Skip to main content

Engine Bay Prep

11/19/17
The engine harness had to come out.  The original one that came in the car had issues so a replacement was swapped in.  Unfortnuately it was for a Caprice or 9C1 so the connections were not all the same.  This caused all sorts of issues but apparently also causes problems when it isn't installed too!!  I will talk more about that later :-(

A harness is not that difficult to remove.  You just have to know how each connector comes off, where to look and what to watch out for.  Thankfully I'd done it a couple times so this wasn't really a problem.  With the harness removed and everything plugged so water stays out of where it does not belong we started to clean things up.

Here are a couple pictures of the engine bay with everything removed that we could easily get to and each hose or hole plugged to keep water out.



Several years ago I installed a faucet on the front of my house for both hot and cold water.  Talk about a luxury!!!  It also comes in handy when trying to cut through oil and grime.  I rinsed everything down with hot water and then soaked it in Simple Green.  After letting it sit for 10 minutes I then rinsed it throughly .  I then repeated the sequence following it up with a quick pressure washing.  It came out really clean and I can now proceed with installing the new harness.



Where I realized I made a mistake was that with the harness removed, I had no way to power the car enough to pop the trunk.  Why this was so important is that the new harness and battery wires are still in there!!  I had to dig through the FSM and locate the schematic which while not that difficult - I could have saved myself some time had I cleaned it out a couple weeks ago.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Overhead Console Install

One of the "asks" was to install and wire in an overhead console.  I believe it was from an Astro Van and nothing about it fit the Impala.  I was quite surprised how long the install took but the finished product is really all that matters in the end. I first disassembled the console so I could paint it as well as figure out how to best install the darn thing. With the headliner out, I can form the base to conform to the Impala headliner.  I decided to use thin aluminum sheets and rivet them to the sides to fill the gaps. I then covered the base with material that matched the headliner. Painting everything the same matte black color as the rest of the car so it matches. Lastly the final assembly.  I as really happy with how it turned out thus far. I really hate cutting up a perfectly good headliner but this mod requires it.  Most people cut huge holes and also drill into the cross brace and use screws/hardware that can damage the roof if not careful.  I
Post a Comment
Read more

Center Console

The center console needed to get modified so it would work with the new B&M shifter.  If we had a '96 console, things would have been much easier.  Unfortunately they are very expensive so the '95 console was used.  The two cup holders were situated exactly where the shifter needed to be so out comes the power tools. After the console area was cut, I purchased a piece of ABS plastic and formed it using a heat gun to match the contours.  It then got cut to make room for the modified shifter bezel. The panel was then glued to the console using ABS adhesive.  Because the colors didn't quite match, the console was washed and prepared for some SEM plastic paint. I am really happy with the end result.  Not sure if I'd want to do it again because as simple as it seems, I had 12+ hours into the console.
1 comment
Read more

Speaker Box Build

When we initially went over the terms of the project, I stated that I did not want to do a full custom stereo installation.  As time progressed, I had spent so much time working on it, I didn't want to do a half-ass job finishing the trunk.  We went back and forth on ideas but in the end, I decided to just finish the car so Dan could enjoy it rather than get it back and continue to work on it. The first task was to build the speaker boxes that would house two Infinity Perfect 12 inch subs.  He wanted a good punch but not a booming sound.  After looking over the specs, that meant a sealed box of 1 cubic foot for each sub.  The trunk floor is not flat in a B-body so templates had to be built to accommodate the odd shape.  I decided to built 2 separate boxes - one for each side of the trunk. Here is the outline of the speaker box faces.  I had just barely enough room to mount a 12 inch subwoofer into the panel.  My goal was to be able to mount the amps and crossovers between the b
Post a Comment
Read more