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Now that the snows melting I finally got a little work done. I replaced the leading igniter with a GM HEI ignition module. Starts and runs great now.
As for the muffler, it literally fell apart while I was removing it, so I am going to get it replicated for the time being with a Magnaflow as I can't afford a full racing beat system at the moment.
Also fixed the fuel pump wiring so it's just about ready for spring!
Ordered in my Magnaflow to my work today. My cooworker is going to weld it up and basically keep the same setup as the OEM muffler. It is a 2" in 2" out Magnaflow PN#12644
Hoping to have it mocked up soon and ready to weld.
So we got the muffler welded up and sitting properly. The first picture is without the tip, the second picture has a slanted tip. Not sure if thats what tip I will settle on, I might switch to a dual exit like the OEM muffler had but we will see. It sounds great, louder than stock but no droning or tinny sound.
I also gave the car a small clean. Not anywhere near where id like it but I have to start somewhere. Next is to replace the tires on the OEM wheels until I can order up the rims I want.
This weekend will be "Rewire/Remount the shoddy electric fan." Does anyone have an idea of how I can trigger the fan with a certain temperature or thermostat?
So i got to work on the new fan shroud and electric fan assembly. I like to try and make most things myself, if i am able to.
- Fan is a 16 inch Flexalite #105317.
- The fan controller with manual override is a Hayden #3647.
- The shroud is 1/16th aluminum cut to 17.5" x 22.5" with a offset 15" hole which will be mounted to the factory bolt holes on the radiator.
I am also adding a push button to the steering column to manually override the fan to "MAX" on for those spirited drives in the summer.
I will add another post with the fan mounted to the shroud and fitment once the shroud is painted.
Here is the finished shroud with the fan installed. I will be taking it apart again to do another final coat but this will be bolted to the OEM radiator. I also sent the radiator to my friends radiator shop to get it rebuilt/re-cored before I install it all.
From an efficiency of cooling perspective, the mounting panel being against the radiator will block the airflow and it looks like it covers 1/3 to 1/2 of the cooling area. I suggest you cut some speed holes in that panel...open it up as much as you can.
Thanks! I'll think about that. It isnt sitting directly against the radiator. There is a space of about 1 inch between the shroud and the radiator fins. I did a test run and the temperature seems to be in the right zone. I just tore it down again to have the radiator rebuilt for the final product.
Originally Posted by Toruki
Nice looking fabrication. And really nice car.
From an efficiency of cooling perspective, the mounting panel being against the radiator will block the airflow and it looks like it covers 1/3 to 1/2 of the cooling area. I suggest you cut some speed holes in that panel...open it up as much as you can.
Installed the Solex Locks today while waiting for my radiator to come home. Literally needed no modifications whatsoever and probably the easiest lock swap ive ever done - I was surprised. I also adjusted the windows so they don't roll up and down falling towards the front of the car.
So i got my radiator back today! Yay! Before and After shot of course. It was disgusting before and the inside was looking pretty gross.
The previous owner had the electric fan mounted directly to the radiator. *facepalm* Louvered core
My friends radiator shop re-cored it with a louvered racing core, supposedly gives it 20% more cooling efficiency and he does it for all of the Rotary guys he has come in.
I just need to finish up the wiring and install the new temperature sender and its golden. I also have a new thermostat to install as well. Refreshing of the cooling system before this desert heat is critical.
So i decided to follow Toruki's suggestion and installed some more speed holes on the passenger side on the shroud. I got the rebuilt radiator and shroud installed and the wiring is almost complete. I decided to hid the wiring under the front cover as you can see in the second picture.
FYI The center of the electric fan actually sits almost directly in the center of the main pulley so it wont contact at all
Fits nice Hidden fan relay and fan thermostat adjustment.
Sorry if this is too much advice... I think you either 1. need to open that panel completely (preferred I think) or 2. close up the small holes you have.
