The Mule rides again (sort of) - pics.

[The Dark Side of Will]

FWD and RWD(LH2 and LC3) 58X reluctor wheel (which for FWD starts in 2006 for RWD its 2005) is cast into the crankshaft in the middle of the crank. The 58X cranks have two crank sensors mounted in a single sensor housing mounted in the valley of the engine block which is different from the pre 2005 Northstars as most of us know.

If you do buy a 58X crank engine, know that EFiLive and HPtuners have support for those engines but I personally have not seen how much support or how detailed you can play with things inside the ECM.

I figured that GM had played with the crank sensor locations in some way.
If it were as "simple" as changing the crank, I might consider it. I'm not happy with the journal work that was done to my current crank, and I want to work yet another crank and swap it in the next time I have the powertrain out, anyway.

I have *WAY* too much sunk cost in this block to change that out.

[The Dark Side of Will]

I have since installed the rear marker light lenses and my reskinned stock wheel and shift knob. The wheel pictured here came from and went back to the Storm Trooper, where it matches the Beechwood interior much better. The shift knob borrowed from the Storm Trooper for these pics is a polyethylene sphere that I found when working at the Naval Research Lab while in school, then drilled and tapped for shift knob duty.

If I could *find* my stupid front marker light lenses, I'd have installed them also.

[Atilla the Fun]

Is that an aluminum 85-degree kink in the CAI? If so, is this thing at least running boost?

[Emc209i]

You took that to a car show.....?

[The Dark Side of Will]

Is that an aluminum 85-degree kink in the CAI? If so, is this thing at least running boost?

Actually, that's just a quick/dirty mitred stainless CAI. I have a 3.5" mild steel donut to use to make an intake tube to put a K&N behind the quarter panel, but haven't been able to snag any of my favorite welder's time recently.

I'd love to build one out of aluminum, but I can't find any 3.5" aluminum tubing donuts.

You took that to a car show.....?

What's wrong with that? Wouldn't you vote for it for Best Rat Rod? Or at least Rattiest Rat Rod?

There were other Rat Rods present

[Emc209i]

What's wrong with that? Wouldn't you vote for it for Best Rat Rod? Or at least Rattiest Rat Rod?

I'd vote it crackheads choice #1.

Jesus Christ Will, you've got pictures of Dallas' recover job on page 3, fenders in a paint booth on page 2, and you showed up with a junkyard special without rockers on page 4. And don't say it's because it's got a N* in it, because there's 32 Caddies in my local yard that do also. Slap the painted pieces on, put the interior back together, and thennnn take it to the shows.

[The Dark Side of Will]

It has the painted fenders on it, but that's all that's painted. I'm going to get the rest of the car painted piece-by-piece over the summer. Next will be the nose after slight repair, followed by the roof, which will be the only panel done on the car.

Show was prior to receiving wheel back from Dallas.

It also has Mr. Mike's leather seats, which I found for FREE in a junk yard.

The Caddy PCM doesn't fit under the stock console without serious hackage. That one I can blame on the Northstar. The console will go back in when I get the Shelby PCM mounted in the engine compartment.

[The Dark Side of Will]

And what did you think a car called "The Mule" would look like?

[Atilla the Fun]

Is that an aluminum 85-degree kink in the CAI? If so, is this thing at least running boost?

Actually, that's just a quick/dirty mitred stainless CAI. I have a 3.5" mild steel donut to use to make an intake tube to put a K&N behind the quarter panel, but haven't been able to snag any of my favorite welder's time recently.

I'd love to build one out of aluminum, but I can't find any 3.5" aluminum tubing donuts.

Join www.theturboforums.com so that you can send PMs to dman, and to Robert1320.

[The Dark Side of Will]

I'm in the process of LED'ing things also.

I'm about to order the Level 3 LED side marker lights from TLG ( http://realfierotech.com/phpBB/viewtopi ... 13&t=16067 ) for The Mule. The Storm Trooper will have to wait a little while.

I also inventoried the front and rear marker/tail/brake/reverse light bulbs that the notch and fastback cars use.

