'79 400 4spd

[jonathonar89]

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[70TA Tony]

Looks like you have been doing a lot of things to the bird. 

[jonathonar89]

Test fitted my new alternator.  A family friend of mine owns an alternator shop and he custom assembled this alternator for me.  It's a later style gm alternator with internal/external fan that puts out 180 amps.  He set me up with an adapter to plug my factory harness into the later style alternator. 

[jonathonar89]

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[jonathonar89]

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[jonathonar89]

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[Apotack]

Nice work. Looking forward to seeing more.

[jonathonar89]

Another setup I'm excited to share.  Got some '87 GTA seats in carmine red off my local Craigslist.  They have recline, adjustable headrest and electric lumbar support.  I hope to have some install pics soon.

[jonathonar89]

Here's a color comparison of my original '79 carmine red seats vs carmine from an '87 GTA Trans Am.  Both have years of fading but its extremely close so I can't be any happier.  I will be attempting to mount the GTA seat on my original 2nd Gen slider brackets.  I followed a few other threads on swaps like this and found that others simply build an adapter mount to get the seats mounted. 

[jonathonar89]

Did an initial mockup on the passenger side today.  I still need to make some final adjustments to get bolted up correctly but this is fairly close.  As others have mentioned, the later style seats make you sit a bit higher.  With some fabrication, there is the possibility to lower the seat in my case.  I cut some square tubing from a workout bench we had in our shed to build the adapter.

[jonathonar89]

Made some more progress on the seat install today.  This is actually turning out to be more work than expected.  The stock 2nd gen sliders are curved so it can't readily accept a square piece of tubing.  You also have to make clearance for the release lever then determine where to mount the later style seat.  Here it is with both of the seats roughly in.  The driver side seat needs a bit more clearance due to it having a box for the electronics.

[jonathonar89]

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[jonathonar89]

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[TransAm400]

Got any side shots of how high that throttle body and victor are sitting up? I'll be running Holley HP with the same intake set up. Trying to fit it under a shaker.

[jonathonar89]

Got any side shots of how high that throttle body and victor are sitting up? I'll be running Holley HP with the same intake set up. Trying to fit it under a shaker.

No pictures right now but when I had my shaker hood, it was sitting right below the hole.  You will probably need to mill the manifold pad and build your own air cleaner base with a conical filter like what PTFB and Ram Air sells. You could also build a base with a flat filter in the shaker as well. I wouldn't gamble on any of the drop base units.  Each car is different and will need it's own built to fit correctly. 

Another option that's simple is to just mount the shaker to the hood. 

[jonathonar89]

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[jonathonar89]

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[jonathonar89]

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[jonathonar89]

Old pics with my dog when he was a pup...

[jonathonar89]

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[hatdragracer]

Here is the latest set of parts going on my car.  Haven't seen too many Pontiac's with this setup and this is my first fuel injection installation so I'm excited about that.

I converted my Grand National to FAST XFI 2.0 last year and have been very happy with the results.

Did you get the data logging capability as well?

This is a very cool project you have going on here!

[jonathonar89]

Here is the latest set of parts going on my car.  Haven't seen too many Pontiac's with this setup and this is my first fuel injection installation so I'm excited about that.

I converted my Grand National to FAST XFI 2.0 last year and have been very happy with the results.

Did you get the data logging capability as well?

This is a very cool project you have going on here!

That's pretty cool you installed XFI in a GN.  The guy I bought my 4th gen brakes from in my previous post had a bunch of GN and 4th gen T/A parts in his garage.  PM me if you're looking for anything GN.

My build has taken a crazy different direction this year but I'm happy with where it's heading at this point in time.  Thank you for the kind words!  It feels like I'm going many different directions on this car and it's hard to stay concentrated on certain aspects of the build.  I didn't expect to be installing GTA seats or LS1 until I randomly found it on my local craigslist. 

[builditguy]

Just curious.  How do you plan on mounting the shaker to the top of the air cleaner? 

I have the same thing on mine.  Well similar, mine doesn't look that nice.  I think I'm going to make a bracket that mounts to the top of the air claner, that I can bolt and unbolt the shaker from. 

The original parts are long gone.

[jonathonar89]

Just curious.  How do you plan on mounting the shaker to the top of the air cleaner? 

I have the same thing on mine.  Well similar, mine doesn't look that nice.  I think I'm going to make a bracket that mounts to the top of the air claner, that I can bolt and unbolt the shaker from. 

The original parts are long gone.

For your car, you might find it easiest to separate the fiberglass section from the bracket then use the holes to mount on a flat piece of sheet metal across the bottom of the hood.  The structure under the hood will provide perfect spacing for the shaker to sit under under the hood and maintain perfect positioning at all times.  Doing this loses the "shaker" effect but you gain maximum clearance for any future engine modification/swap, it provides the best seal and you'll save money/time.  Trust me, if you don't have all the original equipment, there will be a lot more trial/error when trying to mount the scoop to the engine and seal it against the hood. 

