Updates and records of my car.
#82
11-28-2015, 10:00 PM
It's got ~125k on it. Only reason I pulled it was because I needed steeper gears for my cam/stall combo. I'm not sure what shipping would run to get it that far south but it's all yours if you can't find anything local.
If yours is a stick though, I'd just buy some aftermarket gears. 2.73s in a six speed would probably suck.
If yours is a stick though, I'd just buy some aftermarket gears. 2.73s in a six speed would probably suck.
#84
11-29-2015, 10:31 AM
It's not bad then. You'd probably gain a few mpg. Just so you know, I only have just center carrier not the whole axle assembly.
#85
11-29-2015, 11:30 AM
Join Date: Aug 2015
Location: Jacksonville, FL
Posts: 270
Anything is better than right now, hopefully. I have a tweaked differential, bad bearings, felt/sounded like the ring and pinion were going.
If you've got just the ring pinion and differential, that's fine. The axle shafts I'll be going through Yukon I think.
If you've got just the ring pinion and differential, that's fine. The axle shafts I'll be going through Yukon I think.
#87
12-12-2015, 04:06 PM
Join Date: Aug 2015
Location: Jacksonville, FL
Posts: 270
Alright, well some updates.
We're getting the car (finally) out to a differential shop back home in Tallahassee. We'll find out what I need then and there.
If we find out that there's no spun bearings (I'm hoping that everything is grenaded inside excluding axle shafts and the housing, rather than having a spun bearing), then I'll be throwing an order in for this right here, which for the price seems like a pretty good deal. Because this will only be getting restored up to daily driver capable, I'll be throwing 3.42 gears in it (the manual tranny standard option) to replace the worn down 2.73 gears that it has (I checked, it's what my option code more or less verifies).
I talked with a guy at work that used to be a HUGE camaro guy. He had a black 96 hard top, ran skinnies up front and wides in the rear everywhere he drove it, even when he occasionally took it out to work. He got rid of it all to start on corvette's, as he's getting more into track racing.
He has a left over TA diferential cover and all the hardware to go with it, so I lucked out on a nice FREE upgrade there. I'll be tossing some cash his way for it because I just don't feel right taking something that costs a little bit with no compensation, even if it just sitting in his garage.
If the differential housing has a spun bearing inside, I'm going to have to play junk yard roulette, and hope I can find a 4-wire, and then build that up with new parts.
We've somewhat got the T-Tops fixed. The seals we ordered don't seem to fit, like, at all. So all we've done is just stretch and peak and tweak the existing seals to get them to mesh up. We'll cut up the new seals and just adhere them onto the existing stripping to fill gaps and make things tighter as needed. Not perfect, and it's going to look a little rough where we need it, but it won't leak that's for sure.
The lights are all done, all working. Got replacement bulbs for most everything, aligned headlights, etc.
Power steering pump was on it's way out, was dribbling fluid something bad. So, crabby, you were right on with that guess. Felt okay to me, but my father having driven a few of these when they were still new on the lots at dealerships knew something was up. Got it replaced, and we'll see how long it lasts. If it doesn't hold up, then we'll have to shuffle a few out like you did to get a good one.
Might have an extremely minor (like, just noticing that one little area on the bottom) rear main seal leak starting up as well. Not concerned about that one right now, it's not doing any damage yet. We'll have to pull the tranny at some point, and we'll take care of that then and there.
That's where we're at right now.
-edit-
Almost totally forgot.
With the power steering pump blowing it's guts out, it saturated everything underneath it with lovely, copious amounts of power steering fluid. The alternator included. It's soaked to the core, and the battery isn't charging 100% of the time while driving (some times the starter motor rolls over slowly and sounds like it's dying, and other times it sounds perfectly healthy and only rolls the engine over 2-3 times before it catches). Radio and stuff is cutting out completely randomly as well, so I'm chalking that all up to a ruined alternator. I put on order a new PowerMaster 150a unit, and we'll swap that old one out and try to salvage it as an emergency backup.