The job of that fan is to pull cool air from the front and through the rad. It looked like your panel was right against the rad fins..not good...but as you explained, it's at least an inch from the rad fins, so that box could pull air across the whole face of the rad. But those holes you added allow air from the hot engine area to get sucked in, instead of from the front. But they are also still too restrictive (in my opinion) to allow enough natural flow when the fan is not running.
Again, this my opinion, you are pretty far north, so maybe not too hot up there and everything will would be just fine as it is
Here are some recent examples from this forum that show two approaches. Yours, with the holes added, is somewhere between.
I think this approach is ideal for electric. When the fan is on, plenty of flow over a big area. When off, the mounting structure blocks as little as possible.
This is an example of the other take, a sealed shroud with a lot of fan. When the fan is on, tons of pull, when it's off the blades can freely rotate.
Sorry if this is too much advice... I think you either 1. need to open that panel completely (preferred I think) or 2. close up the small holes you have.
The job of that fan is to pull cool air from the front and through the rad. It looked like your panel was right against the rad fins..not good...but as you explained, it's at least an inch from the rad fins, so that box could pull air across the whole face of the rad. But those holes you added allow air from the hot engine area to get sucked in, instead of from the front. But they are also still too restrictive (in my opinion) to allow enough natural flow when the fan is not running.
Again, this my opinion, you are pretty far north, so maybe not too hot up there and everything will would be just fine as it is
Here are some recent examples from this forum that show two approaches. Yours, with the holes added, is somewhere between.
I think this approach is ideal for electric. When the fan is on, plenty of flow over a big area. When off, the mounting structure blocks as little as possible.
This is an example of the other take, a sealed shroud with a lot of fan. When the fan is on, tons of pull, when it's off the blades can freely rotate.
I am going to test run it first and see where the temps are at. I made it so the fan/shroud can be taken out without removing the radiator so I can modify it. I will either end up cutting space out where those holes are, or closing them.
More work ahead. Its warm now, but I worry this summer when weather hits 35-40 degrees Celsius will be the real test.
Thanks for the advice. I will have to switch it up depending on what my temps are at.
Very nice work on the car thus far! How has it been running and driving overall?
Thank you for the kind words! Its running and driving great! Pulls great and the 5th/6th ports seem to be opening properly. Gets a nice growl around 3600-3800RPM
Few small issues i've noticed though. When you punch the gas the car lurches back a little bit like maybe a diff or transmission mount is starting to go. And when i use the cruise control is seems to act funny once you turn it off, like its not fully disengaging. Maybe it needs a lubing.
I've pulled the fan shroud off to modify it yet again, luckily I made it so it comes off and on easily Third times a charm
This will be my final iteration of the fan shroud. The bridge portion between the fan and the big open holes will have foam tape so the fan is segregated from pulling hot air from the holes. I am also going to make the portion between the fan and the open holes as thin as possible to get more airflow without compromising the structural integrity of the shroud.
The new shroud design I think will work pretty well.
If you suspect a mount to be failing, I would get under the car and inspect the rubber portions of the trans mount to make sure it isn't pulling away from the metal housing. I've had that happen. Engine mounts are easy to test from above the car.
Usually when the trans mount fails, you can see abnormal movement in the shifter. A really bad engine mount can cause a knocking sound under hard acceleration as the engine will rock upwards abruptly.
The new shroud design I think will work pretty well.
If you suspect a mount to be failing, I would get under the car and inspect the rubber portions of the trans mount to make sure it isn't pulling away from the metal housing. I've had that happen. Engine mounts are easy to test from above the car.
Usually when the trans mount fails, you can see abnormal movement in the shifter. A really bad engine mount can cause a knocking sound under hard acceleration as the engine will rock upwards abruptly.
I'm suspecting a trans mount now that you mention it. The shifter has a bit of movement left to right if I take my hand off while the car is idling, or over bumps for that matter.
11-21-20, 12:03 PM
