1992 Olds Toronado Trofeo

[MattStrike]

1992 Olds Trofeo
130k miles

I just couldn't pass up the deal I got here. Everything about it is super minty, everything works. Plan moving forward here is this is going to be my fair weather car; never going to see rain or snow. It will split DD duty with the Camaro, especially on those hot sweaty summer days.

This also gives me an excuse to work on the Camaro without worry about having to finish it in time to get to work in the morning.

In case anybody wondered, with all the fleet activity I've got going on, I'm actually trimming my fleet down this year by 1 car, more to come!

[95naSTA]

Into these.

Was this the model with the duck hunt looking center console info screen?

[CMNTMXR57]

Harbles are warmed.

[RJolly87]

This thing pleases me.

Was this the model with the duck hunt looking center console info screen?

I believe so, if so equipped. I remember seeing it both ways with this gen, either the screen, or a stereo with buttons for days.

[haro1225]

This one does not have the screens, it has all the buttons. I sat in it the other day and those seats are so soft, it makes me want one.

[nos4blood70]

While a novelty, I'm sure having the buttons is a much better thing to have. Gorgeous car! Can't wait to see it later this year.

[MattStrike]

Yeah, what they said, lol. Buttons for miles inside the dash and console, so many things I'd never be able to figure out while driving.

I'm planning to check out the main issues with it this weekend, then get it road legal early next week. I'm hoping to find it's a simple issue, like a broken sway bar end link or loose bolts.

[MattStrike]

Before I put this car back on the road, I've decided to fix all the little things. The headlamp covers need new bushings in the motor drive to restore them to full functionality, numerous oil and trans fluid leaks, etc.

So, in the garage it goes!


Pulled the top end apart to re-seal. Looks like oil was seeping past the head gasket near where it seals off to the valley, as well as LIM and valve cover gasket leaks. I figured while I've got everything apart, well, why not?

















Powder coat all the things! The purple is a wrinkle coat, and in order to get it to wrinkle it had to be cured at 400f. The plastic valve covers seemed ok at 350f, but that wasn't enough for the wrinkle and 400f seems to have caused them to bubble. So I had to source a set of aluminum covers from a Camaro. Literally had to drop the subframe on it to get enough clearance to get behind the motor to remove a bracket that had the passenger cover trapped.

Next little project is the trans cooler lines. This car has rust in two places, the muffler and one of the rear pinch welds, nothing a new muffler and some sanding can't fix. The cooler lines were fine, other than degraded and leaking rubber. Instead of replacing the entire line I'll be replacing the rubber with PTFE braided stainless. Had to get a 37 degree flare tool - the first one I got was just like the el'cheapo double flare tools you get from AZ or the hardware store. It didn't work worth a *dang*, the holes for holding the lines were the wrong size and ovaled, and it was a general mess for a $40 tool. So I returned that one and got the more expensive Rigid tool... As you can see, well worth the investment!

[CMNTMXR57]

Yes, Rigid....

[MattStrike]

I spent some more time tonight with that Rigid tool on some transmission lines, works just as well on steel, couldn't be happier with it!

[haro1225]

Are you gonna have this thing working by the weekend? You should bring it to bayside or a cars and coffee.

[95naSTA]

That's awesome you can easily powdercoat like that.

I've always wondered if those early S1's would benefit form shortening of the intake runners. It looks like all you would need to do is elongate the runner hole in the UIM inward so that the plenum has a shorter distance to travel to the valve. Not HVII/HV3 shorter, since it's a lower cfm head and long rod (needs port velocity), but maybe an 3/4-1" shorter to pick up some midrange.

[MattStrike]

UIM isn't that hard to change out, would be interesting to get a side-by-side. I do have at least one spare for this motor that I could modify at some point, I don't think I'll have time right now to get that done though.

I'm making the attempt to have this finished by the weekend - but I'm still waiting on a few o-ring seals and a gasket or two to get here. Apparently, unless you get a complete engine gasket kit, you miss out on a bunch of o-rings and misc gaskets - and a few of the O-rings are not broken out in the GM parts diagrams so the only way to get them is to get a new part. I've had to take ID/OD measurements of the parts to try and calculate an o-ring size, as the old ones are too deformed to take measurements.

[MattStrike]

I fixed the headlamp door motor with some 3D printed parts, 10mm diameter x 11.5mm height.


I managed to accidentally rebuild that motor too far, and slightly mess up. I stripped it down all the way to clean it out, but put the brushes in upside down - they were not keyed. this caused the doors to open with the lights off and close with the lights on. As in, they operated backwards. Had to switch the polarity of the wires to the motor because of that as I wasn't about to undertake rebuilding the motor again...

But finally, back on the road again!





*dang*, though, these cars are slow! It feels like it hits the power band around 3000, and 4000 or so it starts to pull, but runs out of steam at 4500, which leaves the remaining 4500-shift flat. It's faster than the '89 was, but so much slower than the '97 Camaro it's not even funny. I might be able to pull off a 16 second 1/4 mile run, in ideal conditions. Going to have to either series 2 top swap this thing or just L67 top swap or something - eventually.

[nos4blood70]

It was decently quick for its time, but it's a rock now. Lol When's the L67 going in?

[MattStrike]

I'm actually not sure how I'd go about that and retain all the gauge cluster functions yet. I'd have to do some research to figure out if it's communicating via OBD or if it's a standalone system.

[MattStrike]

Well, a little bad news here. I was about 5 inches shy of avoiding this entirely:





Yet another instance on why I hate driving/living in the city - there are too many idiots on the roads, and too much traffic..

I managed to straighten out the hood well enough:







But the headlight assembly is going to need to be replaced. However, looks like these are being broken down into 6+ pieces at the yards, the header panel, left and right headlamp covers, upper grille, and motor. And of course, they all want an arm and a leg for them. I don't see why it should cost more than $100 for the whole assembly used, maybe $200 if it's in perfect condition, but it's completely unclear how I can get an entire assembly, of if it's just the one or two components. I believe it's listed as a header panel, but seems to vary from one yard to the next... Then of course, the availability is very low. About six months ago or so there were 2-3 in the local u-pulls with good front ends - of course now there aren't any, leaving the only option car-part.

I've got one or two leads to check out first, but fixing this might have to wait until my break between classes, and involve a lot of plastic welding.

[CMNTMXR57]

Sad.

[95naSTA]

That blows...

[dougtoth]

That is really a shame.
Hopefully you can get it back together.
The drivers keep getting worse and worse.
I just retired March 1st and the thing I do not miss is all the *shoot* drivers.
I've been driving 50 years now with the last 31 on the road in outside sales.
I now know why they are working on driverless cars.
Because in this Nanny society no one knows how to drive or be accountable for their actions.
Best of luck getting the car going again.