[builditguy]

I appreciate it.  I got your text today.  I will pay it forward to someone.  I've already got some extra pieces to donate to someone.  I'm going to wait until I get it put together before unloading anything.

I would like the shaker to work.  Not a big deal, but I think I can do it.  I had to add a 1" spacer to the carbuerator (sp?).  With the shaker sitting on top, it has just about the right amount of room.  I'm planning on removing the bottom ring of the shaker.  It's not the original shaker so I'm not too worried about presevering anyting.  If I remove the bottom ring, I think I can put steel straps across the top of the shaker, with an "L" bend.  Then runs some screws into the "L" bend and into the shaker.  I can sort of see it, in my mind. 

Right now, I'm thinking about the dash.  Once I get it put back together, under the hood will be my focus.

[jonathonar89]

I appreciate it.  I got your text today.  I will pay it forward to someone.  I've already got some extra pieces to donate to someone.  I'm going to wait until I get it put together before unloading anything.

I would like the shaker to work.  Not a big deal, but I think I can do it.  I had to add a 1" spacer to the carbuerator (sp?).  With the shaker sitting on top, it has just about the right amount of room.  I'm planning on removing the bottom ring of the shaker.  It's not the original shaker so I'm not too worried about presevering anyting.  If I remove the bottom ring, I think I can put steel straps across the top of the shaker, with an "L" bend.  Then runs some screws into the "L" bend and into the shaker.  I can sort of see it, in my mind. 

Right now, I'm thinking about the dash.  Once I get it put back together, under the hood will be my focus.

Nothing wrong with making the shaker work.  I had mine act as an air box so it would only pull from the open back before.  The downside for me was that the thing would start pulling water in when it started raining.  I would do the shaker assembly again but I would want to build my own scoop base that could open/close a flap to stop this.  I now have a welder so maybe I will get to make an attempt at fabricating a shaker assembly when it's running again.

[jonathonar89]

Made some progress with regards to getting the rear end complete.  I ended up taking my housing to the person who assembled my engine.  I was going to do it myself initially but went this route and it ended up being a great decision for me.  Some things came up like the BRP brackets needing additional clearance and the crush sleeve eliminator needed to be machined.  One cool thing to mention about the driveshaft yoke is that it's machined to accept a magnetic collar for detecting driveshaft speed.  This can be used for vehicle speed, traction control, etc.  Again this is the original 8.5 10 bolt rear end from my car. 

-Moser 30 spline axles
-Eaton Detroit Truetrac carrier
-Strange Engineering 1350 chrome moly driveshaft yoke
-Motive Gear ring and pinion
-Crush sleeve eliminator
-'98-'02 F-Body brakes (BRP Hot Rods adapter bracket)
-Axle tubes fully welded to center section
-Custom length wheel studs

[jonathonar89]

Set the car down last night after being on jack stands the past year.  I'm sure it will lower once the gas tank,, exhaust bumper, lights and everything else is installed out back.  This was exciting for me but I still have a ton more work to do.

[Dreamn2]

Looks really nice. Love the progress!

[jonathonar89]

Looks really nice. Love the progress!

Thanks dreamn2, I just replied to your pm.  I'm doing some pretty wild modifications with this car but it's still far from being where I want to get...always trying make progress though. 

[F-Body International]

I (jonathonar89) mentioned this elsewhere on the forum that I switched my account name to F-Body International in order to match up with other forums I frequent.  I will be continuing this thread under this username now. 

After doing some testing and comparing the Hotchkis sway bars with Dave @ Pro-Touring F-Body, I ended up selling the Hotchkis parts and bought an adjustable PTFB high clearance sway bar.  The Hotchkis sway bars were nice but after testing, it proved to be about as strong as a factory WS6 sway bar but created less inboard tire/wheel clearance.  The Pro-Touring F-Body sway bar is stronger and also has some very nice end links.   Here are some pictures showing the comparison between a Hotchkis sway bar and PTFB's adjustable high clearance sway bar.  You can see how the PTFB bar is pitched in more to allow for more tire/wheel clearance and also has a highly adjustable end link with bearings.





Since I ended up switching to the Pro-Touring F-Body sway bar, I've been consulting with Dave(79T/A man)@Pro-Touring F-Body and John Paige (NOT A TA) to further develop my front suspension.  We ended up deciding that I pull my whole subframe out and do a whole build at the Pro-Touring F-Body shop since I live nearby.  Over the next few weeks I'll be posting some pictures and doing a write-up as it progresses.  This is going to be as good as it gets for building a 2nd gen subframe!