Notchbacks use (rear):
2 x 1156 bulbs for reverse lights (LED replacements should be white)
6 x 2057 bulbs for brake/tail/turn and hazard lights (Red LED's)

Fastbacks use (rear):
4 x 194 bulbs for illuminated "PONTIAC" text (Red LED's)
2 x 1156 bulbs for reverse lights (White LED's)
4 x 1156 bulbs for Turn and Hazard (Amber LED's)
4 x 2057 bulbs for Brake and Tail (Red LED's)

Front marker lights:
2 x 2057 (Amber LED's)

So to do both cars, I'll need:

10 x 2057 Red
4 x 2057 Amber
4 x 1156 Amber
4 x 1156 White

I'll neglect the 194's on The Mule this time around. I haven't decided if I want to just leave the "PONTIAC" off or wire it (and maybe one tail light each side) up to a switch in the ash tray.

Looking at various vendor's offerings... Hmm...

[The Dark Side of Will]

Is that an aluminum 85-degree kink in the CAI? If so, is this thing at least running boost?

Actually, that's just a quick/dirty mitred stainless CAI. I have a 3.5" mild steel donut to use to make an intake tube to put a K&N behind the quarter panel, but haven't been able to snag any of my favorite welder's time recently.

I'd love to build one out of aluminum, but I can't find any 3.5" aluminum tubing donuts.

Join http://www.theturboforums.com so that you can send PMs to dman, and to Robert1320.

Thanks. I registered. Dman belongs to www.racepartssolutions.com which lists 2.5 and 3" aluminum donuts on their website, but not 3.5". I sent them an email anyway.
Robert1320 seems to belong to "CDR Performance", which has a couple of different google results, neither of which show 3.5" aluminum donuts. I sent an email to his forum listed email, but that bounced.

[fieroguru]

It's not aluminum, but you can get a 3 1/2" donut in 304 stainless from here:
http://secure.chassisshop.com/partdetail/C76-570-SS/

[The Dark Side of Will]

I bought the 3.5" mild steel donut I was originally going to use for the intake tube from The Chassis Shop. I've also bought many pairs of their rod end boots. I'm familiar with their product line. Thanks for the suggestion, though!

I found 3.5" donut *HALVES*, in tight radius and long radius:

http://www.jntperformance.com.au/index_ ... tId=269221
http://www.jntperformance.com.au/index_ ... tId=269222

They're in bleeding "AUSTRALIA", however.

As are these blokes:
http://www.are.com.au/products/Aluminiu ... htm#Donuts

Somebody in Australia apparently makes a buttload of large diameter aluminum donut halves:
http://www.xtremeautoparts.com.au/shop/ ... tegory=357
http://www.gcg.com.au/index.php?page=sh ... Itemid=101

This outfit has 3.5 and 4" *CAST* 90 degree elbows that might be tight enough.
http://www.cxracing.com/mm5/merchant.mv ... _Code=CSAL

And they're in the US.

[The Dark Side of Will]

I'm thinking of fabbing a bracket to mount to the power steering pump mount in order to use a V6 driveline damper like a dogbone

http://www.fierostore.com/Product/Detai ... &d=319&p=1

The four urethane mounts are pretty "springy" and give some nasty oscillations/surging at parking lot speeds in 1st gear. They may also contribute to clutch chatter.

[Series8217]

Is that thing actually a fluid filled damper or is it just rubber inside like most of the aftermarket ones?

[The Dark Side of Will]

I thought the one I originally took off the car was a fluid damper... I had @$$umed that the replacement would be also.

Interesting advice and examples on Corner-Carvers: http://www.corner-carvers.com/forums/sh ... hp?t=45176

[Aaron]

Will I'm sorry, but that car looks like shit! So does the swap lol!

Fix that shit now!

[The Dark Side of Will]

You took that to a car show.....?

Will I'm sorry, but that car looks like shit! So does the swap lol!

Fix that shit now!

It's not that I don't care... it's just that I have other fish to fry.

