The Black Pearl - Progress Thread

UPDATE: I figured I might as well document the latest round of crap I've done before I completely forget. Over the past month or so...

1. Replaced the stereo with a groovy little CD/MP3/HD Radio head unit;
2. Replaced the rear hatch lift struts;
3. FINALLY got around to replacing the intake manifold gasket, and also put on a new distributor O-ring (came with intake set) and T-stat housing gasket while I had it apart, and then changed the oil;
4. Replaced that stupid passenger-front seat belt with one from an '85 Capri because the damned thing kept trying to flip over and jam in the upper bracket almost every time anyone went to put it on.

New things to fix later on:

1. Stupid high-beam toggle switch has the headlamps stuck permanently in high-beam mode. Disconnected the two center high-beam lamps so that I won't blind anyone or get pulled over, but the high beam indicator still stares me in the face when I'm driving at night;
2. While doing the intake manifold gasket, the front-passenger-side bolt on the intake decided to snap WAY too easily - coolant had leaked down from the intake/head port there into the threads and rotted the bolt apart, apparently. Now half of the bolt is stuck in the head. Oh well ... so far, it doesn't leak anywhere, and now I have an excuse to upgrade to E7's later on, I suppose.
3. Found out that the car has an 8.8" rear in it already, but it has 3.08's (apparently a rear from a manual car), and I can't seem to find a friggin' speedo gear for an AOD with that gear ratio. This means that whenever I do finally throw a set of properly-sized tires on this thing, the speedo will read too low - right now, the short tires compensate for having the wrong speedo gear, so it actually reads correctly. The goobers also re-used the 7.5" rear brake hose, too, so I still need to upgrade that later on at some point so I can throw on duals.

I have almost everything necessary for the swap to duals except:

1. Rear brake hose;
2. Transmission crossmember hanger (kind of optional, really)
3. H- or X-pipe of whatever kind;
4. Cat-back of whatever brand;

I also still need to decide whether I can simply relocate the fuel pump and filter, or if I'm going to need to completely do away with the external pump and convert to a single in-tank pump (which would cost way more and be much more of a PITA than just relocating my current pump). I'm thinking I can cram the pump and filter together in the same location as the stock filter bracket on '86+ EFI cars (ahead of the tank, above the axle)...

LaserSVT said:

I always though it was neat how replacing the hatch shocks would get rid of the hatch rattle.

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Yeah, I never would've thought it would do that, but I guess it keeps some upward tension on the hatch. I have to pretty much slam the thing to get it to latch, now, so it's plenty secure.

UPDATE:

More stuff I forgot to add that I did over the past few weekends...

1. Replaced lower freeze plugs (core plugs, freeze plugs, expansion plugs, whatever) because the idiot prior owner that ran straight water and let it sit forever rusted the steel plugs apart. Installed neoprene expansion plugs because there was no way in hell I could hammer in some brass plugs with the motor still in the car, and I have no way of pulling the engine. For the first time since I got this car, it no longer reeks of hot antifreeze when I drive!
2. Made my own gaskets for the valve cover breather caps from a roll of that make-a-gasket rubberized stuff;
3. Tried (with limited success) to quiet the stupid squeaky brakes by gooping the back of the pads with some of that orange CRC anti-squeal crap. It's better than it was, but still squeaky when you apply a certain amount of pressure to the brake pedal;
4. Don't know if I mentioned this previously, but the crappy LX seats have been long gone for quite awhile now, replaced with some seats from an '89 GT. They're gray, but the seat covers I have on 'em now match things fine, and they ride MUCH better than the bouncy-bouncy stock LX seats;
5. Tried draining and filling the power steering fluid twice and using synthetic fluid to help quiet the stupid power steering pump down. It groans like mad at lower RPM's. The fresh fluid helped a little bit, but not enough. Pump's going down the crapper. Probably gonna see about throwing on a new one this weekend.

That's about it for the moment. More to come as I have time and funds available...

UPDATE:

Last weekend, I...

