Today I...

[roadking77]

What beach did you go to?

[DeCaff2007]

[

What beach did you go to?

Just for you, roadking77.  Hope this works as I've never posted a Photobucket link from my phone before.

[77 TA man]

AHHHHH!@#$  . Where do I begin?

Friday morning: woke up around 7 am, ready to be out the door and on my way to the beach by 8.  It was supposed to be the start of a few days of beer,  boobs, and beach.   Yeah.. ok.... I go out to start my car and there was a strong gas smell. I look underneath and there's a puddle of gas under the tank.  I had just filled it the night before,  too.  Not taking the Camry, AGAIN  .

The tank was leaking so bad I had to pull the car to my back yard and drop it.  Then siphoned the remaining gas to the woman's Jeep.  That set us back 3 hours (took awhile to find a new tank and it was $300!!!)  There goes half my beach money 


So we load up the Jeep and halfway to the beach a POS Chevy van pulls out in front of me and I had to SLAM on the brakes.  Good news is that Jeep is well maintained and slid to a straight, smooth stop.   No collision.   Bad news is I'm sure I took 500 miles off those tires from skidding like that. 

Finally get to the hotel,  have dinner,  and go see a band we knew would be there.   Now, guys, I can down about 10 beers no problem and be FINE the next day (albeit very hungry all day).  I had a mere 3 beers and ONE shot...and OH MY GAWD did I pay for that the next day!  Worst hangover of my life.  I guess I'm done for good with hard liquor.  Nothing like vomiting twice in the middle of the street. 

Ok so that's over. .. but then we had to go scream at the hotels owner because the maid never cleaned our room.

BLAHHHH it's been a great vacation so far...

Have you heard the saying "Liquor before Beer, you're in the Clear. Beer before Liquor never been sicker"?

[roadking77]

Looks nice 'caff, hope your time there is better now.

[Pats TA]

Those Louvers look really nice.

Thank You

[Casey]

That's exactly why I never go places, only bad things can happen.

[DeCaff2007]

Looks nice 'caff, hope your time there is better now.

Well, considering today is the womans b-day (thats the whole reason we are here) and it's POURING down rain, yeah... whole lot better...

[Casey]

That's Murphy for you.

[DeCaff2007]

Today I... took the woman to The Melting Pot in Atlantic City for her birthday dinner.

I went there fully prepared (financially) for the full course meal + gratuity.  Also, I had ordered a dozen roses to be set at the table before we got there.

The restaurant manager calls me an hour before our reservation.  I thought what NOW?

He said the roses were never delivered so the meal was on them.  SWEET!!!

$150 meal ended up costing me $30. I did still have to pay for alcohol and tax.  I can't complain

[Casey]

Glad to hear things worked out in your favour for once.

[twov8sandat4]

Bought a pair of Edelbrock CNC round port heads, round port Hooker headers, Lunati cam, and all the associated pieces for the swap.  Had enough of near stock 74 400 power levels...  And so begins the snowball effect...  

[Casey]

Woooo go fast parts!  I guess you're just swapping everything over or are you going all out and removing the engine and redoing it all?

[twov8sandat4]

Woooo go fast parts!  I guess you're just swapping everything over or are you going all out and removing the engine and redoing it all?

Swapping them over for now as the bottom end checked out fine.  Next year we will do a stroker update on it.  Should hold me over until the turbo mill...

That means I have to update brakes, suspension, chassis stiffness,....    Like I said snowball 

[Casey]

Nah, just do like my previous owner did and more than double the power without doing anything else.   Which had been fine since I drive like a sensible person, but I was wanting to go through and update the brakes and suspension before I ever took it anywhere for all out driving.  I never noticed any issues with chassis stiffness, in fact I was impressed with how quiet and rattle free it was.  Of course mine being a hardtop goes a long way I'd imagine.

[PARTSMAN76]

Depending on when your cars engine was rebuilt by the previous owner,
that just seemed to be the norm, I knew all kinds of guys back in the day
that made their cars all go and no whoa.
Atleast now a days people seem to have more concern about stopping and
not just going fast in a straight line.