It's nice to have the car driveable again after half a million years of having it laid up, multiple fits and starts with the first build that smoked, the temp engine that blew its head gasket, etc. The fact that the built shortblock exceeded my wildest expectations has me really stoked (or maybe my expectations weren't wild enough). I like driving it. I like driving the F@#$%ing wheels off it. I'm *NEVER* going to make it "really nice" because then I wouldn't be able to beat on it relentlessly and remorselessly.

-I need to build a catalyzed exhaust for it.
-I need to build a decent CAI for it.
-I need to build wiring adapters and get the Shelby computer running.
-I need to COMPLETELY rework the harness to incorporate the Shelby computer in the engine bay or fenderwell.
-I need to install Rodney's engine bay splash guards, which means I need to work up a bill of materials for the 1/4 turn fasteners I'm going to use and spend time figuring out which length goes where, etc.
-I need to repair the small tears in the front fascia before I have it painted, but the plastic welding outfit hasn't returned my email. (Hellooooo... I want to give you money for some of your product...)
-I need to reorganize the *really long* list of stuff I'm planning to do to the car.

But I also have other fish to fry.

-I need to qualify for my SCW pin and get my PE so I can keep my Navy career moving forward.
-I'm currently in my last class of a MS in Systems Engineering.
-I own two properties that I'm renting out and paying down the line of credit I ran up rehabbing them.

-And I might go to Afghanistan later this year.

So, if the car's not perfect... fucking Deal With It.

[The Dark Side of Will]

Took a few minutes and called Urethane Supply. Scott was quite willing to spend some time on the phone to explain some of the ins and outs of their product line and repairing urethane in general. I emailed him a link to this thread so he could take a look at the piece in question.

He recommended the 5600HT Miniweld 6 plastic welding set to do the best job.
Their website lists if for $275: http://www.urethanesupply.com/catalog.p ... %20Welders
But Amazon shows it for $154: http://www.amazon.com/Urethane-Supply-M ... B001DIHDHG

He also recommended 2000-T Flex filler as a flexible body filler designed for urethane bumpers.

He said that the 5210 Microweld 80 kit would be a 2nd recommendation. I don't go for 2nd recommendations, though.

Das Bimmah also has a crack in the rear fascia. He said that's likely polypropylene and that the 5600HT could weld it as well.

[The Dark Side of Will]

So a guy I know essentially gave me an Autometer Sport Comp 3911 Tach. He had gotten it from someone else. The wiring had been butchered, of course. There was speaker wire in the mess that came with it, all the "splices" were just twisted up, etc.

I spliced hookup wire into the original wires to fix that.

The tach is calibrated for 4, 6 or 8 cylinders by the orange and brown loops. Leave the loops and it reads 8, cut one and it reads 6, cut both and it reads 4. Of course both had been cut. Of course the wires are tiny, so the splices I had were too big. I had to order some 22-26 gauge uninsulated crimp splices from Digi-Key.

I am *SOOOO* over solder... crimp splices are so much easier, so much quicker, so much cleaner and carry so much less risk of burning myself that I'm just done with solder splices.

However, when I need to add a wire to a board...

The tach can drive a shift light. The shift light is this huge ricer thing that I don't want on my dash. The Fiero has an "upshift indicator" built into the instrument panel. The upshift indicator is enabled by ignition power on the high side and turned on by being switched through the ECM on the low side.
I poked the tach with a DVM and found that one terminal of the shift light connector was common to the +12V supply to the tach. This means that the Autometer shift light operates essentially like the stocker... enabled by ignition power and switched on the low side.
I looked at where the wire to the other terminal of the shift light connector went and found where it was soldered to the board. I soldered the yellow wire to the board and brought it out with the other wires. The yellow wire, the low side of the shift light and the pop rivet on the board are common. The pop rivet holds the transistor that switches the shift light to the other side of the board.
So now the tach will be able to drive the shift light in the Fiero dash. I will add the extra wires to the C3 connector for the instrument panel and connectorize the bundle via 6 pin Molex or similar to make the tach installation plug/play.