Archive for the ‘Trans Am’ Category
Trans Am Fender Repair Part III
Tuesday, August 17th, 2010Trans Am Fender Repair Part II
Sunday, August 8th, 2010As most of the major bugs have been worked out in the motor and drive-train, attention has been refocused on the body. The doors were removed and hinges separated to replace the bushings. The fenders had some bad rust damage in a few small areas. Since they’re not making these fenders yet I have no choice but to repair the ones I’ve got. First the inner fender bracing was removed. The inner fender bracing, fenders, and tire splash shields were taken to the sand blaster. All pieces were taken down to bare metal then sprayed with etching primer. Rust damage wasn’t quite as bad as I first thought after the rust scale was removed. Though mostly solid, some areas will still require patches.
Test Drive
Sunday, June 20th, 2010There haven’t been many posts in the last few weeks because there really hasn’t been much to post about. I had been chasing down a brake problem that’s haunted me for the last month. The front brakes bled just fine but the rear seemed impossible to bleed. The master cylinder and brake lines were new. In desperation I tried replacing the rear calipers which were about 10 years old anyway. I also replaced the proportioning valve. With the entire brake system brand new, still no rear brakes. As it turns out I mistakingly bought a master cylinder for rear drum brakes from Summit. Unfortunately Summit doesn’t carry the master cylinder I needed so I went Napa. With the correct master cylinder, brakes bled just fine. I actually still had time to take it for a slow test drive. It was the first time the car had seen the road in about two years. Everything seemed to work fine so far.
Pypes 2.5″ Crossflow Exhaust
Sunday, May 2nd, 2010The Pypes 2.5″ Crossflow system was installed on the Trans Am today. This is an interesting setup since it closely replicates the factory system but is improved in every imaginable way. Even though the system has one muffler, there are two completely separate chambers. Basically two individual mufflers in one casing. This is a huge upgrade from the factory muffler since it had only one exhaust line in and then split into two. The ground clearance of the kit is absolutely amazing since the single muffler tucks nicely between the rear axle and gas tank. The “X” pipe design allows the exhaust to virtually hide in the drive shaft tunnel. The overall fitment of the kit was excellent with only a couple of minor issues. One is the the brake hose on the rear axle just about touches the exhaust pipe and will have to be relocated. The second is that few inches of pipe will have to be cut off in order to install the factory style Trans Am splitters. A separately purchased Pypes adapter was required for proper alignment of the splitter.
Global West Subframe Connectors
Saturday, April 24th, 2010As promised the Global West subframe connectors were installed this week. I must say that the fit is absolutely superb. I was extremely pleased with how tight to the floor pan they are. Another advantage is that these connectors require no modification to the floor pan as most do. In fact the only modification that was needed was a very small notch in the subframe connector’s rear flange due to an interference with a brake line bracket. Though slightly more expensive than most, I can assure you the extra expense is definitely worth it. The instructions recommended to use the supplied flat bar stock to box in the rear of the connector after the connectors have been welded in place. It was decided that notching the top of the plate to fit around the frame rail while the connectors were only held in place would be easier. This means some of the welding could be done off of the car. Per instruction, four 1/2″ clearance holes had to be drilled in the front of the connectors through the frame rails. Each subframe connector requires two 1/2″ bolts be installed for extra stiffness. The connectors will be reinstalled and welded around the entire box next week.
Driveshaft Length, Tremec TKO 600
Sunday, April 18th, 2010The Trans Am was almost ready for a test drive today. That is until an attempt to install the driveshaft as it is too long and prevents installation. This is the driveshaft that was supplied by Hurst Driveline Conversions in their Tremec 5 Speed Elite kit. The length should be shortened a minimum of 1/2″, possibly 3/4″ to be safe. I’ll make a call Monday morning to try and get it swapped out.
The following measurement is from the transmission tail shaft.
