1981 Camaro Z28

[MP81]

Yeah...need to email Rock Auto to see how they can make this right. I'd prefer not to get a refund (as they're out of stock) and then have to go spend $10-15 more somewhere else.

Got my 2.5mm nutdriver today, plugged in my OTC Monitor 2000 and checked TPS voltage with the ignition on, but the car off, since that's basically equal to curb idle (assuming it is set correctly - hard to tell when you have an idle that seemingly changes based on the day). Turned the adjustment screw all the way in (which should lower the voltage - I believe it pushes the TPS down the barrel, allowing for the plunger to "start" further out) and basically saw no change.

I also found that my new tool is the perfect size to remove the roll-pin out of the accelerator pump arm - something I was not able to do previously! With the pump arm detached from the air horn, the TPS plunger (and the pin above it that contacts the arm) were free to be "out" all the way, which means voltage should be as low as possible. Didn't make any difference. I did confirm - with help from my new favorite tool which has found another perfect application - that the TPS plunger itself, as well as the metal pin above it both move freely.

In my mind, it looks like I just need a new TPS. Now that I've gotten the accel pump off the top, I should be able to remove the air horn much easier and with the carb on the car.

[DynoDave]

While not the result you might have wanted, sounds like some good progress!

[MP81]

Yup! It's a definitive result, which is definitely helpful.

I was writing an email to RA yesterday, but decided to check the site just to be sure, and they had one in stock, so I was able to do a normal exchange for a replacement. Just need to tape the box back up and ship it out today.

[DynoDave]

Wow, that's great. I was afraid they were going to turn out to be on back order, like a lot of resto parts are these days.

[MP81]

Yup - definitely got lucky there...assuming this one is packaged correctly.

Dropped it off at Fedex just south of Ducati yesterday, so it'll go out Monday. But RockAuto ships the replacement as soon as the original is dropped off, so they didn't wait for it to be shipped out on Monday, which is good for me.

[MP81]

Finally got the replacement seals today - RockAuto shipped it on the 24th via USPS Priority 2 Day...and it took four days, because of course it did.

Grabbed the box and thought at first it felt a good bit heavier than I remember the first box weighing...which was soon explained by the fact they sent me the wrong goddamn seals. They sent me "KD3030" - for a '94-02 Dodge Ram Regular Cab instead of my KG3030 seals. It said KD3030 on the box, but KG3030 on the invoice...so this one is definitely all on RockAuto. I immediately filed for another replacement, and took this one right to the FedEx store I realized is 5 minutes away inside our local Walgreens...and it, yet again, won't ship until Monday.

So I get to wait probably another week to see if maybe I finally get the right shit I ordered 21 days ago.

Very tempted to send them an email anyway, cause this is a bit ridiculous.

[DynoDave]

Rock makes it hard to complain to someone. NO phone numbers. Sorry to hear they got it wrong...again.

[MP81]

Yup - as we discussed out on Woodward (I never got a chance to check the forums before we drove on down), it was pretty frustrating! We'll see if the third time's the charm.

I really should send an email, but meh...if its screwed up a third time though...

Picked up my new NTK TPS in the mail on my way home from Ducati - this one looks to be correct.

[MP81]

Swapped the TPS today, and was able to dial in the MCS dwell after getting the TPS voltage adjusted at curb idle (as well as making sure the idle mixture screws were backed 4 1/2 turns out), then adjusted the idle air bleed (I turned that sucker in at least two full turns), TPS voltage and then the idle air bleed again - repeated a couple times, since adjusting one messed with the other a bit. Dwell is now varying between about 28 and 32 degrees, TPS is set to 0.56V at idle and idle speed is set to 700 RPM.

Only took almost a year to get this thing corrected...but I think it might finally be there.

Air horn off:


Old TPS:


Old versus new TPS:


New NTK TPS Installed:


Carb back together:

[DynoDave]

That's excellent! So nice to see some of this old tech fixed and working rather than ripped out (at least for now anyway). It takes a little reading / educating yourself, but they are not that hard to work on in the end.
Can't wait for a report after the first test drive.

[MP81]

Yup - I've always been of the sort to try and make things like this work, rather than just replace. Not to mention, even just switching to a regular carburetor means you have to change to a non-electronic-advance distributor - so it's not even just as simple as a carb swap.

The additional complexity of the mixture control solenoid and a computer adjusting fuel based on the O2 actually made, in my opinion, for an easier tuning time, since I could go based on an actual reading and adjust it to a specification - no way to do it as "easily" with a regular carb without pulling plugs and what not. It drives most people away, but as you said, with just a bit of research/education/perseverance - the rebuild of the carb really helped in terms of the first two - it ends up potentially being easier to deal with than a regular Quadrajet.

Hoping I get the correct door seals this time (and one left and one right piece, as well), so I can get them on, get the door panels on (and have them actually fit properly) - and thus get the armrests and hardware out of my way in the footwells - and get the car out on the road for the first drive of the year.

[MP81]

Forgot to update this: I did get the shipment. It includes both left and right side seals this time.

However...do these look the same to you?

IMG_20200902_140006451 - resized.jpg

[DynoDave]

[MP81]

That right there is on point!

[MP81]

It moved! I double checked the brakes today, because I was remembering incorrectly from earlier in the year, when I bent the squealers off the rotor because the pad still has 1/4" left. For some reason, I was remembering the squealers being on the outboard pad, which obviously is wrong. They're not, they're on the inners, haha. I did actually, finally, mount the overflow tank, which has just been floating in its spot since I got the car.

I poked my head up to look for the fuse box under the car and...yeah I don't see it, so I don't think it's something I can access from underneath...I'll have to pull it out, somehow, from inside.

After all that, I pulled it out into the driveway and re-did the carb calibration because it wasn't happy with where it was fine last time. . Once I got that dialed back in (even though nothing moved), I took it out for the first drive in a year...felt great! Car seemed happy, chirping second with ease, "accidentally" lighting the tires up turning left from a stop back into the sub (don't worry, I let off the throttle and did not take out the stop sign like that Charger Scat Pack did a couple months back)...might be out a second time this week on Friday...

On the door seal front, RockAuto continued to be worthless (and my return label "ran out" on the 18th), so I sent Fairchild a message, as it was suggested by one of the members on NastyZ28 who had a great helpful interaction with them in the past.

Sure enough: I got a response and they're sending me the matching LH seal (confirming it looks like the RH seal I have - which is the good Fairchild one) no charge! Fantastic customer service right there. Poking around in my garage on my mess of a workbench (which I really should clean up), I found that my inner felts actually are Fairchilds as well.