- Joined
- Aug 24, 2003
Fired up my 87 today since almost this time last year! I took the nose off the car for some painting and powder coating and other bling. It was so nice to be behind the wheel again. While I love to drive the 86 as well... nothing like that bigger turbo just cutting thru the air as you roll down the road with the dump open.
Only hiccup I had was lower radiator hose clamp cut into the hose and was leaking and I forgot to tighten the trans cooler lines into the radiator. The thing that really screwed me up was I used this red additive in the coolant from Lube Guard. Almost like the RMI25 stuff. Well when it started leaking I couldn't tell if it was trans fluid or coolant! Then I found out it was both! doh! But a quick fix (and then another hour detailing everything the coolant and trans fluid got on) and all systems were go!
So here is the list of things I've done to it...
Header panel pulled off and totally restored and painted from my body guy. Had a hood ornimate mark there were someone covered it up but didn't do such a good job many moons ago. It also had some broken clips and mounting points that the body shop fixed as well. It's like new again. It mounted very tight and firm finally.
Radiator support powder coated. Pulled the radiator support out of the car and had the entire thing powder coated satin black. Came out better then new. Very happy with it. I also installed new bushings and hardware when it went back in. And yes, every nut and bolt was powder coated as well!
New front fillers. I picked up some NOS GM front fillers (when they were $30 some bucks a piece!) several years ago and had the body shop paint them for me when the rear of the car was painted a few years back. Came out great. Nothing like a freshly painted set of NOS fillers!
New Alky pump. Thanks Don! This is kinda what started this project. My Alky pump died about a year ago and I mounted it behind the headlight bezels so the easiest way is to take the headlights out. Well with the header panel off it was cake to remove and replace it. So I have a fresh Alky pump from Don on the car and it's spraying as it should. No more filling the tank and it's empty 2 minuets later!
Freshly powder coated front bumper. Picked up a front bumper a few years back and had it powder coated glossy black. The nice part is the bumper was an aluminum support bumper from a T-type so the car went on a diet as well. Now I have factory front and rear aluminum supports. With the car being a no option car, it should be pretty lite now! I also did NOS GM rub strip on the front bumper along with NOS GM bumperettes and all new stainless hardware. The air damns are also NOS GM ones I had laying around in a box for years.
I powder coated some other items while it was apart. I powder coated the ThunderFab inter-cooler glossy black along with some other brackets nuts and bolts. I also finally installed a chrome AC bracket and chrome water pump pulley that I bought about 5 years ago! I did 12 point polished stainless ARP hardware on this as well for some added bling to the engine bay.
New 60lbs flow matched injectors with a new turbo tweak chip (Thanks Eric!). I had 50lbs injectors in there before but the 60's were in my 86 when I bought it from Joe so I just moved them to the 87 and put a new set of 009's in the 86. Sent the chip to Eric for a fresh burn for the 60's. Car still pulls like a freight train just has a little more to drink now
So this project went a little longer then I wanted to but it's back together and running great as it always did. Hoping to detail it all day Thursday and go to the Hooters in Bensalem car cruise Thursday night with it! I sure do miss driving it. The car runs so good and every shift knocks my teeth out. I love it.
Next up on the project list for the car is about 132 years ago I picked up the complete UMI uppers and lowers with all the hardware and bushings to replace all that stuff. I also have a monster ATR bar that's been powder coated siting there waiting to go on. If Hooper ever gets that car off his lift I'll get to that before the winter is here... hopefully! So that's it for now for the 87. Time to drive and enjoy before it's 20 degrees and snow on the ground!
Only hiccup I had was lower radiator hose clamp cut into the hose and was leaking and I forgot to tighten the trans cooler lines into the radiator. The thing that really screwed me up was I used this red additive in the coolant from Lube Guard. Almost like the RMI25 stuff. Well when it started leaking I couldn't tell if it was trans fluid or coolant! Then I found out it was both! doh! But a quick fix (and then another hour detailing everything the coolant and trans fluid got on) and all systems were go!
So here is the list of things I've done to it...
Header panel pulled off and totally restored and painted from my body guy. Had a hood ornimate mark there were someone covered it up but didn't do such a good job many moons ago. It also had some broken clips and mounting points that the body shop fixed as well. It's like new again. It mounted very tight and firm finally.
Radiator support powder coated. Pulled the radiator support out of the car and had the entire thing powder coated satin black. Came out better then new. Very happy with it. I also installed new bushings and hardware when it went back in. And yes, every nut and bolt was powder coated as well!
New front fillers. I picked up some NOS GM front fillers (when they were $30 some bucks a piece!) several years ago and had the body shop paint them for me when the rear of the car was painted a few years back. Came out great. Nothing like a freshly painted set of NOS fillers!
New Alky pump. Thanks Don! This is kinda what started this project. My Alky pump died about a year ago and I mounted it behind the headlight bezels so the easiest way is to take the headlights out. Well with the header panel off it was cake to remove and replace it. So I have a fresh Alky pump from Don on the car and it's spraying as it should. No more filling the tank and it's empty 2 minuets later!
Freshly powder coated front bumper. Picked up a front bumper a few years back and had it powder coated glossy black. The nice part is the bumper was an aluminum support bumper from a T-type so the car went on a diet as well. Now I have factory front and rear aluminum supports. With the car being a no option car, it should be pretty lite now! I also did NOS GM rub strip on the front bumper along with NOS GM bumperettes and all new stainless hardware. The air damns are also NOS GM ones I had laying around in a box for years.
I powder coated some other items while it was apart. I powder coated the ThunderFab inter-cooler glossy black along with some other brackets nuts and bolts. I also finally installed a chrome AC bracket and chrome water pump pulley that I bought about 5 years ago! I did 12 point polished stainless ARP hardware on this as well for some added bling to the engine bay.
New 60lbs flow matched injectors with a new turbo tweak chip (Thanks Eric!). I had 50lbs injectors in there before but the 60's were in my 86 when I bought it from Joe so I just moved them to the 87 and put a new set of 009's in the 86. Sent the chip to Eric for a fresh burn for the 60's. Car still pulls like a freight train just has a little more to drink now
So this project went a little longer then I wanted to but it's back together and running great as it always did. Hoping to detail it all day Thursday and go to the Hooters in Bensalem car cruise Thursday night with it! I sure do miss driving it. The car runs so good and every shift knocks my teeth out. I love it.
Next up on the project list for the car is about 132 years ago I picked up the complete UMI uppers and lowers with all the hardware and bushings to replace all that stuff. I also have a monster ATR bar that's been powder coated siting there waiting to go on. If Hooper ever gets that car off his lift I'll get to that before the winter is here... hopefully! So that's it for now for the 87. Time to drive and enjoy before it's 20 degrees and snow on the ground!
