I'm Excited - Part III (or IV-Can't Remember Where We Were)

[SingsCountry1967]

Always nice to have a friend like Bob and Thomas .

...yes it is...and it sucks royally that I live cross-country from them. So where are the other pics you promised?

[PDXGTP]

Always nice to have a friend like Bob and Thomas .

...yes it is...and it sucks royally that I live cross-country from them. So where are the other pics you promised?

Where do you live? i think it would be fun if you were closer too..

and... Bob said he tried to upload on Photo bucket and it just locked up, it did that to me last week.. I just tried it now as I'm typing and it worked,
I'll talk to Bob in the morning of course once he arrives, if he brings his camera I'll upload for you. I uploaded all my pictures but they have the fly's eye view.

[SingsCountry1967]

About 2.250 miles away - North of Niagara Falls/Buffalo NY - literally cross country on a diagonal!

Just yesterday I dug up old pics and posted some of Tealy when it was Still Stock from 2004:
http://www.pontiacbonnevilleclub.com/fo ... f=9&t=8762

[Echo SSEI]

Finally got Photobucket to run and loaded some pics. I still have both codes. Tranny was a little low on fluid so I topped it off but the code comes and goes. I'll drop the pan and swap fluid, put on a new filter and maybe that'll dislodge anything that may be clogging a passage. As for the P0171, I tightened down the battery cables, swapped FPRs with my known new/good one, double checked vac lines, rerouted plug wires and put back on my boot protectors. Code still throws, so I am going to reclean (properly) the ground areas on the front and back of the engine block. Thomas will tune it this week and then I'll go from there.

It is so great to have the Bonneville back and running. Runs and pulls strong and it hasn't been fine tuned yet.

Anyways, on to the pics.











Hooray for Oil Pressure!!!!!!!

Scrapping the number off of the back window from Woodburn Dragstrip (still on there from WCBF '08)



Ben (big_news_1) inspecting the work (You were a great help, Ben. Thanks!!!!!!!)


Putting on my registration tags, now that it is running (I got the tags in the mail the day after I got back from WCBF '08)

Yes, it is running in theis pic!!!!


Washing it up before driving it home.

Heading for home!


Thanks, again for everybody's support. I haven't forgotton the "Pay it forward" that occured after WCBF. I am very greatful and thankful for everything you all did, and I couldn't have made it to this point without your help and well-wishes. This is the cumulation of a long and often times frustrating road. I am glad to be back!!!!

[lash]

Looking Great Bob! It's nice to actually see it back together and running well.

Quick question for you or Thomas:

As to the oil pressure and Thomas' recommendation to find an oil pressure boost kit for all L36 and similar engines.

Did you use such a kit and if so, which one?

[Jrs3800]

Bob I am glad to see the car up and running again..

Guys, I can't thank you all enough for the effort that went into Bob's car... You guys are great and deserve a pat on the back for a Job well done..

I want you guys to all know that its people like you that make this Club what it is and will always be..

[2000Silverbullet]

[PDXGTP]

Quick question for you or Thomas:
As to the oil pressure and Thomas' recommendation to find an oil pressure boost kit for all L36 and similar engines. Did you use such a kit and if so, which one?

This is the one Bob pickd up and we installed.
http://intense-racing.com/Merchant2/mer ... y_Code=PBF

I think some people have figured out what size washers you can use to increase the spring pressure on the stock kit. I know Boosty knows.
Its easy to install.

[GoldenBullet]

looks good, glad to see you have it up and running.

[willwren]

It's not just the washer. I've done some digging on the kit (I have one installed also) to determine this. It's actually also a stronger spring (slightly), with the washer to add a bit more tension to achieve the target pressure.

A washer alone would increase pressure, but not to the full extent of the spring. Calculating spring force is a little more complicated than one might expect. Two otherwise identical-looking springs can have equal force when slightly compressed, and totally different force at half-travel. The washer included in the kit is a hardened washer that is 2-3 times thicker than a typical washer, and not easily found. Luckily, I have a ready source for them nearby, but I used the one included in the INTENSE kit. For the SLE, hardly modded, I'll probably use just a washer. I already have a spare gasket or three.

(you can imagine how tough it was when wikoff and I were researching good performance valve springs for the Series 1 and had to take all this into account without having too much compressed force with the valves at their open position.....and in spite of careful calculations, I still overloaded my cam sprocket and destroyed it)

[SSEimatt93]

Nice pics!!!!! Nice to see, that in 2009 the car runs again!

[SuperSLE]

That's an awefully small pulley on there Bob. What size is that thing, 3.2ish?

[PDXGTP]

That's an awefully small pulley on there Bob. What size is that thing, 3.2ish?

3.1"

[lash]

Yeah, baby!

[PDXGTP]

Interesting thing just happened.
Bob came over, we worked on his car, cleaning up engine wire harness grounds, replacing vac lines etc. actually.. Bob did 95% of the work and I worked on Booger.

My house is the second house from the stop sign at the end of the street.
Bob just left my house and pulled out of the driveway, stepped on the gas slightly then jumped on it, the car kind of roared up to I'd guess about 3500 rpms and he had to jump into the brakes.
So he pulls a California stop and steps on the gas slightly again, then jumps on the gas again.. huummmmmmm...
The car sounded good and all.
If his driving habbits were like body language,,, then what would he be saying..???
We plan to tune it Friday.. i can't wait.

[SuperSLE]

Alright, that settles it. I'm coming down there so you guys can tune with me too . Nice job Bob. Just be careful. I did that the first time and spun a couple rod bearings just after completing the job the first time. That's how I got my third motor.

[Echo SSEI]

Usually I leave Thomas' house in my normal, "drive like a grampa, but at least do the speed limit" mode, but last night I decided to be a little more agressive. Been chasing the three codes that still pop up, sometimes randomly and sometimes contisitant. Overall, I really have kept my foot out of it, waiting until it gets tuned. It is nice to have the Aeroforce guage telling me whats going on as I drive. It has been really chilly lately (for the mtropolitan Phoneix area, at least) and the KR is very minimal, so I gave it a little extra as I headed out from Thomas' place.

Last night I replaced some rubber evap lines with silicone pieces (found a crack in a rubber connector) and added a little more tranny fluid (still was on the low side of the cross-hatch marks). Also did some work on the grounds on the motor even though the P0171 lean bank 1 code hadn't shown itself in two days (but the P1441 and P1811 had). Left Thomas' and the P0171 lean bank 1 code popped over and over on the drive home (all freeway), but the P1441 evap emiisions and P1811 slow shift (or whatever) did not come on at all. Then this morning, heading to work, the P0171 didn't get thrown but the P1441 and the P1811 did? tis car is really strange (but extremely quick ) I swear that the P0171 hasn't been on whenver the P1441 is on and visa versa, but I just can't see those two being connected. I'll have to dig in the servic manuals to se if there is a connection but I just can't see that being the case. Going to dig into the tune this weekend and see what we can do, and I'll begin looking throuhg the manul, again, to see what the next steps are for the codes. Again, the car runs great and I believe is already quicker than with the rockers even before it gets fine tuned.