[TRADERMIKE 2012]

For the new commers this Vehicle is a 1979 Pontiac Trans-am with T-Tops. It once housed an Olds 403 ci with 4bbl that I have never seen, it was gone long before I purchased this second-hand project. I have had to undo my predecessor's errors; however, his body work was impeccable and I give him credit for that. Alot of work went into this show car, along with ware house costs and elec... He gave me the Upholstery and Carpet and the interior was gutted, when I took possession. I painted the interior with SEM Black Lundu and cleared over that paint. First, we painted the floor with waterproofing and laid over it with some Tar-type material that can't absorb moisture. This Tar was 1/2" thick and forms a barrier over the metal floor.

I would imagine that if water were to get on the floor, that the heat from the exhaust system under the car would melt it in place and make the water molecules dissipate into the air. We added three layers of Insulation and sound proofing over that and then the Carpet was installed with the padding already adhered to the back of it. We used insulation behind each and every panel as we finished off the interior installation. We even added Mylar on the doors for moister proofing and weather proofing them. The inside walls and ceiling received yellow paint as depicted in the photos. The door panels were refurbished and installed. The roof received two layers of insulation. We remanufactured the Head liner ourselves and the waist material from the T-Tops was a lot, but I manufactured custom insulated panels under the T-Tops, so that when they are removed, the T-Tops contain insulation and Black Headliner material.

All the Trim and seat Belts received SEM paint and clear. New console top and the entire Dash and Glove Box was painted with SEM Black. We installed a good heater box with a new core as well as the new Evaporator core. Replaced the AC controller mechanism with a remanufactured one. All the AC ducts were sourced online as well and every AC part is new around the vehicle. The Hush panel is under the steering wheel. Purchased the Tilt steering with cruise control, all serviced from the vendor. My roommate went over all the wires under the dash, every end, ground and all wires are wrapped in electrical tape and marked for the future. He fixed the Elec. coupler that goes through the Dash Bulk Head and made the entire Under Hood Motor Harness from scratch, using the schematics that I bought. Proper grade wires, all heat shrink wrapped and directly coupled into all Elec. parts that are needed to run a vehicle. Later we wrapped the Under-hood wires in a cloth type wire loom in order to look period correct. Every were else we wrapped the wire in Black plastic loom.

Under the hood, we rebuilt the Windshield wiper motor. Rebuilt the water pump motor to W.W. Installed a Mini-starter new. Replaced the Power steering pump and we now need another. Rebuilt the water pump for less tolerance. Added a sidekick fan and a condenser fan. Added an elec. fuel pump. Hid an on/off switch, but I can't say where. Made full factory linkage work, so that the car steering wheel locks with the B+M shifter and neutral safety switch. Added a Sudbury switch in the Trunk for dual Batt. Installed an Inverter in the Trunk that runs the side kick on 110 volts and can also be used for a light, for example.

We installed a special switch at the oil sender for the fuel pump emergency cut off. We have a direct fuel pump switch, so that we can get fuel to the Carbs. to prime them. The rear glass is heated. We have all the normal added accessories that a car should, including a stereo and amp. and four speakers. OfCourse, one is never done, I can think of a few more things to add, but that is futuristic. The next option to finish is cruise control. I have half installed and the other half of the parts are in stock. The car came with the full roll cage. We have a four-wheel disc and Posi- traction. We have a Gear vendor over under drive. We have a B+M shifter and a Turbo 400 remanufactured Trans. I had to re- cut the drive shaft to fit correctly between the motor and rear end.I painted the car yellow and black two tone. If I forgot something I am sorry.

P.S. Mikes final theory is this:

The Trans. broke from going over a root under an asphalt driveway. Continuous driving (300 miles) developed into a stress on the drivetrain, going forward. The torque from the Trans. (broken) increased the forces along the drive line, forward resulting in breaking/cracking the Harmonic Balancer on one end of the motor and Flexplate holes got out of round on the end of the motor.

There is "no" rebuilding the motor yet, I learned a lot and there is no bad advice and there are no bad questions. Thank you for your input and further testing will tell if there are any other issues. I owe it to myself to put the pressure gauge on the Trans. while it is still up in the air and run the various pressure tests that the book and others told me to do. When I have recorded this data, I will post it, until then this motor WORKS and we will see for how long.

Someone tell me how long of a video clip that I can send with the Engine running, I can't get a 30 second clip to send to my email and then to the forum? Why?

