VIN 11596 Frame Swap - a rolling frame-off restoration

[FLUX @88]

looks great Andy!

[82DMC12]

I haven't had to do anything at all to the car for the last few weeks, in fact I've just been enjoying the drive as I have the time. My punch list is pretty short right now but one of the items I wanted to knock off was to re-check the correct position of my timing scale for the crankshaft pulley. I removed it to get it re-plated a year ago and while I took good photos, I wasn't convinced it was perfectly aligned, in fact for all I know it was off a bit from the beginning.

I started out with a fuel injector flow test because a couple years ago I had an injector with a bad pattern. I wanted to make sure it was still working better, and I was glad to see all cylinders are getting nearly identical volume of fuel.

I also bought a set of PJ Grady's silicone spark plug wires a while back so I wanted to remove the mixture unit to install those, and of course it's only five more minutes to take the intake off once you're that deep. So, I dug in and probably only 30 minutes later I was staring in my valley once again. Sure is an easy job once you've done it a couple times and have a good system (and of course everything installed with anti-seize and new hardware every time). I was glad to see the valley was bone dry and there was only a little bit of dust to suck up with a vacuum.

Following the Volvo manual, I was able to rotate the crankshaft using the alternator pulley nut (injectors removed and A/C belt slackened) and watch the distributor rotor until I knew the engine was close to Cyl 1 TDC. Then I removed the access plug behind the water pump (same plug as the oil drain plug and two crank case coolant drains) and fit an M7 screw with washer on it into the hole and slowly rated the crank until the screw fell into the hole. The screw I used is actually the same one that runs though the W pipe into the throttle body. I moved the crank back and forth a little bit to make sure I was perfectly centered and found my timing scale was off a couple millimeters. Not much but I'm a stickler for perfection.

While I was in there I swapped out the plug wires and pressure-tested the cooling system to 15 PSI. I actually found both 90 degree hoses to the water pump were slightly loose so I went around and tightened up all the hoses clamps. I guess after a few heat cycles they have settled in.

New intake and cold start o-rings (coated with red rubber grease) and new W-pipe paper gaskets (dry) from my own parts inventory. New wave washers for all the hardware. New M12 copper crush washers for the fuel inlet/return. Got everything wiped down and reinstalled, did a fuel pressure leak test, and then started the car. Love to see it start on the first crank. I shouldn't have to go into the valley again for a long time but since it's so critical to catch any leaks early, I will continue to do an annual inspection for peace of mind.

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Fuel injector flow rate test. First I checked to make sure there is no leakage with the RPM relay jumped. Then I depressed the air flap about 1/3 of the way for 45 seconds to get a good volume in each mason jar.

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Each jar is numbered with the cylinder it corresponds to so they don't get mixed up later. A 23/64" drill bit will make a perfect hole for the injector to slip into.

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The best way to measure volume would be by weight on a food scale, but since visually they all looked pretty damn close I didn't bother with it.

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[82DMC12]

Well the driving season is coming to close, even in Kansas City where we have pretty mild winters. I expect I'll be able to take the car out here and there so it never really goes into true hibernation like it did when I lived in North Dakota. I've been making the most of the nice fall weather and driving to work frequently with no issues whatsoever. But, there's always something to work on.

First, early this spring, last time I had my center console out, I swapped out my gear shift boot for the one sold by Redline Goods, a Polish company. I just wanted to see what the quality was like, plus I wanted the leather cover for the parking brake boot they sell. The leather is actually very nice quality, thick, and stitched well in the same OEM style. They have many customization options if you want to add colored thread or whatever but I like stock. I got it glued to a DPI stainless steel boot frame. The only problem with it is the top hole near the ball is too big to be retained by the flange built onto the shift rod. So, the boot falls down a bit unless you come up with a way to cinch it up, which is exactly what I did. I bought a leather sewing kit on Amazon and made a few stitches around the top so I could close the hole up , then added a fresh M8 washer, nut, and then finally the ball. Works and looks perfect now! A pity you have to do this but I do think the boot is great and quality stuff.