[77 TA man]

It still wont start. Might be the cheap plug wires though. I feel like that gear drive was a bad decision and I shouldve just repaired the damage(water pump bolt broke off in block) and not messed with it. Oh well its too late for that...

[Casey]

Depending on when your cars engine was rebuilt by the previous owner,
that just seemed to be the norm, I knew all kinds of guys back in the day
that made their cars all go and no whoa.
Atleast now a days people seem to have more concern about stopping and
not just going fast in a straight line.

Last year.

[Casey]

It still wont start. Might be the cheap plug wires though. I feel like that gear drive was a bad decision and I shouldve just repaired the damage(water pump bolt broke off in block) and not messed with it. Oh well its too late for that...

Do you have fuel and spark?  If so have you made sure the distributor isn't 180 out and that the cam timing is right?  Battery high enough amperage with a good charge on it?

Might consider getting new plug wires and a conventional timing set off RockAuto.  Side note I'd leave driver side hood spring up too, last thing you want to happen is decide for it to pop up while you're standing over it.

[77 TA man]

It still wont start. Might be the cheap plug wires though. I feel like that gear drive was a bad decision and I shouldve just repaired the damage(water pump bolt broke off in block) and not messed with it. Oh well its too late for that...

Do you have fuel and spark?  If so have you made sure the distributor isn't 180 out and that the cam timing is right?  Battery high enough amperage with a good charge on it?

Might consider getting new plug wires and a conventional timing set off RockAuto.  Side note I'd leave driver side hood spring up too, last thing you want to happen is decide for it to pop up while you're standing over it.

Fuel? Yes. Air? Yes, Spark? Occasionaly. It gets a couple a couple of pops but thats it, I never looked at the volts gauge but it had a battery charger hooked up to it so it had good  charge. Fuel line was unhooked but we're just putting fresh gas right into the carb. The distributor has been flipped around 180 both ways. I dont know about the cam timing but I checked the plugs and they were way under gapped so I fixed that.  Yeah, the hood springs went down because I covered the engine bay I always pop them up before I start working on that side.

[Casey]

Are you filling the fuel bowl or just pouring it down the throat?  If you're not filling the fuel bowl do it that way as then it's like normal operation.  Seems like the issue is spark if it's not consistently firing.  Is the cap and rotor new?  Has the ignition coil been checked and is it hooked up properly?  Easiest way to check the battery and other electrical things is with a multimeter.  Other thing being was the distributor gear in good shape and properly lubricated?

Found this diagram for cam/crank marks:

[77 TA man]

Everything ignition wise is brand new and is hooked up properly.
12 and 12, I think the top cam gear might be 1, maybe 2 teeth forward of 12 o clock but that shouldnt cause a big deal?

[Casey]

It does seem like it's off by a tooth, also did you degree the cam?  Here's a good how to: http://www.lunatipower.com/Tech/Cams/HowToDegreeACam.aspx

[77 TA man]

IIRC we havent timed the cam.
As a side note: anybody like my new profile pic?

[Pats TA]

 (We) started to put some of the SE striping on the TA. I will post some pics tomorrow.
 

[Casey]

Your oil pressure is off the charts.

[77 TA man]

Your oil pressure is off the charts.

Yeah.......a PO's wife blew up the last 400 in the car by driving it w/o oil pressure from what the guy said. So IDK if thats the cause or thats the effect of that so......I'm going to look at it when I get the chance and attempt to fix it.

[hakitup]

Finally changed out the turn signal switch, I hate taking the colum apart! Old switch wouldn't center so one side of the tail lights wouldn't work sometimes. The centering spring jumped out of the track, I thought for a minute I wouldn't have to change it. But it only took a couple of uses to get it back out of the track.

Tom H

[DeCaff2007]

Today I...  FINALLY finished installing a new gas tank in my 2000 Camry.  What a P - I - T - A!!!