What don't I know, some help please.

[JSchmitz]

Originally Posted by TRADERMIKE 2012

Mikes reply:

Perhaps you can elaborate a little on why you attached multi-view of a fuel filter, I fail to grasp its meaning?

Those glass fuel filters are dangerous junk! The ends are made of very cheap aluminum or pot metal. They thread together. They can come loose or the threads strip out and come apart. One stray spark and your car burns to the ground.

[TRADERMIKE 2012]

I forgot to mention that all the rubber around the car was replaced with new material. The door handles and locks are all new. The sun visors are new. The font Windshield glass is new and the back was from existing stock parts. The side window glass is tinted from the factory. The package tray is new. The seat belts are from stock. We had to modify the upper bracket to the ceiling in this T-Top car for the shoulder harness. We have an electric push button in the glove box to release the rear Trunk latch. P.S, P.W, P.D.L., trim on peddles. Emergency brake is modified because the roll bar is in the way. Trans. Temp. gauge in the center console with a light in there too. An extra light fitted on the rear of the console for the rear passengers. Ash trays on both sides in the rear. Cigar lighter. The fan circulates all the time, through the cab and back into the Trunk and out the D.S. door jam. Lights under the dash. New mirrors. The Ash tray has a light in it, fiberoptic.

New door sill plates. Windshield wipers are retractable and upgraded ones, for lack of better terms. MSD Ignition, new Timing chain and Gear. New Johnson Lifters, HD push Rods, Oil pump, splash shields under each Valve cover. The Heads had just been remanufactured. New Torque converter, Flexplate and Harmonic balancer.


The Motor is a 1967 428 ci HO with a 1966 Tri-power Carb. and Intake Manifold. This 428 ci motor has 376 HP out of the box, this one could be about one inch per cube, with the "041" Cam and air induction, with Aluminum Headers wrapped in Header wrap, plus the Headers are coated with porcelain, inside and out. The motor was recently degreed on a degree wheel and found to be within factory specs., along with the Cam. The Tri-power Carbs. are modified and jetted for the 428 ci, that it is on. The Tri-power carbs. have all new parts, completely Internally. This Motor has reached 130 MPH and it is believed that with the addition of the "041" Cam, higher speeds can be gained. The "041" Cam is known to have top end performance.

[steve25]

This post has gone so very far off the rails from its original mechanical nature that I would like to know what a moderator can do to force the OP to start another post for everything he cares to expound about that is not motor or transmission related.

[JSchmitz]

Originally Posted by TRADERMIKE 2012

I forgot to mention that all the rubber around the car was replaced with new material. The door handles and locks are all new. The sun visors are new. The font Windshield glass is new and the back was from existing stock parts. The side window glass is tinted from the factory. The package tray is new. The seat belts are from stock. We had to modify the upper bracket to the ceiling in this T-Top car for the shoulder harness. We have an electric push button in the glove box to release the rear Trunk latch. P.S, P.W, P.D.L., trim on peddles. Emergency brake is modified because the roll bar is in the way. Trans. Temp. gauge in the center console with a light in there too. An extra light fitted on the rear of the console for the rear passengers. Ash trays on both sides in the rear. Cigar lighter. The fan circulates all the time, through the cab and back into the Trunk and out the D.S. door jam. Lights under the dash. New mirrors. The Ash tray has a light in it, fiberoptic.

New door sill plates. Windshield wipers are retractable and upgraded ones, for lack of better terms. MSD Ignition, new Timing chain and Gear. New Johnson Lifters, HD push Rods, Oil pump, splash shields under each Valve cover. The Heads had just been remanufactured. New Torque converter, Flexplate and Harmonic balancer.


The Motor is a 1967 428 ci HO with a 1966 Tri-power Carb. and Intake Manifold. This 428 ci motor has 376 HP out of the box, this one could be about one inch per cube, with the "041" Cam and air induction, with Aluminum Headers wrapped in Header wrap, plus the Headers are coated with porcelain, inside and out. The motor was recently degreed on a degree wheel and found to be within factory specs., along with the Cam. The Tri-power Carbs. are modified and jetted for the 428 ci, that it is on. The Tri-power carbs. have all new parts, completely Internally. This Motor has reached 130 MPH and it is believed that with the addition of the "041" Cam, higher speeds can be gained. The "041" Cam is known to have top end performance.

Infomercial now?

Please tell us more about the aluminum headers. Those may be the first ones ever made!

