***Official Car and Gearhead Thread***

[BigRedChief]

Seems like we need one on here to talk cars, mods and the coolness of your or their car.

Interested? Chime in

[ModSocks]

Originally Posted by Marcellus

FiTech is sending me a software update to try first with better algorithms etc..

Tech also said it sounds like it could be O2 sensor which is a factory GM part so if thats it it should be a quick fix.

We shall see.

Hey Hometeam or Sauto have you ever heard of the Coffeyville Street Races? I went last weekend to watch a buddy of mine race. Pretty good event with some real quick cars.

Oh, and you mentioned the Sniper EFI, DJ:

See this issue Marcellus is dealing with? **** man, we have yet to install any of these TBI style EFI kits and not have SOME sort of problem.

For the most part they're good. And the initial installs go smooth. But when it comes to these "self learning" tunning systems, they're riddled with issues. I was much higher on these kits a year or two ago than i am today. My customer who installed the EPAS kit also installed the Sniper EFI kit and he still hasn't gotten it dialed in quite right yet. Next time i see him i'll ask him exactly what the issue is, but he's complained to me a lot about it. He took it to one of the best Tunning shops in SD and they can't get it right either. So idk....

I'm not so confident anymore that there's any great aftermarket EFI kits out there. These EFI TBI kits are just littered with complaint after complaint. Buggy issue after issue. Whether it's Holley, Fi-Tech, Retrotek....whomever.

[DJ's left nut]

Originally Posted by Detoxing

Oh, and you mentioned the Sniper EFI, DJ:

See this issue Marcellus is dealing with? **** man, we have yet to install any of these TBI style EFI kits and not have SOME sort of problem.

For the most part they're good. And the initial installs go smooth. But when it comes to these "self learning" tunning systems, they're riddled with issues. I was much higher on these kits a year or two ago than i am today. My customer who installed the EPAS kit also installed the Sniper EFI kit and he still hasn't gotten it dialed in quite right yet. Next time i see him i'll ask him exactly what the issue is, but he's complained to me a lot about it. He took it to one of the best Tunning shops in SD and they can't get it right either. So idk....

I'm not so confident anymore that there's any great aftermarket EFI kits out there. These EFI TBI kits are just littered with complaint after complaint. Buggy issue after issue. Whether it's Holley, Fi-Tech, Retrotek....whomever.

My Holley had a bit of a bitch fit a month or so after I got it where it just...re-set. It was strange, it just dropped all its inputs and effectively put me in limp mode. I could get it up to about 55 by simply not getting it over maybe 1500 RPM but if I tried to put my foot in it at all it just roared a lot and went nowhere.

I got it into the mechanic, he plugged it in and just looked very confused. "It's just not there" isn't exactly something you want to hear. He just put the programming back in, wrote it down for me with a cheat sheat so I could try to do it myself if I really needed to and it's been clean ever since.

I guess 'dialed in quite right' is the operative term here. I'm not sure if mine's as perfect as it could be, but it runs a hell of a lot better than it ever ran with that Demon 750 on there.

Ultimately my cam is just so damn big and aggressive that it's really hard to keep a carburetor dialed in. Or at least it's over my head and I don't feel like taking it in every month to get it tuned back up. And honestly, when you talk about the brakes, I'm pretty sure they're a vacuum system and {last horse enters the barn} that massive cam and lousy vacuum I get at idle could really be creating some of the poor braking I'm experiencing.

I'll have to look over some of that stuff when I get a minute as I just can't recall off the top of my head. At some point I'm gonna yank that Cam out as well - I know it will make it snarl a little less (at 800 rpm that lope it has is just incredible) but it'll clean up some other issues along the way.

I could replace the cam and get some guillotine style cutouts with electric switches so I can just open them up when I want to be really obnoxious, I suppose...

