Resurrecting the 48

[BryanL]

Looking for any input/suggestions on things to do or check to get the 48 back on track. This is Steve Mulder's car that Mitch and Glenn built so obviously after what has happened there is an emotional desire to race this car. It's a 95 Camaro LT1. It's been sitting for 12 years. I may update this first thread with the areas of the car to be addressed to make a list and maybe help someone in the future as there are other CMC cars sitting dormant out there.

First goal is to get it running correctly and attempt to make Cresson for a shakedown run. I'll move most of the safety items from my white car but still have the drivetrain out of the totaled black car to do the LS swap. If someone needed a "Built" LT1 or trans then I would definitely consider just selling that and going LS. The motor was no expense spared by Wayne Calvert with only one race. Dyno numbers appear to be exactly the same as my LS dyno's.

Engine - ordered cable to scan and see if there are any codes. Need a different external fuel pressure gauge as mine is bad and the one on the car reads low. Oil/filter already changed
Fuel injectors?

Trans - will drain fill trans and clutch fluid

Rearend - replace fluid and maybe control arms/panhard. Shocks

Brakes - fluid flush, grease caliper pins - need to see about making sure the pistons move freely. Cleaning up the rotors or will replace. Have C5 brackets to cut spindle to add larger C5 rotor.
Pads-could they go bad from sitting? It has C5 front calipers and LT1 rears.

Safety - Are we okay with just a fire bottle? (see fire thread for bottle and install suggestions) It has a system but will need to pull the bottle to send off.
Belts, nets, roll bar padding from white car. Possibly swap seat.

Front Suspension - any issues with the front control arms with spherical bearings. Check for rust-shoot with WD 40. Front shocks.

Cooling system - already flushed - would a pressure tester possibly help identify if there are other issues that might come up?

[michaelmosty]

That is awesome you are getting this car back on track, it is going to be great to get to see it again at Cresson!!

On the brakes I would think the old pads would be fine. Once you have the fluid flushed and good pressure I would think the pads would be able to clean off any light surface junk from the rotors.

Yes, a fire bottle will be sufficient this year for Tech. The fire system will be required next year.

One other preventative thing I can think to change would be the fuel pump. My fuel pump showed bad pressure on the dyno at Houston and when we tried swapping it out with spare pumps that Marshall had we found two that didn't even work due to the old fuel that had gunked up and restricted the flow. Finally went with a brand new O'Reilly pump and filter and it fixed the issue.

[ShadowBolt]

I have a pressure tester and I can bring it to Cresson if you can wait that long. Or I can send it to you on UPS.


Jerry

[Fbody383]

Not WD-40 but some spray lubricant on the solid joints is a decent idea. Check any remaining rubber bushings. Fuel pump not bad idea. You can pull the injectors and clean them up. Be careful if you order different ones - we ordered a set that was allegedly OEM but they had too much flow even at idle and the thing ran really rich.

http://fbodytech.com/eehack-2/eehack-features/
http://www.tunerpro.net/

I have a bench top set up to program these if you get to a point and think you need to use it.

[AllZWay]

I doubt you have to do much... just change oil and brake fluid and Send IT.

[BryanL]

That's funny James.

Update: I hate fuel injector filters. Well who knew there were even filters in fuel injectors? Anyway I pulled the injectors to check them. Some don't seem to be in great shape and now haven't found any filters locally-bummer. Probably a better idea to have them professionally cleaned? Or even better is to just replace them.

Thanks to 39/88 for helping I've been able to scan the car and it doesn't have any codes. Fuel pump and filter replaced. Drove it around the neighborhood a little but nothing like a track session. Fluids will all be fresh but not the hoses which I worry about and water pump. New serpentine belt at least.

Should receive all the safety gear needed this week-helmet, net, fire extinguisher and mount. Belt's have been swapped and finishing up the rollbar padding from white car.

If anyone has some Fuel Injectors let me know. Also, I believe there could be some Ford injectors that work the same so if anyone knows I'm guessing with all the Ford's coming that there might be a set of injectors laying around somewhere. I messaged a guy on Facebook parting an 96 LT Camaro which when I saw the location in Cresson I thought that's a sign but haven't heard back from him.

[BryanL]

Duplicate

[Gerno]

There is a guy with a bunch of 3rd gens always on FB selling parts, not sure if he'd have LT stuff. I had mine cleaned when I was chasing issues and it was done in 1 day. If I was you i'd head down that route. I'll also check around to see if I can find anything else

[BryanL]

Thanks. Another night another issue. Went to flush brakes with the one man vacuum bleeder on the caliper. Rears went well. Fronts just create air bubbles and vacuum bleeds before opening bleeder. When I do open the bleeder the vacuum is gone so quick it won’t flush.
Switch to other side and fitting is stripped. Replace it but same thing so replaced other bleeder with a spare. Same thing.

Pedal feels fine and no leaks when pumping but under vacuum the fronts won’t bleed or flush.

[michaelmosty]

Are your brakes from the white car still in good shape to switch over?

[Gerno]

Sure it's not an issue with the bleeder, maybe a bad hose? I have a set of LS front brake calipers with some ST43 pads or some new C5 calipers I can bring with me if you want to use them

[BryanL]

Yes-please bring those front pads. I have a spare set of C5 calipers as well which is where I swapped the bleeder from. I have a spare set of pads but I'm unsure what compound they are or if they are even a race compound. The good thing about having a lot of parts come through and in the garage is having them around but sometimes not knowing where they came from. The C5 calipers I believe have a Hawk pad in them but not a race compound. Which should be fine for this weekend to just shakedown the car.
Hopefully it's just hose on the bleeder but I tried another connector on the vacuum bleeder and same issue. I'll make my daughter have a leg workout and do it old school.

Stoptech's need new rings.

Need to research injectors. Guy on FB in Cresson parting an LT1 hasn't responded.

[ShadowBolt]

It was heartwarming to see the 48 back on track for the first time in eleven years! Bryan was convinced the car was not going to work well but Steve drove it and said it handled better than his third gen! Bryan also said it felt really good. In R2 Jay, Michael and Bryan turned lap after lap within a few hundreds of a second of each other. Tony had one faster lap then all his others were right in there with the other three. Very close racing and it was emotional to see the 48 making laps and mixing it up in CMC again (even though it is a CMC 2 car, LOL).
Thanks for all the hard work Bryan.
JJ