1. Threw the 10-holes from teh Notch onto the Black Pearl. Car rides about as smooth as before, but the vague steering feeling is now gone and it handles a tad better now, as well (although, strangely, I think these tires have less grip off the line). So far, the speedo seems to read pretty accurately, as well, although if I had to guess I'd say it might read 5 MPH high at 65 MPH, at worst - I'm still running the 3.27 speedo gear, but I actually have 3.08's, so it's close enough not to cause much worry;
2. Sprayed anti-squeal stuff on the rotors (I know, sounds crazy, but it says right on the directions) and sprayed the other kind of anti-squeal stuff on the back of the pads. THE BRAKES HAVE FINALLY STOPPED SQUEAKING!
3. Figured out that part of the problem with the high-beam lights was this little metal post that actuates the electronic switch, itself, had wiggled loose and cracked its mounting hole. I simply took the switch assembly out, put a drop or two of Super Glue on the post, poked it back in, and tapped it home (carefully) with a hammer before putting it all back together. Ta-daaaaa! Working high beam lights again.

Future needs/wants:

1. Replace the stupid noisy power steering pump;
2. Secure the driver's side fenderwell liner, which is not properly bolted/stuck into place (rubs a bit with 225/60/R15's now while backing up and turning to the right);
3. Throw in a coolant overflow tank that doesn't leak/drool all over the frickin' place;
4. Decide upon a muffler to throw on there along with a proper 2.5" tailpipe so I can actually hear the thing running.

Damn ... I've REALLY been neglecting to update this thread.

Okay, far as I can recall, here's what all has taken place over the past 3 months:

1. Swapped out the power steering pump with a used one. It leaked. Changed the O-rings. It still leaks ... not as much, but just enough to piss me off. Flushed out all the old nasty power steering fluid and refilled with Type F fluid - pump is much quieter now after a couple of weeks of driving has worked all the air bubbles out;
2. Swapped in a 3G alternator with 4 gauge cables and grounds;
3. Installed a 12-volt accessory plug under the radio so I could use my plug-in voltmeter to verify that the 3G is working properly (it is) and because the car never came with a power outlet/cigarette lighter (need to be able to use my cell phone's plug-in charger for emergencies);
4. Installed a new washer fluid reservoir and moved the overflow coolant tank over to where the stock overflow and reservoir were originally located in stock form (driver's side front corner);
5. Swapped the ol' turbine rims and stupid-looking undersized tires back on because the tires on my 10-holes have almost ZERO tread left and I don't wanna be driving through Monsoon Season rains with that, plus those Fuzion tires on the 10-holes were getting so out-of-balance that it had an annoying vibration above 55 MPH. While they're old and rock-hard and the speedo reads wrong with them (and one has a slow air leak), at least the tires on the turbines have plenty of tread left and they ride really smooth up to 70 MPH. I'll just have to live with 'em until I can get around to putting another set of tires on the 10-holes;
6. Installed a dead pedal;
7. Took a gamble and decided to put in a couple cans of 134a to see if the A/C system could be resurrected from the dead. Lo and behold, I now have WORKING AIR CONDITIONING THAT BLOWS COLD AIR!
8. After playing with the A/C in town, I found that my wimpy little 2-core radiator is woefully inadequate to support functional A/C in 112*F temperatures without letting the engine get warmer than it should. I also realized that all this time, I didn't have an airdam under the radiator support like I should, and that for some reason it's never been an issue at all until now. Bolted one up underneath there and now it stays perfectly cool on the highway with the A/C cranked, although it does still creep up pretty quickly while sitting in stop-and-go-traffic. (Fan clutch and fan are good, so it's likely still due to the wimpy 2-core radiator. I soooooo need a 3-core in this thing.);
9. Fixed more vacuum leaks and "deleted" (bypassed) the idle compensator and choke from the CFI unit - even with the A/C working, they've proven entirely unnecessary and useless, and they were leaking vacuum while connected (blown diaphragms), so ... yeah. Bye-bye junk parts. No longer have the freaky idle-hunting problem at start-up, and my hot idle in Park is about 200 RPM lower than before (now sits at 1,000 RPM instead of 1,200 RPM), although I do have to give it just a hair of steady throttle input for the first 30 seconds after a cold start - basically, *I* am the idle compensator now, so it's a manual affair rather than an automatic detail. Oh well.
10. Installed new lower ball joints - car doesn't wander all over the freakin' road now, although it's still just a hair loose and so it probably needs new tie rod ends;
11. FINALLY put in a decent steering wheel, from an '89 four-banger notch - perfectly good condition, but it has cruise buttons and my '84 isn't equipped with it. Also, the steering shaft sticks up about 1/8" too far, so I can't quite get the horn button 100% into place on the wheel when it's snugged down - can only push the horn button on slightly to one side or the other, can't get both pegs all the way pushed in. Oh well, it's perfectly functional, and you can't really see the fitment problem, and the horn button stays put, so ... meh. And this wheel not only feels 10x better than the crappy one I took off, it only weighs about 1/3 as much - it's mostly foam instead of hard rubber/plastic - so it makes the steering effort seem lighter, too.

