May Issue 2000 may of 2000 issue
Below is the article they wrote about us.
PART 2: Details and the KISS principle
Stroke in the Desert
By Steve Green, Hot Rod May 2000
If you read the first installment of this series in the February issue, you got a pretty good flavor of what it takes to get a mail-order project car up and running. But at the time I finished the story, my '83 Trans Am had just got its oats, and I didn't realize that this was just the first part of a long, though mirth-filled, and challenging journey. What follows is pretty much what anyone can expect when they do the shakedown stuff So if you missed Part 1, don't feel like you've come in at the middle of a movie.
After the wheels turned under the engine's power (all 385 ci worth!), it seemed prudent to get the car licensed and legal, This meant a trip to the smog tester. I admit that I drove up there with a lump in my throat. After all, I'd added a complete Edelbrock performance package, including manifold, cam, headers, and after-cat system. It was my intention to build a clean running machine, and I reinstalled all the smog equipment, but with the speed equipment package on a stroked engine and topped off with a jet Performance rebuilt carb, I seriously wondered if I would have to do something drastic to pass. When the smogger printed out the test' results, my jaw dropped. The engine is cleaner than my'98 daily driver! At 2,500 rpm the % CO is 0.00 versus a permitted 1.20, while the HC ppm is 25 out of a permitted 220. At idle, the numbers were an awesome 0.01 and 30. (Remember, these values are for a 305ci engine, not the stroker 385.) Who says we cant have package-engineered performance and clean air? Thank you, Edelbrock.
Once the car was licensed and had a couple of hundred miles on it, I parked it in the garage and didn't touch it for weeks. 1 called the malady "Post Startum Blues." I began to realize that I had not followed my own advice, and had not taken my time to work on the car and set realistic goals. Of course, not everyone has an editorial deadline, but I've seen more than my share of unfinished cars that burned out their owners before they were done. After weeks of attending to all the other household and family tasks that were abandoned during the last couple of hectic months getting the 'Bird running, I began a serious evaluation of the next steps.
Driving the car uncovered several salient flaws, and so the shakedown work began. First of all, I was once again reminded of the Details. Some of the work required as much (or more) time than the basic engine assembly. So again, I stress-don't rush it. Making everything work and having a reliable daily driver was one of the criteria, so don't cut corners when it comes to things like working gauges, air conditioning, brakes, and suspension. If your car isn't fun to drive, you've wasted your time.
The rate of acceleration wasn't what I wanted. Although the engine had plenty of torque, and the B&M Holeshot converter gave great off-the-line scoot, once the crank got beyond 3,000, the car just didn't seem to rev up as fast as I thought it should. At about 4,000 rpm, I could feel a hesitation, one that felt like the ignition system wasn't cutting it. The next steps were clear: Replace the stock open-diff 3.08:1 gears with a limited slip unit and steeper cogs and look into a performance ignition package.
Since there aren't any speed shops close to me, and the entire concept of this project car is for the parts to arrive by mail, I called National Drivetrain and ordered an Auburn limited slip and a 3.73:1 ring-and-pinion for the 10-b 0 It. The reasonably priced parts arrived promptly, and I studied the shop manual and instructions carefully before I began the installation. It didn't take long for me to realize that this phase was over my head-installing gears requires specialized tools and experience.
I found Adams Driveshaft in Henderson, Nevada. The company has lots of experience in both performance and heavy duty rearends. When a guy builds race cars and also has the contract to service the city's fire trucks, this tends to instill a sense of confidence in the new-comer. The point is, any time you select a shop, find out who the customers are and what a technician's credentials are before plunking down your bucks.
At this point, I was glad to have experts working on the car. When the rear axle came apart, the bearings were looking just a little worn. Though they weren't noisy, they were replaced as a preventative measure. -The gears needed to be fit with special shims in the axlehousing, and the pinion bearing was pressed in place. I don't have the tools to do that stuff, nor do I recommend getting them. Adams Driveshaft charged $150 for the labor-well worth it.
There had been no problems with the driveshaft, but I figured for another $60, we Might-As-Well install new U-joints. Good thing. The originals (worn more than 180K miles) had begun to brinnel on the bearing race surfaces-minute stress cracks had begun to appear, and the next step would be failure. With the no nonsense shifting of the B&M trans, I recommend this detail for any project.
When the 'Bird came off the lift, Adams gave me some break-in instructions: Take the car to the parking lot across the street and make some figure-eights to circulate the lube in the limited slip. After a couple of minutes, it was time for the pedal to meet the metal. Yup, those 100-foot-long black stripes are still in front of his shop, and the smile is still on my face! What a difference the gears made! Id flip-flopped between 3.42s and 3.73s. With the 0.70:1 overdrive ratio of the 700-R4, revs are about 2,600 at 65 mph with Dunlop 245ZR45xl7 tires. This is a bit high for the torque of the engine and the long open spaces in Nevada, but I really like the neck snapping action around town.
