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Canadian 1984 244 DL B21A/B6304 project log.

Perseverance for the win.
Adjusting the TV cable didn't change the vacuum reading, but now I've got full throttle articulation...so that's not wasted time. What I did find though, was that the stupid little vacuum line that goes to the flame trap was causing my low vac readings because I had it teed into the vac line going to the boost gauge/megasquirt/FPR. Now I know why it had it's own port off the manifold in stock form...sigh. I removed it from the vac circuit, and all is good again. 20 InHg on the gauge, and 35kpa in Tunerstudio :).

...now unfortunately I won't get to tune for a while, due to a surprise snowstorm...but that gives me time to put everything back together.
 
I'm officially ready to get the car out...if only the snow would go away!

-NGK BPR7ES plugs installed
-GPS speedometer installed (too big for my 3D printed vent pod, so I had to use plain plastic :( ).
-Trim panel for my AEM wideband modded to show the gauge.
-Proper O/D relay installed (had an 86+ white one installed, swapped it for a pre-86 Orange to get the dash light to work properly).

Tomorrow I'll be installing the grille, headlights, and undertray. I could have kept going today...but I'm old, and a coffee on the couch with my cats, and the new episode of Roadkill sounded great :).
 
...OR I could have an allergic reaction to some medication I'm on (not any more!) and break out in hives over 90% of my body...have to clean up my basement after the sump pump dies and it floods to a depth of 1" before we notice...and put my back out getting into the car to go buy a new pump.

WTF...the universe dealt me some karmic retribution this weekend, but I don't remember kicking any puppies.
 
That back injury turned into some extreme sciatic nerve pain that had/has me in bed, praying to any magic space fairy that will listen. I do not wish this on anyone :(.

I did manage to do a few things this week though. I bought a ghetto-fabulous MS2 v3.0 from a local guy that needs MASSIVE refurbishing. It was very poorly modded for various things, and two pins were broken off the daughterboard. First thing I did was scrounge some pins and replace the busted ones, so the processor fits properly. Second thing is a WIP...undoing and rebuilding the board. I've got all the components I need, but I guess it'll be a couple weeks before I can get to it now :(.

I'm going to convert it to MS3, so the repair on the MS2 processor is mainly for testing purposes...and possibly to convert my MS1 v2.2 to MS2 for future use :).
 
Pain...lessening. Allergic reaction...gone. Basement...dry!

Car...receiving love again! I picked up a 'chinese' bluetooth module and now my MS1 is bluetooth enabled. 4 wires = :).

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The weather has finally taken a turn for the better, so I went for a drive today to shake out any bugs and start the tune. My PCV box leaks, so I think I need a new gasket, but that's about it. I'm kinda stoked :).

10psi on a 16T is NOT fast...but it's still fun to drive. I need better suspension, more timing up top, and a 2.5-3" exhaust. Right now, it's breathing through a 2" stocker...and it is choked down pretty badly.

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Successful two-hour cruise, and now the tune is dialed in. MS1 is really hurting for fine injector control, but it's not doing too badly with the 440s. I'm pretty happy with the way it's running :).

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Boring, same-old picture time, but this time it's taken at my mom's place! The wife and I went out there for easter lunch, and it's a good hour, maybe hour and a half drive from my place. It performed flawlessly, except for the stuck fuel gauge. A bit of banging on the top of the tank solved that :). The conversion to EFI has successfully added quite a bit of fuel economy, thankfully. The single Solex and BW55 did NOT make for a great hwy cruiser. Now, with the AW71L keeping me at 2200rpm at 100kph (62mph, the limit here), I'm getting to the half tank what I used to get with a full one.

Hopefully I can get started on the 3" exhaust this week, and my new rear shocks should show up tomorrow.

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Exhaust stuff has started accumulating. This weekend's task is getting the rear can installed. I got some of the nice Vibrant oval piping to help with the under-axle routing, and will put a V-band in there somewhere to make it easy to disconnect the rear section if any axle work has to be done.

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Gratuitous shot of boring rear shocks. I don't really want to lower the rear much, but it is soffffffffffffffffffffffffffft, so I'm going to give a budget option a try.

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That oval piping is stupid $$ too, so luckily I got a deal on that piece. It's not something I'd splurge on if I didn't have a very good friend who runs a performance shop in Gatineau :).

I've recently sold some parts, so I may just drop the car there and get him to build the exhaust for me. I like the idea of building it myself, but I don't like the idea of doing it on my back on the garage floor. It depends on how bored I get on the weekend I guess.
 
Swapped out the VERY dead stock rear shocks (blue in colour...probably haven't been touched since the 20th century) for some KYB Gas-a-Justs today. Took me 15 min...seriously. Why is the oldest car I've ever owned also the one that has caused me the LEAST amount of frustration from rusted and/or seized bolts? Everything came off like it was brand new.

Now I'm sure the fronts are dead too, but those can wait. The last upgrade for this summer will be a 3" exhaust, then the budget is done.
 
3" exhaust is done! I took it for a drive today, even though it was raining ice pellets...despite it being 27*C on thursday. Canadian weather is messed up this year :rofl:.

I learned that on a quick romp/kickdown, the open-diff'd rear end swings out quite nicely while rolling, which was pretty damn fun!

If you look, you can see the new 3" tip peeking out from under the bumper. I may paint it, haven't decided. I went under the axle, because it's not lowered in the rear, and I made the entire rear section removable via 3" V-band.

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Some observations on the 3.54 rear end and the AW71L I replaced the BW55 with:
-at 80kph (the speed limit on rural/county roads here), I'm seeing ~2200rpm, which is great.
-the lockup engages at ~85kph. The RPMs then drop to ~1900, which is terrible. It's a great motivator to stay at 80.
-at hwy speeds (100kph), with the lockup engaged, I'm at ~2000-2100 rpm.

I'm certain that I could get some pretty kick ass fuel economy if I added some advance to the ignition table at cruise...but it's proving kind of difficult to do with the 12x12 MS1 map. Without reducing the resolution of the table in other critical areas, I can't add too much without affecting the idle area. If I was using MS2 or 3, and had access to separate idle VE/Ignition tables, it would be cake.

...although, maybe I should just stop constantly getting in to boost...hmmm...
 
Observations:

1 - The 3.73 rear end is a bit nicer for sure. I haven't tested the G80 yet, but there's no whining or any other bad noises coming from the rear, so that will happen soon :).

2 - The BOV plate is coming out, because the stock CBV SUCKS ARSE. It's open at any vacuum from -10 to -2, and bleeding slightly at anything lower than -10. WTF. There is no way I can allow this to continue, because it's definitely affecting the response of the turbo to slight throttle movements. I have to figure out what the next plan of attack is: stiffer spring in the CBV, or dump it for a proper BOV/DV.
 
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