Measuring center to center of the existing shaft yields about 46.5″
**Update, 4/29/10** I contacted Hurst Driveline Conversions following the weekend and spoke with their tech department. The gentleman gave me two options. One was that I could contact their supplier of driveshafts to have mine swapped out. The other option was to find a local shop to shorten the driveshaft and they would reimburse me for the costs. I chose to have the driveshaft shortened a half inch and balanced locally. HDC requested that I submit a quote before I had any work done. I submited a quote from Truck Body Co. in Lynchburg VA and the very next morning HDC agreed to send me a check for the cost. I was extremely impressed with their level of customer service and support. I had expected to fight with them all week to get the cost reimbursed but instead I found exactly the opposite. It was a pleasure to work with their staff and I would certainly recommend them for anyone considering a five speed conversion.
Stainless Brake Lines
Sunday, April 18th, 2010All of the stainless steel fuel and brake lines from Classic Tube (distributed by National Parts Depot) worked well except the two short lines from the master cylinder to the proportioning valve. One is 1/4″ diameter and the other is 3/16″. Both lines came up short. The old stock brake lines measure 11.25″ (0.25″ dia) and 14″ (.188″ dia). The new stainless lines measure 9.25″ (0.25″ dia) and 11.5″ (0.188″ dia). Each measurement was taken by tracing a string from tip to tip and then measuring the length of string.
**Update, 5/04/10** I called Classic Tube about the issue last week. The representative was surprised that the lines didn’t fit since he said they’ve sold many with no issue. He suggested that I send my old and new lines in for evaluation. Their team was a delight to work with, and the response was quick too. The new lines came a few days later. They were able to make exact copies of my existing lines which look great. I inquired about the problem and was told that their techs were still investigating the issue. Differences in factory master cylinders or changes during the ‘81 model were all possible culprits at the moment. The rep said they had saved my bend dimensions. Interestingly, there’s a good chance that if you order a set of stainless master cylinder brake lines for an ‘81 Trans Am, you could very well be receiving an exact copy of my lines. What a neat thought.
Master Cylinder and Brake Booster
Saturday, April 10th, 2010The brake booster and master cylinder were installed on the firewall. The two pieces were painted with Eastwood Brake Gray which has a nice cast appearance. Today I got a hard lesson in double checking the headers to make sure there’s nothing contacting them before starting the engine. The steering column is not yet connected to the steering box. The plastic cylindrical case that snaps around the steering column was touching the headers as they heated and melted. This left a round black spot of melted plastic on the header. I bought some plastic scrapers to try and remove the burn mark next week.
First Engine Start
Saturday, March 27th, 2010
Fuel Pump Problems
Thursday, March 25th, 2010Today marked the installation of the second fuel pump. I thought the first fuel pump was bad since it quickly stopped pumping fuel. Enough to fill the lines to the pump but sent no fuel to the carburetor. The pump’s lever arm could be depressed a slight amount which was enough to produce noticeable suction. After turning the motor over for a few revolutions with the pump installed, no more suction. It appears that the pump is being damaged. The fuel lines were then disconnected and the inlet tube was placed directly into a bottle of fuel. Curiously, the inlet tube pushes air into the bottle of fuel every revolution instead of sucking. When the pump was removed and operated by hand, no more suction like before. The two pumps were for a Pontiac 301 motor. This pump was chosen for the correct direction of the fuel inlet tube. I stopped by CLC Machine Shop in Lynchburg to pick up a pump for a ‘73 400 motor. I’ll try this pump to eliminate any possibility that there may be a difference between the two pumps. If anyone has any ideas, please feel free to leave a comment.
**Update, 3/27/2010** CLC supplied a fuel pump for a ‘73 Bonneville which had the fuel inlets pointing to the driver’s side which is correct for the ‘81 Trans Am. It is still unclear whether the fuel pump for the 81 was the problem or it was actually two bad pumps. At any rate the pump for the Bonneville works fine.