We're getting the car (finally) out to a differential shop back home in Tallahassee. We'll find out what I need then and there.
If we find out that there's no spun bearings (I'm hoping that everything is grenaded inside excluding axle shafts and the housing, rather than having a spun bearing), then I'll be throwing an order in for this right here, which for the price seems like a pretty good deal. Because this will only be getting restored up to daily driver capable, I'll be throwing 3.42 gears in it (the manual tranny standard option) to replace the worn down 2.73 gears that it has (I checked, it's what my option code more or less verifies).
I talked with a guy at work that used to be a HUGE camaro guy. He had a black 96 hard top, ran skinnies up front and wides in the rear everywhere he drove it, even when he occasionally took it out to work. He got rid of it all to start on corvette's, as he's getting more into track racing.
He has a left over TA diferential cover and all the hardware to go with it, so I lucked out on a nice FREE upgrade there. I'll be tossing some cash his way for it because I just don't feel right taking something that costs a little bit with no compensation, even if it just sitting in his garage.
If the differential housing has a spun bearing inside, I'm going to have to play junk yard roulette, and hope I can find a 4-wire, and then build that up with new parts.
We've somewhat got the T-Tops fixed. The seals we ordered don't seem to fit, like, at all. So all we've done is just stretch and peak and tweak the existing seals to get them to mesh up. We'll cut up the new seals and just adhere them onto the existing stripping to fill gaps and make things tighter as needed. Not perfect, and it's going to look a little rough where we need it, but it won't leak that's for sure.
The lights are all done, all working. Got replacement bulbs for most everything, aligned headlights, etc.
Power steering pump was on it's way out, was dribbling fluid something bad. So, crabby, you were right on with that guess. Felt okay to me, but my father having driven a few of these when they were still new on the lots at dealerships knew something was up. Got it replaced, and we'll see how long it lasts. If it doesn't hold up, then we'll have to shuffle a few out like you did to get a good one.
Might have an extremely minor (like, just noticing that one little area on the bottom) rear main seal leak starting up as well. Not concerned about that one right now, it's not doing any damage yet. We'll have to pull the tranny at some point, and we'll take care of that then and there.
That's where we're at right now.
-edit-
Almost totally forgot.
With the power steering pump blowing it's guts out, it saturated everything underneath it with lovely, copious amounts of power steering fluid. The alternator included. It's soaked to the core, and the battery isn't charging 100% of the time while driving (some times the starter motor rolls over slowly and sounds like it's dying, and other times it sounds perfectly healthy and only rolls the engine over 2-3 times before it catches). Radio and stuff is cutting out completely randomly as well, so I'm chalking that all up to a ruined alternator. I put on order a new PowerMaster 150a unit, and we'll swap that old one out and try to salvage it as an emergency backup.
Last edited by Thefoodman52; 12-18-2015 at 01:44 PM.
#89
12-12-2015, 06:04 PM
Join Date: Mar 2009
Location: Tokeland, Washington
Posts: 21,644
alternator is most likely ok, the belt is full of oil and wont take the pressure without slipping, rubber soaks it up and wont wash out. need a new belt and before installing spray some degreaser on her and rinse, covering the opti and alternator. make sure all the pullies are free of oil, will need to clean alternator pulley before too. also check the rear intake for oil leak, more common that rear seal and seems to leak down into almost the same spot.
#90
12-13-2015, 10:31 AM
Join Date: Aug 2015
Location: Jacksonville, FL
Posts: 270
Remember, I've got a 98. No LT1 for me, or opti thankfully.
I'll check the intake.
We're playing it safe with the alternator as well. It's old, obviously wasn't very well taken care of mechanically. Just taking it one parts list at a time.
I'll check the intake.
We're playing it safe with the alternator as well. It's old, obviously wasn't very well taken care of mechanically. Just taking it one parts list at a time.