[DJ's left nut]

Looking into your Aldan American stuff - what's the fit for the rear shock absorbers as well and are they worthwhile? The idea of running some dampening on those rear springs to deal with the rebound seems awfully appealing in terms of ride quality.

https://www.summitracing.com/parts/aax-300115/overview/

This what you were thinking?

Fronts cost $500 or so; both front and back looks to be around $900.00. Worth the extra $400 or should I throw that into the steering box upgrades?

Or should I really just give me wife unlimited oral privileges for 90 days and insist on all of the above?

[ModSocks]

Originally Posted by DJ's left nut

Looking into your Aldan American stuff - what's the fit for the rear shock absorbers as well and are they worthwhile? The idea of running some dampening on those rear springs to deal with the rebound seems awfully appealing in terms of ride quality.

Fronts cost $500 or so; both front and back looks to be around $900.00. Worth the extra $400 or should I throw that into the steering box upgrades?

Or should I really just give me wife unlimited oral privileges for 90 days and insist on all of the above?

If i had an order to do it in i'd go:

1. Steering Box (assuming your front shocks/springs aren't shot)

2. Front Coil Over

Address the rear when you feel like it or if it fits into your budget right now. It should take lower priority assuming you have serviceable suspension back there.

But if you have a vacuum issue i'd address that. If you decide that swapping the cam isn't in the cards right now then maybe consider a booster that doesn't require vacuum, like a Hydroboost or an Electric Brake Master Cylinder.

When we build cars in the shop, suspension and brakes take priority over everything. Those are the two things that will allow you to drive the car confidently. What good is HP if you don't like driving the car because you're worried it won't stop or if it feels wonky on the freeway? If you have confident brakes and suspension you'll probably find yourself driving the car a lot more. It'll feel more like a car instead of a weekend novelty. And in terms of suspension, front is more important than rear by a mile. Rear suspension becomes more of a concern in higher torque builds, or cars with Coyote 5.0 swaps.

If it's a full build, we equip all of our cars with an Electric Brake Master cylinder. It's the best pedal feel of the 3 popular options and delivers about 500 PSI more than a vacuum booster. A customer may have dreams of 13", 6-piston brakes, but we'll force a smaller rotor/piston count in favor of a superior master cylinder if his budget doesn't allow for both.

Hydrboosts are nice, though they require some extra plumbing and the pedal still doesn't feel as rock hard as an Electric Brake Master.

Just my 2cents and how WE go about handling it. Everyone has their own opinion of course.

[Marcellus]

Originally Posted by Detoxing

Oh, and you mentioned the Sniper EFI, DJ:

See this issue Marcellus is dealing with? **** man, we have yet to install any of these TBI style EFI kits and not have SOME sort of problem.

For the most part they're good. And the initial installs go smooth. But when it comes to these "self learning" tunning systems, they're riddled with issues. I was much higher on these kits a year or two ago than i am today. My customer who installed the EPAS kit also installed the Sniper EFI kit and he still hasn't gotten it dialed in quite right yet. Next time i see him i'll ask him exactly what the issue is, but he's complained to me a lot about it. He took it to one of the best Tunning shops in SD and they can't get it right either. So idk....

I'm not so confident anymore that there's any great aftermarket EFI kits out there. These EFI TBI kits are just littered with complaint after complaint. Buggy issue after issue. Whether it's Holley, Fi-Tech, Retrotek....whomever.

Yea they all have their issues. It pisses me off because it had been trouble free for over a year and half I think.

As complicated as they are they're not as forgiving to little problems that carbs don't care about so a lot of pain is self inflicted, and then there are the inherent flaws in systems that trying to do it all for everyone.

I actually plan to get mine tuned and turn off the learning software once I add the procharger, you can set a tune just like for other systems and make them non self learning. That removes all the algorithm and PID loop problematic shit.

[ModSocks]

Also, DJ, if you decide to purchase from Aldan American directly, Garrett is the man over there.

