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Also since the wedding the Corvette went back to Brogan & Folz for the heater core replacement. I'll gladly pay for that to be done rather than fight that battle myself. I also sent the cluster to Batee for repairs and look forward to reinstalling it once the car is back.
So here's a 2019 update for the car and my plans for it:
1. In a couple weeks it goes for window tint. The shop I'm going to is doing a three piece rear set, which seems to be the norm. The only other shop around that would do it gave a $650 estimate doing the rear window one piece. Im debating between 20 and 30 percent on the tint.
2. I plan on installing a new dash pad with speakers/wiring. I was not cutting new door panels to install the speakers in the same locations as the old Bose, so this seems to be the easiest of options. The current one is cracked pretty bad.
3. I want to reseal the glass top to the frame. Currently the driver's side rear corner is not sealed completely and I can really hear it while driving. I'd also like to find a good fiberglass top.
4. HVAC. I have a new heater core, but after a couple months of using it the temperature is stuck on hot no matter what. A/C with temp on cold? Hot air. I'd like to diagnose and fix this before it gets too warm out.
5. Door Locks. Before I installed new door panels, the lock cylinder on the passenger side worked but did not respond to the power lock buttons. The driver's side cylinder did not work with key but could be locked by hand and unlocked by reaching through the passenger side to manually unlock it. If I recall right it would also work via power lock switch. Currently neither door works with the power lock switch. I hear the mechanism try to work after using the new buttons, but no movement or lock/unlock is completed. I also want to get each lock cylinder working. The power locks matter less if I can just get each cylinder to work with the key.
6. It would be nice to get a new/used driver power seat harness. I found out the hard way the switches on that are not replaceable and it also fell back out of the little bowl thing in the center console area.
So its a sizable list but manageable. Definitely throw any suggestions my way on how to go about any of these tasks, I want to do them right the first time.
So I've managed to knock a few things off my 2019 list above. The acrylic top has been resealed to the best of my ability without separating the frame from it. It works a little bit better, less wind noise for sure. Dash pad and speakers were installed. During this process while unhooking the battery, I managed to contact the wrench with the frame brace coming from the cowl. End result: a new MAF, PCM, and fuel pump. Columbia Chev was helpful with this because I did not have the ability or patience to diagnose it correctly at the time. The speaker covers are a little disappointing in how they warp with heat. But the dash pad with the speakers was so hard to install that they're staying nice and warped for the foreseeable future. I've got the A/C blowing cold and the parts to fix the door locks and window motor on that driver side. But...that will have to wait because this past friday, the water pump locked up on my 12 minute drive to work. Temps hit 265 when I both realized it and shut it down. Since then, it has been towed to Brogan & Folz who installed the engine to replace the part under warranty.
Some positives: In the last couple months, I took it on a stage of Power Tour and drove to Indianapolis Motor Speedway for cars and coffee. I had no issues each time during those trips. I've been cruising all over with it and having a blast. I also just got a fiberglass top for it. It will need seals, paint, and a headliner. If anyone is around at the Cincinnati Cars and Coffee events, feel free to check it out or say hey.
Looking good! Nice job getting her all fixed up. That's too bad about the battery arching through the wrench, I've done that a few times also but guess I've been lucky and not had any damage from it.
So a mini win that I'm sure is nothing to most, but I finally got the screws on the top of the new dash pad to bite and go in. I guess the cooler weather helped me out. However, I can't get the screws near the vents to go in but that is a fight for another day. Only issue now is the HVAC controller. If I adjust the temperature to go warm, it gets stuck there. I can move the switch to A/C or Vent combined with Cold, but it still blows hot. After messing around with it with the car on and off and leaving it off and cold, it now blows cold when selected. I assume its the controller that is bad, but hopefully someone who has dealt with it in the past has ideas. I also found a used fiberglass top for it. It fits tighter, the car is stiffer, and it is a whole lot cooler than the transparent top.
A little update now that I've had the car for 5 years:
I drive the car all the time, in fact its been my daily for the last week or so. I still have to warm it up on a cold start or else it will run rough but other than that it runs like a dream. Today I connected my new OBD 1 and 2 scanner from OTC and was able to adjust the TPS from .37 to .53 volts. Not quite the prescribed .54, but as close as I could get for now. I also found I have Code 32, and my service engine light in the information display does not work. Because of this I do not know when the code came on so I'll have to clear it and give it another shot.