[TRADERMIKE 2012]

Originally Posted by JSchmitz

Infomercial now?

Please tell us more about the aluminum headers. Those may be the first ones ever made!

Mikes reply:

Been up all night, I forgot that Pontiac had used them on short race tracks only because they got hot too fast to run on the road or long tracks, my bad, I retract that statement and stand corrected.

The Headers are made of metal and coated with porcelain, inside and out.

You said: " Infomercial now"?

Mikes reply:

I have to keep my other 44,000 readers of this Thread interested in the Pontiac Experience, someone, some were, may just benefit from these commercials.

The picture of the P.S. fender is where I attached the remote oil filter. In front of that area, is a hole about 6" x 6" through the radiator support, on the other side, toward the inside, we attached the MSD and sidekick fan motor inside, with a small radiator type cooler, that we use for water from the Heater core to the side-kick cooler, for extra cooling capabilities like when we run the AC in traffic or stop and go traffic or stopped at a bridge down here in Florida.

Truth be known, the side kick and the condenser fans came ten years ago before we learned about factory type ways of cooling Pontiac Motors with AC or the Pontiac and 421 mods from the Internet. We once had pulled the condenser out of this vehicle, while we waited for a new one to come in. We decided to put it back together the way it was and that turned out to be an experience that I will never forget. I liken it to having a piece of plywood out in front of the vehicle by "not" having the condenser in the way. For the first time, I could drive at 30 degrees less at the Temp gauge.

I had an Inferior clutch and no holes in the Thermostat yet, both upgrading to the HD Temp. actuated clutch and a good three-hole Thermostat, would have made even more of a positive difference. I did not even know anything about them nor the 421 and Pontiac mod. yet either, for they too would have made a positive difference. The first mod. that I performed on this Engine was the Pontiac water pump mod., that by hammering the plate to a tighter tolerance helped the water flow better, in fact when I opened the radiator cap, I could see the water jumping across the top of the radiator like a garden hose that was putting out a fire.

[rolling money pits]

Originally Posted by steve25

This post has gone so very far off the rails from its original mechanical nature that I would like to know what a moderator can do to force the OP to start another post for everything he cares to expound about that is not motor or transmission related.

Ehhh, I kinda think keeping things contained, so to speak, is probably the best course of action.

As for aluminum headers…didn’t Pontiac make them back in the 60s, long branch manifold versions, for maybe the SD 2+2s? Or were they a RARE deal, they just used beer cans instead of iron?

[Formulajones]

Yeah Chevrolet had experimented with aluminum headers in the early 60's too. Turned out to be not a great idea.

[TRADERMIKE 2012]

Originally Posted by JSchmitz

Those glass fuel filters are dangerous junk! The ends are made of very cheap aluminum or pot metal. They thread together. They can come loose or the threads strip out and come apart. One stray spark and your car burns to the ground.

Mikes reply:

We can't have that happen, there are two of them on this Vehicle one after the Pump I think and the other up front near the remote oil filter fuel pressure gauge through hole in the radiator support. My roommate is going to go over the fuel system while it is up on the blocks, these filters will be replaced this week. We are preforming the Trans. pressure tests by the book, because we have not addressed this issue since the remanufacturing of this TH 400 Trans. This Trans. runs and performances well but We want to see the numbers for safety's sake. One can't spend two years on a project and then cut yourself short at the end.

I hope you guys that doubted my methods can now see that there is a method behind my madness. I move inches not feet and I look at the last thing that I touched prior to something breaking or making a noise as I just learned. Thank you to the PY forum member that told me to check the Harmonic balancer and the Flexplate especially if you told me about both, this is what this forum group activity is all about, comradery at its best. We may not get along all the time, but the more I get to talk with you all I gain more respect for each of you.

I was lucky to have taken my chances on the Flexplate, primarily because it was a cheap fix over rebuilding an entire motor now, after coming off a Trans. build, I needed the rest. God, be with me and let this motor work under a load without some nasty noise occurring, Amen.

[TRADERMIKE 2012]

Originally Posted by rolling money pits

Ehhh, I kinda think keeping things contained, so to speak, is probably the best course of action.

As for aluminum headers…didn’t Pontiac make them back in the 60s, long branch manifold versions, for maybe the SD 2+2s? Or were they a RARE deal, they just used beer cans instead of iron?

