did more tucking inward than raising it, but I dig how it looks. The strip is an aftermarket piece I got from F Body Warehouse (site sponsor). It is more of a composite material. It fits well and looks good.

5-15-2017

I got home early and decided to get the rear bumper mocked up. The rear went much quicker than the front. I need to shim the big brackets but not by much.

I pushed the bumper in as far as it would go against the plastic filler pieces.





Here is what I will weld to secure the bumper. olstyle and someone else did this with success so I am going to try it out. I will spot weld it in place and then remove the bumper and weld the pieces together.

5-19-2017

I got the glass installed and it went well. The installer was an old pro so I felt good about my pick. He said the glass, which is aftermarket, was a little shorter than the original based on how much it sat on the metal lip, but he was not concerned. Just something to share with others as they shop for glass.

The rear of the car is basically done. The tail lights are installed and the bumper is installed. The pics of the front glass installed are useless due to poor lighting, so here's a few of the back.

5-25-2017

I am not sure WHY or HOW the engine decided to start, but tonight it did. I hooked up my ODB reader and went through the scanning process, cleared all the codes and then disconnected the battery to let it sit for a while. Then I hooked the battery back up, pulled the fuel pump relay, made sure I got oil pressure, reinstalled the fuel pump relay and attempted to start the motor with the full intention of just trying to get a fresh set of codes. But I noticed it was acting a little differently this time, so I turned the key again, gave it some throttle and it started and STAYED on. Score one for THIS GUY!!

Oh yeah, here's a video of the (almost) first time this motor has ever run:

5-30-2017

thanks all, it was definitely nice to hear the motor run for the first time. I can look at the car and finally see an end in sight.

I am having issues with the engine starting AND running on a consistent basis, but after my research and double-checking everything I am going to chalk it up to tuning issues (it hasn't been tuned) because everything appears to be in order. Fuel pressure is good, no vacuum leaks, MAF is installed corrected, no fault codes being produced, etc. I'd be way more worried if the engine wouldn't run at all. But when it does run it sounds good.

Our daughter will be here no later than June 15 (doctor will induce on that date if she's not born yet), so I will be taking a break from the car after that. The good news is I don't have any MAJOR items left so I should be able to tinker with it when I have a few minutes here and there. I'm going to order the driveshaft today, finally. In theory I could bleed the brakes and the clutch MC and go on a maiden voyage.

6-2-2017

I was having issues with the oil pressure gauge and water temp gauge not working properly (Auto Meter Sport Comp II, electronic) and I got the water temp gauge to work but I am still messing with the oil pressure gauge. I kind of need that one to work.

You have to apply teflon thread sealant on the adapters that thread into the motor since they are NPT fittings, but if you put too much sealant on them then that affects the ground which affects the gauge's ability to work properly. The oil pressure gauge wasn't moving at all last night, although it HAS worked properly before and showed 40 psi. I removed all the thread sealant last night and will try again tonight. I know I have oil pressure but I still need that gauge to function.

Btw the key tumbler in my IDIDIT column wasn't quite right so I called them to discuss solutions. They offered to replace the tumbler or install a basic keyless push button start at no cost, no questions asked, which I appreciated.

They also offered to install push button start with a FOB like modern cars for ~25% the cost of the system, which I think I'm going to do. It's really too good a deal to pass up to get a cool upgrade. I'll have to ship the column to them but it's not like I'll be driving her soon.

My DD doesn't even have push button start, lol.

6-5-2017

This one:  http://www.ididitinc.com/i-25049369...black-powder-coated.html?ref=category:1310143

It's an OEM style column. They advertise it as 70-75 but it can work for any 2nd gen. I think they officially market it as correct for 70-75 because some cars had the high beam on the column which they don't offer. But there were no fitment issues with my 76. If the tumbler wasn't having the "kickback" issue then I wouldn't even be upgrading to push button start. I am going to assume I just got a lemon key tumbler unit.

The one thing I didn't like, which is a minor, is they don't provide separate power wires for the brown accessory power wire and the orange switched power to fuse block. They only provide one wire, so I had to splice that to the brown and orange wires going to the fuse block. The consequence is that everything receives ignition power when the key is in the "accessory" position. But I can live with that.

6-24-2017

I was able to get the steering column with the touch button ignition installed. It turns out the keyed ignition tumbler was the cause of my motor woes a few weeks ago. The tumbler not having proper kickback was leading to ignition 12V problems. The motor fires right up with the touch button ignition, which is a huge relief.

I have to touch the button 3 times quickly to turn off the motor, which I was still getting used to

6-28-2017

I ended up getting this one:  http://www.ididitinc.com/i-25049820-id-touch-keyless-start-ignition-system.html?ref=category:1341772

BTW, I asked the rep why they need 3 touches to turn the car OFF and he said since this is not a button like we see in modern cars (i.e. a button you actually depress), they did not want a single touch to turn the car off. So it's more of a safety feature than something they HAD to do.

7-26-2017

I've gotten a few things done on the Camaro, mainly during the weekends when everyone is napping. I was going to try and bleed the brakes but did a pressure test and discovered a small leak in the front line at the "T" junction off the MC. So I need to remake that small portion of brake line. The circuit for the back brakes appears to hold pressure good, so I can at least bleed those.  

My wife is working hard to get our little girl fattened up. She is almost 9 lbs now after ~6 weeks. She left the hospital just above 6 lb. She slept as late at 6:30 am one morning, so we're slowly getting her into a sleep schedule like her brother.

9-12-2017

FYI our house flooded from tropical storm Harvey back on Aug 27-28. We got ~16" inside the house and have since demo'd the house and had it professionally remediated. So now we are waiting to sign a contract with the GC we have chosen. Then we can start the rebuild. We're hoping drywall begins in 2-4 weeks.

The Camaro was not harmed. I jacked it up ~30", well above the water.