I replaced the reverse light bulbs with some LEDs, and it makes a huge difference. See photo below.
Next projects: the passenger side light will flip up, but will not retract unless I open the hood. If I don't open the hood, the car winks. If anyone has an idea as to if its the motor, the gearing, or the bushings, let me know. I also need a new power seat harness that will likely be sourced from eBay. I've been looking into the power seat and plan on getting a new track from one of the forum vendors. I fit really well in my Aunt's '86 with functioning power seats, but not as well in mine. My head tends to be in the roof being 6'4". Hopefully this can solve that issue.
Lastly, I'm still fighting my HVAC battles. The heat works intermittently, although lately it has worked more than it hasn't. It just stays on the heat setting for now so I can have it work. Last time I adjusted temperature, it was stuck blowing cool air. Heater core was replaced about a year and a half ago. It's an annoying problem to have, but with the heat working most of the time, it is not a battle worth fighting in the winter.
The car has been coming together nicely and looks great!! I really do like the led reverse lights! I replaced the bulbs in the cluster of my 85 Porsche 944 with led bulbs and I couldn't be happier!! They really do make a world of difference!
Today I began driving it on a cold start with the TPS set at .53 for the first time. After starting it and just touching the pedal it wants to stall out. After warming it up for a few minutes, it ran fine and I did not have any issues. It’s not a deal breaker obviously, but it’s really annoying. I’m not sure if this is related to my Code 32 or the TPS or none of the above. It was showing open loop on my scanner the entire time. I recorded the data on the scanner and will try to post it up when I get a chance to plug it in to my computer. I’m not sure where to go on how to fix it and certainly don’t want to throw money at it for something that may not fix it.
The car has been coming together nicely and looks great!! I really do like the led reverse lights! I replaced the bulbs in the cluster of my 85 Porsche 944 with led bulbs and I couldn't be happier!! They really do make a world of difference!
Agreed! Hard part is resisting the urge to switch everything to LED!
The other day I got a new used power seat harness installed and a rebuilt seat motor installed. Install went easy enough, but the harness doesn't exactly stay in the bowl that sits in the center console. I can't seem to find a new piece like that or the one to hold the harness in from behind. Its not ideal at this point but it is better than not having them. Being 6'4", every bit of gained legroom or headroom matters
In the last couple weeks I've made a bunch of progress on little stuff. First, I installed Dynamat in the rear. I should have done it when I did the carpet but live and learn. My goal was to have the carpet fit better and tighter but I'm not sure I accomplished that. It is a little quieter at speed. A new 175 degree thermostat was installed as was a new gasket. I did not like how fast and how warm it was driving in the Cincinnati heat and there was coolant leaking from that area on the intake manifold. Now the car runs cool and most importantly, no leak. All tail lights and turn signal lights work as they should. One bulb on the left side was bad, which caused it to not work correctly on that side. I was hand signaling for turns. Because of the LED lights that I have on the front, I installed a new flasher as well. Everything looks great. This past weekend I took it on a trip to Cleveland, around 4 hours one way. The car was LOUD. However, it ran awesome. Temps were between 180-190 on the highway for coolant, and oil stayed at 200 or so. Cruise control worked nicely and the A/C was ice cold. More impressive was the 21.3 MPG it got on the way back, no stops at all. While up there I got some pictures with my Aunt's '86 convertible and on the way back got a wave from a C8 convertible with manufacturer plates.
Next on the agenda: It needs shocks, that ride was pretty rough and the current Bilsteins are original. Also it was loud. Around town the Magnaflow is fun. Over 4 hours on the way up it gave me a headache. I believe I will get a high flow cat to replace the hollowed out cat it currently has. Its that way because it began blowing chunks out of the exhaust. I'll probably look at a different cat back, however it appears I will have to update everything from the Y pipe back to 86+ if I want to go that route. Feel free to suggest options on any of that.
11-13-2018, 04:03 PM
Good luck with the projects. 85 was my first c4, it was worlds better than my 81.
