Progress Thread Komo's 1990 GT - Parts Gathering Purgatory
- Thread starter gkomo
- Start date
Every time i do something to this car, i find 4 other things wrong with it. A smart man would have not supercharged it, and put that money towards making it more reliable... but here we are ha ha
There's a small part of me thats afraid to push it, and blow up the engine or something. I could only imagine the look on my wifes face if i told her the car is a paperweight until i spend $6k on an engine rebuild.
Gotta say, I love MM, but they need to up their shipping game. My panhard bar was 3-4 weeks out until ship date (still haven't gotten a shipping notice). This one i'm okay with as maybe they make them to order and there is obviously welding involved. But my end links i just ordered... 2 weeks estimated until they ship?? Come on!
I will say all you have to do is shorten the tubes between the control arm and the sway bar on the existing end links and go to a hardware store and buy two Grade 8 bolts that are the correct length. Did this on both of my Foxes and zero issues.
So i purchased the shock mount engine lift Harbor Freight tool @nicholase linked in the other thread. Where is the best place to hook the chains up to on the engine to then connect them to the tool? Can i wrap them around the frontmost header tubes (on each side) or is that not a good idea?
Attempted to change my transmission mount. Got the two bottom nuts off, cross member loose, could not get the two top bolts off. Not much room or leverage. Sprayed them with penetrating oil and will attempt in a day. Gonna be Tetris trying to get the old mount out the crossmember doesn’t lower much as the exhaust is right there.
I didn’t take a photo but two days ago I bit the bullet and cut the hole in my front fascia for the cobra grill insert.
Just gonna run it as is until I can get the hood and insert painted. TBH, even though it’s just a cutout, doesn’t look absolutely horrible.
Just gonna run it as is until I can get the hood and insert painted. TBH, even though it’s just a cutout, doesn’t look absolutely horrible.
Got the transmission mount installed. Jesus my impact gun wouldn’t even take off the upper two bolts I ended up having to use a 1/2 ratchet with the end of my jack handle PLUS another bar inside that as a ‘breaker bar’ to get them off, and that was after a day and a half of soaking in liquid wrench. Once off it was smooth sailing to get everything back together:
I’ve seemed to have lost a 1/2” socket in this process too lol
Now I’m just waiting on my new radiator cap to finish up the cooling system.
I did start the car again, had even worse belt squeal than the first time. I tightened the supercharger tensioner. So maybe it’s not that belt but the normal serpentine belt. I’m running the Paxton crank pulley but left the cobra style alternator and water pump pulleys on all while reverting back to the GT length belt. I just went out snapped a photo of where the stock tensioner is at:
It almost seems looser than before. Maybe I’ll try putting the cobra belt back on as it’s slightly shorter.
I’ve seemed to have lost a 1/2” socket in this process too lol
Now I’m just waiting on my new radiator cap to finish up the cooling system.
I did start the car again, had even worse belt squeal than the first time. I tightened the supercharger tensioner. So maybe it’s not that belt but the normal serpentine belt. I’m running the Paxton crank pulley but left the cobra style alternator and water pump pulleys on all while reverting back to the GT length belt. I just went out snapped a photo of where the stock tensioner is at:
It almost seems looser than before. Maybe I’ll try putting the cobra belt back on as it’s slightly shorter.
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You can remove the S/C belt. It will start and run fine. Then you can be sure which one it is. I'd start there. If it's not the S/C belt causing the squeal....
Check that the tensioner is properly aligned. My instructions weren't accurate as far as how to attach it. The bolt that goes on over the water pump stud can pull it too far in (or out). I believe my instructions called to add a nut on it, or replace the nut with a different one. Can't remember, but it it was wrong. If I followed the instructions it was crooked and squealed.
The best way to install it is to only install the 2 bolts that hold it to the bracket. Let the third hole sit freely on the water pump stud without touching any extra nuts or anything. Tighten the two bracket bolts and it will be square to the bracket. Then measure the distance between the tensioner bracket and water pump nut. Make a shim exactly that thick and put it between there.
Check that the tensioner is properly aligned. My instructions weren't accurate as far as how to attach it. The bolt that goes on over the water pump stud can pull it too far in (or out). I believe my instructions called to add a nut on it, or replace the nut with a different one. Can't remember, but it it was wrong. If I followed the instructions it was crooked and squealed.
