Ace-Garageguy

Hold the car up to the computer and let me look at it. Stupid, right? So is speculation. The only computer-specific codes I've found for pre-OBD II GM cars are 47,51, 55, 85, 86, 87. Any of these COULD indicate internal failure. BUT IT DOESN'T ALWAYS WORK RIGHT, especially on older vehicles, and if it's intermittent, you need to try to pull the codes while it's malfunctioning. Are you getting a "check engine" light while any of this is happening, by the way? I have an 89 EFI, OBD I, GMC 305 cu.in. longbed shop-truck as well. Runs like ###### sometimes, runs fine other times. NO CODES. It's just old and confused. Intermittent problems require actual hands-on diagnostic work, which I haven't bothered to do yet.

Art also makes an excellent point, but it really comes down to period. Some of these things being made today have machined ribs, and an early cast unit could easily have been chucked up into a lathe and the fins cut pretty and smooth. Just depends on the exact look you want.

I've only been back in the hobby since 2005 or so, and i don't have any of my old stuff from years ago. BUT, i buy a lot of gluebombs and collections, and tear those down frequently. Honestly, I prefer to rebuild some old mess into something nice, rather than starting with a virgin kit. Weird.

Another real-world article entitled PRECISION PROTOTYPING: How 3D Printing is Changing the Injection Molding Industry Read it here: http://web.stratasys.com/US_EM_InjectionMoldWPSept2013_LP.html?cid=701a0000002E4zR

$4000 per mouse seems a little high. But wait...my bad. The article states that the 2000-mouse drop is only a PART of an $8mil program. I wonder what the "rest of the story" is.

1) This is a valid point. The '92 Chevy CK1500 truck (iron smallblock Chevy 350) I currently own had some odd problems before I bought it. The then-owner (a good friend) had taken it to several "diagnostic specialists" like Jiffy Tune, and every one told him it needed a computer. Because it WAS running occasionally like it had a massive vacuum leak, and would sometimes stall and refuse to hot-start (and because I hadn't gotten into electronic diagnostics myself yet), I convinced him to replace the EGR valve...$14 at the time, I think...before he sprung for a computer. Bingo. No more problem. Still running fine now with over 260, 000 on the clock. 2) How did you come to replace all of those parts? Throwing parts at a vehicle rarely accomplishes anything other than wasting money. Did you or someone else pull codes from the OBD I before replacing all of that stuff? OBD I was on vehicles prior to 1996, though some earlier vehicles have OBD II style interface connectors., and GM has some OBD "1.5" systems back to 1994. Geez. 3) There are other diagnostic procedures for that vehicle (and all OBD I systems) that do not require sophisticated computer interface capability. They can be found in the factory service manual, and usually require only a good volt /ohm meter with the appropriate probes, and possibly a fuel-pressure gauge (with appropriate adapters to hook up to high-pressure EFI). The steps must be followed carefully, in order, in order to generate any valid information (which is why most mechanics won't do them). Factory books are available on the 'Bay. Last one I bought for an '89 Celica GT, with complex electronic issues, was only $50, used. Isolated and corrected all the problems, including rodent-damaged wiring and bad relays from sitting for years, in just a few hours. 4) Trying to diagnose a problem, particularly an INTERMITTENT problem over the internet is most likely an exercise in futility. An intermittent problem COULD indeed be a failing computer. It could also be a corroded connector in the wiring harness somewhere, a bad connector on any of the sensors, an intermittent bad ground, a failing intake-air-temp sensor, or even foreign matter in the fuel tank. I encountered a dual-throttle-body EFI Corvette years ago with similar problems to yours. It would run fine cold, but as it warmed up after being driven, would begin to buck and spit, finally quitting entirely. After a lengthy "cool down" period, it would run fine again. Once more, all the usual suspect parts were thrown at the car to no avail. When it came to me finally, I went through all the manual diagnostic procedures, including hooking up a fuel-pressure gauge I could read while driving. Surprise !!! Fuel pressure would drop off after a while, finally to zero. Car would stall. Nursed it back to the shop and checked the filter and lines...fine. I don't recall the fuel pump location, but it tested fine. Hmmmm.... What I finally found was sugar in the tank. Sugar does NOT dissolve in gas, but as the car is driven, it would progressively coat the screen-sock over the fuel pickup, and eventually stop the flow. Once the engine was shut down (to "cool off"), the sugar would gradually drop off of the screen and the engine would once again run fine. THE POINT: Model car forum diagnostics probably won't solve your problem. There are simply too many variables. I suggest either you get the factory book and go through the procedures yourself, or find a VERY competent mechanic who will. The dealer can't pull any more info from the OBD system than you can (other than things like FI pulse width and duty cycle) and...surprise...not all dealer mechanics are competent. If it turns out you DO need a computer, I just bought a rebuilt one for a '96 PT Cruiser from these folks. The original unit had an intermittent "internal-check-sum-failure". The company that supplied the new one (OBD II in this case) programmed the mileage and VIN before shipping. Ran perfect right out of the box...all for less that $170. http://stores.ebay.com/autocomputerexchange/ Good luck. PS. Don't bother suspecting things like blown head gaskets, etc. without doing compression tests on every cylinder, and preferably leakdown tests as well, and a combustion-gas-in-coolant test. Intermittent drivabliity issues are not caused by severe internal engine issues...usually. AND...if replacing the fuel pump made the most improvement, see if the vehicle has a separate fuel FILTER somewhere. Your problem COULD be similar to what happened in the Corvette above BUT...in your case, it MIGHT be from scoring inside the old pump, from pushing rust particles through it, progressively weakened the pump, and as you drove, the filter would become progressively blocked to the point of engine shut down. Replacing the pump, as you did, with one that can make full pressure may be enough to overcome a partially blocked filter...until it becomes fully blocked again. Just wild speculation based on symptoms. PPS. I THINK your engine computer gets its crankshaft position signal from a module in the distributor body.