Latest to-do list:

1. Buy/install 2.5" muffler and tailpipe (one of these years, dammit);
2. New tires for the 10-holes;
3. New water pump gasket and jury-rig a fix for the broken timing cover (missing a chunk where someone somehow broke off the "ear" for the the top bolt hole) to either seal or at least slow down my latest coolant leak;
4. Install electric fan (maybe);
5. Tie rod ends and alignment (maybe);

Just ordered poly sway bar bushings for the front (1 5/16"). We'll see if I actually get the correct size sent to me. Would've bought them locally except none of the parts stores stock the right sizes and the speed shops downtown charge absurdly jacked-up prices for stuff.

EDIT: Also thinking of next payday maybe ordering a 2.5" tailpipe (driver's side) and a muffler to throw on there. I'm just looking for something cheap that'll add a little extra sound - I'm leaning towards the Summit "Race" muffler, which looks like a generic Flowmaster, probably sounds like a 40-series. Anyone know anything about those kinda mufflers?

LaserSVT said:

They sound like a super 40 thats been made with cheaper parts and welded by a slow 5 year old.

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Ah. Well, that would still be an improvement over what I have right now.

On the plus side ... I dunno if it's just the temperature outside playing games with me or what, but the power steering pump now DOESN'T appear to be leaking, at least not from the pump, itself. The return hose's upper clamp wasn't quite as snug as it could be, so I tightened it down and wiped 'er off. If it continues to leak after this, oh well, but I went all week long without having to add a drop of fluid, so ... dunno. Weirdness. That, and the fuel tank seepage has stopped, as well.

Another plus note: I averaged 23 MPG this week with mostly highway driving, and using the A/C during the daytime. So, I lost all of about 1 MPG by using the A/C. The MPG dip might have also been offset slightly by the fact that I rolled the timing back from 14* to 11* and switched back to 87 octane - it actually feels a little more peppy with less timing now, and I have ZERO ping so far.

Now, if only that damned coolant leak would just heal itself, I'd be perfectly fine with everything else.

Oh yeah ... pics of the new steering wheel. I'm only a couple of months late in getting around to snappin' shots of it.

Pay no mind to the filth; it's Monsoon Season and so any kind of car washin' or vacuuming tends to be a completely wasted effort that is undone within 24 hours or less.

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1990Coupe said:

That wheel is a HUGE improvement!

You are getting decent mileage no doubt! I'm averaging like 18-19 with my car on mostly highway driving. I have stock 2.73's, and everything else is pretty much stock save for full exhaust I don't know why it sucks..

I do, however have my EGR disconnected (well never connected it when i built the car). I wonder if this is the problem?

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If the ECU sees a problem with the EGR system, it might be putting things into a "limp home mode" deal which will cause it to run richer and, thus, will cause worse mileage. A properly functioning EGR system is more beneficial for a motor than a bypassed one. Reconnect your stuff and get it back into proper working order, and not only will you see better MPG numbers, it'll also probably drive a lot better on part-throttle takeoffs and at cruise, as well.