He's not a sales guy, he's actually the CEO like Doug is for Global West. But i think he does help with sales and if you have the choice, talk to him. He's my go-to contact when i place orders. Not sure if he just does that with vendors or not. But if you can, go through him.

[DJ's left nut]

Originally Posted by Detoxing

Also, DJ, if you decide to purchase from Aldan American directly, Garrett is the man over there.

He's not a sales guy, he's actually the CEO like Doug is for Global West. But i think he does help with sales and if you have the choice, talk to him. He's my go-to contact when i place orders. Not sure if he just does that with vendors or not. But if you can, go through him.

Their website directs you to Summit so I figured they weren't much for the direct purchase game. As a general rule I'll purchase direct if it helps the manufacturer make a little more money from the deal - just didn't seem as though they'd give me a redirect to Summit or Jegs if that was what they preferred.

I'm just gonna...do it. I mean, she can't tell me no if I don't tell her what I'm up to. I'll just pay the bill and she'll see it on the statement and I'll tell her "well that's what stuff costs on an old car...." She won't know any better.

I'm pretty sure Marcellus recommended the Borgeson unit as well so it seems like it comes pretty highly recommended. I was thinking of going DSE or the Delphi 600 that Rick's Camaro sells (think that's what I'd stumbled onto a couple years back) but i'll definitely circle back on the Borgeson.

[ModSocks]

Originally Posted by Marcellus

Yea they all have their issues. It pisses me off because it had been trouble free for over a year and half I think.

I hear that sometimes. We've experienced that too. The last one we did (don't recall the brand) was to a 351W A/C Cobra replica kit car.

Initially, it sucked shit. Ran like ass. We had it tuned by a professional tuning shop, then it ran great for awhile.

A few months later it was running like shit again. Tuning shop thought the self learning was the problem.

[ModSocks]

Originally Posted by DJ's left nut

Their website directs you to Summit so I figured they weren't much for the direct purchase game. As a general rule I'll purchase direct if it helps the manufacturer make a little more money from the deal - just didn't seem as though they'd give me a redirect to Summit or Jegs if that was what they preferred.

I'm just gonna...do it. I mean, she can't tell me no if I don't tell her what I'm up to. I'll just pay the bill and she'll see it on the statement and I'll tell her "well that's what stuff costs on an old car...." She won't know any better.

I'm pretty sure Marcellus recommended the Borgeson unit as well so it seems like it comes pretty highly recommended. I was thinking of going DSE or the Delphi 600 that Rick's Camaro sells (think that's what I'd stumbled onto a couple years back) but i'll definitely circle back on the Borgeson.

I just called Aldan American. Yes, they will take your order if you call them. Otherwise they direct you to Summit/Jegs because it's cheaper.

And man, regarding the wife thing, i have a funny story:

So a few years back, this guy calls me up. For about a week or two we go over suspension options, estimates etc. We've settled in on about $10K worth of suspension/brakes for his Mustang.

He's finally ready to pull the trigger so calls me up to finalize the order. But this time, he's whispering over the phone.

He tells me that we have to do this quickly, as his wife is home and doesn't want her to find out. Apparently he's in the room upstairs trying to get the order placed.

So he's giving me the card info and then next you know someone else picks up the other line. It's his wife! Oh man all hell breaks lose. She's givin' him "the business" over his "stupid car" blah blah blah . Next thing ya know, click. I get hung up on.

The very next day he calls me back, this time from work and we finish the order. But we're going to make sure everything is shipped to his work address, work email, work phone number etc . Wife still can't know about it, but damnit he's getting his front and rear coil over kit, big brakes, rack etc.

[BigBeauford]

Driving my 2013 Ford Focus AT (with the shit dual clutch), when I feel the transmission slip, and now have a warning that my transmission needs service ASAP. I know I am covered because these POS cars now have a 100,000 mile warranty for said transmission/clutch. My issue is if its the dual clutch, this will be the 4th time (under 80,000) I have to bring it back. Do I have any recourse against Ford on this (buy back, lemon laws, ect)? This car is likely worth less than dog shit on the aftermarket because of these issues.