Here's a step by step writeup:

1.  Park vehicle in backyard so garage doesn't catch on fire from fuel fumes.
2.  Remove gas tank and put it in a wheel barrow.  Cover it with a tarp so the neighbors don't bitch.
3.  Come back from vacation 5 days later and tow vehicle back into garage using g/f's Jeep; then, get screamed at for cracking a vanity license plate that was found on Ebay.
4.  Go the the junkyard 17 times to replace parts that broke from gas tank removal. 
     4b.  Take pics of evap lines at junkyard so you can correctly replace the ones that were hastily cut off during gas tank removal.
5.  Begin install of new gas tank.  Go wash face from the 50 billion rust particles that fall in your eyes. 
6.  While installing new gas tank, smash forehead off of rear wheel hub.
6.  Apply ice to golf ball on forehead.
7.  Use special tool DH-10 from Lowes to siphon gas from old tank in a wheelbarrow, into new tank.
8.  Test drive vehicle and take g/f to Applebess after 10 hours of aggravation and not having lunch or dinner.

[mrbandit]

Today on my TA....

Finished installing my newly rebuilt tranny that went out after 18 miles of driving it a year ago.
Changed all the fluids
Started it for the first time since November
Washed it
Adjusted the exhaust splitter location
Added bilstien shocks to the rear

[DeCaff2007]

Today on my TA....

Finished installing my newly rebuilt tranny that went out after 18 miles of driving it a year ago.

18 miles??  I hope you didn't use the same tranny shop.

[rkellerjr]

Actually, yesterday I ....

Just about finished this portion of my restoration project, car is pretty much back together...

http://transamcountry.com/community/index.php?topic=68069.240;topicseen

[mrbandit]

I worded that wrong decaff.  I bought the Ta last April and only got to drive it 18 miles before it went out. 

[DeCaff2007]

I worded that wrong decaff.  I bought the Ta last April and only got to drive it 18 miles before it went out.

LoL that sounds more likely.

Yesterday I...  Went to work for a few hours and then had to go straight to a house party that I DID NOT want to go to.  I didn't have a single drop to drink.  Water and soda for me only.  Wow...  so much different when you're the only sober one amongst at least 30 drunk people.

Today I... will hopefully get some time after work today to put the timing chain cover back on my 400 build.  I had to special order JUST that gasket, along with the fuel pump gasket.  Hopefully the next payday or two will find me a one-piece oil pan gasket and pan from BOPengineering.

[Ok-TA1977]

Yesterday truthfully..Got the fascia board prepped and painted for new gutters Monday.
Had a load of sand hauled in to fill in all the washed out spots in the yard from all the rain we had a couple of months ago.
Almost got the lady to sell the 1980 TA to me, I had cash in hand. Still trying...

[FormTA]

Epoxy primered the last section of my 79 Formula and a few other parts so I can pack it away for a while. I'm going to start work again on my 79 TA.

[Casey]

Yesterday I...  Went to work for a few hours and then had to go straight to a house party that I DID NOT want to go to.

Then why did you go?

[77 TA man]

Its 0:04 here, so today I go back to school, I just know I'm going to catch some doo doo^ about the Trans Am not running since I'm a freakin senior riding the dang bus. Someday, but not today I'll show them what I've been waiting for. Well at least we have busing this year. Well I guess I'm going to finish my summer H.W. now....

[mrbandit]

Today I took Luke, Sam, and Lily on our first ride.  The tranny shifted great, but their was a awful squeal coming from under the hood under load  I'm going to buy a new water pump and belts tomorrow.  It went past 220 went idling, which is why I suspect the pump.  It road and drove great.  I highly recommend bilstein shocks.

[twov8sandat4]

Depending on when your cars engine was rebuilt by the previous owner,
that just seemed to be the norm, I knew all kinds of guys back in the day
that made their cars all go and no whoa.
Atleast now a days people seem to have more concern about stopping and
not just going fast in a straight line.

Engine was rebuilt in 1988.  It is still in fantastic shape so no worries there.

Braking and suspension have always been high on my list, just never drove the car enough to get motivated to do it.

[DeCaff2007]

Yesterday I...  Went to work for a few hours and then had to go straight to a house party that I DID NOT want to go to.

Then why did you go?

Because my stupid g/f wanted to go.  It was more about her than me.  I'm happy dwelling in a half lit garage/cave with no one around to bother me.  She feels the need to associate with people.  I'll never understand that.

Oh and btw, to make things even more awkward, the host of said house party was her ex-husband