The following modifications will be done to the subframe...
-Pro-Touring F-Body coil-over install kit
-Pro-Touring F-Body upper control arms
-Pro-Touring F-Body lower control arms (built for coil-over only)
-Pro-Touring F-Body adjustable sway bar
-Pro-Touring F-Body sway bar brace
-ViKing double-adjustable coil-over shocks
-John Paige (NOT A TA) upper control arm adjustable supports
-John Paige (NOT A TA) lower control arm frame reinforcement kit
-John Paige (NOT A TA) body mount frame reinforcement kit
-John Paige (NOT A TA) sway bar mount upgrade

[F-Body International]

A small update today that I'm pretty excited about is finding a nice set of GTA rear seats that match the front seats. What's cool about these seats is that they can fold down, match the front seat design and overall interior color.  From what I have found, '87 was the only year you could get GTA seats in carmine red and this happens to be the same color that was used in '79.  Please disregard the severely faded carpet and beat up interior panels   These aren't bolt-in so I will have to fab up some mounts for the lower cushion mount, hinge and latch setup.  The seat back also doesn't sit flush against the trunk block off panel so I will have to modify that some as well.



Here's the front again...

[FormTA]

That is way cool. I may have to do something similar with my back seat.

[F-Body International]

That is way cool. I may have to do something similar with my back seat.

Thanks FormTA!

I just want to make sure you know that it's not a quick bolt in deal.  Later 4th gen has the same style seat but those can be had with electric adjustments.  On mine, I think I'm going to mount the front seats solid with no slider.

-Rear seat cushion is bolt in style so you need to fabricate a mount.
-Rear seat needs two mounts built built for the hinges and also a latch bolt mounted by the wheel wells.
-Front seat sliders don't interchange so an adaptor or custom seat mount needs to be fabricated.

[ErickL]

Awesome bird   

[F-Body International]

I was pretty excited I got this part in the mail today.  It's a Turn One Performance Plus model steering box in 12:1 ratio with 235 T-Bar.  These are very expensive brand new but I got this one as a serviced unit for a very good price.  I'm on a budget like most others on the forum so it's always exciting for me to score a deal.  Here is a link to what this box is if anyone wants to check them out....
http://www.turnone-steering.com/#!online-store/ciui/!/Performance-Plus-Model/p/47722335/category=12405583

Numbers for the nerds...



I also ordered a steering rebuild kit and True-Steer correction kit from Dave this week.  All that's left to order for the subframe upgrades is brakes, tires and wheels.  I sold the snowflake wheels but I have to make a few more dollars before I can order the next set I want to get. 

[F-Body International]

I randomly fell upon chasing down a new set of wheels.  The 17x9 snowflakes were awesome but I felt that I wanted something different and sold them.  Last year I was looking at lightweight forged big wheels but after swapping to third gen seats, I began looking at later style Pontiac wheels.  I thought maybe the new 17x9 GTA wheels would look cool but then I found these.  They're replica wheels of what came on the '91-'92 SLP Firehawk.  They only built 25 of those cars and thought it match what I'm doing with my car.

Also, with these wheels, I think I'm going with the Pro-Touring F-Body 12" A.X. brake kit.  I took the wheels to the shop and Dave found that the 13" brake kit will fit but are extremely tight and I would need to run a spacer.  The 12" brakes are lighter, cheaper and fit better so I'm going with that for now.  Once we get those parts together, I'll post some more pictures.

My next debates are what tires to go with.  Here are my options...

1) 285/40 17 all around
-Small selection of summer performance tires only.
-Tallest tire of this group.

2) 275/40 17 all around
-Cheaper prices available.
-More tire types available (all season, summer, racing slicks)

3) 275/40 17 in front with 315/35 17 rear
-Requires spacers and wheel widening in the rear.
-Can be cheap or can be expensive depending on rear tire selection.

[Tdee29er]

Nice work.
I'm in the process of doing something similar to my 79 400 4spd. Did you clean and paint the underside of the car on those Jack stands?

[F-Body International]

Nice work.
I'm in the process of doing something similar to my 79 400 4spd. Did you clean and paint the underside of the car on those Jack stands?

Yes, I used one of those POR15 style paints just to seal up the underbody for now.  It was a full chassis refinishing kit from KBS coatings.  It actually looks really nice if you brush it on.  Next time around, I would paint it with two part epoxy primer, sealer and paint. 

[jonathonar89]

Been a while since I updated this post but I want to give some updates.  Although everything has been paid for with regards to the front suspension, I'm still waiting on it all to get finished. 

Got all wheels the ordered but I still need to pick out a center cap emblem for them.  Dave from PTFB hooked me up with an old set of tires.

Sold my FAST efi equipment.  I switched to building a Megasquirt II efi setup.  For ignition, I acquired an '81 301 Turbo distributor because of its 7-wire computer controlled feature.  For intake, I got myself an old Holley Street Dominator because it's a low profile intake.  For fueling, my debate at the moment is utilizing a Holley Terminator throttle body or possibly a GM 454 TBI from SPR Performance.