[Marcellus]

Originally Posted by DJ's left nut

I'm pretty sure Marcellus recommended the Borgeson unit as well so it seems like it comes pretty highly recommended. I was thinking of going DSE or the Delphi 600 that Rick's Camaro sells (think that's what I'd stumbled onto a couple years back) but i'll definitely circle back on the Borgeson.

If you aren't changing the whole suspension package I would definitely recommend the Borgeson. Mine worked great, well worth the money.

[SAUTO]

Man...

My wife bitches at me to SPEND money on our cars. I'm so lucky in that regards.

In the past two months she's spent a ton on the camaro we bought. But it's a whole different car now. Headlights and side markers came in today. And I've gotta say she picked good looking ones

[hometeam]

Originally Posted by DJ's left nut

Well tax season was bad....but I expected it to be worse. As a result Imma spend some money on the Camaro (67, for those who don't constantly update themselves on what car I'm driving). It desperately needs new wheels/tires so I'm going back to the original 15'' Corvette Rally look with white-letter tires, etc....

That alone should improve handling tremendously through getting rid of some rub, getting back to original suspension geometry and giving me some !@#$ing sidewall, but I'm thinking of trying to squeeze another upgrade or two in there while my wife lets me get the checkbook out.

I'm thinking of a Delphi 600 series power steering box to upgrade the firmness and feel of the steering in the front. Anyone have comments/experience with that one? Damn its expensive for a steering box but they are, by all accounts, amazing improvements in the driveability of the car.

Also considering some suspension improvements in the front and back - miiiiight switch to coil-overs in the front but it might be overkill. I put in some Global West upper control arms a couple years back and those made a massive difference; I feel like I'm right on the edge of having a damn near daily driver caliber car if I just make another couple of tweaks. Should I just see how it drives with actual sidewalls first? I feel like that could make a huge difference on its own.

The rear is bouncy and unsure but again, same issue there- maybe a sidewall will improve matters. If not, I think a 4-link is DEFINITELY overkill, anybody have some middle of the road ideas that will improve right quality and eliminate that bounce without making me feel every road perfection? I feel like the options in the back on the Gen 1s are pretty limited.

Anything else y'all wanna spend some of my money on? Y'all told me to get that damn Holley Sniper for 2 years before I did it and it's the best purchase I've made for the car, hands down. Someone hooked me up with his supplier for the control arms as well so y'all are pretty good about knowing your shit and I'll gladly listen to what you have to say.

Sounds like you have a good plan, do you ever get it out to shows around here?

I dont know enough about that chassis to know what you should spend your money on..

but **** it

LS SWAP.

See ya around~

[hometeam]

Originally Posted by BigBeauford

Driving my 2013 Ford Focus AT (with the shit dual clutch), when I feel the transmission slip, and now have a warning that my transmission needs service ASAP. I know I am covered because these POS cars now have a 100,000 mile warranty for said transmission/clutch. My issue is if its the dual clutch, this will be the 4th time (under 80,000) I have to bring it back. Do I have any recourse against Ford on this (buy back, lemon laws, ect)? This car is likely worth less than dog shit on the aftermarket because of these issues.

Pretty sure there is a class action lawsuit going

[hometeam]

Originally Posted by Marcellus

FiTech is sending me a software update to try first with better algorithms etc..

Tech also said it sounds like it could be O2 sensor which is a factory GM part so if thats it it should be a quick fix.

We shall see.

Hey Hometeam or Sauto have you ever heard of the Coffeyville Street Races? I went last weekend to watch a buddy of mine race. Pretty good event with some real quick cars.

I have never been, but heard they are bad ass

I have buddies who have raced in them in previous seasons, all 3 of the cars are down at the moment for various reasons~