Mikes reply:

Read this might help your memory:

https://www.pontiacdiy.com/how-to-im...exhaust-guide/

https://pontiacstreetperformance.com/psp/headers.html

https://youtu.be/b7WuU9OeYmw

[JSchmitz]

I was referring (sarcastically) to aluminum headers. Headers, to me, are constructed with formed tubing. Manifolds infer a ,casting.

[TRADERMIKE 2012]

Mikes reply:

"Aluminum Exhaust Manifolds"


The Mighty 421 Super Duty Engine. The differences on this engine are the Alternator and brackets. 1962 421 SD engines were equipped with a generator. This engine is also equipped with Aluminum Exhaust Manifolds which would simply melt if subjected to ordinary street use due to the excessive heat. The engine was rated at 405HP, but it's true output was much higher.


https://www.oldride.com/library/1962...uper_duty.html

https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/...perts.1051192/

https://youtu.be/kQS4fRr_Z7M

https://youtu.be/Jed0xGPH_HM

https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/...perts.1051192/


One other fact about the SD's that probably will not play well on this forum. Pontiac engineers tested the legendary TriPower, even casting an aluminum manifold for the SD, and found it was not competitive; and immediately discontinued the TriPower. So, the SD's used, depending on the venue; (1) a single four-barrel, (2) dual four-barrels, or (3) a single three-barrel. TriPower's were relegated to the non-racing engines to customers that believed the hype.



I don't recall an aluminum tri-power manifold for the SD but for sure it was catalogued in the early sixties. I think it was done for the 389 HD. The Heavy Duty (HD) program was the forerunner to the SD. Pontiac was heavily into NASCAR with Smokey Yunick, Ray Nichels and others and they developed suspension and engine parts for oval racing in addition to the drags. HD parts were strictly over the counter and as a result not legal for S/S, but there was also O/SS then, maybe that stuff was legal for the Optional/SS cars.
HD stuff included solid lifter cams, aluminum 4 bbl. and 3-2 manifolds, dual point distributors, heads with bigger ports, valves and screw in studs with guide plates. Then there were special spindles and metallic brake packages, clutches and flywheels, and I'm sure a lot more.



https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/...#post-11794806

https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/...-ever.1041715/

https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/...perts.1051192/

[78w72]

Why are there random pics of a dome light or the floor of this car in a post about the history of HD & SD exhaust manifolds, alternators and other options ??

--Porcelain coated headers ?

There are not 44k active readers on this thread, that is just the total number of people that have clicked on it over the years its been active, most clicks are the same people still commenting that get notices every time a new post is made and click on it.

Please start a new thread for all these off topic posts that are no longer related to the original subject, nobody is going to go back through 700+ posts to find something... make that 800+ now. If you feel the need to post duplicate comments on the options of this car and random duplicate pics of the floors... or pics of the trunk release button, start a new thread to discuss those things and put a fork in this one.

Just a suggestion to keep things more streamlined & help others that may want to read about all the numerous subjects that have been discussed in this thread, if they were their own thread it would be far easier to find them...

Unsubscribed

[MatthewKlein]

Originally Posted by 78w72

Why are there random pics of a dome light or the floor of this car in a post about the history of HD & SD exhaust manifolds, alternators and other options ??

--Porcelain coated headers ?

There are not 44k active readers on this thread, that is just the total number of people that have clicked on it over the years its been active, most clicks are the same people still commenting that get notices every time a new post is made and click on it.

Please start a new thread for all these off topic posts that are no longer related to the original subject, nobody is going to go back through 700+ posts to find something... make that 800+ now. If you feel the need to post duplicate comments on the options of this car and random duplicate pics of the floors... or pics of the trunk release button, start a new thread to discuss those things and put a fork in this one.

Just a suggestion to keep things more streamlined & help others that may want to read about all the numerous subjects that have been discussed in this thread, if they were their own thread it would be far easier to find them...

Unsubscribed

You honestly want MIKE to start 7 new threads a day? I don't.

This one is enough. I get my daily headshaking smile and move on.

[Formulas]

everyone at first tries to help a person out which is the way to be, but when the time comes that when it becomes obvious that you cross paths with a person that asks everything but you cant tell them anything .. cut bait..

[hojs69]

Sorry, but this is an ongoing but too slow train wreck. Reflects poorly on the Forum to continue. Lots of silly posts within but mixed within solid information. Many times said different ways to help...... but in a progressively frustrating tone. Still repetitive.

The OP got the info. they need, now its just a meaningless Post.

My 2 cents.

[b-man]

And so it ends.