The best way to install it is to only install the 2 bolts that hold it to the bracket. Let the third hole sit freely on the water pump stud without touching any extra nuts or anything. Tighten the two bracket bolts and it will be square to the bracket. Then measure the distance between the tensioner bracket and water pump nut. Make a shim exactly that thick and put it between there.
I’ve been looking more closely at my GT length drive belt. When I first installed it it was at the “G” on the “RANGE” lettering on the tensioner. Now, as I’m standing here tonight it’s at the “E”… so I definitely think my GT length belt is too long. This one is 91.56” in length. The Cobra belt I have is 88.9” and I couldn’t get it around the pulleys (which is why I reverted back to the GT belt). So I need a belt in between those two lengths. LMR has another Gates belt measuring 90.31” which I think would be perfect, but when I look up that P/N on oreillys site for example, it says 90 13/16 which would be 90.81”. 1/2” seems kind of significant. I’ll probably buy that Gates belt and see if it works.
Dumb question probably, but assuming I need to remove the S/C belt to remove/install the drive belt? Assuming yes as it need to go over the crank pulley.
As far as pulley alignment I let the car run today again, belt alignment looks good looking down the front of the engine from the side. I did put that nut behind the bracket per the instructions which acts as a spacer. I think my belt is just too long.
Maybe I need a new tensioner? I can push it down further with my hand than what it’s putting tension on its own. Not sure if that’s normal or not.
Yes it actually squealed more on the second start up, which coincides with the tensioner being even more off.
Anyways, I will order the ‘medium’ length belt and install it and see if that resolves that issue.
On to my other random things I do this car while in the middle of 10 other things. I removed the way too dark door window tint. I like tinted windows, but these were like dark dark. Makes sense it was a Vegas car originally. Before and after:
Oh, and I’m not a sticker guy, but modified the Paxton sticker and threw it on. May take it off eventually:
Anyways, I will order the ‘medium’ length belt and install it and see if that resolves that issue.
On to my other random things I do this car while in the middle of 10 other things. I removed the way too dark door window tint. I like tinted windows, but these were like dark dark. Makes sense it was a Vegas car originally. Before and after:
Oh, and I’m not a sticker guy, but modified the Paxton sticker and threw it on. May take it off eventually:
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The more I think about it the more the Cobra belt I have should fit. The pulleys are Cobra style and the Paxton should work with 93 Cobras per the kits information. I’m going to try to get it on again.
Well, I don’t think it’s my serpentine belt making the screeching noise. Got this Gates belt:
Which puts me here on the tensioner range:
I let it idle and would blip the throttle by hand at the throttle body and every time I did it, the car would screech like crazy. It’s hard to pinpoint with my ear where exactly it’s coming from since it’s so loud, except that it’s front passenger side for sure, which is right where the head unit is so I can only assume it’s that. I will crank it down even harder on the s/c tensioner and see if it fixes it.
Otherwise, if you have a Paxton 1220SL on a stock 5.0 with cobra pulleys the Gates K060905 is a good length belt.
Which puts me here on the tensioner range:
I let it idle and would blip the throttle by hand at the throttle body and every time I did it, the car would screech like crazy. It’s hard to pinpoint with my ear where exactly it’s coming from since it’s so loud, except that it’s front passenger side for sure, which is right where the head unit is so I can only assume it’s that. I will crank it down even harder on the s/c tensioner and see if it fixes it.
Otherwise, if you have a Paxton 1220SL on a stock 5.0 with cobra pulleys the Gates K060905 is a good length belt.
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Also, gauges showed up today. Don’t see myself getting around to installing them anytime soon. Maybe the boost gauge, seems easy enough. I don’t even have a pod yet anyways. Still deciding on which one to get. Plus I’m kinda dreading removing the xpipe to have a bung welded in.
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Took @nicholase advice with the S/C tensioner and used my torque wrench set to 55ft/lb. It definitely got it tighter than it was before so hopefully that works. Too late to start her up now to test, but fingers crossed!
I was looking back at your alternator install images.
It looks like you could shim that 'arm bracket' out another 1/8 inch if you wanted a "smidge" more.
It looks like you could shim that 'arm bracket' out another 1/8 inch if you wanted a "smidge" more.
Also:
If it squeals again, go get yourself a can of belt dressing and some WD-40.
Start by spraying pulley lands, one at a time with belt dressing. If you still get squeal, do each pulley hub one at a time until you find that beeoch.
If it squeals again, go get yourself a can of belt dressing and some WD-40.
Start by spraying pulley lands, one at a time with belt dressing. If you still get squeal, do each pulley hub one at a time until you find that beeoch.