Welcome Jay. You're in my part of the country. There's a great car-model club that meets once a month you might be interested in. http://new.acme-ipms.com/content.php?1-the-front-page

Looking good so far. I really like seeing the Willys pickups built. Nice unusual engine choice too. Only one little thing...the port spacing on your headers isn't right for a nailhead, which has an odd arrangement. It probably won't show on the completed model, and I'll never say anything.

Welcome welcome. MachinistMark is another NS builder.

Good looking and unusual model. Like the mods, especially the Webers. Fast is good.

Nilsson. Beautiful work on the model so far, by the way. Fascinating history lesson too.

Slick trick. Kill and contain...I'll try it. I've avoided using poison because I didn't want poison-filled mice getting eaten by the neighborhood cats, including mine.

Wow. Beautiful work all the way through, from the un-chop to the paint. Tons of great info and inspiration here too. Thanks.

Unfortunately, there are a lot of newer peaking plants burning natural gas because it's currently so cheap. Far more efficient to burn it directly in vehicles. Sigh.

I feel your pain, but it might be time to start easing off a bit on the throttle foot.

Clean builds, very nice paint, and crisp and sharp foil work.

Beautiful model. I've got a couple of these unbuilt that I picked up during my quest to collect my favorites among historic race cars. Yours looks great, very clean.

This is a good look for these big old tanks, and the paint and foil work look great.

The tried-and-true method that works best for me when removing mold lines from finely-ribbed parts is to fold a sharp crease in a piece of 400 or 600 grit sandpaper, and use it as a sharp two-sided file to remove the offending seam, perpendicular to it, one groove at a time. Depending on how good your eyes are, you may have to work under magnification. If it's a chromed part, you'll have to refinish it anyway, and the fineness of the grit will leave scratches that are easily filled with one coat of primer, but it's still sharp enough to cut quickly. You may also have to repeatedly fold the paper in several new locations, as the grit wears off of the edge quite rapidly.

One per year since I've been back in the hobby since about 2005.

Good man. But...OMG OMG !!!! NUCLEAR??? OMG OMG !!! And hydro-electric destroys natural habitats and should be done away with !!! OMG OMG !!! (Just kidding.) It's good that you're patient too. You'll need to be.

Sounds a lot like Bama Lama care.

Great looking model. As Bruce mentioned, Photobucket works well with only a few minor PITA issues.

I'm really beginning to get interested in this kind of racing, especially after seeing your great looking models. Very believable cars.