Next, I wanted to review my throttle linkage because in discussing with another owner, it occurred to me that I was sure if I had optimized my linkage rod length so that the throttle plates are exactly perpendicular in the throat at full throttle. I removed the W-pipe and found that no, they were not opening quite far enough so I removed the rod and lengthened it until the plates were totally perpendicular when the throttle is on the full throttle stop. Then I shortened the rod just slightly so that there is some pre-tension on the quadrant at idle, helping to close the throttle and contact the idle switch. Then I had to readjust the throttle cable length and finally the two curb idle screws. After a couple test drives and re-adjustments I was happy that everything is as good as it gets.

Finally, this week I bought a H3R 2.5 lb Halon fire extinguisher for the car. I briefly considered mounting it on my subwoofer box behind the driver seat but finally decided to hell with that, I can actually leave it on the floor behind the seat because it's perfectly secured there in my normal driving position. If I ever have a taller person drive, I would temporarily put it between the passenger seat and the door sill.

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[SupercoolBill]

Awesome. Some day I'll get there.

Sent from my SM-F926U1 using Tapatalk

[82DMC12]

Today's afternoon job - added an aluminized heat sheath to one of my positive cables. I am going to add a couple more but I needed to order a couple different sizes. This one is 1/2" inner diameter which worked to slide over the cable that goes from the bulkhead connector to the alternator. This cable runs under the starter and touches the lower engine cradle before running up to bulkhead. Because of the chance of abrasion and proximity to heat I thought it would be good to protect it. The next one I need to do is the cable that goes from the jump start post to the starter, which runs pretty close to my header but is secured well enough where it won't touch. This one has a flag terminal on both sides which would not fit through a smaller sheath so I ordered DEI #10404 for that purpose. Maybe get to install that one later this week.

Thanks to Rodolfo for the idea!

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[82DMC12]

Work and family stuff, Thanksgiving, parents visiting, etc has been keeping me busy, but thankfully the weather is not a factor. It's 50F today and should also be nice until the weekend so I'm still trying to get some drive time in.

A couple weeks ago I gave the seats their twice-annual cleaning and conditioning. This year I used Griots Garage Leather Care spray to clean the leather, and then used P&S Double Black Leather Treatment and Conditioner. I'm really happy with how the seats turned out - the Leather Care spray is so nice to use every couple of months to remove dust and freshen it up without leaving any residue. The Treatment and Conditioner (first time using) really soaked in nicely and didn't leave any residue either with leaving a semi-gloss deep black look.

I also installed a switch alignment plate I've been sitting on for a while. I finally got tired of my replacement windows switches sometimes dragging on the edge of the console. This plate lifts them up a couple millimeters so they stop interfering. Worthwhile modification!

Then, this week I picked up my louvers from David Hudgins who did a really nice refinish of them. They have a nice texture that wipes clean and doesn't snag lint from my wash mitts or dry towels. I spent some extra time last night adjusting the gaps and latches and it's really working and looking great.

Oh yeah, and the car starts cold better than ever after my injector swap noted above.

I have a set of front dash speaker spacers on the way from Steve Bano who kindly 3D printed a set for me. I decided I need them because my Kicker speakers tweeter is touching the dash and pushing up a bit. Need to get that fixed before it damages the dash.

Nothing else really to do right now though I think I'll be going into the doors this winter for a refresh and check up. No issues really but my driver side escutcheon doesn't fit well, my doors lack vapor barriers, and I'm going to use some black neoprene tape to replace some old gray insulation tape I used on the door trim edges twenty years that doesn't look quite right.

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[SupercoolBill]

I like the third brake light.

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[82DMC12]

I like the third brake light.

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Thanks, me too. it's pretty stealth but it's bright and does the job. I didn't install it, it was there when I got the car. I was told by the PO that it's for a Corvette but I have no idea what year or model. I think it's just a generic part myself. It looks pretty damn 90's to me. The power is tapped from the passenger side taillight harness.

[Timeless]

Thanks, me too. it's pretty stealth but it's bright and does the job. I didn't install it, it was there when I got the car. I was told by the PO that it's for a Corvette but I have no idea what year or model. I think it's just a generic part myself. It looks pretty damn 90's to me. The power is tapped from the passenger side taillight harness.

It looks like a C4 Vette brake light.

[82DMC12]

It looks like a C4 Vette brake light.

Maybe it's an aftermarket version of it. I did a fast search and found this photo of a C4 - that light is lot deeper with a triangular slant behind it.

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