I was seriously considering swapping a 2.73 rear into the Black Pearl (hoping to squeeze out maybe 2-3 more MPG) and then putting the 3.08 rear that's in it now over in teh Notch because the rear end on that car needs bearings (and 4.10's are just WAY too much for a T-5). However, assuming the guy doesn't sell it before next weekend, I've got a lead on a rear end with 3.55's already in it that would be perfect for teh Notch, in which case I'll just stick with my 3.08's in the Pearl.

stykthyn said:

cant you just get a SI/DO muffler and run two tails?

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Only way I see that happening is if I run them out the side, a-la the Lightning trucks. Otherwise, there's no way two 2.5" tails would fit between the frame rail and fuel tank. Wouldn't be any point to it, either, as the single pipe upstream from it would still be the bottleneck. According to what I've read from others with the same setup, there's really not THAT much to be gained from going to true duals over just enlarging the single-outlet exhaust. Sure, duals look and sound way better, but I can't justify the cost or hassle of swapping tons of crap out to do it on my DD car - again, teh Notch is my weekend toy, it gets the lion's share of the go-fast parts budget.

UPDATE:

Apparently I don't necessarily need a 3-core radiator, after all. My engine temps have been getting a little warmer and warmer gradually over the past week or so, even when I'm not running the A/C, but only when I'm in stop-and-go traffic. Weird, because before it was never a problem at all, and even less of an issue since I put a 180* T-stat in there. Popped the hood today while the engine was warm, gave the fan a spin, and wheeeeeee! Freewheeled like crazy. Popped on another one I had laying around in the closet, and it was even worse.

Soooooo, $70 later, I now have a brand new fan clutch from Autozone with a lifetime warranty. On the upside of things, I can now actually run the A/C in normal traffic without it getting very warm, although if you sit still at idle with it in gear for too long, it starts to creep up a bit - this is because it only idles at like 500 RPM with the A/C on and with it in gear, because the idle compensator is toast (supposed to bump up the idle during first 30 seconds after cold start and whenever the A/C is on), so the fan isn't turning fast enough to pull much air and the water pump isn't spinning fast enough to move stuff around. As long as you're moving at SOME speed, it's all good. On the downside, though, I couldn't get a standard fan clutch anywhere for the car for some reason, only the stupid HD version, and so now the frickin' thing sounds like a giant Hoover vacuum cleaner above 2,000 RPM - not much of an issue since I usually cruise right at or just under that RPM on the highway, and the CFI and AOD prevent me from having any usable top-end power anyway, but at WOT the fan is making more noise than anything else in the car except the radio.

Also, for whatever reason, 50resto never got my order at all that I placed last week for Energy Suspension sway bar bushings. Went ahead and ordered 'em through Autozone while I was in there, since it was the same cost but no shipping, and I can get 'em in 2 or 3 days. (Guess I should've gone there to start with. ) Sooooo, hopefully I'll have 'em in the next couple of days and then I'll poke those suckers on there next weekend.

Power steering pump is now almost leak-free somehow, and the leak from around the water pump has slowed significantly enough that I went all week and the fluid level didn't go down at all. I swear, this car is possessed.

Hunted around the junkyard in search of an 18-tooth speedo gear, but no such luck.

Turned in 22.3 MPG last week running the A/C to AND from work every day, instead of just during the day. Not bad, not bad...

~FrankenStang~ said:

YAY!! I'm not the only one whose Fox has Hoover syndrome anymore!

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Your fan clutch is under warranty, y'know. A quick jaunt down to ye olde Autozone will get you a replacement one (actually, might have better luck going to the Ellsworth Road store). Mine, though, I wasn't so lucky to get the standard kind for. Thus, the Hoover fan clutch.

But at least it isn't as noticeable on mine because I don't wait until 3,500 RPM to shift gears.